Chapter 199

EP.199 Splash!

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Adel, crouched in a corner of a back alley somewhere in Gangnam, stared intently at her mobile phone.

She glanced at the neat call log and chat rooms, then huffed in frustration.

If she had been unprepared and fidgeted with her own butt, she should have apologized, but he didn’t even contact her.

Disappointed in Jihyuk for the first time…

Ugh-!

She almost sighed but stopped herself.

[I was wrong. Please come back.]

Adel, about to hastily reply to Jihyuk’s message, paused.

She was so angry she could barely contain herself, so why was she now desperate to see Jihyuk?

She was mad. But not because of her butt—it was because Jihyuk had touched her without asking for her consent.

Feeling oddly restless, Adel tried to kill time by checking the device usage instructions Jihyuk had given her, but realizing she was outside, she stopped.

Ugh-! Ugh-!

Her phone suddenly started ringing repeatedly. It was Jihyuk calling.

Adel hesitated, then remembered a scene she had seen on TV a few days ago.

On a variety show discussing relationships, they said that when a couple is in a fresh relationship, the right push and pull—shortened to “push-pull”—makes them miss each other more.

Adel was convinced this was the perfect timing for that push-pull.

The methods she found online hadn’t worked.

But this time would be different.

Why? Because experts on TV said so!

Jihyuk had to pay for startling her!

Snorting, Adel put her phone in her pocket and stood up.

She then left the alley and looked around the food street.

The delicious smells coming from all directions made her want to step into any shop and eat.

Come to think of it, she was hungry… She wished she could eat something with Jihyuk.

As she wandered slowly through the alley, lost in thought, she was startled to see a familiar face in a dark blue suit in the distance.

‘Gasp!’

Tall stature, handsome face… It was Jihyuk.

Adel quickly ran into a nearby alley and hid.

Then, she peeked out.

She wanted to see what Jihyuk was doing.

He was rushing in and out of every shop with an uncharacteristically anxious expression.

From his actions, it was clear he was looking for someone. Herself, no doubt.

He kept putting his phone to his ear, and each time, her own phone vibrated.

He seemed to be reflecting enough, so Adel decided to answer the call.

“Ahem! Hello?”

She straightened her voice and continued to peek out, watching Jihyuk’s reaction.

He paused for a moment, then let out a long sigh of relief.

He spoke in a worried tone.

-Why weren’t you answering your phone? I thought something had happened.

“Nothing’s wrong.”

-Where are you now?

“I’m on my way home. I took a taxi.”

Jihyuk looked momentarily dazed.

Then, he pressed his forehead with his free hand.

-I’m sorry. I was wrong.

“About what?”

-I was upset and touched Adel’s…

He paused and glanced around.

Adel, watching him, giggled silently.

“What did you do wrong? Be specific.”

-Adel’s… Haah… I touched your butt.

Adel realized she had made a mistake.

Hearing Jihyuk’s specific explanation reminded her of what happened in the office, and she suddenly felt embarrassed.

Bowing her head deeply, she said.

“If this were our planet, you’d be excommunicated, Jihyuk. How dare you lay hands on a saint!”

-…..

Jihyuk didn’t apologize. Was he as embarrassed as she was?

Adel continued.

“Why are you so quiet? Feeling guilty?”

Jihyuk still didn’t respond.

Adel waited for him to speak, but just as she was about to ask again,

“If you say ‘without permission’… does that mean it’s okay if we both like it?”

Jihyuk’s voice came from right beside her.

“Gasp!”

Adel jumped in shock.

She even kicked the air with a knee strike, she was so startled.

For a moment, the surrounding people’s gazes turned to her, but Adel was too flustered by Jihyuk’s sudden appearance to care.

“H-how did you find me…!”

“You asked how I found you? I saw your face peeking around the corner of the alley.”

“…..”

“You said you took a taxi, but you didn’t. Did you really want to mess with me that much?”

Adel’s already flushed face turned even redder.

Jihyuk let out a long breath through his nose and gave a faint smile.

“If that was your intention, it worked. It felt like a boulder was placed on my heart. I realized I’d done something foolish.”

The push-pull had worked. The experts were right.

She’d have to bookmark that variety show and watch it over and over when she got home.

Thinking that, Adel asked.

“What made you come to this alley? How did you know I was here?”

“You said you were hungry, Adel. So I thought you’d be at the food street.”

It was actually a coincidence… But since she had been thinking of eating while wandering around, she had no retort.

Still, to deduce that from such a small hint and come looking… Adel was convinced Jihyuk really liked her.

And she felt the same way.

She really liked Jihyuk. She wanted to jump into his broad arms right now.

But they were in the middle of push-pull—she couldn’t show her true feelings.

Hesitating, unsure what to do, she was surprised when Jihyuk stepped forward and hugged her.

But her outward reaction was completely different from her inner feelings.

“Let go.”

She spoke in a cold tone, pretending to be angry, but Jihyuk didn’t let go.

Instead, he tightened his embrace.

Adel’s head was completely buried in Jihyuk’s muscular arms, and she couldn’t hide her feelings anymore, wrapping her arms around his waist.

Then, Jihyuk spoke bluntly.

