episode_0152

Drip, drip…

A thick, white liquid clung on, then slowly lost its adhesion and trickled down.

As it flowed down, leaving a sticky stain on her black stockings, Jeong Iseo felt genuine murderous intent towards a person for the first time in a long while.

‘Should I really kill him?’

Whether she could handle the aftermath, whether she could succeed. Or if the young lady she served would be sad…

Such common-sense considerations were merely minority opinions in her mind.

Right now, Jeong Iseo wanted to tear Lee Hyunjin in half.

Her insides began to boil.

Firstly, she didn’t like that he had done the same thing as her subordinates, and what she disliked even more was that he had done it with another girl, not Ryu Seeun. How utterly despicable…!

“…Ha!”

Jeong Iseo couldn’t hold back a scoff. Good heavens. How absurd, where did such a ruffian spring out from?

She had heard bits and pieces, after all. According to Ryu Jinseong, there were many female students around a male student named Lee Hyunjin…

So—strictly speaking, it wasn’t as if she couldn’t have entirely foreseen this situation, this complexity of relationships.

Reason and emotion were strictly separate.

Jeong Iseo thought. Realistically, she couldn’t really tear the young man before her apart. But perhaps she could give him a good stabbing?

After all, the Border Defense Force wasn’t without Awakener healers…

‘Right. Just one stab.’

*Smile.* Jeong Iseo formed a neat smile. Her hand naturally moved to grip the dagger on her thigh, and Lee Hyunjin’s face turned pale.

“…Why are you suddenly holding such a terrifying object, Iseo-ssi?”

Lee Hyunjin asked. He wondered if there might be another intention, if she had just remembered a task that required a dagger.

“Because I want to stab Lee Hyunjin. You’ll let me stab you, won’t you?”

Of course, such a hopeful observation was a delusion that wouldn’t work. At Jeong Iseo’s chilling smile, Lee Hyunjin firmly closed his mouth.

Well, who would genuinely want to be stabbed just because someone said so?

‘This situation is truly messed up.’

It was an extremely awkward situation now. It was Lee Hyunjin who had engaged in an unhealthy act in someone else’s house (?), and it was also Lee Hyunjin who had gotten something dirty on an outside woman.

He had nothing to refute. He truly had no words, even if he were to be stabbed once.

“Hoo.”

In the end, Lee Hyunjin made a big decision. Admitting his mistake obediently and expressing his willingness to pay the price, he stepped forward.

All the while, he tidied his pants as naturally as possible. Lee Hyunjin spoke.

“Alright, stab me.”

“Excuse me?”

And at his words, it was Jeong Iseo who was taken aback. Of course, she hadn’t expected such a response.

Stab him? Really?

No, of course, she had said that, but still.

…Is it really okay to stab him?

‘Isn’t this guy crazy?’

Jeong Iseo’s reason, which had wavered for a moment, faintly returned. This was because her own madness blurred when confronted with a truly crazy person.

Jeong Iseo, who had hesitated for a moment with the dagger in hand, subtly asked Lee Hyunjin.

“Are you really going to let me stab you?”

“Yes.”

“…Really, can I stab you?”

“Why are you asking the same thing twice?”

“No…”

Jeong Iseo looked disgusted at Lee Hyunjin’s attitude, which was practically telling her to hurry up and stab him. What was with this confidence and brazenness?

She soon understood the basis for it from Lee Hyunjin’s words, spoken with his chest puffed out.

“It’s fine because I have the Hyper Regeneration trait. Unless my heart is stabbed, I can recover from most stab wounds.”

“…Oh?”

Jeong Iseo paused, then raised an eyebrow. Although she wondered what kind of “oh” that was, it was certainly an understandable answer…

Right, it meant he had a way to endure.

Jeong Iseo’s gaze, directed at the dagger, sharpened even more menacingly, and Lee Hyunjin, despite having said his piece, unconsciously flinched.

“…Tsk, never mind.”

Clicking her tongue as if annoyed, Jeong Iseo spun the dagger once and re-sheathed it.

Lee Hyunjin, who had been guarding against a sudden surprise stab, unconsciously let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.

“…Aren’t you going to stab me?”

“What do you take me for, Lee Hyunjin? Even if that were the case, did I look like someone who would just go around stabbing people?”

‘Wasn’t that what she was going to do?’

