If It Weren’t For You

I was planning to study hard for the upcoming promotion exam, but I’m going to forget about the exam for a while and enjoy the day. I tossed and turned for a long time before going to bed, anticipating today’s date.

From the morning, I went to Flavia-unni, who always helps me a lot, and received help again. I feel like the world has widened thanks to unni, who always spares me advice and fills my lacking knowledge.

I’ve learned so many things from Flavia-unni that I can’t even count them. From secret actions to seduce men, to neatly tying up long hair and exposing a snow-white nape. I also learned several techniques imbued with Flavia-unni’s experience that I couldn’t learn from any book in the library.

Flavia-unni did my makeup for me, as my left hand is still uncomfortable. It’s such an amazing transformation that even I’m surprised. When I said I wanted to learn, she said I was welcome anytime.

Flavia-unni, who rolled up her sleeves for my perfect date today, took out and dressed me in several of her expensive clothes, and kept changing my hairstyle to find the one that suited me best. After a long time of deliberation, the final decision was to braid my hair into pigtails and roll them up into a bun.

Flavia-unni kept kissing me on the cheek, saying I was too cute, worrying if it looked strange. At first, I was embarrassed by unni’s aggressive skinship, but these days I’ve gotten used to it, and I can even offer my cheek.

Flavia-unni’s clothes clung tightly to my body, revealing my figure, and the evening breeze was getting chilly, so I put on a cardigan over it. I should only eat a little today, in case my stomach looks bloated.

I promised Flavia-unni that I would repay her kindness later. After chatting with unni, who declined, I headed to the academy’s main gate on time for my appointment. I arrived earlier than the appointed time, but as always, Ross was already there waiting for me. How early had he come out…?

I couldn’t see Ross well from afar because of the sunlight. Because of that, as I got closer, I couldn’t help but stop in my tracks and let out a “Heok.” without realizing it, at Ross’s neat suit, which looked so handsome and even sexy today. My heart is beating fast, dugeun dugeun.

His words that he would come looking as cool as possible were not a lie. His hair was styled, and his parted hair suited him very well. To the extent that I wanted to brag to the people passing by that that person was my boyfriend. Of course, I can’t actually do that.

Ross, who was staring blankly at the distance, noticed me approaching and turned his head. As our eyes met, Ross’s face seemed to stiffen, and a sense of unease surged. Is today’s me not good enough after all…?

As I was pursing my lips in anxiety, I saw Ross’s lips twitch slightly. His stiff face relaxed, and Ross approached me with a soft eye smile. It seems he was flustered by my change.

,Pukka hair… It suits you. So cute. You’re even prettier today too.”

I’m glad I’m not a mess. Only then could I breathe a sigh of relief inwardly. Ross naturally reached out and carefully loosened my clenched fist, interlacing his fingers with mine. I feel like a warm warmth is spreading from my fingertips to my heart, and my legs might give out if I don’t stay tense.

“I planned all of today’s date course. Just relax and enjoy it.”

Holding Ross’s hand tightly, I left the academy and headed to the street. Without realizing it, my eyes keep glancing at Ross’s face.

Holding hands with the person you love and walking together might be the most comfortable and happiest thing in the world, I thought.

*

I had lunch at a restaurant Ross had reserved and came outside. The caring Ross always cuts my steak for me and swaps it with his plate.

I learned how to hold the fork with my left hand to fix the meat and use a knife with the other hand when I was young… but it feels so good and exciting to watch Ross do something for me that I can’t help but just watch.

I always remember to be grateful to Ross, who never gets annoyed and rather does it as if it’s natural. Whenever I say thank you, worried that my gratitude will become dull, Ross only gives me an embarrassed smile. Come to think of it, isn’t Ross a shy person like me?

Holding Ross’s hand, the next place we headed to was a theater where a musical was being held. I enjoyed watching the amazing acting and singing of the actors without even realizing the time was passing. I also secretly kissed Ross whenever the lights went out for a moment. Once, the sound of a peck was louder than I thought, and I was so embarrassed that I bowed my head deeply.

After watching the musical, Ross found a place selling cone ice cream as we were heading to a nearby cafe to take a break. I happened to want to eat something sweet, so I bought one chocolate flavor and one banana flavor.

