episode_0150

“And then… Yes, I unknowingly fell for him and ended up like this. Haha…”

“…”

Forcing out a fabricated love story while suppressing the overwhelming pressure all over my body, I squeezed my stubbornly spinning head and spoke.

On the way back to my hometown, I wondered if my efforts were worth it, but fortunately, my parents’ reaction to the story wasn’t too bad.

“It seems the power of love is remarkable, huh? Jaehyuk, he’s changed a lot since we last saw him, hasn’t he?”

“W-Well, yes? I-I was surprised too, you know? Compared to when we started living together, he’s really…”

“Ahem!”

After hearing that Jaehyuk had helped a lot in adapting to life as a vampire, my father softened his stance.

But it seemed that he still couldn’t quite accept the fact that I was in a relationship with that guy, as he didn’t hide his discomfort.

…What could it be that he’s so displeased about?

There are two possible speculations.

Either the fact that his child, who had only recently changed genders, had become a woman inside and out.

Or, the fact that Jaehyuk was the one who had caused this downfall into femininity.

I didn’t entertain delusions like in many novels where a daughter is taken away by another man and shows such behavior.

Honestly, it didn’t make sense.

It had only been 7 months since I became a vampire, and I had only visited the family home a total of three times, including this one.

Could it be that my still awkward father, who treated me strangely, had a reason to be like that?

Yes, I thought he would be like that for sure…

Crack!

“Huh?!”

While glancing around, my mother suddenly struck my father’s back with force.

And with the thunderous sound that followed, I realized that I had been thinking completely wrong.

“Are you going to keep being cautious? Isn’t it too much to bring up the topic of driving a stake into the chest when the child is struggling?!”

“Oh, no, honey! It was really unavoidable! A complete stranger claiming to be our son came, how could I just believe it without question?”

“Even if it’s a lie, you should believe at least once! If you had to drive a stake even though you hadn’t done anything, at least don’t be so cautious! Do you think you have the right to do that?”

“Well, I, uh…”

…So, it was just that he didn’t like the fact that his daughter was taken away by another man.

I had often heard that reality is harsher than fiction, but I never dreamed that something like a novel would actually happen.

Seeing my father with a regretful expression, I slowly got up from my seat.

Approaching my father, I embraced his slumped body and comforted him warmly.

“It’s okay, father, I understand. I would have said the same thing if I were you, right?”

“…”

“You made a rational judgment as a father, right? It was just an unavoidable situation. Right?”

“…Still, I’m sorry.”

“I’ll say it again, I’m okay, father. Don’t apologize, just treat me like before. And about the relationship… Yes, I would be grateful if you could approve. Hehe…”

In truth, I resembled my mother more than my father, so if faced with the same situation, I would make the same choice as my mother.

As a child, I couldn’t just stand by and watch my father succumb to guilt and despair.

So, I tried my best to console my father, and as a result…

“As your mother said, looking back, I was a bit pathetic. I won’t worry about it anymore, so just get along well with that guy.”

“T-Thank you, father!”

Much easier than I had feared, I was able to shake off interference in my love life.

…Things resolved smoothly. So, now all that’s left is meeting Jaehyuk’s parents and getting their approval for our relationship, right?

Contrary to my worries, everything was resolved without a hitch, which made me feel a bit too complacent.

Wasn’t it said that accidents happen most when you let your guard down like this?

“Hey, so how far have you two gone? You haven’t done anything too crazy already, have you?”

“…”

“Wait, why are you being silent?”

“Uh, what, what did you say, oppa?”

“You, don’t tell me…”

Caught off guard by my brother’s sudden question after being silent for so long, I ended up looking visibly flustered, potentially causing misunderstandings.

Oh no, this is really messed up.

What’s with this nosy blood-related mate asking such questions out of the blue?

Sitting back down in the kitchen, the chilly yet heavy atmosphere settled in, as if my father was demanding an explanation with a look that could pierce through a person.

“Answer.”

A bead of cold sweat trickled down my spine.

—–

“Already leaving? It’s a long holiday, why not stay one more day…”

“Haha… I’d love to stay longer if I could, but there’s just too much to do. But I’ll stay a bit longer than Chuseok when I come for Seollal, Mom.”

“It’s a promise, right? Oh, and just to ease my worries, about contraception…”

“Oh, no, we’re not at that stage yet, right? You heard Jaehyuk on the first day, right? We’re not at that level yet!”

“When I see you two, it wouldn’t be strange at any time. Remember, this is advice based on experience.”

