Chapter 53.2

Chapter 53.2

It didn’t take long for the tension to melt away.

At first, she only nodded to be polite, but as time passed, her reactions began to come from a more genuine place. She laughed at silly jokes, recalled memories they had once shared, and felt a quiet happiness she had long forgotten.

By the time they stepped out of the café after their meal, Ara looked much lighter than before.

The conversation she had with Suho had been completely ordinary. The kind of talk you forget as soon as you part ways.

But harmless words, the kind that posed no threat of shaking or breaking her life, gave her the strange comfort of feeling like she had gone back to a time before all the chaos began.

“Thank you for the meal, sunbae.”

Ara smiled as she patted her full stomach. It was a simple, peaceful smile.

“You’re very welcome. And thank you, for letting me return the favor.”

But that smile didn’t last more than a few seconds.

Goblins never forget a favor.

Suho’s bright expression blurred, overlaid by Seok-kyung’s calm voice and expression.

Afraid that she might start seeing him in everything, Ara blinked hard, as if to erase a ghost.

“By the way, this is just me being extra cautious, but let me ask you one last thing…”

Suho suddenly stepped slightly in front of her, blocking her path.

“That man you mentioned before. The one you called Mr. Kim. You’re really getting along well with him, right?”

The harsh sunlight overhead had cut their shadows clean apart, but now, as they stood closer, their silhouettes naturally overlapped again. On the pavement where few eyes strayed, their shadows deepened, sinking like they might fall through the earth.

“Of course. He’s been a big help while I’ve been staying here.”

Ara answered with the most reassuring smile she could manage. If he reported her to the police out of misplaced concern, that would be a disaster.

“If anything ever comes up, tell me right away. That’s what I’m here for. Okay?”

Suho still seemed worried. His voice remained gentle, but there was a quiet urgency in the way he repeated himself.

Ara looked up at him.

Behind the silver frames, his eyes met hers directly. Because of the backlight, the irises staring down at her appeared darker than usual—murky, almost black.

If there was such a thing as a swamp you could fall into with one wrong step and never crawl out of, it might look like that. A heavy, pitch-dark depth that seemed to swallow the light.

Were his eyes always that dark?

Without realizing it, Ara exhaled slowly, her chest tight. Maybe it was from tilting her head back too long, or maybe the sunlight had just caught her at the wrong angle. Either way, her head suddenly felt light.

“Do you still see me as a child, sunbae?”

She steadied her breath and looked back at him.

“Not exactly…”

By then, the darkness in Suho’s gaze had cleared.

“You’re someone important to me.”

Had she imagined it? Maybe it really had just been the light.

Ara dismissed the doubt and let it go.

“It’s natural to want to be there for someone when they’re going through a hard time.”

Suho smiled as warmly as ever.

“I really had a great time today. If you’re up for it, maybe we could do this more often. Talk about old times, have some coffee…”

He glanced at his watch and trailed off, watching her expression carefully.

“Would that be asking too much?”

Maybe it was a slightly sly question.

“No, not at all.”

Ara’s answer might as well have been predetermined. There was only one thing she could say in response to that.

“I’ll give you a call whenever I come into town. I had a really great time today too.”

Still, she agreed to meet again without hesitation.

The time they had just spent together had been more comfortable than expected. And maybe, just maybe, she wanted to hold on to moments like this—a taste of ordinary freedom, even if only now and then.

Na Ara, get a grip. Did you come here for a vacation?

If a certain strict someone found out, they would probably be furious.

“Get home safe, Ara.”

“See you again, sunbae.”

Waving Suho off, she turned and stepped into the market alley where the vegetable stall was located.

“You’re a pretty decent housekeeper, Na Ara. A fairly skilled cook too.”

Until the promised three months were over, her job was to cook food that pleased the goblins. To stay out of trouble, do her part quietly, and pass Seok-kyung’s test.

“Alright. Let’s start by getting some meat for our dear Baekseol.”

As a decent housekeeper and a fairly skilled cook, Ara decided to carry out her role with strength and resolve today too.

Because if she didn’t think of it that way, she wasn’t sure she could bear it.