Chapter 149:
Baek Joo-won, instead of answering, gently pushed her further into the cave.
Seo Jae-yi looked at him questioningly, but her curiosity was quickly replaced by surprise as she saw what lay before them.
“Huh? What? What is this? Was this here before?”
A short distance from the bedroom.
A hot spring, steam rising from its surface, was nestled in a cave with an open ceiling.
How many Koreans disliked bathing in hot water? Seo Jae-yi rushed over and dipped her hand into the hot spring. The warmth felt incredibly soothing; she wanted to jump in right away.
“I had it installed. I knew you’d like it.”
“Wow! This is amazing! Can I go in?”
“I made it for you.”
Seo Jae-yi started taking off her clothes before he even finished speaking. Baek Joo-won was dumbfounded.
“You really have no shame.”
“Why should I be ashamed? You’re the only one here, and we’ve already seen everything there is to see. And we’ll continue to see it, won’t we?”
“That’s true…”
Seo Jae-yi shrugged and stepped into the hot spring. A pleasant warmth, far more soothing than any ordinary bath, enveloped her body.
“Ah, this is amazing! The best!”
She hadn’t expected him to prepare such a gift. She was touched.
“Look who’s talking.”
Seo Jae-yi, relaxing in the warm water, chuckled as Baek Joo-won followed her into the hot spring.
“I’m just catering to your tastes.”
Baek Joo-won lifted her up and sat her on his lap, then draped his robe around her.
“I’m not cold.”
“I know. Just stay still. I catered to your tastes; now you cater to mine.”
Seo Jae-yi obediently wore the robe, as he seemed to prefer her clothed. The bright green silk suited her surprisingly well.
“You like seeing me in your clothes while I’m wet? That look in your eyes…”
“You seem to be enjoying it too. Seo Jae-yi, when are you going to stop your hands from wandering?”
Seo Jae-yi’s hands had been busy since he got close.
Her fingers, which had been exploring his body, stopped at his well-defined pectoral muscles.
“Ah, this feels so good. You’ve been working hard.”
“It’s natural. Do you think I’m human?”
“…I’m a bit envious. I had to work for this.”
“Yes, you honed your body through actual combat, not exercise.”
Baek Joo-won’s gaze swept over her body, clad in his robe.
It wasn’t noticeable when she was clothed, as she was petite, but her body was toned and sculpted, a sight to behold.
And they weren’t just any muscles; they were honed through years of combat, perfect for real-life battles.
“This body is the culmination of my life. You like it, don’t you?”
Seo Jae-yi grinned, seeing his green eyes fixated on her.
How could he not? It was incredibly alluring.
“Are you planning to do it here? I don’t want to dirty the water on our first day.”
His touch, even more intimate and lingering than hers, explored her body.
Seo Jae-yi let out a soft moan, his fingers unerringly finding her most sensitive spots, despite their limited encounters.
“It purifies itself daily, so don’t worry. This is a dungeon, remember?”
Resources replenished themselves in a dungeon over time. That included the hot spring water.
“Ah, then it’s fine.”
Seo Jae-yi, no longer hesitant, lifted his chin and kissed him.
Perhaps because of the hot, humid air from the hot spring, every touch of their lips created a distinctly wet sound.
She also liked the way his pale skin glistened with moisture.
She pulled away, nibbling on his full lips, and looked at him, his face flushed, his eyes filled with the same desire as hers. She traced his eyelids with her fingers.
“I think I’m going to be more addicted to doing it here than in bed.”
“Is there a problem with that? I made this place for that very reason.”
“Ah, that was your intention?”
“Did you think I made this for a pure, innocent bath?”
Seo Jae-yi burst out laughing at his words, implying he couldn’t possibly resist her in the hot spring.
He really knew how to tempt her.
“Yes, Hae-wi…”
Baek Joo-won’s hand gripped her waist, pulling her closer. She felt something hotter than his body, hotter than the water lapping against her chest, pressing against her lower abdomen. Her thighs instinctively tightened around his waist.
“I liked the suit, but this is even better.”
He gently pulled down her robe, revealing her shoulder, and kissed and nibbled on her skin.
Seo Jae-yi chuckled, her fingers tracing the veins that stood out on his aroused arm.
“I’m barely wearing anything; it’s just a robe.”
“That’s why it’s good. You still don’t understand.”
“You pervert.”
“That’s nothing new.”
His hand, much larger than hers, caressed her smooth thigh, his fingers tracing the sensitive skin on her inner thigh, her breath hitching.
“You seem to know me very well.”
“I do. No one knows you better than I do. So stay by my side. Don’t go anywhere.”
Baek Joo-won looked at her, his eyes filled with desire.
Yes, she was his. She had always been his, but she was even more his now, after the fragment of his power within her had shattered.
Seo Jae-yi didn’t know this yet, but her body had started changing, adapting to him, a change so subtle that only Airok had noticed.
Baek Joo-won looked at her left wrist.
【Overload Progress — 1%】
Her level would never be higher than his again.
