The two walked down the path together.
Even in the middle of the night, the festival’s energy showed no signs of waning.
Seoyeon, seeing the increasing crowd, cautiously spoke up.
“I think we really need to cover our faces properly… What do you think…? It’s not like before… it’s a public space after all…”
“Do as you please.”
The man nodded indifferently.
As Seoyeon looked around, she bought two identical fox masks from a stall and handed one to him. Again, he accepted it without saying a word.
Now wearing matching fox masks, they stepped onto the main street side by side.
“Oh, what do I do…”
Seoyeon had to struggle not to show her racing heart.
“It’s a couple item… I didn’t think much of it when I bought it, but… Haa…”
Only last night could she barely sleep after downing sleeping pills. In that dream, she fantasized hundreds and thousands of times.
Every time she opened her eyes, the emptiness that rushed in was unbearably painful.
She thought it was something that could never happen in reality.
“I thought that was definitely the case…”
Seoyeon tormented herself with the fantasies laid out before her. Wondering if she was still wandering in a dream.
However, with the vivid senses she felt, it didn’t seem like a dream at all.
With a pounding heart, she glanced up at the man. Maybe he was accepting this moment just as joyfully as she was.
“Ah…”
But the moment she saw his unexpectedly stoic face, she felt like she was wilting like paper soaked in rain.
“Is it really… not that joyful for him…?”
Just as her spirit was about to take a dive, she shook her head vigorously, quickly shaking off the gloom.
“No, no…”
She had just managed to turn back the opportunity she missed earlier. Too precious a time to be spent mulling over sadness.
And this time, Seoyeon wanted to cherish this moment, not let it slip away.
Resolute, she looked at the man and asked.
“Um… do you want to head over there?”
“Sure.”
Seoyeon walked shoulder to shoulder with the man, who nodded readily.
Meanwhile, among the bustling crowd, she bumped shoulders and lost her balance.
“Ah…!”
That little balance was trivial enough to regain easily. There had been no real need to bump shoulders at all.
But even as the cobblestones rushed up towards her, Seoyeon displayed no sign of action.
It wasn’t a deliberate ruckus she created. She was simply instinctively trusting someone.
Someone who had stayed by her side all night, watching over her, and even confronted monsters with delicate hands and feet.
And in that moment when she shut her eyes tightly.
What she felt wasn’t the pain of the cold stone pavement but the firm and warm touch of someone’s hand.
“Are you okay?”
A still cold voice. But if he truly was that kind of person, he wouldn’t have taken this action in the first place.
“…Yeah.”
Seoyeon, now with a flush of red, finally nodded hesitantly. Yet inside her heart, a fountain of joy surged forth.
“Indeed, Hyun is… Hyun!”
She could be certain. She was right all along.
Despite the 2 years that had passed, and how incredibly he had changed, even if he was a bit blunt, he was still the boy she once knew.
“Th, thank you…”
Of course, the embarrassment was something she had to deal with.
Seoyeon murmured with an embarrassed voice.
Then, as she tidied herself up, she carefully initiated conversation.
“There are definitely a lot of people… it wasn’t this crowded last year… maybe because it’s coinciding with the founding festival…”
“…”
“It seems like we need some measures. So, um…”
Stammering, she finally voiced her purpose.
“Can I hold your sleeve just a little…?”
Saying to hold hands would sound too obvious, and above all, she thought she couldn’t endure it.
A brief silence followed.
The man, listening to Seoyeon, silently nodded. In response, she smiled brightly and immediately grabbed his sleeve.
“So, shall we go…?”
“…Yes.”
“Hehe…”
Seoyeon shyly laughed and slightly lowered her head. The overwhelming feelings made her dizzy.
There were so many things she wanted to do with him, as abundant as the stars in the sky.
And what lay before her now was truly a magical moment of happiness.
*
Walking side by side, Seoyeon, now relaxed, naturally engaged him in various conversations.
“Speaking of which, how have you been feeling these days…?”
“…Thanks to your concern, I’m okay. And…”
The man, replying to Seoyeon, hesitated and began to speak.
“Thank you.”
“Uh, huh?”
“I heard you didn’t just come to rescue me but even gave me a blood transfusion. I owe you much…”
“Oh, no…! What do you mean grace…!”
Seoyeon vigorously shook her head. However, she could not hide the joy spilling out.
That was something she had done two years ago. A mere blood transfusion, she could do it dozens of times if it were for him. Even if her blood were all drained and turned into a mummy.
Thinking about their blood mixing into one was rather pleasant. It meant they were becoming closer and inseparable.
Of course, whether that was true or not, the man’s gratitude held deep significance.
“…Hmmm. I’m glad.”
Finally collecting her emotions, she spoke again.
“But you still might have some aftereffects, so don’t overdo it… understood?”
“…I will.”
The man nodded softly again.
Soon they arrived at the plaza. Dozens of stalls and performance areas were lined up around the colorful structures set at the center.
Seeing him, Seoyeon’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Wow…!”
He looked at her, in apparent confusion, and asked.
“Aren’t these things you experienced last year?”
“…Uh, no.”
Seoyeon shook her head.
“It’s my first time.”
She had been far too busy building her power and hadn’t really been interested in such things. There was simply no time to care about childish games.
But Seoyeon had finally realized. What mattered was not what you do but who you do it with that’s even more important.
In that sense, now was indeed a perfect moment.
“U-um, should we try that first…? What do you think…?”
Seoyeon pointed to a stall. This time too, the man complied without question. And in the flow of time, their journey continued.
“Hey, look at that couple.”
“They both look amazing…”
“C-couple…!”
Their admiration resonated in the air like the final stroke of a painting. Seoyeon’s face flushed with heat, and she fanned herself repeatedly.
