The cold wind made standing still feel chilly, especially at the tips of her fingers and nose, but Siera waited outside the convenience store for Red’s part-time job to end.
Red felt uneasy making Siera wait like this, even though he had a purpose. He kept glancing at Siera standing by the window while working.
He couldn’t stop wondering why she suddenly found him and what she wanted to say. It was highly likely that she came to talk about A, given their last encounter. He wondered what they could discuss besides that.
However, there were so many topics between them that nothing seemed to stick in his mind clearly. Time passed, and eventually, Red’s part-time job ended.
After the next shift worker arrived and took over, Red and Siera went outside. He thought she might go back, but she didn’t. Instead, she approached him.
“Did you finish?”
“Yeah. Shall we move to another place?”
“Sure.”
Both felt awkward, but neither could just ignore the situation.
Siera had something specific to tell Red, and Red had plenty to discuss with Siera regarding A.
“How did you know I was here and come looking for me?”
“It was a coincidence. I did find you, but I was near A’s house and entered a nearby convenience store.”
“Your brother moved quite some time ago, didn’t he?”
“I know. But he didn’t say where he went, and the only place I could think of was his old house.”
While Siera did visit A’s old house, her true purpose was to meet Red.
“Maybe we should go to a cafe?”
“A cafe? Is that okay?”
Red suggested going to a cafe to continue their conversation, but he regretted it when he realized how unusual their dialogue might sound, especially since they were discussing A.
People wouldn’t care what others say in a cafe, but they would listen if it was interesting. Moreover, they couldn’t lower their voices when talking about A.
“There’s no other choice.”
Red sighed and glanced at Siera.
“Come with me.”
Then, Red started walking, leading the way. Siera followed quietly, unsure of where they were headed.
First, Red went to a supermarket. After buying simple food items, they left, but there was no conversation during the process.
It was an awkward relationship; they had been enemies not long ago, and neither was particularly comfortable with the other.
Red led Siera to his apartment. When they entered his one-room apartment and turned on the lights, Siera saw the tidy interior.
“Is this your place?”
“Yeah.”
“Is it okay to bring me here?”
“If you have any plans, you won’t attack me here.”
When they met at A’s house, both were surprised and hadn’t fully recovered from the terrorist incident. Now, they both understood each other’s positions.
Red was a team leader, and Siera was a team manager.
If two people with significant roles caused a disturbance, it would be problematic. If A hadn’t returned home, they would have had a bigger conflict.
“So, what do you want to say?”
Red handed Siera hot honey water and sat down in front of her.
Drinking the honey water, she felt her body, which had grown cold from the wind outside, warm up.
“I assume you’re here about A.”
“Of course. There’s no other reason for you to look for me.”
There wasn’t an awkward atmosphere between them. They both knew the other was uncomfortable, but neither felt compelled to act differently.
“I need to clarify one thing: I’m not giving up on A.”
“What?”
Red frowned upon hearing Siera’s statement. He understood that Siera and A had been close friends for a long time.
But that was different from being in a romantic relationship. Red was the first to start a romantic relationship with A. Knowing this, Siera’s insistence on not giving up made things more complicated for him.
“I’m already dating A, and so are the members. We’ll do anything to keep him. That’s what I mean.”
“I don’t know yet, but I won’t give up or turn away.”
The tense atmosphere eased quickly.
Red didn’t want to give A to anyone else, while Siera wanted to be with A at all costs.
Though they hadn’t explicitly stated their thoughts, they understood each other’s intentions, which made them uncomfortable.
“Okay. But you didn’t come here just to say that, right?”
Before stating her determination, Siera said “first,” indicating her reason for coming wasn’t just that.
Red decided to focus on Siera’s true purpose.
“I have many questions. How much do you know about A? What do you think of him?”
“Do I have to tell you?”
“You do.”
“What if I don’t?”
“I’ll report A’s situation to the higher-ups.”
This was a trap. Red immediately recognized Siera’s threat.
If she intended to report, she could have done it earlier. Hearing that A had never been reported before, Red realized Siera never planned to report him.
Her declaration was just a means to extract information from him.
“Are you threatening me?”
“Yes.”
Siera’s voice was firm. She was desperate enough to threaten Red because she had no room for leniency.
Red understood Siera’s desperation. She had spent the longest time with A and felt anxious knowing he was now with him.
Siera must have felt similar to how Red felt when he first heard A was dating the members.
“You’re calmer than I expected. You didn’t seem so calm before.”
Despite her anxiety, Siera remained composed. She knew getting angry wouldn’t help.
“That day, I was shocked. Suddenly, a hyper-human appeared from A’s house.”
“Common sense says someone planning an attack wouldn’t casually open the door.”
“How could I have thought that far at the moment?”
Siera pressed her forehead with her finger, remembering her impulsive action that day.
“Being around A for a long time makes you naturally calm.”
Seeing Siera speak as if her current state was natural, Red narrowed his eyebrows in resignation.
She was subtly showing off her familiarity with A.
“True. Being around A can lead to many difficult situations.”
Hearing Siera wasn’t backing down, Red also wasn’t willing to yield.
Since Siera had spent a lot of time with A, she felt closer and implied she knew everything Red knew.
Their unwavering gazes met, creating tension.
“Let me ask one thing. Do you want to stay together with A like this forever?”
“Of course. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have dated A in the first place.”
“But you didn’t know A’s true identity when you started dating, right? Has your opinion changed now that you know A is a spacystro?”
“No. It hasn’t. Just because A is a spacystro doesn’t mean he has changed as a person.”
Red, who had experienced much damage from spacystros, found A’s identity irrelevant now.
Although he was shocked initially, he still wanted to be with A. Despite the division among the members and his opposition, Red was determined to win A.
“My perspective makes it hard to confirm. We will leave Earth someday when the invasion ends.”
“Isn’t that something to consider later?”
“What if the spacystros leave tomorrow?”
Even though it was hypothetical, Red understood Siera wasn’t just fishing for excuses.
Given how much she cared for A, his girlfriend situation was crucial. Hence, she needed to understand Red’s true feelings by mentioning the upper management.
“I’ll tell you, but keep it between us.”
“Don’t worry. I can keep secrets.”
Hearing Siera offer to share unknown details about A, Red focused on her.
“Do you know why the spacystros roam the universe?”
“I heard it’s because their home planet was destroyed by the predators.”
“Right. Our home planet ‘Moth’ was destroyed by a biological entity called ‘Predator.'”
“Are you staying with the spacystros to take revenge?”
“Listen carefully.”
Though his tone didn’t change, Red was slightly excited. He wasn’t curious about the new life form but wanted to know more about A’s situation.
Siera calmed Red and continued.
“A is staying with the spacystros for revenge.”
After hesitating, she decided it was better to be clear.
“His parents passed away, so he wants to seek revenge.”
“……Against the predators?”
“No. Our home planet was destroyed by the predators, but A’s parents weren’t killed by them.”
“Then?”
“A’s parents were killed by pirates on the day our home planet was destroyed.”
Upon hearing this, Red couldn’t speak.
Moth was destroyed by the predators, and A’s parents were killed by pirates on that day.
A is staying with the spacystros to seek revenge against them.
Feeling like he was hearing a completely different story, Red remained silent. Siera, worried she might have said too much, released her tension with a sigh.
