Chapter 202

EP.202 My Adelle #2

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[How to Kiss Well]

[1. Before kissing, make your gaze as deep as possible. When the mood is ripe…]

[2. If the man initiates the kiss first, it’s good to slightly pucker your lips. Puckering increases the contact area…]

[2. Tilt your head to the opposite side of the man. This prevents your noses from bumping…]

[3. If the man sticks out his tongue, accept it. It’s best to open your mouth just enough for the tongue to enter. Also…]

Adelle, with the utmost concentration of her life, read through the article on kissing.

After reading up to the tenth paragraph, she went back to the first and began memorizing the text.

After a long time, having fully absorbed the kissing method into her head, she buried her face in the pillow.

“Phew…”

Taking a long, deep breath in that state, a warm sensation rose to her cheeks.

Thinking the feeling was similar to her current emotions, Adelle crossed her legs and kicked the bed.

It was because of what happened this afternoon.

It was fine up to the point where she accepted Jihyuk’s aggressively approaching tongue.

But when he started rolling his tongue and pressing her armpits, she was startled and clenched her teeth shut.

Thankfully, there was no blood. But Jihyuk was in so much pain that he didn’t know what to do.

He comforted her as she made a fuss, but… she felt so sorry.

So she was completely deflated until they finished eating, and couldn’t even make proper eye contact with Jihyuk on the way back.

As a result, she completely ruined today’s date.

‘I’m an idiot…!’

If I had just stayed still, it would have been okay… I’m really an idiot.

Jihyuk must have completely lost interest in me.

Adelle, who had been sighing deeply, was startled when her phone rang cheerfully.

Hurriedly checking the caller, it was Jihyuk.

Swallowing hard, she answered the phone with a trembling heart.

“H-Hello…?”

-You’re not still sulking, are you?

“Jihyuk… are you okay?”

-I’ve said I’m fine several times. Don’t worry, I’m not hurt.

“But, but it hurt…!”

-I was just pretending to be hurt.

She clearly heard a ‘Gasp!’ sound coming from his chest, but he said he was pretending to be hurt.

Jihyuk was lying for Adelle’s sake.

If he had just honestly said it hurt, she would have felt even more sorry.

“I’m sorry…”

-I’ll accept your apology. So stop saying sorry.

“O-Okay… We’ll meet tomorrow too, right…? You’re not busy, are you?”

Adelle, who was anxious that he might say they wouldn’t meet,

-Of course. I’ll pick you up in the morning.

When she heard the desired answer, she cheered internally.

Moreover, she could see Jihyuk from the morning? It was perfect.

Adelle, whose complexion brightened, immediately responded.

“Okay…!”

Then, a low laugh came from the other side of the phone.

The pleasant tone made Adelle’s lips curl up involuntarily, and her body twisted.

-What are you doing now?

“Just lying down…”

-Are you going to sleep?

“No…”

-You sound sleepy?

“No! I’m not sleepy at all!”

It was clearly an act. Jihyuk laughed again.

-I should hang up now.

Adelle made a pouting face. I’m really not sleepy… I was just embarrassed, so my voice got lower… Jihyuk is being clueless again!

Adelle, who was about to beg Jihyuk to talk more, made a blank expression at his next words.

-Sleep well and see you tomorrow. I love you, Adelle.

“…..”

Adelle kept the phone to her ear for a long time even after the call ended.

She couldn’t believe it. She had thought about wanting to hear it, but actually hearing it far exceeded her expectations.

It felt as ecstatic as when believers gathered to sing hymns about the Rosario.

Adelle, with her mouth wide open, kicked off the blanket.

It’s too hot. Her heart was pounding fast, and her face was burning.

And this was just over the phone. She couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to hear it face-to-face.

Continuing to feel delighted, she fiddled with the innocent device and pressed the charge level display button.

And then she was startled.

[53%]

‘5… 53 percent…?’

Did it go up by 3 percent just from kissing?

No, during the kiss, Jihyuk touched her waist and armpits.

That made her feel good, but… even considering that, it didn’t make sense.

She almost fell over in surprise and bit Jihyuk’s tongue.

Yet, it charged by 3 percent… Could it be that she wasn’t surprised but excited?

Thinking that way, it seemed to make sense.

‘No… don’t get confused!’

It was something she had already prepared for. She had vowed to charge with Jihyuk!

So, it was a good thing that it charged.

For now, just focus on the “I love you” that Jihyuk said.

-I love you, Adelle.-

Recalling the confession she just heard, her confused mind calmed down.

Quickly becoming serene, Adelle closed her eyes in a blissful state.

**

Adelle’s complexion is unusually bright today.

It seems it’s because he said he loves her… Seeing that radiant expression makes me feel good too.

Adelle, sitting in the passenger seat, was acting uncharacteristically demure.

She had her knees tightly together and her hands crossed on her thighs.

