[44th Chapter]
It wasn’t a blind date, and the children were sitting reading books, while Blue and I had a conversation, but our topics were limited. Since we weren’t close enough to have deeper discussions, we each started reading our books.
Reading is truly wonderful. Accumulating knowledge fills the gaps or deficiencies in my life. Even if it’s a comic book, it still shows a part of the culture of a country, a planet, so it has literary value.
I chose a fantasy comic about a warrior fighting a demon king, and seeing the demon soldiers falling to the warrior’s sword reminded me of my own confrontation days ago, evoking a sense of kinship.
While empathizing with the soldiers in the book, the ending was predictably a celebration for the warrior.
As I focused on reading, I noticed that it was already time for the sun to set. Although it was still raining outside and the sun was not visible, it felt much darker than during the day.
“Shall we go?”
I couldn’t keep holding Blue back, and since Kirk asked me to stay until dusk, it was time to head back.
“I want to play more.”
Eunji hinted at wanting to stay longer in the manga café, but she didn’t insist and immediately closed the book she was reading with Ho Young.
“We should go now. Mom and Dad will be waiting, and Ho Young needs to go home too.”
“Yeah, let’s do this again next time.”
I reassured Eunji, and Blue chimed in, making her face brighten up as she thought she might get to play again next time.
“Okay!”
We left the manga café and saw Blue and Ho Young off, then Eunji and I headed towards her house with umbrellas. No matter how clever I am, I can’t leave a child alone in the rain after sunset.
“Did you enjoy just reading comics at the manga cafe?”
“Yes. There were no comics at kindergarten, and Mom only lets me read one book a day at home.”
Even though Kirk has many books at home, they might be too mature for young Eunji. Especially violent action scenes shouldn’t be shown to a 6-year-old like Eunji, so her mother seems to carefully select books she can show her.
“When are you going to tell your dad about your boyfriend?”
“What if Dad becomes more mature?”
Hearing such words from his daughter, what kind of life is Kirk living at home?
“I want to say it proudly when I like someone, but Dad acts too childish to say it.”
Saying it proudly when I like someone. That sentence felt deeply embedded in my heart coming from a young child.
I like Yubin. But I can’t say it confidently.
Yura, honestly, I’m not sure about her feelings. Whether Yura likes me or I’m just attracted to her due to her proactive nature.
But when I have skinship with Yura, I don’t feel any resistance, so I think I also like her.
However, like Yubin, I can’t say it confidently.
I’m Spacystro, and they are HunterKillers.
“Do you have someone you like?”
“Huh? Why do you ask?”
“Just curious. Dad married Mom, but you’re not married yet.”
“…Someone I like.”
When asked if I liked someone, I thought of Yubin and Yura, but I wondered if I really liked them.
At some point, I began to see every encounter with hyper-humans as a medium for information, which made me uneasy.
“If you find someone you like, tell me. I’ll keep it a secret.”
“Does Ho Young like me?”
“Yes! I love him a lot. We’ll definitely get married someday.”
Children can change their preferences quickly, and I still thought this was true.
But even a fickle child clearly says they love someone right now. Clearly, I lack something compared to a 6-year-old like Eunji.
If it were a normal relationship rather than Spacystro and HunterKillers, could I have said I liked them confidently?
No, could I have met them at all?
I’m not sure. Maybe it’s because of the rain? My mood sank, and I thought a lot.
Then I smiled again as I watched Eunji enthusiastically talking about Ho Young.
“Yeah. If I find someone I like, I’ll tell you first, Eunji.”
“Then it’s a promise!”
Eunji stopped walking side by side, held out her pinky finger, and extended it towards me.
“Yeah, it’s a promise.”
Upon reaching Eunji’s house, Kirk opened the door.
“Did you have fun?”
“Thanks to you. Did Eunji have fun with you?”
“Yeah, it was super fun.”
The large figure of Kirk picked up Eunji, and after confirming the good father-daughter relationship, he turned to go back home.
“Well, I’ll go now.”
“Okay. Be careful.”
“Uncle! See you next time.”
I waved goodbye to Eunji and left Kirk’s house, heading towards the station.
Yubin must be at home. I quickened my pace, eager to see her soon.
Though no one pushed me, I felt myself being urged on.
For now, I can’t confidently declare my love and relationship anywhere.
Is that why? At the moment of seeing each other, facing each other, we seem to express more of what we can’t show outwardly.
Certainly, we have big secrets that lovers can’t share, but the fact that we like each other remains unchanged.
Upon arriving home, I entered the password for the door lock and sat on the sofa, where Yubin was watching TV.
“Brother, welcome home.”
Seeing her welcoming me with a smile, I instinctively spread my arms, and Yubin, understanding my intention, stood up from the sofa and rushed over to hug me.
