As I slowly moved away, I showed Wi Ji-hye the back of a man with no tomorrow, walking towards the door. She said nothing, only watching as I left.
'Shouldn't she be catching on by now?'
But I truly had no intention of leaving Wi Ji-hye behind. This was a game of chicken between us. The first one to look back would lose.
'Did I miscalculate...? Am I going to be finished like this?'
The bait was laid, the fishing line was cast. Now, it was all up to Wi Ji-hye to bite.
"Wait a moment!"
'That's it.'
It was a big catch.
****
"Now, are you going to your death?"
"I told you I was going to draw their attention."
"Lies! You clearly said you were going to follow soon!"
Phew, she had been listening. I had been worried she might not hear my murmured words, but fortunately, that wasn't the case. Wi Ji-hye shouted at me with a stern face, but I could feel her concern for me.
"I'm a dead man walking anyway. There's no way for me to live after betraying the organization."
"That's not true! Come with me... You are my savior. I'm sure I can help you!"
As expected of a righteous and virtuous heroine. Wi Ji-hye believed my lies and sincerely cared for me. Ah... such an easy mark to manipulate!
"It's too late for me to try to live now. I'm already too soiled. I just need to pay for my sins."
"Running away is cowardly! If you're going to pay for your sins, you need to live and do so until the end!"
"Cowardly, you say? Ha... Yes, I am a coward. There's no way I can bear the weight of my sins and lift my head."
"No! It's possible... I will help you!"
This is it... exactly this! The typical meddlesome nature of a martial arts novel heroine! Reading these books, especially the righteous heroines often make nonsensical decisions, like throwing sweet potatoes at the readers by helping irrelevant side characters.
Here she is, fists clenched, saying she can and will help, which is the worst kind of plot development from a reader's perspective. What if she gets hurt or actually kidnapped? How terrible would that be! But here in 'Heroine Netori,' this is precisely the development I've been waiting for. I knew it!
"Why are you being so kind to me...?"
"Because you saved my life! And... you're not a bad person...!"
"Ha... Even though I kidnapped you?"
"That was to save me!"
"Still, it doesn't erase what I've done."
"You didn't want to do those things! You were suffering while you did them! That's why you saved me!"
Wow... insane. I just sprinkled a little bait, and she blew it up into this big interpretation. Filled with 'justice,' Wi Ji-hye had already decided that I was not a bad person. This increased the chances of my plan succeeding. Could this really be working?
"Sigh... If we keep this up, we won't be able to leave until sunrise. I repeat, I am not going to die. I'm just going to draw their attention."
"Stop! I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I can't let you go like this!"
As I tried to leave ignoring her, Wi Ji-hye ran up and blocked the door. Good, we've come this far. Now, shall we move on to the next phase?
From a 100-point random box, I had pulled out an item worth at least several thousand points. It was such a good item that I had been saving it for just the right moment.
"Sigh..."
I dramatically sighed and pulled out a small bottle from my pocket, shaking it in front of Wi Ji-hye ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) to reveal its identity.
"This is an aphrodisiac, also known as a love potion."
"...What?!"
"If you keep trying to stop me, I will drink this."
"Why would you do that?!"
Wi Ji-hye was shocked by my startling declaration, her eyes widening even more in astonishment. Her expression was so adorable that I almost broke into a smile, but I managed to keep a serious face.
"As you know, once you drink an aphrodisiac, you become overwhelmed by sexual desire. Do you want to be assaulted by me? If not, for your own sake, please don't try to stop me."
"Is this... are you threatening me?"
"Yes, I am threatening you. Could there be a greater threat to a maiden betrothed to another?"
"Ah... But... I can't just let you go. Don't give up on life! Please..."
"The world has taken everything from me. The more I resisted, the deeper into the abyss I fell. And now you want to take death away from me?"
"But! That's all the more reason for a brighter future to come! There must be a way... Ah!"
Ugh, this is cringe-worthy. I couldn't continue the act any longer without losing my own identity. Not just anyone could spout such lines—it would take someone like Siu to pull it off.
Therefore, I forced the next step. While Wi Ji-hye was still trying to persuade me, I drank the aphrodisiac. She rushed to stop me, but by the time she reached me, I had already swallowed it.
Wi Ji-hye was dumbfounded, clearly not believing I would actually drink it. I could see myself trembling all over in her large, astonished eyes.
The effects of the aphrodisiac were intense. I was nearly mad with the urge to pounce on her. But with a superhuman will, I managed one last plea to Wi Ji-hye.
"In the end, it has come to this... Ha, ah... Please leave now... The moon is bright, you won't lose your way... Cough."
"Ah, no..."
"Ha... A fittingly miserable end for my life... Ha..."
"Ah...!"
====
====
The man in front of her had just swallowed an aphrodisiac. She tried to stop him, but she couldn't. A strong heat emanated from him instantly. Unconsciously, she stepped back.
"Haah... Haah..."
He seemed to be holding on for now, but it was only a matter of time before he became a monster of lust. She had to run away. She had to leave as he said. If she stayed, she would be violated by him. She was about to lose the virginity she had vowed to keep until her engagement day.
"How could this be... sob, sob... Why would you make such a choice..."
But she couldn't easily leave. The aphrodisiac turned the user into an incarnation of lust, and if not satisfied, the user would suffer until they died a disgraceful death. If she ran away, he would soon be dead. She hesitated knowing this fact.
No matter that he was a savior of her life, he was still a stranger, Moreover, likely a lowly assassin who had committed countless sins. It was unthinkable for her to sacrifice her virginity to him.
Yet, the look in his eyes when he found her hiding... The calm voice confessing his situation... The sight of his back as he said he would leave to protect her... Each of these made her heart achingly tender. His words, seeing his sister in her, were certainly not a lie.
He was pitiful. She felt sympathy and remorse. As a person of the righteous Murim sect, she felt responsible. It seemed like a failure of the righteous sects to eradicate the evil ones.
But that didn’t mean she could give up her first time to him. Nor could she let him die.
"Ah... Gaga! What should I do...!"
She had to weigh a person's life against her virginity, An excruciating dilemma for an unmarried maiden. Moreover, she already had a fiancé... And she was the possessor of the once-in-a-millennium Taegeuk Eumyang Body...
"Haah... Aaagh! Aaaaaaagh!"
-Hmmph
As her dilemma deepened, his screams grew louder. She had to make a decision quickly.
Updat𝒆d fr𝑜m freewebnøvel.com.
-Burst
She turned away from the agonizing man. And opened the door to leave this place. It was only right to choose her chastity.
...But was her virginity worth leaving a man to die before her eyes? Wasn’t the promise she made with Gaga to live righteously meant for moments like this?
Leaving him to die would not be a righteous act.
-Thud
She closed the door she had opened and locked the knob.
"I'm sorry, sob... Gaga... But... you will understand me, won’t you?"
"Sob, you’ll still love me, right?"
-Slide
She undressed.
She revealed her nakedness to the man, something she had not even shown her fiancé.