Ross was trying to take out his wallet with one hand, which was uncomfortable, so I held the ice cream that was in Ross’s hand. Thanks to working out hard, I can do this much now. Ross smiled and thanked me, handing over the money for the calculation.

As I was waiting for the calculation to finish, a child who was playing with his younger sibling bumped into me from behind. Surprised by the sudden impact, I reflexively put strength into my hand. The ice cream that Ross was holding in his left hand shattered. The cone and ice cream flowed between my fingers. I was so flustered that I couldn’t unclench my fist because I couldn’t put strength into my left hand.

“Are you okay?”

Ross, who understood the situation, quickly approached and asked with a worried voice. Looking at the ice cream that had fallen on the floor and the cone and ice cream that was all over my hand, I felt so sorry that I felt like I was going to cry.

Ross, who met my flustered gaze, calmly received a tissue from the store owner and grabbed my hand, which was covered in ice cream, and wiped it clean as if nothing had happened. As I watched Ross neatly clean up the ice cream that had fallen on the floor with the remaining tissues, I couldn’t help but cry. Ross went through unnecessary hardship because of me. I can’t help but feel guilty.

Ross, who finished cleaning up, apologized to the store owner and turned around, making eye contact with me, who was crying. I was so sorry to Ross, who approached with a flustered face, that I apologized.

“S, sorry… Ugh, unnecessarily because of me…”

As I spoke while sobbing, Ross hugged me tightly as if comforting me and stroked my back.

“It’s okay, it can happen. I’ve dropped ice cream on the ground a few times too. Anyone can make a mistake, don’t cry.”

I cried even more at those warm words. I couldn’t make things difficult for Ross anymore. I tried my best to hold back my tears, even belatedly. As I sniffled and looked up at Ross, Ross smiled playfully and said that we had no choice but to share the remaining ice cream, and we left the store and walked down the street, taking turns eating bites.

As I received the ice cream with tears in my eyes, Ross couldn’t stand how cute I was and kissed me on the cheek. I slightly pouted my lips and turned my head at the gaze that looked at me as if I was lovely, and Ross smiled and brought the ice cream to my mouth.

When I showed Ross the ice cream on my lips, Ross licked my lips as if he had been waiting for it and walked away as if nothing had happened, making my heart pound and my legs feel weak. Ross’s actions were so stimulating and ecstatic that I couldn’t help but be defenseless unless I was tense.

We stopped by a cafe and talked with Ross. There was no end to the stories about each other. As we talked about the past and what happened on our last date, it was already evening.

Why does time fly by so quickly when I’m with Ross? I’m not even bored for a single moment. How can every moment we spend together be so good?

Judging by how he makes the day so short, Ross might be a great wizard who manipulates time. If that’s true, I want to ask him to stop time from flowing.

We left the cafe and had dinner. We had seafood pasta with some wine for dinner. The food was delicious, and the date was enjoyable. It was a really happy time. But from the time we were eating, I felt like Ross was looking at me. It wasn’t certain, but it felt like he was worried about something.

Ross, who was scratching his eyebrow, let out a small sigh for some reason and then put on a nonchalant expression. What could it be? Does he have something to confess to me…? I was curious about Ross’s attitude, but I decided to wait.

We left the store and walked down the night street holding Ross’s hand. There was a full moon today, so the moonlight was bright. I can see several couples walking down the night street like us. As I was walking down the street following Ross, Ross stopped in his tracks at the sound of music coming from somewhere.

The place where the sound was coming from was the cathedral in the capital. The cathedral, which boasts an enormous size, is used as a wedding hall after the service. It seems like someone is having a wedding today as well.

Ross, who was thinking about something for a moment, looked at the cathedral and then turned his head to look at me. Ah, that smile. That pure smile full of playfulness. It’s a smile with a fatal charm that makes me fall into temptation so easily.

As if reenacting the words he had said to me someday, Ross asked me.

,Luna, do you trust me?”

My heart is pounding so hard that I’m worried Ross might hear it. As I nodded slightly, Ross held my hand tightly and entered an alley where people’s eyes couldn’t reach. Is he perhaps going to kiss me to avoid people’s eyes…? It might be time to use the techniques I learned from Flavia-unni.

As soon as people’s eyes couldn’t reach, Ross pulled me into his arms and gave a sly smile.

