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1.

Siwoo crossed both of Eloa’s arms before pinning them up over her head.

Her two wrists, which had been blocking his hands, were subdued, leaving her feeling powerless.

Even though they were both standing, their bodies were pressed together so closely that there was hardly any space between them.

When his soft lips met hers, the scent of alcohol and faint tobacco, mixed with his natural scent, filled the air that she inhaled.

“Mmph…mm…”

Her mind went blank.

She was supposed to keep her lips tightly shut.

However, when Siwoo, who had been nibbling her upper lip, tilted his head, his soft and moist tongue slid inside.

What was even more surprising was that Eloa’s clenched teeth that had been biting down so hard that she could probably break her molars, magically opened.

Then, his tongue, that seemed to be able to fill her mouth up, rushed in, entwining her own like a snake.

“Chuup…mm…”

Their saliva mixed, blended with a sticky and sensual tone.

Their ragged breathing caressed each other’s faces.

Between her trembling legs, she could feel the hard press of his knee.

Her hands were bound, her intimate parts that weren’t supposed to be touched were being pressed down by his body, her tongue was being sucked by him as if it was a piece of candy.

Experiencing this, her memories of the past resurfaced.

To be more specific, the memories of the first time Siwoo embraced her.

That passionate memory…

The experience that couldn’t be erased by time, the memory of her succumbing to her primal instinct as a ‘woman’, fueling her desire.

Her heart and lungs, normally tireless even after a whole day of marathon, now seemed to malfunction as they moved faster and faster.

With her strength all drained, she leaned half her weight against the wall and the other half on Siwoo’s knee.

She couldn’t move a muscle, like a stuffed butterfly.

“Phew…haah…haa…”

The kiss that seemed like it would go on forever finally came to an end.

Siwoo’s lips, which had been invading her mouth as if it were his own, had been pulled away.

Yet, she craved for more.

Before everything else, the first thing that came to her mind was a deep sense of regret.

As a gap was being formed between their bodies, slowly growing bigger and bigger, the disappointment she felt became heavier.

Accompanying that feeling was her feeling of guilt and betrayal, making her feel even worse.

“This…is something…that shouldn’t…happen…”

Though she said that, deep down, she knew she didn’t mean it.

Despite her repeatedly saying such words, she did nothing to stop his advances.

“I don’t want this… Please…let me go…”

Another lie came out of her mouth.

In truth, she wanted him to keep on holding to her.

To never let her go, to keep embracing her.

She succeeded to wrestle her wrists out of his grip.

Without looking him in the eye, she searched for a place to escape.

In her current state, she was too confused to dismiss this whole thing and act as if nothing happened, but at the same time, she was too conflicted to come to a decision; To continue or not to.

So, she mustered what little strength that was left in her shaky legs and slipped out from Siwoo’s shadow.

Straightening her ruffled clothes, she told herself…

Well done, Tiphereth.

You did the right thing by refusing him.

She pushed aside her weak thoughts that urged her to compromise with his actions and returned to her usual stern demeanor.

“...If you ever need me, I’ll always be there for you.”

Eloa remembered how Siwoo had once pulled her from her deep despair and heartache, all while giving her strength to continue forward.

“If you want my life, I’ll give it to you without a second thought.”

Her love for him was so deep that she was willing to sacrifice everything for him.

“But there are things that I can’t allow, even if it’s for you.”

“Master…”

“So, please, don’t put me through this ever again…”

But she knew that guiding him away from the wrong path was an act of true love.

This rejection wasn’t for her own sake.

But, it was for his sake, as she couldn’t bear to see her dear disciple losing his morals and crossing the line that should never been crossed.

“Master.”

Siwoo approached her cautiously.

Then, he took out a handkerchief from his pocket before gently wiping the corner of her eyes.

“Please don’t cry.”

“Huh…?”

Only then did Eloa realize that tears were streaming down her face.

And the stinging pain that came from her biting her lip.

She looked at the mirror next to the antique clock.

To be exact, at the reflection of herself in the smooth glass.

Her expression made it look like she had thrown away a precious treasure that she would never get back again.

An expression painted in deep sadness, clad in weakness.

But, why…?

After tonight, I’d return to be his master and he’d return to be my precious disciple…

Our relationship will become proper again.

That is the thing that I long for…

Yet, why do I look so…pathetic…and weak…?

“You know the truth to that question, Master.”

Once again, Siwoo’s broad embrace enveloped her.

Tightly, he hugged her.

“Sorry, I can’t just ignore you after seeing you like this.”

And that hug seemed to fill the emptiness and loss she felt.

Her painstakingly polished will and resolve helplessly crumbled after that.

“Ugh… H-Hic… You’re being unfair…”

His move felt extremely unfair.

She did her best to hold herself back, yet a single hug was all it took for her resolve to crumble like a sandcastle.

“I’m sorry, it seems I haven’t considered your feelings enough.”

“N-No…you don’t need to be…sorry… I-It’s not your fault…”

Eloa believed that if she had drawn a clear line and treated him as her student properly after their intercourse in the rainway tunnel, none of this would’ve happened.

In other words, all this happened due to her own weakness.

If only she had been stronger, this whole situation wouldn’t have happened in the first place.

She was the one who opened that possibility for Siwoo.

That led him to see her as a woman, leading them to what happened today.

In that sense, she had also opened that possibility for herself as well.

Because she, too, had treated him not as a disciple, but as a man, and committed several transgressions that she found difficult to tell him.

