“I’m the one who taught Sihyeon how to communicate with the world. That makes me his guardian.”
“By that logic, I’m the one who saved his life. Do you not know that he’s alive because I chose to protect him instead of attacking him?”
“That’s a choice anyone would have made — it didn’t have to be you specifically, Moon Seyoung. You know as well as anyone why we care about him so deeply — the fact that he was human, and yet he was classified among the specimens and placed in the middle of monsters. You know it better than most, so why are you acting like this?”
“You just can’t stand the thought of anyone else getting close. So desperate to keep him all to yourself.”
“I believe that’s my line.”
The argument that had looked like it might go on forever came to a halt when a cute little squeak—! rang out from inside the dining area. Both of them stopped dead, and their expressions shifted in opposite directions.
Moon Seyoung caught on immediately, let out a pleased little hmm through her nose, and turned back toward the dining area with a grin — and Baek Hyunwoo moved quickly to block her path.
“Don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“You were about to go in there and say something unnecessary, weren’t you?”
“Unnecessary? I simply want to share some memories with Sihyeon.”
For the love of — that’s exactly what unnecessary means.
Baek Hyunwoo ground his teeth together and forced the corners of his mouth upward.
“Sihyeon doesn’t know anything.”
“He doesn’t know — so I think someone should tell him.”
“Moon Seyoung.”
“No, so what — I finally get to see Sihyeon after so long and I’m not allowed to talk with him or follow along? That’s incredibly unfair.”
In other words: give up one or the other. Baek Hyunwoo clenched his fist. He didn’t want Moon Seyoung coming along. But he wanted her revealing everything even less. If Baek Sihyeon cried and said he hated him — his chest would cave in completely, and he felt he’d lose his reason to keep going.
“Make up your mind quickly. What’s it going to be?”
“Hah…….”
“Is this really something that needs this much deliberation? You were the one who built an environment where Sihyeon was bound to become attached in the first place.”
Right. He’d known Sihyeon would grow attached — of course he had. But there was a world of difference between growing attached and falling for someone at first sight. If Sihyeon actually confessed to Moon Seyoung one day…… damn it, he didn’t even want to picture it.
“Are we going?”
“Fine! Fine, I get it. Hah……. You can come along. But there are conditions.”
“What conditions?”
“Under no circumstances — no matter what happens — are you to tell him anything about the past or the current situation.”
Moon Seyoung nodded at his words, though she looked somewhat taken aback.
“Anything at all?”
“Yes. Anything at all. The lab, the zombies — whatever it is.”
“……Isn’t that a bit overprotective? That may have made sense before, but there’s no reason for it now.”
“It’s exactly what I prepared for from the beginning. If you don’t like it, then you—”
“Who said I didn’t like it?”
Worried he might change his mind, Moon Seyoung answered quickly and flashed a grin with a light wink. Baek Hyunwoo’s expression crumpled — but the immediate crisis had been averted, and with that relief carrying him, he turned and strode back toward the dining area.
He hadn’t made any effort to muffle his footsteps, yet Sihyeon was completely absorbed in the small creature, which had rolled belly-up and was soaking up all the attention without a care. Watching that, the furrow that had been creasing Baek Hyunwoo’s brow eased gently away.
“……I miss them.”
“What do you miss?”
He’d only meant to answer the murmuring — but Sihyeon couldn’t hide his startled reaction and shot to his feet. The desperate way he moved his body to shield the little monster made it entirely clear he hadn’t once considered the possibility that Baek Hyunwoo and this creature might have any connection at all.
“Oh — no, it’s nothing. Did things go okay?”
“More or less.”
He took a step forward, and Sihyeon frantically moved to block his path. Of course he already knew what was behind him — but Baek Hyunwoo looked down at Sihyeon with the face of someone who knew nothing. He was terribly curious whether the boy would lie or come clean.
“Just a second, just one second.”
His voice was plainly wobbling as he kept repeating himself — and even so, Sihyeon didn’t budge from where he stood.
He’s going to be the death of me.
Right around the moment the corner of Baek Hyunwoo’s mouth began to curve — the small monster, making a sound that was far too adorable for its appearance, climbed up onto Sihyeon’s shoulder. The creature had come to find Baek Hyunwoo to begin with, so appearing before him was only natural — but Sihyeon, who knew none of that, grabbed hold of it in a panic.
“Don’t kill it!”
Instead of answering, Baek Hyunwoo wrapped an arm around Sihyeon’s waist as he tipped backward. His eyes were squeezed shut — he clearly knew he was falling — and yet rather than catching himself with his hands, he stubbornly held on to the little monster. Baek Hyunwoo found that simultaneously endearing and foolish — and at the same time felt a pang of jealousy that it was not himself being protected by those hands.
