Chapter 207 – Let’s Feast on Stars (7)

If my partner had satisfying sex the previous day, their thighs would feel broken the next morning.

It wasn’t morning, but even in the pre-dawn hours, the stars exerted much energy.

“Have you finished slicing the green onions?”
“Yes, should I put them in now?”

Byul, wearing a yellow apron, nodded.

Her appearance resembled a short-legged chick, and as I stared at her, she noticed my gaze and beamed a radiant smile at me.

“Why are you looking? Am I pretty?”

Byul held an iron ladle while speaking. The nape of her neck, with a vivid kiss mark, appeared quite provocative.

“…Yes, you are pretty.”

I answered honestly, and her lips curled upward.

“…Hehe.”

Look at that. That sly grin. Isn’t it almost too candid for someone expressing their emotions?

“Let’s do it one more time!”
“Alright, I love you.”
“Hey, there’s no emotion in your words! Let’s do it properly. Let’s begin!”

“Yes, I love you.”
“Ugh.”

Upon hearing my mechanical response, Byul pouted and lightly tapped my shoulder with her hand.

A proud woman she is.
But why?
Ever since our reunion, Byul’s affectionate gestures seemed to have grown more assertive.

“There wouldn’t be anyone quite like me, right?”

She resembles an anxious woman past her prime marital age, desperately trying to seduce men as if hastily putting up goods for sale. The expression might be odd, but that’s what it feels like.

“What do you want?”
“Tell me you love me more, and, well, like this? If I’m making soup, come hug me from behind! I’d be thrilled if you’d do Kigal just once!”

Even when she says so, I struggle with expressing affection.
I’ve only recently started doing it more frequently since I’m not naturally good at it.

“Alright, alright.”

What choice do I have?

I add thinly sliced green onions to the simmering kimchi stew, move behind Byul, and give her a back hug. My yellow apron touches her back.

Byul rested her head on my chest and gazed up at me. Love brimmed in her eyes.

“…Lovely.”

– Bubble bubble.

Byul’s hopeful voice resonated, accompanied by the sound of boiling soup. We continued our conversation, wrapped in each other’s embrace.

“Can I cook?”

“You’re similar to me in that aspect. I’ve been living alone since middle school or high school.”

“Really? We’re so alike. We both love games, lived alone, and are talented at the academy… Oh, right! Even our inner compatibility?”

Now that she mentioned it, we did have many similarities. Byul affectionately rubbed her cheek against the arm that embraced her, like a cat. The softness of her cheek and the shape of her upturned nose could be felt against my skin.

“I think we’re a great match.”

“At first, we met with the intention of just having sex.”

“Uh-huh, a blind date with Byul is a hundred times better than rape with Se-Young.”

“…It leaves me speechless. And that’s because Se-Young is a fire mage.”
“Yes, they would say that. Oh, I shouldn’t mention this to Se-Young, right? I’m seriously going to be in trouble!”

Se-Young took the hit.
I’ll have to tell them later.

Before long, Byul’s cooking was finished.

“All done.”

After tasting the kimchi stew once, Byul released my arm from their embrace.
Then, they scooped up some soup with a ladle and brought it to me.

“…How is it?”

They offered the ladle to my mouth.
When I tasted it, it wasn’t too bad.

A pleasantly tangy spiciness combined with an appropriate level of saltiness…

“It has that umami taste. It’s delicious, isn’t it?”
“Beef seasoning is essential. My mother always added a generous amount, too.”

The completed kimchi stew was placed at the center of the table, and it made for an impressive meal.

Rolled omelette and kimchi stew. Braised soy sauce meat and various seasoned vegetables. Freshly cooked rice topped with hulled barley.
The quality was consistently good, perhaps because they used high-quality ingredients and didn’t skimp on the seasoning.

When I heard that an egg cost tens of thousands of won, even I was astonished.

“If you don’t indulge in delicacies like this with the Vice President, you won’t be able to endure the stress.”

The association’s work must be incredibly challenging. The amount of money earned seems to be no small feat.

