...
After standing up, Theo walked over to Yeonha, who let her bag slip from her arm and fall onto the chair.
Without hesitation, she threw herself at him, wrapping him in her arms before pulling him into a deep kiss.
"Mm..."
Being alone in a private room on the 3rd floor, Yeonha didn't care about anything else. Her body pressed against his, her breath quickened, her fingers dug into the fabric of his shirt.
Theo, initially surprised, quickly took control. His hands slid down the girl's back, pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss. They remained like that, wrapped in each other's embrace, as if time had stopped.
Five minutes, or perhaps more, passed in a tangle of kisses, caresses, and muffled sighs. Yeonha was now sitting on his lap, her legs crossed. When they finally pulled apart for a moment, Yeonha was panting, and Theo smiled with his eyes half-closed.
"Wow... You missed me, huh?"
"Hmph... And whose fault is that?"
Yeonha replied, pouting.
"I had to take two days off from Cube just to handle the certification paperwork for the weapons you created. That was four days away from you. Four horrible days."
She had spent the entire weekend, Monday, and Tuesday without being able to see him.
"Is that so? But you said you didn't want to see me on weekends. Even when I said I could help you out."
"I said that because I knew if I saw you, I wouldn't be able to focus on anything. I needed to finish everything before my self-imposed deadline."
Theo chuckled softly.
"I see. So, is everything concluded now?"
Yeonha let out a lazy sigh and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Yep. The last procedures are being processed. Now... I finally have free time. All the free time."
"I noticed. You haven't even changed your clothes yet."
She looked down, as if only now realizing the Guild uniform was still clinging to her body.
The reinforced fabric black shirt, with dark violet details on the shoulders and long sleeves, was partially loose at the collar, revealing the skin of her neck. The tight synthetic material pants molded to her legs, still showing some marks from the utility belt that heroes usually wore. Black combat boots completed the outfit. Now, in the warm and quiet environment of the room, it all felt suffocating.
"Hah... I was too lazy. Do I stink?"
She moved back a little, sniffing her armpits with a suspicious expression. Theo shook his head, laughing.
"No? Are you sure?"
She still seemed skeptical until Theo leaned in close and sniffed her neck, right near her collarbone.
"Hm... Just as I thought. You smell like jasmine."
Yeonha shivered. Warmth shot through her body like an electric current. She pressed her lips together, trying to maintain her composure.
"Idiot... Don't do that."
She knew very well how sensitive her body had been since that day at Essence of the Strait. A single daring touch from him was enough to make her want to melt in his arms...
Noticing the effect he had on her, Theo moved even closer, murmuring against her ear:
"...Since everything is resolved on your end..."
He lightly ran his tongue over her earlobe, drawing a muffled moan from her lips.
"Aah!"
With a hot whisper, he asked:
"This time... are you ready to be completely mine?"
Yeonha stared at him. Her eyes, moist and bright, were full of desire. Those eyes already said everything, but she still wanted to make it clear.
"Uh-huh... I'm not going to lose to the others."
It was true. She still hadn't had her "moment of blossoming" with him, even after moving into his dorm room, all because of her work at the guild...
Meanwhile, Nayun had been sleeping under the same roof as Theo for quite some time.
If she kept putting it off, she could end up falling behind. And that was something Yoo Yeonha would not tolerate.
"If I take too long, those two will end up getting ahead of me."
She murmured.
"And just imagining that..."
With a firm gaze, she said.
"I won't let it happen."
Ever since they became a couple, more than a week ago to be precise, Theo had told her the truth about himself.
The revelation that her boyfriend was a reincarnated soul had shaken Yeonha at first, but she was quick to reason, and even quicker to realize the truth behind it all...
He was strong and incredible in a way no other living being was. And that made her feel like the luckiest and most incredible woman in the world.
"Hahaha... My princess is jealous. How cute."
Yeonha looked at him without replying.
Jealousy?
It was more than that. It was a hierarchical instinct...
Hazuki, with her quiet demeanor and eyes that always sought Theo...
Rachel, with her natural charm, sharp intelligence, and that inherently noble air...
Yeonha knew in that moment, during one of the many casual conversations with Nayun and Mita, that those two would be next.
It was inevitable.
But she wouldn't stand still.
