Episode 16: Hey! How Good Must You Feel to Make Animal Noises in the Street?! Everyone’s Staring!!
Seol Harin was shocked twice when Kim Taeyang said he’d buy her a gift.
‘Does a guy like him even know how to give gifts…?’
That was the first shock.
‘What am I even expecting?!’
That was the second.
With a delinquent like Kim Taeyang, it was obvious he’d pick something weird.
Or maybe the whole “gift” thing was a lie.
‘Hey, hey! What’re you expecting?! You think a sow like you deserves a normal gift?!! Infinite squats on the street until your quads and glutes spasm!!’
Wouldn’t he be more likely to say something like that?
‘He doesn’t have a shred of romance in him…!’
Seol Harin firmly believed this, so she was a bit stunned when they reached the shop.
HEAVEN WAY (Accessory Shop)
“…!”
A shop filled with dazzling, blingy accessories.
Unexpectedly, it was a place that actually sold gift-like things.
An older-looking female shop owner greeted the trio.
“Welcome! Here to get something for your girlfriend? Which one’s the girlfriend?”
“Hey, lady, this one’s my pet, and this one’s my slave.”
“Haha…?”
The shop owner didn’t speak to them again after that.
“Shiny! So pretty!! Can I wear earrings too?!”
“Heh heh heh. Of course. But, Pomi, can you even pierce your ears?”
“Pierce… my ears…?!!”
“You gotta put holes in your ears to wear these.”
“Woof…?! They don’t just stick on with magnets…?!!!”
Pomi, learning the brutal truth about earrings, let her tail droop and wandered the shop, just looking.
Meanwhile, Kim Taeyang strode confidently and picked out an earring.
“Hey, this one.”
“…”
It was a small earring with a petal design.
The design wasn’t exactly to her taste, but as a gift, it wasn’t bad.
‘Why’s he being so… normal…?’
Seol Harin couldn’t help but feel confused.
This guy, who treated her like a slave and casually called her humiliating names like “sow,”
Was giving her such a delicate gift?
What’s gotten into him?
“And wear this too.”
Kim Taeyang picked out something else, but it wasn’t an ordinary piercing.
“This… it’s for the belly button, isn’t it?”
“Yup. Wear it 24/7 to always remember you’re my slave~ Heh heh heh.”
‘Of course…’
She felt humiliated for almost falling for his act.
Kim Taeyang had no love or affection.
Just possessiveness and a need to show off.
“Hey, I’ll put the earrings on for you.”
“I can do it myself.”
“Stay still.”
“…”
Kim Taeyang put the earrings on her himself.
His hands were large and rough.
Yet, they moved with a surprising finesse, skilled at handling women’s bodies and accessories.
It was enough to hint at how experienced he was, how many women he’d been with.
“Whoa? Looks better than I thought, huh? Heh heh heh.”
This guy, casually complimenting her.
He didn’t seem to find her inconvenient at all.
If anything, he treated her like a female who needed his help and protection.
“…”
Still, a gift was a gift, right?
Seol Harin felt a strange mix of emotions.
It was no coincidence that her face flushed and her womb went thump~♡ at that moment.
“Hey, lady! I’m buying these, so pierce her now!”
Kim Taeyang wanted Seol Harin to get the piercing immediately.
As a slave, she had no choice but to obey.
***
Even after getting everything I needed, we wandered the streets for a while longer.
Pomi wanted to check out all sorts of things.
Pomi was already my constellation, and her affection level was high, but I still needed to treat her well.
Keeping her affection up meant she’d grant me more stigmas in the future.
Swish-
I channeled mana into Seol Harin’s belly button piercing.
She flinched like a fish on a cutting board.
“Nghh…! Eek…!”
“Hey! How good must you feel to make animal noises in the street?! Everyone’s staring!!”
Seol Harin’s face contorted comically in pain.
The belly button piercing I gave her was enchanted with low-grade healing magic.
When mana was infused, it healed the wearer’s body, and for a low-grade spell, the recovery was substantial.
The downside? The side effect.
Being a “low-grade” spell, it came with intense pain, like a full-body massage cranked to the max.
“Y-You… could just not use it…!”
“It’s to recover fast so we can double tonight’s workout volume!”
“D-Double…?! Hngh…!!”
The pain was enough to make her groan.
It’s an item ripe for misunderstanding.
The kind of item that could only exist in a harem game.
Once Seol Harin got used to the “massage,” she stopped making weird noises.
Catching her breath, she spoke softly.
“So… what perverse function does this earring have?”
The earring was imbued with a spirit of luck.
It occasionally brought good fortune to the wearer.
There was one catch: the wearer had to be unaware of its effects.
In the game, players were forced to gift it to a heroine, and the chosen heroine determined the story’s route.
But since I’m not the protagonist, I don’t need to worry about that.
Regardless, I had to keep its function a secret.
“Huh? The earring doesn’t have any effects.”
“W-What?”
“Like I said. It’s just a gift.”
