Chapter 39: Is It Me, Or Is It Her?

Jin-wook pondered.

Why was this kid, who shouldn't be here, sleeping in his arms?

It was a situation he had dreamed of—a woman sleeping in his embrace.

'No, you definitely fell asleep in your room yesterday.'

When he poked her cheek without thinking...

Sleeping Eun-ha exhaled a "Pu-hu-hu" breath without any change in expression.

"Hah... The problem is that she's pretty."

Jin-wook sighed softly at her appearance, which shone even while sleeping.

Even though she must have accepted that she is a woman now, why is she so careless?

Of all things, she was wearing a camisole and dolphin pants—an outfit that barely covered her chest and hips, practically the level of men's romance.

'Ah, I want to touch.'

Especially the top called a camisole, worn without a bra, naturally aroused lust in a vigorous man.

Jin-wook was already moving his hand toward her before he knew it.

Thinking of this as a punishment for her wearing such erotic clothes first and sleeping in his arms.

'Come to think of it, last time she suppressed me with force and tried to jump me because she was in heat.'

This is a bit cheeky, isn't it?

It might hurt a man's pride to be helpless against a woman's strength and be taken advantage of.

But Jin-wook didn't mind much.

After all, regardless of gender, a civilian couldn't win against a Hunter, or a former one at that, with strength.

'This is your fault for starting it.'

Jin-wook carefully moved his hand to her shoulder strap with trembling hands.

Even though he thought that way, he was inwardly conflicted, wondering if he might end up at the police station if he touched her wrong.

But perhaps his vitality was unavoidable.

Jin-wook grabbed her shoulder strap and slowly lowered it outward.

As the tip of her breast was revealed, he swallowed hard.

'I've always thought this, but why are they so big?'

As if possessed, he unknowingly brought his hand to her breast.

A soft and tender feeling was captured in his hand.

Going further, he gently tweaked with two fingers the tip that she had persistently tormented once before.

"Hnggg...!"

Startled by the sudden stimulation in her sleep?

Surprised by her moan, Jin-wook quickly took his hand off her breast and observed Eun-ha for a moment to see if she woke up.

Fortunately, seeing no reaction, it seemed she hadn't woken up.

But not having the courage to try again against a former S-Class Hunter, he decided to be satisfied with the view.

"Hey, what are you doing? Aren't you coming out quickly?"

No matter how much he said he didn't want to go down to the countryside.

We couldn't spend that long time stuck in the rental room.

Having packed my luggage simply, I stood at the entrance and shouted loudly to Jin-wook, who still hadn't come out.

"Ah, just wait! I'm coming soon."

What is there to pack so much?

Isn't it enough to just pack a laptop in a backpack like me?

"Why does a woman get ready faster than a man..."

"Why pack clothes when you're going home?"

"Says the one who wore a beanie and dressed up in her own way."

"I didn't wear it for the bastard who peeks at breasts while I'm sleeping to see."

"Ahem, does it make sense to come into a man's arms and sleep in the first place?"

When I growled, Jin-wook coughed in vain and avoided my gaze.

It was really awkward when I woke up in the morning.

Sleeping in Jin-wook's arms was one thing, but somehow my clothes had slipped off, and I was blatantly showing my chest.

"If a friend is showing embarrassing parts, shouldn't you think of covering them up instead of looking? Huh?"

"Bullshit. You say a lot for someone who used to walk around only in panties."

"Th-That was..."

"Don't tell me you're conscious of me as a man?"

Hearing that, it makes sense?

Clearly, if it were the old times, I wouldn't have been embarrassed even with just a towel wrapped around my body.

"Do you want to keep spouting bullshit?"

Actually, there isn't much change in my daily life even now.

Even with Jin-wook present, I don't wear a bra at home.

And I wear super short pants casually.

"If so, you would wear sweatpants every day and never wear things like a camisole."

"Bullshit. You wear those because they're comfortable for you."

Bickering like that, we headed to the bus stop.

Since the semester ended, it seemed many people had already returned to their regions.

The bus stop was quite deserted.

"Ah, what are you going to do when you get home?"

"What do you mean. You have to help with your family's business."

"You're not going down to the hometown to do manual labor (loading/unloading), so won't you shut up?"

"If you're jealous, you should have been born in a house where you can play and eat like me."

"Ha, seriously want to hit you."

I am in that position.

