17 – Hero Stand
The first time is difficult. The second time is okay.
That was what I thought as I fell asleep with Louina in the same bed yesterday.
Louina was sleeping with her back turned to me, anyway.
Just looking at her back was enough to make my heart flutter.
But that’s assuming Louina is leaning against me.
“Sigh…”
The sight that greets me as I wake up late from a long sleep.
It was quite unsettling to see Louina turning towards me and sleeping.
Her defenseless sleeping figure is just about 5cm away.
I can feel her warm breath on my face.
Her long eyelashes.
Her straight nose.
Slightly parted lips.
And…
“…!!!”
As my gaze falls slightly below her collarbone, it jolts my mind awake from the just-woken-up daze.
Silent, hurried breaths come and go.
If I move my hand just a little, I can touch her soft body.
It was already a vibrant morning, and the natural reaction exclusively provoked in healthy males was beginning to surge.
“But treading on one’s sleep is…”
Even if she was my girlfriend, who had significant affection for me.
Unwelcomed physical contact may potentially trigger unnecessary discomfort.
But, still.
Perhaps a physical contact treated as a morning greeting, such as a morning kiss, would be acceptable?
We had tried it before, so it was just a matter of lightly touching lips…!
I held my breath for a moment and surreptitiously glanced upwards.
“………….”
And then, our eyes met.
With my girlfriend, who was playfully peering at me from just 5 cm away, her eyes sparkling wide open.
“Your breathing is really rough.”
“Did, did you sleep well…?”
“More importantly, aren’t you going to do it?”
Luina subtly pushed her closed lips towards me.
I certainly had no recollection of verbalizing my intention…
Did she perhaps read my thoughts through my expression?
“Hurry up~”
With her lips stretched towards me, Luina heckled in a low voice.
I swallowed my dried saliva and slowly moved towards her face.
“Sure. How long do you plan on sulking like a baby?”
Here, I’m going to be assertive like a man, Joo Sung-hoon!!
“But, honey. Why have you been poking me with your knee since earlier?”
“Huh…?”
Just before our lips met,
Suddenly, Luina asked with a puzzled face.
Both Luina and I glanced downwards at the same time.
The part of my body that touched Luina’s thigh.
But it wasn’t my knee.–
“Ugh–!!?”
I felt a chilling sensation rush to my face and quickly turned my whole body away from Luina.
Damn it…
This is a disaster. Literally.
* * *
Only the sound of the TV resounded through the living room.
I was preparing breakfast.
Luina was sitting on the couch, holding her legs and watching TV.
“Luina. The food is ready…”
“Oh, yeah.”
I definitely saw it.
Louina’s gaze momentarily directed towards my groin area.
“I made it simple. Is it alright?”
This morning’s meal was fried eggs with mashed potatoes.
And Frank sausages.
“Sausage……”
Louina was staring hard at the long sausage in her dish.
I absolutely didn’t mean for this…
However, it seems to have stimulated Louina’s imagination.
“I’m really sorry about before……”
“Huh? No no. It’s proof that you’re healthy, isn’t it? I actually think it’s good. hehehe.”
“You think it’s… good?”
“Let’s, let’s not talk about this any further!”
Louina blushed lightly and thrust her index finger in front of my face.
No matter how forcefully she gave a kiss right as we met.
Or how much she teased me at every opportunity, she must be embarrassed about being embarrassed.
[Next up, we talk about villain Louina, who hasn’t surfaced in nearly two weeks.]
“Oh. That’s about me.”
“That it is.”
The awkward atmosphere between us was soon toned down by the familiar words we heard from the TV.
The panelists on the news program were discussing her, who was right in front of me, idly toying with her sausage.
[“Professor, what might this situation signify?”]
The host posed this question to his guest who sat adjacent to him.
A professor at the police academy.
The professor contemplating broodingly before opening his mouth.
[“A villain who consistently lingers suddenly disappears… there are usually a few possible reasons for such occurrences.”]
[“What might those reasons be?”]
[“The most probable would be that they have been apprehended by a hero.”]
The professor uttered the least likely possibility with a nod of his head.
Both I and Louisna, observing him, simultaneously shook our heads.
“They would have made a public spectacle if they caught me. Idiots.”
I agree with Louisna’s words.
If a SSS-grade villain was caught, they would have immediately made it breaking news for days on end.
[“But we haven’t heard at any point that Louisna has been apprehended… Even if the heroes really had caught Louisna, wouldn’t they have no reason to hide it?”]
