Sowing Discord #3
After finishing her date with Jihyeok, Adele returned home and gently touched the fox necklace he had given her when they parted. He had suggested they wear matching couple necklaces since she was wearing one too. She could hardly describe how happy that made her. The design was cute and dainty—something that might embarrass a man to wear—yet he had said he would wear it without hesitation.
It's so pretty... No matter how many times she looked at it, the design remained beautiful. It truly touched her heart.
Adele had been beaming when the beeping at the front door reached her ears. Her face fell at once. She crawled into bed, pulled the covers over her head, and lay there in silence. If Silvia hid the fact that she had met Jihyeok, Adele would be bitterly disappointed. In truth, she was already disappointed.
Meeting secretly was one thing, but for Silvia—who had always called her an adult and respected her opinions—to say something completely different in front of Jihyeok… The more she thought about it, the more it hurt. Tears welled up on their own.
But she had to hold them back. Silvia would be coming in soon, and she would have to show her face. Tear stains would look suspicious. She was afraid Silvia might say something awful to Jihyeok again, so caution was the only choice.
Before long, a knock sounded on her bedroom door. Adele quickly wiped her eyes and spoke in a sleepy voice.
“Is that you, sis…?”
“Yeah. Can I come in?”
“After you wash your hands…”
“I just washed them…”
“Then come in.”
The door opened carefully. Silvia poked her head inside, flashed a bright smile at Adele—who was still half-hidden under the blanket—and sat down on the edge of the bed.
“Did I wake you? Sorry for disturbing your sleep.”
“No…”
“How was the date?”
“It was nice… Did you go exercise, sis?”
“I did.”
“It must have been tiring… Take it easy, okay?”
Silvia burst into laughter at the concern and nodded. “I will. Thank you for thinking of me.”
“I’m your best friend, after all. You feel the same way, right?”
“Of course. You’re my best friend too.”
The person who thinks of me that way was treating me like a child behind my back?
The words rose to the tip of her tongue and sank back down. Adele smiled awkwardly and turned her back to Silvia, lying down once more.
Silvia stroked her hair and said softly, “I have something to tell you. If you’re sleepy, I can say it later.”
She’s going to talk about meeting Jihyeok.
Thinking that, Adele glanced over her shoulder. “I’m awake. Go ahead.”
“Alright. First… I want to say I’m sorry.”
“…Why?”
“I… even though I said otherwise with my words, it seems I was still thinking of you as a child on the inside. That’s why I was always so worried and wanted to take care of you.”
Had she realized something during her conversation with Jihyeok? Silvia’s opening words were deeply satisfying. The anger that had been bubbling inside Adele settled almost instantly.
“……”
“Are you listening…?”
“Yes… I’m listening…”
“When I heard you did… that with Jihyeok, I got really angry. I thought he had tricked you. So yesterday, using the excuse of going to exercise, I met him and we had a serious talk. We cleared up the misunderstanding. In the heat of the moment I said things to you that I never should have… I’m truly sorry.”
The tone carried genuine remorse. Adele clenched her teeth and asked, “What exactly did you say…?”
“I’m scared you’ll be disappointed in me… It was harsh.”
That she was excessively naïve, always reading the mood and tiptoeing around others, too timid to speak her mind. Yes, it had been harsh. Of course Adele had been disappointed. But it had been a slip of the tongue. She could forgive that.
What truly hurt, however, was the suspicion that the time she spent with Jihyeok was too short, that he was deceiving her. Those words had shaken him, and that made Adele angry. Silvia should not be apologizing for a careless remark—she should be apologizing for trying to destroy the relationship between Adele and Jihyeok.
While Adele struggled to hide her complicated emotions, Silvia continued stroking her hair from crown to ends and continued.
“And… I tried to come between the two of you. That’s what I’m most sorry about…”
I’m sorry for trying to break you two apart.
Those were the exact words Adele had most wanted to hear. She decided to forgive Silvia.
“……”
“Adele, won’t you look at me…?”
When Silvia turned Adele’s body toward her, she recoiled in shock. Adele was fighting back tears with everything she had. The drooping corners of her mouth, the clear droplets clinging to those round eyes—it was so pitiful that Silvia’s heart ached with guilt.
Adele, who had barely been holding her surging emotions in check, saw Silvia’s face and the moisture in her eyes and could endure no longer.
“I… hic…! I already knew everything… What you said to Jihyeok, sis… And how much you were reflecting on it… Jihyeok told me all of it…”
“He did…?”
“Yes… Waaah…!”
Adele sat up, tears pouring down like rain, and began to sob uncontrollably. The heartbreaking sound made Silvia pull her into a tight embrace, apologizing over and over.
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”
“Waaah…! Sis, you’re really mean…! I really hate you…!”
Mean. Hate. Silvia knew the words didn’t come from the heart, yet they still felt like a knife twisting in her chest.
“I was wrong. I won’t interfere in your relationship with him again… Please forgive me…”
Sobbing into Silvia’s arms, Adele slowly nodded. Silvia patted her back, unconcerned that her own shirt was growing damp, and felt a contradictory surge of emotion toward Jihyeok—utterly resentful, yet deeply grateful.
It was infuriating that he had run straight to Adele and tattled like a snitch. But she was thankful he had convinced Adele that Silvia was truly reflecting. Thanks to him, forgiveness seemed possible.
