City of Witches

Not expecting that it would receive any guests soon, the living room was left messy, with miscellaneous objects haphazardly placed.

But, despite its state, the room didn’t appear dirty, thanks to its owner’s effort to frequently vacuum it.

After he was done tidying things up a little, Siwoo settled on the sofa, enjoying a can of beer.

-Shhh!

“Huh…”

Perhaps because the room was mostly covered in silence, he could clearly hear the sound Sharon made while taking a shower.

He felt a strange uneasiness in the air.

Although he didn’t have any ulterior motives when inviting her in, as a man, he couldn’t help but feel a slight excitement as he imagined various scenarios that might happen to both of them.

-Clank!

At that point, the bathroom door, located right next to the entrance, opened, and Sharon’s figure quietly emerged.

Siwoo was initially concerned about her attire, but seeing her heading straight to the living room dispelled his worries completely.

“Hey… Thank you…”

“Ah, don’t mention it.”

One of the basic skills a witch had was using magic to make her hair soft and smooth after they were done showering.

It was a useful training method recommended for apprentice witches, since at that level, they could control mana to the molecular level.

This was the reason why her hair looked so dry, as if she hadn’t taken a shower just now.

Though, her magic didn’t hide the peachy flush on her cheeks and neck.

She rested her hand on her cheek, thanking Siwoo before motioning the empty seat beside him with her finger.

“Can I sit there?”

“Of course. Do you want some beer?”

“Yes.”

Looking a little worn out, Sharon took a seat next to Siwoo.

The latter’s nose tingled, smelling the mixture between Sharon’s own scent and the shampoo that she applied to her slightly disheveled hair.

“It’s been a while since I could enjoy a beer after a shower…”

Receiving the beer from Siwoo, she casted a spell to make it even cooler and more refreshing.

Without any hesitation, she took a big gulp of it.

“Kuh…! It’s good!”

‘Isn’t she a little too close…?’

The sofa they were sitting on had enough space for four people.

It was a fancy model that even had a footrest, perfect for relaxing and watching TV comfortably.

But, for some reason, Sharon was sitting so close to him; In a distance within an arm’s length, completely ignoring the rest of the free space.

Her action made him wonder if there was a special meaning behind it.

“What are you thinking so deeply about?”

“Nothing. Are you planning to keep wearing those clothes?”

“Ah, right… Wait a second, I’m going to change! I brought my nightwear with me.”

Sharon tried to get up, but she ended up plopping back down on the sofa, as if her muscles had turned into jelly.

Her face was filled with annoyance.

“But… I really don’t feel like moving…”

Then, that expression was replaced by a radiant smile, as if she had washed away all her worries with hot water.

Being a witch, she possessed beauty that was comparable to Amelia. It was hard for Siwoo to gaze at her face for too long.

When she noticed that Siwoo didn’t respond to her, she shifted her gaze to him.

“What?”

Sensing his racing heartbeat, Siwoo was baffled.

‘Is this the scent of a budding romance, or am I just horny…?’

“Ah, well, I’m ordering a late-night snack, sorry. What do you want to eat?”

“Late-night snack?”

With a sudden movement, Sharon turned her whole body in his direction.

Whenever the topic of him treating her to a meal came up, she always reacted as if she had won the lottery.

This adorable reaction always prompted Siwoo an urge to smile, which he desperately tried to suppress.

“So, what is it?”

“W-Well… I-I’m fine with whatever you’re going to order…”

Although it was clear that she was happy to be treated, she still seemed a little uncomfortable receiving favors from him.

However, the fact that she didn’t outright refuse his offer spoke to him louder than her reluctance.

“Let’s do this. You pick the kind of food you want to eat, Korean, Japanese, Western or Chinese, I’ll pick the food from the restaurants I know.”

As soon as she heard the four options, she furrowed her eyebrows thoughtfully, getting lost in deep thinking.

It was as if she was making a life-changing decision. She counted on her fingers before finally voicing her suggestion.

“…W-What about Chinese?”

“Chinese? Sure. Malatang¹Malatang is a type of hot pot. However, there are some major differences between traditional hot pot and malatang. For example, hot pot is served at a table to be shared by a group of people, whereas Sichuan hot pot is street food. Spicy hot pot is also served in a communal pot soup sounds good right now.”