“Hah…… Sihyeon. I don’t know what that thing is, but you can’t do reckless things. You almost got seriously hurt.”
He let out a deep sigh before he could stop himself, and was about to say something more — but one look at Sihyeon’s round, wide eyes and his sheepish grin, and all the urge drained right out of him. He settled for raising an eyebrow to express whatever frustration was left, and Sihyeon opened his hands reluctantly, voice shrinking to almost nothing.
“S-say hi. This is Silly…… my friend.”
Squeak!
Not only did it lift a leg in greeting — it then kept spreading its tentacles wide and drawing them back in. Utterly shameless for a creature that had just been given a name. Baek Hyunwoo suppressed the urge to give it a firm smack on the backside and opened his mouth.
“Let’s sit down and talk.”
Was Silly fearless, or did it simply not read the atmosphere? Either way, the most natural conclusion was that it was young. Because nothing else explained how it could saunter across the table making cheerful squeaking sounds, completely unbothered in the middle of this suffocating tension.
I was on edge the entire time — terrified that Silly might get within reach of Baek Hyunwoo’s hands and get crushed. Every time it wandered toward him, I nearly had a heart attack. I’d quietly pulled it back three times already, only for it to go right back to Baek Hyunwoo every single time. I was losing my mind.
“Silly…… please just stay still.”
Squeak.
Finally unable to watch any longer, I said it in a dwindling voice and took hold of Silly — and it cried out confidently, as if to say everything was perfectly fine, and spread its tentacles wide on both sides. I’m losing it. What do you think you know, acting like that? Hm?
“Why Silly?”
Moon Seyoung, who had at some point settled beside Baek Hyunwoo with her chin resting in her hand and was watching with bright eyes, asked. Whether or not it understood that its name had just come up, Silly immediately hopped over in front of Moon Seyoung and spread its legs out wide with absolute confidence. I knew what that meant — in human terms, it was the equivalent of puffing out your chest and standing tall with pride. Please just stay still, your life is on the line right now. Okay? This is not the time for this.
“It felt really soft…….”
“Really? Can I touch it too?”
Moon Seyoung’s eyes lit up at that, and she reached out carefully. Baek Hyunwoo, arms crossed, said with clear disapproval, “Don’t touch it” — but she paid him absolutely no mind.
“Wow, wow.”
Her pale fingers made contact with Silly’s back. She’d only managed to graze the very edge of it, careful to avoid the blinking eyes — but even that much seemed to have been enough to feel the softness.
“It feels like a toy. How can something be this squishy? Come here, come on.”
She beckoned with the kind of gesture you’d use to call a puppy — and Silly happily waved its tentacles in delight and hopped right up onto her palm. Watching Moon Seyoung’s expression soften, I thought things seemed to be going in a decent direction — and glanced over at Baek Hyunwoo.
But there wasn’t even a hint of his expression letting up. In fact, every time Silly acted affectionate toward Moon Seyoung, his eyes grew narrower and narrower.
……Hm?
I felt a flash of this can’t go on — immediately followed by a surely not. But come to think of it, he’d already told her not to touch it earlier. Had it already started affecting him? Does it really take root this fast? I reflexively forced down the corners of my mouth that had started twitching upward, and quietly plucked Silly out of her hands.
But that was that, and this was this. I couldn’t sacrifice Silly just to watch those two’s romance unfold.
“Its appearance might be a bit hit-or-miss for people…… but it’s genuinely sweet and gentle.”
“…….”
“And incredibly smart too. Look. Silly — you’ll stay well-behaved right by my side and not cause any trouble, won’t you?”
Squeak!
Before I’d even finished, it hopped up onto my shoulder as if the answer was obvious. I couldn’t see it, but I was certain it had its legs stretched out wide. Maybe if I just made sure it never got near the female lead, things would be fine?
“Alright, I won’t hurt it, so you don’t have to work so hard.”
“It’s just that I want to bring it along…….”
The moment I said bring it along, Baek Hyunwoo’s expression hardened further. He — who always smiled so gently and always took my side no matter what I did — going serious like that made me instinctively want to shrink into myself.
“Please, okay?”
Even so, I clasped my hands tight together and looked up at him in earnest — and after a long silence, he let out a slow, resigned sigh.
“……You really want to bring it along that badly?”
“Mm-hm.”
Squyeek—.
Right as I answered, Silly plastered itself against my cheek. Baek Hyunwoo’s eyelid twitched — and then he rubbed at his own face and gave a nod.
“Fine. Do what you want. Just do what you want.”
“Yes!”
I got permission!
