Chapter 16

Blue Moon Resort.

A 4-star hotel located a whopping 7-hour drive from the orphanage where Amon and Sonia live.

As the name “Blue Moon” suggests, it was a resort targeting couples.

It was especially popular for proposals, honeymoons, and affairs.

Amon and Sonia were heading to this holy land for couples.

One might wonder how two orphans could afford to go there, but…

“Thank you, Father.”

It was all thanks to the boundless generosity of the Narrow-Eyed Priest.

The original plan was to break open their piggy bank and visit a modest resort, but thanks to the priest’s support, their destination changed.

Not only did the priest drive them there, but he also arranged for Holy Knights from the Vatican to escort them inside the resort.

While Sonia was wary of the priest’s overwhelming kindness, Amon gratefully accepted it.

In Amon’s eyes, the priest’s generosity had a valid reason.

‘Was it that obvious?’

When Amon hinted at his unease about the Hixen Group during confession, the priest immediately requested Holy Knights from the Vatican.

Even before Amon could express his intention to convert to the Vatican, the priest had already sensed that Amon and Sonia would come to them, just based on the keyword “fear.”

For outsiders, it might seem strange, but as soon as it was clear they would belong to the Vatican, the priest spared no expense in supporting them.

‘He’s definitely not someone to let your guard down around.’

Even if he pretends to be kind, the sharpness he occasionally shows suggests he’s no ordinary priest.

But that personality was something they could rely on now.

Being calculative meant he was consistent.

Securing two Divine Power holders at once was worth the cost of booking a 4-star hotel and arranging Holy Knight escorts.

Thanks to that, Amon could trust the priest.

Or rather, he could trust the Vatican’s calculations and the current situation.

However, unlike Amon, Sonia seemed to have many complaints.

Afraid the priest might overhear, she sent a text message.

[Do we really have to go with this person? Just the two of us? And what’s with the Holy Knights accompanying us there?]

Amon could only give a bitter smile at her complaints.

He understood her disappointment.

For her, a cheap resort with just the two of them would be much more fun than a 4-star hotel with the priest’s support.

Amon understood that a hundred times over.

But if they headed to the resort alone, it wouldn’t be strange if mercenaries from the Hixen Group kidnapped them.

So, Amon silently accepted her disappointment and comforted her.

[Still, when else would we get to visit such a place before graduation? It’s a 4-star hotel, after all. Even the nuns recommended it.]

Amon managed to handle Sonia’s complaints, which came every 10 minutes, with a bitter smile.

‘Thank goodness.’

He had been worried about how to cheer her up, but thankfully, the Vatican sent a generous offer.

‘At least it’s the Vatican.’

Amon didn’t like the Vatican, but it was the lesser evil.

At least they didn’t sacrifice people and protected their own.

That’s why they were going on this trip.

Even if the Hixen Group went crazy and attacked, the Holy Knights accompanying them would be more than enough to handle it.

Plus, there was the added benefit of Sonia’s goodwill towards the Vatican increasing after enjoying the hotel experience.

*Whoosh.*

Lost in thought, Sonia’s finger tickled the back of Amon’s hand from an angle invisible in the priest’s rearview mirror.

Amon responded by intertwining his fingers with hers.

Their hand play continued for a while until Sonia got bored and started complaining again via text.

Eventually, Sonia fell asleep, and Amon followed suit.

The priest watched the two sleeping in the quiet car with a warm gaze.

When they woke up, they had arrived at the resort.

***

Blue Moon Resort had two main courses.

Summer Season Course and Winter Season Course.

Located in Colorado, where summers are hot and winters bring snow that makes you curse, these courses were possible.

The Summer Course allowed guests to enjoy swimming in the pool in front of the resort or fishing in the artificial lake.

The Winter Course offered skiing on the mountain behind the resort.

The prices for these courses varied by season.

You could choose the Winter Course in summer, but you’d have to pay for the cost of producing artificial snow in the middle of summer.

Similarly, you could choose the Summer Course in winter, but you’d have to pay to keep the pool warm and block the snow.

Surprisingly, the off-season packages had kept the resort afloat for decades.

Thanks to nouveau riche and influencers who lacked the courage to go to truly luxurious hotels.

However, Amon never dreamed they’d experience such a package.

“Wow… a pool in winter…”

The power of money was indeed great.

They even recreated summer temperatures in a greenhouse and used refraction barriers to mimic summer sunlight.

On the other side of the barrier dividing the Summer and Winter Courses, people bundled up in ski gear could be seen.

