Episode 47: I Don’t Believe, I Don’t Buy, I Don’t Do (18)

“W-What are you doing all of a sudden?!”

“You said it just ‘happened,’ but I thought you might not actually remember how.”

“T-That’s not what I meant—ah…!”

Juyul’s hand slipped effortlessly beneath Sodam’s clothes, rubbing lightly against her waist. That simple touch alone was enough to make her recall a forgotten sensitivity rising within her.

It wasn’t just because his touch carried a clear intention. Not much time had passed since they had kissed to the point of making her jaw tingle, and no matter how hard she tried to ignore it, she couldn’t completely disregard the sensation pressing against her lower body.

On top of that, the cold temperature of his skin directly against hers brought back memories of the past few days. His hand, which had been tracing along her waist, brushed against the hem of her bra before slipping underneath to cup her breast. The unfamiliar sensation made Sodam flinch, causing Juyul’s grip to momentarily loosen. His thumb traced the protruding shape of her ribs before returning to hold her waist, his expression still mischievous as he asked,

“Do you remember now?”

“Yes! Very, very clearly! I take it back—it didn’t just ‘happen’!”

“Then I’m sure you also remember how it ‘happened’ with Cha Seonghwa?”

Sodam, who had been answering so smoothly just moments ago, clamped her mouth shut. She could answer that question easily—if only the person asking wasn’t Juyul.

How could she possibly say, ‘I was worried about you, but he blocked my way when I tried to come find you, so I had to prove my ability to Guide him’—especially to the very person in question?

Maybe if she drowned her brain in alcohol first, she could pull it off. But unfortunately, Juyul’s Guiding Room was one of the few places where even the familiar green bottles of soju were out of reach.

Even if she managed to fabricate a clever response, what came next was just as troubling. No matter how much she tried to twist her words, the underlying meaning would still be, ‘I was worried about you.’ And that was as good as giving unnecessary hope to a protagonist who was already showing signs of interest in her.

In other words—

‘The moment I say it, I’ll be boarding a one-way train to harem land.’

Even if she had been considering the possibility of taking over Han Dalam’s role, it was something she had only intended to commit to after exhausting all other options. She wasn’t about to jump into a deadly romance route before even figuring out how to avoid it.

While Sodam was lost in her frantic calculations, Juyul had no intention of waiting patiently. As if growing impatient, his hand began moving again, disrupting her already tangled thoughts with sensations she couldn’t ignore.

Unable to bear it any longer, she finally blurted out,

“Agh! What was I supposed to do when he blocked my way?!”

“…What?”

“I mean… haah, it was in Gunsan. He was saying stuff like, ‘How can I trust my precious Guide with Baek Juyul?’ and all that. So I just wanted to prove that I wasn’t bad at Guiding, okay? Satisfied now?”

The words spilled out so quickly that she barely had time to think about them. Juyul, however, went completely still. His hand, which had been exploring with increasing boldness, froze in place as if someone had pressed pause.

Taking advantage of the moment, Sodam pried his hand away and placed it gently onto her own thigh, then layered her own hand over his.

Touching the cold back of his hand helped clear her thoughts. There was no taking back what she had already confessed, so the only option left was to strategize her way through this situation as best as possible—even if, in the end, all she was left with was a Harem Member #1 badge.

Taking a deep breath, Sodam forced the corners of her lips into the best smile she could manage. She furrowed her brows slightly and curved her eyes into an exaggerated expression of sincerity, creating exactly the look she wanted.

Then, squeezing Juyul’s hand tightly, she spoke.

“Esper Baek Juyul.”

“…What?”

“The incident in Gunsan—you haven’t forgotten about it already, have you?”

“……”

It was a reasonable question, given the context, but Juyul couldn’t understand why Sodam had chosen to bring it up now. The phrase ‘what happened in Gunsan’ conjured far too many memories at once.

As always, he had been alone. He had to be alone.

And yet, in that isolated moment, a frail but undeniable warmth had broken into his world.

Even if he wanted to forget it, he couldn’t.

He had felt it—the way his frozen heart began to melt at the soft touch of her lips. The way his arms instinctively tightened around her frail body as she collapsed, as if afraid she might slip away.

Looking back at the footprints they had left behind in the sand, he had realized something.

Ah, I was lonely.

