episode_0077

Cheon Sehee remained silent for a long time. Lee Hyunjin’s words were shocking to her as well.

At first, she had merely intended to scold the two young ones, including her youngest daughter, after hearing about the cause related to their unique magic.

How did the boy end up blurting out such a shocking statement before she even had a chance to speak?

Somehow, it brought to mind the sudden outburst Cheon Soyul had made a few months ago.

Isn’t there a saying, “those who love each other become alike”? What about in this case? Did they become alike because they fell in love, or did similar people fall for each other from the start?

Either way, it was a headache for Cheon Sehee.

Personally, she wanted to support her youngest daughter’s first relationship news.

Unlike her eldest daughter, Cheon Hyeon-a, Soyul had never once mentioned a boyfriend.

She hoped that this would be a good relationship, and ideally, that it would continue for a long time as an even more wonderful bond.

Therefore, there was only one problem now: the family’s unique magic.

No awakening family liked their unique magic to be leaked to outsiders.

And if it was a top-tier magic like Divine Lightning, they would naturally become even more sensitive.

So what was the method? Everyone knew there was only one solution.

This wasn’t the early awakening era of fifty years ago; they couldn’t simply extract another Grand Mage’s mana circuit by hand, could they?

In fact, there was a more peaceful path. And Lee Hyunjin had offered it himself.

The only answer Cheon Sehee could give now was acceptance or rejection.

Cheon Sehee closed her eyes. An adopted son-in-law?

Honestly, she had never even considered it until now.

And not even for Cheon Hyeon-a, but for her youngest daughter, Cheon Soyul, who wouldn’t hurt even if put in her eye [an idiom describing extreme affection for a child]. What news was this, like a bolt from the blue [an idiom for shocking news]?

In truth, thinking about Cheon Soyul’s disheveled appearance as she stepped onto the stadium stage before the match began…

Cheon Sehee felt like tearing the young man kneeling before her into seven pieces right then and there.

Perhaps while shouting, ‘How dare you lay a hand on my precious daughter!’

“……”

Thus, Cheon Sehee looked back at Cheon Soyul with sad eyes. She took in the embarrassed expression her youngest daughter was making at this moment.

Her face was flushed, but it wasn’t from embarrassment. Rather, it was joy, a slight thrill?

Of course, the most prominent emotion was shyness and awkwardness. But the key was that even those weren’t negative reactions.

Cheon Sehee sighed, furrowing her brow.

‘…My daughter is making that kind of face.’

How could she say no? How could she firmly and adamantly reject him?

Hadn’t it been said that there is no parent who can overcome their child [a proverb about parental love/powerlessness]? It was precisely that. She understood.

From the beginning, Cheon Sehee had no choice. Regardless of being the decision-maker, as Cheon Soyul’s parent, she could only give one answer.

Pressing her forehead, Cheon Sehee turned her head. There, Cheon Soyul and Lee Hyunjin were looking down with unified, tense expressions.

“…You two.”

“……”

Cheon Sehee ended the long silence and opened her mouth.

At her words, the two young people instinctively straightened their postures.

Cheon Sehee looked at Lee Hyunjin and Cheon Soyul’s sparkling eyes, suppressing the boiling emotions rising from deep within her heart.

She wanted to overturn everything, but… Cheon Sehee was an adult of a very gentle nature.

“…Why not?”

Therefore, she decided to utter it. The word of ‘permission’ that the two young people were probably wishing for more than anything right now.

“Would you two like to get engaged in the near future?”

A convulsive smile appeared on Cheon Sehee’s lips.

Though it was a remark forced out of her.

“…!”

“…Ugh!”

Nonetheless, both pairs of eyes widened, and their faces revealed considerable relief and reassurance.

Lee Hyunjin exhaled the breath he had been holding. Cheon Soyul, her face even redder, furtively glanced at Lee Hyunjin, who was kneeling beside her.

Between the two of them, a certain unspoken emotion was clearly passing back and forth, one that others couldn’t understand.

It might sound funny, but even they themselves probably hadn’t realized these feelings until recently.

And just then.

“Gurgle…”

“Gasp. Woohyuk? Woohyuk!?”

Across the restaurant, the academy’s student council president collapsed, foaming at the mouth…

Perhaps he was the one who suffered the most in that place.

*****

“So what is it, in the end? You liked me?”

