The Bonds We Forge V

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Hari tended to be clueless about a lot of things—her emotions being chief among them. As such, when she saw Leandro coming back in a semi-disheveled state, some territorial instinct inside her was triggered.

Her sensitive nose picked up on a different, womanly scent. It reminded her of the fragrances she used on special occasions. Her doe-like eyes traced Leandro from head to toe, particularly picking up on how he reeked of the strange, yet alluring scent.

She bit her bottom lip, feeling oddly restless.

'What is this feeling?'

A mild burning spread within her chest. 

He was wet in some places. The stains were not as visible on his pants as they were on his shirt. She might have mistaken it for sweat if it wasn't for the location. A couple of buttons were undone, with one or two missing, as if they had been torn away in a hurry.

A very peculiar thought entered Hari's head. Her ears stood on its ends as she shook her head immediately to shoo away any dirty imaginations.

Yet, they persisted, and only increased in vividness.

Hari gulped down the awkward tension that accumulated within her.

Leandro threw a glance her way. "Hari Noona… what's wrong?"

A small smile stretched her supple lips. It almost made Leandro recoil because it was just that forcefully strained.

"Huh? Nothing…" She waved her hands, slightly flustered. "But… umh… you should change your clothes. They're dirty."

He took a quick look at himself and nodded. "I feel dirty too."

Leandro retired into his room. He then went to take a long shower to wash Yuhee's juicy remains down the drain. Meanwhile, Hari, unnoticed by Leandro, sneakily picked his stained shirt from the laundry basket.

She made sure the water was still running before she became more daring. 

Perhaps it was her curiosity, or something else entirely. But Hari had to know. 

Gingerly, she brought his shirt up to her nose.

Her eyelashes fluttered, and Hari took a sniff. Her eyes went slightly wide at the familiar musky scent. "This is…"

Her ears wiggled up and down like antennae, searching for further information. But upon realizing that the water had suddenly stopped, Hari quickly threw Leandro's shirt back into the basket and scuttled away.

Once Hari dashed to her room, she hopped on the bed, incredibly embarrassed and flustered. 'What did I just do?' She clutched her pillow for more emotional support. 

Her brain continued to reel upon the realization.

Leandro slept around?!

Hari clutched on to her pillow even more, heart swelling painfully in her chest. Her imaginary rabbit ears went slack on her head and drooped down like broken leaves.

The mild burning in her chest erupted into a raging inferno.

Why?

What was this feeling?

Hari lied on bed and pulled up her blanket all the way to cover her head in an attempt to hide from her confused emotions.

…

As the days went by, Hari obviously noticed the continuous visits from Heo Yuhee. 

She would mostly drop by unannounced. 

Yuhee's brother had once confessed to Hari. And to anyone who knew about Leandro also knew that he had an overprotective streak a mile wide. 

Leandro, when he found out, pulled Seok to the side and had an enlightening talk with him. 

Seok never bothered Hari again. Him or any other male in his friend group; Leandro had a reputation, after all. A reputation that he had to enforce in physical confrontation once. And it just happened to be the top dog of Jeongseon Arts Institute—a famous, ex-professional MMA fighter. 

"Are you okay, Unnie?"

Nari picked up on the distressed signals Hari was giving off. She sidled up to her sister in the kitchen. 

Yuhee was in the living room, cozying up to a mostly uninterested Leandro. 

"Come on, Leandro~ Starting salary of 30 million won." Yuhee listed off, raising a finger for each benefit. "Four times pension. Three times vacation per month. Four times workcations in a year. These are the things I'm offering you ♡. And if you're a good boy, I might even add a little extra when we're alone~"

A twitch mark went off on Nari's forehead. "Look at that conniving bitch. Who does she think she is?"

Hari offered an awkward smile. "She must have a close relationship with Leandro."

It didn't escape her eyes how Yuhee's hands continued wandering.

"I'd rather stay unemployed for my whole life than working for you." Leandro's voice echoed off. It was a little detail Hari couldn't help but notice—how every time he spoke, his voice had a slight, almost imperceptible echoing effect.

You couldn't help but simply listen to him. 

Yuhee whined cutely. She patted Leandro on the shoulder, throwing in a seductive glare his way for more effectiveness. "But Lee-an-dro♡ I know that you're going through financial difficulties. Your parents have been overseas for years!"

