7. Human or Good Man (3)
It was a memory from a day not that long ago.
Lumine, I, and Paymon were on their way to Liyue. I thought there might be a pack of wolves attacking me, but it was just a case of rain. Now that I think about it, the fact that I was leaving for a commercial trip was information that was treated with utmost secrecy. Moreover, the number of people traveling up was a small group of three, including me. As the scale of commercial activity decreases, tracking becomes more difficult, and it is unlikely that people with that level of skill are common, so it was only natural.
Because there were no setbacks, the initially somewhat hectic schedule gradually became more relaxed. It was my first trip with Lumine in a long time. I also wanted to enjoy this feeling for the first time in a long time a little more. Lumine and Paimon also seemed excited at the fact that the three of them were together. Paimon, who had always been talkative, became a little more talkative, and Lumine smiled more often.
Then one day, while walking down the street, I came across a statue of a rock god. It was a stone statue modeled after the rock god Morax, the great god who rules Liyue. Morax had the appearance of a solemn man. He was looking down at the world with his hood pulled down, and that alone seemed to give him a sense of majesty.
This was when the rock statue and Lumine first encountered each other. The power of the rock element flowed from the rock god statue and was sucked into Lumine’s body. This was the moment Lumine gained access to her second elemental power.
It was a miraculous sight. The golden brilliance flowing from the jewel of the rock god seeps into Lumine. Because it was night, it seemed as if the starlight was gathering together to form a group. Of course, the beauty of Lumine, located in the center, also played a part in the spectacular view. She, who was attended to by the group of lights, was so beautiful that she seemed like a princess of light.
It was a great achievement. In fact, this alone was worth bringing Lumine to Liyue. Lumine is probably the only person in the entire Tibat Continent who can control the power of two elements at the same time.
Now all that was needed was time for Lumine to become accustomed to the rock element. While Lumine tried out her newly acquired rock elemental powers a few times, I set up camp around the rock statue. Installation was quick thanks to the power of the ‘backpack’. Still, there was still time left to prepare and wait for the meal, so Lumine and Paimon returned shortly after.
Lumine looked slightly excited. Apparently, she was quite satisfied with her newfound powers. She even regained some of her lost strength, she said. I was also happy to hear that Lumine was good.
Although I already knew the answer, I dared to ask Lumine. This was because she wanted to give Lumine a chance to show off her newly acquired powers.
“How was it?”
“Um… good.”
Lumine’s sentiments were simple. But there was no need to say anything more than that in the first place. Because her words contained all of her sentiments. I offered Lumine a seat with her eyes. Three small chairs were arranged around the bonfire. These were all items from my ‘backpack’.
As Lumine sat down in her seat, she added her words in a playful tone.
“I’m especially glad that I don’t have to worry about Paymon’s share of food anymore.”
At those words, Paimon’s eyes turned to Lumine. Until then, Paimon was swallowing his saliva and waiting for me to hand out the food. Paimon immediately crossed his arms and spoke in a dissatisfied voice.
“Hey, traveler. “No matter how much I am, I can’t eat rocks.”
After those words, Lumine and I looked at Paimon in confusion. Is it really true? In fact, Paimon’s disguise was as mysterious as Paimon’s existence itself. Being able to eat more than its own size is directly defying the laws of physics.
So, I couldn’t help but wonder if I could eat stones. Of course, it was only half a joke, but Paimon’s face immediately turned pale when he felt my gaze. As if she felt aggrieved, she squeezed her small hand tightly and let out a loud noise.
“…… “It’s real!!!”
Although there was such a small incident, Paimon’s dissatisfaction soon subsided. Because the meal had begun. After handing her a generous portion of Paymon’s share of the dish, Paymon immediately accepted her bowl with an expectant expression on his face. Paimon’s eyes began to sparkle again.
Today’s menu was ‘Jaeun Pepper Chicken’. If I had to compare it, I could say it was ‘cold chicken dish.’ It was a recipe handed down from Master Myo the last time I went to Manmindang, and as expected from Manmindang cuisine, it was spicy with pickled peppers, but had an impressive clean aftertaste.
It took quite a long time to make ‘Jeun Pepper Chicken’. First, prepare the bird meat and steam it with spices. During this process, the odor from the meat is blown away, and the meat becomes fragrant and savory. Then, tear the steamed bird meat into pieces and leave it to cool.
