Regrets in life are unavoidable.
Life is a series of choices.
Choosing one often means letting go of another, that’s just how it works.
While there could be a better choice out there, the lingering attachment to the unchosen path is just something we have to deal with.
– Tap tap tap tap…
“Damn.”
I’m surrounded by intense regret.
From the moment I woke up early in the morning, trying to escape regret by focusing on cooking right now.
Yesterday’s events are just so regrettable…
“Ugh…”
This is ridiculous.
I didn’t even drink yesterday.
Not a sip or even a drop touched my lips.
Of course, I did kiss Hong Yeon-hwa, but… we didn’t swap tongues.
But how could my reason be so clouded? It defies common sense.
“Could it be that I really just got tipsy from the smell? I’m the kind of guy who can’t even smell it…?”
The exact reason remains a mystery.
However, what I did is forever imprinted on my mind, hands, and face.
– Slurp…
The dough in my hands keeps changing shape.
While I’m preparing a meal, I’m whipping up some bread dough for dipping in soup.
‘……’
That huge chunk of dough keeps changing in my grasp.
As I squeeze, knead, and press it, memories of yesterday’s sensations keep flooding back.
Much softer than this dough, and filled with richness that couldn’t fit in my palm.
Just rubbing against it eased the pain and fear…
“Ahh…”
[Ugh!]
Lost in kneading the dough, I jumped at the sudden presence coming from the stairs.
I quickly grabbed the dough that floated in the air.
“Oof… It’s been a while since I drank, so my stomach feels a bit queasy…”
The source of the presence was Professor Liana.
She covered her mouth with her palm and strode down the stairs.
Her lively green eyes soon settled on me.
“……”
[……]
Professor Liana, with her palm covering her mouth, froze.
I, having caught the dough, also froze.
A strange silence flowed between us.
“Um, um… You woke up early, huh?”
After a moment, Professor Liana, whose cheeks turned bright red, averted her gaze slightly.
I nodded quickly at her awkwardly opened mouth.
[Yes, yes, yes…]
Fortunately, her voice didn’t carry any rejection.
Though the formality was a bit stiff, I wouldn’t oppose it in this situation.
Professor Liana stepped closer. I restrained my trembling body.
“How are you feeling? Any aches, or a headache…?”
[No, I’m fine.]
I persistently nodded my head up and down to assure her of my well-being.
My raised hand felt sore.
It was a heavy toll on my body from the eager training and the stress that comes with using my circuits.
Moreover, focusing so much felt like my nerves were being torn apart.
My head ached.
Now that I can observe broadly, I’m practicing to expand my range even further with precision.
[I’m fine.]
I’m okay.
I can manage everything along with my daily life.
Even if I use some mana to check up on my body, the circuits look fine on the outside, so there’s no concern.
“Well, that’s a relief. I’ve been feeling queasy since I haven’t drunk in a while.”
[Ah, just wait a moment.]
[I’ll serve you first, Professor.]
“Hm… Given that it’s getting late, wouldn’t it be nice to eat together?”
[Ah, yes.]
The conversation came to a halt.
Soon, the only sound was the bubbling of the soup simmering on a low flame.
In that eerie silence, my mind briefly turned.
Professor Liana’s gaze, fixed on me, felt a bit prickly.
“Goodness.”
While I was momentarily twitching, Professor Liana let out a long sigh.
Startled by the sound, I flinched, and Professor Liana took a decisive step forward.
Her long legs closed the distance.
Suddenly, the shadow looming over me made my shoulders shrink.
Professor Liana approached me, silently looking down before she suddenly raised her hand.
And…
“It’s alright.”
She gently placed it on my head.
“You’re looking like a puppy that did something wrong, worrying about making someone sad… It’s really fine…”
As her calm hand stroked down my head, my stiff body slowly relaxed.
Eventually, Professor Liana softly smiled and pulled me into her embrace.
At that action, the unease that had taken up residence in my heart disappeared.
I wrapped my arms around her slim waist tightly and buried my face deeper into her embrace.
[Ughhh…]
“Haha, look at you acting all spoiled.”
I could hear her giggling.
Admittedly, a bit embarrassed by her words about my behavior, I still didn’t pull away my face from her embrace.
“Oh dear, were you scared of getting in trouble all by yourself? It’s okay, with this much…”
Professor Liana just chuckled and didn’t let me go.
Looking at me with a gaze as if watching something cute, she petted my head and patted my back.
For a while, we were surrounded by the sound of the soup bubbling, and I poured out my worries like a spoiled child.
“By the way, you really have quite the drinking habits.”
In the midst of this, Professor Liana suddenly mumbled a remark that seemed to pop into her head, causing me to flinch.
