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Chapter 21
Morae reflexively checked the car’s license plate number. It was different from the numbers of the five vehicles known to belong to Gyeon Suho.
Approaching hesitantly just in case, the window slid down with a soft sound, revealing Gyeon Suho sitting in the driver’s seat.
“Get in.”
Startled, Morae quickly climbed into the car. Gyeon Suho quietly looked at her flushed face.
The inside of the car was silent, without even music playing. Morae fiddled with her drink, then carefully held it out.
“Would you… like this?”
“You’re drinking coffee, but you’re giving me apple juice?”
“You only drink sealed beverages.”
Gyeon Suho didn’t drink things like iced Americanos from coffee shops, which were easy to tamper with. It was a habit he’d developed after being targeted several times by obsessive fans.
“How do you know that too?”
“I just… kind of picked it up naturally.”
“Do you like me that much?”
“Yes.”
She’d already been found out as a fan, so there was no reason to hesitate. At her answer, which came without the slightest pause, Gyeon Suho fell silent for a moment.
“Seatbelt.”
“Oh, yes. Huh? Wh-why isn’t this working?”
The belt got stuck halfway for some reason. As Morae panicked and pulled at it with force, Gyeon Suho grabbed her hand.
Gasp! Morae reflexively held her breath. He was far too close.
Her heart felt like it was about to burst. Even in this situation, admiring his poreless skin was a fan’s instinct.
The belt slid out smoothly and clicked into place. Gyeon Suho took hold of the steering wheel and asked casually,
“What perfume is that?”
“Huh?”
“It smells nice.”
“I’m not wearing any perfume.”
“Oh, is this one of those ‘this is just my natural scent’ things?”
“I really don’t have any on…”
Gyeon Suho’s gaze lingered insistently on Morae’s cheeks, which had turned bright red as if about to burst.
The scent of pebbles dried thoroughly under the sun. Morae’s natural scent softly filled the interior of the car. The sharpness in Gyeon Suho’s eyes melted into something languid.
He had slept barely an hour last night.
In the cramped rooftop room, he could sleep soundly without waking even once, but on a much wider and more comfortable bed, he couldn’t fall asleep at all.
By the time he finally got up after tossing and turning all night, his condition was at its worst.
His already sensitive senses and nerves were sharpened like blades by insomnia.
It wasn’t unusual, but today it was especially hard to endure—because he had experienced how sweet uninterrupted sleep could be.
He had nearly canceled the appointment, overcome with the urge to smash everything in sight, but somehow managed to come out. Now, as if none of that had happened, he had calmed down.
The relentless noise and nauseating stench that had plagued him no longer bothered him. It felt like being fully submerged in cool water.
“All right, I’ll believe you.”
It wasn’t a lie—Morae really didn’t use any perfume at all.
Artificial scents could interfere with taming, so she even preferred unscented shampoo.
Still, instead of making excuses, Morae watched Suho’s expression, wondering if he was indirectly saying she smelled like sweat.
After hesitating slightly, she silently opened the window. The automatically lowering window opened a little, then stopped with a jolt.
As the window buzzed and went back up, Morae flustered, Gyeon Suho asked,
“Why the window?”
“Because it’s hot…”
“I’ll lower the air conditioning.”
“Couldn’t we just open the window?”
“No. It’s a waste.”
A waste of what?
Leaving the bewildered Morae behind, Gyeon Suho pressed the accelerator. The large SUV merged onto the road.
She wished he would at least turn on some music. The silence in the car was suffocatingly awkward.
Morae, who had been crumpling the corner of her bag for no reason, put the straw to her mouth. Slurp, gulp. Today, the sound of drinking felt embarrassingly loud.
“Um… would you like some juice?”
“No.”
“Yes…”
Even though she’d expected the refusal, her heart still shrank. Gyeon Suho glanced sideways at the dejected Morae.
Her side profile beneath the cap was quite something to look at.
A softly curved nose bridge, small yet plump lips, squishy-looking cheeks. Rather than elegant or sexy, she gave off a cute and fragile impression.
Looking at Morae’s cheek, Gyeon Suho unconsciously licked his lips.
What if I bit that…
“Fuck, am I crazy?”
At the curse that slipped out, Morae’s eyes widened. Her slightly drooping eyes opened so wide they looked ready to tear—she was the spitting image of a rabbit.
“The car in front is driving like shit.”
