NOVEL WEB Chapter 234
My hobbies weren’t exactly overflowing. In fact, they were pretty much nonexistent.
No matter how abnormal my upbringing was in this desolate environment, I still managed to find something I liked.
Well, unless I was some girl who was raised solely on pain and hunger to become a god of suffering, everyone had to have at least a few interests.
But then again, I wasn’t even sure if those actually existed.
Anyway, the main point is that I had hobbies too. I had recently picked up a new one, but if we’re talking about the oldest, then it was definitely drugs.
I naturally rolled a joint, popped it in my mouth, and covered my nose with my hand as I took a giant whiff of the stuff.
“Hee… Huhhh……”
My mouth dropped open uncontrollably, causing the cigarette I’d been holding to drop as my legs gave out, leaving me awkwardly sitting on the ground.
Honestly, it made me wonder why I even bothered with the cigarette in the first place, but hey, it was all about the vibe, right?
Just like those old geezers who parade around with women they can’t even handle and mobsters who carry daggers they’ll never use.
Essentially useless, but it sure looks good.
My bare skin touching the cold floor would normally have sent a shiver down my spine, but my body was already warmed up from the high, so I barely noticed the chill.
The sense of reality was melting away, my self-control getting all mushy. It felt so good, hot, and ticklish that I couldn’t help but make odd noises while squirming around.
Pawpaw. Or more specifically, nepetalactone. It’s a drug that has no side effects for members of the cat family, the perfect high meant just for cats.
-Nah, it’s not even a drug, really. To feel this joy without having to put anything on the scale was nothing short of divine medicine.
It’s good. It’s good. A person like me who never learned how to express himself could only say this much. Just good. With this, honestly, I’d be indifferent to how life turns out.
That’s the level of pleasure and the degree of ecstasy I was feeling. It was so amazing that a sound like “nyaa” slipped out without me even realizing it.
I rolled around naked on the spy equipment, but frankly, I didn’t think it was a big deal.
It probably had some waterproof features, and there’s no way it’d get damaged this easily… Plus, there was no way the people living downstairs would notice me acting like this.
So there I was, drenched in drugs and leaving behind all sorts of bodily fluids, when I soon realized that what I was leaving behind wasn’t just sweat or saliva.
…Well, I hadn’t done it in a long time, so it was only natural for the drug effects to kick in, right? Spotting a chance to get laid after so long, I struggled to regain my composure.
It still felt like I was spinning, but I didn’t hate it. On the contrary, it felt nice. Just dizzy enough to wipe away the thoughts swirling in my head.
Finally managing to sit up, my head naturally lowered.
That’s when I noticed Minho was getting ready to head outside.
That makes sense, right? He’s a young guy after all.
No matter how much of the protagonist he is, he can’t be serious every day. Sometimes he probably wants to go out and impress a girl he likes.
I optimistically guessed today might be one of those days.
That would actually work out for me. I could make all the noise I wanted without worrying.
It felt great doing things in an easygoing manner, but then again, why could I faintly hear footsteps approaching this way?
If it was a mission order from higher-ups, it would come through the phone, and there was no one particularly special who would come by. I had removed all possible risks of being caught. So who could it be?
The question didn’t take long to get answered.
“Blanca? I have something to say, is that okay?”
It was Minho.
He was knocking on the iron door like he might walk right in, making me forget the simplest option of just pretending I wasn’t home.
“Wait a second!”
Why did it have to be now, of all times?
“It’s a bit messy here, can I tidy up for a moment?!”
Swallowing all kinds of complaints and curses, I wiped the floor and hurriedly concealed the surveillance equipment.
With the high still affecting me, I also managed to drop the equipment stand and some gear in the process, but Minho patiently waited.
Desperate to clear the mess and charge out to greet him, I almost forgot I was naked and just grabbed the nearest piece of clothing I could find.
“Hah, hah… Hmph. Phew. Sorry for the wait! You can come in now.”
I tried to sound like I had nothing to hide, but his reaction was completely unexpected.
“…You look pretty.”
“Huh, what?”
What was that about?
Me? Well, yeah, I guess I do look pretty, but where did that come from?
Was he serious? A sudden compliment like that threw me off guard, and a chill prickled at my skin in the cold air.
Oh.
I had genuinely just thrown on the first thing I found.
