I was flustered.
Because Min Seola's body, wrapped around my waist and heaving with ragged breaths, was scorching hot.
'What the hell? Is she actually a pervert? From just a hug...'
My mind raced.
'Could it be my passive ability?'
Awakeners instinctively understand the mechanisms of their own abilities.
And mine was Absolute Invariance.
A powerful Absolute Domain that constantly neutralized and purified all threatening energies around my body.
'If her energy touched my body, and the tiny impurities mixed in started getting cleansed by my passive...?'
In simple terms, it was like changing the engine oil.
"Haa... haa..."
Min Seola's breathing grew even rougher.
For her, who'd spent her life battling unstable energy surges, the perfect stillness granted by my passive must have felt like relief bordering on ecstasy—something she'd never experienced before.
Her face flushed a delicate pink.
Her sky-blue hair tickled my chin, and her hands tightened around my waist.
"Just a hug does this... ? My mana feels so pure. My mind is clearing up."
Min Seola looked up at me.
"You... it was real."
Her eyes no longer held doubt—instead, there was profound awe and a strange, smoldering heat.
"If a hug alone does this much, then if we actually go all the way to that stage... how much stronger will I become?"
"No, Seola-ssi? It's a misunderstanding. It won't make you that strong—just a slight stabilization. Don't get your hopes up..."
"Don't lie. My body is reacting. Your essence... it wants to flow into me."
No, that phrasing was way too risky!
Min Seola stepped closer, utterly entranced.
The cool-headed hero was gone—replaced by the face of an addict in withdrawal.
"I want to test it right now. I want to go all the way."
Her breath ghosted against my skin.
In her blue eyes, my reflection looked like a helpless herbivore cornered by a predator.
'My life's over.'
It was too late to take back the lie.
And this woman wouldn't let go now, no matter what I did.
"Um, Seola-ssi. Let's stop here for now? I told you—it's dangerous if we don't tame it slowly."
"It's fine. I can handle it."
"It's my ability. I know the risks better than anyone, instinctively."
"...I see."
Min Seola slowly pulled away.
But she lingered, as if still unsatisfied.
Then, with a deadly serious expression, she jotted something down in her notebook.
📝 Personal NotesName: Kim Seonghwa Ability: Sexually satisfying an Awakener woman boosts both the target's and user's abilities Notes: Mana Purification on contact alone. Essence extremely potent. Intense pleasure from physical contact. Caution: Highly addictive.
"Um, could you erase that last line? It's totally misleading."
"Just recording the facts. More importantly, when can we move to the next stage?"
"Well..."
That was when it happened.
🚨 EMERGENCY ALERT 🚨Weee-ooo-weee-ooo! [Emergency! S-Rank Villain detected near Gangnam Station! Evacuation order for nearby citizens activated. Situational control initiated!]
The alarm blared from the terminal embedded in the living room wall.
"Ah... of all times, now...!"
Min Seola's eyes snapped back to the sharp focus of a hero in an instant.
But the way she looked at me was still laced with sticky desire.
She urgently called someone.
"Jubin-ah, get to my penthouse right now. ...No, I'll handle the dispatch. You stay here and guard my item."
Item?
Did thieves prowl around even here?
Well, if word got out that this was Min Seola's place, it might be prime target number one for villains.
"No one gets near. Not Association grunts, not any heroes. ...Yeah, I trust only you."
She hung up and grabbed my shoulder.
"Emergency. I have to go. You wait here."
"Huh?"
"Don't worry. I called my most trusted aide. Your identity's secret from her too—just play along as a precious civilian witness."
Right before leaving, she pulled me into another hug—light, but intensely deep—and whispered in my ear.
"If you run, I'll hunt you to the ends of the earth."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
After Min Seola vanished, I let out a deep sigh in the empty living room.
"Haa... what a fate."
The relief of survival was short-lived—waves of exhaustion from what lay ahead crashed over me.
'That "item" she mentioned... that was me, right?'
I was well and truly screwed.
She bought my ridiculous lie hook, line, and sinker—and now treated me like her personal off-the-books asset.
Then, the door lock beeped, and the front door swung open.
That must be the aide Min Seola mentioned.
'Seo Jubin, I think that was the name.'
She wore a tight black H-line skirt, a crisp white shirt, and intellectual glasses that suited her perfectly.