In truth, she didn’t desire riches or fame. She hadn’t been born into such a blessed life.
From before she was even conscious, she was living a life condemned to a limit. Particle hypersensitivity. A frail body unable to accept overflowing talent, born from a condition with no recorded cases of recovery.
At the end of that, her one desire was simple.
To live such a peaceful everyday life with the man by her side eternally.
That hadn’t changed even now, after overcoming the illness.
Of course, she was certain of it.
That it was the power of the love blossomed between them that allowed her to endure the particle hypersensitivity.
– Bang! Boom!
“Oh my!”
Seoyeon, lost in thought, was suddenly startled by the sound of the clock tower’s bells. The cheers of people watching the fireworks soaring into the sky pierced her ears.
“Wow…”
Seoyeon couldn’t help but let her lips part in awe. The colorful sparks felt as if they were blessing them.
Unbeknownst to her, she had curled her arms snugly around the man’s. He too stood still, gazing up at the sky, lost in thought.
“Hehe…”
With a gentle smile, Seoyeon nestled closer to his arm. And again, she thought:
This was indeed a magical, truly perfect moment.
*
The wonderous fireworks display was gradually coming to an end. What remained at the end of the dazzling festival was a slight feeling of emptiness.
To hold onto this lingering sensation, Seoyeon spoke to the man more cheerfully.
“Shall we head over there now? I hear the closing performance is about to start…”
“No.”
“Huh? What?”
But his rejection was firm. Seoyeon, confused, turned to look at him. Then, suddenly remembering something, she checked the clock tower.
11:50 p.m. The magical moment was slipping away like sand scattered by the wind. And what was left in the palm of her hand was merely a handful of sand.
“I think I should be going now.”
“Wait, wait a moment…!”
Seoyeon urgently stopped him, her disappointment and desire warring within her.
If she made too excessive a request, he might refuse her. So she hastily agreed to his words.
But now she felt it was all the more regrettable.
She should have mustered just a bit more courage.
“Um, let’s not do that and stay just a little longer… okay?”
Seoyeon pleaded fervently with the man.
“Just a moment really… just 10 minutes…”
“I’m sorry. I have prior commitments.”
But once again, he shook his head coldly. An uneasy feeling was creeping into Seoyeon as if something were ominous.
Gathering her trembling lips, she forced out her words.
“Is it… Minha?”
“…”
The man maintained his silence. Yet that alone was enough of a response.
She felt all the strength leave her body. And with that, the forgotten rage began to simmer within her.
If it had been someone else as the opponent, she might have swallowed her disappointment and let him go. But there was only one person for whom that was impossible.
The emotion she felt every time she faced her was a distasteful reflection. The innate arrogance of a ruler, deemed a character flaw.
A figure so strikingly similar to her past self that it felt like revealing her innermost emotions.
She still felt yeonminha.
“…that’s it.”
“What did you just say…”
“You’re being deceived.”
A swirl of hurt and anger intertwined. Quite the fuel to incite even a long-buried flame within Seoyeon.
Overcome by impulse, with no time for self-reflection, Seoyeon finally opened her mouth and spoke.
“Minha isn’t the kind of nice girl you think she is. In truth…”
“Stop it.”
“What…?”
“I said stop it.”
Before Seoyeon could even finish, the man interrupted her calmly.
“It’s not pleasant to see someone disparaging others. And…”
He paused for a moment before adding another line.
“I am also aware of the points you mentioned, senior.”
“What do you mean…?”
It was utterly bewildering.
It meant that the man knew very well that yeonminha wasn’t such a good girl after all.
“Ah, even though you know that, you’re still protecting her…? Why on earth…?”
“That’s not your concern.”
Stammering while speaking. Yet the man cut through her words resolutely again.
Now her eyes were beginning to redden. It was unbearable that the man who had always stood by her was now openly defending another woman, leaving her feeling more disappointed than ever.
“What then… what about all I did up until now…?”
Choked with injustice, she felt suffocated. She suppressed her natural arrogance and acted innocent. Every single detail from her long hair, clothing, meals, and even down to each word she spoke had been altered.
Unlike yeonminha who still acted out as she pleased.
“The efforts I made to be someone who would fit in your heart…!”
Furthermore, she was one of the people who ruined their lives. Like Paecheon, she rightfully belonged to those who should vanish.
Why on earth would he wrap around someone like her? The only conclusion she could fathom was that a nice, innocent man had fallen for an evil girl’s seduction.
“They are part of the Jeokhwa family… What have they done…! Once you realize that…!”
“I said stop it.”
Now the man wouldn’t listen to her grievances. Not like before. He anxiously looked at the clock tower and noted the time. Then turned and began walking toward the main building.
“Wait… let me finish…”
“The contract is over. I clearly said I have to go. Now, please stop forcing it…”
As he turned to offer a final farewell, time unraveled at his back, and the noise of a cry born from anger and disappointment stampeded down the alley.
“Why won’t you listen to me…! Minha isn’t the kind of person you think…! She’s worse than the previous me…!”
The echo of her hurting throat faded into a heavy silence that settled in the alley.
The festival’s liveliness had cooled down as if it had never existed.
“Previously… me?”
And with the man’s murmured confusion, Seoyeon belatedly understood the weight of her own words.
“Ah, ah…”
Seoyeon looked with wide eyes at the man’s departing figure. His pupils trembled to a degree where their shapes were indecipherable.
Before she could even finish her words, she covered her mouth with both hands, but it was impossible to take it back.
“No, no… I… I’m…”
Seoyeon pitifully reached out her arms toward the man. He remained still, seemingly frozen in silence.
“You…”
The atmosphere felt heavy, pressing down on her. When the man finally opened his mouth, trembling with his words, there came just one line.
“Did you… know…?”
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