The emotions mixed with her gaze digging into my crown increased.
It felt as if she were looking at a mischievous child.
“You get tipsy real easily. How can you get drunk without even drinking… It’s quite fascinating. And your drinking habits are so… hmm? Quite inappropriate.”
[Ugh…]
My body twisted. I really didn’t want to hear about that…
“Did you enjoy being touched? You kept fidgeting and rubbing.”
[Wait…!]
“When you were completely below me, hiding your face, rubbing and sniffing… squeezing tighter… Ugh.”
[Oops…!]
But Professor Liana seemed to have other ideas, bringing up the topic over and over.
Her sweet whispers in my ear were kind, but the content was quite different.
As if caught in a spell, my body started squirming.
Professor Liana held me tightly, whispering those shocking topics into my ear.
“So from now on, let’s avoid both drinking and drinking events, okay?”
Roughly ten minutes later, she finally brought such a conclusion to light.
Supporting my limp form, she lightly patted my back as she continued.
“From now on, let’s avoid drinking events as much as possible. And if we must, let’s take along an adult like me… a guardian.”
[…An adult?]
“An adult like me. Someone who can stop you from getting drunk and can handle anything if you do. Understand?”
An adult.
Someone warm like Professor Liana, and trustworthy like a mentor.
Someone who can take responsibility for themselves and those around them.
“Now, a promise.”
She extended her pinky right in front of me.
I blinked a couple of times at it.
Professor Liana quietly awaited my action.
After mulling it over for a moment, I decided to slowly extend my own pinky.
“Good.”
Our pinkies intertwined.
Then, we bent them and gave them a firm shake.
“Did we make a promise? To be careful about drinking events from now on?”
A pinky promise.
A sort of custom shared among many cultures.
Doing it for real is my first time.
It’s a tradition I’ve seen quite often in various internet media.
The first time I saw this pinky promise scene was…
When a mother playfully made one with her child.
[…Yes.]
“Good boy.”
Professor Liana, her lips curling into a gentle smile, patted my bottom.
Feeling strange at that, I buried my face deeper in her embrace.
[…If you’re still queasy, should I mix in some honey water for you?]
“No, I’m fine.”
Shaking her head, Professor Liana lowered her head and buried her nose in my hair.
– Sigh… Hah…
“… This is enough.”
The warmth of her breath, buried in my hair, made my body flinch.
.
.
.
Today, thankfully being the weekend, I didn’t wake those who’d overindulged too early.
So, I finished preparing breakfast leisurely.
As it approached lunchtime, they began trickling down from their rooms.
Everyone seemed a bit sluggish, truly suffering from a hangover.
“Oof, my back…”
“Phew…”
Among them, Hong Yeon-hwa and the mentor looked particularly hungover.
Both were quite disheveled, their movements somehow unstable.
‘…If they drank that much, this seems normal, right?’
I made a wry expression.
While cleaning up the room where the drinking party was held, just how many bottles had I collected?
I had set up various drinks so that it wouldn’t be lacking, but I didn’t expect them to finish them all.
There were many around that I felt would make me lose my senses upon tasting even a single drop…
I suddenly realized how much these superhumans could drink.
‘Did they use their mana to drink them? If they didn’t… oh boy.’
I subconsciously shook my head.
“Everyone seems out of it~”
Then, I flinched as a cool presence followed behind those two.
“Good morning, Ha-yul.”
Baek Ahrin waved at me with a bright smile.
She didn’t seem to suffer from a hangover at all.
Her outfit looked different from yesterday.
Instead of a white dress, she was in a black short-sleeve and shorts.
It seems she pulled out her loungewear from her share of belongings.
– Really… By the way, you told them not to spill anything, yet you just took it for yourself… So now I have nothing to wear today?
‘…….’
Suddenly, yesterday’s comments came to mind.
Also, thoughts flitted back to the items still shoved into the spatial pocket.
[Yes.]
[Good morning!]
I nodded fervently, desperately restraining the observation that wanted to peer underneath her outfit.
[You all should eat first.]
I prepared the meal as a hangover cure, anticipating their somewhat dazed state.
…Honestly, I’d never had a hangover cure before, but I looked up what was considered good for it.
A few loaves of bread, some tomato soup, assorted meats for those who prefer them.
And for those who mainly eat rice, I made some bone soup.
I even prepared other options in case this doesn’t suit their tastes.
[Ah, How was your sleep, Senior?]
At that moment, I noticed Choi Ji-yeon finally making her way sluggishly down the stairs.
“Hah! Oh, yes! Yes… I slept… well…!”
[?]
