Chapter 60.2

Chapter 60.2

‘I am someone special to you, aren’t I?’

Remembering his own answer, Seok-kyung clenched his fists underwater until the veins stood out.

“Idiot. What the hell were you thinking, saying something like that…”

His shoulders shook as he cursed his own recklessness.

No. He wasn’t wrong, was he? She was special.

The first human to step into this house. The one who’d thrown a punch at a goblin without hesitation. The one who didn’t even blink at a talking dog. The one who worried for him when she could barely look after herself. The one who offered cheap sweets as if they were treasures. The one who looked so achingly like someone he’d once lost, long ago.

That much made her special. He hadn’t lied.

‘But don’t do this for other women.’

But the memory of her voice pierced his chest all over again.

“Who’s the one confusing things here, huh?”

Muttering like a sulky child, Seok-kyung yanked up the towel and scrubbed it furiously.

A thousand years spent in the earth, nearly four hundred more walking the world as a spirit beast, over fourteen hundred years lived.

And now this. What cursed fate had saddled him with such torment?

Late the next morning, Ara woke feeling lighter than she had in days.

Maybe it was because she’d fallen into a deep, dreamless sleep after Seol-do last came by at dawn. Her head felt clearer than usual, her body refreshed, almost enough that everything from the night before seemed like nothing more than a fever dream.

‘I think you’re special.’

Except for that one line. For some reason, Seok-kyung’s words still rang in her ears as vividly as if he were whispering them beside her now.

She showered in the adjoining bathroom, steam curling around her as hot water sluiced away the remnants of sweat and fever. Seol-do had told her not to worry about meals and to rest as much as she needed, so even though it was well past breakfast time, she let herself indulge in a leisurely morning.

Under the warm spray, her thoughts drifted back to last night. To the rise and fall of her own heart, expectation, despair, then foolish hope all over again. As the fragments came together, she felt a pang of regret, then embarrassment, and finally, oddly, a sense of relief.

‘Do as you please.’

She still didn’t know what he’d truly meant by that.

But somehow, those words had freed her.

‘If it’s enough to confuse you, then he’s not angry. You’ve never seen His Majesty furious, have you? Like a yaksha, terrifying.’

Cheong-seon’s voice echoed in her memory. If Seok-kyung had truly disliked it, there would’ve been no mistaking it.

‘There’s hardly anything His Majesty can’t do, but there is one thing he’s terrible at.’

‘What’s that?’

‘Speaking honestly.’

So maybe… maybe what he’d said last night had been the truth of a goblin who couldn’t speak plainly. Believing that was nothing more than her choice.

She calmed her heart with that thought as she stepped out, toweling her hair and moving to the vanity.

The first thing her eyes landed on was a small box resting neatly in front of the mirror. It was the necklace Seok-kyung had given her the day they went to the department store.

‘I don’t just give these to anyone.’

His awkward murmur still lingered in her ears.

‘You gave me something, so I’ll give you something too.’

That was what mattered; the sentiment, not how much affection it held. Even if it wasn’t the depth she wanted, the gift itself was still a genuine choice from him.

After a pause, Ara opened the case and clasped the necklace around her neck. The platinum chain slipped smoothly into place, the clear diamond pendant catching the light in a dazzling spark.

Her hair, still damp at the ends, clung to her cheeks as she walked out. Morning sunlight spilled in to greet her.

“Na Ara, you’re up? Feeling better?”

Baek-seol bounded over from the coffee table, ears pricked and tail wagging.

“Yeah, I slept well. What about you? Did you eat?”

“Of course. Seok-kyung made breakfast.”

She wagged her tail toward the sofa.

Seol-do, as usual, sprawled there like it was his throne, but this time, he wasn’t alone.

“Kim Seok-kyung. You didn’t go to work?”

Seok-kyung looked up briefly from the digital pad in his hand, pencil tapping once against the screen.

“Not that he didn’t go. He couldn’t.”

Seol-do, kicking his feet on a cushion, burst into laughter.

“Nam Seol-do.”

“He was insisting he had to see you wake up first. Kept spouting the most ridiculous excuses. Baekmok was laughing so hard on the call I thought he’d choke.”

“Do you ever shut up?”

Seok-kyung ground his teeth, glaring daggers.

Seol-do only clutched his stomach, laughing harder until his eyes watered. Then, wiping his tears, he cocked his head curiously.

“But hey. What’s with the necklace? I’ve never seen that one before.”