If I wanted to get my Hunter license back and earn money right now, I could buy a building in the prime real estate of Korea immediately.

No, rather, they would beg me to move in nearby.

"Yup, if you hit a civilian, it's civilian assault, right?"

But listening to those words, I felt slightly annoyed.

It's a story only possible if I become a Hunter again anyway.

At this point, it was an impossible future.

"By the way, are you just going to watch Jae-hyun enter the Hunter Academy?"

"Why."

"It's dangerous. And the Hunter industry is a bit dirty too."

"I don't know. If I were a low-rank Hunter, he might have realized the reality and tried not to do it, but I'm a former S-Class. Seeing the money I earned, he probably got hooked hard and won't listen."

Before I returned, my family was a household where both parents worked and lived like ordinary commoners.

But as I became a Hunter and systems like support funds were introduced, and making things with dungeon byproducts increased...

The 'little bit' of money I earned back then became the capital for my parents' current business.

"True."

Now, it had become a household well enough to live by running a large mart that established itself well.

Not unreasonably expanding stores according to my father's tendency.

Just literally a stable middle-class level.

"S-Class is such a position."

Jin-wook nodded as if empathizing.

Even an A-Class, not the precious S-Class usually seen in media, is considered an object of envy.

Let alone having an S-Class in his own family.

Could Jae-hyun really have endured without falling into a vain dream?

"But he wouldn't know. That to become strong, that much blood is required."

"Weren't you S-Class from the start?"

"So I ran more like a dog than others. There was no strategy information, but I had to block it, so I had to enter the Gate knowing nothing."

Really, thinking about it now, it's still amazing how I survived that period.

Beep.

As I tagged the card on the bus terminal reader, a sound announcing the boarding was processed was heard.

Sitting in an empty seat, thoughts about what that bitch Riana said, and the fact that Jae-hyun's problem remained... my head felt like it would explode.

'Hah, why does it feel like my head hurts more than when I was a Hunter?'

It felt like things burst all at once...

Holding such a complex mind, we arrived at the terminal and transferred to an intercity bus.

Jin-wook, who has slight motion sickness, sat by the window, and I sat by the aisle.

Closing his eyes and leaning against the backrest, looking at Jin-wook sitting still, I slowly started a prank.

"Jin-wook-ah."

"Why."

"Look at this."

I pulled up a photo on my phone and showed it to Jin-wook.

Was it last year?

There was a time I cosplayed a character Jin-wook liked very much.

Jin-wook's reaction back then was so funny I almost died laughing clutching my stomach.

"Wh-Why show this again."

"Remember? Back then, you went around saying 'Ah, Yasna-chan is so fucking pretty' and shit, so I dressed up exactly the same and appeared."

"I really thought you were a crazy bitch."

"Bullshit. Do you think I don't know that while you said 'Are you crazy' on the outside, you were grinning like hell on the inside?"

Actually, my head was a bit complicated, so it was a prank I played on purpose to forget while going home.

I wanted to escape from the reality that gave me a headache even a little.

"So, now you can say it. Shall we do it once?"

"Do what again."

"Is it me, or is it her?"

I deliberately pushed my chest forward, smiled suggestively, and asked Jin-wook.

Words that anyone could clearly understand the meaning of.

But instead of answering, Jin-wook suddenly grabbed the back of my head so I couldn't run away, and kissed me right then and there.

"Mmph...!"

If I pulled my head wrong here, Jin-wook's wrist would fly off.

It's really hard work not to move my body, which almost flinches in surprise every time he does this.

Thinking about it, there are one or two things this guy should thank me for.

I don't report him for sexual harassment or molestation.

Even if he startles me, I exercise superhuman patience not to hurt him.

And I protect him when it's dangerous.

"Done?"

"You little... Am I your lover? You look if you want to look, touch if you want to touch, and kiss if you want to kiss?"

"Not a lover, but more than friends, less than lovers, right?"

"And I'm telling you in advance, don't startle me. I'm scared because your wrist might really fly off."

But what is this?

Even though he accepts all that as obvious and acts like this to me, the reason I don't feel bad is...

"Because I trust you."

At my words, Jin-wook stroked the back of my head.

Then saying "I'm sleeping," he closed his eyes.

Looking at him, I turned my gaze back to my phone.

Soon, only the sound of Jin-wook's quiet breathing, as if he had fallen asleep, reached my ears amidst all sorts of noise.