27.
‘It’s a disaster, a total disaster. Nothing is going right.’
[Kang Mi-young’s condition is changing.]
‘Why on earth is this happening?’
[It is presumed that there are residual effects of hypnosis remaining.]
‘Is that even a thing?’
[Yes, it is.]
Lee Seong-han awkwardly unbuttoned his shirt.
To any third party, it would look like “they did it.”
Lee Seong-han was afraid to step forward.
People have the ability to speculate, after all.
“Ugh…”
Lee Seong-han let out a pained groan.
He touched the bite marks on his neck.
A lukewarm warmth.
His fingers felt sticky.
The flesh was torn.
It stung deeply.
What should he do in a situation like this?
‘I’m screwed.’
The bite wasn’t as deep as he thought.
Not sure if that’s any consolation.
He pulled his backpack over and rummaged through it, pulling out a small hand mirror.
“Ugh, it’s all visible.”
This is bad.
He pulled his collar up.
No matter how much he tried to cover it, it didn’t work.
In fact, it only drew more attention.
If it were a lover’s mark, Lee Seong-han would have just let it slide.
“But you, sir?”
But the other party is his superior.
And a world-class influencer at that.
For such a woman to pounce on him, does that even make sense?
Before re-enlisting, he might have said “Oh.” and even been happy about it, but now it’s a living hell.
Even if the social standing of men and women has changed, this isn’t normal.
What should he do?
He can’t erase it.
And it’s awkward to move around separately.
“It’s deep.”
The deep scratches left by nails.
The torn shirt.
The bluish bruises.
Even the purple handprints on his forearm.
The only silver lining is…
“Ugh…”
Kang Mi-young has regained her senses.
Lee Seong-han felt relieved inside.
“At least she’ll be fine for now.”
Zzzzip.
He zipped up his backpack.
He had just put the torn clothes inside.
Lee Seong-han was always prepared.
He always had spare clothes ready in his backpack.
Just in case, he even rotated them.
His outfit was simple: a white shirt, a blue knit vest, and a suit jacket.
A mature, professional style.
He also put on glasses since his lenses broke when he fell.
Glasses.
His good physique made the outfit look even better. He even combed his hair.
“You really are handsome.”
A soft whisper.
It was Kang Mi-young’s voice.
“Major, are you okay?”
“Ah, y-yes, of course!”
“I didn’t expect the hypnosis to be so deep.”
Lee Seong-han threw out a bait to prevent the situation from worsening.
“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t expect it to go this far.”
Fortunately, Kang Mi-young took the bait.
Glancing around.
Even though they were back-to-back, he could feel her gaze. It was just the atmosphere.
“Now that I look, you have a lot of muscles. You’re really useful. There’s no replacement for you.”
“What’s your workout routine? If you can build muscles like that while serving, you must be very disciplined. So your diligence is guaranteed.”
“You’re also quite resourceful. Improvisation is necessary in the field.”
It’s a relief.
I thought things would be awkward between us.
I didn’t expect the hypnosis to be so deep.
Well, she’s a woman who stood her ground even in front of a succubus. How bad could it be?
Because of her favorability, I ended up in this situation.
Lee Seong-han is also quite embarrassed.
“Y-you, sir? What are you doing now?”
“I’m checking how torn it is. Don’t you need a change of clothes, Major? Here, take this.”
“W-women’s clothes?”
“It’s a suit one size larger. Just in case.”
“Thank you.”
Sigh. Lee Seong-han clicked his tongue.
“You were under hypnosis. There’s no need to blame yourself.”
“Right.”
“We should remember this incident. We might need to investigate later. Don’t you think?”
“Right.”
They took some time to catch their breath from a distance.
Kang Mi-young neatly buttoned up her shirt, which had been revealing her bra, and turned her body.
When she draped the coat over her shoulders, it looked stunning.
She didn’t want to go out and end up in this situation again.
She just wanted to quickly normalize the relationship and finish the job. It’s like a rigged game of Go-Stop, just like with Kang Jin-young.
“I’m sorry, Major. I think I was too careless.”
“You! It’s not your fault.”
“If I had mentioned the 189-hour military life Max lecture earlier, we wouldn’t have ended up in this embarrassing situation, right?”
“Ahem!”
Kang Mi-young let out a dry cough as if to tell him to stop.
“What do you remember clearly?”
“Listening to the explanation, it was ridiculous. I was also as hazy as Kang Jin-young.”
The hazy eye strategy.
Hmm, I knew it. Blood will tell.
“Anyway, I heard I aggressively violated your tongue with my fingers─”
“Major, you’re going too far. Please watch your language.”
