episode_0040

The ferocious beast, approaching me with determined steps, was captured by the brother who rushed in upon hearing the screams.

Although my brother paused briefly upon realizing that the reason for the screams was just a hedgehog.

Seemingly recalling his advanced fear of gloves from somewhere, he donned gloves of unknown origin and swiftly snatched the hedgehog with one hand.

“Sizzle… Sizzle…!”

For some unknown reason, the creature, now writhing in anger all over its body due to its failed objective, though unclear what that objective was.

Perhaps feeling the prickliness even through the gloves, my brother scowled and disappeared outside with the dark brown hedgehog.

As my brother vanished with the hedgehog, my mother and father arrived shortly after.

Upon entering the room, they immediately examined my condition with worried expressions.

“Son! What happened? Look at your pale face…!”

“…Just now, wasn’t Seong carrying something out? Could it be because of that?”

It felt embarrassing to have screamed in fear of a hedgehog. I tried to brush it off as nothing serious, but the pent-up frustration seemed considerable.

Continuously hearing my parents’ concerned voices, tears began to well up in my eyes.

*Sob…*

As tears streamed down my face, hiding the melancholy emotions any longer became impossible.

When else and to whom could I pour out these pent-up feelings if not now?

Nestling my face into my mother’s embrace, I began to release all the bottled-up emotions.

*Sob… Mom…! The hedgehog…! The hedgehog…!!!*

“…Yes, our son. You were very scared, weren’t you?”

*Sob… I said no! I told them not to come…! Sob…*

It felt like a return to childhood. Yet, after letting out the stored frustration, there was a sense of relief.

When was the last time my mother patted my back like this? Was it when Jeahyeok and I fought in middle school and I came back upset?

It might have been around then, but I pushed away the thoughts.

For now, I just wanted to focus on enjoying this comforting feeling and warmth of my mother’s embrace.

The emotional release lasted less than ten minutes.

The scent of garlic emanating from my mother’s body made it feel like I would die if I didn’t vent out the frustration.

Though lamenting my pitiful state made it even more pitiful, it was still okay.

Thanks to that brief moment, lighter than a feather, my heart could find solace.

*Ah, ah…*

As my emotions calmed, embarrassment washed over me, yet thanks to my parents’ care, I regained a sense of peace.

…If they had teased me cruelly, would I have turned into a bat and hidden in a mouse hole?

Quietly wiping away the lingering tears, I lowered my head and posed one question to my parents.

“…Why was the hedgehog in my room?”

I was curious.

Based on my recent studies in wildlife understanding, with its overall dark color and large size, it clearly resembled a wild hedgehog.

They are known to inhabit mountains or areas near farmland… Yes, being in the countryside, if lucky, one might encounter them.

But seriously, coming out of nowhere in my room is a bit much.

So, cautiously, I asked if they knew each other…

“We don’t know this hedgehog. We’re also curious how it got in. Is there a hidden opening somewhere?”

My parents shook their heads, utterly clueless.

Is this a similar case to the peculiar bird we encountered last time?

Unbelievable, really.

No, how can an endangered species that isn’t commonly seen come crawling out in my room?

Later on, even a Korean native fox with a low population might appear in front of me, huh?

Should I consider this lucky? Or should I say it’s unfortunate?

Leaning against the wall with a disappointed smile, my mother breathed a sigh of relief and opened her mouth.

“By the way, thankfully.”

“What is it?”

“You didn’t feel a counting compulsion when you saw the hedgehog spines. Just thinking about you panicking and counting… Oh, I’m already feeling dizzy.”

“…I agree.”

It was truly a godsend that I had taken the initiative to eat breakfast as soon as I got up.

If I hadn’t eaten, by now, wouldn’t I be struggling with both counting compulsion and advanced phobias?

Just being exploited in one weakness would drive me crazy, but being exploited in two weaknesses at once…

“It’s terrifying just to imagine.”

Trembling with fear, I vowed to myself.

From now on.

I have to live with my wits about me.

—–

Finally, I found my ancestral home.

As starting bartending made it difficult to come down, I wanted to spend as much time as possible with my family, but due to the vampire’s inability to move under sunlight, even such a small wish couldn’t be fulfilled properly.

