Side Story 33. The Story After (33)

After Lee Hoyeon left Im Sol’s research lab alone, saying it was getting late.

The inside of the research lab was filled with silence.

“Mmm…”

Im Sol and Baek Ahyoung.

They remained, facing each other, just the two of them.

Though the two had been heated up at first, as time passed, a blush rose on their faces.

This was because only after Lee Hoyeon left did their heads cool down and they could properly recognize the situation.

Feeling a little embarrassed, a little ashamed.

Various emotions enveloped Im Sol and Baek Ahyoung.

“Sol-ah…”

Baek Ahyoung was the one who spoke first.

Although she had a bad habit of losing control in situations involving Lee Hoyeon, she was originally closer to a calm personality.

The nickname ‘Saintess’ wasn’t given for nothing.

She became more meticulous than anyone else in official matters.

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry. For needlessly causing this because of me…”

However, Baek Ahyoung realized her own outburst.

There were sometimes times like this when she was with Lee Hoyeon.

She thought she should restrain herself, but at the actual moment, it just didn’t occur to her.

“…It’s okay. I didn’t properly refuse either, did I? This is something I also agreed to.”

Im Sol sighed and snapped her fingers.

Ttak- Ttak-

The kettle and utensils rattled as they flew over, creating a chocolate latte.

As she brought the sweet chocolate latte to her mouth, Im Sol’s head cooled down a little.

‘I should have gotten more sugar…’

It seems my brain wasn’t working properly because of the lack of sugar.

Indeed, rather than having sex right away, I should have taken his semen three more times.

To forget my dignity as a teacher and cling to my disciple…

There’s no embarrassment like this.

My magic had already been caught up to by my disciple, I couldn’t lose my dignity too.

‘Spying on their intimate moments. Why did I even think that?’

Since Im Sol herself had agreed, she couldn’t blame Baek Ahyoung.

She had felt embarrassed when having sex with Lee Hoyeon before, but this time it was even worse.

Because anyone could see she had become a voyeuristic pervert.

“What do we do now? Honey, I mean, Hoyeon found out too…”

“…Wouldn’t it be enough to just act as if nothing happened?”

It was genius mage Im Sol’s great tip for social life.

After causing trouble, if one just stayed still as if they knew nothing, people around would often resolve it for them.

It was a method typical of Im Sol, who had cut off relationships with people around her.

“W-what about the three of us doing it together…? Should we not do that either?”

“…Really? We’ve already seen the most embarrassing parts.”

“If Hoyeon seems like he’d like it, I think it would be okay… We have our initial goal, you know.”

In the first place, what was the reason Im Sol and Baek Ahyoung gathered?

It was to compete against other women.

In that process, things went awry, and they became each other’s sex feedback… but ultimately, something must be done to get ahead of others.

‘For my darling… And if it’s Ahyoung, it’s okay to do it together.’

Baek Ahyoung furtively examined Im Sol’s face.

She didn’t intend to speak this thought aloud, but she was confident she could do better than Im Sol, even if they did have a threesome.

“For now, let’s just… talk about it later. My head hurts today, and it’s late.”

“Okay. Sol-ah. I’ll head out too.”

“Yeah. I’ll contact you after my schedule ends tomorrow.”

After confirming Baek Ahyoung pattered out of the research lab.

Im Sol buried herself in the sofa.

“If the three of us did it, I might truly die of embarrassment…”

No, if embarrassment were the issue, I should have died already.

This dilemma ultimately had a decided answer.

As Baek Ahyoung said, if Lee Hoyeon liked it, there was nothing she couldn’t do.

‘And there’s no way that perverted disciple would dislike it…’

Knowing that fact, Im Sol brought the chocolate latte to her mouth again.

Even as the sweetness spread in her mouth, the frustration did not disappear.

“Ah, I shouldn’t have done this…”

Im Sol belatedly buried her head in the desk, regretting it.

But the deed was already done…

‘…Still, if we do it together, aren’t I a bit better than Ahyoung?’

She hated herself for having such thoughts today, especially.

*

Even in a world where science and magic engineering had advanced, Seoul’s back alleys were dark and gloomy.

Rather, precisely because it was an advanced world, its dark side might be even darker.

Ttak- Ttak-

The red-haired woman walked through the dark alley between buildings, surveying her surroundings.

A rat crawled between the trash cans, gnawing on overturned garbage.

Although the Rune’s barrier enveloped her body, she always had to stay alert when passing through this alley.

The gloomy back alley was eerie, as if ghosts would pop out.

“It was definitely around here… Could it be they moved locations?”

The red-haired woman, Rebecca, tilted her head as she walked down the alley.

She was accustomed to this kind of dark world.

Since being part of Pandemic, Rebecca had often visited places like this.

It was good for obtaining valuable information, but not solely for that purpose.

