Chapter 115:
This slow burn was more agonizing than the overwhelming rush, more painful than the forceful surge. Knowing the feeling of his energy filling her completely only intensified her thirst.
Infuriated by his skillful control, Seo Jae-yi finally gritted her teeth.
“After doing this to me, is that really something you should be saying?”
She grabbed Baek Joo-won by the collar and roughly kissed his smiling lips.
The moment their lips met, a moment of mutual desire, the teasingly slow Guiding exploded into an intense rush.
Surprised despite initiating the kiss, Seo Jae-yi instinctively opened her mouth and tried to pull back. But Baek Joo-won wouldn’t let her.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
He deepened the kiss, swallowing her breath. A moan, she couldn’t tell if it was hers or his, escaped from between their intertwined lips.
Seo Jae-yi’s hands and legs wrapped around him, clinging as if to bind him to her.
Baek Joo-won chuckled, pleased by her yearning. Seo Jae-yi eagerly swallowed the sound, as if waiting for it.
She devoured his every breath, every movement, as if unwilling to let anything escape.
It was maddening. This Guiding was on a different level from mere skin contact.
She finally understood why other Espers sought such close contact with their Guides, why holding hands wasn’t enough, why they craved kisses and more. She finally realized.
If this felt so good, how much more exhilarating would a more intense Guiding be?
How much more pleasurable?
The excruciatingly sweet sensation Baek Joo-won was giving her felt like it was melting her brain and heart. Enough to make her willingly give him everything.
She felt like she was becoming addicted to this intensity.
【Title: (Must Read) Is it okay to buy dungeon plants?】
【The flower shop selling dungeon plants is trending on the community forums these days. I’m a bit worried. The location looks like it’s right in the middle of the city. Is this really okay?? What if the dungeon plants go wild???
More than anything, I saw a post saying the shop owner is a bit frail? Can they really handle rampaging plants??
And there’s one more thing that bothers me… A lot of people have tried to grow dungeon plants so far, and everyone knows they’ve all failed, right?? So how is that person growing them so well?? I heard they’re not even a particularly strong Esper. Isn’t that really strange???
Anyway, that shop is suspicious and unsettling to me… Everyone seems to be buying them because they’re helpful in dungeon raids, but I think it’s worth reconsidering.】
【Comments】
—I feel like I’ve seen posts like this pop up and then get deleted. Is it just me?
└No, it’s not just you. I’ve seen it several times.
└Someone’s trying to muddy the waters. A competitor’s jealousy?
└Probably, since they’re deleting the posts lol
—lol Dangerous because it’s in the middle of the city lol Did you even check the location properly?? Did you see that it’s next to Haeil’s headquarters???
└|Author|: What does that have to do with anything? Haeil isn’t a standing army, and they have nothing to do with that shop;;
└Nothing to do with it? Don’t you know Haeil Guild members frequently visit that shop?? They seem close to the owner. It’s unlikely to be dangerous, so don’t worry.
└|Author|: So how can you be so sure?
—Yeah, if you don’t like it, don’t use them~~ Thanks to the shop, I had a super easy raid, and I’ll continue to be loyal to Blazing Trail >.< Loyalty, loyalty to the shop owner! Please continue selling good plants ^^777777
└|Author|: So if it’s helpful for raids, that’s all that matters?? Even though it might be dangerous??
└So, OP, if you think it’s dangerous, bring proof. Don’t try to tarnish a shop’s reputation when there haven’t been any problems. Before you get reported for business interference.
—Huh, isn’t that person an Esper? I thought they were a Special-type Esper with the ability to grow dungeon plants. Special-type abilities haven’t been fully revealed yet, so it wouldn’t be strange if there was an Esper with that kind of ability.
└|Author|: Are you sure? Can you guarantee it??
└Do I really need to guarantee it? As long as they’re growing them well, isn’t that enough? Honestly, dungeon raids have gotten much easier since we started using dungeon plants, and that’s what matters most. I don’t know why you’re trying so hard to discredit the shop.
(This post has been deleted by the author)
“Boss, you look really good these days.”
A customer, staring intently at Seo Jae-yi’s face, commented.
Seo Jae-yi, handing him the packaged dungeon plant he had purchased, instinctively touched her cheek.
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. Before, you looked a bit pale, or rather, your complexion wasn’t good, to the point I was worried.”
That was strange. Of course, she might have looked unwell since she wasn’t in perfect health, but it shouldn’t have been that noticeable.
“Come to think of it, I heard you’ve been receiving a lot of health supplements as gifts lately?”
That was true.
Once, Seo Jae-yi had told a customer a blatant lie about being frail.
And that customer, not even dreaming that she was an S-rank Esper, had expressed great concern and posted about it on the Awakened community forum, and the false rumor had spread like wildfire.
As a result, all sorts of Espers started bringing her things known to be good for one’s health, telling her to take care of herself, that she was their light and hope.
The shameless Seo Jae-yi accepted them all with a cheerful, “Oh my, thank you!”
“Yes, maybe that’s why.”
Seo Jae-yi smiled brightly, and the customer’s face flushed. After clearing his throat a few times, he shyly offered her a shopping bag.