“Let’s eat!”

Home-cooked meals after sex. It can’t possibly be tasteless.

“I’ll enjoy the meal.”
“Please, savor it.”

First, I scoop a spoonful of rice and put a piece of rolled egg in my mouth.

“Wow…”

The ingredients are exceptional. Perhaps because it’s an expensive egg, the flavor is distinct.

I wonder if the other side dishes are like this; when I try the jangjorim, the texture of the beef splits apart, and the aroma of the seasoned soy sauce pierces my nostrils. The moment my prejudice that eating carelessly doesn’t matter shatters. It’s astounding that the quality of the food is different even though the cooking skills are similar.

In haste.

As I lose myself in the food, I hear a proud voice from the front.

“Is it delicious?”

Glancing forward belatedly, I saw a star shaped like a flower calyx, softly smiling at me.

“Aren’t you eating?”
“I’m just watching, and it makes me feel good.”

It seemed I hadn’t even properly scooped up a single spoonful of rice yet.

As I paused my meal and gazed at her, the star blinked her wide-open eyes and chuckled lightly.

“Want me to feed you?”

It seemed like a teasing expression, but she probably hoped for it. I picked up a piece of rolled egg with my chopsticks and placed it in the star’s mouth.

“Ahmmm-“

She bit into half of the rolled egg. Holding it in her mouth, she giggled while looking at my hand gripping the chopsticks.

After savoring the taste for a while, she took a bite. She ate half of the rolled egg and laughed happily. She has such a contagious laughter, which I envy. I ate the remaining half of the rolled egg with a faint smile.

I hope I can keep witnessing that smile.

* * * * * * * * *

After finishing the meal, the remainder of the night was filled with heated activities.

Game.
Sex.
Game.
Sex.
Sex.

As the so-called game-sex-game-sex cycle repeated itself, I wondered if this was what it would be like for a creature living purely based on desires.

Truth be told, even when playing games, we were always close to each other.

*Slurp.*

“Is it good?”

Kissing with chocolate or sweets in our mouths, we continued to move the controllers but never stopped touching each other.

“Do you want more?”

Once again, with a mouthful of chocolate, pressing down on me as if to smother me while lying on the bed. Our tongues met, and the melted chocolate sweetly enveloped us.

“So sweet…”

Marveling at the taste of the chocolate, we clung to each other and resumed our game. Perhaps due to the repetitive labor, like in an RPG, our affection grew deeper.

Resting thighs on my belly, or caressing my shins with a foot.

When they suggested playing a Pepero game with shrimp crackers, I asked, “Why not just kiss instead?” and received a scolding for my lack of romance.

Then, once the mood shifted, we shared passionate kisses for a whole hour. If desire overcame us midway, we would simply undress and make love.

Until the morning sun rose.

“Whew…whew.”

Byul scooped up the semen spilling from her vagina with her fingers and pushed it back inside.

Sunlight streamed through the curtains. Morning had arrived, and it was time to part from Byul, if only for a little while.

Still, it seemed that our night of tender affection had made a difference. Unlike the first time we’d been intimate, I could feel Byul’s body growing increasingly sensual and skilled.

“…Hold me.”

We embraced each other, naked. Byul shivered with pleasure in my arms, exhaling a breath that made my head spin.

“I want to stay like this for the rest of my life.”
“Do you really like me that much?”

“Hehe, I like it. My home was always cold… Just having you here makes it so warm.”

A room for one. Living alone.
It’s not that I’m immune to loneliness.

At some point, upon returning home, there’s nothing but chilly air. There are times when I feel extremely depressed, as if I had been struck on the head.
It’s not the temperature in the room… It’s a cold living space devoid of the scent of human life.
After languishing there for years, I can’t help but wonder if this is the right way to live.
Star had no one to lean on, having lost their parents.

I understand, as I’m in a somewhat similar situation.

Someday, we should live together.

In response to my question, Star nodded happily.

