Chapter 51 – As Long As It Tastes Good

“T-Try…calling me Noona.”

As if she had been possessed by something, Seolha told me to call her Noona.

Despite her being a misandrist, she grabbed my shoulder and was being overbearingly lovey dovey with me.

This isn’t it…

Something was wrong.

In V. AGE, the player had to slowly build Seolha’s affection while decreasing her extreme adversity towards men.

First, it began with touching her through her clothes, then the skin, next hand-holding, eventually to kissing.

Seolha used to compete for the top spot in V. AGE’s popular heroine vote due to what she went through to treat her phobia of men and being the impoverished and debt-ridden woman she was.

But what should I call her right now?

When I reached the point where I was so small that my pants fell off, Seolha’s phobia of men vanished into thin air and she demanded that I call her “Noona”.

I couldn’t believe this was Seolha’s true nature.

At the same time, I felt betrayed by Seolha from V. AGE.

I was starting to feel fear at her who was looking at me while licking her lips.

“Save me…”

When Hayeon left, Seolha had jumped at me and I tried to pull her off, but I had no strength in this smaller body to do so.

The only person who could save me right now was Yoo Hayeon.

I was about to raise my voice to call Hayeon, who was fighting the cannibals.

“Yoo… Yoo Hayeon…! Save… Mmph…!”

“S-Stay…put! Noona will treat you with love…!” 

My words did nothing to hinder her.

She brought my face to her chest and hugged me.

“Haa… I don’t like men, but boys are cute so I like them…”

“Mmph…!”

She hugged me so tight that I could barely breathe. I could smell the scent of fragrant flowers in her embrace.

The way she acted was like she was oblivious of the fact that I was a 17-year-old Han Sijoon in a smaller body.

How are you going to face me when I grow up again? 

She looked at me as if I was cute in my smaller self.

Did she forget how coldly she treated me in my original self?

I couldn’t understand Seolha’s behavior of diving straight in as if her brakes were broken. 

She might have noticed that she was suffocating me in her embrace, she released me and started to show concern. 

“A-Are you okay…? Did you suffocate a lot?”

“J-Just…what the hell are you doing? Seolha?”

“What do you mean?” 

An expression which did not show the slightest shame at her own actions.

She was moving by her instincts.

In that situation, the word, instinct, suddenly stuck in my mind.

Wait, instinct…? 

Instinct.

Lee Seolha’s instinct.

She instinctively detested men because of her unfortunate past.

But her instincts did not include boys.

Although I was smaller in size, my brain was the same.

Seolha was acting oblivious to the fact.

As if she had no thoughts…

Instinctively… 

I could recall her innate ability. 

Wild Beast.

It was an ability which strengthened the user’s physical capabilities by possessing the senses of a beast.

In order to find the flower, Seolha was using the beast’s hearing, sight, and touch.

Because we didn’t have good luck, she had her ability activated for a long time.

As everyone knew, innate abilities were not only good for users.

There were times when I had to offer my lifespan to use my innate ability. 

In Hayeon’s case, if she used her innate ability for a long time, her mind would be out of it and she’d act like a child.

If so, then what were Seolha’s side effects?

The ability which strengthened the user’s body by using the beast’s senses.

Wasn’t that no different from how beasts followed their instincts just like what Seolha was doing now?

I assumed as much and I could see that my guess wasn’t wrong.

“Han Sijoon. Why won’t you call me, Noona? Do you not like me? I want to be called Noona though…”

Seolha expressed her disappointment at not being called Noona.

Wasn’t there a saying that people instinctively like younger people?

She seemed to be the greater of the majority.

“Haha…”

Could this be seen as her type?

I wore an uneasy smile.

It was because I couldn’t agree with Seolha’s taste at all.

My dream was about a Noona who made a lot of money and was good at cooking, not about a Noona who kidnapped me and adored me because I was cute.

Regardless, I have my pride…

If you’re a man, wouldn’t you want to be treated as strong rather than cute?

A man’s pride did not bend easily.

For starters, I had to stop Seolha from using her innate ability before her side effects worsened.

At this rate, her very reason would be lost and she could become a human who only lived by instinct.

I spoke to her as if I was dealing with a wild animal.

“Seolha. For starters, calm down… How about you turn off your ability?”

“Ah, right. I left it on. But not right now.”

She flatly refused me.

With her ears perked up, she looked towards Hayeon’s direction.

Seolha looked to be instinctively vigilant of Hayeon’s return.

But still, Seolha still has reason left right now. If my words could get through to her just a little…

Persuasion.

Let’s try to persuade her.

Even if she couldn’t turn off her ability, I had to persuade her not to frighten me any more.

I spoke to Seolha as reasonably as I could. 

“Seolha. Think carefully. I’m Han Sijoon and my mentality is well-intact. I only look like this on the outside. Alright?”

