Chapter 72: With a wish in the night sky

The night sky was deeply dark, yet in contrast, the streets were bathed in warm light.

It was evening, and the sunset glow had not yet completely faded.

Centered around a narrow alley, colorful stalls lined both sides.

From the scent of freshly baked fluffy bread and the rich aroma of grilled squid to the sweet fragrance of melting cotton candy.

“Mom, that looks delicious!”

“Son, it’s dangerous to run in the street.”

“Hehe, okay!”

The voices of harmonious families spread far on the sea breeze, making the festival atmosphere even cozier.

“It’s really beautiful here… This is my first time at the Moon Festival, and it’s even better because I’m with you.”

“It was worth the trouble of making the reservation, wasn’t it? Hahahaha.”

The voices of lovers, too, warmed the festival streets.

Above people’s heads, rows of soft orange lanterns hung, swaying gently with every breeze and casting warm light.

That light quietly colored people’s shoulders, hair, and hearts.

Everyone walked hand in hand with their loved ones.

Without a destination, they simply followed their steps and hearts, walking and sometimes stopping, freely enjoying the festival.

A night where no one was lonely.

In the midst of a festival where no one seemed likely to cry, a man and a woman walked closely together.

“Yoon Sihyun’s hand… it’s warm and big…”

“Luna, just in case we get separated in the crowd, hold my hand even tighter today.”

“Mmm…! I’ll never let go!”

The most beautiful girl at the Moonlit Night Festival and her jet-black bodyguard, who never left her side for a moment, gently held hands as they passed through the crowd.

With every step, Luna’s light pink skirt fluttered and danced.

The girl’s silver hair swayed in the soft night breeze, and her golden eyes shone brighter than the lanterns.

—Squeeze.

Luna held Yoon Sihyun’s hand even tighter.

‘Today, Yoon Sihyun is… so proactive and cool that my heart is in danger…!’

Yoon Sihyun, who had confessed his love without hesitation back at the accommodation.

His face half-hidden by a silver mask, his jawline slightly exposed, and a wooden sword held in one hand.

Every one of his actions and his appearance made the girl’s heart pound.

“Yoon Sihyun… you’re incredibly cool today… Hehe.”

“Hahaha, it feels good to be praised by the most beautiful princess in the world, doesn’t it?”

Yoon Sihyun turned his head to look at Luna, then began speaking in a low, calm voice, as if a true warrior addressing his princess.

“Princess, would it be alright for a mere escort like me to love a maiden as beautiful as you?”

“……!!”

“Just a moment ago, I confessed to you under the moonlight, but no matter how much I speak, I cannot control the overflowing feelings in my heart. Tonight, with your beauty before my eyes, how can I possibly restrain myself?”

“Y-Yoon Sihyun… if you suddenly say things like that… I-I don’t know what to do…!”

Luna’s flustered appearance, covering her flushed cheeks.

Yoon Sihyun chuckled, as if finding Luna utterly adorable, and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her into his embrace.

*Kiss.*

“……!!”

Yoon Sihyun kissed Luna’s cheek without hesitation.

Before the warmth of his lips faded from the girl’s cheek, he immediately spoke.

“If you’re too shy to speak, then kiss me. Then I shall know that my princess loves me too.”

“H-Hwaaaaahhh…!”

Luna was utterly overwhelmed by Yoon Sihyun’s sudden serious tone and display of affection.

‘Hmm, I should stop here for now. If I go any further, Luna’s legs will give out.’

“Hahaha, our princess’s ‘defense’ is lower than I expected, isn’t it? Well, that’s another charm point.”

“Hmph… T-That’s because Yoon Sihyun is too cool today.”

“Alright, alright. Shall we walk again?”

“Yeah! Hehe.”

His actions always contained a hint of playfulness.

But today, even Yoon Sihyun himself couldn’t tell where the playfulness ended and the sincerity began.

‘Perhaps it was sincere… from the very beginning. Because even I was captivated by how exceptionally beautiful Luna was today… Haha.’

The words he “playfully” offered Luna and the “light” touch of his fingertips always held a deeply hidden emotion: ‘love’.

Today, that love could no longer remain hidden and burst forth.

‘At this rate, I’m disqualified as a bodyguard, aren’t I? Because I fell in love with the princess I’m supposed to protect.’

Yoon Sihyun chuckled softly and stroked Luna, who was looking up at him.

Filled with all the love he had kept hidden until now.