“Anyway, I did something terrible. It doesn’t make sense. Ahem, ahem.”
Kang Mi-young said that but couldn’t take her eyes off the alley floor.
When a female Awakened One mercilessly pounces on a man, accidents are bound to happen.
Bones get broken. Or important parts get shattered.
It’s not uncommon, given their strength far beyond that of ordinary people.
Lee Seong-han, who can handle ordinary people with ease.
Even he runs away nine times out of ten when faced with an Awakened One.
Do I need more training?
Lee Seong-han stroked his chin and thought so.
“A-are you okay? You’re sweating a lot.”
“I’m naturally a heavy sweater.”
“Sweating a lot, huh. You’ll need a towel.”
It’s not that I dislike it.
She’s pretty, after all.
And she smells nice.
But this isn’t the right path.
I gave her a stern warning and set off again.
Except for the fact that the perfume scent I got from Kang Jin-young has faded.
Ah, what could possibly happen?
It’s not like it’s some dog.
“I’ll apologize properly again, sir. The hypnosis must have been strong.”
Strong hypnosis, my foot.
It was so shallow.
If you touch someone’s reproductive organ because you’re drunk, does that make you innocent? That’s a sex crime. A sex crime!
Russians don’t look at K-soju and say, “Wow, this is better than vodka!” They drink it like water.
Lee Seong-han decided to ignore it.
Paying more attention would only lead to trouble.
“It’s fine.”
“Ah, hahaha. Sir, I’ll cover the full cost of the equipment.”
As they stepped out of the alley, Lee Seong-han kept his distance from Kang Mi-young, still feeling uneasy.
But he still felt awkward.
Those sisters might be growling, ready to pounce on me in the fortress.
Shiver.
It’s a good thing the sisters are tearing each other apart.
“Sister, if we keep going like this, we’ll lose Seong-han!”
“Then we have no choice. This time, we’ll form an alliance. I’ll take him during the day.”
“Hmm. I was planning to keep him under the desk, but tying him to the bed might work too, deal.”
If their bond were stronger, my chastity would already be gone.
Even if Kang Mi-young has a great body and strength, isn’t she still my superior?
If I confessed, I’d be locked up and turned into a tool for their desires.
Moreover, there’s an 『Emergency Quest』!
“I can’t open my eyes, ugh. How does Kang Jin-young endure after doing this?”
Well, maybe your resistance to temptation is weak.
Lee Seong-han frowned as he walked down the street.
“Ah, ahhh…”
“That style isn’t bad either.”
She blushed deeply, avoiding eye contact as if embarrassed.
Are all the women here like this?
* * *
There was a minor hiccup in the alley, but the equipment purchase went smoothly.
Almost too smoothly.
『Quest: Doll Play』, but there were no dolls in sight.
Hong Seo-min.
Where is she and what is she doing? A former S-rank.
This uneasy feeling, like panties without elastic, ramen without broth, or a gacha game without a 200-pull guarantee!
Lee Seong-han couldn’t ignore this unsettling sensation.
“Where are you? Where are you watching from?”
If she had cast hypnosis, she must have been watching. In other words, she was voyeuring.
There was no other way, so he decided to return to his main job.
Even though he was forced into a second military life.
Lee Seong-han liked to handle things decisively.
Without getting distracted by trivial matters.
Lee Seong-han reminisced about old memories as he watched the buildings and alleys.
“This is a good position for a defensive battle.”
‘The Theory of Establishing a Blockade Line in Civilian Areas Within the Gate.’
He even wrote a thesis on it.
Some of it was adopted into actual doctrine.
Of course, the K-Defense Ministry didn’t pay him, as usual.
“This place is good for buying time. If we intercept from above, we can hold out for a long time.”
Lee Seong-han walked slowly, jotting down notes in his black notebook.
A diary and notebook he’s been using since his first military life.
He put the fountain pen back in.
─
– Few defensible points. Barricades would help. Clearly outnumbered.
– Many alleys are single paths, advantageous against multiple enemies. Assign one person to each.
– But the women’s gazes are too scary!
(Not normal)
– Many suspicious businesses. Need investigation. But I don’t want to do it. Should tell Kang Jin-young I’m scared. She’ll probably handle it well.
─
A defensive battle is the worst-case scenario, but it’s something to keep in mind.
Considering Hong Seo-min’s doll production, the numbers are uncertain, but if we consider the replicated quantity, it would be overflowing.
“W-we’re here, sir.”
“Understood.”
Lee Seong-han replied coldly.
This is already the last workshop.
Even in broad daylight, it’s eerily quiet.
Is that a shadow?