“I think love shouldn’t be calculated.”

Adel couldn’t help but feel guilty.

It seemed like he had noticed she was playing push-pull and said that.

And she deeply agreed that love shouldn’t be calculated.

She liked Jihyuk so much, yet she had the audacity to try and manipulate his feelings by playing games… She felt so sorry.

TV was all nonsense! She canceled her plan to bookmark that show!

‘I like him…’

The scent of Jihyuk’s body and the perfume he often used mixed together, creating a fragrant aroma.

It was a hundred, no, a thousand times better than the smells from the food street.

Being with Jihyuk made her feel like she was losing her saintly composure.

But Rosario was very lenient about love.

As long as she maintained her saintly dignity at other times, the Lord would understand.

Feeling fresh and sweet emotions, Adel suddenly wanted to bite Jihyuk’s firm chest.

She didn’t know why. She just felt like it.

Maybe it was because Jihyuk had pressed her lower back and butt, making her feel rebellious.

For a moment, Adel was confused by her own stray thoughts, but Jihyuk’s next question brought her back to her senses.

“Do you want to eat and then watch a movie? Or watch a movie and then eat?”

Right, she shouldn’t think strange thoughts now.

She needed to focus on spending precious time with Jihyuk.

“Let’s eat first…”

“Shall we go then?”

Suggesting to go during such a sweet moment… No.

Summoning her courage, she said.

“Let’s… stay like this for a little longer…”

Adel repeated what Jihyuk had said earlier in the office.

Jihyuk let out a low laugh.

“Understood.”

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“You’ve been coming home late a lot lately?”

Silvia’s question. Adel, who had just returned home, smiled brightly and answered.

“I was with Jihyuk.”

“You’re smiling more than usual? Today must have been really good.”

“Yes. I also got the device. I’m a Beast Slayer now. Look at this.”

Adel raised her right arm to show the device.

Silvia, with an intrigued look, quickly ran over and examined it.

“This is the device…? Does it have Aiter in it?”

“Yes. Jihyuk said he’ll make one for you too, unnie. It’ll have the same design, so he told me to explain the functions to you. Do you want to hear now?”

“Of course. Tell me.”

“Okay, first, this button is for using the portal. It activates when Aiter energy is detected…”

Adel explained everything Jihyuk had told her, without missing a single detail.

Finally, when Adel pressed the charge level button and saw it was [50%], her jaw dropped.

When she had checked the charge level with Jihyuk in the office, it was definitely 49%.

But now? It had gone up by 1%.

“50%… You’ve used it a lot.”

Fortunately, Silvia was so focused on the device that she didn’t notice Adel’s expression.

Quickly composing herself, Adel said.

“Yes… I used it a lot… Can I go take a shower now? My throat hurts from talking so much.”

“What does your throat have to do with a shower? Fine. I understand the explanation, so you can go. Show me your transformation later.”

“Of course. Oh, and my activity name is Celine.”

“Celine? That suits you really well.”

“Right? Jihyuk chose it for me. You’ll get an activity name too when your device is ready.”

“I’m looking forward to it. I’ll have to tell him to choose a good one.”

Adel, smiling brightly at Silvia’s response, headed straight to the bathroom.

She quickly stripped off her clothes and stepped into the bathtub, pressing the spa button.

Bubbles rose, and Adel let out a relaxed sigh, placing her feet on the edge.

As a ticklish sensation ran up her calves, she giggled to herself, then suddenly looked worried.

‘It charged…’

The charge level had gone up by 1%.

Aiter replenishes power through sexual acts with someone you like.

This meant she had accepted Jihyuk’s actions as sexual and had been excited by them.

Did that mean she’d have to do more of those embarrassing acts in the future?

And if it only went up by 1%… It would take a long time…

Just thinking about it made her too embarrassed to lift her head.

“Haah…”

Adel sighed and picked up her phone, which was on the stand.

There was a message from Jihyuk, and when Adel read it, her mouth twisted into a smile.

[Let’s meet tomorrow too.]

Usually, she was the one who initiated meetings, but this time, Jihyuk had done it first.

The way he had desperately searched for her earlier, the actions he showed while eating and watching the movie… Today, Jihyuk had been overly affectionate.

She didn’t dislike it at all. In fact, it made her feel loved, and she liked it very much.

Adel thought that maybe… just maybe, she could happily recharge with Jihyuk.

With a firm resolve, she sent a message.

[Okay. (｡♥‿♥｡)]

One thing was certain—she loved Jihyuk now.

And Jihyuk loved her too.

Since they loved each other, it was natural for their expressions of affection to become bolder.

Besides, she had heard that couples on Earth moved pretty fast.

There’s a saying, right? When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

She was living on Earth now, and she planned to continue living here, so she had to adapt.

Also, who else would recharge her if not Jihyuk?

She had to do it with him. To protect Earth, and for her own happiness.

With her resolve firm, Adel buried her face in the bubbles, wishing Jihyuk would tell her he loved her in his deep voice.

Then, she sought answers from Rosario.

‘Lord… Did I make the right choice to protect people? Please tell me I did.’

Next episode―――――――――――――――――――――

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