The bridge leading to the stairs bounced with excitement. Even I could tell my footsteps were filled with anticipation.
[Excitement]
[Thump-thump]
The softly opened confession necklace reassured me with its sound.
30 days…it’s a short time, but it also feels long.
It felt long to me.
While I was happy living closely with Ariel, hugging her, I was deeply looking forward to meeting everyone today.
I crossed the corridor and made my way down the central staircase, hopping down the large steps.
I opened my eyes to the sensation of skin lightly tapping against my skin.
Through the gloomy fog, a vivid red color registered in my retina.
“Yeonhwa!”
[Seo-yul!]
In my line of sight stood Yeonhwa, and I could sense Seo-yul through observation and sensations.
Both of them were occupying the sofa in the lobby.
Yeonhwa was leaning back on the sofa with her legs crossed, while Seo-yul was leaning against Elia.
Seeing them both after such a long time brought a big smile to my face.
“I really missed you!”
I hopped closer.
With my now bouncier steps, Yeonhwa, who had a stiff expression, let out a grin.
Looks like she caught on to my excitement from my actions.
Uncrossing her legs, Yeonhwa rose.
I reached out my hand.
And then…
– Whoosh
[Seo-yul!]
“…! Dad!”
“?”
I lifted up Seo-yul, who had been nestled in Elia’s embrace.
Seo-yul’s sullen expression was suddenly replaced by a fleeting smile.
Realizing his reaction only afterward, he hastily tried to regain his composure.
I couldn’t hold back my smile and hugged Seo-yul tightly.
[Ugh, Seo-yul… I missed you so much.]
It wasn’t a lie.
You can’t imagine how much I missed Seo-yul while at the Tower of Knowledge.
Even while raising a child, I felt pathetic and nauseated that I couldn’t spend proper time with him.
But now, standing face-to-face like this, a wave of joy mixed with guilt surged within me.
I rubbed my cheek against Seo-yul’s.
“Hehe.”
The corners of Seo-yul’s mouth twitched.
He pretended to sulk, trying to look pouting…but he couldn’t help but grin in moments like this, and it was simply adorable.
I let out a beaming smile.
Then, while patting Seo-yul’s back, I asked.
[Didn’t you miss me?]
“I missed you sooooo much, ugh…!”
Seo-yul, who answered without thinking, suddenly shut his mouth with his hands.
His pure white eyes rolled around, and he puffed his cheeks with air.
“Pff, pff…”
He tried to hide his laughter while clearly showing he was sulking.
Seeing him overtly signaling that he was sulking made me grin.
It seemed he was truly displeased about me being gone for a month. Which is quite understandable.
[…Seo-yul, want to go out together tomorrow?]
“Yes! …Wait.”
Seo-yul, responding reflexively, covered his mouth with his hands. His wide-open eyes started trembling.
“Haha! Look at that instant reply.”
Elia burst into laughter at his cute antics.
At the sound of giggling, Seo-yul’s cheeks flushed bright red.
That was also so adorable that I rubbed my cheek against him again and watched Elia, who was covering her mouth and giggling.
Elia’s shoulders were shaking as she laughed.
Meanwhile, the pendant hanging from her neck was shaking a little.
‘Hmm.’
Looking at the pendant sitting perfectly around her neck filled me with deep satisfaction.
Even though I just passed it off casually, I felt a similar flutter when Baek Ahrin wore the ring I gave her.
I don’t know how to express it, but it felt as if someone had occupied my room with my belongings.
Either way, it was a lovely feeling.
“Hyul, where should we go? Or should we all go for a picnic?”
[That sounds good too.]
Elia, having stopped giggling, asked, and I nodded positively.
Then Elia tilted her head.
“Hmm, but wait, tomorrow’s a weekday. Aren’t you going to ask about classes?”
[Huh?]
[Elia, don’t you have any classes tomorrow?]
“How did you know?”
Elia’s eyes widened, and she leaned in as she asked.
I also tilted my head and replied.
[You told me while we were debating the subjects to take in the second semester.]
“Oh, Hyul memorized all that?”
[Yes.]
To schedule time together, I had to know other people’s schedules.
So yes, I memorized everything.
Unless there was some separate reason, I thought I remembered it correctly.
