Chapter 72 : The Distance Between Us

“Huh? Oh, no. I was going to take the subway. I have a place I need to stop by.”

Iris waved her hands in refusal.

She didn’t want to reveal the location of her home to someone who could be an enemy at any time, and at the same time, she wanted to keep her distance.

She still wanted to sleep, that hadn’t changed—but she was worried that talking in the car might make the affection she had just managed to shake off start to grow again.

Physical closeness was fine, but she didn’t want to close the emotional distance any further.

Laika frowned, clearly unwilling to repeat himself.

He walked around the car and personally opened the passenger door.

“Et.”

“Ah… okay. Then please drop me off near my place.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to get attached—it’s that she didn’t want to end up repulsed before the important moment.

Iris obediently got into the car without further protest.

If she asked to be dropped off near her house, her actual residence wouldn’t be exposed.

Her eyes swept around the interior of the car.

It was a ridiculously expensive foreign car, but it looked like a wreck.

The outside was dented here and there, and the inside was even worse.

The passenger window was shattered, just like the driver’s.

“Where should I go?”

“Oh, um, near the place where that building incident happened recently. M Building.”

When Iris mentioned a place about a 20-minute walk from her house, the car started moving.

Once it exited the park and merged onto the eight-lane road, it was in complete gridlock with the evening rush.

A burning car sped by in the opposite lane, followed by illegal street racers.

As Iris absentmindedly watched a confrontation between a masked robber hanging from an underpass and a grandfather pointing a gun, a calm voice entered her ears.

“You don’t believe me?”

“What…? Oh, you mean about coming to find me? No, I believe you. I didn’t see it myself, but… judging by the frustrated look on your face, I think it’s probably true.”

So it was a continuation of the excuse he had made earlier.

Iris responded with a faint smile.

Seeing how genuinely frustrated he looked, his story seemed to be true.

Not that it really mattered.

While stopped at a crosswalk, Laika’s eyes went blank.

It was the first time he realized, through Iris’s words, that he had made a frustrated expression.

His long eyelashes cast shadows under his eyes every time he blinked slowly.

“Frustrated…? Me?”

“Yes. Did I say something wrong?”

“…No.”

Just then, the light changed and the car began to move again.

An awkward silence filled the car.

Iris, feeling uneasy, bit the inside of her cheek.

Judging by his reaction, she’d said something wrong, but no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t figure out what.

Laika drove with a tense face. He was still reeling from what Iris had said.

‘I looked frustrated? What am I frustrated about? That Iris misunderstood? But it’s fine if she misunderstands. She seems a bit sulky, but since she got in the car, I don’t think she’s totally rejecting me…’

Was he getting anxious because he was afraid he’d lose the prey he finally caught?

Even having such a thought was uncharacteristic of him.

Though he paid attention to his public image, it wasn’t because of his personality—just part of being an actor and helping his father’s reelection campaign.

Normally, he didn’t care how people saw him.

He’d always been in a position where others’ opinions didn’t matter.

That extended to romantic interests too.

Most women clung to him even if he was cold, so he had no history of acting needy with them.

He was always in the superior position, regardless of gender.

So why was he reacting to every little thing this woman did?

If it really bothered him, he could just use one of his mental-type skills again.

As he tapped the steering wheel with his finger, he bit his lip.

He didn’t want to use a skill on Iris.

His mind-control skill wasn’t omnipotent anyway, and it would feel gross to have sex with someone who’d been made into an idiot by his power.

There were a lot of reasons.

Amid the awkward silence, the car finally arrived in front of the building.

Because of the recent incident, security was tight.

Iris kept a close eye on the men in suits holding radios.

There might be someone with powers among them.

She hadn’t noticed such things as a regular civilian, but now that she was a hero, these sights seemed different.

She noticed Laika was also observing the men in front of the building.

Maybe they were thinking the same thing.

‘No… to be exact, maybe he’s thinking something different. He could be scouting for someone with potential. He did try to recruit me for his team earlier. Why did he do that? Was he trying to turn me into a villain? Or…’

Could there be an intention she hadn’t even considered?

It was hard to tell.

While she was deep in thought, Laika’s low voice brought her back.

With one hand on the wheel, he turned to face her.

“Iris, we’ve arrived at your destination.”

“Ah, right. Thanks for the ride.”

“Hoo… sure. Take care.”

Laika gave a sigh along with his farewell.

Iris awkwardly nodded and unbuckled her seatbelt.

Both of them had tangled thoughts in their heads.

“Yeah…”

“You haven’t forgotten our promise, have you?”

Just as she grabbed the door handle, Laika placed a hand on her shoulder.

What promise?

Ah, that. Iris replied with a light smile.

“Of course. See you soon.”

On her way home, she was surrounded by thugs in an alley but easily beat them down and gave them a proper scolding.

Back home, Iris showered in warm water and ate dinner.

After rubbing her tired eyes, she paused while organizing the clothes she had thrown on the sofa.

A condom had been in the pocket.

Her brown eyes softened with emotion as she stared at the crinkling wrapper.

When she had left the house, she’d been all excited thinking about doing something lewd with Laika.

But after seeing his sleazy villain side, her mood had completely dropped.

Right.

Laika’s a villain, and I’m a hero.

She reminded herself of that once again.

‘They say strike while the iron is hot… maybe I should’ve just done it today? Hmm, no. As much as this is a big deal in my life, I can’t just rush through it.’

It seemed better to wait until the day she was invited to Laika’s house.

If she rushed it, she might come across as desperate.

Before being villain and hero, they were man and woman.

She still wanted to hold the upper hand emotionally.

‘This damn villain… What if he just ghosts me after sex? That’d actually be great. Yeah, that’d be ideal. Once I get everything I want from him, it’s easier if we become strangers.’

If that’s what she wanted, she should just do it now.

Why play this push-and-pull game?

It made her laugh at herself.

Yeah.

It’s all about the vibe.

If anyone’s getting dumped after sex, it better be him—not me.

That would piss me off.

Rationalizing her feelings, she sat down at her vanity.

After applying toner and lotion as usual, she entered the secret marketplace through the flickering mirror.

The item display had become more luxurious while she was gone.

As she examined the items carefully, her brown eyes went wide in shock.

The item she’d already bought was still there.

It seemed you could purchase the same item multiple times.

‘Because of this damn thing…’

The skill that helped her debut as a pervert… Rage welled up and she punched at the air in front of the acrylic box before turning around.

She remembered holding the chain whip through the hole in the fence, swinging her hips wildly… a memory—or rather, a nightmare.

That nightmare wasn’t over; she’d have to use that skill in front of many others again.

Combining two skills made them stronger and made combat easier.

But was it really worth fusing another skill and enduring a second nightmare?

Mental stamina—something not shown in the status window—felt like it had taken a serious hit.

For that reason, she had no intention of rebuying that potion anytime soon.

Other than that item, there were only a few things she could afford with her current fame.

After much thought, she decided to buy one.

You never know when a crisis might strike—it was best to be prepared.