“You remember jumping in place when I say one, two, three, right?”

“Yeah. I remember.”

I was too embarrassed to say that it was an unforgettable memory. The memories of him taking me to the ball when I was alone in the dormitory and watching the fireworks together on the rooftop were so precious that I kept them deep in my heart.

Ross counted the numbers, and we jumped in place together. My vision was reversed, and I felt like my body was sinking downwards, so I closed my eyes tightly and buried my face in Ross’s chest.

When I gently opened my eyes, Ross was looking down at me with a smile. As if he had noticed my heart beating, Ross revealed his snow-white teeth and stroked the back of my head.

“Do you know where this is?”

At Ross’s question, I finally realized that the sound of the wind I had been hearing in my ears had disappeared, and the sound of music I had been hearing from the street was now loud.

I lifted my buried face and looked around, surprised by the unfamiliar view. Ross and I were at the highest spire of the cathedral.

The full moon seems close enough to touch. Looking down, under the glass ceiling of the church, a wedding party is in full swing. Once again, Ross has shown me a new world. I will never forget that the world looks like this from such a high place.

Ross, who was momentarily lost in sentimentality, said to me with a playful look.

“Have you danced?”

It’s what Ross said to me at the ball. I smiled and answered.

“Once with my boyfriend?”

Ross gave a lovely smile at my words. And then he held out his hand to me.

“Then you have to do it twice with your boyfriend.”

I took his outstretched hand and danced to the music coming from the church. The moonlight is beautiful, and our fingers are intertwined with warmth. I couldn’t help but think that it would be okay to die like this, with the fragrance felt from our close bodies and the love contained in the gazes we exchanged. It was that satisfying.

The dance, which was a bit clumsy because I hadn’t learned to dance properly, but was therefore fresh and enjoyable, ended, and Ross, who hugged me tightly, looked me straight in the eye and said.

“If you want, I can pluck the moon, not the stars.”

When I thanked him without thinking, Ross smiled and snapped his fingers.

Suddenly, something started falling from the sky like snow. When I looked up at the sky following Ross, it was sky-blue petals. When I looked at where the petals were falling, I could see Ross’s space magic.

Isn’t this perhaps an event he prepared for me? As I hugged Ross even tighter out of gratitude, Ross raised his hand in front of me, taking a pose as if he was going to grab the full moon.

“I wanted to make my feelings clear to you.”

As Ross gestured, the full moon disappeared into the night sky. And in Ross’s hand was a small box. Ross opened the box and showed it to me. There were two rings with jewels containing moonlight embedded in them.

Blue eyes look at me. The eyes filled with deep emotions are full of sincerity. I swallowed unknowingly at that gaze. Ross opened his mouth with a smile.

“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything. The reason I was able to work so hard was all because you were by my side. Because I want to be happy with you. So please stay by my side in the future too. Because I will never leave your side either.”

Now my heart aches. Joy, gratitude, and even the guilt of feeling like I’m always just receiving overlap, and my vision wavers with tears.

“I love you, Luna. More than you can imagine.”

Hoping that I will never forget this feeling, this love… I also opened my mouth with difficulty. If there is a moon, please listen to my prayer.

“I love you, Ross. Even if all the seasons end and no one remembers, forever.”

***

The Vice-Principal’s Office.

Jamie, who read the data sent by Modest, burst into laughter.

“So, my mission is just to drag the youngest transcendent on the continent out of the academy?”

The Vice-Principal nodded.

“He’s the one who killed your predecessor. Killing him is definitely entrusted to Numbers 1 and 4. You target the people around him. Thoroughly destroy everything so that he loses his reason and rushes to the cult.”

“Huha huhat. To have to step on such a sprout, I almost got hard. Am I the only one who’s excited?”

As Jamie burst into laughter again, tearing his lips, Mesmer, who was sitting across from him, raised his hand and pointed to a piece of paper.

“Start from here. I don’t need the body. Just bring me the head.”

Jamie, who picked up the paper Mesmer was pointing at and slowly read the contents, raised his head, looked out the window, and shouted.

“Luna… It just so happens that there’s a full moon today. Is this a coincidence, or is it fate…? Hoo hoo heu heut!!!”

Jamie’s shadow, bathed in moonlight, moved as if dancing on the red carpet.