“You’re lying, aren’t you? Trying to catch me off guard…”
“Huh?!! You’re doubting the heartfelt gift from me?!!!”
“…”
Seol Harin’s expression was subtle.
Her eyes were still wary.
I wouldn’t believe me either.
After all the “sow” talk and doing whatever I pleased, a sincere gift?
Suspicion was natural.
“So… I don’t have to wear it, then…?”
“Obviously! If you don’t like it, throw it away!”
“W-Who said I’d throw it away?! I was just asking!”
The earring isn’t that important.
Luck triggers unpredictably, and its impact is pretty rare.
If it helps, great.
If not, oh well.
So, I can leave it up to her whether to wear it.
***
Despite it being a weekend with no classes, it was more exhausting than a weekday.
Being dragged around by Kim Taeyang all day was bad enough, and then doubling the training volume left her body drained.
‘My muscles ache so much… Maybe… I should use it a little…’
Seol Harin sent mana into the belly button piercing.
The pain was brutal, but the relief afterward was oddly addictive.
But.
The piercing didn’t budge.
‘Why isn’t it working…?’
She tried several times, but nothing happened.
Kim Taeyang had activated it easily, but for her, there was no response.
‘Do I not know how to use it?’
This world didn’t have a status screen.
Only Kim Taeyang, the possessor, could see item descriptions.
In the end, Seol Harin sent him a message.
Me: Hey…
Master♡: Huh? What’s up?
Kim Taeyang replied instantly.
She realized this was their first personal message exchange.
Usually, they talked in person, or he’d just call her.
By the way, saving his contact as “Master♡” was a compromise.
On the day of the slave contract, Kim Taeyang demanded she call him “Master.”
After relentless persuasion, they settled on just saving his name that way.
Me: The piercing’s healing magic.
Me: How do you activate it?
Master♡: lololololol
Master♡: lololololololololololololol
Master♡: Already addicted, huh?
Master♡: Acting like you hate it, but you’re secretly turning into a gym rat obsessed with recovery! Hey!! Lololololol
‘Why does text feel so loud…?’
Seol Harin bit her lip.
This guy was definitely enjoying it.
Enjoying watching her slowly get tainted by him…
Me: Stop teasing and tell me how to use it ã…¡ã…¡
Me: My muscles are killing me.
Master♡: Dream on.
Master♡: The piercing can only be activated by one person.
Me: One person?
Master♡: The switch is bound to the first person who activates it.
Master♡: So, if you want a massage, come to my room now lol
“…”
Seol Harin hesitated.
It was 11:20 PM.
Leaving the dorm at this hour was a clear violation of school rules.
Getting caught trying to enter the boys’ dorm would bring harsh public backlash.
‘But… if I don’t, tomorrow’s morning workout will be a mess.’
Public opinion didn’t matter much anymore.
She was already at the center of Ark’s gossip.
There was nowhere lower to fall.
No time to care about others’ whispers.
‘Let’s go. It’s all to take back Pomi.’
Keep showing up, get stronger like Kim Taeyang.
That was the only way to win back Pomi’s heart.
That night,
Moans echoed from Kim Taeyang’s room for a long time.
***
A new week began.
Seol Harin finished her morning workout refreshed, fueled up with protein, and showered.
Morning workouts were grueling but rewarding.
They felt like death in the moment, but finishing them left her proud, ready to start the day.
Back at her dorm, Seol Harin prepared for school.
She packed her textbooks and tools, put on her uniform,
Applied light makeup, and checked the mirror.
Still a beautiful face.
Aristocratic, aloof… like clear ice. She liked the impression it gave.
Her public image might have changed as a slave, but she was still Seol Harin.
The noble daughter of Korea’s top chaebol family!
The next Sword Saint, admitted as the top student with unmatched skill…!
Even if people whispered “slave” behind her back, most students couldn’t meet her eyes.
Her regal appearance played a big part in that.
‘Not bad today either.’
Appearance check complete.
As she was about to leave, Seol Harin’s hand drifted to her belly button.
The unfamiliar sensation of the piercing lingered.
Kim Taeyang had demanded she wear it 24/7.
To always remember she was his property, he said.
‘It’s so humiliating… Definitely humiliating…’
Yet, it felt oddly reassuring.
If something happened to her, Kim Taeyang would step in without hesitation.
If someone insulted or threatened her, Even if it was a professor, he’d swing his fists without a second thought.
The feeling of being protected.
It was a first for Seol Harin.
‘He’s definitely different from Juhyeok…’
Unlike the cautious, overthinking Kang Juhyeok, Kim Taeyang was different.
A man who absolutely wouldn’t tolerate anyone touching his female.
That was the “male” Kim Taeyang.
“…My ears feel empty.”
Seol Harin mumbled to herself, staring in the mirror.
Her hand had already put on the petal earrings Kim Taeyang gave her yesterday.
“How dare he give me such cheap stuff. Hmph…”
She flipped her hair to show off one ear, Her heart pounding as she headed to school.