Chapter 167: Miss Seo Interlude
“S-Seo, where are you looking right now?” I stammered, trying to keep my voice steady despite the absurdity of the situation.
This girl… What sort of absurdities are on her mind right now? And why does she keep staring right down at my pants?
The aura around her grew firmer and more intense by the second, her mana practically crackling in the air.
Seo was dead serious about seeing me strip.
I could see it in her eyes—there was no hesitation, no second thoughts.
Just pure, unwavering form of unnatural determination.
She was clearly going to do something that she might regret her whole life.
I could understand her frustrations and embarrassment, but to go this far…
She was clearly being overwhelmed by her emotions right now, and it was driving her to do something completely out of character.
“Now… Hurry up and undress, Riley…” Her voice was firm, but there was an edge of desperation to it, a silent plea hidden beneath her demanding tone.
Haah… This was getting more troublesome than necessary.
I even took most of the blame earlier to help her calm down, but it seems that sort of reasoning backfired spectacularly.
In the game, Seo was always the type to get sensitive to the most unnatural things, so a reaction like this was somewhat expected for her character trope.
But… the only way for her to calm down right now was probably to let her satisfy her curiosity.
But at this rate, nothing would change if I tolerated this sort of behavior, in the first place. It wasn’t even technically my fault.
“Seo… I understand that you’re upset, and I get why you’d feel embarrassed. But this… you know this isn’t the way to handle it, right?”
My voice was calm, trying to reach her through the haze of emotions clouding her judgment.
Hearing my words, Seo stopped in her tracks, her intense gaze softening for a moment as if she was contemplating something.
Then, with a flicker of annoyance in her red eyes, she looked at me. “But it’s unfair—”
“It’s unfair for me too, Seo,” I countered gently but firmly. “I’m not exactly the one who trespassed and barged into someone’s room uninvited, using their bathroom all without permission…”
“T-that’s…” Seo’s voice faltered as she struggled to find the right words, her confidence crumbling under the weight of my reasoning.
She stared at me for a few seconds, her expression a mix of frustration and shame, before her gaze dropped to the floor, unable to meet mine.
The flush of embarrassment spread across her cheeks, her vulnerability on full display.
Trembling slightly in front of me, Seo seemed lost, unsure of what to do or say.
The white dress she wore swayed ever so slightly, the condensation of mana around her causing the air to crackle with a subtle, prickling energy.
Her aura, normally so controlled, was slipping out in response to her emotional turmoil.
I sighed, feeling a mix of relief and concern.
Despite the confusion and the raw emotions she was grappling with, Seo was still rational enough to recognize the reality of the situation.
She wasn’t completely lost to her impulses, and that was a good sign.
Pushing my chair back, I stood up, moving slowly so as not to startle her.
As I approached the frozen Seo, her aura seemed to intensify for a moment, but I pressed on, determined to help her calm down.
My right hand reached out, and I gently placed it on her head, patting her softly.
Her entire body stiffened at the contact, but I could feel the tension in her aura begin to ease as I continued to pat her gently, my fingers threading through her soft hair.
The electricity around her crackled, a prickling sensation that danced across my skin, just on the edge of painful.
But I ignored it, pushing through the discomfort. Right now, the priority was calming her down before her mind concocted another wild conclusion.
As I continued to gently pat her head, I noticed Seo’s erratic breathing slowly beginning to stabilize, the tension in her body easing bit by bit.
It was as if my touch was grounding her, pulling her back from the spiral of confusion and embarrassment she had been caught in.
Her flushed cheeks and wide, bewildered eyes made it clear that she was still grappling with the emotions roiling inside her.
I had never seen Seo so disoriented, not even in the game where her character was always so composed, albeit in her own honest, air-headed way.
It was easy to tell that she was truly anxious and nervous about everything that had just transpired.
Her usual self-assurance was nowhere to be found, replaced by a vulnerability that was almost endearing in its rawness.
Seo’s character archetype had always been the honest, slightly air-headed heroine—the type who wore her heart on her sleeve without even realizing it.
Calming her down right now felt like trying to soothe a confused and stubborn child, innocent yet unable to fully comprehend the complexities of the situation.
She wasn’t being unreasonable on purpose; she simply didn’t know how to hide from her real self.
Her honesty, though sometimes foolish, was just as charming as it was frustrating.
