episode_0072

“…Like an oblivious unwanted guest.”

Seething with the fact that her attempts had gone in vain, the succubus glared at me, lips pressed tightly together, emanating strong animosity.

Even as she cautiously assessed the situation, not rushing in recklessly but rather clutching her palm and gauging the atmosphere, it seemed like she was taken aback by fear, perhaps due to the intense pain she felt when I struck her hand.

Was it the frustrating situation that didn’t sit well with her?

Though Monma’s expression momentarily softened, she soon adopted a teasing smile, as if asking when did annoyance set in, before slowly speaking.

“Oh? I noticed a hair on the handsome gentleman’s eyebrow and simply wanted to remove it out of concern. Aren’t you overreacting a bit?”

“Well, guest, I already know what you’ve heard. Constantly provoking someone who has expressed disinterest and then reaching out—am I really overreacting?”

“Hmm… now that I think about it, we share a similar scent. So, how are you related to that gentleman? Lovers? Or just a relationship based on mere physical desires?”

“Suddenly curious about that, aren’t you? Rather, it’s a closer and more intimate bond than that.”

Roughly calculating, it had been 8 years—a friendship that had lasted a long time, not quite childhood friends, but a relationship that had endured. And now, even living together, one could say it was closer than mere lovers.

With arms crossed, I replied in a low voice, prompting a skeptical look and a slight tilt of the head from the succubus.

“Both emitting a scent of purity and innocence, how unlikely. If they were a couple, they would have…”

“Judging virginity and bachelorhood from afar is something done in remote villages, isn’t it? And if the man is so desperate, he should visit a brothel. Don’t come to such ordinary bars.”

“…No, considering they emit the same scent, could they be a couple? After all, if they weren’t a couple, there wouldn’t be such a sensitive reaction.”

“Are you even listening to me right now?”

Lost in her own world, the succubus continued muttering without acknowledging my words. Should I slap some sense into her cheek? As I pondered briefly, Monma, snapping back to reality moments later, sheepishly sought forgiveness from me.

“Tsk, my apologies. I didn’t realize you belonged to someone else.”

“…?”

“If you belonged to someone else, I wouldn’t have even thought of touching you. Unlike other succubi, I’m not that morally bankrupt.”

She belongs to someone else?

What nonsense is she spouting?

Drawing mental question marks, I stared dumbfounded at the succubus, contemplating whether to retort sharply but then a fleeting good idea crossed my mind.

After all, the other party was a genuine guest.

Having been fed the Black, she probably wouldn’t return here anyway. Was there a need to disclose the truth and endure the hassle?

With the succubus’s misunderstanding nearly bringing closure to the situation, I decided to affirm while maintaining a poker face, linking arms with Jaehyuk.

“You have a keen eye, don’t you? You saw correctly, guest.”

Without a word, she linked arms, shivering with repulsion, displaying reluctance. I quietly whispered for her to bear with it for a moment, furrowing my brows, and commanded the succubus with a stern tone.

“However… having a woman openly flirt with my man right in front of me is incredibly irksome. Would you kindly leave the establishment now?”

With a resentful tone, I issued my ultimatum, and with pursed lips and a face full of resentment, the succubus left the cocktail bar.

After confirming that she had completely disappeared, I quickly released my arms and immediately bowed my head, offering an apology to Jaehyuk.

“Sorry… I felt this was the cleanest way to handle it. If you were really upset, I’ll buy dinner tonight.”

“…”

“Jaehyuk?”

Was he cautiously observing my stiffened face, perhaps being careful not to provoke me?

Jaehyuk cleared his throat a few times, then abruptly excused himself with a hesitant posture, saying he needed to use the restroom and swiftly left.

…He must have been really uncomfortable.

Well, if I were in Jaehyuk’s shoes, I might not have acted differently.

With a bitter expression, I tidied up the spot where the succubus had stayed, only to be approached by Jooyeon with a sly expression.

Ah, here we go again, for real.

I sighed and gave her an exasperated look, but Jooyeon paid no attention and continued speaking.

“And now, tell me honestly. Are you and Jaehyuk really not a couple… Oh!”

“That doesn’t make any sense. Even a brief touch makes him so uncomfortable; how could we possibly be a couple?”

As I firmly denied it, a sigh of relief erupted from those around us.

