Chapter 69 – Blind Date (4)

In the office, only the chilly gazes of the two women filled the space. In Siheon’s absence, Byul and Se-Young faced each other with upturned lips.

“Hey.”
“Uhm.”

Byul, referring to Se-Young, sipped her bitter espresso without uttering another word. As her friend, Se-Young knew that it was unusual for Byul, who typically insisted on fruit juice, to drink espresso today.

With just a bit of thought, Se-Young arrived at a conclusion: Byul must have discovered the relationship between Siheon and herself.

“You know you crossed the line, right?”

A cold statement, akin to a midwinter’s icy blast.

“Se-Young. I truly came here with the intention of being in a serious relationship. Be honest. Siheon told me everything.”

Nonsense. Se-Young dismissed it inwardly. Siheon probably hadn’t revealed everything. No doubt, he must have alleviated his guilt by being vague, suggesting he had no choice in the matter.

In Se-young’s mind, Si-heon alongside the stars appeared as vividly as if she had witnessed it in person.

“But does a woman who enjoyed everything without resisting have any right to complain?”
“Si-heon did nothing wrong, did he? It’s all because of your wickedness. I had no idea Se-young had such a barrier. Did you say NTR?”
“Barrier? That’s nonsense. I told you to stop watching those damn comics. Just thinking about you and him together makes my insides churn… You really have no clue, do you?”

It is said that some people have a tendency to get excited when their lover is taken away, but Byul’s speculation was baseless.
Byul furrowed her brow as if Se-young’s words were bothering her.

“What is it, anyway? I’m leading the game team today, so I have to leave early. Tell me quickly.”
“Gamer girl, seriously… Fine, screw it. You’re going to find out eventually, anyway.”

Se-young, who casually cursed Byul, pulled a stack of files from her handbag and handed them to Byul.

“What’s this?”
“I’ve compiled a list of all the people Si-heon is targeting.”

“You’re targeting Si-heon? Well, there was a lot of talk last time I was kidnapped… I purposely didn’t mention it in front of Si-heon, worried he might be bothered. But why?”

Se-Young sighed, furrowing her brow. Seeing her distress, Byul’s expression hardened.

“She’s a candidate for the World Tree husband.”
“What?”

Byul had shown an odd fixation with Lee Si-heon, so it was inevitable that the truth would come out eventually.

Se-Young began to speak slowly. They had fought often, but she hoped that her long-time friend would understand.

Candidly, she confessed that she had been raped. She also didn’t forget to mention that this was the quest Lee Si-heon had received. Naturally, as Se-Young spoke, there were subjective interpretations and biased opinions, but Byul was not one to miss such things.

“…Hmm.”

Byul’s expression grew serious.

Rape. No matter if it was part of a quest, the weight of that word was not something to be taken lightly.

She had only intended to argue a bit and request a place as a concubine, but she never expected to discover her friend’s peculiar sexual preferences. With that thought in mind, Byul voiced the question that had been plaguing her.

“I know it’s not my place to ask, but why do you like Siheon?”

“Isn’t everything about him great?”

Se-Young responded without hesitation.

“Why is there a need for reasons?”

She had fallen in love. When she first became aware of it, she couldn’t say. It definitely hadn’t been when she was raped. Even though she had a taste for such things, Lee Se-Young wasn’t the type of woman to become addicted to intercourse. From the very beginning, her mental fortitude had been ironclad, capable of enduring all types of torture.

It was just like that.

Siheon had been the first to climb the sheer cliff. Their first encounter, one that would make both of them feel guilt towards each other, had been a complicated relationship.

Since Se-young had never been involved with a man before, it was fitting to consider Si-heon as the first man with whom she formed a relationship.

Even if it was a negative one.
It didn’t take long for that to change.

It’s not that there was no sexual tension.
Oddly enough, her body harmonized well with Si-heon’s, to the point where she could feel it with just a touch.

“Where is the appeal in him?”

Se-young shrugged at the question. There was much to say.

The charm in taking care of his clumsiness.
An affinity born from their shared wrongdoings, though they were unavoidable at the time. A secret just between the two of them.
His foolhardy nature of putting himself in danger to help others.
But more than all of that, what truly made her fond of him was:

The certainty that if she were ever in danger, he would come to her aid, no matter what.
The trust that such confidence could provide. A fairy-tale-like romance in realizing they shared the same thoughts.

It was an answer that only Se-young could give, as she understood Lee Si-heon’s dark side and his capacity for affection towards others better than anyone else.

It was far too complex and intricate for others to comprehend, and even Se-young herself, as the one most intimately involved, couldn’t fully explain it. No matter how often people inquired about the strangeness of it all, Se-young had no choice but to provide a vague explanation of Lee Si-heon’s personality, which she had come to understand after her own harrowing experience of rape.

The connection between Si-heon and Se-young went beyond simple shared experiences. Their thoughts and feelings aligned, and something deeper connected them, like a red thread binding their destinies together. Perhaps it was fate, foretold by the World Tree itself.

… Although, at the moment, that very World Tree was their enemy.

“If he wasn’t so handsome, you wouldn’t have had sex with him, right?” Si-heon asked.

“What are you suddenly talking about?” Se-young replied.

“Damn it, I’d have him all to myself then. Maybe I should stuff him with food until he gains weight? There’s something cute about a chubby guy,” Si-heon mused.

Sometimes they imagined living together, just the two of them.

Se-Young spoke to Byul, trying to forget the dreamlike scene in her head without erasing her bitter smile.