The point to be careful at this time was to tear the meat into appropriate sizes. If you tear it too finely, you won’t be able to feel the texture of the bird meat properly, but if you tear it too coarsely, there is a risk that the dry texture will be unpleasant. So it was important to get a sense of what the ‘right size’ was. I didn’t have to worry too much about it since the ‘cooking’ function was assisting me anyway.
Then, based on the broth from the bird meat, a sauce with various flavors is made with mustard, sugar, soy sauce, and spices. Jeolun pepper, which can be said to be the core of ‘Jeun pepper chicken’, could not be left out. By the time the deep flavor of the broth embraces the scent of sour mustard and the subtle spicy scent of pickled peppers rises, the sauce is also complete.
What was left was a time of waiting. The better the bird meat can be cooled in as cold a place as possible. This was because the meat became more resilient. This was a somewhat awkward problem since we were not in a kitchen, but the ‘cooking’ function solved even that. An unidentified force instantly cooled the chicken and sauce. It was an incredibly convenient feature.
Now all I had to do was to finish it off. Just before distributing the food to Lumine and Paimon, I sprinkled the sauce on it and seasoned it with the chilled bird meat. This was to preserve the texture and taste of the bird meat as much as possible. The feel of the springy bird meat was felt through the gloves. It was a pleasant touch. It will probably give you such a pleasant texture in your mouth. I was already looking forward to it.
[Completion]
[Delicious Chili Pepper Chicken] X4
Because Paimon eats so much, I made one more serving. As soon as I took the bowl of ‘Jeun Red Pepper Chicken’ seasoned with special sauce, its unique scent tickled my nose. A unique feeling that combines sour and spicy scents well. It was a scent that stimulated the taste buds even before eating.
There was no reason to delay any longer. We started eating right away. Lumine and Paimon, who were not used to using chopsticks, used forks, and I used chopsticks to pick up the first piece. The elastic texture that I could feel even through the chopsticks, and immediately a piece of bird meat disappeared into my mouth.
The first thing I felt was the scent. The pungent scent of mustard and the tangy yet sour taste stimulated the salivary glands. And when you start chewing the meat, you can finally feel the true taste of ‘Jeun Pepper Chicken’. The boiled bird meat was soaked in broth and retained its deep, savory flavor. This was because it was seasoned with sauce right before eating. And most of all, I was impressed by the chewy texture and the pleasure it gave me from the slight resistance I felt when I touched it. The more you chew, the more the savory taste and sour scent come together, and the subtle spicy taste cleanses the aftertaste.
It was a dish that was perfect as an appetizer. That’s how much ‘Jeun Pepper Chicken’ had the power to whet the appetite. Paimon, who was otherwise a good eater, began to swallow his food hungrily. Lumine was also eating in silence.
It was after the meal that the silence was finally broken. After eating two servings, Paimon made a “Whoa” Sound and rubbed his stomach as if he was satisfied. A faint sense of satisfaction was also visible on Lumine’s face. She said with a slight smile.
“Your skills are still the same, Siwoo. “In the past, I thought you were an aspirant to the pillars.”
“…… “No, I’m quite capable now?”
I said that with a wry smile at her Lumine joke. I remember having this conversation once, and it felt nostalgic. I have grown so much that there is no comparison between the person I was then and the person I am now. This was the case if we only looked at the aspects of social status and wealth. However, in front of Lumine, and in front of my first companion, I was still ‘Siwoo’, alone on the continent of Tivat, sobbing and crying.
I didn’t know why Lumine was even more obsessed with me. When I first landed on the Tivat continent, I was so lost that I thought I might die somewhere if I took my eyes off me even a little. If Lumine had not devotedly protected me at that time, I would probably have become a nameless tomb, let alone the owner of the caravan.
So Lumine was precious to me. She couldn’t help but be precious. When she lost everything and was left alone, Rumi was the only one who stayed by my side. As I was so immersed in memories, it was inevitable that we would talk. It was a heated discussion in which even the talkative Paymon participated.
When you’re with someone, you end up having at least one album. Of course, it wasn’t a book I could hold in my hand. Nonetheless, the album existed. When someone takes out a page, Lumine breathes life into that photo. Paimon drew the background, and I wrote the dialogue. Before I knew it, the album had become a collection of activity photos. We shared memories for a while, as if we were watching a movie. It was a fun time.
There were a few laughs, a few jokes, and a few bumps. It was already late at night. Paimon yawned and looked sleepy. It was now time for the little child to go to bed. Although there was some debate as to whether Paimon was a child.
“Whoaam… I’m going to go to sleep now, Siwoo. And the traveler… ….”
