CHAPTER 107: SONG HA-EUN AND THE LEECH QUEEN (2)

“Ha-Eun!”

Kwon Oh-Jin freaked out and looked away as Song Ha-Eun dropped her towel.

“Pffft!” She couldn’t help but laugh.

He turned back toward her with a frown and saw her standing in a black off-the-shoulder bikini while sticking her tongue out playfully.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Hahaha! What’s wrong? Were you expecting me to come in naked?” She laughed till she had to clutch her stomach. “Hmm? Come on, admit it. You wanted to see me naked, didn’t you?”

She grinned and teasingly poked his cheek.

A vein twitched on his forehead before he slowly said, "You’re right.”

“Huh? About what?”

“What’s the point of covering up with the kind of relationship we have?”

He stepped in closer and pressed her back against the wall.

Her eyes darted around nervously. “Whoa, w-wait!”

He pointed to her bikini. “Now, take it off, Ha-Eun.”

“Y-Y-You crazy bastard! Take what off?!” she exclaimed all flustered, and kicked him in the shin before whispering, “A-Another time...”

“What was that?”

She tapped on the shower stool. “Sh-Shut up and sit here, you brat!”

Thump, thump!

He stared at her, dumbfounded. “Wait, you’re seriously going to help me wash up?”

“Of course, why not?”

“I’m not a kid, you know.”

“Well, you look like one to me.”

You’re only two years older than me, but okay.

“Then again, you and I do have different first digits now,” he teased. He was still in his twenties—young and full of energy—while she had just crossed into her thirties.

“What the hell did you just say?”

“Wah. Me is baby Oh-Jin. Wash me up.”

“Oh, please.” She snorted as she picked up another towel.

He sighed, then used his wrists to pick up the towel she'd taken off earlier. He draped it over his lap as he sat down on the stool.

Warm water from the showerhead streamed down his skin.

“Does your hand... still hurt?” she asked.

“It doesn’t hurt anymore. It just won’t move.”

“Seriously...”

She slapped his back.

Smack!

A bright red handprint appeared over his firm back muscles.

“You’re always coming home all beat up,” she said, resting her forehead against his back. “Idiot. Do you even know how worried I was when I heard that you’d collapsed?”

She sounded like she was about to cry.

After his fight with Cheon Woo-Seong, he closed his eyes thinking he'd just rest for five minutes, but he actually ended up unconscious for over three hours. Choi Woo-Jin had stumbled across him after fighting off the Owls and following Cheon Woo-Seong's tracks.

At the time, Kwon Oh-Jin’s arms were so severely mangled that recovery seemed impossible.

Well, I managed to heal them up with Water Affinity, but yeah.

Even now that days had passed by, his fingers hadn’t regained any movement, signifying how serious his internal injuries had been.

“Sorry,” he muttered.

“And it’s not like this is the first time you’ve done this,” Song Ha-Eun replied.

Pouting, she ran her hand across his back, which was lined with firm muscles and countless scars, large and small. Injuries he'd sustained throughout his life. Some dated back to before he'd awakened from the days he cared for her after the Thousand Cursed Dragon had taken her sight.

“Seriously... you’re such an idiot,” she mumbled.

He shook his head with a faint smile. “I’m not an idiot. If I hadn't fought so hard, I wouldn’t still be here with you right now, would I?”

Her eyes wavered.

“Sure, I’ve gotten hurt a lot along the way," he continued. "But I’ve never regretted it. Not even once.”

He could accept as many scars as necessary if it was for her sake.

“Ah... Ugh. There you go... saying things like that again...” Her cheeks flushed bright red. She smacked his back again, but it was more of a gentle pat this time. “Honestly... you’re hopeless.”

Smiling softly, she squeezed body wash onto the towel and started scrubbing him with it. “Until your hand’s fully healed, I’ll take care of you, so you better behave. Got it?”

“You’re... not planning to come in every time I shower, are you?”

“Hehe, why? Don’t you like getting to admire this gorgeous body of mine?”

Well, she's not wrong.

She looked stunning in a daring bikini, with a breathtaking figure that would put most professional models to shame.

