Chapter 25 - Pat-pat
[ Pat-Pat ]
=== Pat-Pat ===
[A new quest has been issued.]
[Quest]
- Stroke Yoo Seo-rin's hair for 10 minutes.
Reward: Slight increase in 'Snail Husband' mana, massive increase in Yoo Seo-rin's concentration
Penalty for Failure: Removal of bladder
"...What?"
Cleaning, watering the plants, washing the dishes...
I could at least understand the massage quest—that actually felt helpful.
But what the hell was a "pat-pat"?
And of all people, the target had to be Yoo Seo-rin.
She was my older sister, the one who had always acted more maturely than anyone else, looking after us with a calm, reliable demeanor ever since our parents passed away.
Stroking her hair felt far too weird to be considered "helpful." It would probably make her feel like she was being treated like a child, and she definitely wasn't the type to appreciate that.
"...This is completely out of nowhere."
I sighed, staring up at the ceiling.
I had no idea what triggered these damn quests.
Judging by this one, it clearly wasn't about doing what the target actually wanted.
...
Well, I mean...
Even if I complained, it wasn't like I could just ignore it.
I had to protect my bladder.
Still, I couldn't just walk up to her while she was awake and ask to stroke her hair for ten minutes. I had to bide my time.
I picked up my phone and opened our group chat.
[Yoo Seo-rin, Yoo Ra-eun, Yoo Ga-on]
- Me: I'm staying over tonight.
- Me: Just feeling a bit tired.
- Me: (Sticker)
After sending the messages, I lay back on my bed and waited.
Yoo Ra-eun messaged me privately, trying to tempt me into spending the night with her, but I couldn't afford to lose my mind over sex and sacrifice my bladder. I had to explain the situation to her.
But she's definitely gotten a lot more affectionate since we slept together.
Before, we had a bickering relationship where she'd constantly swear at me, but over the last two days, her attitude had completely flipped.
Every time I saw her craving affection with those sharp, cat-like eyes...
......
Is this what they call gap moe?
...
Time passed.
One hour, then two...
As midnight approached, the house grew quiet.
The lights in the living room and hallway gradually went out, and both Yoo Ra-eun and Yoo Seo-rin had retired to their rooms hours ago.
...It's time.
I sat up.
I crept down the hallway. When I reached Yoo Seo-rin's room, her door was firmly shut.
"...Whew."
Using Intangibility, I slipped through the bedroom door.
Faint moonlight seeped through the curtains, softly illuminating the room.
Yoo Seo-rin was fast asleep in bed.
True to her calm and orderly nature, she slept in a perfectly neat posture, her breathing even and quiet.
I knelt beside the bed, studying her sleeping face.
It always felt strange seeing her sleep, no matter how many times I saw it.
Normally, Yoo Seo-rin was the type to assess situations with sharp, clear eyes, calmly sorting things out instead of showing her emotions.
But right now—
She was nothing more and nothing less than an incredibly beautiful girl, breathing softly in her sleep.
"..."
I carefully lowered my gaze.
Ever since she awakened her ice attribute, Yoo Seo-rin's appearance had changed slightly.
Her hair, which used to be dark, had turned a deep, rich navy blue.
Even in the dim room, her hair retained its vivid, striking color.
It looked as if a piece of the deep ocean had been woven into her strands.
Her long hair, fanned out across the pillow, shimmered faintly in the moonlight.
Her eyes were closed, but I already knew their color.
They were the exact same shade as her hair.
A deep navy, like a freezing night sea.
And,
the shape of her eyes.
It looked a lot like Yoo Ra-eun's.
The outer corners slanted slightly upward, giving them a sharp, cat-like look.
Lately, when Yoo Ra-eun looked at me, her eyes would soften into lovely, smiling crescents, but not long ago, her gaze had been just as sharp as her sister's.
Yet, perhaps because of the difference in hair color, they gave off completely different vibes.
While Yoo Ra-eun's bright silver hair softened her sharp features with a playful energy,
Yoo Seo-rin was the exact opposite.
Calm.
Quiet.
And carrying a distinctly chilly aura.
When I first heard she had awakened an ice attribute, honestly, it made perfect sense.
"..."
But right now, even that cold aura had faded significantly.
Maybe because she was asleep, she looked far softer than usual.
Her long eyelashes cast soft shadows on her cheeks.
Her chest rose and fell with each quiet breath.
I stared blankly at her before suddenly remembering the quest.
I had to stroke her hair.
For a whopping ten minutes.
...
I carefully raised my hand.
And—
slowly placed it on top of Yoo Seo-rin's head.
Her silky hair slipped between my fingers.
Stroke... stroke—
...It's softer than I thought.
It was incredibly soft.
Since she had an ice attribute, I'd half-expected it to feel cold or coarse, but that wasn't the case at all.
Instead, her neat strands slipped smoothly past my fingertips.
I carefully moved my hand again.
Slowly.
Gently.
I stroked her hair, gently brushing it down.
Stroke... stroke...
It was then.
