Chapter 38. An Unpredictable Ticking Time Bomb (2)

Translator: Lili

“I don’t need any of that.”

Sera’s firm rejection made Jungwon frown slightly. He slowly approached her, his voice dropping into something dangerously soft.

“Not even if I offer my life?”

“Yeah, not even then.”

“Then what do you want?”

“Nothing—”

“Don’t say you don’t need anything.”

Despite his lean, graceful appearance, Jungwon was tall and broad-shouldered. As he stepped closer, she instinctively felt overwhelmed. Without realizing it, she took a step back.

Jungwon smirked, clearly amused.

“You were treating me like worthless trash just a moment ago. What’s wrong? Are you scared of me now?”

“Are you insane?”

“If not, then why are you making that adorable face? It’s making my heart flutter.”

“…Ugh!”

Jungwon’s eyes curved into a grin as he suddenly grabbed Sera’s wrist. Startled, she twisted her arm, trying to pull free.

“Let go of me.”

“Sorry, but no.”

As if her resistance was nothing more than amusing, Jungwon pulled her even closer. Their bodies were nearly touching. Her nose almost bumped against his chest as she clenched her teeth and lifted her gaze.

“I said, let go—”

She abruptly stopped struggling.

Jungwon was staring at her with an entranced, almost dazed expression. When their eyes met, he slowly licked his lower lip, as if parched with thirst. The heat from his grip seeped into her skin, burning like fire.

Sera swallowed dryly.

For some reason, she had a bad feeling.

“…Ugh!”

Her foot lashed out, kicking Jungwon’s shin with all her strength. The sharp tip of her heel struck hard, making him groan in pain and stumble to his knees.

“You perverted bastard.”

Seizing the chance, Sera stepped back, biting her lip. She didn’t want to show even the slightest hint of fear—not to Jungwon. The moment she displayed weakness, she feared his sadistic tendencies would surface.

“Try laying a hand on me again, and I’ll make sure you regret it for life.”

“Ah… Sera, you really are charming. I think I’ve fallen even harder.”

Jungwon wiped at his eyes as if wiping away tears. His gaze, now lifted to meet hers, was slightly red-rimmed. His face, which had just been threatening moments ago, now looked harmless—almost childishly innocent. That only made her hate him more.

“If you’re so desperate for attention—”

She was about to tell him to go wag his tail at Lee Seonkyung instead.

Then, suddenly—

‘Sera, I’m sorry! I’m really sorry! He kept begging, saying he had something to tell you, just for a moment…’

“…”

At the mention of Seonkyung, her urgency to kick Jungwon out wavered slightly.

‘…Could she use Jungwon to keep Seonkyung in check?’

Normally, she could just ignore Seonkyung’s petty schemes, but they were an annoyance nonetheless. Having some form of leverage over her wouldn’t be a bad thing.

And if Jungwon could serve that purpose…

Sera approached Jungwon, who was still kneeling and rubbing his shin. Then, as if nudging away garbage, she tapped his thigh with the tip of her shoe.

“What exactly is it that you want to do with me?”

Jungwon, oddly looking somewhat shy for once, answered without hesitation.

“I want to eat delicious food together, go to nice places. Take walks or go for drives… Basically, I want to go on dates with you.”

“…”

‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’

Considering how aggressively he had just been pushing her, his answer was laughably wholesome. It was impossible to tell if he was being sincere or just toying with her.

Sera let out a weary sigh.

“Sorry, but I have no intention of spending time with you like that. But… I might tolerate you hanging around, to some extent.”

“…”

“And if I do that, what will you do for me?”

Jungwon’s eyes widened, as if he hadn’t expected that response. But the surprise was short-lived. Soon, he broke into a grin, tilting his head as he asked back,

“What do you want? If it’s money, I can give you as much as you need. If you want my body, well… I might be willing—”

“I don’t need any of that.”

“Take your time and think about it. Why the sudden change of heart?”

Sera bent down slightly, meeting his gaze at eye level.

“Because I know you won’t leave me alone even if I tell you to. So I might as well use you for something.”

“Ah, I love how honest you are.”

Jungwon showed no displeasure at being treated as a mere tool. On the contrary, the more dismissively she spoke to him, the more entertained he seemed.