'Glasses aren't easy to pull off... but she looks like a geek-chic idol.'
That impression didn't last.
The moment she spotted me sprawled on the living room sofa, she fixed me with a merciless glare.
"You? The 'civilian' Seola-nim ordered me to guard over even site control?"
Distrust dripped from her voice.
I nodded vaguely.
"Yeah, Kim Seonghwa. But, uh, do I really have to stay? Can't I just go home?"
As I asked, something I'd forgotten hit me.
'Right! Work! Shit! Work!!'
Thinking back, I'd been kidnapped on my way to the office.
Too chaotic—I'd completely blanked on it.
"Damn, I have to get to work."
"Seola-nim's orders. You don't take one step out of my sight until the situation's resolved."
Seo Jubin crossed her arms and planted herself in front of me.
"More importantly, are you really a civilian?"
Min Seola had told me to stick to the story.
"Yes. So if you could just let me go, I'd appreciate it."
"Shut your mouth."
"You asked, and now shut up when I—"
"I said shut it."
She adjusted her glasses and shot me a piercing look.
"Seola-nim has a great eye for people, but she's got this naive streak sometimes."
Couldn't argue there.
That's why she'd swallowed my absurd bullshit and dragged me all the way here.
"I don't know what silver tongue fooled her, but you won't fool my eyes. Spy from the Villain Alliance? Or some con artist with a special mental ability?"
What a tiresome type.
I didn't even feel like responding and sank deeper into the sofa.
This was exactly why I should steer clear of heroes.
"Invoking the right to remain silent?"
"No, you told me to shut up. What rhythm am I supposed to—"
"Quiet."
Crazy bitch.
"Now I get why she dumped you on me. Unlike her, I've got killer analytical skills."
She stepped closer, crowding me.
"'Civilian' is a lie from the start. There's a weird energy coming off you. An unpleasant stillness that numbs the senses."
The 'stillness' she mentioned was probably my passive, the Absolute Domain.
'More than that, how's she sensing something even Min Seola didn't...? Her ability must lean toward analysis over combat.'
Seo Jubin suddenly yanked my shirt collar like a hook.
"Spit it out. Who are you? Spy from the Villain Alliance...!"
"Ah, so annoying! Can't you just leave me alone?"
As I snapped and tried to shake off her arm in irritation, her brows furrowed.
"Tell me your purpose for approaching Seola-nim!"
She grabbed my collar aggressively and yanked me toward her.
In the process, her body pressed hard against mine—unintentionally.
Her cool perfume grazed my nose, and the moment I felt the firm, well-toned warmth of her body...
Seo Jubin's body went rigid as stone.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Zzzt.
The blood drained from Seo Jubin's face.
As an Awakener who handled information, her mind was always noisy and heavy.
But...
'What is this guy...'
The instant her skin touched the man before her, every tormenting noise in her head vanished like magic.
Profound tranquility.
And a clarity of mind she'd never felt since awakening.
'Comfort and relief so potent it's addictive...'
For any Awakener, it was pleasure stronger than any drug.
"...!"
Seo Jubin recoiled in shock, releasing his collar.
"You... what was that just now?"
Her breathing turned ragged in an instant.
'This guy's too dangerous to keep near Seola-nim.'
What she'd felt wasn't unpleasant at all.
It was so intoxicatingly sweet that it triggered primal fear.
"What do you mean? You grabbed my collar out of nowhere."
"No, just now, you definitely...!"
Seo Jubin backed away, staring down at her hands.
The sensation still lingered on her fingertips.
Cracks began forming in her icy rationality.
She tried to label it 'brainwashing,' but her body already craved that peace again.
"Now I get why Seola-nim's so fixated on you."
She adjusted her glasses and glared at him, but the vibe had shifted.
Behind the wariness, her eyes gleamed with a strange thirst.
"Disrupting people's senses like this, huh?"
"Think whatever you want."
Seo Jubin's gaze sharpened in a flash.
"Fine. I'll do that. But mark my words—if you have any ulterior motives toward Seola-nim, I'll snap your neck myself."
It was a chilling threat.
But her eyes kept drifting to Kim Seonghwa's neckline.
Eternal bliss.
"...No, this won't do."
Seo Jubin closed the distance again.
And began groping his body.
Her touch carried a hint of anxiety.
"You said you were a normal guy, right? Then how are you giving off this kind of energy? I need to check properly."