“I... don’t think I’d be able to control it.”

The effect she had was simply overwhelming. He might have spent decades with her, but he was still a perfectly healthy man. If she joined him every time he showered, he wasn’t sure he could resist getting aroused.

“... You don’t have to,” she mumbled under her breath.

“What was that?”

“N-Nothing.” She started scrubbing him roughly as if exfoliating him. “By the way, where’s Vega?”

“She said her time limit was up, so she went back to the Sanctum.”

Song Ha-Eun now understood why it had been so quiet.

“Anyway, I’ll ask Riarc to help me next time, so don’t come in again, okay?” he added.

“What, are you embarrassed or something?” She teased him by tickling his side. “What’s the big deal? You’re acting all shy when I’ve already seen everything there is to see.

He suddenly recalled the traumatic moment Vega and Song Ha-Eun had teamed up to strip him bare.

“Hehe, stop being so stubborn," she said. "Why not just let me take care of you instead of being mocked by that haughty wolf?”

She smirked mischievously. Her slender fingers brushed against his skin, tickling him in a way.

This is really dangerous, he thought. His rationality was reaching its limit.

“I’ll handle the rest myself,” he said.

“Huh? You’re still covered in soap. What are you—”

“Out. Now.”

Her gaze shifted to the towel draped across his lap, and her face flushed a deep red. “A-Ahem! I-I’ll leave first, then!”

She bolted out of the washroom in a rush.

He let out a deep sigh. I have to go through this every day?

The image of Song Ha-Eun in her bikini clung to his thoughts, along with the memory of her fingers gently running along his skin as she scrubbed him clean.

“I need to recover real quick.”

He always prided himself on his endurance, but now, he wasn’t so sure.

***

It took about a week for Kwon Oh-Jin’s fingers to return to normal.

Waking up early for the first time in a while, he headed to the Awakeners' training facility near his apartment. For a solid six hours, he pushed himself without rest.

“Phew! Finally, I feel alive.”

After spending the past week being fussed over by Song Ha-Eun and Vega in the name of "care," he gained a new appreciation for simply being able to move around freely.

Not that it wasn’t fun.

If anything, it had been too enjoyable. So much so that he found himself questioning whether it was really okay to live like that with someone tending to his every need from meals to baths.

Time to snap out of it and get back on track.

He needed to adapt to his enhanced physique and refined mana after reaching six stars, not to mention testing out his new skills.

At least I got a feel for it during today’s training.

He focused mana into his right hand.

Lightning Charge.

Violent blue lightning sparked up fiercely.

Crackle!

Lightning Discharge.

The concentrated lightning in his hand shot forward, ferociously sweeping through the air.

“A single shot doesn’t pack much power,” he remarked. It was far less efficient than Explosive Lightning or Azure Lightning.

I need to charge it at least three times for it to be enough.

At his current level, he could safely store up to five charges. Beyond that, the pain in his hand became too intense.

It also takes time to charge.

For practical combat, three charges seemed to offer the right balance.

“Alright, I’m done for today.”

He pulled out his phone and checked his notifications, finding messages from Han Jun-Man.

Beef Angel: Oh-Jin, are you feeling better?

He texted back.

Beep, beep.

Kwon Oh-Jin: Yes, I’ve fully recovered.

Beef Angel: Then could you stop by the association today? The chairman has something he’d like to discuss with you.

Hmm. Something to discuss? Could it be about my reward? His eyes gleamed with anticipation as he quickly typed back.

Kwon Oh-Jin: I’ll stop by around two.

Beef Angel: Got it! See you then!

Kwon Oh-Jin packed up his belongings to leave.

“You used the personal training room for six hours and twenty-seven minutes, which comes out to 678,000 won after a ten-percent discount.”

“Holy shit.”

“Excuse me?”

“Uh, nothing...”

Fucking ridicilous. Even if training facilities for Awakeners are notoriously expensive, how can it cost seven hundred thousand for just six hours, that too after a discount?

Glaring at the innocent staff member, he reluctantly handed over his card.

“Haa...”

The facilities aren’t even that great.

