Chapter 164: Side Story – The Beautiful Eastern Bride (6) [R-18]

That night, Aiden lay beside his bed and picked up his phone.

The number written on his wrist had already faded from sweat, but the name ‘Seojin’ on the screen was crystal clear.

He bit his lip.

“She said to call… ‘when you can’t make it.’ Only when you’re sick, you dumbass…”

A wave of self-loathing rose in his throat, but his fingers, which he had restrained all day, were already typing in the message window.

[It’s me! Aiden :)]

Just a few words and an emoji.

It wasn’t that he was expecting anything or hoping for a particular reply.

It was just a timid, bashful text from a twenty-year-old, a quiet attempt to slip his existence into her world.

He pressed send, then flipped his phone over and closed his eyes.

Though less than a minute would pass before he’d turn it over to check for a reply, he cursed the silent phone and forced himself to try and sleep.

Sunlight was spreading across the bedding.

Seojin was asleep in Rio’s arms, naked, with the covers pulled up to her neck.

Her long hair was spread softly over the pillow, and one of her hands rested on Rio’s arm.

Waking up first for the first time in a long while, he gently brushed his wife’s hair aside and placed a light kiss on her forehead.

As his kisses wandered near her face, Seojin’s phone, which had been set to Do Not Disturb, vibrated on the nightstand.

Bzzzt—

The sound stirred Seojin from her sleep. Unable to fully open her eyes, she kept them half-closed as she reached for the phone.

Seojin blinked a few times.

The message was short, without context. Just a greeting.

“…So is he coming? Or not coming…?”

Or… was this just his way of telling her to save his number?

Seojin muttered to herself and put the phone back down. Beside her, Rio sensed her reaction and turned his head.

“The delivery kid?”

Seojin parted her lips slightly and nodded.

Too sleepy to form words, she just closed her eyes again. Then, like a child seeking comfort, she buried her face in his chest once more.

Meanwhile, Aiden had also tossed and turned, waking up early.

Beside his bed lay the iPhone he had eventually thrown aside. He turned on the lock screen. No notifications.

Still, he swiped up and opened the iMessage app.

[It’s me! Aiden :)]

Beneath it, in small gray letters:

‘Read · 6:42 AM’

“…Ngh…”

He bit his lip hard.

No reply. Just read.

He regretted adding that stupid emoji, and now the message itself seemed completely random.

But since he’d already picked up the phone, he couldn’t just put it down.

He opened and closed the message thread over and over before his fingers finally moved.

[Is there anything you like?]

[I feel like I’m always just receiving things… I’d like to give you something]

This time, it wasn’t a vague message that could be easily ignored.

Asking a personal question meant that if she didn’t answer this time, he would feel too awkward to contact her again.

Staring at the input window, he lowered his head again.

This could be a burden to her. And what could he possibly give to a madam who lived in a house like that? It was probably a pointless thing to say.

But he had already pressed ‘send.’

‘Delivered.’

Staring down at the phone in his hand, he let out a deep sigh.

“Ah… seriously… so pathetic, this is the worst…”

What was she doing right now?

Did she even have her phone with her? It didn’t seem like she checked it often. Would she be annoyed?

…Was she with her husband?

That last thought spun endlessly in his mind.

The newlywed bedroom he wondered about was quiet. The window was slightly ajar, letting a gentle breeze drift in.

Seojin, having fallen back asleep, was curled up with the blanket, her breathing soft and even.

Rio’s touch had kept her up late into the night, and her body still felt heavy and languidly relaxed.

On the nightstand, Seojin’s phone vibrated once more.

Bzzzt—

Rio, who had been on his own phone, picked up the device next to him, worried it would wake her. He was just going to switch it to silent mode.

[Is there anything you like?]

[I feel like I’m always just receiving things… I’d like to give you something]

But the moment he read the message that appeared on the screen, Rio scoffed.

“…Pfft.”

On Seojin’s behalf, his fingers moved silently. The reply was a single word.

[Flowers]

Type, send.

Then he switched the phone to silent and tossed it carelessly onto the end of the bed.

He had been sitting up slightly, but now he lay back down, wrapping an arm around the waist of the soundly sleeping Seojin. She didn’t stir in the slightest.

She slept on in his arms, completely unaware of the message sent by this cocky little brat, and just as unaware that he had replied for her.

Rio kissed his wife’s forehead and murmured to himself.

“My little puppy has no idea she’s being flirted with. She’ll just get the flowers this punk sends and be happy about it.”

