TCBUP 13

Chapter 13. A Clueless Fool

“…It’s a bit shabby, but the food’s decent. You can eat alone without anyone giving you weird looks or paying attention, so it should be comfortable.”

“It does seem that way.”

I glanced at the small restaurant he pointed to, a little weary.

But Nox didn’t seem to care. He kept introducing—or rather, briefing me—on restaurants, cafes, and shops.

He listed everything clearly: price ranges, meals suitable for one person, size, atmosphere, even discount times like happy hour.

When he talked about vegetable stores, fruit shops, and butchers, he included tips like which ones had the freshest produce or when to go to get things cheaper.

As someone who just moved in today, all of this was priceless information. But it was far from what I imagined.

I had pictured a peaceful date: taking a walk, having small talk, stopping for a break at a nice café.

But Nox, in a flat lecture-like tone, continued his explanations as if he were teaching a class.

“Oh, and that bakery over there…”

Clearly, this wasn’t just today.

I had been busy moving since this morning and was already exhausted.

Anyone would be frazzled and tired on moving day—he should know that. And yet…

‘You’ve never dated before, have you, Nox?’

I’d suspected it, but now I was sure. He must’ve done nothing but study and work his whole life.

Well, becoming the youngest professor at the Academy isn’t something you can achieve if you’re busy dating on the side.

Sigh. This is going to take some work.

For a while, I stayed busy fleshing out the idea I had proposed to Nox.

Using the project as an excuse, I often visited his office so we could spend time in the same space.

On the days he had to go out to follow up on something important, I used my own busyness as an excuse to finally tackle the tiny garden I’d been putting off.

“…Am I imagining things, or is there really no progress?”

I paused, hand frozen on the trowel digging into the dirt.

I’d spent quite a bit of time with Nox, and yet… that soft, fluttery feeling never came.

“Again.”

“Again?!”

I couldn’t help but blurt out my dismay.

We were creating an investment brochure based on my idea—his suggestion—but this was already the 26th version.

“My clients have been through many investments. This level of writing won’t persuade them.”

“But still…”

I pouted, fiddling with the pages of the brochure.

Of course, I wanted this investment to succeed more than anyone.

But after so many sleepless nights fixing things based on Nox’s critiques, to have this version rejected again… it felt like the sky was falling.

Especially since I had been confident about this one.

“And fix the typos too. These are well-educated clients. Even a typo can hurt your credibility.”

“……”

So I wiped my tears and turned back to create the 27th version of the investment guide.

By tomorrow.

“I can’t even tell if I’m trying to seduce a man or prove my competence to my boss.”

I stabbed the dirt with my trowel, frustrated.

This garden was supposed to be a way to refresh myself. But my mind was filled with how to improve version 27.

The seedlings were still lying outside the soil, waiting for me to finally plant them.

“Are you gardening?”

Startled by the voice over the fence, I looked up to see Nox waving at me.

Had he already returned from his errands?

Crap. I haven’t even started version 27.

‘No, wait. I’m not working right now. Nox isn’t my boss—he’s the male lead.’

Still crouching with the trowel, I quickly smiled and stood up to greet him.

I rushed to open the white gate.

“Welcome back. You finished early?”

“Yes, things went smoothly.”

“I see. Come in.”

Just like I’d grown familiar with his space, he now entered mine without hesitation.

That alone was progress, I comforted myself as I guided him to the small outdoor table I’d set up for breaks.

“What are you planting?”

“Tomatoes. Oh, and potatoes and onions too.”

“…So it’s a vegetable garden.”

“Of course. Who has time to admire flowers? This is emergency food. In case I run out of money, at least I won’t starve.”

Wearing a dirt-stained apron and holding a trowel, I replied seriously.

Pfft. He chuckled, and I suddenly felt a little embarrassed, hiding the trowel behind my back.

“Need a hand? Looks like you haven’t started yet.”

“Can you?”

“I did this a lot as a kid. I’ll show you how it’s done. You have to plant them right if you want them to grow well.”

He got up confidently, but I wasn’t sure I trusted him.

He said the same thing on moving day and just got in the way.

‘Is he going to kill my precious emergency crops before they even bear fruit?’

Despite my concerns, he crouched down in the garden—no, the vegetable patch—and skillfully dug little holes.

Then he carefully placed the tomato seedlings and covered them with soil.

I hadn’t expected much, but Nox quickly filled a whole row with neatly planted tomatoes.

They stood in a perfectly straight line, not a seedling out of place.

“Now, potatoes.”

He moved on, grabbing the box of seed potatoes.

I followed behind, watching him sort through the good ones with my chin resting in my hand.

After lining them up, he dug again.

“Let’s do it together.”

I boldly picked up a seed potato.

We planted onions and lettuce too.

It was work, but under the warm sunlight, it felt like we were kids playing in the dirt.

“Wow, we finished already. I’ll give you some later as payment.”

“Then I’ll gladly accept.”

“You must be thirsty. I’ll get you something to drink.”

I got up first, brushing the dirt off my apron and skirt.

Nox, still sitting, clapped the dirt off his gloves and tried to stand.

“Ah—ugh.”

But he suddenly collapsed backward with a thud.

Seeing him unable to get up, I rushed over.

“Are you okay?”

“Cramp—my leg…”

He was clutching his leg, trembling.

I immediately grabbed his leg and started massaging.

Every time I pressed, he let out a small, pained groan.

“I told you to exercise.”

“I’m busy… ngh.”

“Spit on your finger and rub your nose. Three times. It might help.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

Grumbling from the pain, he still did it.

But it didn’t help at all.

Getting desperate, he bent forward to massage his own leg—and our foreheads bumped.

Bonk.

“……”

We’d sat just as close when reviewing investment proposals, but still.

His long hair tickled my cheek, and when our hands overlapped on his leg, I felt… odd.

“Huuu… This isn’t… ngh… helping.”

“Stop making weird noises.”

“It’s not… on purpose.”

He groaned in protest. I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Well, at least he’s coherent now.

“Come on. I’ll help you up.”

I supported his arm and helped him to a chair.

He dragged his stiff leg and sat down with a wince still on his face.

“Sigh. This isn’t why I came—I had something to discuss.”

“What is it?”

For once, the usually sharp-spoken Nox hesitated.

He glanced at me, opened his mouth, hesitated again—then finally spoke.

“I found a new investor.”

“Wow, that’s great! I was just about to start recruiting.”

“But the investor… is Duke Ortiz.”