I had been waiting all this time—searching endlessly—for someone who fit perfectly into the emptiness inside me…

Recalling those memories from that time, the swirling emotions that had once overwhelmed Juyul seemed to settle into place, bit by bit. If he had to attach another word to the feeling he had labeled as mere affection, it would likely resemble something closer to fondness—perhaps even attachment.

While Juyul’s expression softened noticeably, Sodam was busy contorting her face into an even more pitiful and shameless display. She assumed his sudden silence was due to him struggling to recall the events in Gunsan. Unable to endure the quiet any longer, she spoke up again.

“I told you before, didn’t I? That I need a lot of money.”

“…Ah, that.”

“Yes, so about that… As Esper Baek Juyul mentioned, if I’m going to be your exclusive Guide, wouldn’t it make sense for my housing, food, and basic necessities to be fully guaranteed?”

There was no point in hiding it now. Sodam’s plan was simple: to act as shamelessly materialistic as possible in hopes that Juyul would lose all interest in her.

Since the moment she learned about her debt, she hadn’t had the luxury of not being a shameless opportunist, so she felt no guilt in playing this role. Plus, even if she admitted to having some level of sincerity in all this, she could easily pass it off as being purely for financial reasons.

…And honestly, if seeing her like this was enough to kill his interest, then it was better to nip that particular problem in the bud as soon as possible.

Forcing herself to stay grounded instead of spiraling into depressing thoughts, Sodam slid her fingers into the cuff of Juyul’s sleeve, leaning forward slightly in a seductive manner.

“My clothes are fine, since Esper Baek Juyul made sure to take care of everything down to the very last detail. But the rest is a problem.”

“Ah.”

“That thing you mentioned before… about the place next door—does that offer still stand? I mean, if I’m going to be an exclusive Guide, shouldn’t I live nearby?”

Even as she said it out loud, she inwardly cringed at how shameless she sounded. A house in the heart of Seoul that Juyul could comfortably live in alone had to be the kind of place that people who could scoff at ten billion won (roughly $7.5 million) would consider moving into.

The idea of casually acquiring such a place with just a signature on a contract was so audacious that she doubted she could say it with a straight face—unless she literally had a knife to her throat.

‘…Actually, wait. Isn’t my situation basically one step away from having a knife to my throat?’

In a world where time moved so fast that an entire season could pass in the blink of an eye, no sane person would choose morality over survival.

Well, even if there were people like that, she certainly wasn’t one of them.

The eyelids that had been trembling slightly from her forced acting snapped wide open, and her previously awkward demeanor was replaced with a lively glint in her eyes as she stared straight at Juyul.

“Ah, actually, it doesn’t have to be the apartment next door. As long as there’s working gas and electricity, I’d be fine anywhere, really! Oh, and if you could cover the utility bills too, that would be—cough, ahem. Never mind. Forget I said that.”

Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, she gasped.

“Oh! Now that I think about it, the Guiding Room is empty whenever Esper Baek Juyul isn’t using it, right? Can’t I just live here?”

“…What?”

“I heard before that the cafeteria here is amazing, right? That makes it perfect. Nothing more, nothing less—just until I pay off my debt, can’t I live here?”

At this point, Sodam had gone beyond shameless and straight into pathetic. But this was her genuine, unfiltered truth.

The photos of the cafeteria on the official website looked like they could easily put most hotels to shame. Not to mention, this Guiding Room was a space designed specifically for Juyul. Which meant… it was also perfectly suited for her, the one who was Guiding him.

If the original story was progressing as it should, Juyul wouldn’t be using this room that often in the near future anyway. So if it was going to sit empty, wouldn’t it make sense for Sodam to occupy it instead?

It wasn’t like she planned to live here forever. The moment she paid off her debt, she’d vacate the premises without a fuss.

With that determination in mind, she looked up at Juyul with pleading eyes. Instead of answering, he suddenly leaned in, lightly knocking his forehead against hers. Then, with a smirk, he murmured,

“If you’re thinking that way, there’s actually an even better option. Why aren’t you mentioning that?”

“H-Huh? What… what do you mean? I have no idea, haha…”

“If you’re going to be shameless, you should go all the way. There’s no reason to settle for the place next door, is there?”

She had completely walked into his trap.

Bright red warning signs flashed across her mind.

Even at this dangerously close distance, she did everything she could to avoid meeting his gaze, lowering her eyes in silent panic. But Juyul, unfazed, calmly provided the perfect answer himself.

“Move in with me, Maeng Sodam. I’ll make sure you have everything you need—housing, food, and all.”