Chapter 121: Why Is My Life Surrounded By Women?
[Protagonist's POV]
She wasn't small by any means—her outfit wouldn't work otherwise.
But compared to Master? No contest.
"It's fine. Size isn't everything. Don't let it bother you too much."
["You're the one who just made me bother about it!!"]
"Hey, it's just a joke."
["Ugh… My pride as a woman's taken a huge hit…"]
I turned away, feigning disinterest as she sulked, kneading her chest with a gloomy look.
Thankfully, the awkward vibe passed decently enough—
["J-Just you wait! I'll steal your heart from that criminal someday! No matter how long it takes, I won't give up!!"]
She vanished with a line straight out of a fleeing villain's playbook.
Barely catching my breath—
"Oh. You're here early."
Yeo Socheon appeared, climbing onto the carriage without her usual lightning-wreathed rush—just a normal walk this time.
But the moment I saw her, I couldn't help but gape.
"…What's with your face?"
"W-What do you mean?"
Unlike her usual self, her face was caked with makeup—and it was way overdone.
The powder was so thick she looked pale beyond white, her eyebrows drawn absurdly bold…
It screamed "makeup newbie who went overboard with no control."
"Did you put on makeup?"
"D-Does it show?"
"I'd have to be blind not to notice…"
"Ahem. It's not often I travel alone with a guy, so I put in some effort. N-Not that it's for you or anything. How's it look? Good, right?"
"…"
Her reaction confirmed it.
This was her first time doing makeup—I'd bet my life on it.
No other explanation fit.
'Sigh…'
I started mentally scrambling for a way to handle this.
Honestly, I wanted to scrub it off with a wet rag right then and there—but knowing Yeo Socheon's temper, saying that outright would earn me payback later.
So I settled on a workaround.
"It's my first time seeing you with makeup—you did well, it shows you tried."
"R-Really?"
"But… personally, I think your natural face is plenty pretty already. The makeup feels a bit much."
I stepped closer, brushing a finger against her red-painted lips.
"You're prettier without it—just your usual self."
Not a bad save, if I do say so myself. Her face flushed at my words—
"W-Wait right there! I'll wash it off!"
Whoosh!
She bolted off at a speed that left afterimages.
"Ugh…"
Finally alone again, I flopped onto the carriage floor, stretching to shake off the tension.
"Mmm… ngh…"
A slight groan slipped out as my stiff body loosened up.
"Haa…"
After stretching, I sighed and peeked outside. The sun still hung high—nearing noon.
Reflecting on it, the day's events flashed through my mind.
Dang Ayeong, the Saintess, Yeo Socheon—three women in just a few hours since waking up.
'Why is my life surrounded by women…?'
Others might call it a brag, but at this point, I craved a guy friend.
Someone to vent to about my mess—someone I could just spill everything to without filters.
My head was a constant tangle, and solving it solo was wearing me out.
Come to think of it, back with Master, I couldn't even stretch freely.
She'd told me to keep the groans down if I had to stretch—but how do you stop what comes naturally?
Sure, no one's clamoring for a guy's moans, but we were family—couldn't she cut me some slack? I'd even let out a few on purpose once, just to see.
She'd said it was for my own good or something.
'What's the big deal?'
We'd had plenty of moments I didn't get, but she was still my only family in this world—my savior after ten years together.
When I'd bolted from the mountain, I hadn't thought much beyond escaping the boredom. Now, stuck in this mess, I often wondered if I should've just waited.
'Once I clean up this chaos, I'm living in the mountains…'
The biggest issue was still the world's potential end.
But I had a hunch about how to tackle it.
The Saintess had hammered on about influence, and she'd once said to use Yeo Socheon to stop the collapse. It wasn't hard to figure out that more influence—however I got it—would make averting doom easier.
Which meant my next step—
"H-Here, I washed up properly."
Drip.
Yeo Socheon returned, squeezing water from her hair, her face still damp and makeup-free.
Using her to squeeze out more points.
That was my immediate goal.
"Did the makeup make you late?"
"…Ugh."
I'd gotten here first, true, but even accounting for that, she was noticeably tardy.
It'd stretched my supposedly short chat with the Saintess longer than expected.
I shot her a mildly reproachful look, and she muttered under her breath—
"…It was my first time, so it took longer and longer…"
'So it really was her first go.'
Relief washed over me alongside the confirmation.
If that disaster wasn't her first attempt, that'd be a bigger problem—she'd have been walking around like that before.
"Like I said, you're pretty without it. Why hide a face that's already gorgeous?"
"H-Hmph! Flattery won't get you anything!"
"It's not flattery—it's the truth. You're prettier bare-faced."
I didn't particularly care to compliment her looks, but I meant it.
Even decent makeup wouldn't enhance her—she was so naturally striking that it'd feel like covering up instead.
I knew well that truly beautiful people didn't need it.
I'd lived with one for a decade, after all.
"A-Anyway, enough of that. We've got a long road ahead—let's get moving."
She said it and plopped down right in front of me.
The carriage was spacious, so why sit so close? I wondered, but asking wouldn't get a straight answer, so I kept quiet—
Sniff sniff.
"…Hold on."
Her face stiffened as she stood and approached me.
Before I could react, she was practically pressed against me—
Sniff sniff.
"…There's a weird smell…"
She started sniffing at my chest.
"W-What are you—"
"Stay still. This is important."
Acting like some tracking dog, she sniffed me and the air around us.
Then she stopped at one spot, frowning as she spoke.
"Was another woman here?"
Flinch.
Technically, the Saintess had only connected through the screen—she hadn't physically been here. So "another woman" wasn't quite right.
But my skin prickled for a reason.
She'd paused exactly where the Saintess's image had appeared.
"N-No? It's just been me. What's wrong? Is something off?"
"No… It's a familiar yet irritating scent… Felt like a woman's too."
"Oh, maybe it's Dang Ayeong? I think she mentioned switching perfumes."
"…Maybe?"
If Yeo Socheon figured out I'd been chatting with the Saintess, I had no idea how she'd react—so I threw Dang Ayeong under the bus.
She knew my situation anyway; she wouldn't find it odd if Dang Ayeong's traces lingered on me.
"…Well, you two were probably stuck together all day, so it's not weird if her scent rubbed off. My mistake, I guess."
"Haha… I'll wash up better next time."
"…"
"…What's up?"
"Oh, nothing! Nope!"
She'd hesitated with a thoughtful look at the end—probably some unrelated worry of her own.