“But… you saw me…” she murmured silently her voice coming in a small whisper.
“That’s true….” I replied, trying to keep my tone light, hoping to diffuse the situation with a bit of humor. “But do you really want to see me naked?”
Seo’s face flushed a deeper shade of red, her eyes darting away from mine as if searching for an escape.
She clearly struggled with how to respond, her lips trembling slightly before she finally whispered, “I-I don’t know…”
‘What do you mean, ‘I don’t know? You’re supposed to deny it!’
Feeling both exasperated and amused.
I sighed inwardly, realizing that this conversation was quickly spiraling into territory I hadn’t anticipated.
She hesitated, then straightened her posture, as if gathering courage.
“B-But I have the right to see you naked as well!”
“On what basis?”
“The book I read said so…”
I blinked in surprise. …What kind of perverted book has she been reading?
“Seo…” I began cautiously, “I don’t know what sort of book you read, but you should throw it away.”
She looked up at me, her red eyes filled with an odd mix of determination and confusion. “Lina already did… She said it was dangerous…”
I felt a wave of relief wash over me, followed quickly by a renewed sense of exasperation.
Then why are you still believing the notions of such books? This girl was too innocent for her own good, her mind clearly being influenced by things she didn’t fully understand.
I watched her, her expression shifting between embarrassment and a sort of stubborn resolve.
Seo was always honest to a fault, and it was clear that she was trying to make sense of emotions and ideas that were new to her.
But the fact that she was using a book—especially one that Lina had deemed “dangerous”—as a reference for how to navigate this situation was concerning.
“Seo, just because something is written in a book doesn’t mean it’s always right or applicable to real life. Especially if Lina thought it was dangerous… There’s probably a good reason for that.”
She fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation had taken, but nodded slightly in agreement. “I… I guess so.”
I sighed again, this time out loud, my frustration giving way to a protective instinct. Seo was innocent—almost painfully so—and her earnestness made her susceptible to misunderstandings.
I know I needed to be a bit harsh with her for her to learn her lesson but….
She was just trying to navigate a world of emotions that she didn’t fully grasp, and it was clear that she was struggling to do so.
“Listen, Seo,” I continued, keeping my tone as soothing as possible, “it’s okay to feel confused about all of this. Emotions, relationships… They’re not always easy to understand, and it’s normal to not have all the answers right away. But don’t let a random book dictate how you should feel or what you should do.”
She looked at me, her eyes softening as she absorbed my words.
The intensity of her earlier emotions seemed to wane, replaced by a hint of vulnerability.
“But… I just wanted things to be fair…” she murmured, her voice carrying the weight of her confusion.
“I know,” I replied gently, offering her a small, reassuring smile. “But fairness doesn’t always mean doing the same thing in return. Sometimes, it’s about understanding each other and respecting boundaries. What would you do if you were in my situation and I suddenly asked you to strip to make things fair?”
She paused, her brows knitting together as she considered my question.
Her voice was soft when she finally answered, “I would… probably hate you?”
I smiled softly, watching as the realization dawned on her.
She was beginning to grasp the point I was trying to make, but the moment of clarity was fleeting.
Upon hearing my words, she suddenly reacted nervously, her eyes widening in concern.
“T-Then Riley, do you hate me now?” she asked, her voice tinged with fear and uncertainty, as if the thought of losing my approval had shaken her.
I shook my head gently, trying to ease her worries. “No, not at all. I don’t hate you, Seo. But remember, there are certain things that could make me feel differently. Respecting each other’s boundaries is important. It’s what keeps relationships strong.”
Her gaze dropped to the floor as she mulled over my words, her expression thoughtful and contemplative.
I could see the wheels turning in her mind as she processed what I had said, trying to reconcile it with her own feelings.
Finally, after a long moment, she gave a small nod, her posture relaxing a bit as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
“Okay,” she said quietly, her voice steady but still carrying a trace of uncertainty. “I’ll try to remember that.”
“Good. Now, how about we put this behind us and just… move on?”
She nodded, her expression softening as she agreed.
The tension that had hung so heavily between us began to dissipate, replaced by a more comfortable silence.
Seo was trying, in her own way, to understand and adapt, and I couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration for her efforts.
‘If only all the other girls were like Seo….’
Then maybe navigating my life and actions here would’ve been a bit a tad bit easier.
