Heart

Rotten took out a black seed from his bosom and placed it on the silver tray he had put on the bed beforehand.

“Do you know what this is?”

I shook my head at Rotten’s question. I roughly guessed what it was from its appearance and said.

“Is it a black bean?”

“It’s a seed. A vine’s seed.”

Rotten placed the silver tray containing the seed on Luna’s chest and waved his staff at the seed, and instantly vines began to grow.

As Rotten moved his staff, the grown vines entered Luna’s nose.

“I’m going to insert the vine through her nose to extract the bone fragment stuck in her brain.”

With those words, Rotten closed his mouth and focused on waving his staff. Judging by the green mist continuously emanating from his staff, it seemed he was constantly using magic.

As I anxiously watched the vines continue to enter Luna’s nose, Luna began to shake her body as if having a seizure.

“Luna…!”

“Calm down. It’s just that I’m making a small hole in her brain to extract the bone.”

Rotten waved his staff as if it were nothing. I had to sit on the chair and anxiously watch him.

*

Rotten’s staff finally stopped. Checking the clock hanging in the clubroom, it had been 8 hours.

Perhaps because he had been using magic continuously without even drinking a glass of water. Rotten seemed exhausted, collapsing into a nearby chair.

I hurriedly handed him a glass filled with cool water. Rotten thanked me and drank the water.

“How’s the treatment….”

“It went well. This is the bone fragment.”

On the silver tray placed on Luna’s chest was something the size of a baby fingernail, like a black stone fragment.

“If I check the condition of her brain once more tomorrow, the treatment will be completely finished.”

Rotten took out a pre-made bottle of herbs from his bag.

“Feed her this when she wakes up. Don’t let her eat today, and don’t let her move excessively. The hole has been temporarily blocked using vines, so it’s dangerous until the medicine takes effect.”

At Rotten’s words, I bowed deeply.

“Thank you, Grandpa.”

“I’ll come again tomorrow to talk in detail.”

As Rotten, looking tired, got up from his seat, I organized his things, put them in his bag, and politely handed him the bag.

“Why can’t you be this good normally!”

“When wasn’t I?”

As I answered with a sly tone, Rotten let out a hollow laugh and asked in a serious voice.

“You still haven’t confessed to Luna, have you?”

“Huh? No, well….”

As I scratched the back of my head with an awkward expression, Rotten said in a voice full of fatigue.

“…Do you know what I regretted most after meeting my first love?”

I was a little taken aback by the sudden question. But Rotten’s eyes were full of seriousness that I had never seen before.

“I don’t know….”

“I regretted not confessing a little sooner.”

At Rotten’s words, I made an uncomprehending expression. As if reading my expression, Rotten gave a bitter smile and placed his hand on my shoulder.

“No matter how much time you spend with someone precious, it’s always regrettable.”

At Rotten’s words, I inadvertently turned my gaze to Luna, who was asleep.

An extra who doesn’t appear in the world of the novel I created.

I don’t even know why I possessed this body, and in a situation where I don’t know what will happen if Roel kills the Demon King as the novel ends….

Is it right to confess to Luna just for my pleasure?

I couldn’t deny that Luna was a precious person to me. That’s why I hesitated to confess to Luna.

Of course, I knew that Luna liked me. I couldn’t possibly not know, as an ordinary person, not even a love comedy’s oblivious protagonist, that she blushed when she saw me and didn’t let go of my hand even while embarrassed.

I enjoyed the subtle feelings between us and confirmed our feelings for each other over and over again.

Just as Luna sincerely cherished me, I couldn’t help but treat Luna that way as well.

“Then, see you tomorrow.”

Rotten left the clubroom with tired steps. I followed him to see him off, but at Rotten’s words to watch over Luna just in case, I had no choice but to nod.

Sitting in the chair next to the bed, I looked at Luna’s face. A cute, puppy-like appearance with long eyelashes. Even her dainty lips.

I realized for the first time that looking at someone’s face could be so fun. After looking at Luna for a long time, Luna’s blue eyes, awakened from sleep, were filled with my image.

“Ro, Ross.”

Luna’s appearance, calling me in a daze, just waking up from sleep, was so cute that I couldn’t help but smile naturally.

“Are you okay? Grandpa said the treatment went well.”

“I, I don’t know. My head hurts a lot….”

Seeing Luna struggling to lift her head, perhaps because she was dizzy, and then giving up and closing her eyes, I stroked her head and said.

“He said not to overdo it today, so stay lying down. Ah, he said to give you medicine when you wake up.”

I took out the bottle of herbs that Rotten had left behind, carefully grabbed Luna’s nape, and put it in her mouth.

“Keueung, it’s too bitter….”

At Luna’s childish whining, I smiled and poked Luna’s cheek.

“Good medicine is always bitter.”

I wanted to take out some chocolate from the space warehouse, but I didn’t just in case, because Rotten told her not to eat.

“Do you want to drink some water?”

