episode_0145

Of course, I didn’t think that something like this would happen.

It’s a festival where young people full of vitality gather, how could a playful cat like me not want to enjoy a moment of pleasure?

Even if I try to walk away, for an ordinary woman, Jaehyuk is the one who makes her want to spend the night together.

I thought that it was inevitable for a thief cat to sneak in while I was away for a moment.

But.

“Excuse me, what are you doing to my boyfriend?”

Even though I thought it could happen, even if I tried to be lenient, I couldn’t contain the anger that surged when I saw the scene in front of me.

How many times is this now?

No, if I hadn’t marked him as my boyfriend, I wouldn’t have anything to say.

You left bite marks on his neck as if to show off, isn’t it crossing the line to touch a man who clearly has an owner?

Approaching with a fierce aura, the angry vampire quickly withdrew his fangs when the thief cats got scared.

As I watched them disappear into the crowd, I turned my gaze towards Jaehyuk, who still seemed dazed.

“Are you okay?”

“Uh, yeah?”

“Are you okay?”

I know.

No matter how much those foxes tried, Jaehyuk would have refused until the end.

But I witnessed it.

The momentary hesitation when those dirty maidens proposed spending the night, even though it was fleeting.

I understand because I was once a man too.

A pretty woman dressed in revealing clothes asking to spend the night with me, I might hesitate for a moment.

But understanding is one thing, and agreeing is another.

If it’s not me, it won’t stand, how could you hesitate in that situation!

“…Playboy.”

The belated drunkenness, a bit of disappointment, and the exhaustion of constantly repeating the same situation seemed to overlap, causing my emotions to be out of control unlike usual.

So without realizing it, I blurted out words that shouldn’t have been said.

“You… say that again. What did you say?”

When Jaehyuk’s angry voice returned, I regretted it, but due to my pride, an apology didn’t come easily.

I should have immediately apologized, admitted my mistake, and asked for forgiveness.

But contrary to my heart, words of reproach filled with resentment came out of my mouth.

“Why did you hesitate?”

“What?”

“When those women just now suggested spending the night together, you hesitated for a moment. Why?”

“I didn’t hesitate. It was so absurd that I just stood still for a moment. Wait, why are you suddenly like this? Hey, Hye-eun. What did you say to Jiwoo just now that she’s acting like this?”

“I, I didn’t say anything! Why are you blaming me for catching a natural beauty?!”

Seeing them bicker because of my unusual behavior, guilt washed over me, and I quickly left the scene as if fleeing.

Then I started running aimlessly wherever my feet took me.

To a place with as few people as possible.

To regain my composure as soon as possible.

—–

“…I guess this is far enough.”

Having stopped running in a daze, I arrived at a quiet walking path where only the sound of the wind could be heard.

In a place where no signs of popularity could be felt, I sat down on a bench nearby.

“Sigh…”

As I sat there, feeling the cool night breeze, the heat that had risen in my head began to dissipate rapidly.

As reason slowly returned, the first thing that came to mind, was the absurd words and actions I had directed towards Jaehyuk.

Covered in guilt and regret, I sighed once more as I gazed up at the night sky.

“What if I cause a scene there, what a fool I am…”

I couldn’t understand it no matter how much I thought about it.

Why did I act that way?

It wasn’t something that required a sensitive reaction, right?

It wasn’t the first time, and Jaehyuk handled it well as usual.

Why did I push Jaehyuk so aggressively?

“…He must be very disappointed in me.”

What if this incident drives us apart?

What if it leads to us breaking up…

“Ah, aah…”

Where do I even begin to untangle this mess I’ve created?

Deep in thought, I absentmindedly picked at the bark of the bench’s nearby pine tree with my fingernails, when suddenly I felt a presence behind me and a familiar voice scolded me.

“Excuse me? I don’t mind if you’re drunk and causing a scene, but could you please stop bothering the tree?”

“…Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize… But wait, you look familiar. You’re from the Dryad clan, right?”