While rolling her eyes to secretly glance at me, it was clear she was very concerned about yesterday’s events.

The love confession, and biting my tongue during the kiss.

That incident messed up the charging plan, but so what? If she’s cute, that’s enough.

I smiled at Adelle, showing my teeth, and asked,

“Did you bring your ID?”

“My ID…? I did, but… why?”

“We’re going on a trip to Jeju Island. You said you wanted to see the ocean, right? We’ll go for a day trip and come back.”

At that, Adelle clapped her hands in delight.

“Really?”

“Yes. Is that okay?”

“Yes! But why Jeju Island? There are closer oceans in Incheon and Gangwon.”

Why, you ask? It’s because I planned to stay for at least one night.

We’ve been together for quite a while. After waiting this long, we should at least get to the point of making rice cakes. Right?

Scratching my head, I spoke in an awkward tone.

“Well… I’m going for a trip and also for an investigation.”

“An investigation?”

“Yes. The Evil Energy Explorer installed in Jeju Island is showing abnormal reactions. It keeps detecting faint evil energy, but no demons have appeared in Jeju. The headquarters didn’t sound any alarms either… So, I’m going to check it out.”

“Ah… so you’re going for work?”

“I’ll finish quickly and play with you.”

“Finish quickly? If the Explorer is malfunctioning, isn’t that a big deal!?”

No, I tried to downplay it so she wouldn’t be disappointed, but why is she shouting…

If I had explained, she wouldn’t have made such a sullen face…

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Demons are very important! Yet you say you’ll finish quickly… Get a grip!”

“Yes…”

Startled, I started the car.

Heading to the airport in silence, I heard Adelle clear her throat and asked without turning my head.

“What’s up?”

“Are you mad?”

“Not at all.”

“Then why aren’t you looking at me?”

“I’m driving.”

“There’s an auto-drive mode.”

“The flight time is tight, so it’s better to drive manually.”

“Aren’t we taking a private jet?”

“Taking a private jet to Jeju would be a huge waste.”

Even while keeping my eyes forward, I could see Adelle pouting.

She’s cute… But why am I playing this prank?

Being with Adelle makes me feel childish too.

I eventually switched the car to auto-drive mode and looked at Adelle.

“I’m not mad.”

At my generous tone, Adelle, relieved, silently held my hand.

And then she started looking at me with deep eyes.

What is this awkward act?

As I stayed still, confused, Adelle furrowed her brows and widened her eyes.

I don’t know what it is, but it seems like she’s urging me… I decided to tease her.

“Are you hurt somewhere?”

At that, Adelle’s face changed dramatically.

Biting her lower lip, she pulled her hand away and turned her body.

“No!”

She shouted and started frantically searching for something on her phone.

She must have seen something strange on the internet again. It’s absurd.

**

After sulking, Adelle marveled at the airport crowd and was delighted to board the business class.

She started looking uneasy as the plane neared Jeju Island.

She was so restless that the manager asked if she was okay.

Insisting she was fine, she looked around and leaned closer to me, whispering.

“I feel evil energy… It’s similar to what I felt when I first came to Earth and when I fought that crow demon…”

I know. Something is happening deep in the Jeju sea right now.

Pretending to be surprised, I asked,

“Where is it coming from?”

Adelle pointed outside the window.

“Exactly over there.”

Her finger was pointing to the western sea of Jeju Island.

Where the Evil Energy Explorer was located.

Rubbing my forehead, I shook my head.

“The Explorer wasn’t malfunctioning after all.”

“It seems so. Shouldn’t we contact headquarters?”

“Is the evil energy dangerous?”

“Not really… It’s hard to explain, but… to put it simply, it’s like the air is a bit bad.”

“The air is a bit bad? That could also mean a wide range.”

“Exactly. Weak evil energy, and a wide range.”

“If that’s the case, let’s handle it ourselves. We won’t contact headquarters.”

“Okay…?”

I exhaled a long breath and explained my decision to Adelle, who didn’t understand.

“If we contact the Doctor, we’ll have to issue an official statement to the United Nations. We just had an S-class demon attack not long ago, and now we’re dealing with another demon-related incident? What would the world think? They’d be anxious.”

“Ah…”

“You said it’s not dangerous, so it’s better to end this as just an Explorer repair… If it seems like the situation is escalating, we can contact them then. Sehwa and Yuria’s support is quick.”

“Okay… I understand.”

I apologized to Adelle as apologetically as possible.

“Sorry. The sightseeing turned into work.”

Adelle hurriedly shook her head.

“No. I’m the Beast Slayer. It’s my duty.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

The demon I released in the western sea of Jeju is like a downgraded version of the dead Griff.

I set it up so Adelle’s Aiter energy could be consumed not just in combat, but let’s see how effective it is.

Next episode―――――――――――――――――――――

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