Not when her heart already belonged to him completely.
'Nayun may have gotten there first... But I will be the next one.'
Her words weren't just for Rachel and Hazuki; they were for anyone who might come after. Including Mita. That cute-faced girl who wore a cap. Yeonha knew. She was also one of her boyfriend's targets.
And even if none of the girls who came in the future knew it yet, Yeonha knew.
She was determined not to lose.
"Come here."
While she was still silently devising her plan, Theo pulled her into a gentle hug, wrapping his arms around her calmly.
"We can think about that later..."
He murmured, his lips near her temple.
"First, get some rest. You must have been working all day, right?"
Yeonha closed her eyes, breathing deeply, feeling the warmth of his chest against hers. It was so irritating how he could disarm her with such simple gestures.
"I'm not tired."
She grumbled, her voice muffled against his shoulder.
"Yes, you are. I know that stubbornness of yours."
Theo said, with an almost audible smile.
"Let me take care of you today."
"O-okay! Wake me up before seven."
Yeonha replied with a small murmur, her arms tightening around him.
She still wanted to be the next one.
She still wanted to win.
But for now, just for a few minutes, she could allow herself to just be there, enveloped in that embrace, where the world was hers alone.
"Zzz!"
The sound of the rain filled the room like a soft, constant melody. Outside, the drops drummed against the windowsill, trickling slowly down the glass in trembling lines. The sky, already steeped in shades of gray and amber, tinted the room with a warm, diffuse light.
The scent of fresh coffee spread through the air, a welcoming aroma from the automatic coffee maker, which finished filling one of the cups with a soft hiss.
...
Two hours passed.
The rain continued, but now lighter, as if the sky was tired of crying. Outside, the city lights began to reflect on the glass windows of the buildings, and inside the Lumière-Cube café, everything remained silently calm.
"Mm!"
Yeonha slowly opened her eyes, feeling the warmth first.
The warmth of Theo's body. She was still lying in his lap, her head resting on his shoulder, and his fingers were distractedly stroking her hair. An automatic gesture, yet so careful it made her smile beautifully.
She took a deep breath. His scent was still there, a soft perfume mixed with the warm coffee that remained in the cup beside them.
"Hm..."
She murmured, her voice still hoarse from sleep.
"What time is it...?"
"Almost seven in the evening."
Theo replied in a serene tone, without stopping his caress.
Yeonha blinked, sitting up slowly. Her body was still limp, but her mind was refreshed.
"I slept that long...?"
The time she had arrived was around four-thirty in the afternoon.
"You needed it," he smiled. "When you're not trying to bring everyone to their knees or control your guild, you almost seem like a normal girl."
Yeonha huffed, running her hands over her face and then fixing her hair with her fingers.
"And you? Didn't you get tired of sitting still?"
"Holding you in my lap? No, I even fell asleep too."
He replied simply.
Yeonha stared at him for a few seconds, her eyes still a bit hazy with sleep, but now more attentive.
"You slept too?"
"Well, yeah. You were so warm and comfortable that I ended up dozing off."
Theo shrugged, with that lazy half-smile she had learned to recognize, the typical smile of someone who knew exactly what he was doing.
She laughed softly, shaking her head.
"This is why I like you, Theo. Being with you makes all the problems in my life fly away."
"Ehe!"
He joked, raising an eyebrow.
"I thought you were going to say you loved me. Tsk! And here I was, expecting great things."
Yeonha smiled mischievously.
"Ah, but that comes later, you see? It won't be that easy to get those words out of me."
In truth, she could tell him as many "I love yous" as he wanted, but for the sake of the game, she decided to stay quiet.
She stretched her arms with a slight yawn, checked the time on her smartwatch while seeming to reconsider something, then after smoothing out her slightly wrinkled clothes, she stood up from his lap.
"Shall we go home? The girls must be waiting for us."
Theo also stood up right behind her, picking up the bag she had dropped on the chair earlier.
With the bag in hand, he went to his smartwatch and made the payment for the private room.
[Payment of 700,000 won completed]
After observing him in silence for a moment, Yeonha walked over to him and took his free hand.
"Ready?!"
"Yes."
Seeing that there was nothing left to do there, Theo used his magic.
A faint, bluish light enveloped the couple for an instant, and then, they disappeared.
...