“…I understand.”

After the precarious first day passed, followed by a smooth second day, the third day of Chuseok holiday arrived before I knew it.

As I finished packing to leave and stood in front of the front door with my travel bag, my mother bid me farewell with a face full of worry.

…Worrying about contraception until the very end.

If I suddenly end up pregnant, my mother might really pull out all her hair.

Since there have been no symptoms even after over a month since we started our relationship without ever using contraception, it seemed safe for the time being.

Deciding to worry about it when it actually happens, I waved goodbye to my mother and headed outside.

“…Wow, it’s already dark by 6:30.”

The dark rural road where even an ordinary person couldn’t see a step ahead.

Calculating the arrival time, I couldn’t resist the boredom and called Jaehyuk.

[…Hello? Are you on your way?]

Pressing the call button, Jaehyuk’s voice started coming through the phone.

Was I waiting for his call all along? Feeling happy to hear his voice, I opened my mouth slowly with a smile on my lips.

“Yeah, I’m on my way. Shouldn’t take more than about two hours. Oh, and about your mom… she didn’t overprepare too much this time, did she?”

[…You know her. But why did you call? Because you miss me?]

“It’s natural to miss you, and I wanted to hear your voice. Walking alone on the night streets without you… feels a bit lonely, hehe…”

[I have nothing to do anyway, so should I come pick you up at the terminal?]

“Are you sure it’s not a bother? You really hate inconvenience.”

[My beloved girlfriend says she’s lonely, so it’s fine. So, if you’re arriving in two hours, you’ll be at the terminal by 8, right? I’ll see you there at 8.]

“Yeah, thank you! I love you, husband?”

[I love you too.]

Click.

“Phew…”

Honestly, I wanted to keep talking on the phone until I got off the bus, but no matter how much I thought about it, that would be too much of a bother for Jaehyuk.

Still, perhaps it was the strength I gained from hearing the voice of the person I love, I started walking briskly towards the terminal.

“It’s about time for a bunch of interesting posts to start popping up.”

Although there was still a day left of the holiday, today was the last day of Chuseok.

Expecting to see post-holiday posts that would make me laugh, I logged into the community site.

[Real-time fairy… Spilling the beans on a f**ked up story…]

Sure enough, from the very first concept post, the title seemed suspicious.

What kind of things had happened to them in just one day?

I started savoring each one, laughing and crying, and when I came to my senses.

“Welcome back, was the journey not too difficult?”

“I didn’t find it too difficult since I was thinking of seeing you. But why does your complexion look so bad? Are you feeling unwell?”

“Rather than feeling sick, well, should I say I’m tired? Ever since I lost something to hold onto, I couldn’t sleep well because I felt empty. I couldn’t sleep properly for a few days… so I’m a bit tired now.”

“…I also couldn’t sleep well because my side was itching. We can have a good night’s sleep today, right?”

“That’s right, hehe.”

After reuniting with Jaehyuk at the terminal, I was walking towards the place that would someday be my in-laws’ house.

“By the way, are you okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“Meeting your parents-in-law in this state. Since we’re getting closer to home… I suddenly feel nervous.”

Although we had agreed to act like friends in front of his mother, pretending we weren’t anything more than that, and that we were just going to see if we got along, I knew there was no need to worry at least this time.

Why was I more nervous than when I went for my first interview…?

It was truly something I couldn’t understand.

“I’ve told you several times already, there’s really no need to worry. You’ll see when we get there, right? Do you know why I’m saying this?”

“Th-thank you for saying that, but I can’t help but worry… Hey! Don’t pat my head! I put in so much effort to look pretty, what if you ruin it!”

“You look pretty even without doing all this. I’m not just saying that, so just relax and be yourself.”

“No, how can I relax when I’m going to meet the potential future in-laws!”

Although I was grateful for the sweet words, worrying was inevitable.

So, listening to the comforting words with one ear and letting them go with the other, I arrived in front of Jaehyuk’s house, still tense.

[Ding ~ Dong♪]

“Who… Oh, Jiwoo? Hey, Juyeon! Go and open the door!”

“No, Jaehyuk is outside, Mom! Just let him in yourself!!!”

“If you’re not going to listen, pack your bags and get out right now.”

“Oh, Mom! Ugh…”

The rough conversation from the doorbell made me believe Jaehyuk’s words.

His mother’s voice… was undeniably kinder than when I last visited.

…Maybe I can relax as Jaehyuk said?

But complacency is dangerous.

I gathered my courage once again and cautiously stepped through the open door.