Lee Hyunjin did not commit the folly of immediately speaking the thought that had suddenly crossed his mind.

This was because if he spoke carelessly, the dagger seemed likely to reappear.

Instead, the words he uttered with a cringing expression were far from his true feelings.

“Of course! I had faith in you. I believed that even if you took out a dagger, you would never stab me. Of course.”

“…Ahem.”

On the contrary, it was Jeong Iseo whose expression became subtle. It was true that she had actually intended to stab him, so her conscience inexplicably pricked her.

“If you know that… Never mind.”

But she didn’t bother to voice it. Even looking like this, Lieutenant Jeong Iseo was making an effort to maintain her image.

Though the stabbing was postponed, she forcibly suppressed the desire to still punch him and pulled out a handkerchief.

Lowering her posture slightly, she gently wiped away Lee Hyunjin’s fluid that had stained her stockings.

It was precisely this sight that made Lee Hyunjin swallow dryly.

He didn’t know why. Was it simply because Jeong Iseo’s appearance, her slightly flowing mid-length hair, held a subtle allure?

Unaware that Cheon Soyul, who had been holding her breath in the corner lest the arrows turn on her, was staring at him with dead eyes, Lee Hyunjin steadfastly gazed at Jeong Iseo.

“Hoo.”

Then, Jeong Iseo, who had lightly wiped away sweat, put the handkerchief back into her pocket.

It was, after all, the handkerchief that had clearly wiped away semen, even if she had folded it in half.

At her composed demeanor, not only Lee Hyunjin but even Cheon Soyul couldn’t help but momentarily blush fiercely. She put *that* away?

“…Hm?”

Perhaps it was due to their rather explicit gazes. Jeong Iseo, who had quickly raised her head, tilted it slightly at the two people’s strange demeanor.

“Aha.”

Before long, she saw through their inner thoughts and wore an even more subtle smile on her lips.

Placing her hand on her hip with a *thud*, she subtly glared at the two as if they were cute.

“Why, are you turned on? How cute.”

“…Ex-Excuse me?”

And those were the words she uttered. Lee Hyunjin stammered in extreme embarrassment, and Jeong Iseo chuckled at his reaction.

Well, even if he was advanced for his age, perhaps a child was still a child.

Still, from the perspective of Jeong Iseo, who was clearly his senior, he did seem cute.

If only he hadn’t been the man who captivated Ryu Seeun, she might have even doted on him quite a bit…

Of all people, he had stolen the heart of the young lady she most revered and admired. Although it couldn’t be helped, it was also true that she was displeased.

Thus, Jeong Iseo, holding complex emotions, turned with a faint chuckle.

“That’s enough, let’s go now. I asked, and Captain-nim said he’d be ready soon… Oh, open that window over there since we need to air out the room.”

Pointing to a small window in the back with a gesture, she left the warehouse with light steps.

Lee Hyunjin and Cheon Soyul exchanged glances and had no choice but to follow behind her.

“Oh, Senior!”

It was then that a girl with teal hair suddenly sprang out from around the corridor corner.

Ryu Seeun emerged in front of the three people, who paused.

“Seriously, where did you all go? Do you know how much I looked for you? …But why is everyone’s mood like this?”

Even as she grumbled, she soon eyed the three people and asked. The atmosphere felt unusually off.

It was Jeong Iseo, wearing a gentle smile, who answered her.

“It’s nothing, Young Lady. Nothing happened.”

“Uh, I don’t think so…?”

“Alright, shall we go meet Captain-nim now? We need to go upstairs, so we’ll take the elevator…”

Just as Jeong Iseo, subtly pushing Ryu Seeun’s back to prevent her from thinking further, was about to head forward.

*Swoosh!!*

“…!”

“?!”

Suddenly, the two people behind them shuddered and reacted. Lee Hyunjin and Cheon Soyul. With a great clatter, they immediately looked up at the ceiling.

“…Hm? Why are you—”

Jeong Iseo, unable to immediately understand their actions, was about to ask.

*Rumble rumble rumble…!!*

This time, a vibration that even she couldn’t help but react to resounded. Jeong Iseo’s expression stiffened at the shock that shook the entire building.

“…That’s ‘Darkness’ mana, right?”

Lee Hyunjin, similarly wearing a serious expression, turned to Ryu Seeun and uttered a single phrase.

She, who had instantly turned pale, looked up at the floor above.

“Father…?”