episode_0024

Would Jiwoo’s head be scratched by Bat Form sitting on top of it?

As I walked out of my studio apartment towards the convenience store, a sharp pain started to emanate from my head.

It wasn’t painful enough to complain about, just mildly irritating.

But looking at Jiwoo’s sullen face made me irrationally angry, so I scolded him with a glare.

“Why are you making that face like you did something good? Someone could scratch their scalp with those nails.”

“…But isn’t throwing me off a bit too much! If you asked nicely for me to come down…”

“You wouldn’t have come down. Do I look like I have time to deal with you for days?”

“I was going to come down! If someone hears this, they might think I’m a sellout, right? Huh?”

“Weren’t you?”

As Jiwoo looked surprised and tried to smooth things over, he puffed up his cheeks and then quickly turned his head as if sulking.

I briefly considered poking his cheek since he looked like a hamster with a mouthful of seeds, but I suppressed the rising desire to do so desperately, fearing he’d be dubbed “Grumbler” until tomorrow at least.

It’s truly astonishing to think that just a month ago, he was a muscle-bound man. Really.

Muttering to myself internally, I began contemplating ways to placate the sulking Jiwoo.

What would be a good approach?

The best way is… to address the root cause of the problem.

“My hat is at home, so that’s not an issue; I’ll need to find a new coat though.”

“What?”

“It’s nothing. It’s none of your business, so don’t worry about it.”

“What do you mean, I didn’t worry?”

With a snort, Jiwoo shifted his gaze elsewhere.

Watching him, I chuckled softly while searching for coats online, suddenly struck by a question.

Why am I doing this?

A momentary feeling of discomfort washed over me.

Clutching onto that eerie sensation, I immediately immersed myself in thought.

Have I ever cared for someone like this before?

I posed the question to myself, receiving a resounding ‘no’ in response.

I’m already too busy taking care of myself; where would I find the time to care for someone else?

Especially Han Jiwoo, a vampire who excels at everything and is overflowing with leisure. Why bother caring for him?

Despite feeling strangely compelled to cater to his tantrums, I quickly pushed aside the questions that arose in my mind.

…He has played the role of an emotional dumpster countless times.

I suppose this is a form of reciprocation. I’ll have to put up with his antics for at least a few more months, so I should try to accommodate him to some extent.

After fortifying my resolve, I placed an order for a sturdy coat. Before I knew it, I had arrived in front of the convenience store.

Standing in front of a display labeled ‘White Day Gifts♡,’ Hyeeun and I began contemplating what gift to give Jiwoo.

“He gave ginseng candy instead of chocolate on Valentine’s Day. Do we need to give him a normal gift?”

“…Not really.”

“To be honest, I think even cinnamon-flavored candies are extravagant for him. But since he specifically asked for chocolate…”

As Jiwoo mumbled to himself for a moment, he soon reached a decision and picked something up from the display.

Then, with a wicked smile, he showed me the item that had a dark hue.

“They say angels don’t like sweet things. If it’s 70% cocoa dark chocolate… maybe we can get back at him for the ginseng candy?”

“…Can you handle the consequences? They’re a terrible match.”

“That’s something my future self will take care of. And we’re friends, so you wouldn’t actually try to kill me, would you?”

Seeing the laughing guy made me uneasy for some reason, so I bought milk chocolate just in case.

Whenever I feel anxious, something always happens. I’ve experienced it several times already, and if it happens again, wouldn’t that be insane?

After purchasing the chocolate, did Hye-eun arrive at the guy’s place and ring the doorbell?

[“It’s open, come in quickly!”]

[“Ah, no! Don’t come in! This is… no, heaven… Aaaah!!!”]

Suddenly hearing a dreadful scream, I couldn’t help but pause with the door half-open.

…What on earth is happening inside? Is it okay to go in?

As I debated whether to leave the chocolate and go back, the door to the guy’s room opened, revealing an angelic figure.

“Did you guys happen to bring anything strange? If you brought dark chocolate, I’d be disappointed.”

The angel shook a buttered oatmeal bread in hand, looking at us with lively eyes.

What should I do, Han Ji-woo?

Today seems like your unlucky day.

I glanced at where the guy was, but he had already disappeared.

No, wait.

The guy who had suddenly transformed into a bat form was hanging behind me, trembling in fear.

A desperate struggle for survival.

But it’s not my place to offer dark chocolate in pity, so I grabbed the trembling guy behind me and presented him to the angel.