“Anyway, do you like him?”
“…”
“Can’t forget him, can you?”

Byul also couldn’t forget the lingering emotions from her first man. Seeing Byul’s blushing face, Se-Young continued to speak, seemingly amazed.

“Then listen to me.”

Se-Young and Si-Heon shared an indescribable relationship. Taking her cell phone from her embrace, Se-Young sent a message to a man in her separate address book.

* * * * *

KakaoTalk!

-Savior: Organized.

With a headache from a hangover, he looked at the screen in his hand. What on earth couldn’t this woman do? He wanted to chuckle, but it wasn’t the right moment to reply.

[Spirit Enhancer]

The pack drink that was placed beside his head. This was the completion reward for this sub-quest.

I couldn’t comprehend why, but the system claimed the quest was accomplished.

Even though I hadn’t been with three people.
The meaning of this was clear.

“Tell me.”
“What do you want to know?”

Heaven, who was sitting on the sofa enjoying pudding from an unknown source, looked at me sullenly.

“Who’s the woman that violated me?”

Heaven blinked, seemingly unable to grasp the situation.

“Who violated whom?”
“One of the masters violated me.”
“What?”

Heaven set down the pudding she had been eating. It was astonishing to see the celestial being put down something sweet. With a serious expression on her face, Heaven closed her eyes for a while before letting out a sigh.

“Are you certain it happened, even though I don’t know about it?”
“I am sure. The quest conditions require intimacy with three individuals, yet I’ve only been with two.”
“I don’t want to know about your romantic encounters. If the objective was achieved in the first place, shouldn’t that be the end of the issue?”

It seemed correct, but something was nagging at me.
If you’re going to do it, do it while awake… such an underhanded thought crossed my mind.
I checked the Arboral Compendium, and it confirmed that intercourse performed while unconscious was not permitted, as the tome remained unchanged.

“First… can you call your sister?”
“…I want to eat pudding.”
“We’ve eaten all of it.”

Cheondo sat back on the sofa, savoring the pudding with a sly grin. After finishing it all, she changed her appearance.

“Ah… sister? Hehe, sister!”

The girl with golden hair smiled brightly and reached her arms over my shoulders. I grasped them and locked my gaze with her eyes.

“Don’t hug me; look into my eyes.”
“Sister? What’s going on?”
“Didn’t you hear earlier?”
“…I didn’t hear because I was sleeping.”

Zodiac was the type to visibly react when caught off guard. However, upon looking at her expression, she seemed unfazed.

Rather than appearing guilty, she wakes up and embraces me cheerfully, giving the impression that she’s done nothing wrong.

‘White Peach? She would never do such a thing.’

“Sister, did you happen to come onto me last night?”
“Heavens! Is that even allowed?”
“Stop joking around.”
“Hehe, you found out? But I was so exhausted from taking care of our Shiba yesterday.”

Who could it be? My heart is in turmoil.

“May I hug you now?”
“Yes, yes, please go ahead and hug me.”
“My dear sibling~”

With a sudden embrace, Zodiac, who had fallen as if hugging me, patted my head affectionately.

“My precious one~ Curly-haired~ My mischievous precious one~♪”

I had thought Zodiac was the only possibility, but it seems that’s not the case. After spending quite some time with my hair tangled, I change my tone and ask her again.

“Please call White Peach for me.”
“But I want to be with you.”
“Sister, let’s go out and have fun later.”
“Alright, I’ll call her right away.”

– Pong.

Soon after, White Peach appeared, forcefully pushing me away and brushing off her chest as if it were filthy.

“…What is this nonsense?”
“I don’t think it’s likely, but I have to ask just in case. You didn’t take advantage of me last night, did you?”
“Why the hell would I do that to you? The mere thought gives me goosebumps. Stop talking nonsense.”

It’s absurd, but why are the perpetrators acting so outraged? In any case, I can’t say much since I’ve done such a thing to Lee Se-Young before.

“Do you have any proof?”
“My quest—”
“I’ve heard that already. But couldn’t it be possible that the World Tree changed the contents of the quest?”

…Could that be true? I pondered for a while, resting my chin on my hand, then got up from the bed, scratching my head.

“Ah, is that really it? This is driving me crazy.”
“What could possibly be appealing about you for me to take advantage of you?”
“Sigh… Are you going to eat? I’m going to make shrimp fried rice.”
“Shrimp fried rice. I like that.”

The World Tree desires my death, but I don’t think the quest will suddenly change.
And yet, if you were to ask if those Peach Sisters had their way with me… that would be quite an odd occurrence.

“Peep…”

Shiba, who had just awoken wearing her chick pajamas, rubs her eyes and searches for me.
I embrace her on the bed, and she contentedly drifts back to sleep in my arms.
Seeing Shiba’s adorable face, my frustration seems to melt away.

“Is our daughter awake?”
“Peep! Peep.”

I pat her back and head to the refrigerator to prepare breakfast.
There are still some food ingredients left from what Zodiac had purchased last time.
As I open the refrigerator to take out the frozen shrimp and reach for the rice container, I notice something.

“?”

I spot something unusual in a nearby trash can.

A large seed. The surrounding flesh is attached to the seed.

I furrowed my brow at the distinct tooth marks and lifted it from the trash can.

“Master.”

“Is there anything I can help with?”

“No, it’s not that, but have you ever brought something like peaches while coming here?”

“Never.”

Peach seeds.

I cocked my head to the side and placed it back into the trash can.

‘What on earth?’

Only bewildering events were occurring since morning.