Paimon slowly expressed his intention to go to sleep. Then he quietly approached Rumi and started nudging her side with his elbow.
“…… “How about going for a walk with Siwoo?”
“Uh, huh?”
Lumine must have never imagined such an offer, and she stuttered in surprise. However, Paimon only urged Lumine further with a sinister smile.
“Well, you two aren’t sleepy yet, are you? “I’m sorry for disturbing the two of you, so I’ll just go to bed!”
With those words, Paimon flew away and disappeared inside the tent. As he said, he seemed to be thinking of going to sleep. Rumine stared blankly at that for a moment, but then she turned her gaze to me. Lumine slightly averted his gaze. Her face turned a little red.
It seemed difficult to say that we should go for a walk alone. Is it because Paimon spoke in a strange tone? But to me it was just cute. If you think about it, it would be more embarrassing to be held in my arms every day than to go for a walk alone.
The girl’s sensitivity was sometimes incomprehensible. Before Lumine hesitated any longer, I asked with a slight smile.
“Lumine, should we go for a walk?”
Lumine seemed a little surprised by my words, and looked at me with her eyes wide. But that was only for a moment. Lumine immediately cleared her throat and tried to answer calmly.
“…… “Is that so?”
The night walk that started like that went smoothly. All I wanted to do was walk along the river and enjoy the late-night atmosphere. That alone was enough. When I walked alone with Lumine, I always felt warm inside. Of course, an uninvited guest came by once.
The Chuchu tribe, one of the representative monsters of the Tibat continent. A few of them, possessing a primitive level of civilization, came to the river to drink water, found me and Lumine, and threatened us.
But there was no way a few Chuchus could be Lumine’s opponent. Before I could say anything, the wind blew past me. The rushing new type of Lumine drew a straight line, leaving an afterimage. A gust of wind and the surging sword of Lumine scattered the cold metal light.
It was an instant. The neck of one Chuchu tribe was pierced, and as Lumine’s sword drew a semicircle as if dancing, it blew off the head of the Chuchu tribe nearby. Next, Lumine stepped forward. At that moment, a pillar of solid rock protruded from the ground, and there was no way the weak Chuchu tribe could resist its physical force. The body of a Chuchu race leapt up, emitting a dull impact sound.
There wasn’t even blood on Lumine’s clothes. Lumine thoughtlessly struck down the Sky Sword diagonally. The spirit of the famous sword did not even allow blood to remain on its body. With a thud, blood splattered on the ground, leaving traces of a lost life.
And then the leaden sword, Lumine, stood in the moonlight amidst his corpses. Lumine asked me with a grin.
“Are you okay, Siwoo?”
The sight was breathtakingly beautiful, but in another sense, there was something about it that made the man’s heart beat. If I make Lumine too angry, I’ll die. As I thought about this while sweating, I ended up with a bitter smile on my face. Come to think of it, I’ve been making Lumine very angry these days.
Lumine is very obsessive. However, she was originally a woman with a just heart. When she saw people in crisis, she couldn’t ignore them, and if there were people in trouble, she would go out of her way to help them. She was a kind, playful, and even more lovely girl.
But as soon as I was involved, Lumine became a different person. Of course, she couldn’t help but wonder how cruel a good girl like Lumine would become if she changed, but the sight of Lumine sometimes arguing with her Fissle and Mona gave her a cold feeling that made her heart tremble. That was her way of expressing affection, and it was also her weakness. She lost her precious family once, and another aspect created by her obsession that she doesn’t want to lose anything anymore.
It was because it was clumsy. Her girlish fear, that no one but her brother had ever cherished her like this, the thought of possible abandonment would suddenly strike her heart every time her significant other’s gaze turned to someone else. I think I felt the same way when I was in her first relationship.
Of course, Lumine was that bad, but I approached her with that thought in mind. I didn’t care if her Luminee was among her corpses. I patted her Lumine’s shoulder.
“…… Are you okay, Rumine?”
I asked her Lumine with mixed feelings. For the girl who was left alone and didn’t mind killing something. Or, for a girl who was so lonely that she couldn’t bear it without holding on to something. Otherwise, it was a consolation she offered for a girl who might have been hurt.
Lumine stopped breathing for a moment at my question, then looked at me without saying anything, and then.
“…… Joe, do you think it’s a little difficult?”
She pretended to be having a hard time for no reason and acted harshly. I couldn’t help but giggle and laugh. Because it was such a cute act for a girl who slaughtered a gang of Chuchu tribesmen in just a few seconds. Rumine must have sensed that fact, too, as she blushed and avoided her gaze. But I had no intention of making fun of Lumine.