He wondered when she would realize it. He could tell her, but he decided to wait for her to figure it out on her own.
“That’s obvious. Where would I go without you?”
Just as she said, they would be together, so he could wait.
Seo Jae-yi, her hair damp from the steam, smiled beautifully, and Baek Joo-won, unable to resist, kissed her.
Hot breaths mingled as their hands explored each other’s bodies, finding their most sensitive spots. And then, as if even their breaths were too precious to waste, they devoured each other’s moans.
Seo Jae-yi, her arms tight around his neck, arched her back, a feeling of contentment welling up within her.
She could see the dungeon sky through the open ceiling of the cave.
It was similar to the sky she had seen from her living room a few days ago, yet completely different, and unfamiliar.
But it would soon become familiar, just like the sky on Earth. She would be here with Baek Joo-won.
Just as she had become accustomed to the pleasure he gave her.
Public outrage against the government intensified after Jang Woo-seok’s sentencing.
The ruling party and the presidential office tried to shift all the blame onto Jang Woo-seok and calm the situation, but their attempts failed when the Esper Association and the Guiding Center released evidence linking the ruling party to the experiments.
The most damaging revelation was the leak of a list of National Assembly members who had supported the Esper experiments.
The situation spiraled out of control as it was revealed that most of those politicians held key positions in the current government, and that the most prominent figure among them was the President himself.
People protested day and night in Gwanghwamun Square, demanding the President’s resignation and apology.
The situation continued to escalate, and interview requests flooded in for Seo Jae-yi and Haeil Guild.
Not just from domestic media outlets, but also from international ones, as the world watched the unfolding scandal.
However, Haeil Guild refused all interview requests, only releasing evidence of the experiments and publicly criticizing the government’s silence.
People were disappointed, but they didn’t force Seo Jae-yi to come forward.
They understood that she, as the primary victim, might be struggling with the resurfacing of her traumatic past, despite being an S-rank Esper.
The number of people seeking her out finally decreased after public opinion shifted towards protecting her.
Instead, people sent letters to Haeil Guild, expressing their support for Seo Jae-yi and wishing for her swift recovery and return.
Kim Yoo-sung, receiving the unexpected number of letters, couldn’t help but sigh.
He was grateful for their concern, but the reality was far different from what they imagined.
Seo Jae-yi wasn’t suffering or traumatized. She was happily gardening in her dungeon, satisfied with Jang Woo-seok and Park Hyung-woo’s imprisonment.
Those who worried about her would have been disappointed if they knew the truth.
“Oh, they’re here, they’re here!”
The forest dungeon occupied by Seo Jae-yi.
Seo Jae-yi, busy tending to the plants in the newly arranged greenhouse, waved at the people entering the dungeon.
It was Kang Sung-yeon, the Esper Association Head, Jeong Joo-hyung, and Kim Yoo-sung, the Haeil Guild Leader.
They were here to inspect Seo Jae-yi’s dungeon plant cultivation and sales operation.
“This is more… elaborate than I expected.”
Jeong Joo-hyung, his face pale and dark circles under his eyes from another all-nighter playing games, looked around the area.
The land, almost 100 pyeong in size, was neatly organized, a stark contrast to the previous jungle-like overgrowth. The dungeon plants, arranged in neat rows according to their type, were quite a sight.
“How is it? Impressive, right?”
Seo Jae-yi smiled proudly, looking at her plants.
She looked like a professional gardener, wearing a straw hat and sturdy gloves covered in dirt.
“I honestly didn’t expect much from you, but this is surprisingly well-organized.”
“What?!”
Seo Jae-yi felt wronged, hearing even Kang Sung-yeon say that. What had she done to deserve such a reaction?
“Explain what you have here. Remember, you have to do this properly before you can start selling.”
Seo Jae-yi, about to snap at Kang Sung-yeon, quickly composed herself. This wasn’t the time to deal with him.
“I’ve divided them into two main categories: those that feed on fire and those that feed on water.”
“There are plants that feed on fire?”
“They seem to enjoy it. And since they were raised with my fire, they’re very sturdy and aggressive. They’re also more friendly towards humans than monsters, so there are fewer accidents.”
Kang Sung-yeon and Jeong Joo-hyung, who only knew that she was cultivating and selling dungeon plants, and that they were surprisingly effective in dungeon subjugations, were quite surprised.
Of course, they would be sturdy, having been raised with an S-rank Esper’s fire, but they hadn’t expected them to be more docile towards humans.
“So that’s why they’re effective in dungeon subjugations.”
Seo Jae-yi puffed out her chest at Kang Sung-yeon’s acknowledgement. There was nothing more satisfying than having her hard work recognized.
“But how are you watering them? It’s not easy to bring water into a dungeon.”
Seo Jae-yi and Kim Yoo-sung exchanged glances at Jeong Joo-hyung’s question. They hadn’t planned on telling anyone, but they could trust these two.
“Logi.”
Seo Jae-yi called out, and a small dragon flew towards them from the area where the water-fed plants were growing.