****

An alleyway where orange lanterns floated in a line.

Food stalls stretched out on both sides, accompanied by sweet aromas.

Beneath the night sky, Luna and Yoon Sihyun looked like lovers who had just stepped out of an old tale.

Side by side under the moonlight, the two were a scene in themselves, a living painting.

“Wow… look at that couple over there. They’re really beautiful.”

“Oh my… truly…”

As Luna and Yoon Sihyun passed by, people watching the festival turned their heads multiple times, uttering words of admiration.

The men were captivated by Luna’s beauty, and the women were charmed by Yoon Sihyun’s quiet and handsome demeanor.

“U-Um, Yoon Sihyun… people are staring so much, I’m a little embarrassed…”

“Hmm… Is it because Luna isn’t wearing a mask?”

“That’s not it… Since I was a princess of Seleneum, I’m used to people staring from a young age. But what makes me embarrassed now is…”

Luna bowed her head slightly, carefully fiddling with Yoon Sihyun’s sleeve with her fingertips.

In Seleneum, people’s gazes upon Luna were of awe and admiration, and sometimes merely excessive rumors.

But now, it was distinctly different from those days.

‘The reason I’m embarrassed by people staring at me now is… because they’re looking at me as Yoon Sihyun’s lover… Hehe…’

Their eyes expressed envy for Luna, who was loved not as a princess, but simply as one man’s lover.

The girl found that fact both incredibly unfamiliar and wonderfully happy.

Sometimes, her emotions swelled so much that it took her breath away.

“The reason I’m embarrassed now is because Yoon Sihyun is by my side… I’m shy because my beloved Yoon Sihyun is here… Hehe.”

“……”

—Squeeze.

Yoon Sihyun quietly enveloped the girl’s hand.

Luna gasped at the small touch where their fingertips met, but she never let go.

Yoon Sihyun glanced around for a very brief moment, then turned his head back to Luna.

“Luna, if you’re embarrassed because people are staring so much—”

His voice was low and calm, yet it lingered distinctly in Luna’s ear.

“Only look at me.”

“……!!”

“Don’t look at your surroundings; just focus your shining golden eyes on me. Then you won’t be embarrassed anymore.”

—Tap.

With those words, Yoon Sihyun gently placed his hand on the girl’s head.

As if he would look at only one person in the entire world, his dark, deep eyes held only the girl.

“……!”

For a moment, Luna forgot to breathe.

People’s gazes were still the same, but that no longer mattered to Luna.

“Yes…! I’ll only look at Yoon Sihyun…!”

Because he told her to look only at him.

Because he told her to love only him.

—Thump-thump!!

‘O-Oh no… My, my heart is beating too fast…!’

To keep him from hearing her rapidly beating heart, Luna walked leaning on Yoon Sihyun’s arm, shyly hiding her face.

Even amidst the boisterous crowd, it was as if only Luna and Yoon Sihyun were in a different space, enveloped by a quiet and warm aura.

The festival continued, but nothing registered for the two of them.

Because at this moment, only each other mattered in the whole world.

****

“Luna, are you a bit calmer now?”

“Nom nom nom… Mmm…! I like eating something sweet! Hehe.”

Luna thought she was hiding it, but Yoon Sihyun had already noticed the love that was uncontrollably gushing forth.

‘It was enough to make me genuinely think pink hearts were flying around.’

To ease Luna’s tension, Yoon Sihyun bought her a large pink cotton candy sold at a festival stall.

“How is it, Luna? Doesn’t it feel like eating a cloud?”

“Yeah! It’s amazing how it melts as soon as it’s in my mouth. It’s sweet and fluffy… just like Yoon Sihyun.”

Luna’s face was genuinely filled with happiness.

‘I wish this time with Yoon Sihyun… could last forever. How wonderful would it be if this happiness continued every moment…?’

Even after the festival ends.

Even if the seasons change.

Even if the world ends and begins anew.

Yoon Sihyun, if only I could smile like this by your side…

‘If only that could be, then I… truly wouldn’t need anything else.’

As the girl was lost in slightly sorrowful thoughts,

“Luna.”

Yoon Sihyun called out to the girl in a gentle voice, as if he had read Luna’s mind.

“Do you know? The Moon Festival has two big events.”

“Events…?”

“The first is the Sky Lantern (風燈) event, where you send your heartfelt wishes up to the sky.”

“Wishes… to the sky?”

Luna asked softly in return.