I squeezed Lumine’s hand that was holding her sword. A warm and soft sensation. Lumine was still avoiding her gaze as if embarrassed, but she did not shake off my hand.
“Then shall we go for a walk again?”
“…… Huh.”
The night walk with Lumine ended only when the Manseo Guesthouse was seen in the distance. The building climbing up a tall tree and the dimly lit lights showed the popularity of Mangseo Gaekjan, which was crowded with customers even in the middle of the night.
This is where I once saw Mona and the night sky, and I also got some of my recipes from there. It was one of the places I always stopped by as a halfway point whenever I left for Liyue.
I was probably going to stay there tomorrow. I explained to Lumine about the ruined guesthouse. Stories about which dish is the most delicious or that the night view from the top is famous. Lumine quietly listened to my story with a faint smile on her face.
Lumine listened to my story for a while and then looked up at the night sky. Then he suddenly said one word.
“…… “Something has changed.”
Now it was my turn to listen. I remained silent and waited for Lumine to continue speaking. My eyes also turned to the night sky.
“In the past, the world we saw was the same… “Si-woo doesn’t know what I don’t know, and I knew what Si-woo knows.”
“That’s right.”
If you think about it, it was like that. When I went with Lumine, we shared all our experiences. However, I left for Liyue to travel upland, and Lumine stayed in Mond to continue the trip. It was inevitable that our worlds would be different.
I glanced closely at Lumine. Lumine was just looking up at the sky without saying a word, so it was difficult for him to guess her intentions.
“…… “So you don’t like it?”
“Ugh, no.”
Lumine answered my question immediately. Shaking his head, he turned his scarlet eyes towards me. Lumine was beautiful as always. A warm, yet slightly lonely smile.
“I was just a little surprised. In the past, Siwoo felt like he was hitting a wall a little more. “Even if you come closer, you’ll retreat back before you know it.”
Chuck, I cleared my throat. It was only then that I had no choice but to do so. In fact, it was still like that. Because there was a choice called reality for me. How difficult is it to throw away those regrets? Even now, whenever I prepare for an attack by the Chuchu people, I miss the peaceful life in Korea. At least there I didn’t have to worry about losing my life to a monster.
And there were people there who were precious to me. I lost my parents, but I also had relatives and a teacher. And my close friends might also be worried about me.
From Noble mtl dot com
Lumine smiled as I slightly averted my gaze. It was a soft smile.
“…… But these days, Siwoo seems to have become a little more proactive. “So that’s just what I thought.”
A lot of my walls have been torn down these days. Rather, it felt too disorganized. The last time I negotiated with Signora, I was thinking about giving up on real life. Lumine and Mond were important to me. Nevertheless, although I couldn’t completely shake off my regrets, it was true that I felt much more at ease.
I thought that the appearance might feel unfamiliar to Lumine. Maybe that’s why I didn’t like it, but I became a little anxious. I don’t know why I was anxious, but a question suddenly escaped my throat.
“…… So?”
It was an implicit question. Since I didn’t know what I wanted, my language had no choice but to be unrefined. Even though it was a question that was so vague that I couldn’t even tell what kind of answer it wanted, Lumine didn’t blame me. I just turned my gaze back to the sky. Her quiet voice continued.
“I’m confused.”
Just one word, but the moment I heard it, my breath stopped for a moment. Lumine looked up at the sky without saying anything, then turned her gaze to me. She slowly tilted her upper body towards me. It smelled like flowers. I couldn’t tell if it was Lumine’s scent or something else.
“…… “What should I do, and how does Siwoo feel?”
Our eyes meet. I felt like I was going to be possessed. It was just the two of us. In a place where no one was around, there was a lovely girl so close that their breaths mingled. I would be lying if I said my heart wasn’t racing.
I barely, really barely, looked away. Even as I looked up at the quiet night sky, my heart did not calm down.
“Lumine.”
I called her name. I felt Lumine’s eyes on me. In the end, I had no choice but to declare surrender in a sighing voice.
“…… My feelings haven’t changed. “Then and now.”
And then silence came. Neither I nor Lumine said anything. I felt my face turn a little red. Something made me feel ashamed to look at her luminous face, so I continued her speech without even looking at her luminous face.
“You are the most precious. “It always has been that way, and it probably always will be that way.”
My heart trembled a little as I said that. I didn’t even know it was because it’s been a while since I said this. “Whoa,” I took a deep breath. Only then did I feel like my stomach would sink.