If they let their guard down even a little, they might get drunk on a sense of superiority.

‘Snap out of it, Amon. You’re not here because you’re special.’

Amon suppressed his rising sense of elitism.

But experiencing this feeling, he understood.

Why the nouveau riche and influencers visited here.

This sense of superiority offered a pleasure hard to come by in a city where everyone was equally dying.

It was addictive and fulfilling, not just vanity.

But Amon shouldn’t feel that way.

To him, all people in the world were children of the same mother and his siblings.

Feeling superior was an insult to their mother’s will.

Waiting for Sonia, who was still in the changing room, he bowed his head and drew the sign of the cross several times on the cardigan draped over his bare body.

Other guests passing by gave him strange looks.

Among them, a group of gossipy female guests whispered behind his back.

“Is that some new fashion? Wearing a shirt and hat in the pool.”

“Maybe it’s a religious thing? He’s been doing weird movements for a while.”

“Then is that hat like the… what’s it called… the headscarf from the Middle East?”

“A hijab? But he’s a man.”

“He might not be a man.”

In the Cyberpunk era, gender transitions or androgyny weren’t rare.

In fact, the women chatting might not even be women.

So their conversation wasn’t malicious gossip, just typical American small talk.

But to Amon, who was a 21st-century Korean gentleman, it was uncomfortable.

He wore the cardigan and hat out of Korean habit.

Habits die hard, regardless of appearance.

That’s why he stubbornly stuck to this fashion even in front of the priest, who found it strange.

‘Ugh. What can I do about being embarrassed?’

Unaware of his feelings, they kept whispering behind his back, which didn’t sit well with him.

Even if he rationally understood it was American culture, emotionally it was infuriating.

…Honestly, the fashion critique was whatever, but the assumption that he might not be male was the biggest issue.

Amon turned around to correct their misconception, his expression hardening.

But as soon as he made eye contact with them,

“Gasp…!”

Their reaction made him shut his mouth.

‘What’s going on?’

Amon wondered if he had made a scary face and quickly adjusted his expression.

The women then squealed exaggeratedly and approached him with their phones.

“Oh my, are you a FaceTok star? We had no idea.”

“No? I don’t use SNS.”

Amon, who didn’t even touch social media, let alone be a star, answered curtly.

But something about his response made them laugh and continue chatting him up.

“Then are you here for a model shoot?”

“No.”

Their assumption, based on his fashion, was a stretch.

But looking at Amon’s face, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

However, Amon wasn’t used to such flattery and found it burdensome.

‘What model? I’m just an orphan.’

He almost laughed at the thought but held back, feeling it would cross a line.

The women continued their barrage of questions, each of Amon’s answers met with positive reactions.

Eventually, the topic turned to whether he had a girlfriend.

‘What do I do…’

Amon didn’t have a girlfriend.

But he knew better than to admit that in front of these women.

If he said he didn’t, they’d naturally ask about themselves, putting him in an awkward position.

For shy Korean Amon, this was a high-difficulty situation.

Rejecting someone might seem simple, but surprisingly, this was Amon’s first time being hit on.

He was always with Sonia or people who knew about Sonia.

‘Come to think of it, there’s Sonia.’

Finally, Amon remembered Sonia.

The option to lie and say she was his girlfriend popped into his head.

But there was a problem.

‘Would she go along with it?’

This was a first-time situation.

No matter how close they were, asking her to play along as his girlfriend could be rude, so Amon hesitated.

His dilemma was soon resolved by the person in question.

“Darling, what’s going on?”

At the familiar voice, Amon brightened and turned his head towards the sound.

He prepared to choose his words carefully to match Sonia’s rhythm.

But the moment he saw her, all the words in his head vanished.

Her silver hair matched the white one-piece swimsuit.

True to her usual dislike of showing her belly button, the swimsuit covered it.

But some pervert… no, genius designer had made the swimsuit outline her belly button.

The healthy thighs peeking out from the swimsuit’s hem.

But all of that paled in comparison to…

‘Boo…Booba…’

The overwhelming symbol of motherhood and the source of divinity.

If that wasn’t the source of Divine Power, what was?

The swimsuit’s impact was intense for Amon, who had underestimated her size due to her loose clothing.

‘Whoever designed this… I don’t know who you are, but I acknowledge you.’

Amon finally understood the concept of the allure of concealment.

Looking at Sonia, he didn’t bother to calm his racing heart.