The girl’s golden eyes seemed to hold a hint of anticipation.

“Yes. You can send the wish you hold in your heart all the way up to that sky, perhaps even to the stars and the moon.”

“Then the stars and the moon will grant my wish…?”

It would naturally be the truth to say ‘that’s not how it works’ here, but Yoon Sihyun was not such a foolish man.

‘How could I do that to such a pure and innocent Luna…’

—Squeeze.

Yoon Sihyun pulled Luna, who was holding onto his lapel, into his embrace.

“If it’s the wish of a princess as beautiful as Luna, the stars and moon would probably vie with each other, fighting over who gets to grant it first.”

“Hehe… I really hope so.”

“Luna, shall we go make a wish together?”

“Yes…! Let’s go together!”

Luna remained in Yoon Sihyun’s arms, following the flow of people to the area where sky lanterns were being released.

The golden lanterns, faintly glowing in the distance, became progressively clearer and brighter as they approached.

[Moonlit Night Festival: Write your wish on a sky lantern and send it to the sky!]

“Wow… Yoon Sihyun, it’s incredibly beautiful here…!”

“This is my first time seeing sky lanterns released too… it’s truly beautiful.”

A small plaza on a hill.

There, dozens of sky lanterns, holding twinkling embers, were held in people’s hands, and some were already releasing them one by one into the sky.

People used the sky as a black canvas, writing their individual wishes with golden sky lanterns.

Amidst the cluster of sky lanterns slowly ascending into the sky, a bell chime, like a quiet prayer, echoed through the alley.

As if by promise, people silently raised their heads and gazed at the lights.

“Luna, wait here for a moment.”

“Hwaaaah… Mmm…!”

Yoon Sihyun gently set down Luna, who was captivated by the scenery, and returned with two sky lanterns from the event booth.

“Luna, if you write on this and send it up to the sky, this lantern will deliver your wish to the moon.”

“……Really?”

“Hahaha, how could a bodyguard lie to his princess?”

Luna carefully took the sky lantern.

What words should she write first?

What should she convey first?

Though it was too small a space to contain such a fervent and lovely moment.

Luna wrote down her wish, character by character.

—Scribble, scribble.

Luna soon wrote the last character and put down the pen.

“Luna, are you done writing?”

“Yes…!”

“Come closer this way. This is the closest to the sky, so it can deliver the sky lantern with Luna’s wish to the stars first.”

Standing side by side, the two carefully lifted the sky lantern.

“Luna, on the count of three, we’ll let go together, okay? One, two, three!”

“Three!!”

The moment they let go, a small gust of wind brushed past them.

The golden ember rose into the night sky, gently swaying somewhere between the stars and the moon.

Luna stared intently at the sky lantern she had released, then bounced in place, waving her hand towards the sky.

“Please, make sure to deliver my wish to the stars and the moon!”

“Luna, what wish did you write?”

“Y-Yoon Sihyun, you tell me first!”

“Hmm, I wrote, ‘Please make the most beautiful princess in the world the happiest!’”

“Hehe… Yoon Sihyun really loves me…”

Luna giggled shyly, looking at Yoon Sihyun.

—Stroke.

Yoon Sihyun, as if it were natural, stroked the girl.

“Now, shall we hear what our princess’s wish is?”

“My wish is…”

Luna hesitated for a brief moment, then poked Yoon Sihyun’s cheek, making him lean closer to her.

As Yoon Sihyun bent his head to match Luna, the girl whispered softly into his ear.

“The princess’s wish is… a se-cret! Hehe.”

“Hahaha! I guess I shouldn’t have told you that wishes work better if you don’t say them out loud, huh?”

“Yeah…! So my wish is a secret…!”

“Our princess is cute, so I’ll make an exception for you.”

Yoon Sihyun merely chuckled, finding Luna adorable for keeping her wish a secret.

The two quietly raised their heads and looked up at the sky.

The night sky was still dark, and the sky lantern that had risen high drifted away with the wind.

When the sky lantern finally became small enough to blend into the starlight, Luna whispered softly to herself in her heart.

‘Stars, Moon… please. Just a little… just a little longer, let me stay by Yoon Sihyun’s side…’

—Drip.

A transparent tear welled up slightly in the girl’s golden eyes and flowed down.

That tear held a very small, sad earnestness.

The sky lantern became smaller the further it went, but the girl’s heart contained within it remained in the sky, becoming a star in the night.