“But… wait a munite.”
I knew it was rude. Even though I was criticized for being a trash man, I couldn’t help it. Still, I wasn’t confident in making a choice yet. That’s all, I parted my lips once again to relieve my troubled heart.
“Not yet for me… ….”
But my words could not continue. It was because there was a sweet scent.
The warmth touched me. I felt a soft touch on my cheek, and I held my breath because I couldn’t understand the situation for a moment.
The moment I recognized that touch, my eyes immediately turned to Lumine. It was a stupid look. Lumine’s face was already getting closer to her. Her lumine retreated with her eyes closed, and then she froze, as if she had finally come to her senses.
“…… Ah.”
The sound that came out of Lumine’s lips was full of embarrassment. She was as stiff and elastic as she was. It felt like she didn’t understand what was happening.
I was equally embarrassed. I couldn’t find anything to say. The only word that comes to mind is her name.
“…… Lumine?”
“Ah, ah… ….”
Lumine stuttered her words like a broken robot. My bewildered gaze and Lumine’s frozen gaze were mixed. There was silence for a while. What broke the silence was Lumine’s voice. Lumine’s eyes began to spin as her voice stuttered, searching for an answer, and she went too far with shame.
This is a dangerous development. As a self-proclaimed Lumine expert, I sensed an ominous future ahead.
“Well, so…” Si, Siu?”
I thought I should calm Lumine down first. At most, it was just a kiss on the cheek. It was nothing to be ashamed of. To be honest, I felt good, and I thought it would be nice to receive it in the future. We’re not even in a relationship yet, but I felt like such trash for dreaming about something like that, so I held back.
My hand was placed on Lumine’s shoulder. Lumine’s body flinched and trembled. Lumine’s face was as hot as it could get. I could almost feel a gentle heat.
“Lumine, calm down first… ….”
However, Lumine showed no signs of calming down. Lumine lowered his head and then raised his body. My hand, which had been placed on his shoulder, also naturally fell away.
“Bah, bah, what happened just now…” “Forget this.”
The voice was so full of shame that I couldn’t even say anything. Lumine immediately turned his body and started running. As she ran away, she hallucinated white steam rising above her head. He seemed very embarrassed.
I rubbed her cheek with my finger, looking dazed. It didn’t feel real. That shy Rumi, you kissed her.
While I was immersed in such a pleasant afterglow, I suddenly remembered one thing I had forgotten.
“I should take you too, Lumine…” ….”
How scary is the night on the Tivat continent? After a while, Lumine finally realized her mistake and returned to me with her face bright red again, so I was able to arrive at the camp safely. And from then on, whenever I said anything, Lumine was busy flinching, trembling, and running away.
It was cute, but… I guess I’ll have to do something soon.
My worries were deepening day by day. Time passes like that, leading to the present.
**
Lumine opened her eyes. Soft bed, soft blanket. It was a bedroom with nothing that was not luxurious. So every time Lumine opened her eyes in this dorm, she always thought of Siwoo. Then, for no reason, her heart started pounding and she felt grateful to the world for sending Si-woo to her side.
But what came the next moment was an unbearable shame. Memories from a while ago unfolded like a film in Lumine’s mind. The shining moonlight, the quiet surroundings, and the man with her blushing face looking up at the night sky. The first love that Lumine cannot help but love.
The words, “You are the most precious,” Were stuck in her heart, and Lumine couldn’t breathe. She just stared at the profile of her man’s face as if fascinated. Her heart pounded, and her unknown excitement throbbed from her fingertips and toes, paralyzing her luminous thoughts.
Good. Just those two words filled Lumine’s heart and mind. A desire that even she could not understand boiled over. Lumine was driven by an abstract sense of wanting to achieve her love right away. It was then that Luminee, who was looking at Siwoo with her hazy gaze, made a move.
Lumine’s lips touched her man’s cheek. It was an act like instinct. She just wanted to express her affection somehow, a thought that dominated Lumine for a moment. At least because of Lumine’s lack of knowledge about relationships, it only ended with her kissing.
I was embarrassed. Feeling ashamed even thinking about it again, Lumine patted her precious pillow. She cried every morning.
“…… “It’s ruined.”
I’m ruined, how can I look at Siwoo now that I’m embarrassed? Siwoo seemed to have something to say, but Lumine was so anxious that he couldn’t bear it.