Even if there were changes, I could just observe to see what they were doing.
“…Hyul.”
It was then.
Yeonhwa’s voice reached my ears as she had been quiet for a moment.
I turned to her in delight.
“Yes, Yeonhwa…?”
Well, I tried to turn, but—
THUNK! Yeonhwa’s hand blocked my movement.
Suddenly, a warm breath brushed against my ear.
“Eep.”
My body trembled as her breath tickled my ear.
At the same time, I felt her hand sliding up my back, gently caressing my neck.
– Squeeze…
“Whoa…”
Yeonhwa’s grip tightened around my neck.
I instinctively went limp.
My arms felt empty.
Before I knew it, Elia had taken Seo-yul, who was in my arms, into her embrace.
The whole sequence felt as if it were choreographed in an instant.
“……”
As Yeonhwa’s gaze shifted to Elia, Elia shrugged nonchalantly.
In that moment, a strange look passed between them.
A moment later…
Yeonhwa suddenly lifted me effortlessly and sat me on her lap, facing her.
“Y-Yeonhwa…?”
I blinked in bewilderment.
Suddenly being overpowered, losing Seo-yul from my arms, and finding myself seated on Yeonhwa’s lap confused me.
What on earth was happening?
With questions swirling in my mind, I blinked.
“Hmm.”
It was only then I recognized the oddly chilly glint in Yeonhwa’s eyes.
They still sparkled beautifully, but her striking red eyes felt unsettling.
My shoulders subconsciously shrank.
“Yeonhwa… are you mad?”
“No, I’m not mad?”
I cautiously asked, and immediately received an answer.
‘Lie…?’
Although her words denied my question, her body language contradicted it.
A word about lying rose to my throat, but I held it back, reading the atmosphere.
[That’s a lie.]
“Uh.”
The clueless necklace suddenly broke its silence.
I stared wide-eyed, and Yeonhwa’s eyes narrowed.
“Lie? What’s a lie?”
“Uh… um…”
Her hand squeezed my cheek as if molding dough, pushing down on my face.
Why was Yeonhwa acting like this all of a sudden?
I looked around, contemplating the situation.
‘…Did Yeonhwa get jealous too?’
That was the conclusion I reached.
While observing everything, I analyzed Yeonhwa’s unintentional signs of excitement that I had initially overlooked.
Why?
I couldn’t tell.
From the beginning, she’d shown some signs of not connecting well, but it grew more prominent.
The moment I lifted Seo-yul was when it peaked.
‘Jealousy…?’
Yeonhwa felt jealous of Seo-yul…?
Initially, I denied it.
After all, Yeonhwa was an adult, and Seo-yul was just a child.
‘…Or maybe not?’
But then I flipped the script.
After a month apart, Yeonhwa, who hadn’t seen me, must have been disappointed when I hugged Seo-yul before her, showcasing my affection.
I was delighted. Yeonhwa genuinely cared for Seo-yul, which made me feel safe.
Even if I were to perish, I wouldn’t abandon Seo-yul.
…How foolishly possessive I felt! I also wanted to hug him, to rub my cheeks against his…
‘Oh.’
Thinking from her perspective made the jealousy undeniable.
After analyzing everything, my thoughts spiraled.
“Hyul, what are you thinking about?”
“Uhh…”
But at that moment, Yeonhwa caught onto my brief struggle and asked.
I still blinked, caught in her grip.
Yeonhwa was sulking. And I had a decent idea why.
I must have inferred it from lifting Seo-yul first.
What’s the best way to handle this? I’d learned a thing or two.
Typically, during such moments, one would act cute…throw a tantrum.
If I just nestled closer with my face buried in her warmth, Yeonhwa usually calmed down.
In truth, it wasn’t just for her; I wanted to act like that too.
I wanted to bury my face into her embrace, enjoying the warmth and fullness of her body.
I longed to press my nose against her chest, savoring the milky scent that filled the air.
I wanted her to stroke my hair and back, even pat me on the backside…
‘Ugh…’
– Gently…
…But now wasn’t the time for that.
I flinched at the intense gaze of Seo-yul, nestled against Elia.
Seo-yul.
He was my child who believed I was his guardian.
How could I, as his protector, showcase such a disgraceful display in front of him?