Seeing their sad expressions as if they understood the reason for the relief, I shook my head and began cleaning up to leave work.

—–

Late at night, on the way back home after dealing with troublesome customers, especially considering they were of different species, making the commute even more exhausting.

Unlike the usual bustling atmosphere, there was only an awkward silence between Jaehyuk and me.

…The awkwardness was inevitable.

Having pretended to be a disgustingly lovey-dovey couple, wouldn’t it be strange to laugh and chat as if everything were normal?

As I pondered what to say to break the awkward silence, Jaehyuk broke the ice first.

“What do you want to eat for supper? I think we should have a sip of alcohol today.”

“Huh? Oh, sure! Uhm, how about just chicken? I don’t really have a preference…”

“Chicken? It’s been a while since I’ve had some. Let’s order half-seasoned and half-fried, I’ll cover the cost…”

“I’ll pay for it today! I, I kind of blurted out nonsense, so consider it an apology.”

“I wasn’t really flustered. Honestly, splitting the bill would’ve been fine too, but… since you offered, thank you, I’ll enjoy it.”

Jaehyuk nodded slightly and gave a subtle smile.

The guy who had been silently staring at me for a moment suddenly started teasing me with a mischievous face.

“Hey, I may not know much else, but I feel like I’ll remember that one thing until I die.”

“What, what is it?”

“It’s quite annoying to see a woman openly flirting with my man right in front of me, you know… Ugh, ugh, bleh, eugh…!”

“…”

Listening to those words directly from someone else made that past statement even more embarrassing.

Feeling a warm flush on my face, I quickly plugged my ears with earphones.

…Why did I act like that back then, seriously.

I should have just kept quiet.

As I paced back and forth and let out a scream, Jaehyuk patted my back with pursed lips.

But unlike a comforting touch, his words were nothing short of irritating.

“Darling.”

“…”

“Sweetheart?”

“You’re so annoying!!!”

I couldn’t hold back my irritation and snapped, but he just laughed it off and let the annoyance slide off like water off a duck’s back.

After laughing for a while, Jaehyuk took a deep breath and began speaking in a slightly more serious tone.

“Still, thanks for helping. If it weren’t for you, things could have gone really wrong.”

“Is it okay for someone who’s thankful to tease their benefactor like this?”

“It’s kind of funny, isn’t it? If I had pretended to be your husband, would you have teased me like this?”

“Well…”

Even if he wanted to deny it, the words wouldn’t come out.

As he struggled to speak, avoiding eye contact, he crossed his arms and subtly raised the corner of his mouth.

“See, you must have teased me too. Maybe not as harshly as I did, but you definitely did.”

“Yeah, I’d love to get my hands on some antidepressants. Seriously.”

“You’re damn happy, aren’t you?”

…You bastard.

Just wait and see what happens later.

Once I get a hold of something, I’ll never let go until the end, that’s for sure.

After vowing childish revenge under the crescent moon, ordering chicken through a delivery app, and taking another walk down the street, the atmosphere had significantly lightened compared to before.

Reflecting slowly on the events of the day, a sudden question popped into my mind, prompting me to ask him.

“By the way, that succubus, wasn’t she very close to your ideal type?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“She offered to comfort you, didn’t she? Be honest. Were you a little disappointed?”

“Hmm.”

Pausing in his steps, he seemed lost in thought for a moment before finally tilting his head and speaking.

“Not really. Her personality wasn’t my preferred type, so I didn’t feel any attraction.”

“So you don’t just fall for anyone who’s straightforward?”

“Is that so?”

With a frown on his face, Jae-hyuk shook his head, calmly expressing himself as he looked down at me.

“I don’t ask for much. As long as she can joke around with me like a friend, provide some freedom, and handle my complaints to some extent, that’s enough for me.”

“If those are your conditions, the bar is set pretty low… Wait, it sounds like those conditions are pointing towards me somehow?”

As I widened my eyes and made a puzzled expression, he looked at me with a face on the verge of laughter.

Realizing it was all a joke, I smacked his back hard and started walking ahead, irritated.

“…You bastard, at least turn on your blinker before saying something like that.”

Perhaps due to being too surprised, my heart didn’t calm down easily even after a few minutes had passed.

I vowed that this humiliation would be repaid before our cohabitation ended.

Wanting to cool off from the midsummer heat, I quickly headed back to my studio apartment.