“You…!”
Si-yul jumped up from his seat in shock.
Hae-in, wearing clothes several sizes too big for her, was sending his heart rate into chaos.
Completely unaware of the effect she was having, she stood right in front of him with a bright smile, as if expecting praise.
“See? I came in human form.”
“Why are you wearing that? What about your own clothes…?”
Si-yul forced himself to calm his wildly thudding heart and looked her over piece by piece.
The oversized T-shirt hanging off her shoulders was his, and the sweatpants were probably Tae-il’s.
They were the kind of comfortable pants you throw on for a quick run to the convenience store.
In any case, both pieces were absurdly large on her.
Too big. Way too big. Her shoulders are completely exposed!
He’d always thought tight clothing was dangerous, but apparently, loose clothing could be just as provocative.
Because it made painfully clear just how small her body was—and how easily she could fit into his arms.
“I hid all my clothes under the bed, remember?”
“…So just wear those?”
“Hmph. And what if you catch me changing? You’re so dirty-minded.”
Even if he was her boyfriend, it didn’t mean she could just let him see her completely undressed.
Hae-in thought she was perfectly covered. She hadn’t considered that oversized men’s clothing could be even more provocative.
Wearing clothes too big for her might make her look silly, but sexy? That never crossed her mind.
Besides, she’d thrown them on in a hurry without thinking about how they looked. It’s not like she was going outside anyway.
“What if Tae-il sees you?”
“It’s fine! If I sense him waking up, I’ll just transform again.”
Still, speaking in a whisper just in case, Hae-in stepped closer to Si-yul.
“I have good ears, you know.”
With a sweet smile on her face, she crawled onto the bed on all fours—knees and hands—like a cat.
But there was nothing innocent about it.
It felt dangerously tempting, seductively bold—and Si-yul’s throat went dry. At least, it did if you were a healthy adult man.
“…Still.”
Hae-in wore a smug grin, but Si-yul could only let out a dissatisfied groan.
He was genuinely concerned.
This version of Hae-in should belong to him—and him alone.
He didn’t want Tae-il to see her like this in human form either. The mere idea of having to share this side of her made him feel violently possessive.
And since he had introduced her as his younger sister, he couldn’t even stake his claim in front of Tae-il.
“What? You don’t like it?”
“It’s not that I don’t like it…”
“But you wouldn’t listen to me.”
Hae-in pouted her lips.
He’d looked sulky earlier, so she had taken the risk of transforming just to cheer him up—but now he looked displeased.
To her, Si-yul looked like he was holding something in.
His brow twitched slightly, as if something was bothering him.
“Kang… Are you sulking because I kept talking about Tae-il?”
“…”
Si-yul was good at hiding his feelings, which is why she had to ask outright. She leaned in close, right up to his face.
Are you mad? Hmm? Is that it?
Her eyes sparkled with relentless curiosity.
How she could say so much with just a look, was a mystery in itself—but if Hae-in had a signature trait, it was how transparently her emotions showed on her face.
Normally, a man would flinch or look away. But Si-yul’s expression didn’t change one bit.
After a moment of silence, he admitted it.
“…Yeah. I’m sulking.”
His reply was curt and half-hearted.
But strangely, he looked… cute.
Hae-in had never seen this side of him before. It made her both amused and guilty—but mostly, she couldn’t stop smiling.
“Wow. That really doesn’t suit you.”
“I don’t usually act like this, you know. But you’ve been too much lately.”
“That’s why I came to apologize.”
“…Apologize, huh. You’re just going to talk about Tae-il again.”
“So, you’re not going to listen?”
It would’ve been a lie to say she wasn’t annoying—but the crescent shape of her smiling eyes was so close, and her teasing voice so powerful, it left him completely disarmed.
Maybe he’d lost his sense of distance, but he couldn’t bring himself to push her away when she snuggled up beside him like it was nothing.
No matter how pointless her stories were, no matter how ridiculous her pleas, as long as she smiled at him like this—he was utterly helpless.
“…Fine. I give up.”
“So you’ll listen?”
Would he just listen? Even if she spouted ancient proverbs, they’d probably sound like lyrics to him now.
With that unmistakably happy face, she reached out to him, blinking her dark eyes as if it were only natural he’d hold her hand.
He felt like he could become her willing slave.