“…Siheon has many women, doesn’t he?”
“Is now the time for that?”
“It’s fine. I’m happy enough. That aside… I’ve been thinking about something.”

Cradled in my arms, Star savored my body scent, while their hand gently caressed my back.

Every touch and gesture was filled with affection.

“Come to think of it… Azalea? And Se-Young… And even myself. We all have something… like a screw loose somewhere.”
“Byul, too?”
“Yeah, Byul too… It’s just that I didn’t say it, but it was my limit. Always caught up in some trouble… taking lives. I tried so hard to live after my parents died… but all I’ve done is face hardship. Honestly, it was really difficult.”

Byul continued.

“You’re… quite strange as well.”
“Ah.”
“It’s not a big deal. But isn’t it like fate that we, all having our own flaws, met each other instead of being weeded out on our own? Just a thought.”

Fate.
It wasn’t a favorite word, even during the time with the World Tree.

“In the past, there really was a World Tree with the power to determine one’s fate. So, it’s not that strange.”
“What’s that?”
“If the women who keep getting entwined with you also have some deficiency, then maybe my hypothesis is correct?”

The star-spun conspiracy theory brought to mind the women I had encountered.

White Peach, Zodiac, Heaven, and Cornus among others.

These were certainly no ordinary women.

Each had their fair share of shortcomings. Cornus appeared almost devoid of emotion, while White Peach, Zodiac, and Heaven were cursed by the World Tree, rendering their memories incomplete. Was this the moment when the stars’ current concerns would shine?

*Swoosh.*

Suddenly, I felt a twinge in my lower back.

Sensing my expression hardening, Star swiftly changed the subject.

“Ah, I’m not certain! Even if it’s true, eh? Even if some despicable person forced us together, I will always love Si-heon! My heart goes boom boom!”

*Smooch, smooch.*

Star planted kisses on my cheek.

I couldn’t help but burst into laughter at her desperate display of affection. After all, even if that were the case, it wouldn’t mean our love would vanish.

“…Hehehe.”

Seeing my laughter, Star finally breathed a sigh of relief and, basking in my warmth, smiled as well.

That peculiar conspiracy theory never escaped her lips again.

“Anyway, now’s the time to focus on the task at hand.”
“Right.”
“Please handle the matter diligently during the Forest Keeper Selection. Expelling the Flowers is your responsibility, but it’s also the task of the Hunter Association.”

Although the Hunter Association might disapprove, the stars wouldn’t.

Their intentions were aligned.
With little time left until the Forest Keeper Selection and today being the last day off.

“Exactly.”

Temporarily slipping out of my embrace, the star crawled towards the dressing table. She took out a file from there and handed it to me.

“This is the recently exposed Flower base. It’s top secret.”
“Base?”
“Yes. During the last terrorist attack… we were fortunate enough to capture a few individuals and extract information. I filtered out the obvious lies and selected only those that seemed plausible.”

I received the file.
Approximately twenty locations. Moving forward, it seemed I would be working at dawn while also attending the academy.

‘How hard I tried to fall asleep, but it eluded me.’

Now I can stay awake throughout the night and move once again.

As I smiled faintly, Byul gazed at me with eyes filled with concern.

“…Though I may have shared this with you, I trust you won’t misuse it.”
“I know.”
“Keep work and personal life separate, understood?”

Byul enjoys games and has a nerdy charm, but… she didn’t become vice president for nothing.

“I trusted you. Consider yourself hired. I can help you with anything you need. Just remember not to engage in anything too risky.”
“Aren’t you worrying too much?”

In response to my question, Byul spoke earnestly.

“Because you’re mine.”
“So I’m employed now? Should I expect a salary?”
“…Would you like my body in return?”
“It’s already mine.”
“Hehe… That’s true~”

Byul, her stern demeanor now dissipated, laughed warmly.

I prefer this Byul over the professional one.

I embraced Byul, who was seated, and pressed my lips to hers.

“Like it?”
“Love it!”

The endearing affection laced within her response of “love it” never grew tiresome.