In truth, Kwon Oh-Jin had gotten so strong that the facilities seemed far too flimsy.

It’d be nice to have a space where I could train without holding back, but that's impossible to find around here.

While he could do light jogging or basic exercises along the Han River, serious training involving his Stigma was out of the question.

Oh well... it can’t be helped.

He wasn’t swimming in enough money to afford a private training facility in the heart of Seoul, where every square inch was worth a fortune.

“Maybe I’ll look into building a training space if the payout's decent this time.”

Although the Stigma on his chest had accumulated six etched strokes, his skills already rivaled those of top-tier eight-star Awakeners on the verge of ascending. Creating a facility capable of withstanding his mana would easily cost tens of billions of won.

It does seem like a waste, but what can I do?Skimping on training isn’t an option.

Money was ultimately a means, not a goal. Since he absolutely had to grow stronger as quickly as possible right now, cutting costs with inconvenient training would be a foolish decision to make.

Lost in such thoughts while walking home, he heard a commotion from the apartment complex directly across from his place, where he noticed a construction site.

Thud! Clank!

Is there construction going on?

The mixed-use apartment building, approximately thirty stories high, had an exterior as luxurious as a five-star hotel or corporate headquarters. Workers in yellow safety helmets busily moved in and out.

“Hmm. Looks like it’s going to be noisy for a while.”

After briefly observing the construction site, he turned and headed home.

“Oh, you’re done with training?” Song Ha-Eun asked as he walked in.

“Yup.”

“You couldn’t rest for a few more days? You bolted out at dawn as soon as your fingers started moving.”

“Hehe. I rested plenty, I’m all good now.”

“You’re not lying, are you?” She anxiously scanned him up and down, but he appeared to be fully recovered, at least on the outside.

“Oh, right. I’m heading to the association for a bit, Ha-Eun.”

“The association? Why?”

“The chairman said he wanted to talk to me.”

“Oooh, do you think they’re giving you a reward? You pulled off something huge this time, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking.”

Her eyes sparkled as she stepped closer and linked her arm with his. “Hehe. I’ll go with you.”

“I can go alone.”

“But what if my little Oh-Jin gets approached by dangerous strangers?”

“What are you even on about?” He chuckled softly, shaking his head as he made his way to the shower. “Fine. Let me take a shower first, and then we’ll go together.”

“Want me to help you wash up?”

It was a tempting offer, but he couldn’t let himself rely on her anymore. He turned around and said, “No, thank you.”

She pouted with a somewhat disappointed look as she watched him enter the shower. “Tsk.”

***

After a quick lunch, Kwon Oh-Jin and Song Ha-Eun headed to the association together, where they followed Han Jun-Man into the chairman’s office.

“Oh, you’re here,” Han Tae-Ho said.

Kwon Oh-Jin nodded, his eyes filled with anticipation. “Yes. What did you want to talk about?”

“Well, I have a favor to ask of you.”

A shadow of disappointment passed over Kwon Oh-Jin's face. “I see...”

“Hahaha! Don’t look so let down. I haven’t forgotten about the reward for your recent achievement. You'll be compensated with five billion won, a presidential commendation, and a special Astral Relic that Kim Si-Hoo's developing.”

Kwon Oh-Jin gasped in awe. He didn't particularly care for the presidential commendation, but the reward money and Astral Relic certainly piqued his interest.

“Come on, I didn’t do it expecting a reward,” he said, pretending to be humble.

“Oh? I suppose we don’t need to give you anything, then?”

Is this old man out of his mind? Kwon Oh-Jin thought.

Han Tae-Ho laughed heartily, shrugging his shoulders. “I’m just joking!”

... No wonder the Black Star Society called him a viper.

“So, what’s the favor?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

“Ah, we have a very special guest visiting from abroad. They’re a big fan of yours and insisted on meeting you. I was thinking you could show them around Seoul and perhaps build a connection.”

“A fan of mine?”

Who could it be?

“Wait just a moment.” Han Tae-Ho walked over to the next room and knocked on the door, which slowly opened.

The Leech Queen stepped out with a bright smile. “It’s been a while, Mr. Oh-Jin.”