“Hmm? Oh, now that I look at you, you’re the vampire I met here two months ago for relationship advice, right? How did things turn out?”

Turning around to the source of the sharp scent of nature, I saw the Dryad I had briefly met during my vacation two months ago.

Greeting her warmly, she smiled as if asking when I had gotten angry and inquired about my recent situation.

“Thanks to you, things turned out well. We went from friends to lovers, and everything was going great until today…”

“…Until today?”

“Yeah, until today…”

Despite being strangers, she had given me some good advice back then.

If I were to ask her for a solution now, would she be able to help me navigate this difficult situation once again?

Having only spoken once before, she was practically a stranger.

I knew it was wrong to unload my complaints on her, but the desire to mend the small crack that had formed between us due to my mistake, along with the slight selfishness that emerged amidst guilt and regret, led me to reach out to the compassionate fairy once again.

“…I have no idea what to do right now. If he’s really mad, what if I can’t even talk to him?”

“…”

“Even if I manage to speak to him, I’m not sure if I can apologize properly. What if I make another mistake…”

They say the first step is the hardest, right? But once I started talking, complaints flowed out like a river.

I knew it was wrong, but the feeling of relief that washed over me with each word spoken made it hard to stop.

Pouring out all my gloomy emotions until my heart felt as light as a feather, I vented to the Dryad.

“…I-I’m sorry. I talked too much, didn’t I? I’ve been acting strange lately, I-I’m sure I wasn’t like this before.”

Just a week ago, I didn’t behave so emotionally, so what happened to make me like this?

After gathering my thoughts and seeking forgiveness for my actions, the Dryad smiled warmly and shook her head.

“It’s okay, you don’t need to apologize. You just vented to a part of nature.”

“But still…”

“It’s fine, so are you feeling better now? Do you still need any help?”

“…No.”

I’m grateful for accepting my complaints, but I can’t accept any more apologies.

I rose from my seat energetically and bowed my head towards the dryad, expressing my gratitude.

“Thanks to you, I gained a lot of strength this time as well. I’d like to give you a chicken gift card as a token of my gratitude, but is there anything you’d like to have?”

“I was just craving chicken, so that works out well. Do you happen to know about Black Alio? If possible, I’d like to request that.”

“You know your food! But is it okay for you to eat meat? Elves…”

“Please don’t compare me to those crazy species. Anyway, it won’t make me sick, so please send that.”

“…Sure.”

The air turned chilly in an instant as soon as the word ‘elf’ was mentioned.

…They must have been bothered quite a bit, given the similarities in appearance and characteristics.

I quickly changed the subject and sent her a chicken gift card, and only then did the dryad relax her expression and bless me with a wide smile.

“I hope things work out well for you. Oh, and be careful of wild boars on your way out? They’ve been appearing around here frequently lately.”

“Haha, the wild boars should be careful of me. I’ll be on my way then? If we can meet again, let’s see each other.”

“Sure. Take care, solve your problems, and have a good time with your loved one?”

With that, I bid farewell to the dryad who once again helped me and made my way back to where I needed to be.

As I pondered how to seek forgiveness, a desperate scream for help echoed not far from where I was.

[Help, help!!! Someone, save me!!!]

It sounded like someone was being chased. No time to think, let’s move first and see.

Crash!

As I ran towards the source of the scream, I saw Jaehyuk being chased by a wild boar the size of a house.

…Now even the wild boars are targeting my husband?

Anger began to rise within me once again.

I ran straight towards the wild boar and shouted, “Die!”

I punched the creature with all my might on its head.

Thunk!

Squeeeeeal!

As my fist collided with the creature’s head, a loud crack and a disturbing scream followed shortly after.

I briefly looked down at the weakened and defeated wild boar, then quickly checked on Jaehyuk’s condition.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“…Uh, yeah, I’m… I’m fine.”

Seemingly exhausted, my future husband trembled and struggled.

I quickly lifted Jaehyuk up and moved him to a nearby bench.