SWNOVELXO Chapter 46
Episode 46 Physical Contact
It is still snowing outside the window.
The snow is piling up.
– Ktotak!
My smartphone rang with a notification.
– Ktotak!
Not just once, but twice.
Fortunately, those two notifications effectively broke the silence between Harin and me.
“To take responsibility… Could it be that I… did something while I was unconscious?”
“I’m not sure what you’re trying to say. Could you clarify what the subject is?”
“Subject? Then why am I completely undressed… including my underwear? I’m a bit flustered, so please explain quickly.”
【Hehe, huff, hehe.】
Chaewon started laughing like a mad person.
“You, the guy, panicking over… taking clothes off me unconsciously? Cough, cough.”
“Well, this seems unrelated to gender.”
【Heh, hehe, haha.】
A mad person started laughing like Chaewon.
“Then what did you do after putting me under anesthesia? You could at least tell me that.”
“Cough. Hehe, you… are acting like a desperate dog…”
‘What? Is she mocking me?’
I felt a bit puzzled.
【Hah… What?! Mocking?! Hehehe, slurp.】
“Don’t worry too much. Taking your clothes off was simply a medical act. I wouldn’t abandon a virgin who was unconscious, would I?”
“What do you mean, what did you do after stripping me?”
“I brought our bodies close together… while tightly hugging you to the point of bone-crushing, I used my technique. Physical contact is necessary.”
‘My body and Harin’s? If so, did Harin hug me naked too?’
【Slurp, quick-witted… It was a good show, but on the other hand, it makes my heart ache… Why is that?】
Listening to what Chaewon said made it feel like blood was rushing to a certain part of my body.
How could she do such a thing?
But what if Eunbyul installed something like CCTV in my house?
…
What could I do about it?
Then all Eunbyul would have is a dirty video.
“Because your terminal illness hasn’t gotten better, I shared half of that illness with you. The weakened illness should heal naturally, right?”
“What? You took half of that curse?”
What the hell does that mean?
“Yes? Curse? Where on earth did you get that curse from? No, wait. Does that mean I now have half of a curse that I can’t even heal with my abilities?!”
Harin’s face turned red and her voice slightly rose.
Her flushed face made it look as if she was trembling a bit.
It must have been that shocking.
Even with her overwhelming healing abilities, the curse wouldn’t completely heal, just weaken for a while.
Moreover, that thing she received was a ‘curse’ and not an illness.
From Harin’s perspective, it would be quite shocking.
“Uh, sorry about that—”
“I’m so happy!”
Huh?
“Ah… A curse was shared… how romantic, cough…”
Harin had been coughing lightly before, but after hearing my words, she coughed violently.
And then blood started to trickle from her mouth.
“Huff… This is a bit uncomfortable. Still, it feels like a strong bond has formed between us that we can’t undo, so it’s a pleasantly uncomfortable feeling…”
I wiped the blood flowing from her mouth with a tissue beside my head.
“Thank you.”
She gave a bashful smile.
But if we shared a curse, wouldn’t the effects of the curse naturally weaken?
I manipulated the system to confirm that.
‘But the system didn’t operate in my dream…’
In the ‘inner world,’ it seemed that the system control authority had shifted to the ‘dragon tribe,’ aside from me.
At that time, I couldn’t use the ‘inventory’ function.
‘Sy-system.’
With a heart pounding that I couldn’t calm down, I called the system.
Of course, I didn’t know if this pounding was due to the system, or if it was a result of Harin.
– Ding!
A blue screen appeared in my view.
The bright blue still shining seemed to indicate that the system was only inactive during that moment in the dream.
‘Buff window, view.’
– Ding!
[Buff window, checking the information of buffs currently applied to ‘Han Shiwoo.’]
[Buff Window]
Buff: None
Debuff: Cursed Forbidden Magic (half)
==========
The sensory sharing I experienced earlier has disappeared and hasn’t been restored.
What was that?
‘Gain insight into Cursed Forbidden Magic (half).’
– Ding!
[Attempting to verify the information of another’s technique.]