Very subtly—
Yoo Seo-rin's eyelashes fluttered.
"...!"
I froze, stopping my hand.
I focused on her breathing again.
Soft, even breathing...
Her breathing remained steady.
Her chest rose and fell at a rhythmic pace.
"...Was it just my imagination?"
Whispering to myself, I moved my hand again.
Stroke—
I slowly ran my hand down the length of her hair.
Maybe it was just my imagination, but her expression seemed to soften ever so slightly.
Her face, which had been somewhat tense, seemed to relax...
Even with her eyes closed, she looked peaceful, as if the faint tension between her brows had completely melted away.
No, there's no way.
...
Come to think of it, hadn't I thought the exact same thing when I was massaging Yoo Ra-eun?
Back then, I'd figured that if she were awake, she'd have no reason to pretend to be asleep.
...Whatever.
What was so wrong with stroking her hair anyway? She'd worked herself to the bone as the head of our household all this time.
Even if she hated it, I couldn't stop now. Without delaying any further, I kept moving my hand.
After that, Yoo Seo-rin didn't react at all.
Her breathing remained steady, and she didn't move a muscle.
I kept stroking her hair, letting my mind drift.
The ten minutes passed much faster than I expected.
My sense of time had grown hazy as I ran my fingers through her silky, navy hair, stroking it over and over again.
Ding!
[Quest Cleared. Rewards are being distributed.]
And with that, the first quest involving Yoo Seo-rin was complete.
*
The next day.
Ding!
[A new quest has been issued.]
[Quest]
- Stroke Yoo Seo-rin's abdomen for 10 minutes.
Reward: Increase in 'Snail Husband' mana, massive increase in Yoo Seo-rin's mana
Penalty for Failure: Removal of right brain
"...And so it begins."
After spending the entire day training and going on a date with Han Cho-yeon, I didn't get home until late at night... only to find the system had jumped straight from headpats to belly-rubbing.
Stroking her hair was one thing. You could argue that was normal for siblings who got along well, especially with a big age gap.
...Though a two-year age gap made it a bit of a stretch, but whatever.
But stroking her belly? That was something only people in a very intimate relationship did.
"Sigh, whatever."
Grumbling to myself, I stepped into the house.
The lights were already off when I quietly slipped through the front door.
The living room, the kitchen...
And both bedroom doors at the end of the hallway were shut.
...Looks like everyone's asleep.
It was just like yesterday.
I naturally found myself standing in front of Yoo Seo-rin's bedroom door.
I'll have to do it secretly this time, too.
If I actually asked her to let me stroke her belly, she'd probably look at me with pure disgust.
I didn't even need to touch the doorknob.
Activating Intangibility, my body slipped right through the door.
...
Faint moonlight bathed the room.
The light filtering through the curtains dimly illuminated her bed.
Yoo Seo-rin was lying in the exact same position as yesterday.
Calm.
Neat.
With the blanket pulled up to her stomach, she breathed quietly.
"..."
I sat on the edge of the bed, hesitating.
Yesterday was her head.
I only had to place my hand on her hair.
But today—
It was her belly.
And as I'd learned from Yoo Ra-eun, the quest wouldn't register unless there was direct skin-to-skin contact.
Which meant I had to move the blanket out of the way.
Looking down, I watched her abdomen rise and fall subtly with each breath.
I carefully reached for the thin blanket.
Gently pulling it back, I slipped my hand through the gap in her pajamas and rested it against her bare stomach.
At that exact moment,
Yoo Seo-rin's body gave a tiny flinch.
"...!"
"..."
Her breathing remained steady.
I figured she hadn't woken up.
"...Must be dreaming."
Whispering softly, I moved my hand.
Stroke—
I carefully stroked her stomach.
Very slowly,
gently.
As if soothing a sleeping child.
Stroke—
It was then.
Yoo Seo-rin's hand moved, shifting slowly.
As if searching for something in her sleep.
"...?"
Startled by the sudden movement, I froze.
But a moment later—
Yoo Seo-rin's hand gently came to rest on top of mine.
And,
Squeeze...
she squeezed it tight.
"...Uh."
I blinked, completely caught off guard.
Her eyes were still closed.
Her breathing was perfectly even.
Her expression hadn't changed at all.
"...Is this a sleeping habit?"
I whispered.
It was the only explanation that made sense.
So,
I kept moving my hand.
Even as she held onto it.
Slowly,
I resumed stroking her stomach.
Stroke—
Stroke—
Yoo Seo-rin's hand loosely clasped mine,
as if she found comfort in the touch.
"..."
I kept moving my hand, letting my mind go blank.
Ten minutes.
It felt like it passed even faster than the day before.
Ding!
[Quest Cleared. Rewards are being distributed.]
"..."
Seeing the notification, I slowly began to withdraw my hand.
Squeeze—
...
Yoo Seo-rin's fingers tightened around mine as if pleading with me not to leave, but I managed to gently slip my hand free.
After staring at her for a quiet moment, I stood up and slipped back out of the room.