After soothing Adele for a long time, Silvia waited until the exhausted girl cried herself to sleep, then gently laid her down and slipped out of the bedroom.
I’ve never even dated anyone, yet I stuck my nose in their business… I really must be crazy.
This whole incident had been largely her fault. Knowing nothing about love, she had tried to interfere with the couple. How pathetic.
Blame weighing heavily on her, Silvia wiped her moist eyes and collapsed onto the sofa. It was a relief they had reconciled. From now on, her bond with Adele would only grow stronger.
With that comforting thought, she leaned her head against the sofa’s backrest.
“It’s good to hear. Sounds like everything worked out.”
I was sitting in the lab, twirling a pen between my fingers.
Adele’s shy voice came through the receiver.
“Yes… It’s all thanks to you, Jihyeok…”
She had already told me every detail of her reconciliation with Silvia the night before—every single line of dialogue, without omission.
“What were you thinking at the time?”
“I was so grateful to you… And my love for Silvia grew even stronger. She still feels like a real big sister, and I like her so much.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes… But from now on, unless she asks first, I plan to keep anything involving you a secret, Jihyeok. I don’t want to go through something like this again.”
Adele was too kind. That was exactly why I didn’t want to leave her beside someone as cold and perceptive as Silvia. I had to keep her as my pure, untouched Adele.
“I see. I respect your decision.”
“I knew you’d say that. We’re meeting today, right?”
“I’m really sorry, but today won’t work.”
“Why?”
Her voice rose sharply. If I didn’t explain quickly, she would get angry.
“There’s a problem with the detector at the Grand Canyon in America. It needs repairs.”
“Like on Jeju Island? Then should I step in?”
“It’s fundamentally different from Jeju Island. Back then you at least detected faint magi, remember? But right now the device is damaged. The portal near the detector is in the same state.”
“I want to go too.”
“Calm down. It was damaged by falling rocks caused by lightning. There’s no real threat.”
“I’m not saying we should go together because something might happen. I just want to be with you, Jihyeok.”
Aah… This proactive display of affection… It fills me with pride. She’s adorable.
“Sehwa will be contacting you soon. Do you still want to come with me?”
“Sehwa?”
“Yes. She wants to introduce Yuria to you.”
Adele had never met Yuria. She wouldn’t want to miss this chance. As expected, her interest immediately shifted.
“I’d love that! Should I call Sehwa now? Oh, right—she said she would call me. I’ll wait.”
“Wise choice.”
“When will you be back, Jihyeok?”
“It depends on the detector’s condition, but I should be able to finish today.”
“Then I’ll have to add extra discipline for all the time we couldn’t see each other.”
Her cute pout made me smile without thinking.
“Are you going to be that calculating?”
“Right now you’re the one receiving discipline, so you must not ignore my orders. Just obediently agree. I won’t compromise on this.”
Of course I would agree. If it was her command, I could do anything.
“I’ll do that. I’ll hang up now—there’s a lot to prepare.”
“Okay! Have a safe trip!”
Adele ended with a bright giggle and hung up. She seemed thrilled at the prospect of meeting Yuria. The two of you can play under their spell for a while. I have somewhere to go with Silvia.
I tapped idly on the keyboard for a moment, then stood when the surveillance camera near the lab caught Silvia’s figure.
She’s here.
From the reaction Adele had described, Silvia likely saw me as an innocent yet utterly despicable and unlucky bastard. Given her personality, she would come to question or scold me about yesterday’s events, and my prediction had been correct. If she hadn’t come on her own, I would have summoned her anyway, so this saved me the trouble.
Silvia had already entered the corridor leading to the lab. I quickly changed into a flight suit, grabbed a toolbox, and waited.
Soon the lab door burst open with a loud clang. Silvia, her face slightly flushed, strode straight toward me.
I raised a hand in greeting. “Hello, Silvia. What brings you here without calling first?”
“I have something important to discuss… Are you busy? Where’s the Doctor?”
“The Doctor is at home in a meeting with the World Coalition, and I’m heading to America.”
“America? Why?”
“The detector at the Grand Canyon has broken down. It needs repairs.”
Silvia crossed her arms, looking slightly troubled. “Really…? Do you have to go right away?”
“It’s best to fix it as quickly as possible. Are you busy, Silvia?”
“I have nothing to do but sit around… Why?”
“I’ll be going alone and it’ll be boring… If you’re free, why don’t you come with me? You can tell me the important stuff inside the fighter.”
“Huh…?”
The unexpected invitation made her eyes widen. Her gaze darted around as she asked, “How long will it take?”
“I should be done by evening Korean time. Travel time is no issue with the fighter’s speed. Having a strong ally like you would be reassuring, and we’d probably finish even faster.”
I slipped in a subtle compliment, but it didn’t land. Silvia seemed to ignore the flattery entirely. After a moment of thought, she nodded.
“Well… let’s go together. We are coming back today, right?”
The fact that she agreed even to this half-hearted persuasion told me she really wanted to give me a piece of her mind. That was perfect for me. I had felt good about today since yesterday, and now it seemed heaven itself was helping.
Marcela. It’s been a while—let’s work together again. If you stab me in the gut like last time, expect a slap.
“Of course.”