Chapter 184

Chapter 184: Interlude – For a Better Past (3)

There was a saying that finding interest in a particular thing at a late date tended to cause people to become more engrossed in it

The two people who got a taste of the sweet pleasure that couldn’t be compared to anything else desired each other like newlyweds whenever their eyes met.

When they met eyes in the morning after waking up…

When Ohjin playfully hugged Ha-eun’s back as she was preparing a meal with her clumsy hands…

When Ha-eun secretly broke into the bathroom in a swimsuit as Ohjin went in to take a shower first…

They shared love all day long to the point it was hard to understand how they lived without indulging in such acts up to that point.

‘It’s not like there’s anything else to do.’

Normally, he would’ve tried to get used to his new power gained from the Black Heaven’s seventh awakening, but he had to focus on recovering from his internal injuries that worsened during the fight with the Living Armor.

‘Isabella and Lee Woohyuk also took care of reporting the case on their own.’

Isabella did pour out complaints about him disappearing without a word, but he was able to get her to overlook it somehow by telling her that he had to go get his severe injuries treated as an excuse.

‘It’s about time for me to get some rest.’

Hadn’t the love he had for Ha-eun finally bore fruit? He wanted to spend a relaxing time with her while waiting for his internal injuries to recover.

“Ohjin, do you want to see a movie with me?”

“A movie?”

There were nearly no opportunities to watch movies because of how poor they were in the past, but now they could watch movies any time they wanted with Ha-eun having purchased a 75-inch TV.

“What do you want to watch?”

“Was it Squid Game? I heard people saying it was fun.”

“Isn’t that a drama?”

He had heard on the news that it was a hit worldwide.

“Ah, is it? Well, let’s watch it together anyways!”

Ha-eun’s eyes shone while she pulled Ohjin’s arm.

Ohjin smirked and nodded his head.

“Hehe! Then let’s start by ordering some chicken!”

She raised her phone with a joyful expression.

After the chicken that they ordered arrived, the two people sat down on the sofa and turned on the TV.

“Ah~”

Ha-eun stuck so close to him that their thighs touched and opened her mouth like a baby bird waiting to get fed by its mother.

All kinds of lewd thoughts filled his head at the sight of Ha-eun having her eyes closed and mouth opened while wearing just a baggy white T-shirt and dolphin shorts that exposed her slender legs.

Ohjin gulped and handed a drumstick over to her.

“Hehe, it’s tasty.”

The way her cheeks bloated as she ate was so lovely to him that it couldn’t be expressed in writing. Not even if he wrote 100 pages.

“Have some more.”

He put the chicken box next to her and fed her one piece at a time.

When she had eaten two drumsticks and one wing, Ha-eun suddenly returned to her senses.

“Ohjin, you should eat, too.”

“Just watching my daughter eat makes me feel full as a father.”

“What are you on about?”

Ha-eun smiled and rummaged through the chicken in the box.

“Hmm, there aren’t any legs.”

“Duh, you ate them all… though I was the one who fed them to you.”

“Since there aren’t any drumsticks, do you want to eat this instead?”

Ha-eun extended and placed her slender leg on top of Ohjin’s lap.

He vividly felt the sensation of her smooth leg.

“…It’s a little big for a chicken leg.”

Ohjin lightly hit her leg that was on his thigh.

Slap, slap—

A slight grin appeared on his face every time he saw her right leg that regenerated so flawlessly that you would’ve never known that it was cut off before.

“So you aren’t eating it?”

“How do you expect me to eat this?”

“Hehe. You know, like how you slurped with that tongue last night…”

“Hey…”

‘Is there anything this woman can’t say?’

He furrowed his brow and slightly tickled her leg.

As someone weak to tickling, Ha-eun floundered and quickly pulled her leg back.

“It’s alright. I can just eat the other pieces.”

When Ohjin was about to lay his hands on the dry chicken breasts—

“Ah, wait a second!”

—Ha-eun shot up from her seat and headed to the front door.

She opened the door and returned while swinging a plastic bag.

“I actually ordered one more~”

Ha-eun placed the box full of chicken on top of the table in a haughty manner. That time, it was spicy seasoned chicken that was covered in sweet sauce.

* * *

Translator – Maccas

Proofreader – ilafy

* * *

“Say ahh~”

She grabbed one of the seasoned drumsticks and held it close to Ohjin’s face.

He smiled and took a bite out of the chicken.

The ultimate combination of sweet sauce, crispy batter, and tender meat devastated his mouth.

‘It’s so fucking good.’

Thinking about how he lasted several years with just calorie bars made him feel dizzy.

“Isn’t it good?”

Ha-eun licked the seasoning left on her fingers and smiled brightly.

Ohjin took out a tissue and nodded while cleaning her saliva-covered fingers.

“I feel wrong for living until now without eating this.”

Just a year and a couple of months before, fried chicken was a delicacy that they couldn’t dare to dream of.

She smiled sheepishly and leaned her head on his shoulder.

“You can just eat a bunch from now on.”

