Chapter 211

EP.211 Meddling #3

After returning from her date with Jihyuk, Adeline gently touched the fox necklace he had given her when they parted.

He had suggested they wear matching couple necklaces, saying he would wear one too.

She didn’t know how happy that made her. The design was cute, something that might be embarrassing for a guy to wear, but he didn’t care and said he would wear it.

‘It’s pretty…’

No matter how many times she looked at it, the design was beautiful. It really suited her taste.

Adeline, who had been smiling brightly, heard a knocking sound at the front door and immediately lay down on the bed, pulling the blanket over her head with a gloomy expression.

If Silvia had hidden the fact that she had met Jihyuk, Adeline would have been really disappointed.

In fact, she was already disappointed.

Even if they had met secretly, Silvia, who had always treated her as an adult and respected her opinions, had said something different in front of Jihyuk…

The more she thought about it, the more it hurt. Tears welled up on their own.

But she had to hold it in. Silvia had come in, so she would have to face her, and if there were tear stains, Silvia would find it suspicious.

She was afraid Silvia might say something she shouldn’t to Jihyuk, so it was better to be careful.

Not long after, there was a knock on her bedroom door.

Adeline quickly wiped her eyes and spoke in a sleepy voice.

“Unnie…?”

“Yeah. Can I come in?”

“After you wash your hands…”

“I just washed them…”

“Then come in.”

The door opened carefully, and Silvia peeked her head in, smiling brightly at Adeline before sitting on the bed.

“Did I wake you? Sorry.”

“No…”

“Did the date go well?”

“Yes… Did you go to the gym, unnie?”

“Yeah.”

“That must be tiring… Take it easy.”

Silvia chuckled and nodded at that.

“I will. Thanks for thinking of me.”

“I’m your best friend, after all. Right, unnie?”

“Of course. You’re my best friend too.”

Is this how you think of me, even though you treat me like a child behind my back?

These words rose to the tip of her tongue but then sank back down.

Adeline awkwardly smiled and turned her back to Silvia.

Silvia then stroked Adeline’s head and spoke.

“There’s something I want to say, but if you’re sleepy, I’ll tell you next time.”

She must be talking about meeting Jihyuk.

Thinking that, Adeline glanced at Silvia.

“I’m awake. Go ahead.”

“Alright. First… I want to say I’m sorry.”

“…Why?”

“I… even though I said otherwise, I guess I really did think of you as a child. That’s why I was always worried and wanted to take care of you.”

Had she realized something from her conversation with Jihyuk?

Silvia’s first words were very satisfying.

Enough to calm the boiling emotions rising inside her.

“…..”

“Are you listening…?”

“Yes… I’m listening…”

“I was really angry when I heard about what happened with Jihyuk. I thought he had deceived you. So yesterday, under the pretext of going to the gym, I met Jihyuk and had a deep conversation, and we cleared up the misunderstanding. In the heat of the moment, I said something I shouldn’t have to you… I’m really sorry…”

Her tone conveyed genuine remorse.

Adeline, biting her lip, asked.

“What did you say that you shouldn’t have…?”

“I’m scared you’ll be disappointed in me… It was harsh.”

You’re overly naive,

Always considerate of others’ feelings,

Too timid to say what you really mean.

It was harsh. And of course, she was disappointed.

But it was a slip of the tongue. She could forgive that.

However, it was heartbreaking that Silvia had doubted Jihyuk, saying things like they hadn’t known each other long or that Jihyuk was deceiving Adeline.

It also made her angry that Silvia had tried to shake Jihyuk with those words.

Silvia should apologize not just for the slip of the tongue but for trying to ruin her relationship with Jihyuk.

Silvia, who had been stroking Adeline’s hair from top to bottom, continued.

“And… I tried to drive a wedge between you two. That’s what I’m most sorry for…”

‘I’m sorry for trying to drive a wedge between you two.’

That was the thing Adeline most wanted to hear.

Adeline decided to forgive Silvia.

“…..”

“Adeline, can you look at me…?”

Silvia, who had turned Adeline’s body towards her, was startled.

Because Adeline had been holding back her tears.

Her downturned lips, the transparent tears welling up in her round eyes…

Seeing that, Silvia felt so sorry and regretful.

Adeline, who had been barely holding back her emotions, could no longer hold back when she saw Silvia’s face and her moist eyes.

“I… sniff…! I knew everything… What you said to Jihyuk… And how much you regretted it… Jihyuk told me everything…”

“He did…?”

“Yes… sniff…!”

Adeline sat up and began to cry loudly, tears streaming down like beads.

Hearing her heartbreaking sobs, Silvia hugged Adeline tightly and kept apologizing.

“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry…”

“Waaah…! Unnie, you’re really mean…! I really hate you…!”

Mean, hateful.

Silvia knew those words weren’t sincere, but they still felt like a dagger to her heart.

“I was wrong. I won’t interfere in your relationship again… Please forgive me…”

Adeline, who had been crying, slowly nodded in Silvia’s arms.

Silvia, not minding that her shirt was getting wet, patted Adeline’s back and felt a contradictory mix of emotions towards Jihyuk.

She was annoyed that he had told Adeline everything like a tattletale.

But she was grateful that he had convinced Adeline that she was remorseful.