Instead of greeting me with her late morning cheer, she suddenly jumped up in alarm.
Surprised by her intense reaction, I focused my gaze on her as she timidly glanced around and cautiously uttered her greeting.
‘What’s going on?’
Choi Ji-yeon looked utterly exhausted.
She seemed worn out, her spirit visibly drained.
The shadows under her eyes had darkened.
She looked as if she had used immense mental energy.
I tilted my head in confusion.
“Ah, yes… Thank you…”
Choi Ji-yeon’s strange behavior didn’t end there.
Whenever I approached, she would jump in surprise.
While nibbling at the meat from the bone soup she’d grabbed, she would glance around the table and appear to be troubled, only to suddenly blush alone…
“Hey, what’s wrong? Do you need something?”
“Hmm? Ah, no?”
The strange behavior was so noticeable that even Hong Yeon-hwa tilted her head in confusion.
[Ji-yeon,]
[Could we talk for a moment after the meal?]
“Yes, yes… understood…”
Once more, Choi Ji-yeon flinched at my call.
She responded quietly with her mouth full of chopsticks, glancing around timidly.
.
.
.
After finishing the meal, I led Choi Ji-yeon to the park on the estate grounds.
[Ta-da!]
And then, I lifted Seo-yul high up in the air so that she could see him.
“……”
“……?”
Choi Ji-yeon tilted her head.
Her expression said, “What on earth are you doing?”
[Seo-yul?]
I was just as astonished.
I’d told him to wait, but Seo-yul hadn’t moved.
“Hmph…”
[Oh dear…]
Seo-yul was sulking from this morning.
He had buried his nose into my body the moment I woke up and strangely rubbed against me, and had since been acting quite strangely.
After a while of odd behavior, he had now turned into a sulk.
[Seo-yul… be a good boy, okay? Let’s just do this once and go back.]
“Hmph.”
As I coaxed and calmed him, he finally turned his head away again.
But thankfully, perhaps feeling a bit relieved, he went along with my plan.
At that moment, mana surged, and vibrant multicolored wings erupted from Seo-yul’s back through his clothes.
They were the colorful wings of a fairy.
Choi Ji-yeon, who had already entered the protective barrier as the Taesan Clan’s heir, should recognize this.
“Just as I thought….”
[?]
Choi Ji-yeon nodded as if to say she understood.
Not surprise but comprehension.
Looking almost as if she was saying “As expected.”
“Ah, I already expected it.”
[When?]
“Um… Since yesterday when I heard it from the spirit before going out. The hair color and the aura around you felt weird, and I figured out I was right when I saw the spirit snuggling up to you.”
[Aah…]
I nodded, understanding where she was coming from.
Since she’s closely related to nature, it wasn’t surprising Choi Ji-yeon could decipher it.
She probably knows a lot more about fairies than I do.
‘…So she guessed that I’m presumably a fairy too?’
“Then, do you need information about fairies, Senior?”
[Yes, exactly.]
Though I felt a hint of doubt, I nodded vigorously.
[And I have another request… as well.]
“Another request?”
[Yes, Seo-yul… ]
“Phew…”
Choi Ji-yeon tilted her head, coaxing out Seo-yul’s gentle nature.
The little guy, who appeared unwilling at first, reluctantly shifted into the house, bearing a pout as he flew off.
“I’ll have to go and calm him down soon…”
And just like that, only Choi Ji-yeon and I remained in the park.
Choi Ji-yeon seemed somewhat awkward being left alone with me, and her eyes darted around, looking carefully.
She seemed to try to hide it, but I could easily tell through my observations.
“…Of course. I’ll gladly fulfill any requests from the benefactor of Taesan. I’ll make sure it’s done.”
A moment later, Choi Ji-yeon turned to look at me, her expression resolute.
Benefactor of Taesan.
Though I hadn’t intended to convey that title, it felt oddly nice in this context.
‘Sigh…’
I confirmed that Seo-yul had genuinely flown off far enough before I activated my necklace.
[If…]
I paused momentarily.
There was hesitation in my voice.
Perhaps I shouldn’t say this…
Though she refers to me as a benefactor, it doesn’t mean I’m forging deep ties with Choi Ji-yeon.
Moreover, the future is uncertain.
I hope such a future won’t come to pass.
I assertively resist against it, but still, if this happens…
[If I were to die… would you be able to help Seo-yul?]
But ensuring that is like setting up a backup plan.
In a case where I dive in like a moth to a flame, at least I wished for Taesan, with its considerable knowledge of fairies, to keep an eye on Seo-yul.
These were the thoughts I carried as I activated the necklace, but…
“…Who’s dying?”
Choi Ji-yeon’s face went rigid.
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