Ruman’s Persuasion – Marshmallow
“What does that mean?”
“Right. What does it mean?”
Ruman suddenly stuck his head out. Surprise! How creepy!
“I mean it literally.”
Why don’t they understand? When I scratched my cheek, Princess Coco shook her head.
“Say it properly. I don’t understand what you mean!”
Ack! My eardrums! Why are you talking so loudly when you’re right next to me? When I rubbed my ears, the princess also blushed slightly, perhaps feeling a bit embarrassed.
Right. It wasn’t on purpose, right? I’ll endure it…!!
“So.”
“So?”
“And then?”
No, why are you repeating what people say like parrots??
Looking at the two people waiting for what comes next, I awkwardly opened my mouth.
“Everyone else has ulterior motives, but hyung has no ulterior motives.”
“……So. Toward who? You?”
“Yeah. Me, right??”
“…….”
“…….”
What. Why is the reaction like this??
“You mean everyone except hyung has ulterior motives toward you?”
“Yeah.”
“You hate others because others always have ulterior motives toward you?”
“Yeah. That’s right. Why??”
Ruman was keeping silent with a serious face, and the princess had an expression of disbelief.
“Don’t you look in a mirror?”
“……??”
“If you hate ulterior motives, you should at least rub your face raw. You should consider yourself fortunate. If your hyung wasn’t a Hero, you would’ve been sold off in no time.”
“What are you talking about. If I don’t rub my face raw, I’ll be sold off?? Are you saying I should be worked like a servant all day long??”
She asked why I like hyung, and now she’s suddenly saying such terrible things!
I already lived like a servant in the village anyway, you know??
I glared, and the princess made an expression of absurdity.
“You don’t understand what I’m say….”
“That’s enough.”
“……Huh!”
The princess stopped talking when Ruman intervened.
“What. Why did you stop talking. Ruman! Why are you interrupting??”
“Sometimes it’s better not to know certain things.”
“Why are you suddenly setting the mood like that?? It’s not cool at all, you know?”
“Haha!”
“Why is he like that….”
I stopped rolling my eyes. Somehow it seemed like the entrance to the tent hyung went into was fluttering. Wasn’t hyung coming out?
“Just go to sleep.”
After confirming the princess had closed her mouth, Ruman went to Sir Del and whispered something.
“How does the young princess know about all such things.”
“Rather, not knowing would be terrible. What could be more dangerous than a naive noble.”
I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it was quite a serious tone.
Even while talking to Sir Del, Ruman looked at me for quite a while.
“Aren’t you leaving?”
Why do you keep sitting next to me?
When I asked Princess Coco, she snorted.
“Did you rent the whole place?”
“The space is wide, and if you’ve asked everything you wanted to ask, now go.”
“So I’m asking if you rented the whole place.”
“…….”
I’m being pushed back right now, aren’t I…. Am I losing this war of words right now!!!
It’s because of hyung. Because I got hit by hyung, my spirit is crushed! I don’t usually lose at things like this!!
When I didn’t reply at all, she held out her hand.
“What.”
“Give me the medicine.”
“…….”
Are you giving it then taking it back this time? If you were going to do this, why did you give it?? I wasn’t planning to apply it anyway, but…. Really petty.
The princess received the medicine container and opened the lid. It smelled like calendula.
She scooped up the transparent solid-form medicine with her finger….
“Ngh!”
She applied the medicine to my cheek.
“It’s really hideous.”
“Leave it! I don’t need… nngh. It hurts!”
“Even your temple is red. It looks like all the capillaries burst. What kind of hand is that big?”
“Are you insulting hyung?”
“Are your ears blocked? Is asking if his hand is big an insult?”
“……It sounds like an insult though.”
The content isn’t the problem! The tone was the problem!
Princess Coco was definitely insulting hyung right now. But why? I was rude to the princess, so hyung scolded me. Then shouldn’t the princess be triumphant?
“The more I see you, the more stupid you seem.”
“…Why do you keep picking fights?”
When I stay quiet, do I look like a sack to people!
When I frowned, the princess’s hand that was applying medicine paused.
“I can’t do things like apologize.”
“Who asked you to?? I’m asking why you keep picking fights. Sorry, but I have a bad personality too, you know?”
Princess Coco’s personality was strangely similar to mine.
That’s probably why I hated her more.
She seems honest but actually isn’t! Getting all worked up and grating on people’s nerves. I couldn’t figure out what she was trying to say at all.
Ah!! To think I’d end up examining my own personality this way!
“Can’t you just roughly understand? Why can’t you understand what I’m saying!”
“Princess, why are you doing this?”
“Ren~ are you fighting?”
Sir Del and Ruman casually approached this way.
No! I was just staying still, but this side picked the fight first!
I kept my mouth tightly shut.
Princess Coco huffed and stood up from her seat. She threw the medicine container at my feet with a thud like before, then turned her body sharply. Her long hair flew and slapped my cheek.