‘That can’t happen…’
That was my principle.
Seo-yul was my child. He thought of me as a guardian, so I had to fulfill that role.
As a guardian… I needed to appear reliable so he wouldn’t feel uncertain.
In reality, if you asked whether this stigma still held up? I’d have no words.
That image of being a guardian had been shattered long ago, starting from the time Seo-yul caught me off-guard and started nipping my cheeks.
But still!
I tried my best to appear trustworthy in front of Seo-yul…
And now, to move freely in Yeonhwa’s embrace while Seo-yul was watching…
That was… that was…
“Oh right! I almost forgot about what I brought last time! I rushed to buy those sandwiches when they got popular!”
At that moment, Elia suddenly clapped her hands and shot up. Seo-yul, snug in her arms, went along with her.
“Seo-yul? Want to eat sandwiches with me? I tried one already, and they’re amazing!”
“Yes, yes… oh! But wait, a little later…!”
“Oh, I’ll get some for Yeonhwa and Hyul too! Just a bit…!!”
Elia expertly subdued the squirming Seo-yul and headed toward the restaurant.
Seo-yul’s voice faded away.
Before long, the sound was completely gone.
Silence soon encompassed us.
Which meant… the watching eyes had disappeared.
No one around to tarnish my honor.
“……”
“……”
I subtly raised my eyes, and our glances met—her bright red eyes locking onto mine.
Now what? As if questioning me…
“Y-Yeonhwa…”
I elongated my words, fumbling over my tongue, while feeling too embarrassed to speak.
I reached out my hands.
I wrapped my arms around her back, swaying my hips to draw myself closer.
And then, driven by desire, I buried my face into her milky bosom.
– Sniff-sniff…
[I love the smell of milk…]
The supple sensation and Yeonhwa’s distinct warm body temperature enveloped me.
The rich scent, coiling between her soft body, filled me with a sense of melting bliss.
– Whoosh!
The previously dormant Gop-hwa flared up.
As if it resonated with Yeonhwa’s, Gop-hwa began to thump and pulse, and my shame slowly burned away.
“Yeonhwa… I like you…”
[I like Yeonhwa.]
Mumbling while rubbing my face against her chest, I caught snippets of laughter above.
Her giggling was clearly easing any lingering anger.
With relief that this was the answer, I felt an engrossing urge to act even bolder.
With my chin resting on her chest, I nuzzled against her neck, placing soft kisses while rubbing my face against her exposed skin.
I basked in the warm texture and deepened scent emanating from her tender skin.
With a teasing pat on my backside, I swayed, requesting more…
In any case, recounting the events at the Tower of Knowledge, I clamored to claim the affection I hadn’t felt in the last month.
I soaked in the warmth of love, feeling incredibly dizzy over being cared for, losing myself in a wonderful feeling.
It’s early the next morning, looking forward to more daydreams…
“Hyul, would you like to go out once more?”
“…Where to? To the magic tool creation competition? I’m confident now. I practiced earnestly and came…”
“No? To the cross-dressing competition.”
I couldn’t refute immediately at Yeonhwa’s absurd suggestion.
“…N-No, I don’t want to go…”
“You don’t want to? I want to see Hyul dressed as a girl!”
“Uhh…”
“Then how about this? I’ll also enter the boy’s cross-dressing contest. How about Hyul enter the girl’s contest?”
“Uh, oh… that’s… I really don’t want to…”
“Hmm… is that a no? Really? I was super eager to see it, but I also want to make lasting memories with Hyul…”
Yeonhwa’s gaze pierced through to me.
Within her vivid red eyes danced urgency, hope, desire… and perhaps obsession along with numerous emotions.
“O-Okay, I get it…”
With her gripping my backside insistingently, and overwhelmed by that fervent gaze, I ultimately nodded.
“Really? Thank you, Hyul!”
– Chomp.
“Ehehe…”
Yeonhwa planted a kiss on my lips and pressed her chest against me.
I buried myself into her bosom, grinning bashfully.
Lost in such exquisite sensations, any prior doubts were utterly forgotten.
*
“Damn it.”
[What the hell…!]
When the next day came, I was jolted back to reality.
Holding Seo-yul, I got up and dropped an accidental curse.
Autumn was about to give way to winter.
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