episode_0216

Seol Hayeon was in a good mood. Her expression thoroughly revealed her excited state, and she found herself humming a tune without realizing it.

As someone participating as part of a subjugation force against a villain group, it might be difficult to say this was a pleasant attitude to see, but…

Based on her considerable experience for her young age, unnecessarily heightening tension on a day like this was more inefficient.

What more would stiffening her entire body achieve in a real battle other than making her cower?

Moreover, the Arctic Ocean could, in a way, be considered her home ground.

‘Where could my Disciple-nim be?’

Seol Hayeon maintained only a minimal level of tension, not letting her mind become uncomfortably disturbed beyond that, as she walked around the ship.

Since it was fundamentally a warship, its interior area was quite considerable, and finding a single cabin within it was not an easy task.

‘W-would he dislike it if I tried to embrace him naked in the middle of the ocean…? No, maybe Disciple-nim would even like it… Disciple-nim is a pervert who loves small bodies…’

While this could be attributed to Seol Hayeon’s lack of navigational skill, there was also no denying that her mind was full of random thoughts.

She also had no intention of leaving her disciple alone, whom she was meeting after a long time.

So, for a long time, she bustled around, her neck red, constantly swallowing dryly.

“S-surely it was somewhere near here, B-202…? Uh, hmm?”

Anyway, after wandering for a while, she had almost reached Lee Hyunjin’s room, which she had been longing for. Seol Hayeon stopped in her tracks.

“Mother-nim…?”

The reason was none other than this: In front of the corner she needed to turn to, just before Lee Hyunjin’s cabin, a woman stood as if blocking the way.

Despite her middle age, she maintained her beauty, and Seol Hayeon couldn’t possibly not know her.

That is—her disciple’s mother.

“She definitely wasn’t on the list?”

Seol Hayeon wore a puzzled expression for a moment, but soon, as if she didn’t care, her face quickly brightened, and she smiled radiantly.

From her perspective, Yeon Seobaek was, after all, the mother of the man she had given her heart to.

They had known each other since Lee Hyunjin was almost a middle schooler, so there was certainly a degree of familiarity between them.

Seol Hayeon approached Yeon Seobaek in small steps and chuckled idly.

“You came because you were worried about your son, didn’t you, Mother-nim? After all, this kind of dangerous operation is Disciple-nim’s first.”

Yeon Seobaek lightly nodded and gently received Seol Hayeon’s words.

“His skills have grown by leaps and bounds, but he’s still just a child. I also feel bad about letting Teacher-nim bear the burden alone. I came here with the intention of looking after him myself.”

“…I told you it’s okay to speak casually, Mother-nim is still the same.”

Seol Hayeon grumbled slightly with a pouty expression. No matter what, there was such an age difference, and to hear formal speech from someone who might one day become her mother-in-law?

For her, it was inevitably uncomfortable, but Yeon Seobaek didn’t break her stubbornness.

With a refreshing smile, Yeon Seobaek patted Seol Hayeon’s shoulder.

“How could I speak down to someone who teaches my son? I’m more comfortable this way.”

“B-but I’m uncomfortable…”

“Huhu.”

Seol Hayeon muttered softly, as if even that touch was unsatisfactory, but she couldn’t help but brighten at Yeon Seobaek’s next words.

“Once we inevitably become a little closer… Then, as Teacher-nim said, I’ll call you ‘Hayeon’.”

“…!”

Seol Hayeon, whose sullen expression from moments before had vanished, suddenly had a beaming face.

This was because she knew what ‘a relationship that inevitably becomes a little closer’ implied.

Seol Hayeon wasn’t oblivious. Yeon Seobaek wasn’t oblivious either. That’s why she had long known that Seol Hayeon harbored feelings for her son.

Knowing this herself, Seol Hayeon’s heart had to pound.

“Oh, Mother-nim…”

And just as she was about to mumble, her lips trembling with a deeply moved expression.

“…But, hmm. That’s right.”

“Oh, yes?”

“And it might be a little difficult right now.”

Soon, Yeon Seobaek grabbed Seol Hayeon’s wrist and sharply turned her around, uttering a significant remark whose meaning was hard to grasp.

“Oh, Mother-nim?”

“Shall we spend some time together for a moment, Teacher-nim?”

“…What?!”

“I don’t think I can send Teacher-nim to my son’s room right now. In many ways, it would be a regrettable thing for both of them.”

Seol Hayeon was startled and her cheeks flushed red at the words of her prospective mother-in-law, who suggested spending time together, but unfortunately, Yeon Seobaek was looking at something a little further away.

Perhaps her son’s room was likely a ‘place of revelry’ (?) by now, so her mindset was that she couldn’t send this woman there.

“I-I’m fine with it…!”