The time I could spend with my family was from evening until midnight.

Roughly calculating, it may seem like 6 hours, but in reality, it wasn’t at all.

After a hard day, the farmers who returned home exhausted slept deeply, and the vampires who woke up with no energy to play, usually showered right after dinner and went to bed.

The only time to see family and talk was during dinner.

Although it was a short time, I could tell them everything that had happened over the past two months.

Starting from the story of returning home to find my place hidden away, to starting bartending.

There were so many interesting things that it could be written into a novel, so I thought they would find it quite intriguing.

…Strangely, from the moment they heard that I had started living with Jaehyuk, my father’s face showed no signs of approval.

Why is he like that? Did a fishbone get stuck in his throat or something?

Seeing my father, who rarely showed any change in expression, furrow his brow, I became unnecessarily scared.

I cautiously glanced at him and asked.

“Dad, is there something you don’t like?”

“Hmm?”

“Your face doesn’t look good. Is there something in the story I told that you didn’t like?”

“Oh, it’s because I bit my tongue while eating meat. Don’t worry about it.”

“Okay.”

I let out a relieved sigh and took another big bite of the sandwich my mother had made.

As dinner came to an end.

While gulping down orange juice as a dessert, my mother asked me with her arms crossed.

“So, living with Jaehyuk will end in mid-June?”

“Yes, unless there are any special circumstances.”

Once the semester ends, empty bachelor pads will pop up like mushrooms.

Since the perception of inter-species relationships isn’t bad, I should be able to find a suitable place quickly.

I need to find and move out as soon as possible from the day the semester ends.

That way, it will be good for both him and me.

Clank.

Setting down the empty glass and flashing a satisfied smile, my brother teasingly joked.

“How far have you guys gone? No, you’ve probably gone all the way, so when are you getting married?”

“What do you mean ‘how far’? We’re not in that kind of relationship! And we haven’t ‘gone all the way’! That never happened!”

“Mom said she saw you sulking on top of him, though?”

“That’s just trying to stop the bead ice cream from spilling! Don’t say weird things, hyung! People will misunderstand if they hear!”

The parties involved seem unfazed, so why do others keep making a fuss?

When reassured that such a thing wouldn’t happen, Father displayed a satisfied smile.

…Your expression seems a bit varied today. Did you enjoy the apple you just ate?

With a nod and a chuckle, he picked up a piece of apple and soon a subtle smile appeared.

Realizing why my gruff father smiled, I slowly nodded my head.

As the brief conversation ominously came to an end, Father and my brother rose from their seats and headed towards the bedroom.

I placed my bowl in the sink and started wandering around my room.

“…By the way, I wonder how Jaehyuk is doing.”

Perhaps prompted by Mother and my brother’s conversation, I suddenly became curious about what he was up to.

Since he doesn’t have any hobbies, he’s probably just lying around after eating, right?

Or maybe he’s taking advantage of my absence to enjoy some ‘me time’ for once?

Suddenly curious, I stopped pacing and sent him a message.

[You there]

[What’s up]_7:26 PM

[?]

[Bored?]_7:27 PM

Jaehyuk replied promptly in a complaining tone, confirming my suspicions. Leaving a simple response of ‘Just asking,’ I tossed my phone far away.

“What a boring guy.”

He may look perfectly fine on the outside, but his personality issues are the real problem.

No wonder he only has three friends, including me, and can’t get a girlfriend.

“If he just fixed his personality, he could really get a girlfriend…”

How many girls were there who approached him based on looks but backed off after seeing his personality? Wasn’t it at least more than five?

Wait, seriously? A guy who could set up a real-life harem by just fixing his personality and way of speaking, why is he frustrated for not nerfing himself!

“Annoying, really.”

Briefly recalling Jaehyuk’s issues, I shook my head in exasperation.

…But why am I even bothering with this? It’s a problem he needs to solve himself.

“Yeah, even among friends, I shouldn’t meddle in the dating side of things.”

Letting out a deep sigh to dispel the frustration.

I retrieved my thrown phone and began enjoying some online chatting.