Dinner smelled like redemption.
Garlic, sesame oil, slow-boiled broth.A quiet kitchen. Two bowls. Two spoons. One landlady.
She handed me a bowl, avoiding eye contact.
"Don't slurp. It's disrespectful."
"Even if it's soul-healing soup made by the most beautiful landlady in the universe?"
She didn't reply.But her ears turned pink.
Progress.
We ate in silence for a bit.Not the awkward kind.
The we've been through things but maybe we're okay now kind.
The kind that lets soup speak louder than apologies.
"You're quiet tonight," I said.
"Tired," she replied, sipping gently."Lots of laundry. And… other things."
"Like worrying about idiot tenants?"
"Like cleaning wine off the guest plates."
Oof.
[SYSTEM: PAIN RECEIVED – EMOTIONAL DEBT REMAINS]
REPAIR PROGRESS: 61%
YOU'RE CLOSE. DON'T RUIN IT.
"For what it's worth…" I said, voice softer now."If I could go back and choose again, I'd stay for soup."
That did it.
A breath. A pause.
Then, the faintest smile again.
"Next time, bring dessert."
She stood to clear the bowls. I rose too.
"You don't need to—"
"Let me help," I said."I'm not just here for cultivation and cleavage anymore."
She choked on a laugh.It was music.
We washed dishes side by side. Hands brushing once. Twice.
The air warmed.
Maybe something would've happened.Maybe the moment would've tilted toward something more intimate.
But then—
Ding-dong.
The doorbell.
Ms. Seo froze.Glanced at the clock.
"She's early."
"Who?"
"New tenant. I told her to come tomorrow."
She wiped her hands and stepped into the hall. I followed instinctively.
The door opened.
And the world got quieter.
Standing there was a woman in her late 30s, maybe early 40s. Tall. Graceful. A black turtleneck clinging to a body sculpted by power yoga and quiet danger.
Her hair was silver at the edges, tied in a high bun.Her lips were painted blood-red.Her gaze? Piercing.
"I'm early," she said smoothly."Hope that's not a problem."
"Not at all," Ms. Seo said with a practiced smile."You're Ms. Eun?"
"Eun Hae," she confirmed, stepping inside with the calm confidence of a woman who's ended wars by blinking.
"This is Min-jae," Ms. Seo added, nodding toward me."One of our tenants."
Her eyes flicked to me.
And then I felt it.
Pressure.
Thick. Lingering. Yin-heavy.
My chest tightened. My head spun.
[SYSTEM ALERT: YIN SURGE DETECTED]
ENTITY: EUN HAE
CLASS: "DORMANT CULTIVATOR – HIGH YIN CLASS"
DANGER LEVEL: UNKNOWN
SEXUAL COMPATIBILITY: 98% – WARNING: AROUSAL LIKELY UPON EXTENDED EXPOSURE
"Pleasure," she said, eyes not leaving mine.
"Y-Yeah. Hi. I'm—soup. I mean Min-jae. Tenant. You know."
She smiled — the kind that could dismantle empires and unzip pants.
"I'm sure we'll see each other around."
She followed Ms. Seo toward her new room.
I stood frozen in the hallway, system pulsing like an overworked heart monitor.
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
NEW QUEST CHAIN UNLOCKED: "THE FROZEN FLAME – EUN HAE ARC"
OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE THREE INTERACTIONS WITHOUT LOSING CONTROL
REWARD: UNKNOWN — EXTREMELY HIGH POTENTIAL
WARNING: THIS MILF MAY NOT PLAY BY THE SAME RULES. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.
Ms. Seo returned a minute later.
"She's staying for a month," she said quietly.
"She feels... strong," I muttered.
"She is."
I glanced at her.
"Do you know her?"
"We trained together. Years ago."
A beat.
"She's here for a reason. And I don't think it's just rent."
[SYSTEM DANGER DETECTED]
MILF DENSITY IN COMPLEX: 300% ABOVE AVERAGE
YOU ARE NOW OFFICIALLY IN A "MILF CONVERGENCE ZONE"
Fantastic.
I fixed a lightbulb, earned back a smile, and now I'm being spiritually stalked by a turtleneck goddess with killer lips.
I might've been out of wine…
But the pressure was rising again.