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T/N: Title originally said “You were hit by Ahri’s E, weren’t you?” Ahri is a champion from League of Legends, and her E skill is called Charm
A long time had passed since I composed myself in Ha-Yeon's embrace. It felt like an hour. Throughout that time, Ha-Yeon didn’t show a hint of discomfort. She didn’t say a word and simply held me tightly to comfort me.
I shouldn’t be doing this. I shouldn’t cling to my favorite person like this. This isn’t how a proper fan behaves. Yet, somewhere deep inside, I wanted to stay like this forever. I didn’t want to let go.
This wasn’t something I would normally do. But right now, I just wanted to be weak.
I felt a bit calmer. I was so sure I’d win. This time would be different. I thought I’d definitely get my revenge.
I faced Silfin again with that determination, only to suffer an absurd defeat.
And it didn’t end there—once again, I almost got assaulted.
What infuriates me most isn’t that I lost, but that I felt fear toward Silfin again.
It was humiliating. The ordeal was so shocking that I buried myself in Ha-Yeon’s arms for a while to calm my mind.
"...I’m okay now."
I loosened my arms from around Ha-Yeon and raised my head.
"Ms. Hye-Rim, are you alright now?"
"Yeah. Thanks for letting me lean on you. Sorry—it must’ve been hard for you."
I gave a bitter smile and sighed. I expected Ha-Yeon to scold me at least a little, but instead, she shook her head.
"Not at all. I’ll do anything to comfort you, Hye-Rim."
"......"
She’s a true hero. Saying she’d do anything just for me…
I was deeply grateful for her kindness.
"No, you don’t have to go that far."
I can’t just act like a spoiled child forever.
Being comforted in the arms of my favorite person. It’s a situation so blissful I could lose my mind. I need to control myself.
Anyway, Ha-Yeon already has someone she likes. So there’s no way we can get any closer than this.
This level of friendship is just right.
"Ms. Hye-Rim, come here for a moment."
Suddenly, Ha-Yeon grabbed my hand and pulled me toward her again.
Wondering what was going on, I saw her take out a handkerchief and start wiping my mouth.
"Mmmph…!"
"You still have something on your lips. Let me clean it for you."
She was wiping off Silfin’s saliva. I’d been forced into such an unpleasant kiss earlier that the sticky residue lingered around my lips.
I appreciated Ha-Yeon cleaning it up, but—
"Mmmph! H-Ha-Yeon… mph! A little gentler, please…"
Her handkerchief was rubbing my mouth too roughly.
"I can’t. I need to wipe it off properly."
My protests were muffled against the handkerchief. Ha-Yeon kept cleaning my face for quite a while.
***
After calming myself down to some extent, I checked my phone.
There were dozens of missed calls, mostly from So-Young.
It seemed my sudden disappearance and lack of communication worried her.
Even the section chief had called. It seemed So-Young had reported the situation to him, and he was concerned as well.
I decided to call So-Young first. Normally, I’d call my boss first, but since So-Young seemed so worried, I thought I should reassure her.
The phone barely rang twice before So-Young answered.
[Hello?! Team Leader! Where are you right now?! Are you okay?!]
Judging by her frantic tone, she must’ve feared I’d been in an accident.
To be fair, I had been in an incident, but I couldn’t tell her everything.
"Yeah, I’m fine. I got so absorbed in something I was investigating on my own that I didn’t notice your calls. Sorry."
[O-oh, I see. But what were you investigating?]
"Well..."
I hesitated. Should I mention Silfin, who could turn even the powerless into awakened beings?
Someone like Young-Hee, who was powerless, had suddenly awakened, only to lose their ability again. I couldn’t keep this a secret forever.
So, I shared a somewhat altered version of the truth.
"I felt a similar energy to what I sensed from Young-Hee elsewhere. I thought there might be something there, so I checked."
[Oh, I see. You used your magic again, didn’t you?]
"Yeah. I didn’t find anything, but it’s clear that something we don’t understand is happening."
[...I see. Alright, I’ll let the section chief know about this too.]
"No, I’ll do it. It’s my responsibility as the team leader. Thanks for worrying about me. You should get some rest now."