There was no place better than the underworld for learning knowledge of sorcery.

It was a connection that had continued since the time of the Rune clan.

Rebecca came looking for her whenever she wanted something.

“Ah, found it. Honestly, Auntie. Your hobby is quite strange.”

Rebecca stopped in the middle of the alley.

“You say Feng Shui is important for sorcery, so why settle in a back alley like this? I just can’t understand.”

A rusty iron gate, densely covered in vines and moss, was visible.

It looked like a gate that had been neglected for a long time and wouldn’t open.

This was where the woman Rebecca was looking for was.

Kiiik-

As Rebecca touched the gate, the one that looked like it wouldn’t open moved automatically.

This was a place where sorcerers operated.

Sorcerers, unlike Hunters or the Rune clan, were individuals special from birth.

They had lived in hiding since the past, and even now that Hunters had appeared, they continued to do so.

“Egh… I feel so dizzy.”

As I entered through the gate, a completely different space emerged along with a slight dizziness.

It was quite a high-level barrier.

What was first visible was a lavishly decorated room.

Ingredients for sorcery procured from all over the world, and ominous-looking talismans.

And among them sat an old woman.

Rebecca smiled and greeted her.

“It’s been a long time, Auntie Rahel.”

“Khkh… It’s Rebecca. I prepared your favorite tea, knowing you’d come.”

“Thank you.”

The old woman was deeply wrinkled, having directly weathered the storms of time.

However, the power felt from her was real.

Rebecca nodded, looking at Rahel wearing a benevolent smile.

Auntie Rahel.

She was a sorceress who gave Rebecca great help during the time she was lost after losing the Rune clan.

Even now, she was someone who often helped Rebecca.

“Yes. What brings you here today?”

“It’s about… I want to find out how to draw out the power within the body of a young clan member.”

It concerned a kid named Cheon Su-hyun at the orphanage.

Since he was still a child, I couldn’t teach him the Rune’s barrier directly, so I intended to enhance his physical potential.

Of course, if the child refused to become part of the Rune clan, I also intended to let him grow up as an ordinary person.

Because Rebecca had Lee Hoyeon as her future and her insurance.

‘Of course, I don’t know when he’ll get me pregnant, though…’

We definitely try so hard, but a child just isn’t happening at all.

Thinking about that fact made her mood sink again.

Hmph.

Rebecca unconsciously let out a sigh.

And Rahel didn’t miss that subtle movement.

“Rebecca. You seem to have a worry, tell me about it.”

“…It’s not really something I should say to you, Auntie Rahel.”

Rahel was like family to Rebecca.

It felt a bit strange to ask family about worries concerning pregnancy, but…

She was also the most experienced adult among the sorcerers.

It should be okay to consult an elder about this kind of thing.

Rebecca carefully brought up her worry about not getting pregnant, even though she frequently mingled bodies with the man she loved.

She added that he possessed the talent worthy of carrying on the clan’s bloodline.

“A mage talented enough to use the Rune’s barrier… Certainly, blood with that level of talent could potentially carry on the Rune clan.”

“Yes. But it’s not going as well as I thought.”

“Pregnancy is naturally difficult for the Rune clan. The important thing is patience and perseverance.”

“Right? As expected, there are no shortcuts…”

It can’t be helped.

Let’s try harder.

I’ll have to go home and take it up the ass four times today and plug it up with a bandage.

Looking disappointed, Rebecca brought the tea in front of her to her lips.

It was steaming gently, looking very warm and delicious.

“Mmm. The Rune clan is so strong that their restrictions are equally strong. They are a very unique race, only able to conceive a child on the night when the full moon is highest.”

Keuhk- Keueup!

At Rahel’s words, Rebecca, who was drinking tea, started coughing.

Rebecca’s eyes widened, and she grabbed Rahel’s hand.

“…What? What did you say?”

Rahel checked Rebecca’s expression.

It was an expression that clearly said, ‘What kind of bullshit is this?’

“Rebecca… What’s with that expression? Surely you didn’t not know?”

“Books like that didn’t mention anything like it…”

“Your clan education… Ah, before making a partner, the clan…”

Rahel shook her head, the Rune clan tragedy coming to mind.

The image of the child before her suffering was still vivid in her mind.

She had hoped she would become happy now, but she was still such an innocent child.

“…It’s strange. I definitely went through the coming-of-age ceremony, so why didn’t I know? I have no memory of being taught such things.”

“Originally, they don’t teach women such things. In the first place, it’s the custom for the Rune clan to obey their husband’s words.”

“…”

Thinking about it, that made sense.

The Rune clan does not doubt their husband’s words.

If the husband says to take off clothes, they take them off, and if they say pregnancy only happens during the full moon, then that becomes the truth.

That was the Rune clan.

‘Then all the hardships I went through until now…’

A single tear rolled down Rebecca’s eye.