“Malatang? What’s that…?”

“Okay, let’s order it.”

Malatang restaurants were everywhere these days, probably because of their increasing popularity among college girls.

From his observation, he could tell that Sharon had developed a palate for local food, so he figured that he might enjoy it.

Other than that, he also ordered some ribs as extra dishes, just in case that she didn’t enjoy the spicy malatang.

Meanwhile, Sharon was like a kid waiting for Santa Claus. She couldn’t contain her excitement at all.

“I wonder what it tastes like? Is it spicy? Wait, you said that it IS spicy…”

“Well, I ordered the mildest one.”

“Korea has so many tasty dishes! I found that out thanks to you, so… Thank you!”

“Hey, enough with the thank yous already! You’re making me feel awkward.”

“What am I supposed to do, then? I’m really feeling grateful to you!”

Sharon was a really cheerful person.

During this short conversation, she laughed a total of three times.

At one point, their conversation ceased and the whole room was enveloped in silence.

‘It feels weirdly quiet…’

During their talk, they somehow ran out of topic at the same time, causing them to end up in this awkward silence.

Or not… Siwoo was the only one who felt that way. As for Sharon, she casually stretched and got up from her seat.

“I’m going to bring my suitcase into the room and change my clothes.”

“Didn’t you say that you’re tired? Why don’t you just do it after you eat?”

“Nah, the beer made me feel alive again. No, actually, it made me stronger.”

Sharon flexed her small biceps before she dragged her suitcase into her room.

2.

While Sharon busied herself in her room, Siwoo laid out the malatang on the table.

With so many added ingredients, the container seemed about to overflow, so he replaced it with a large bowl.

Just as he did that, Sharon opened the door and came out.

“Uh…”

Her attire surprised him.

He didn’t expect her clothes to reveal so much of her skin.

The clothes had a bright teal color that suited her well. One could even say that it was her signature color at this point.

Complimenting that were her pair of mysterious and sparkling eyes and her dark green hair that held various blends of shades.

She also wore a white tanktop and mint-colored dolphin pants.

With her long legs on full display and the snug yoga-like shirt hugging her torso, Siwoo didn’t know where he should land his gaze on.

The noticeably shaking bulge beneath her chest that swayed with each movement made him even more embarrassed.

‘What am I supposed to say to that?’

‘Is this what having a live-in girlfriend feels like?’

“What’s wrong? Has everything not arrived yet?”

Sharon approached him without paying much attention to his reaction.

Only then did he realize.

The stark contrast between her comfortable attitude and his own discomfort.

She didn’t even care about him.

Perhaps it was safe to say that she didn’t even see him as a man.

After all, if that wasn’t the case, she definitely wouldn’t walk around while wearing something like that.

“Nah, everything is here. Let’s eat.”

Realizing this, he felt a little bitter.

His suspicion turned into reality when she carelessly sat across from him.

Due to their close proximity to the table, her chest was more noticeable than ever.

The two subtle bumps beneath the white fabric could be clearly seen by him.

That was when he realized that she wasn’t wearing any bra.

“Cough! Cough! Ugh… W-What’s with this spicy oil…”

While he was thinking about that, Sharon smelled the scent of spicy malatang and wrinkled her face, as if she was about to sneeze. Siwoo took this chance to divert his attention.

Not wearing a bra might be a common thing in the West, but Siwoo’s mindset hadn’t caught up to that trend yet.

Nevertheless, it wasn’t like he could say anything to her in this situation.

‘I can see your nipples and they distract me, can’t you just wear a bra?’ He thought about saying it, but he chose not to because he knew how stupid that line sounded.

So, he opted to remain silent, allowing Sharon to come to realize the situation herself.

‘No, wait, maybe she already knows and is doing this on purpose?’

3.

Having enjoyed her first taste of malatang, Sharon happily finished off a total of eight servings of it.

Meanwhile, Siwoo had to go through agony as he made his best effort to avert his gaze from her seductive pair of peaks that swayed every time she took a bite.

Having eaten their fill, they decided to lie down on the couch side by side while watching a movie, as per Siwoo’s suggestion.