[Information]
Name: Cursed Forbidden Magic (half)(EX)
Features: Debuff, Curse (Dispel Immunity), Half
Technique Description: A curse made from special magic causes blood flowing in the finest blood vessels to keep leaking out. (Classified as a deadly curse; may induce anemia more frequently.)
Cannot be healed.
Only one with the most sacred power can weaken this disease.
{My dream ends… Your nightmare begins.}
==========
The text changed with ‘half’ attached to the Cursed Forbidden Magic.
From ‘You may die.’ to ‘May induce anemia more frequently.’
Half means half.
It refers to a fraction, and it seems to be because Harin took half.
Harin and I will have to live with this curse for life.
“Ugh… I think I feel a bit dizzy suddenly.”
She, who spilled blood, seemed unable to escape anemia as indicated by the system.
‘Dying would be better than…’
Yeah, it’s better than a probability of death.
But there was no reason for her, who shouldn’t be cursed, to bear my curse as well.
“Um, excuse me for a moment…”
Harin approached me, who was sitting against the wall with a blanket over me, and got under the covers.
Then, without a word, she seemed to be sleeping, only producing soft breaths.
‘But I’m naked…?’
Suddenly, the situation became strange.
【What?! Ex-excuse me… Naked?! Ugh… Nosebleed!】
As the mad person thought of strange imaginations, I left the blanket and searched for underwear and new clothes in my closet.
【Ack! Missed it…】
The coat Harin had gifted me was neatly hung in the closet.
I don’t know how it got there, but it was smoothly placed—my couple coat with Harin, without a wrinkle.
We didn’t officially acknowledge it as a couple, but the things I did with her were already actions a couple would engage in.
“I need to clarify the relationship…”
I simply put on all my clothes and checked the message that had come before.
When I opened Ktotak to check, there was indeed only one person who would send me a message.
What does this mean?
I’ve never found a location tracker.
A reply came from Eunbyeol.
I did bring something home.
It was a person, but…
‘Wait, does that mean…’
The person who took my location tracker must be Harin.
But how on earth?
Why? What was the purpose of taking it?
I got this far but couldn’t figure anything out.
Did Harin bring the location tracker today?
I decided to slightly lift the blanket to check Harin’s body.
【Huh? What are you planning to do to a sleeping person?! You and that girl are acting the same way! Let a sleeping person sleep!】
‘No, there’s a misunderstanding… This is to find the location tracker.’
I was about to reach out to search Harin’s pocket when—
【Stop! You shameless guy!】
Chaewon pulled on my neck.
“Gah, gah!”
And then, distancing herself about two steps from Harin, she let go.
‘What if I can’t breathe, you crazy girl.’
【Don’t touch another girl! That’s not what you should be doing! Not appropriate!】
What’s this? What does she even mean by appropriate?
None of what she said from the start was appropriate.
I ignored Chaewon’s words and started to slowly search through the easy-to-check coat pocket.
As expected, the coat pocket didn’t have a speck of dust.
Her… um, I don’t even know if I should call this a dress.
It looks like a shirt combined with a dress.
“Ugh… It’s hot.”
Suddenly, Harin kicked off the blanket and loosened her tie.
I couldn’t help but fix my gaze on a rather dizzying sight before me.
I couldn’t tear my gaze away from that area, slightly pressed down by gravity.
– gulp.
I unconsciously swallowed.
Right now, it seemed that Harin would not regain consciousness.
I think I heard Chaewon saying something, but it didn’t reach my ears.
With her deeply asleep demeanor, I felt compelled to bring my hand to that spot.
– Ktotak!
This time, the notification sound that broke my solitude returned me to my senses.
【Get a grip. Was that something you wanted to touch?】
‘No, I was searching for a purpose…’
【Excuse me, if you want to touch something, touch mine instead.】
‘Sigh, joking… You need something to touch to touch it.’
And I began to feel a bit dizzy from having to use my mind intensely.
With a loud ‘slap!’ sound.
Did I do something to deserve a slap?
My answer based on my standards could only be a resounding No.
I feel unjust.
In many ways.