Ha-eun slightly raised her head and whispered to him, tickling his ear with her breath.

“Like how you eat me.”

“…”

Ohjin’s expression stiffened at the sweet voice that entered his ear. 

He felt a strong impulse—one that occurred several times a day.

‘This woman is seriously…’

They usually exchanged jokes like that, but it felt like the depravity of her jokes had gone up exponentially ever since they shared a bed.

Forget about the chicken, Ohjin was about to follow his impulse and reach his hand out to her—

“Hehe. Let’s start watching the drama now.”

—but Ha-eun pressed resume on the remote in a teasing manner.

The drama started playing on the TV once again.

Ohjin leaned his back on the sofa with a sad expression.

“Ugh… the story is kind of making me feel PTSD.”

Ha-eun, who was watching the drama with her head leaning on Ohjin’s shoulder, furrowed her brow.

The drama was about contestants that were deep in debt volunteering to participate in a brutal game and ending up struggling miserably.

The ‘poverty’ expressed in the drama was so realistic that it made her remember the days of despair and anguish.

“But it is pretty entertaining.”

“Yeah.”

He thought that such a plain story wouldn’t be fun since they were living in a world with Awakeners and monsters that ran rampant in the streets, but it appeared that it hadn’t gained worldwide popularity for no reason.

“There are no such things as monsters in that world, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Looking at it like this, it feels like the world we live in is even more fictional than theirs.”

Ha-eun put her head on top of Ohjin’s lap and lay down on the sofa.

He felt the soft sensation of her cheek and lightly patted her hair.

“Mmh… this is nice.”

The time spent watching a drama on Ohjin’s lap while leisurely consuming a can of beer…

She was so happy that she began to worry if she was even allowed to be so blessed.

“Ohjin…”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

“…”

Ohjin’s hand suddenly stopped at her sudden remark.

Ha-eun smirked while she was rubbing her head on his lap.

“I feel something hard pressing into the back of my head.”

“Shut up.”

She cackled and turned her body.

Ha-eun looked up at Ohjin with her head resting on his lap.

“Aren’t you going to watch the drama?”

“Looking at your face is more entertaining than the show.”

“Well, I guess my face is a pretty sight.”

He just happened to recently begin thinking ‘aren’t I pretty handsome?’ every time he looked at the mirror after finishing a shower.

“No, I’m saying that the way you look is fucking funny.”

“Bitch?”

“I’m just kidding.”

Ha-eun cackled and then extended her arm to rotate his face.

Putting in a little strength, she pulled his head down and lightly kissed him.

“…”

“…”

Silence settled down between them.

The silence didn’t feel bad or awkward.

Ohjin patted Ha-eun’s forehead while she was laying in his lap.

Not all things had been solved yet.

In fact, there were many more problems left.

Even if he had fixed her eyes and leg, there were countless people threatening to ruin a peaceful life.

The Black Heaven, Vega, Regressors, the Black Star Organization, the Snakes…

Numerous problems that he couldn’t even count individually bounced around in his head—

‘Still…’

—but he wanted to at least enjoy that moment to his heart’s content.

It was precious time that his past… no, future-self would’ve desired more than anything.

He desperately pleaded…

…that she wouldn’t disappear.

…that she wouldn’t be erased.

…that things would stay the same.

…that she would be by his side even when he opened his eyes the next day.

“…Want to go?” Ha-eun asked as she glanced back at the bedroom.

The two people got up from their spots and headed to the bedroom without saying a word.

The remaining chicken and the light shining off the TV shone in the empty living room like the stars that lit up the night sky.

* * *

—A street settled in deep darkness.

A woman was walking on a pier that had crumbled containers left all around, and her blonde hair fell to her hips.

The woman with a young, slender figure covered in a pitch-black dress kept walking with slow steps.

Rustle, rustle—

Her long dress sounded like a snake rustling through bushes whenever it made contact with the floor.

“This area is off limits.”

An Awakener belonging to the Heaven’s Grace guild who was on guard duty near the pier approached her.

She gazed at the Heaven’s Grace guild member obstructing her path and lightly flicked her finger.

“What are you doi—”

Plop—

The guild member who furrowed his brow and tried to block the approaching woman collapsed on the spot as his eyes turned cloudy.

“Hmm. It ended up breaking.”

The woman looked down at the half-melted black armor with a sensual smile on her face.

“Hm?”

The woman’s eyes widened while she was rummaging through the melted armor with her black heel extended from under her dress.

“My, my, my…”

She rummaged through the black armor several times like she couldn’t understand.

“Ha, hahaha.”

Soon, laughter filled with insanity left the woman’s mouth.

“Kyahahahahahahaha!!!”

The woman smiled brightly as her body shivered from delight.

“I found you, I found you, I found you, I found you, I found you, I found you, I found you!”

Her red tongue flopped down to her neck and quivered like it was dancing.

“Ahh— so this is where you were, almighty god!”

Licking her lips with her long tongue, she spread her arms out like she was embracing the black sky.

____