He smiled quietly.

“Still, I might as well see her happy face.”

Aiden sat at the dining table, refusing to put down his phone even while eating breakfast.

He scrolled through spam, messages from friends, and his parents, but the moment he saw a new message under her name, his heart began to pound.

[Flowers]

A single word.

But to him, it was the entire universe in a single word.

“Ah, flowers… so she likes flowers.”

Thankfully, it was something he could easily prepare, and a gift that suited her perfectly.

“…But which kind?”

Whether brilliant, elegant, or charmingly small, everything seemed to suit her. What kind of flowers could he possibly give her that would make her see him as a good man?

His leg bounced nervously as he spent a long time typing out flower types in his notes app, only to delete them. He typed out the sentence, ‘What kind of flowers do you like?’, but then just saved it as a draft.

His day began in a flurry, all because of that one word: ‘Flowers.’

Aiden, who hadn’t postponed the lesson, smoothed down the thin kraft paper wrapping the bouquet one more time.

From within the paper, peach-colored ranunculuses peeked out shyly.

He had ironed his shirt and styled his hair to look sleek and damp.

He even wore a watch. It was a day he had dressed up, trying not to look like just ‘a part-timer coming for a lesson.’

But as he approached the gate of Seojin’s house with a buoyant step, he stopped short.

Inside, under the parasol where he always sat with her, was her husband.

His hand was resting on Seojin’s shoulder, and she accepted his touch as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Oh, Aiden!”

Seojin spotted him first, her eyes widening slightly. After explaining to Rio that he was her teacher, she noticed his clothes and the flowers and said with a smile, “You look nice today. Are you going somewhere after our lesson?”

Aiden gave a short nod in response to her lighthearted greeting.

“Ah… yes. Sort of…”

His voice trailed off as he clutched the hastily hidden flowers tighter.

The lesson began as usual, in the same spot in the yard.

Seojin opened her notebook, and Aiden pointed out the words one by one, explaining them as if to a child.

Beside them, Rio was watering the plants.

He moved about the yard with the leisurely and relaxed air of ‘the man of the house.’

Just as Aiden glanced his way, conscious of his presence, Rio approached and lifted a few strands of Seojin’s long hair that had fallen forward.

He tucked the hair behind her ear, placing a soft kiss there.

“Should I get you some orange juice?”

The menu choice was one that treated Aiden like a child. Seojin turned her head toward him and smiled.

“Yes. That would be nice.”

Rio immediately looked toward Aiden and asked, “And for you, teacher?”

The man was even using polite, formal language. Aiden avoided his eyes and answered curtly.

“…I’m fine, thank you.”

After Rio went inside, the yard was quiet except for the sound of Seojin’s pen scratching against paper.

The sunlight shone down on them from over the bench.

Aiden slid his palm against his trousers to wipe away the sweat before finally speaking.

“Your husband… he’s very handsome.”

Seojin paused for a moment, then quietly pressed her lips together.

Then, with an expression that seemed to be suppressing a full-blown smile, she replied shyly, “He is, I suppose. People tend to stare when we go out… it can be a bit much.”

Oh, for fuck’s sake. He had been holding it in.

He had endured Rio’s arm draped over Seojin’s shoulder throughout the lesson, the lazy presence of him watering the plants, the way he brought the orange juice and wrapped his arm around her.

He had endured it all.

But he could no longer hold back the sincere feelings he had finally come to deliver. Spurred on by Rio, he wanted to show his own feelings clearly.

He felt his hand tremble slightly, but he tried his best to act nonchalant as he held the bouquet out to her.

“You… said you liked flowers… This is a thank you for the candy and everything you gave me yesterday.”

Seojin blinked two or three times.

“I did? …This is for me?”

He swallowed hard, his shoulders slumping slightly as he forced a smile.

“Yes.”

His eyes held a hint of resentment, a plea. ‘You’re the one who said it,’ was the meaning he tried to convey, a clue he hoped she would understand.

But just as the clueless woman took the bouquet, looking bewildered, the front door opened.

Rio appeared, holding a glass cup with her juice.

“Ah, I knew it. It looked like he was preparing a gift for you, so I helped him out.”

Ice cubes clinked in the cup, the orange juice sparkling transparently.

He sat down naturally next to Seojin, his hand lightly wrapping around her back.

“You like them, don’t you? Flowers.”

His words were gentle and kind, but they were also a clear warning.

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Translated By: Meher (RaidenTL)

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