“……”

“…Since when, exactly?”

Late evening. As the sun set. On the observatory atop a hill, quite high up in the academy.

From there, one could see the entire city of Daejeon with a good turn of the head, and at this time of day, it created a quite romantic atmosphere.

Lee Hyunjin and Cheon Soyul were together there. Perhaps it was a playful twist of fate, but the wide space happened to have few other people.

Leaning against the fence at the edge of the hill, Cheon Soyul looked back at Lee Hyunjin.

He remained silent, not answering her question, and she frowned, clearly displeased with the infuriating young man.

“…Hey.”

“……”

“Hey. Lee Hyunjin.”

“……”

“Not answering? What, do you want to fight?”

Lee Hyunjin sighed. He turned to look at her, and it was Cheon Soyul who flinched at his subtly displeased gaze.

“…Why, what is it?”

“……”

“Why are you looking at me like that, damn it!”

Was this exactly how a small animal would act, trying not to show it had gotten scared?

Cheon Soyul retorted fiercely, her eyes blazing, but Lee Hyunjin remained quiet.

He only furrowed his brow as if annoyed after a brief silence. Lee Hyunjin then took a step towards Cheon Soyul.

One step, two steps, long strides. Cheon Soyul hunched her shoulders and looked up.

“…Hey…?”

There was a fundamental height difference between the two of them. At such close proximity, Cheon Soyul had no choice but to look up.

Cheon Soyul didn’t particularly like being looked down on, but she couldn’t complain about it right now.

Around then, Hyunjin frowned sharply and bit out an annoyed voice.

“Did I ask you when I started liking you?”

“…Huh?”

Cheon Soyul was flustered. But then she belatedly came to her senses and awkwardly nodded.

“Uh, uh-huh. Yeah.”

After all, that was what she had intended to ask. She wanted to know. Regardless of her vague suspicions, she wanted to know Lee Hyunjin’s true feelings now that she had the chance.

“Really…?”

However, that was not a good answer.

Lee Hyunjin’s expression grew even harsher.

‘Gulp.’

Cheon Soyul almost hiccupped for a moment but held it back with superhuman patience.

Somehow, she judged that she shouldn’t show such an ungraceful side of herself at this moment.

Of course, that didn’t stop Lee Hyunjin’s words and attitude. He stepped even closer to Cheon Soyul, who had moved a step back.

“This is truly absurd…”

“Oh, oh, huh?”

“Rather, that’s what I want to ask, you Pikachu brat.”

“What, what?”

Cheon Soyul’s body flinched for a moment. Then she immediately glared fiercely.

The nickname Lee Hyunjin had just used was not one she particularly liked.

But Lee Hyunjin merely scoffed, dismissing her gaze.

Her pathetic threats held no meaning for him at this moment.

“Ugh…!”

Cheon Soyul finally backed up to the very edge of the fence. Pushed back like that, her wrist was firmly grasped by Lee Hyunjin.

What followed was a storm of words from Lee Hyunjin, seemingly filled with pent-up frustration.

“You said you didn’t like me. You said all that talk about an adopted son-in-law last time was just out of anger.”

“Even after you told me I didn’t need to take responsibility and brushed me off, why are you asking such a thing now?”

“And then, yesterday, I saw you seemed to have feelings for me? So what is it then? Why did you consistently want to maintain only a FWB relationship with me?”

As his words continued, Lee Hyunjin’s exasperation was evident in his tone.

He ruffled his shirt as if heated, and at the same time, glared sharply at Cheon Soyul.

“…Th-that, that is. Well.”

Of course, Cheon Soyul could only shrink back, her posture becoming more crumpled…

Lee Hyunjin didn’t just let Cheon Soyul’s uncharacteristically weak appearance pass.

“Hey.”

“Uh…? Uh, uh-huh!”

So he called Cheon Soyul, and she instinctively snapped to attention.

Sweating with a tense expression. She was also confused herself.

She had no words to refute him. At that time, it had been decisions and words tangled with various emotions, impulsive and timid reactions, if you will.

But now, trying to explain those things, weren’t they all just rooted in ‘pride’?

What would happen if she told him that honestly? She didn’t know for sure, but considering the terrifying expression Lee Hyunjin was showing now, she didn’t think it would end well for her.