“Yeah….”

Luna’s frowning face, which I was seeing for the first time, as if she didn’t like the bitter taste left in her mouth, only felt cute.

As Luna drank water, I told her that Rotten would come tomorrow.

“He said it’ll be over if he checks one more time tomorrow. See this? It’s the bone fragment that was stuck in your head.”

When I showed her the bone fragment on the silver tray that had been set aside, Luna looked at it as if it were amazing.

“That was in my head….”

Tears began to well up in Luna’s blue eyes. Before I, flustered by the sight, could say anything, Luna opened her mouth in a tearful voice.

“Because of that little thing…. I had a hard time.”

As Luna lowered her gaze, tears fell drop by drop.

“You’ve suffered, Luna…. It’s okay now.”

At my words, Luna couldn’t hold back her tears after all. I hugged Luna, who was shedding tears, and stroked her back as if comforting her.

“Thank you, thank you, Ross….”

I quietly stroked Luna’s head as she buried her face in my arms and said that.

It was a long time later that I heard a small voice whispering in my arms.

“Do, do you know what I was thinking before I got treatment…?”

At Luna’s appearance, asking that question in a tearful voice, I slowly shook my head.

“I, I was thinking about what if today was my last day….”

I couldn’t escape that gaze, as if bound by magic, at Luna’s appearance, raising her head from where she had buried it in my arms and looking up at me with tearful eyes.

I, who had indomitable courage even in the inquisitor’s torture and was unfazed, couldn’t resist Luna’s gaze at all.

“What would it have been like for Ross if today was the last day…?”

“…Luna.”

If today was the last day, if the treatment had failed and I couldn’t talk to Luna anymore…. What regrets would I have had?

“I like you. I really like you, Ross. I really wanted to say that.”

Luna, confessing that way in a tearful voice, waited for my answer without avoiding my gaze, without a hint of embarrassment.

“…I know.”

Stupidly enough, that’s what I answered. I didn’t say that I liked her too, that I cherished her. I just answered that I knew her feelings.

Even so, Luna only gave a pretty smile, as if she was just happy that I knew her feelings.

At that sight, I had no choice but to tell the truth.

“I like you.”

Luna’s face, which had been looking up at me, turned bright red at the words that popped out. But unlike usual, Luna didn’t lower her gaze out of embarrassment.

I inadvertently lowered my gaze to Luna’s lips, which were slightly pursing as if she had something to say.

Like the truth that popped out, I slowly lowered my head to Luna, who was looking up at me.

Feeling a different softness touching my lips, I opened my eyes, which had been closed. Luna’s appearance, covering her mouth with her palm, came into view.

What my lips had touched was not Luna’s lips, but her palm.

“Ah, ah, this is… well…!”

At Luna’s appearance, rambling as if flustered by her own actions, I hugged her without a word. The warm warmth felt in my arms was so good.

“He said you shouldn’t overdo it today. Let’s lie down again now.”

I grabbed Luna’s hand, which was tightly holding onto my clothes like a child, as if she didn’t want to fall out of my arms, and forcibly pulled it away.

Luna looked at me, lying on the bed with her slightly protruding lips.

As she pursed her lips as if she had something to say, I brought my face closer and she whispered softly.

“Th, that, Ross. C, can you say it again?”

“Say what?”

“Th, that you like me….”

I couldn’t help but laugh at Luna’s appearance, saying that while embarrassed. Luna raised her arm and covered her eyes, perhaps because she was embarrassed that I was laughing.

With Luna’s cute request and the guilt of not confessing properly, I whispered softly in Luna’s ear.

“I like you, Luna.”

Luna suddenly grabbed me as I moved away.

“Ag, again….”

I had no choice but to say it again at Luna’s pleading voice.

“I like you.”

I couldn’t stop laughing at Luna’s appearance, tossing and turning on the bed, perhaps because she was embarrassed.

Just when I thought it was enough and tried to raise my leaning upper body, Luna’s hand grabbed my shoulder again.

“Huh…?”

As I looked at her in bewilderment, Luna pursed her lips and sent a strange look.

“You want me to do it again…?”

I could feel my face turning red as I was now embarrassed at Luna’s appearance, nodding slightly.

When I had no choice but to bring my face closer and whisper that I liked her in her ear once more.

Warmth touched my cheek. As I was frozen as if I had stiffened, not understanding what situation had occurred, with the soft sensation felt on my cheek, Luna whispered softly in my ear.

“I… like you too.”

When I raised my head and looked down at Luna, Luna said in a shy voice that didn’t match her devilish, captivating smile.

“The first time… is from the cheek….”

At Luna’s words, I made a dumbfounded expression, making an A- sound like a broken robot. After a long time, I came to my senses and burst out laughing at Luna’s appearance, pursing her lips while looking at me.

“Why, why are you laughing…!”

“Because you’re cute.”

I suddenly had the thought that defining this relationship with the word ‘lover’ would not be far off, unlike my worries.