The host, perhaps sharing our thoughts, promptly objected.
[“Then there comes the second possibility. Louisna could be dead.”]
[“Dead? Louisna herself? What do you mean?”]
[“Well, she might have had a fatal illness, or enormous grave injuries from internal strife between villains. Aren’t there many reasons we wouldn’t know?”]
Upon hearing this, it’s preposterous to believe he’s actually a brain surgeon.
Ironically, Louisna was in excellent health, boasting an impressive physique.
At that point, I glanced over, just a bit, at the chest area of her T-shirt that was heavily inflated.
“Honey. You are subtly sneaking those cheeky glances~”
“……I’m sorry.”
Without a doubt, she was someone who never missed my gaze, not even for 0.1 seconds.
[There’s virtually no chance, but there’s a possibility that Luina had quit her wicked deeds for some reason.]
[Ha-ha. I too wish it was so.]
But alas…
What the professor deemed to have the lowest chance is the real answer.
“Whoo, what is actually impossible? That man’s saying nothing right at all!”
“In the first place, those people don’t even know that you’re such a cute girl.”
“hehehehe♡ Is that right~”
I stroked the head of Luina who was cutely fussing.
The girl, previously pouting, was soon looking like a girl relishing love.
Yes. Those people have no idea.
They can’t possibly know, that the severely vicious villain has become someone’s girlfriend and is acting cute.
* * *
After the leisurely meal, I was surprised to see how quickly it was nearing time to go to work.
I took the morning off, so I was due in the afternoon.
I had until 2 pm to take it easy and head to work.
From Noble mtl dot com
To tell you the truth, taking half a day off immediately after a day of tardiness was perhaps not the best option….
But since the manager stamped approval, it was what it was.
The employees of Hero Corp, tightly knit with the determination to aid heroes, won’t be shaken by such a trifle.
“It’d be nice if I could always be this relaxed.”
Straightening out his crumpled shirt, he let out a snide laugh.
Truth be told, he already knew the answer to solve all these worries, despite his grumbling.
Just as Team Leader Lee Tae-seok said, questioning why they have to work when they are the ones paying others.
All he had to do was quit his job at Hero Corp.
But that was a choice he didn’t really fancy.
He, who failed to become a hero, had chosen this path as his next best option.
He was practically working with the mindset that he had already become a hero, and the notion of giving that up wasn’t something he could bring himself to entertain lightly.
Of course, he had really become a hero, even if it was under a fake God status.
He had a girlfriend who was more beautiful and cuter than he deserved, a girl who needed his undivided attention and care.
Eventually, he knew he had to give up this self-indulgent mindset.
But until then, he wanted to keep at this work.
“Time to hit the road.”
I slapped my cheeks lightly and exited via the front door.
“Ah. Sweetheart. Are you heading out now?”
Louina followed me hastily.
Somehow, she was dressed in a hoodie like the first day I saw her.
“I’ll only be working for four hours today, so I’ll be back soon. Can you manage the house?”
“It certainly won’t take long, but…”
Luina averted my gaze, shifting awkwardly.
She definitely looked like she wanted to say something.
“Luina? Do you want to tell me something?”
“Ah. Did I let it show? hehehe.”
“It seemed more like a ‘please ask me’ vibe. So, what do you want to say?”
“You see, I…I want to go out with you… is that okay?”
Luina asked me while lightly leaning against me.
Her faint unique scent, similar to sweet milk, was strongly wafting into my nose.
“With me, right now?”
“Yeah, yeah. Can’t you?”
“It’s not impossible, but…”
It’s fine if she goes with me.
But when we come back, we’ll be apart and my power’s seal will be undone.
In such a case, will she be able to return safely?
“If coming back is a problem, it’s okay.”
“Really?”
“Because if I’m alone outside, the men in black suits will promptly come and pick me up!”
Luina confidently asserted this with a big thumbs-up.
“Oh…”
I understood it all at once.
If they were keeping a close eye on Ruina, it was bound to happen.
People who would never want a dangerous villain in the middle of their street.
“Okay. Let’s go together.”
“Yay! I love you!!”
Ruina immediately clung to me and left a series of kisses on my cheek.
As long as Ruina didn’t do anything out of the ordinary, Team Leader Itaeseok couldn’t really say anything.
Just like yesterday.
In revenge for the cold confinement threat I heard yesterday.
I took Ruina and left the house right away.