Cheon Soyul unconsciously stiffened her body, and Lee Hyunjin’s words continued around then.

“Tell me clearly now. Your mother seems to be fine with it, thankfully, but there’s something more important, isn’t there?”

And at that point, Cheon Soyul’s eyes also changed expression.

She asked Lee Hyunjin back with a somewhat serious face.

“…What, what do you mean?”

“……”

Lee Hyunjin didn’t answer immediately.

He paused, contemplating.

There was a clear hesitation about whether to speak, and from that attitude and reaction, Cheon Soyul couldn’t help but feel an inexplicable unease.

And in fact… that unease wasn’t entirely misplaced.

“Should I just call it all off?”

Lee Hyunjin reluctantly parted his lips. A low murmur.

Cheon Soyul’s pupils shook [an idiom for extreme shock].

“Call it all off… and pretend the adopted son-in-law and engagement never happened. If I just lightly extract my mana circuit and erase your unique magic, the problem would be solved, wouldn’t it?”

“What…? Wait, wait a minute. Lee Hyunjin. What is that supposed to mean?”

“Regardless of whether you have feelings for me, considering your attitude so far, it seems like you don’t want to be in a deeper relationship with me, that’s why I’m saying this.”

Cheon Soyul’s mouth gaped open. No, what was he saying now? Was she hearing him correctly?

She didn’t know why the atmosphere had suddenly soured like this, nor why Lee Hyunjin was looking at her so resentfully!

But there was one thing she did know. Right now, she had to cater to his mood and diligently soothe his feelings.

Otherwise, she had a premonition that things might proceed just as he said.

Cheon Soyul hastily pulled her back from the fence and embraced Lee Hyunjin. Embracing each other wasn’t a new thing for them.

But it was almost certainly the first time they had openly embraced like this, outside of a bed.

Along with such not-immediately-important thoughts, Cheon Soyul spoke with a trembling voice.

“What, what are you talking about? That can’t be true. Seriously, listen. Everything I said back then was all just nonsense I blurted out because of my pride, I didn’t even realize it…!”

Unable to lift her head, she buried her forehead and cheek in Lee Hyunjin’s chest.

She hoped the loud thud of her heart, which had almost plummeted a moment ago, wouldn’t be heard by Lee Hyunjin.

“I, I like you. Honestly, I’ve wanted to say it so many times, but I’ve just been too shy and embarrassed to say it until now. Okay?”

“……”

“…So don’t say things like that. I, I was really happy that you said that in front of Mom…!”

She couldn’t see Lee Hyunjin’s expression. She didn’t want to see it. She didn’t have the courage to look.

But she kept talking. Because she felt like it had to be now or never.

Cheon Soyul overcame that shred of fear and, instead, gathered her courage to express everything she wanted to say.

Gulp. The moment she swallowed a dry lump, she felt a flicker of resolve.

“I’m just, I’m just sorry for everything. I’m sorry for being prideful. I’m sorry for saying I didn’t like you. When you said you’d take responsibility for me, I was so wrong for being arrogant and saying you didn’t need to…”

She uttered the words. She offered her apologies.

Next was the confession.

“…I guess I really like you a lot. I didn’t realize it, but now that things are like this, I keep getting a pounding heart because I want to get engaged too.”

She squeezed her eyes shut. Once she started speaking, courage kept welling up, and she let her mouth and tongue take over, pouring out everything else she wanted to say.

“It must seem really ridiculous for me to go back on my words now. But still, you, you know me well. You know I’m just a really bothersome girl who uselessly puts on a show of pride.”

“……”

“So please, just this once. As for me…”

And only then.

Finally then.

She suppressed her trembling body, ignoring the rising tension and fear.

She laboriously lifted her head, which had been deeply buried in Lee Hyunjin’s chest.

Her eyes were wet, blurring her vision somewhat, but she could still make out Lee Hyunjin’s form.

“…As for me.”

Therefore, Cheon Soyul decided to speak. It was what she wanted to say. What she had to say.

In this moment, it was the whisper of her love, which she wanted to express as her emotions guided her.

“I truly, now, want to marry you.”

Even if it was impulsive, even if it was spontaneous.

There was no regret.

Rather, a sense of immense relief filled her mind after speaking.

That, at least, was definitely not bad.

Therefore, this was.

Cheon Soyul’s unregrettable proposal.