"Oh, but they send me an allowance every month." Leandro responded curtly. He grabbed Yuhee's hand, the one that was circling over his bicep, before brushing her off him. "With that, plus my savings, it's enough to support myself for a year in case the worst happens."

"Aigoo~ Leandro. You'll need a job eventually." She hummed, crossing one leg over the other. "What are you going to do when you get yourself a sweet girl to take care of?"

Nari's ears twitched.

Hari fidgeted awkwardly with her shirt as she listened in to their conversation. She hadn't said this out loud but having the pretty CEO drop by all the time made her worried—insecure, even.

Leandro hummed. "I'll stay single for life. Maybe I'll get a cat to keep me company, or a rabbit. Maybe both."

"Eh? Leandro~. That's quite an unfortunate thing to hear from such a handsome young man." Yuhee crossed her arms across her voluptuous chest, cocking her head. 

"Excuse me, Ajumma. Why don't you help us in the kitchen?"

Nari intervened, peeking from the kitchen, a sickeningly sweet smile on her face.

"A-A-Ajumma?!"

Yuhee looked like she had seen her whole world shatter. 

"Yes, Ajumma. I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, Ajumma. But we would really appreciate an extra hand in the kitchen… Ajumma. I hope you don't mind, Ajumma."

Leandro cracked a smile. Nari was on the offensive. 

"You…" Yuhee stood up, her heels clacking as she walked up to Nari. She ran a hand through her hair, exposing a prominent vein that bulged on her forehead. "Haaah. I can't hear what you're saying~ Say it louder." 

Nari didn't back down. She crossed her arms, staring at Yuhee.

Hari momentarily stopped chopping up the vegetables as she worriedly watched the confrontation unfold. 

The intensity of Nari and Yuhee's staredown crackled like the imminent discharge of a Tesla coil. Hari didn't dare to intervene. 

However, right before either of them could speak up and further exacerbate the situation, an arm eased down on their shoulders. A gust of wind would have made more noise than Leandro, who had seemingly appeared out of thin air. 

"Alright, alright. Stop bickering, you're upsetting Hari Noona." Leandro's voice had a steely effect, especially when he was serious, that they couldn't help but loosen up the tension and take a step back. 

Yuhee, in particular, drew herself closer to him. "Hmhm. Since we can't have a peaceful conversation here, why don't we go somewhere more private… your room, for example?" She threw a victorious look at Nari, whose eyes narrowed. 

Leandro came to understand a bit of Yuhee's personality. 

Therefore—

Yuhee gasped when Leandro inched his lips close to her ear, though to an unsuspecting observer, he looked like he had simply leaned in to whisper something.

However, Yuhee could damn well feel a sneaky hand going from the small of her back down to the bouncy hills of her buttocks. His large, rough hand firmly grabbed a handful, with a finger burrowing in, teasingly flicking across her ladyhood. 

She went completely still.

"Yuhee Noona… behave yourself."

Nari blinked, suspicion clear in her eyes. Yet, from her position, she couldn't pinpoint Leandro's hand doing anything inappropriate, not that she expected him to do something like that right in front of her.

Yuhee trembled, squelching back the urge to mewl and move her rump. Leandro's finger dug deeper, sweeping over the moist fabric over her slit. Then, as if to let her seeth in her arousal, he withdrew his hand. 

Quietly, Leandro stuffed his hand into his pocket. Yuhee threw him a dangerous, albeit undoubtedly aroused, look. 

But he simply ignored her as if what just transpired between them didn't happen.

He threw a look to Nari, before briefly glancing in Hari's direction as well.

The sisters had seen every interaction, but fortunately hadn't seen the last bit.

He didn't like to entertain Yuhee like that. But taking the initiative was important when it came to her. Surprise was a critical factor as well. The moment she became aroused and lost focus, the chances of persuading her to something favorable increased by about half. 

Yuhee clamped her legs together, her whole face twitching. And given the massive blush spread across her cheeks, Leandro had to admit she looked incredibly cute. 

And he wouldn't even lie—that feeling, coupled with his frustration and Yuhee's outward beauty and sensuality—fueled him a bit. Despite having a steely grip on his urges, it didn't mean he didn't want to act on them. 

With the apocalypse right around the corner, he didn't want to lose sight of his goal. 

Yuhee heaved a deep breath, grabbed Leandro by the collar, and growled in his face. 