“Squeak…!”

Eyes that seemed to be asking how he could do this to me.

So, with a wry smile, I whispered softly in his ear.

“It’s your own doing, you fool.”

Indeed.

He should have bought milk chocolate like me.

—–

After a noisy time spent together, on the way back to the room.

The vampire, whose hair was disheveled, glared at me fiercely and spoke up.

“Why did you have to… expose me like that… Did it make you feel better to betray me?!”

Seems like he was quite upset about being left in the lurch.

But knowing it was his own fault, Jiwoo only complained with a resentful face.

“Well, there wasn’t any other choice. I can’t sacrifice myself for you, you crazy bastard.”

“Friendship means sharing pain together…!”

“If you don’t want to be stabbed with a silver chopstick, stop right there.”

“…”

The guy who couldn’t resist drinking blood but couldn’t win over silver, immediately shut his mouth.

With eyes that seemed like he might bite soon, I handed him chocolate to calm him down.

“Here, take this.”

“What’s this chocolate for?”

“It’s White Day. You should receive one too.”

“Oh, I almost forgot. Thanks for remembering.”

Jiwoo took the chocolate with a bitter smile, then stared at it intensely before taking a big bite.

“Mmm…”

“How does it taste? Is it good?”

“It’s sweet.”

“Well, it’s chocolate, so of course, it’s sweet.”

A slightly softened atmosphere.

At that moment, I quickly changed the topic of conversation.

“Phew… By the way, do you think Junghyun will be okay? He looked like a mess earlier.”

“Well, nothing has happened for over 5 years, so why would something suddenly occur now? Hye-eun is probably just playing around.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Besides, if things get tough, that talkative guy will handle it himself.”

Although he seems too kind and gullible, if something really difficult happens, he’ll call me or Jiwoo separately.

As Jiwoo said, we’ve lived for over 5 years without any incidents, so it doesn’t seem like anything will happen.

Nonchalantly shrugging it off, Jiwoo’s words soon ignited a spark of unease in my mind.

“…But if you think about it, aren’t they quite a good match?”

“What nonsense are you talking about now?”

“Well, think about it. Hyeun has principles but lacks depth in thinking, while Junhyun is inconsistent but thoughtful. Wouldn’t they complement each other’s flaws?”

Listening to it, the argument made sense.

In reality, there seemed to be no one else besides Junhyun who could handle someone as outspoken as Hyeun, so nodding in agreement felt like hearing the right words after a long time.

Suddenly, I found myself having such thoughts without even realizing it.

What would it be like to spend a lifetime with this vampire chuckling beside me?

Such a crazy thought.

“Yoon Jaehyuk, you crazy bastard.”

Smack!

Feeling embarrassed for entertaining such thoughts even briefly, I slapped my cheek as hard as I could.

Even if he had a beautiful physique, and even if it somewhat matched my taste.

Wasn’t there just a bunch of muscles inside him instead of a gentleman?

“Pull yourself together, seriously.”

Living with Jiwoo brought about a period of blissful moments that a man couldn’t have for a while.

Perhaps, it was an incident caused by pent-up sexual desires.

As I gently held my stinging cheek with my hand, looking at him intently, the vampire expressed concern with a puzzled expression.

“Are you… okay? Do you need to go to a mental hospital?”

“…I don’t know, I might have to go soon.”

“Hey! What if you take that seriously? I’ll be the only weirdo around here!”

“Shut up, and it’s ‘woman,’ not ‘man.’”

Covering his face with his palm and exhaling roughly, he raised an eyebrow at me with a sinister expression.

“Why did you suddenly slap your cheek? Did you imagine marrying me or something?”

“Are you insane? Why would I imagine that? I prefer the type that embraces everything, not your aggressive style.”

“For someone saying that, your eyes seemed rather suspicious…”

“It’s just my mood, damn it. Why would I like someone like you? I might consider fixing that filthy personality of yours, though.”

“Is that so? Ugh, that gave me chills for a moment, seriously.”

Adding that it was dreadful just to imagine, Jiwoo walked ahead briskly.

Watching his back, which seemed carefree, another wave of self-disgust washed over me.

When I return to my studio apartment, I should unwind for a bit.

If that happens, would it truly mark the completion of a real White Day?

The end seems so pure!

“…All sorts of thoughts are crossing my mind, really.”

Should I really consider going to a mental hospital?