Thanks to that, she might be forgiven.

After calming Adeline down for a long time, Silvia carefully laid her down on the bed when she fell asleep from crying and left the room.

‘What was I thinking, meddling in love when I’ve never even been in love… I must be crazy.’

This incident was mostly her fault.

She knew nothing about love but had tried to interfere and disrupt their relationship… It was so pathetic.

Silvia, blaming herself, wiped her moist eyes and plopped down on the sofa.

It was a relief that they had made up. From now on, her relationship with Adeline would only grow stronger.

Thinking that, she leaned her head against the back of the sofa.

**

“That’s good. It seems like everything was resolved.”

I said, sitting in the lab, twirling a pen.

Adeline’s shy voice came through the phone.

-Yes… It’s all thanks to Jihyuk…

She had told me everything about making up with Silvia the day before.

Every detail, every word, without missing a thing.

“How did you feel at the time?”

-I was so grateful to Jihyuk… And my love for Silvia unnie grew even more. She still feels like a dear older sister, and I like that.

“Is that so?”

-Yes… But from now on, unless unnie asks first, I plan to keep things about Jihyuk a secret. I don’t want to face a situation like this again.

Adeline is too kind.

That’s why I don’t want her next to someone as cold and sharp as Silvia.

I want to keep my pure Adeline all to myself.

“I see. I respect your decision.”

-I knew Jihyuk would say that. Are we meeting today?

“I’m really sorry, but I don’t think I can today.”

-Why?

Her voice was tense.

If I didn’t explain quickly, she might get angry.

“There’s a problem with the explorer in the Grand Canyon in the US. It needs repairs.”

-Like in Jeju? Then I should go, right?

“It’s fundamentally different from Jeju. Back then, we detected faint evil energy. But now, the explorer is damaged, and so is the portal nearby.”

-I want to go too.

“Calm down. It was damaged by a lightning strike, so there’s no threat.”

-It’s not that I think something will happen, but I want to be with Jihyuk.

Ah… this proactive expression of affection… It’s so satisfying.

So adorable.

“Sehwa will call soon. Do you really want to come with me?”

-Sehwa?

“Yeah. She said she wanted to introduce you to Yuria.”

Adeline had never met Yuria.

So she wouldn’t want to miss this opportunity.

As expected, Adeline’s interest shifted there.

-I’d love to! Should I call Sehwa now? Oh, Sehwa said she’d call me. I’ll wait.

“Good thinking.”

-When will you be back, Jihyuk?

“It depends on the state of the explorer, but I should be done by tonight.”

-Then I’ll add punishment for the time we didn’t see each other.

Her cute pouting made me smile.

“Are you going to act so calculative?”

-Right now, Jihyuk is in a position to be punished, so you can’t ignore my orders. You have to accept it quietly. I won’t compromise on this.

Of course, I’ll accept it. I’ll do anything for you.

“I’ll do that. I’ll hang up now. I have a lot to prepare.”

-Okay, have a safe trip!

Adeline added a cheerful laugh before hanging up.

She seemed really excited to meet Yuria.

Be enchanted by those two. I have somewhere to go with Silvia.

After tapping on the keyboard for a while, I saw Silvia on the surveillance camera near the lab and got up.

‘She’s here.’

Analyzing Silvia’s reaction based on what Adeline had told me, she probably thought of me as someone annoying and unlucky, though not guilty.

Given Silvia’s personality, she would come to confront or scold me about this incident, and my prediction was correct.

If she hadn’t come, I would have called her, so it’s good she saved me the trouble.

Silvia had already entered the corridor leading to the lab entrance.

I quickly changed into my fighter pilot suit and waited for her with a toolbox.

Not long after, the lab door opened with a loud noise.

Silvia, with a slightly flushed face, saw me and strode over.

I raised a hand in greeting.

“Hello, Silvia. What brings you here without notice?”

“I need to talk about something important… Are you busy? Is the Doctor here?”

“The Doctor is at home, in a meeting with the World Union, and I’m about to go to the US.”

“The US? Why?”

“The explorer in the Grand Canyon is broken. It needs repairs.”

At that, Silvia crossed her arms and asked with a slightly troubled expression.

“Really? Do you have to go right away?”

“It’s best to fix the explorer as soon as possible, so it’s better to go now. Are you busy, Silvia?”

“I’m just lazing around with nothing to do… Why?”

“I’ll be bored going alone… If you’re free, come with me. We can talk about the important stuff on the fighter.”

“Huh?”

Silvia’s eyes widened at the unexpected offer.

After rolling her eyes, she asked.

“How long will it take?”

“We should be done by evening, Korean time. The travel time won’t be a problem with the fighter’s speed. With a strong support like you, Silvia, I think we can finish even faster.”

I subtly flattered her, but it didn’t work.

Silvia, who had barely acknowledged my last compliment, pondered for a moment before nodding.

“Alright… Let’s go together. We’ll be back today, right?”

The fact that she agreed to this level of persuasion meant she really wanted to pick on me.

That’s great for me. I’ve been feeling good since yesterday, and now the heavens are helping.

Marcella. Let’s work together again after so long.

If you stab me in the gut like last time, you’ll get a slap.

“Of course.”

To be continued―――――――――――――――――――――

---