After reassuring Yu-Sung, I called my boss next.
"Hello."
[Hey, Shin-Hye-Rim!! Where on earth are you?!]
"Geez, calm down, section chief. You’re going to lose your voice."
[Does this sound like a joke to you?! Where have you been?!]
As section chief shouted, I repeated the same explanation I gave So-Young.
Finally, he calmed down.
[Sigh, what a headache. Are these strange phenomena happening to awakened beings now?]
"I’m not sure yet."
I hadn’t fully grasped the extent of Silfin’s powers. If I had, I would’ve stopped her already.
[Alright. I have a feeling I’ll be living on headache medicine for a while.]
"Hang in there. Let’s hope this is something for the heroes to handle. It’d be nice to offload the work onto them."
[If only. But if it involves awakened beings, we’ll have to act...]
I could hear him muttering curses at the world on the other end.
Yeah, times like these are perfect for blaming the world. What else can you do?
"Alright, that’s it for the report."
[Okay. Oh, Hye-Rim.]
"Yes?"
[Are you alright?]
"What do you mean? I just told you I didn’t find anything."
[No, not that. Your voice sounds... off.]
"......"
Having known me for so long, section chief must’ve picked up on my emotional state from my voice.
As expected, seasoned workers like him are no joke.
"I’m fine. Nothing happened. Goodbye."
[Alright.]
After hanging up, I finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Now I can finally take a break."
"Reporting isn’t exactly an easy job."
"What can you do? It’s work, so you have to."
At my words, Ha-Yeon gave a bitter smile.
I hadn’t lied; I’d just left out a few things. So there shouldn’t be any problems.
But my head was full of worries.
Silfin said she’d come again. How would I deal with her then? What was her true objective?
It was overwhelming.
"...For now, I should rest."
"Should we head home together?"
"Uh... no. Ha-Yeon, you go ahead."
"Huh? Why?"
I couldn’t tell her the truth. I didn’t want her to know what kind of state I was in.
"I just want to get some fresh air alone for a bit."
"I see. Then I’ll stay with you."
"...What?"
Usually, people would just say “Okay” and leave when I said something like this.
But Ha-Yeon stuck right by my side.
"I don’t want to leave you alone right now."
"Ah, no, you don’t have to worry so much—"
"I’m doing it because I want to. You don’t have to feel uncomfortable... Oh?"
As she looked closely at me, Ha-Yeon tilted her head.
"Hye-Rim, your face is red."
"Huh?"
"You seem feverish."
Of course, she noticed.
"No, I’m fine. Really, it’s noth—ugh!"
Just as I tried to take a step back, my legs gave out, and I collapsed on the spot.
"Hye-Rim!"
"I-I’m okay. Don’t worry about me... haah, ugh..."
"...You’re burning up."
Ha-Yeon placed her hand on my forehead.
She was right. My body was burning. My heart was racing.
I’d been holding back, trying to maintain my composure. But I couldn’t anymore.
"Hah..."
Every breath I exhaled was hot. My body felt feverish. My stomach ached—no, it burned.
This indescribable sensation...
"Should I take you to the hospital?" Ha-Yeon asked, placing both hands on my shoulders.
I could feel her warmth through her hands. The faint scent of her perfume made my stomach churn even more.
I knew what I was feeling. And that only made me clench my teeth harder.
That damn woman—she didn’t leave me unscathed after all.
"Hye-Rim, stay with me! Hye-Rim!"
As I struggled to answer and only gasped for air, Ha-Yeon grew even more concerned, leaning closer.
No, my mind was fogging up. My thoughts were growing blurry. My instincts were taking over. I couldn’t let this happen.
"I’ll do anything for you, like I said earlier! Just tell me what to do!"
"...Anything?"
I turned my head slightly toward her.
Our eyes met, and I saw my reflection in her gaze.
A face flushed red, lips slightly parted, panting breaths escaping, and eyes glistening with tears.
The woman embarrassingly overwhelmed with desire was me.
"Yes, anything."
At her words, my clouded mind lost all reason, and I finally spoke.
"Then... kiss me."