At almost 18, about to leave the orphanage, such a reaction was hardly problematic.

‘My childhood friend was this stunning…’

Amon couldn’t help but feel grateful for the bond the Goddess had forged.

Amon was a devout believer, but he was also a man.

And no doctrine forbade men from being attracted to women; in fact, the Goddess herself had endorsed it.

– Why do you think I created men and women separately?

Thus, Amon’s racing heart was doctrinally unproblematic.

‘Right. What was I about to say?’

Suddenly, Amon remembered his situation.

Her one-piece had turned his mind as white as the swimsuit, making him forget what he was about to say.

Trying to recall, his mind was flooded with the word “Booba.”

Only his transcendent reason kept the word from spilling out, but it was on the verge of escaping.

Sonia enjoyed Amon’s gaze with her whole being.

While the stares she felt on her way to join Amon were unpleasant, his gaze filled her with endless happiness and satisfaction.

If he wanted, she’d even show him more in their room.

Amon’s gaze shifted to her ponytail.

The hairpin he had gifted her was pinned there.

Amon, with a slightly awkward voice, acknowledged the pin.

“Yeah, darling. You brought that pin?”

Darling.

What a beautiful word!

Pride filled Sonia’s heart!

She felt empowered!

The empowered will led her to do something she normally wouldn’t.

Swaying her hips, she approached Amon.

She hugged his arm, pressing the mounds he had been staring at against it.

Her ample breasts squished against Amon’s arm.

Amon’s arm stiffened.

As they say on YouTube, men flex their biceps when a woman they like touches their arm, and Amon was no exception.

‘Should I ask him to flex?’

But they say that’s a taboo word in this situation.

Men would strain their muscles to the point of tearing to flex if asked.

But her playfulness ended there.

She wanted to quickly get rid of the unwelcome guests and enjoy her time with Amon.

Sonia pretended to just notice the women talking to Amon.

“Oh, sorry. Were we interrupting?”

Amon is mine.

She glared at them with that meaning.

But the women’s reaction was entirely different from Sonia’s expectations.

Instead of jealousy or hostility, they looked at her with admiration.

“Oh, no! You have a boyfriend. We didn’t know.”

“We’ll just play by ourselves!”

“Have a beautiful love!”

With that, they quickly disappeared.

Jealousy only arises among those of similar standing.

When the gap is this overwhelming, admiration and envy replace jealousy.

The women’s cheers didn’t seem to bother Sonia, as a faint smile appeared on her lips.

Then, she put on a seductive smile she had read about somewhere and looked up at Amon.

“Shall we go?”

She didn’t specify where.

But Amon, despite his size, was helplessly led by Sonia’s hand and answered.

“Yeah.”

Amon’s mind was filled with the national anthem, trying to control his rising junior.

***

Opportunities must be seized.

Sonia knew this better than anyone.

Now, when Amon showed romantic interest in her for the first time, was the perfect chance to win him over.

So, she didn’t hesitate to do things she normally wouldn’t.

She pressed her chest against him on the way to the pool,

bumped her hips against his,

and made sure her breath reached his ear when she spoke.

Her strategy was highly effective.

She could feel Amon’s body stiffen through his arm.

She had more plans.

‘If we go into the pool like this…’

She planned to retie her hair after playing in the pool, using the excuse that the pin had loosened.

In the process, she’d show him her armpit, delivering a direct hit to his heart.

But her plan shattered the moment Amon entered the pool.

Splash!

Pushed into the water by Sonia, Amon.

Unable to refuse, he laughed and resurfaced, his hat gone.

His appearance, fully revealed without the hat.

The way he swept his wet hair back perfectly hit Sonia’s preferences.

‘Did I have this taste?’

His wet, flowing hair.

The sculpted muscles visible through his soaked cardigan.

His jawline and eyes, usually hidden by his hair, were now fully exposed.

‘That’s… a weapon…’

It pierced women’s hearts and made men applaud involuntarily.

The destructive power was so immense that the pool fell silent as Amon emerged.

Sonia, facing him directly, was overwhelmed.

Her brain was already short-circuited.

Her plans were erased, and her mind was fully occupied with imprinting Amon’s jawline and abs.

The remaining space was allocated to maintaining her usual demeanor that Amon liked.

Thus, she had no room to execute her planned strategy.

While Sonia was in a daze, Amon wasn’t much better.

He was also feeling a flutter from the unfamiliar side of Sonia he had never noticed before.

With the intuition that they could never go back to how they were.

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