She stared at me without saying a word, then lowered her navy-blue eyes, 

She mumbled as she said to me, “Is that important…?”

“…What?”

“Isn’t it fine as long as I like your appearance…?”

“This crazy…”

As long as it was to her liking, it’s fine.

I never expected to hear that in real life, but after Seolha said that, she looked towards where Hayeon had left.

Then perhaps because she still had time to do so, she approached me as if there was no problem.

“Sijoon. Come now, call me Noona.”

“…Don’t wanna.”

“Hurry up. Noona’s going to get mad.”

What are you going to do if you get mad?

Did she plan to force herself on me?

She wouldn’t go that far, right?

My persuasion failed, but her reason was still there.

When I saw her in V. AGE, she was not the type of person who could overcome her side effects and pounce on men.

“…Do you see Noona as a fool? You need to be scolded a little.”

My expectation was wrong.

Seolha looked like she intended to pounce on me while Hayeon was away.

If I didn’t call her Noona, she was going to jump on me in order to scold me.

I don’t want to be unfairly assaulted…

As I saw her approaching me closer and closer, I spoke to my last hope, Fenrille.

Fenrille, does someone like that qualify for the condition?

What kind of feeling did she have for me?

No matter how I looked at her, that wasn’t an emotion of love.

It just looked like the suppressed instincts of a woman that have been unleashed.

Fenrille kindly responded to my question.

–Human. That. Female. Strange. Like. A beast. But. Strong. If you can. I will. Acknowledge.

I wondered how it so happened that Fenrille looked at Seolha and said she resembled a beast.

Fenrille stated he wasn’t sure if Seolha’s feelings could be viewed as romantic. But he sensed that she was stronger than me and would become stronger later on, so he said he would acknowledge her.

So that’s the case, is it…?

I stared into Seolha’s beast-like eyes who looked like she’d jump me any moment now.

“Lee Seolha.”

“Hm…?”

Perhaps her side effects were getting worse, she was gradually losing control.

I stopped her and asked, “I just have to call you, Noona?” 

Before I got assaulted, I had to take the initiative.

If you couldn’t take the initiative against a beast, you wouldn’t be able to tame it.

“Hurry now, call me Noona!”

She nodded vehemently at my question.

I could see her reason chipping away bit by bit.

I made the decision after seeing her state.

If I want to win Seolha over, I have no choice but to take this opportunity.

I was in a small body and not the object of her misandry, so if this wasn’t an opportunity then what was?

It hurt my pride to call Seolha, Noona, but when I thought about the reaction she’d give me when she came to her senses, it wasn’t bad either.

Originally, if I wanted to take Seolha’s route and win her over, it took about two years.

In order to cure her misandry, you’d have to slowly approach her, and at the end, you’d reach the dating route with her.

I was in a situation where I didn’t belong to the precondition for that male-hating route.

If this wasn’t an opportunity, what was?

I took this chance to choose Seolha as the third woman to extend my lifespan.

“Haa…”

It was a bit cringey, but I sighed as I looked at her.

Her eyes were full of excitement, and since her ability was still activated, the fine soft hair on her arms was rising.

Resolving my heart, I exclaimed, “Seo…Seolha Noona…?”

“…!!!” 

Seolha was rejoicing like it was to her liking.

Just why in the world did she have such abnormal taste?

I was curious, but I didn’t want to know.

“N-Noona… He said Noona to me… Hehe…” 

Drool was flowing down from Seolha’s mouth.

I couldn’t grasp her twisted taste whatsoever.

At that moment, Seolha’s ears perked up.

Was Hayeon coming?

She might have snapped out of it right then, Seolha concealed the fine hairs that were sticking out.

It looked like she lifted her innate ability.

Seolha looked at me as she regretfully mumbled, “That’s too bad. You could’ve had fun playing with your Noona.”

“Haha. I’m so sad.”

I replied to her as a robot would.

Because she was in a state of half reason and half instinct, she didn’t say anything to me.

When I saw Hayeon’s figure approaching us from afar, I greeted her as if nothing had happened.

“You’re back? How was your opponent?”

“They were easy. Sijoon! I just need to destroy this, right?”

Hayeon said so as she held out a white flower that had been plucked out.

It was shining brightly in the moonlight.

By destroying this, the gate would close and we would move back to where we originally were.

The moment episode 2 was about to be cleared…

Hayeon looked at me and Seolha back and forth.

It was a look of slight suspicion.

Then she approached me and began to sniff me.

“Hmm…?”

Seolha tilted her head as if she was troubled by something.

She squinted as she said, “It seems like the mood changed a little.” 

It’s strange.

The mood was weird.

If Seolha had the senses of a beast, Hayeon had the senses of a woman.

She had the senses of a childhood friend.