Realizing this without much thought, I glared at him while covering my chest with my hands.
What a perv. He wants to take advantage of me when I’m all drugged up and not in my right mind.
…But wait, he probably had no clue.
This was all on me, really.
Trying to cover myself, I realized it was impossible, so I darted back inside to throw on a shirt.
“…Come in. It’s cold.”
I was used to male eyes filled with desire, but having a conversation like this was a bit much.
Minho looked around the house as if he had never seen where a girl lived before, then asked out of pure curiosity, “Hey, Blanca? Didn’t you say your house was messy?”
Hearing that, I glanced around the place, and yeah, it was a mess.
After quickly clearing out things I hadn’t noticed, it seemed Minho was kind of in a hurry—or at least he gave me that vibe.
He said, “…I didn’t come here for nothing, you know. Since we’re neighbors, I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner together.”
It was a casual invitation to eat together. From what he just said, his intentions weren’t too difficult to figure out.
He wanted to get closer while subtly poking around with other things.
…I never expected to be returned something I had once doubted. Who knew I could have unexpected sides that even I wasn’t aware of?
Realizing just how long the aftermath of my suspicions lingered, I agreed to his suggestion.
“Sure.”
Even if it was fake, getting even a little closer to him wasn’t a bad deal.
While chatting with him, I could also gauge whether he was truly my savior or not, and I was the type of person who always felt the need to repay any debts.
It didn’t matter if I initiated the contact or not.
Having made up my mind, I said I’d just pick out some clothes and searched around for what I might wear.
It was the same outfit I wore when I tried to get close to the old perv I wanted to kill, and… ah, found it.
I pulled out a black dress, did a bit of fixing up, and went back to see him.
I knew well enough what kind of destruction my body could cause.
“Have you decided where to go? Oh, but first, what do you think of the dress?”
I lifted the hem of the skirt and twirled around as I asked.
As expected, he was at a loss for words.
The front had a slight plunge showing my cleavage, the back was daringly exposed, and the skirt left little to the imagination, designed to show off my curves, an obviously intentional outfit.
When I first got this from the old guy, I hated it with a passion, but never in a million years did I think I’d wear it again.
“Uh, i-it looks g-good.”
Minho finally regained his senses and said it looked good, but his expression was clearly flustered.
—Serves you right for interrupting my happy time with an interrogation.
It wasn’t intentional, but it didn’t make it any less annoying.
With this, maybe I could say I had the upper hand back again?
Internally triumphing, I casually asked if he wouldn’t just leave if he didn’t have a specific destination in mind.
“W-What, you don’t plan on going somewhere weird, do you?”
“What’s even a weird place?”
Now that the drug was finally wearing off a bit, I could get back to my usual pace.
“S-So?”
“Hehe, don’t worry. It’s just a nearby cafe. They serve pasta and steaks and stuff. How does that sound?”
“Uh… then let’s go there.”
Alright then. I smiled subtly as if to show him I had won this little round.
…Though it seemed he didn’t quite get that.
“By the way, Blanca. You don’t intend to go out looking like that, do you?”
“Why not?”
“Well…”
Thinking of teasing him some more, I acted a bit mischievous, but he hesitated, clearly feeling like he had to say something.
“People might look down on you for no reason. I don’t want others to see you like that when they don’t even know who you are.”
He didn’t want others viewing me in a bad light. To some, that might sound a little selfish—no, it definitely sounded selfish.
It felt like he wanted to be the only one to see me that way.
…But that wasn’t the intention. I could tell he meant well enough to grasp that.
So he was worried about me.
Getting worried over a target? Now that was a rather strange sensation.
It was a feeling I had never experienced.
Even without bringing up the whole ‘target’ thing, it was still unfamiliar territory.
Stunned by his unexpected kindness, I quickly dismissed it and went inside to grab a black crop jacket.
Since it was a set, it matched perfectly.
Admittedly, it was a deliberately provocative outfit made just for my display in front of him, but…
This time, I’d wear it to prevent him from being unfairly judged by others, just as he seemed concerned about.
Thanks, random old guy whose name I can’t even remember. You really did me a solid.
“Does it look good?”
“Yeah.”
At least while I’m with him, I think I should take care of myself a bit.
This was just a bonus, but it seemed that he really did want to grab a meal together. Not much substantial conversation passed between us, though.
It was boring, but pleasurable.