Wrapping my arms around her waist, we embraced tightly, feeling each other’s body heat.
“It looks like you got wet. Are you okay?”
Even though I spread my arms and spoke, using an umbrella doesn’t completely shield from rain. My clothes were damp, and I was a bit sweaty from the humid weather, but Yubin shook her head as if nothing was wrong.
“I’m fine.”
I could feel her burying her face in my chest and smelling her scent. Is this pleasant? I held her tighter, smelling her neck.
“What do you want to eat?”
“I’ve been waiting for you to come home to eat.”
“Anything specific?”
“Pizza.”
“You wanted pizza today?”
“Yes.”
And after holding each other tightly, we looked into each other’s eyes and kissed.
Was my desire to hold her immediately conveyed? Just as the kiss was getting longer, Yubin pulled away first.
“No. Let’s eat first.”
“Right.”
I knew that if we kept embracing, we would forget about eating and bathing, and spend the night craving each other.
And we had often complained about being hungry afterwards, so we decided to eat first.
“But Brother, lately, work seems busier than before.”
“Yeah, it’s a bit hectic.”
After ordering food, we sat side by side on the sofa, and Yubin rested her head on my shoulder. I hugged her waist, bringing our bodies closer together.
“We haven’t gone on a date.”
“I’m sorry. After the rainy season, where should we go?”
“Let’s go to the swimming pool.”
The swimming pool. Even I, who has been here for 20 years, have never been there. Although I’ve been to places with water, they were all oceans, none suitable for swimming, just deep parts of the Pacific.
Sure, I lived above sea level, but I haven’t experienced swimming on Earth.
“Swimming pool…”
Just as I was about to answer, I suddenly felt something was off. Yubin is certainly beautiful. I can say that confidently. Her figure is also good.
But there are men at the swimming pool.
“Maybe somewhere else?”
That’s my conclusion. I’d rather go to a quiet beach than a swimming pool, which seems too dangerous.
Yubin isn’t dangerous. It’s the men who might approach her that are dangerous.
I can’t afford to get hit if someone tries to flirt.
“Somewhere else?”
Yubin pondered earnestly and suggested places she wanted to go, like valleys, aquariums, and lakeside activities.
Just hearing her clearly state where she wants to go and what she wants to do made me happy.
“And?”
As I listened to her excitedly talk, I asked if she had anything else she wanted to do, and she started talking even more.
From summer to fall, winter, and everything she wanted to do until next year.
Even then, I couldn’t honestly say whether we would still be dating. If my situation became unfavorable or if my identity was revealed, we wouldn’t be able to meet anymore.
And I didn’t think I could keep hiding my secret forever.
Suddenly, I envied Kirk. His wife knows he is Spacystro, yet she chose to marry him.
Perhaps it was possible because Kirk’s wife is a regular human, not a hyper-human. But regardless of being a regular human or a hyper-human, the fact that they could accept and understand each other was enviable.
Until now, I hadn’t thought about this, but meeting Yubin made me think more.
While Yubin was excitedly talking, the intercom rang. The ordered pizza arrived, and we spent the evening eating pizza and watching a movie.
I wished this moment lasted longer than I expected.
“Brother.”
“Hmm?”
Yubin called me while I was watching the movie, and I turned my head. She was looking at me with clear red eyes even in the dark room.
Could it be the light from the TV? Her eyes seemed to change color instantly, and I felt drawn into her gaze.
“If you have something on your mind, tell me.”
“Huh?”
I responded with another question, unsure of her intent. Yubin, who had been looking at me quietly, moved closer, pressing her face near mine.
“If I have something on my mind, I’ll tell you. You should too, okay?”
“Okay.”
We kissed as our faces got closer, and we slowly undressed each other, pressing our bodies together.
“I love you.”
The moment our lips parted, we both expressed our sincerity to each other, knowing that tonight would be passionate.
Blue returned home, letting Ho Young in first before taking off his shoes at the shoe rack.
“Auntie! I’m hungry!”
“What did you eat for dinner?”
During the school break, the older and younger siblings came home for dinner after returning home.
“What should I make?”
“I want pizza!”
“I want chicken!”
Seeing the two nieces wanting delivery food, Blue frowned and Ho Young went straight to his room.
After checking his bank balance on his smartphone, Blue continued to look troubled and spoke gently to the two nieces urging him for delivery food.
“Auntie will cook something delicious. Won’t that be okay today?”
“What are you going to make?”
“Um…”
Unable to decide immediately, Blue thought hard.
“How about making naengmyeon?”
“I want pizza.”
“I want chicken.”
Finally, Blue sighed at the older and younger siblings’ request for delivery food and smiled warmly again.
“Alright. I’ll order pizza and chicken.”
Seeing the remaining balance of 80,000 won on his still-on smartphone, Blue sighed again.