After they finished their preparations; Turning off the lights while hanging the blackout curtains in the living room..

With popcorn fresh out of the microwave in their hands, they leaned their backs comfortably on the sofa.

It was pretty much a full-blown movie theater experience, with his TV donning a massive 146-inch screen accompanied by booming surround sound speakers.

“This is the first time I’m watching a movie.”

Once again, Sharon sat unusually close to Siwoo. Before the movie even began, her butt had wiggled a few times.

Every time she moved, a pleasant scent wafted through the air.

Now, rather than finding her movements cute, Siwoo just felt a sense of pity towards her.

“All those years living in this world, you’ve only been trying to make money?”

“I can’t help it. I needed to hunt those Homunculi quickly, so I could sell the legacies they left behind. I couldn’t just pass easy money like that.”

“How much are those things worth, on average?”

“If I were to put it up on an auction at the Witch Point, those witches in Gehenna would have the first chance to bid their prices. And those guys pay a lot of money. Depending on the type of the legacies, the price varies. Research journals can range from 10 million to 1 billion won, artifacts can easily double or triple those amounts. As for Egg of Gnosis… It is worth even more than those two combined.”

Now Siwoo understood why she wasn’t enthusiastic about her part-time job.

She made most of her money from hunting, after all.

“Until now, I’ve only found useless scraps. If I were to find an Egg of Gnosis, maybe I can pay off all of my debts at once…”

Despite saying that, her tone was still lacking in confidence.

Once again, Siwoo realized the immense value of the Law of Shadows the twins had casually handed over to him.

Back to the movie, they were planning to watch a movie that he saved on his laptop.

It was a famous movie that could make even the toughest men cry.

The story was about a man who really loved his wife. He shared their long, tough love story to help his elderly wife, who was suffering from dementia, trying to remind her of their past together.

But, Siwoo didn’t find the movie as enjoyable as Sharon’s reactions.

‘I guess what they said that people would show a lot of reactions whenever they try out something new was true.’

“Why is she acting like that…?”

“Are they in love? But why…?”

“Ugh… What does that even…?”

“No, she shouldn’t have left!”

“It’s so frustrating! You’re engaged and now she’s behaving like this? Leave the main character alone, you bitch!”

Like a middle-aged woman, Sharon munched on her popcorn, venting her frustration until the middle part of the movie came around.

However, after the movie reached its climax, she stopped all of her hands’ movements.

Tears flowed from the corner of her eyes as she stared at the screen.

Her eyes were red as she watched the movie intently without missing a single scene.

Finally, as the protagonist faced his impending death alongside his beloved wife, the love story between the man and the woman came to an end.

“…”

“Ahem.”

After that, Siwoo turned on the lights with the remote control.

However, Sharon still seemed lost in the emotions left by the movie as she stared at the screen while crying.

Siwoo noticed that she was still grabbing her popcorn in her hand.

And she stayed like this for a whole thirty minutes after that.

It was as if she had turned into a statue.

Seeing her like this affected him a little.

‘I probably should have picked a Hollywood or an action movie…’

It made him wonder if he only made her even sadder by picking this movie, even though the reason why he picked it was because she thought she’d enjoy it since girls normally enjoy romance movies like this one.

“Haah…”

Sharon ate the popcorn she was holding and used her arm to wipe her tears.

“It’s… Really fun… But at the same time… It’s sad… Humans are amazing… A movie really can make us feel these different emotions in just two hours…”

Sharon murmured in awe.

“Sorry, it was a mistake to pick this movie up. I’ll pick a more enjoyable one next time.”

“Huh? No, no, I really enjoyed it. I think it’s really a touching movie. Maybe I should rewatch it again next time… Anyway, can we watch another one today? I think I might like those romance movies…”

“Uh… In that case…”

When people were having fun, hours could fly by without them realizing it.

That night, both of them ended up watching a total of three romance movies until the break of dawn.

Footnotes:

• 1Malatang is a type of hot pot. However, there are some major differences between traditional hot pot and malatang. For example, hot pot is served at a table to be shared by a group of people, whereas Sichuan hot pot is street food. Spicy hot pot is also served in a communal pot