"You…" She smirked, hissing in a tone barely above a whisper. "You piece of shit. You like teasing me? Fine. Fine. This Noona will show you."

Leandro cocked his head sideways, more confused than intimidated. 

"Nari~ Let this Unnie help you and Hari cook!"

Yuhee straightened herself and, grabbing Nari by the wrist, dragged her into the kitchen. 

Leandro blinked, frowning. The look she threw him in passing felt a bit foreboding. 'What is that woman planning?'

...

Contrary to Leandro's prediction, lunch was quite uneventful. Beside some occasional electrifying glare Yuhee and Nari would zap each other with, there wasn't anything worth of note. 

In fact, the rest of the day flew by. After Yuhee bid everyone goodbye, Hari resumed her household chores. Nari went out for her debut practice. And Leandro meditated. 

Less than a year left. He couldn't help but feel a sense of loss that such beautiful peace would be interrupted. Knowing that there wasn't anything else he could do to prepare, waiting had become a monotonous and foreboding event. 

He didn't even consider informing the media or any sort of governmental organization of the apocalypse. 

After all, such action would bring him no benefit. He'd look like a lunatic. 

Hari would probably believe him, though he'd rather not burden her with the knowledge. 

There was always the possibility that someone else could be reincarnated into this universe as well. Someone far more malicious than him and would not hesitate to tear down this world instead of saving it.

Keeping quiet was for the best.

While sitting around and waiting like a duck wasn't conductive, he'd begin to move in earnest the moment he regained a modicum of his former power. 

Leandro heaved a deep sigh as he continued to cycle the photons through his vessel, over and over, in a steady, meticulous rhythm, nurturing and tempering them inside him. By the time the 'integration' disrupted their peaceful days, he'd have amassed a modest yet useful amount of Aura. 

Ah…

He really, really wanted to meet them again. 

The Gods. 

The Council.

Everyone who contributed to his downfall. 

And…

Her.

Leandro's eyes gleamed softly. 'I wonder, will you be able to recognize me? Will you be proud of the person I turned into? Will you apologize? Will you beg me? Will you be the death of me, again?'

He smiled; a cold curl of the lips. He could hardly wait. 

…

A frown marred his face. 

What time was it?

Leandro's senses picked up on something. If there was any malicious intent, he'd have bolted out of bed in an instant. 

Soft footfalls approached. 'Hari?' 

Leandro's eyes fluttered open—just in time as well. The bed sunk a little with added weight. A familiar scent crept onto his senses. Purple eyes stared at him, slightly feral, with a sheen that seemed otherworldly. 

The darkness of the room couldn't conceal her beautiful face.

"Hello Leandro~ Don't worry, this is all just a dream, so go back to sleep."

Leandro could even feel Yuhee's breath brush his nostrils, softly. 

She was wearing a tight, red dress, leaving her plump, fat thighs fully exposed. It was also a low-cut dress, which Yuhee showed off by leaning in more, her juicy tits pressing down on his body.

Oh, and she was straddling him. 

So sneaky was Yuhee that in the time it took Leandro to process everything, she was already looming over him, her curtain of freshly washed hair tickling his face. The pleasant scent was powerful enough to almost make him reconsider actually going back to sleep.

'This is quite nostalgic though…'

Didn't Esmeralda do something similar in his previous life?

The mischievous glint in Yuhee's eyes was so similar to Esmeralda's. Of course, that's where the similarities ended, but Leandro couldn't help but take a hard dive into the ocean of memories. And, for a moment, Esmeralda and Yuhee's faces juxtaposed, like two blurry images coming together. 'I miss her.'

"..."

Yuhee was quite startled when, instead of recoiling, or showing fear, Leandro just gave her a soft smile and brushed a dangling lock of hair off her eyes.

"You shouldn't do something so stupid. Seriously." Leandro began, his fingers tracing the line of her jaw. He wasn't even staring at her, his eyes peering into something that wasn't there. "Dream or not, actions have consequences, you know? Besides…" His thumb grazed over her luscious lips. This time, he properly looked into her eyes. "You might find yourself tangled in a dream you can't escape."

"Fuck." She cursed under her breath, feeling a rush of blood run into her face. The sudden tenderness of his voice caught her off-guard. She gnashed her teeth, not liking how her voice came out a bit strained. "W-What are you saying, idiot?!"