“How did I end up like this…? Fine. What do you want to say?”
“Kang, what do you think?”
“About what?”
“Lee Ha-eun.”
Si-yul agreed to listen, but his face clearly said he didn’t care. Having the only person she could talk to be this uncooperative frustrated Hae-in to no end.
“I don’t get why this is such a big deal…”
“It is a big deal!”
“It’s annoying, so I’d rather not get involved—but I do agree. Lee Ha-eun definitely has feelings for Shin Tae-il.”
“Right?! You see it too, don’t you?”
So it’s not just me!
Hae-in’s eyes sparkled even brighter. Si-yul, unimpressed, pointed out the obvious.
“So what do you want?”
“What do I want?”
“Let’s say Ha-eun likes Tae-il too. So what do you want to do about it?”
“…If there’s a misunderstanding between them, I want to clear it up. I want them to be happy together.”
“Have you forgotten? Ha-eun is engaged.”
“But still! Liking someone is…”
“Sure, she might like Tae-il. But she might also be the kind of woman who likes two men at once.”
“Is that… even possible?”
That possibility had never even crossed her mind! Hae-in froze, her expression turning serious.
She had thought it was only natural for Tae-il and Ha-eun to end up together if they liked each other.
To marry someone else while having feelings for another seemed wrong.
“Why not? Love triangles exist in the real world. Not all relationships are as pure as you think they are.”
“…Kang, are you saying you’d two-time someone too?”
That scary feeling in her chest came from exactly that fear. Si-yul looked like he’d heard something he wasn’t meant to.
“…Why are you twisting it like that? I couldn’t do that. Neither could you. But the point is, we don’t really know Ha-eun. So, we have to consider the possibility.”
“I never thought of it like that.”
“Exactly. Which is why we shouldn’t meddle in other people’s love lives. Relationship dynamics can be more complicated than they seem.”
“I see…”
With a thud, Hae-in collapsed face-first onto the bed, completely drained.
Only now did she realize how naively she had been thinking. Si-yul was the adult; she was just a kid.
“I get that it’s hard for you to sit still, considering your personality. But there’s really nothing we can do.”
“…I just wanted to help. He’s given me so much… I’ve only ever received from him.”
“You need to draw the line somewhere. Maybe she liked both men and chose her fiancé in the end.”
The more Si-yul spoke, the more disheartened she felt.
She had sensed something strange between Tae-il and Ha-eun—something she couldn’t quite identify—and she had wanted to help.
She’d felt sorry for them, not realizing how much they liked each other.
Looking back now, it made her feel foolish.
Right… I guess it was needless interference. Adults have their own reasons.
Hae-in despaired over how utterly clueless she was when it came to love. So clueless that it made her feel sorry for Si-yul.
This poor guy—teaching me everything, one step at a time!
“By the way, did you lock the door?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I guess we can sleep together like this.”
“…No, we can’t!”
This opportunist! He never misses a beat!
“Then just stay with me. Until I fall asleep, at least.”
“…Isn’t that kind of inappropriate?”
Isn’t this crossing into R-rated territory?
Hae-in seriously considered running for it.
And her face betrayed her thoughts all too clearly—but there was no way Si-yul was going to miss this chance.
“It’s fine. I’m your boyfriend, remember?”
Which pretty much translates to: “Don’t you trust your oppa?”
Hae-in’s experience with romance was stuck in kindergarten-level playdates, but even a preschooler would know Si-yul was dangerous.
“That’s exactly why it feels more dangerous…”
“That’s not fair. I always listen to you with my whole heart, but all you ever do is think about running away—or talk about Tae-il. Do I need to sulk again?”
“…Ugh.”
“Alright then, how about this—I promise I won’t do anything pervy.”
He really had a knack for turning the most obvious things into negotiation points.
And Hae-in, for her part, had a knack for falling for it every time.
“O-okay. But only if you promise! Really—no pervy stuff, got it?”
“Of course. I’m a gentleman. But you have to promise too.”
“Promise what?”
“You’ll stay with me. Until I fall asleep.”
Si-yul held out his hand, and Hae-in nodded, linking her pinky with his. His hand was so much bigger than hers—it felt strangely reassuring.
For now, she felt like she could trust him.
Though she was slow to open up, childish, and overly guarded, she was secretly grateful that Si-yul always met her where she was.