“Ack!”
She paused for a moment but soon huffed and returned to her tent… and I secretly wiped the tears that trickled out.
Getting hit with hair really hurts. Ouch.
When I touched my aching cheek, the sticky medicine clung to it.
“Ugh… she slathered it on thick.”
Squinting my eyes, I picked up the medicine container the princess threw to close the lid, and oh my, the medicine container was half empty!
Does applying a lot make it heal all at once! To scoop and apply it so recklessly like this.
“Did you get a bit closer with the princess?”
“Who? Me?”
“Oh. You even applied medicine. Good boy.”
“……The princess applied it for me though.”
“You got closer!”
“We didn’t though?”
Why are you making a proud expression??
Puffing air into my cheeks in frustration, Ruman poked my cheek again!
“Nngh! I said it hurts! Geez.”
“Kheuk…hehehehe….”
Should I headbutt you? Huh? Should I ram my head too!? When I huffed while glaring at his abdomen, Ruman raised both hands.
“Sorry, sorry.”
“Why are you really. If you do it one more time….”
“I won’t do it. Ren. More than that, it’s my turn now.”
“What is.”
“The princess took my turn.”
“……?”
“Should we have some small talk?”
Saying that, Ruman pulled out a bag from behind his back.
It was a bag full of pure white, squishy, square things.
“……??”
Ruman tore it open, skewered it on a wooden stick, and started roasting it while rotating it over the campfire.
“……!”
It smelled delicious!
A sweet smell that made my heart go soft…!
My eyes met Ruman’s. He held up the white squishy thing (?) with corners charred black and gestured to me.
Gulping down my saliva while staring, Ruman gestured again.
Hesitantly. Hesitantly. Approaching while pretending I couldn’t resist, he handed me the squishy thing.
“It’s a marshmallow. A snack that’s popular in the capital.”
“Marshmallow?”
“It’s hot, so be careful.”
Then, as if showing a demonstration, Ruman bit off the surface of the marshmallow that seemed crisply cooked with his teeth! When Ruman tore off the shell? surface of the marshmallow, inside…! A moist-looking core popped out!
“Woah….”
“Mmm. Delicious. Go ahead and try it.”
I followed Ruman exactly.
When I bit off the surface of the marshmallow with my teeth…!
It’s crispy and sweet…! What is this?!
When I looked at Ruman with wide eyes, he nodded.
“Delicious, right? There’s plenty.”
He grinned and held out that bag I saw earlier.
It was full of white squishy things, marshmallows!
When I popped the moist core into my mouth in one bite, ah it’s hot! It was moist and sticky, clinging to my teeth, but it was delicious!
My eyes flew open!
Enough to forget about the fever from fatigue or cold, and even the cheek I got hit on earlier!
“This, something this delicious… gulp, is a first for me!”
Fuck! How embarrassing!
I unconsciously clenched my fists and spoke as if shouting.
Ruman’s shoulders twitched for a moment, but there was no hint of laughter on his face. Ruman had a face as serious as mine!
“I was surprised when I tried it too.”
“Right!”
I gripped Ruman’s arm tightly. Ruman bit his lips firmly.
We looked at each other and nodded.
Delicious! Deliciooous!
So soft.
It felt like both my tongue and heart were melting.
The cold wind wasn’t cold and my burning cheek didn’t hurt. Night had fallen before I knew it.
In the dim night, only Ruman and I, who were on night watch, were awake.
Sir Del was dozing off standing while leaning against a tree in front of the tent Princess Coco had entered, and Temarr hyung still hadn’t come out. Would he come out when it’s time to switch shifts?
I ate plenty of marshmallows so my stomach was a bit bloated, but it was bearable.
I ate something delicious, so I can’t throw up!
While licking and gnawing on the macaron Ruman gave me, I was intoxicated by the sleepiness that kept washing over me and the sweetness. Sleep was sweet and the macaron was sweet too!
“You were born and raised in that village, right?”
“……Yeah.”
It was a question that gently pushed away the sweetness.
Why is he asking?
Ruman was staring at the gaps between the dense trees as if it meant nothing.
Hmm. Does he just want to make small talk?
Ah! Heroes always have to be tense, so is he doing this to relieve tension??
Mm.
I looked at the marshmallow bag I’d completely emptied and the macaron I was holding.
“Are you close with the medicine shop old man, ahem. Old man?”
Ruman’s voice sounded more familiar than during the day.
Right! A person can’t just eat and wipe their mouth clean. Only bad people do that! Like those ahjussis who made me clean up after fixing the window and gate, saying I messed up the house while fixing it!!
“Ren?”
Getting worked up alone at old memories, Ruman only rolled his eyes to look at me.
“Well. I am closest with the medicine shop old man.”
Suppressing my grumpy voice, I answered readily.
“Oh. I see. How did you become close?”
“How? Well, I oft….”
“……?”
…en went to see him because I was sick.
I almost said it! I snapped wide awake.
