episode_0165

“So… Jaehyuk won’t be coming to work today?”

“Yes… Hehe, his health isn’t great, so he needs a day or two of rest.”

“How bad did he push himself that he was perfectly fine just yesterday… Well, can you still come to work then?”

“Oh, yes, of course, I can come to work, sir. I’ll see you in a bit!”

“Phew… Alright, pass on my regards to Jaehyuk. Let’s meet in the evening.”

The sun was high in the sky.

In a hospital room, only the weak breath of a man could be heard quietly.

After finishing the call with the boss, I looked down at my husband, who had become pale and frail, with sad eyes.

“…I’m sorry.”

I couldn’t control myself due to being too excited.

I need to calm down now, why does this keep happening every time I get too worked up…

“Ugh…”

As I gently touched his pale cheek, thanks to Ling’er, Jaehyuk slowly opened his eyes, groaning and trembling, and then started scolding me with a stern expression.

“I said three more times.”

“…”

“I told you to drink only 100ml of blood more, but you drank almost five times that amount, you crazy vampire.”

“I-I’m sorry… I messed up…”

Though there was some injustice, it was time to admit my mistake and face the consequences.

I sat down with a heavy heart, and after about an hour, I finally received forgiveness from Jaehyuk.

After a long wait, it was finally time for explanations.

I handed Jaehyuk some water to quench his thirst and began to explain the circumstances that led to my actions.

“I know I’ve been forgiven, but… I have no words when it comes to our intimacy, but there was a reason behind the bloodsucking.”

“What do you mean?”

“It may sound like an excuse, but no matter how much I drank, my thirst wasn’t satisfied as usual. So I continued to… and without realizing it, I went too far…”

As I spoke, a sudden realization hit me.

Was I just saying, ‘I’m a dangerous woman who could devour you at any moment’?

What could be more dangerous than a predator unable to control its predatory instincts?

Thinking that I might have scared him off with my confession, I quickly trailed off.

“Could it be because of the baby in your belly? I’m not sure if vampire traits are hereditary, but if they are, maybe the baby needs blood too?”

“Is that so?”

“Honestly, it’s strange that you suddenly couldn’t control yourself without any trigger. I mean, I haven’t completely deprived you of blood before.”

After hearing me out, Jaehyuk seemed to ponder for a moment, then looked at my abdomen and suggested a possibility.

…If the baby inherits vampire traits, that would make sense.

But then… does that mean this won’t happen again during the rest of the pregnancy?

Is this okay? Could I accidentally turn him into a widow by sucking too much blood?

Looking at the man I love, who will soon be my husband, with worry and guilt.

Jaehyuk let out a deep sigh as he looked at me, then smiled warmly and tousled my hair.

“Let’s worry about a solution later, for now, let’s focus on the wedding. Even a quick glance shows there’s a lot to do, so just thinking about it will keep us busy for a while, right?”

“…Alright, got it. You look really tired, so go get some rest. While you sleep, I’ll look into things.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard… Well, after sucking me dry like that, will you be energetic for a few days? Anyway, I’m going to sleep now. See you around tomorrow evening.”

“Mm… I’ll say it again, but I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, it’s all in the past. Don’t worry about it, go and work hard.”

“I love you.”

“Me too.”

Page break –

After a light peck on the lips, I left the hospital room and realized it was late afternoon.

The sky was filled with dark clouds, hinting at rain, but thankfully there was no issue in returning to my studio apartment.

Taking a taxi back to my place, I was greeted by a messy living room.

Thinking back to the intense morning we had, I slowly started to tidy up the cluttered apartment.

“…Hehehe.”

While cleaning diligently, I noticed a marriage registration form on the floor and carefully picked it up.

The marriage registration form and the engagement ring that Jaehyuk had proposed with.

Recalling the exciting moment in my mind, a smile crept back onto my face.

“By the way… How should I prepare for the wedding?”

We should have the wedding before my stomach starts showing, but is that even possible?