“I’m glad it’s helping. S-So, I prepared something as well.”
It was a rare medicinal herb from a dungeon. It was used as a potion ingredient, but it was most effective when brewed and consumed like traditional medicine.
“I heard it’s excellent for boosting immunity and stamina.”
“Oh my. This precious herb, really for me?”
“J-Just a small token of my appreciation.”
If this was a small token, what would a large token be, a fist-sized magic stone? The herb was that expensive, and Seo Jae-yi felt a surge of satisfaction.
“It’s nothing much in return, but, um, c-could I perhaps get your name and number, Boss?”
The man’s face and ears turned red. This was a clear expression of interest.
It wasn’t anything new. Espers were generally attractive to garner Guides’ favor, and Seo Jae-yi was no exception.
So, this kind of thing wasn’t unfamiliar.
“Ah, I…”
Seo Jae-yi was about to answer with a smile when—
“You don’t need this.”
A hand reached out from behind her and snatched the shopping bag, returning it to the customer.
It was Baek Joo-won.
“I’m already giving my Esper plenty of good things.”
It was a clear message to stop hitting on Seo Jae-yi and leave.
“O-Oh, okay…”
The hand casually resting on Seo Jae-yi’s shoulder, the comment implying they were paired Guides, and Baek Joo-won’s appearance, far more striking than even an S-rank Esper…
Judging that he had no chance, the customer dejectedly left with a crestfallen expression. His slumped shoulders and back looked truly pitiful.
“Why did you accept that?”
As soon as the customer left, Baek Joo-won began interrogating Seo Jae-yi.
“Should I refuse when someone gives me something expensive and good?”
Refusal wasn’t in Seo Jae-yi’s vocabulary. At least, not when it came to profitable things. Confessions of interest, however, she would reject without hesitation.
“Expensive and good? What could be better than my Guiding? It’s something only you can receive in this world.”
The hand on her shoulder slid down and wrapped around her neck, near the bite marks he had left a few days ago.
“What, was that day’s Guiding not enough for you?”
His whisper instantly brought back the memory of that day, the day of their first kiss.
The gentle pressure of his lips, their shared breaths, the intensely intimate Guiding, and the wet sounds that accompanied it.
Was it just the Guiding that was thrilling? No way.
Despite being her first kiss, Seo Jae-yi had experienced the dungeon master’s centuries-old technique firsthand.
He had stolen her breath and melted her defenses with such ease.
Seo Jae-yi couldn’t tell if she had wanted the Guiding more, or the kiss.
She had only craved him, seeking more intense stimulation, burrowing into his embrace until Baek Joo-won, unable to withstand her pushing, finally collapsed onto the bed behind them.
Even after they were both on the bed, the kiss, disguised as Guiding, hadn’t ended. When his hand slipped beneath her shirt and caressed her bare skin, she had cried out involuntarily.
That day, she had left more nail marks than usual on Baek Joo-won’s back, and the satisfied Baek Joo-won had completely melted her down.
It had been such an intense moment that even after three days, she could vividly recall the atmosphere and even their breaths.
“Are you really saying that when you know my condition better than anyone?”
Just the memory sent shivers down her spine.
As Seo Jae-yi frowned and grumbled, Baek Joo-won chuckled and lowered his lips to her neck. She instinctively tensed, but contrary to her expectations, she didn’t feel any Guiding. It was just a light touch.
“Yes, your condition is good. Though we still have a long way to go.”
Baek Joo-won whispered in her ear.
The heat still coiled within her core, burning her despite the Guiding through their kiss. It showed no signs of dissipating.
There was only one way: a more intense, intimate Guiding.
‘I should take it slow.’
Seo Jae-yi’s lifespan had already been significantly extended by Baek Joo-won’s constant Guiding.
So, there was no rush.
When he was certain her heart was completely his, when she clung to him in utter surrender… Then it wouldn’t be too late.
Besides, Seo Jae-yi didn’t seem to be thinking about a more intense Guiding right now anyway.
“I’m giving you all the good things, so don’t accept anything else.”
“What about expensive things?”
Baek Joo-won, leaving a red mark on Seo Jae-yi’s neck, frowned at her question.
“You have plenty of money. Why are you so greedy for material possessions?”
“Buying expensive things with my own money and receiving them for free are different.”
So, she was saying she would accept expensive gifts like today’s. Baek Joo-won gritted his teeth.
“I can grow those kinds of medicinal herbs in my dungeon.”
“Really? Then if you bring the herbs here, I can grow them here too, right?”
“……Wait, Seo Jae-yi.”
“That’s great. Then let’s go to the dungeon together and collect a bunch of useful things.”
Baek Joo-won was dumbfounded. Wasn’t the atmosphere good just now? In a situation where a kiss wasn’t enough, she was thinking about putting him to work?
“You’re annoying.”
His passion cooled, Baek Joo-won finally pulled away from Seo Jae-yi.
“I’ve heard that a lot!”
Of course, it didn’t faze Seo Jae-yi in the slightest. Baek Joo-won clicked his tongue.
He had to be content with leaving a mottled collection of red marks on Seo Jae-yi’s neck.