…For about an hour.
________✧⑅˖♡∘˚˳°↝^._.^_________
“Hey, are you not asleep yet?”
“Weird. I can’t seem to fall asleep.”
Even though they were huddled under the same blanket, she couldn’t find peace of mind—not like this.
But still, it was strange that Si-yul hadn’t fallen asleep after all these hours.
It wasn’t until dawn that Hae-in realized the truth.
“…Can’t you at least try to sleep?”
He wasn’t even touching her. Just lying next to her and fidgeting a little. Was that really enough to keep him awake all night?
“If I fall asleep… you’ll leave.”
“You have work in the morning…”
“It’s fine. Opportunities like this don’t come around often.”
Just the way he looked at her—so relaxed—was enough to make her feel unbearably self-conscious.
Those loving eyes of his made her feel as though something indecent had already happened.
She kept getting that itchy, restless feeling—like she was being touched all over.
She wanted to escape from this unbearable sensation as fast as possible.
“I… I need to go. My master will be awake soon.”
“Is it that late already?”
“Late” was an understatement—they’d stayed up with their eyes open for more than five hours.
Hae-in figured she had fulfilled her promise.
She tried to sneak out from under the blanket, but Si-yul grabbed her arm before she could.
Half her body was still on the bed, the other half dangling off.
“I want to ask you something.”
“Yeah?”
“…Do you want Tae-il to go to Africa or not?”
Why did he sound so cautious?
Tae-il’s trip to Africa was a huge deal—for both Si-yul and Hae-in.
After all, their daily lives would change entirely. Si-yul probably wouldn’t be able to stay in this house anymore either.
After a moment of hesitation, Hae-in answered honestly.
“…I hope he goes.”
“That’s surprising. I thought you’d want him to stay.”
“This way… he won’t have to see Ha-eun. Honestly, I think he’ll leave because he can’t stand seeing her get married. Like he’s running away.”
“Leaving you behind.”
“I’ll be okay. I have you.”
That, he hadn’t expected. Si-yul had to fight the smile that was twitching at his lips.
“And remember what I said? That I’d eventually have to leave—that no one can be with anyone forever.”
“…That’s…”
“So even if Tae-il leaves, I won’t stop him. We’re going to part ways eventually anyway.”
She wanted to say, “We’re people who’ll part someday,” but the words caught in her throat.
Unable to speak, Hae-in let out a bitter little laugh instead.
She turned her body—about to get off the bed—but instead leaned toward Si-yul.
She knelt before him, gently placing her hand on his stiff cheek.
That single touch from her was enough to snuff out Si-yul’s smile. It didn’t make him happy at all.
If she was going to talk about leaving while caressing him, it just felt like pity. And it only made him quietly, steadily angry.
“Kang, I honestly… don’t know much about love. I’ve never loved anyone with my whole heart. So I know I’m clumsy and probably frustrating… I’m sorry.”
“Then don’t talk about leaving.”
Si-yul sat up, gripping her wrist tightly. The hand that had caressed his cheek was now firmly trapped.
But even then, the anxiety didn’t fade.
This girl—who smiled so sweetly one moment and made him feel crazily insecure the next—what was he supposed to do with her?
“…When people date, they’re sometimes only together for a month or two, right? I think I’d like that for us too.”
“What are you saying?”
“I want to be just one of your many girlfriends. So later, when you think of me… it won’t hurt.”
He had been about to get angry.
But when Hae-in spoke, almost in tears, he found himself completely incapable of it.
“If I disappear, don’t wait for me. I might vanish without warning… without even saying goodbye. But don’t hate me. Just… if I’m gone, meet someone else.”
What was he supposed to do when she said things like that with such a frightened face?
He couldn’t even get mad.
Si-yul could do nothing but twist his expression in frustration.
“Good. If you’re going to disappear, then don’t say goodbye. Just go. Then I’ll have no choice but to wait.”
“…Idiot! That’s not fair to you! You should get married and, uh, date other girls—”
“You know, in this world… no guy worries about the next girl when he’s dating someone he really loves.”
It didn’t hurt. Even though he was gripping her wrist hard enough to make it tremble, Hae-in only saw the seriousness in his face.
She only heard the love he was trying to teach her.
“You always believe that the woman you’re with… is the last one.”