Siwoo was still hitting the wall. I didn’t know what he was thinking. Is it a lingering feeling about the world Siwoo lived in, or a lingering feeling about a relationship that cannot be broken? In my heart, I wanted to put Siwoo’s mind at ease by getting rid of all the enemies that Lumine hated, but I couldn’t do that.
Because I knew. Siwoo was a person who treated precious people with respect. On days when Siwoo started to hate her, Lumine was not confident that she could live with a sane mind. Siwoo was another family member of Lumine. Maybe he was more than that.
It was Siwoo whom I cherished so much. However, Lumine tried to force herself over the wall he was hitting. If Siwoo feels rejected by her and avoids her, what should her Lumine do? Just thinking about it made me depressed. Lumine sighed heavily, her face half buried in her pillow.
There was no point in thinking about it. The ‘Cheongshin Rite’ was today. Lumine got her mind together again. As time passes, things will work out somehow.
Yes, Siwoo said I am the most precious.
When she thinks of those words again, Lumine feels dazed, but when the memory of her kiss that follows comes to her, she is startled and shakes her head with a blush on her face. It was.
No, no, no. Today was an important day. A day when we might be able to get clues about Lumine’s lost family, her brother.
Lumine woke up Paimon, who was still sleeping soundly in her, and even as Paimon let out her yawn, Lumine began to fly after her in her sleep. After finishing grooming Siu in case she ran into him, Lumine went down to the first floor.
Siwoo was waiting there. These days, he was busy with work so he often didn’t show his face, but he seemed to have been waiting because he knew that today was the Cheongsin Ceremony. Rumine lowered her face in both joy and shame.
The memory of that day came back to me again. Siwoo asked with a gentle smile as always.
“Did you sleep well, Lumine?”
“…… “Uh, huh.”
In response to her Lumine’s timid response, her partner poked her Lumine’s side in frustration. It meant being more proactive in improving relationships. But she didn’t have the courage to do that to Lumine. What if Siwoo hits a higher wall? There was no way.
“Is today ‘Cheongshin Rite’?”
“…… Yeah, that’s why I have to go quickly. See you later?”
Then, seeing Lumine walking stiffly, Siwoo let out a long sigh. Siwoo stood up. Lumine, who was so distracted by the rising shame, didn’t even know Siwoo was approaching. So the next moment, her Lumine eyes widened.
With a hook, her man’s arm pulled her Lumine away. At that moment, Lumine was being held in her man’s arms. It smelled like Siwoo. Lumine’s heart, which had stopped, began to beat after a while. The moment Lumine’s eyes were about to look up at her man’s face.
With a tap, an unfamiliar touch was felt on Lumine’s forehead. A tickling yet pleasant texture. Lumine’s thoughts stopped.
Lumine slowly lifted her head and looked up at her man’s face. Siwoo was smiling, saying he couldn’t stop him. He said one word in a sighing voice.
“…… “You’re an accomplice now, right?”
Lumine swallowed her breath. She had a dazed look on her face, and she could only stare blankly at Si-woo. At this moment, even the talkative Paimon was just watching Lumine and Siu with his eyes wide open and his mouth covered with both hands.
Siwoo watched the scene for a moment and then released his arm that was holding Lumine. And then he began to take his steps. It was a leisurely step.
“I’m busy today too, so I’ll just go to work. Have a safe trip.”
Si-woo, who was about to open the door and go out, stopped. Then he glanced back again and looked at Lumine. Lumine just stared blankly at the back of Siwoo leaving.
“…… Oh, and. “Don’t be awkward from tonight onwards.”
And in the end, Siwoo left. Since today was the Cheongsin Ceremony, Siwoo would have a lot of work to do. He thought so, but Lumine’s thinking still couldn’t catch up with reality. The silence in the dorm was broken when Paimon, who had been frozen, began to move again.
Paimon looked very surprised. Her little mouth opened.
“…… “What, what, what, what happened?!”
Paimon couldn’t believe it. How could this frustrating couple, especially Siwoo, who seemed so insensitive, engage in skinship so casually! But whether Paimon was shocked or not, Lumine just absentmindedly touched her forehead.
“…… “It’s ruined.”
Lumine muttered like that. Her pounding heart, her fluttering heart, were speaking.
She got better. She thought it couldn’t be so.
So that day became one of her happiest mornings for Lumine. However, there was one fact that neither Shiu, Lumine, nor even Paimon, who was watching them, knew.
It was the morning before a breakup for a while.
Events always happened on important days. Li Yue’s ‘Cheongsin Ritual’, all the stories were flowing there. It’s like a dam that doesn’t know when to burst.