I heard that due to the overlap of the pandemic and the interspecies mutation crisis, reservations are heavily backed up…

Pausing my cleaning for a moment, I searched online for the process of preparing for a wedding.

To my delight, the information I was looking for popped up one after another.

.

.

.

Even after skimming through a few posts for about 10 minutes, I could tell that the process was quite complex.

And I stumbled upon another piece of grim news.

Or rather, I should say I confirmed the rumor to be true rather than stumbled upon the news.

“…There’s no way we can do it in the capital area, and even if we try in the provinces, we’ll have to wait for over six months?”

Why is there so much complexity and frustration in planning a ceremony where we vow eternal love to each other?

As my thoughts piled up, a headache slowly started to creep in.

Deciding to look for alternative solutions whenever I had time, I refocused on cleaning.

—–

It was the perfect time for the holiday hangover to wear off, and being a Friday added to that.

Just when Jaehyuk was absent due to his recovery, the cocktail bar was bustling with an unexpected surge in customers.

It was a day so busy that even a moment of idle thoughts seemed impossible after the week following my visit to the comics store.

As the peak time passed and closing time approached, me and the other bartenders could finally catch our breath.

“…Phew, that was tough.”

“You did a great job, unnie. But… for someone who says it was tough, your complexion looks really good? Did something good happen while I wasn’t around?”

“Something good? Yeah, there was. I received a birthday gift from Jaehyuk that I’ll never forget.”

“What did you receive? A luxury bag you’ve been wanting?”

“No ~ A marriage registration form.”

“Oh, I see… Eeek?!!”

It wasn’t something to hide, and it couldn’t be hidden forever.

Announcing in front of everyone that we were getting married, excluding the boss, everyone was surprised but also congratulatory.

“Wow… Congratulations, unnie! The male customers will shed tears, won’t they?”

“Congratulations, unnie. I’ll prepare the congratulatory gift with sincerity and apology.”

“I told you, didn’t I? It was strange that those two weren’t getting married! Congratulations, unnie! Now you won’t have to hear the adults asking when you’re getting married during the holidays!”

After the storm-like congratulatory ceremony ended, the bartenders’ attention soon turned to the boss, who had been consistently unresponsive.

Feeling the sharp gazes, the boss looked around uncomfortably for a moment.

No matter how long he waited, when the employees showed no signs of averting their gaze, the boss cleared his throat and then asked me a question.

“Congratulations. So, have you decided on a wedding date? Where will it be held?”

“Ahaha, I haven’t decided on that yet. I think I’ll take my time with it, it might take at least half a year.”

“Why?”

“Well… they say that wedding venue reservations are backed up for at least half a year no matter where you go. So…”

As I explained with a bitter smile, everyone sighed sympathetically, showing their regret.

…It can’t be helped. I still haven’t found a way to move up the wedding date.

Thanking them for their comfort, I was about to head back to my designated area to start closing up, when the boss, who had been pondering something for a while, suddenly called me over and told me to go to the employee break room.

…Could it be that he’s questioning me about why Jaehyuk couldn’t work today?

Filled with worry, I entered the room, only to find the boss waiting for me.

“I called you here because… Jiyoo, don’t you think you should get married early?”

“Well… I mean, I should do it before I get too full. And if it doesn’t work out, I’m also thinking about having a baby. But why are you asking me this…”

“So basically, all you need is to find a wedding venue to hold the ceremony, right?”

“Wait a minute, boss. You don’t mean… No, right?”

Feeling like the situation was taking a strange turn, I asked, and the boss nodded affirmatively.

“If it’s too difficult, just say so. Even though I may not seem like it, I have a few vacation homes in scenic places. As long as you can make it look good, it’s fine to have it there, right?”

“If you help me like that, it’s too much of a burden…”

“Think of it as a congratulatory gift. And by piling up this much gratitude, the employees won’t run away. Isn’t that right?”

“…”

Flash!

Feeling as if a halo was shining behind the boss’s head, I made a vow.

I will bury myself in this job for the rest of my life.