NAPE - 38

“...Okay.”

Doyoon chuckled. Bibi wasn’t playing to complete quests or level up right now. She was simply looking at each part of the map. Even though it was a fake screen, she seemed genuinely interested, as if she were actually sightseeing. She especially seemed to like the blue water and sky, lingering around those areas.

Come to think of it, had this child ever seen the sea? Had she ever lain in a field, breathing in the cool air and relaxing her body? Seeing how amazed and fond she was of this... she probably hadn’t.

“You know the schoolyard where I lecture is all green grass, right?”

At Doyoon’s words, Bibi glanced at him.

“Sometimes students drink and play games there. It’s spring, so the cherry blossoms will bloom soon. Have you ever seen cherry blossoms? They’re the color of blood mixed with water.”

They must taste good.

“And there’s a pond, though it’s not the sea. It was frozen when you saw it, but it’s all melted now. Ducks like the one in that screen float around. Actually, there are more pigeons, but... what’s the difference, right?”

Bibi looked at the duck on the screen. A brown bird with wings. She had seen one in real life. She had even tried to catch and eat one without her master’s knowledge.

It had looked very sturdy from the outside, but when she actually caught it, it felt precarious, like holding its entire beating heart in her hand. The duck was soft and endlessly fragile.

Why hadn’t she eaten it back then...? Ah, it was a wounded duck, so she had felt uncomfortable. That day, after letting the duck go, she seemed to have reproached herself for being too weak as a hunting dog.

“Let’s go to school together and look around. It’s much better than the game screen. Spring came early this year, so there’s already a lot of green.”

Bibi didn’t want to fall into a trap. To block the strange thoughts and doubts that kept arising, it was better to stay cooped up in her room. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to maintain her life as a hunting dog, return to the trainer, or stay by Doyoon’s side like this.

Ah, her head felt like it would explode with too many thoughts... and she was afraid that after sorting them all out, she would have to face an unprecedentedly big change.

Bibi had nothing to lose, but she also didn’t have the strength to endure anything. She turned away from reality and immersed herself in the game screen again.

“Is it that fun?”

Ignored, Doyoon raised his eyebrows in dissatisfaction. He slyly wrapped his arm around Bibi’s waist. She flinched, but thankfully didn’t reject his touch. He spread his legs and placed Bibi between them like a doll.

Moist breath approached Bibi’s ear. Doyoon’s solid chest pressed against her back. All her senses except sight focused on him. Bibi held her breath slightly and bit her lip inward. And she stubbornly kept her gaze fixed on the screen, continuing the game.

“Look at me.”

“......”

“...Are you perhaps angry with me?”

Doyoon asked while still sitting. Bibi quickly shook her head.

“Then, annoyed?”

She shook her head again. Like a game of twenty questions, Doyoon calmly threw out questions. He persistently wanted to know Bibi’s emotional state. Even though it was frustrating, he didn’t become impatient.

“Confused? Or... at a loss?”

Finally, a word that was somewhat similar to her feelings came out. Bibi nodded quickly.

“Yeah, I thought so. I guessed right, didn’t I?”

It was absurd that he asked ten times and then said it so nonchalantly. Bibi wanted to turn her head and see Doyoon’s expression, but she held back. If she looked into his clear yet deep eyes and at his soft lips, her heart would surely weaken. If she let her guard down, she would be drawn to him again without context.

“Would you talk if I gave you a drop of blood?”

Doyoon whispered in a teasing voice. Bibi was crazy about his blood, but she had also been quenching her thirst by taking iron supplements... Without her even realizing it, she had become accustomed to it.

Bibi suppressed the surging craving. She chewed on the inner lining of her mouth and shook her head, barely managing to refuse. So this was how the self-control training she had been doing was manifesting.

“You don’t even need my blood? Wow...”

Doyoon sighed with a very disappointed look. He rubbed his nose against Bibi’s neck. For a different reason, goosebumps rose on her skin.

Bibi desperately wanted to turn her head and press her nose against Doyoon’s handsome nose, but she held back. The game was now just going through the motions. With her mind elsewhere, Bibi was just pretending to play. Her character wasn’t properly collecting coins and was just heading straight forward.

“Ignoring me and playing games.”

Along with a languid voice, the hand that had been around her waist slyly slipped under her shirt. A shiver ran down her spine. Bibi’s hands were holding the game controller, leaving her defenseless. His fingers playfully poked and prodded her stomach, then slowly moved upwards. Bibi held her breath and straightened her back.

“Keep playing the game.”

Unlike his cool voice, the warmth of his body against her skin was hot. The fingers that had been caressing her slender stomach slowly moved higher.

“Don’t think about anything else. You just need to think about me here.”

“......”

“Come watch me work.”

He whispered, gently kneading the area around her chest. Heat slowly gathered in her lower abdomen.

“Work is really boring. I want to torment the students. Should I give them an assignment to watch a 20-minute philosophy film and write a 10-page essay on it? Every week.”

Bibi felt sorry for the students she had never even seen. Just imagining writing an essay after watching a short video felt difficult.

“If even you come, I think I can at least endure it.”

“......”

“Come see me.”

The husky voice that reached her ear was so sweet. Bibi ended up nodding. This wasn’t giving in to temptation; it was like saving the humans who would be tormented by Doyoon.

Although humans were just food, that didn’t mean they should be abused. Bibi was in favor of what was commonly called ‘animal welfare.’

The hand that had been caressing her chest slyly twisted her nipple.

“...Hiss...”

She almost let out a groan. Bibi finally couldn’t bear it, threw down the game controller, and abruptly stood up. She made an ‘X’ with her hands, indicating that contact was now forbidden. Doyoon seemed to understand immediately, his eyes widening.

“Not even touching?”

Bibi nodded her head vigorously and quickly headed to her room. Doyoon watched her retreating figure with regretful eyes. So this was how it felt to be rejected. The renewed distance felt quite bitter. Bibi would probably sleep separately again tonight.

For Doyoon, that meant not hearing her soft breathing and not being able to hold her warm, soft body. The days when he had been indifferent to Bibi felt as distant as a past life.