Morae’s pupils shook violently. The road was unusually clear today, and the distance to the car ahead was vast.
Of course, Gyeon Suho didn’t care whether Morae felt intimidated or scared. Being caught in a lie didn’t matter either. What he couldn’t understand was why she had made an excuse in the first place.
A heavy silence settled inside the car.
Fighting the urge to jump out of the moving vehicle, Morae checked the navigation. There were about twenty minutes left until arrival.
“Um… may I ask who you’re meeting today?”
“Odoa.”
“O-Odoa the Hunter? Odoa, the Hand of God?”
“You know him?”
“Is there anyone in our country who doesn’t? Of course I do!”
Odoa—an S-rank alchemist counted among the top ten in the world. His item creation ability was top-tier, and because he possessed the ‘Gold Coin’ skill, he was called the Hand of God.
“Looks like you like Odoa too.”
“Of course! He’s an amazing person. I didn’t know you were close to him.”
“I’m not close.”
“…Pardon?”
“I hate Odoa.”
Didn’t he say they were acquaintances? If he hated him that much, why introduce her?
She didn’t understand, but she could tell Gyeon Suho was in a bad mood. After thinking for a moment, Morae asked seriously,
“Did you ask Odoa Hunter for this favor even though you’re not on good terms, because of me?”
“If that were the case, what would you do?”
“You wouldn’t have to introduce me.”
“I have to sell the mandrake.”
“You could look for another alchemist, or sell it to an item shop.”
“You said you like Odoa. Don’t you want to meet him?”
“For me, Gyeon Suho Hunter comes first. I don’t want you to overdo things because of me.”
“…You like me more than Odoa?”
“Of course.”
How could she say something like that so easily? Was there some ulterior motive?
But Morae’s clear face was transparent, without any calculation. The corners of Gyeon Suho’s mouth curved elegantly.
“I see. I’m first.”
With that single smile, the tense atmosphere instantly dissolved.
Tap, tap, tap. Tapping the steering wheel rhythmically with his long fingers, he spoke lazily,
“Give me the apple juice.”
“Oh! Yes!”
Morae opened the cap of the apple juice and offered it as if serving a master. Gyeon Suho accepted it with a smiling gaze.
He slowly tilted the bottle and took a sip. His angular Adam’s apple went down and up languidly. He licked his slightly wet lips and smiled.
“It’s good.”
“Th-thank you—ah, I mean, please have more.”
Suho took another sip. As Morae watched him, an utterly unbelievable sound reached her ears.
Gyeon Suho was humming a song she’d never heard before, in that eerie low voice of his. Morae held even her breathing, pricking up her ears.
Ah, I’m glad I’m alive.
She didn’t know what song it was, but she felt so happy she might cry.
After the humming stopped, silence returned—but it wasn’t awkward like before. Even without saying anything, the atmosphere was comfortable.
“We’re here.”
Odoa’s house was a magnificent hanok. The grounds were so vast that the end of the wall wasn’t even visible.
After parking and going inside, they entered a wide inner courtyard.
A majestic old pine tree, a well-maintained lawn, even the stepping stones placed sparsely leading to the main house—all of it showed meticulous care.
Letting out a silent exclamation, Morae followed Gyeon Suho when about ten dogs suddenly came rushing out from the far side of the courtyard.
There was no way Gyeon Suho, who hated everything, would like dogs. Morae quickly released a wave, drawing the dogs toward herself.
In an instant, she was surrounded by them. At their lively barking, Morae smiled brightly.
[Who is it? Mom’s friend?]
[Want to touch my tail?]
[Wow, you smell nice!]
[Mom! Mom! A guest is here!]
The dogs varied in size and appearance. Some were missing an eye, others a hind leg.
But they all shared one thing in common. Morae gently petted each dog in turn—they all looked happy.
“I’m Mom’s friend. Wow, your tail is really long and cool. Thanks for letting me touch it. You smell nice too. Yeah, such a cozy smell.”
Gyeon Suho watched Morae from a short distance away.
He didn’t know why the sight of her completely absorbed in the dogs—stroking their heads and backs one by one and talking to them—irritated him so much.
Should he release killing intent and chase the dogs away? Odoa would throw a fit, but so what?
Just as he was about to act on the thought, the dogs perked up their ears and stared in one direction.
Soon, a husky voice was heard.
“That’s strange. My kids aren’t usually that gentle.”