However, Seol Hayeon couldn’t know such a deep inside story.

She replied with a trembling voice as if anything was fine, and Yeon Seobaek, feeling a sense of debt, nonetheless led her away from her original position.

‘…I’m sorry, Teacher-nim.’

It wasn’t that she didn’t feel bad, as she had known Seol Hayeon for some time herself.

Regardless, for now, she intended to respect the time between her son and the teal-haired girl.

Following that, Yeon Seobaek began to ponder how she could keep Seol Hayeon by her side all night long.

*****

“…Mmm…”

I woke up to the sunlight streaming through the window. This was because, despite being a warship, this ship inexplicably had cabins like a cruise ship.

As such, the bed was quite spacious. Large enough for two people to sleep comfortably.

I blinked blankly, shaking off my drowsiness, then, feeling one arm strangely heavy, I turned my head to the side.

“Startled.”

And I saw it. The sight of a girl sound asleep, her face very peaceful, tightly hugging my arm and tucking it between her breasts.

Her teal hair flowed gently, covering her collarbone, and her bare body, illuminated by the sunlight, enhanced her fair complexion even further.

It was strange that, despite being completely nude, she didn’t arouse my libido at this moment.

Was it because we had mingled bodies several more times after her confession last night? Was I tired?

“Hmm…”

To say that, last night also ended with Ryu Seeun’s declaration of surrender, saying she couldn’t take it anymore, so that probably wasn’t the case.

I gazed down at Ryu Seeun for a while, then tried to pull my arm out once.

Carefully enough not to wake her, but surely…

“…”

“Mmm.”

“…”

“Ung, aung…”

And I failed quickly. Because even in her sleep, Ryu Seeun wouldn’t let go of my arm and rubbed her cheek and forehead against it here and there.

‘…Isn’t this girl faking sleep?’

It was such an obvious display that I couldn’t help but think that for a moment, but her breathing was steady and her brainwaves were calm.

It didn’t seem like she was pretending to sleep to tease me, so I decided to leave her be.

Instead, to check the time, I quietly took the satellite phone from the table next to the bed.

This was to find out how much time was left until we reached the underwater cave, said to be the main headquarters of the Moonlight Cult.

Flinch.

The moment I turned on the screen, I shivered at a notification that caught my eye.

Given my current state, it was a text message that made me feel even more awkward.

[Wife-nim: What are you doing?] [Wife-nim: Asleep…? Already?] [Wife-nim: You said you took the satellite phone] [Wife-nim: Not checking your messages?] [Wife-nim: Nothing happened, right? I contacted Mom, and she was awake.] [Wife-nim: Contact me when you wake up.] [Wife-nim: I’ll wait.]

“…”

Cold sweat began to trickle down. A primitive sense of tension that not only drenched my whole body but also sent chills down my spine.

I carelessly looked down at Ryu Seeun sleeping beside me, then quickly returned my gaze.

‘What should I reply to this?’

How should I describe this situation?

It feels very much like a scandalous drama.

In short, a wife who sent her husband to war stayed awake all night worrying about his safety, but that very husband had been fooling around with a woman he met in the deployed city…

‘No, of course, she’s not a woman I just met.’

“Uh-heh…”

As I continued to think, I felt a needless sense of apology and gently stroked Ryu Seeun’s head.

The girl, seemingly feeling it even in her sleep, mumbled with her lips and made a comfortable expression.

I moved my hand a few times like that, then picked up the satellite phone again.

Anyway, I had to reply…

‘Could she be awake even at this hour?’

As I typed laboriously, I thought about that, and then, after reviewing the completed message, I pressed the send button.

Click.

[I’msorryIwasfoolingaroundwithSeeunpleaseforgivemeIloveyou]

“Hmm…”

If I do this much, won’t it just end with a few hits when I get back? No, anyway, she also allowed this kind of relationship, and she—

Ding!

“Ah.”

I didn’t even have the luxury to continue such useless thoughts for long.

Because the reply… came back quickly.

[Wife-nim: …^^]

First, an emoticon. I was nervous, but despite that, the replies that followed were milder than I expected.

[Wife-nim: That junior is fine] [Wife-nim: Just don’t hug a new woman, somewhere I don’t know.] [Wife-nim: If you do, I’ll really cut it off?] [Wife-nim: While sucking…] [Wife-nim: I’ll just bite it off, just like that.]

“Hoo…”

However, threats were never omitted. I was relieved that it ended with just this much, and then my Wife-nim added two more lines.

[Wife-nim: I love you very much too, come back without getting hurt.] [Wife-nim: Okay?]

“Hmph.”

It was a message that, naturally, with a very natural logic, made the corners of my mouth turn up.

Feeling my heart soften, I typed again.

KABOOOOM!!!

The next moment, the warship was sunk.