If someone were to ask her, which among the two of them had a bigger fault, she’d readily say that it was herself.

Because it was a master’s duty to guide her disciple, it was her duty to show him the right path.

The moment she forgot her responsibility as a master, she lost all her right to blame Siwoo.

Yet, even at this moment, she somehow found herself wanting to throw away all those responsibilities, even if only for a moment.

“Siwoo, can you get me a drink?”

Eloa asked before taking her seat.

Siwoo gently wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and took out a new bottle of alcohol from the minibar so that he could pour it into her glass.

“No need to pour it out.”

“Huh?”

Before he could do it, she grabbed the bottle from his hand.

Then, she took a deep breath before gulping it down.

The whiskey that he brought was pretty strong.

Since it was stored at room temperature, it gave her a cool sensation as it went down her throat.

“What are you doing, Master?”

Siwoo freaked out as he grabbed the bottle of 42% whiskey from Eloa’s hand, who was chugging the thing as if it was water.

But, when he took it away from her, half of it had already gone down her throat.

She wiped the spilled alcohol from the corner of her mouth, her movements were unsteady.

Siwoo tried to help her keep her balance, but she pushed his arms away.

“Siwoo.”

Eloa knew.

What exactly was it that she wanted and wished for.

What was it that she had stubbornly tried to turn a blind eye to.

What she had denied and turned away from.

She had known about it for a while now.

“Yes, Master.”

And she knew…

That she’d come to regret this choice when dawn broke.

That they might just never be able to return to their previous relationship.

She knew it all too well.

But still, she wasn’t just following her whim here.

Nor was this her fleeting desire.

It was her precious and dangerous, sweet and poisonous sincerity, something she had held onto for a long time.

“I am very, very drunk right now. In other words, I’m not in my right mind.

She said that as she sat on the carriage’s couch.

Then, she reached behind, undoing the knot at her waist, letting the straps slip off her shoulders.

Her white dress flowed down, revealing her milky white breasts.

Her smooth, flawless belly, shadowed like ripe fruit, was also revealed.

“If you come and embrace me now, later, I could probably think that it’s all a dream and move on.”

This was practically an invitation. She was trying to say that he would be allowed to do anything to her.

“When morning comes, I’ll forget everything. I might even forget the fact that I forgot.”

At the same time, she made a promise to herself to let today’s events go as night passed.

Siwoo gulped.

His eyes were fixated on her curves that were illuminated by the crimson light.

Her eyes, seemingly would burst into tears at the slightest touch, numbed his reason.

Eloa quietly slipped off her partially removed dress, leaving it by her feet.

Standing there in just her panties, she met his gaze.

Meanwhile, Siwoo let his gaze wander over her body.

“If it’s you…”

The feeling of embarrassment for acting so childishly…

Happiness of finally being able to speak out her thoughts…

Guilt of crossing a line she should never cross…

Anticipation and fear for what lay ahead of her…

And sadness, knowing that she’d have to pretend that none of this happened after the night passed.

A whirlwind of emotions flooded her mind.

The complex emotions were fused into something that was difficult to describe with words, like flickering flames, dancing around, with its passionate form and dreamlike allure.

“Now… What would you do to me…?”

Eloa closed her eyes.

Whenever she could sense his presence growing closer, her shoulders would shake.

She was terrified.

Scared.

She wanted to run away.

But, his hand dug into the back of her trembling body.

Aside from fear, his touch also gave her joy.

“I would take you to bed first, and…”

Siwoo’s gentle voice managed to reassure her.

She could feel her body float up.

Siwoo had scooped her up, supporting her knees and back.

He opened the door to the bedroom and carefully laid her down on the bed.

Then, he snapped his fingers, in which the room’s decorative lanterns responded by showing a magical pattern, casting light around.

Eloa, who had felt relieved being in the darkness, quickly moved to cover her chest and face, embarrassed as the lights had let her body be revealed to him.

“I’d kiss your body, even if she were to feel shy about it.”

Siwoo whispered as he climbed over her.

He turned her head to the side before pressing his lips onto her slender neck.

“Aah…!”

Her body jolted, as if she was hit by an electric shock.

Dizziness, not coming from the alcohol she had taken, engulfed her.

Goosebumps surged all over her body before disappearing.

Siwoo slowly moved down her neck, showering her body with kisses.

From across her straight collarbone and cleavage, down to her squirming abdomen and cute-looking navel.

“Aah…hng…!”

They weren’t her erogenous zones.

Because Siwoo purposely avoided all her sensitive areas.

If the atmosphere had been different, or if he were to do this in a different way, at best, she’d only feel ticklish.

He pressed her squirming body down.

Without stopping his kisses.

From her side, down to her white panties while he teasingly grazed her pelvic, then he went down to her thighs, knees, calves, and the soles of her feet.

Even her cute toes weren’t spared. His tongue slowly crawled down.

“S-Siwoo… T-That place is dirty—! Ahng!”

As Siwoo sucked and nibbled on each of her toes, unable to resist any longer, she protested.

Obviously, she was embarrassed.

Because she hadn’t washed them separately.

She was worried about any possible odor that her toes might have, but at the same time, him showing affection to even the most insignificant parts of her body made her feel loved.

“There’s not a single part of your body that is dirty, Master.”

After hearing such words coming out of his mouth, Eloa decided to trust him completely, her body occasionally quivered under his touches.