Chapter 56: Until the Blue Sky Comes (16)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 56: Until the Blue Sky Comes (16)
After spending an intense night with Yubin, we prepared for another day of work and headed to our respective part-time jobs. Yubin believed I was heading off to do something related to my actual profession, though.
Whenever I arrived at the cafe shortly after noon, Yura would unfailingly greet me from the kitchen.
"Mr. A. Good morning."
"It’s not morning."
Giving her a playful retort, I headed into the storage room to change into my uniform. She set down whatever she was holding and followed me inside.
What happened next was no different from our usual routine. Without a word, Yura pressed herself against me, pulling me in by the waist. She brought her face close and overlapped her lips with mine.
I felt like her kisses had grown more intense ever since the time I kissed her first. I knew I couldn't break free even if I used my strength, so I didn't even bother trying. Responding to her kiss, our tongues intertwined as we shared a suggestive moment inside the storage room.
"Did you eat strawberries?"
I could taste the scent of strawberries in her mouth while we kissed. The moment our lips parted, I asked about the source of the fragrance, and she nodded.
"I ate a few bruised ones while prepping the fruit this morning."
"Was it busy?"
"About the same as usual."
We exchanged our usual casual banter as I stripped down and changed into my uniform right in front of her. I worried for a moment that someone might walk into the storage room while I was changing, but as I looked at her standing by the door, I realized that the two of us being alone in here was probably the more "dangerous" situation. I didn't give voice to that thought, though.
"How are things with Hunter Killer?"
Asking her about Hunter Killer felt natural now. Perhaps it was because Yura always brought up the conversations they had there first, or because she faithfully answered whenever I struck up a conversation to gauge the atmosphere. Whatever the reason, bringing up Hunter Killer no longer felt like a burden.
"It’s been hectic lately. There are no duels because of the monsoon season, but the team members have all sorts of things going on."
I was the one who knew that story best. The team members she was referring to were likely Green and Hayoung, though I wasn't sure if that included Yellow, whom I hadn't met yet.
Excluding Yellow, I probably knew the stories of the other two better than anyone.
The stories regarding their respective family matters, that is.
"Why? Did they have a falling out?"
Honestly, this was the hardest part—pretending not to know things I already knew. I was always on edge, worried I might accidentally mention something Yura hadn't told me yet.
I had to be especially careful because Yura was the only member of Hunter Killer I could actually discuss their internal affairs with.
"No. The team members get along great. Better than before, actually. But Green and Blue..."
She started to speak, then bit her lip as if realizing her mistake. It was likely difficult for her to divulge her teammates' family problems to me, and it wouldn't be respectful to them either.
"If it's something serious, you don't have to tell me."
I already knew anyway, and there was no need to pressure Yura into telling me. More importantly, she wasn't the type to easily spill other people's secrets just because she was pressed.
"Then should I tell you something else?"
My ears perked up at the mention of "something else." Could it be some internal information I didn't know? Something about Hunter Killer's combat power that I could report? I held a small spark of hope.
"Our team members... I think they've all found men recently."
That small spark of hope vanished instantly. Furthermore, it was the very topic I felt most uncomfortable discussing.
When Yura had previously said, "I think Red has a boyfriend," I felt like my heart was going to drop out of my chest. Because that boyfriend was me.
And now she was saying the other members had men too.
Then, a thought occurred to me. Aside from Yubin and Yura, the "men" Green and Hayoung were seeing might not be me. For a moment, my face flushed as I realized I might be getting ahead of myself.
I felt incredibly embarrassed for assuming that any man involved with them had to be me just because I had helped them.
"Men, huh? What about you? Is there anyone?"
Though we kissed every time we met, Yura and my relationship hadn't been officially defined as a couple yet. So, I asked just in case she had another man, but her expression instantly went cold, and she glared at me.
"W-What? Why?"
I could feel anger, annoyance, and various other emotions in her expression. I was so startled that I even started to stutter.
"Forget it."
She replied in a tone that made it obvious she was sulking and walked out to the kitchen. Left alone in the storage room, I scratched my head, realizing I had made a slip of the tongue.
"We even slept together... I wasn't thinking."
Yura and I had spent a passionate night together, and we had kissed every time we saw each other since. Yura must have been holding onto the feelings from that night. Failing to realize that, I headed out to the kitchen, thinking I should apologize.
In the kitchen, Yura had resumed the dishwashing she had been doing before I arrived. She didn't even spare me a glance as I came out of the storage room.
"Yura?"
I called her name, but there was no answer. I knew she could hear me.
She had every right to be angry. From Yura's perspective, even if we hadn't officially labeled it, I was the person she held feelings for that were closest to a boyfriend.
While I couldn't be sure if the talk about Green and Hayoung's men referred to me, if Yura brought up a man, there was a 99% chance it was me. And yet, after I was the one who kissed her first last week, here I was asking if she had a man. For someone usually quick on the uptake, I had made a remarkably dense mistake.
"Yura?"
I stepped closer and called her again, but a sullen Yura just kept wiping cups and plates in silence, acting as if she had zero interest in me.
How could I make it up to her? Should I just kiss her?
No. That was something to do when she was in a good mood, not now.
"Ms. Kwon Yura?"
"Don't talk to me."
As I pressed close to her side and called her name, her cold rejection sent a shiver of cold sweat down my spine. I realized once again that a woman's anger knows no bounds and the solution is never easy.
Knowing that anything I said right now would only backfire, I silently helped her with the dishes.
Only a few minutes ago, we had been hugging and kissing, and now the atmosphere had turned icy in an instant. I had made the mistake of not contacting Yubin while staying out overnight once, but a direct verbal blunder felt like a much heavier sin.
My comment implied that I wasn't being considerate of her, and it made it look like I was indifferent toward our relationship.
I wasn't indifferent to my relationship with Yura, nor had I ever been inconsiderate. To me, she had started as a source of information on Hunter Killer, but beyond that, I now viewed her as a colleague, a friend, and a woman I was close to. My positive feelings for her had grown significantly.
One hour, two hours... I hoped an opening to apologize would appear as we worked, but Yura remained immersed in her tasks without looking at me once. I couldn't find the right timing to speak while she was working so diligently.
Eventually, we took a short break. Yura opened the kitchen door and headed out to the back of the cafe. While I was debating whether to follow her, the Boss poked her head into the kitchen.
"Did you two have a fight?"
"Huh? Oh, no. I just made a bit of a mistake."
The Boss clicked her tongue, giving me a look of pity. I couldn't tell if that pity was for me or Yura, but either way, she shook her head at me.
"I don't know what it is, but go apologize quickly. That's why I gave you two a break."
I felt the eyes of the other employees at the counter on me. It seemed the heavy atmosphere between us had been noticeable even from the outside.
"I'm sorry. I'll be back in a moment."
Deciding it was better to go apologize than to waste time worrying, I opened the back door and stepped outside.
Yura was nowhere to be seen in the open area behind the cafe. Since it was raining, she couldn't have gone far. I scanned the surroundings, looking for her.
There was an awning set up behind the cafe, and the Boss's car was parked underneath it. I turned my head when I sensed someone's presence behind the vehicle.
Wondering if Yura was there, I approached quietly, holding my breath. I found her crouched on the ground behind the car.
"..."
The moment I saw Yura sitting there with her head buried in her knees, I felt like I'd been struck in the head. The apologetic feeling that had been a simple "let's fix this" transformed back into a deep, heartfelt ache.
"Yura."
Yura glared at me with teary, light-purple eyes.
"Why are you here?"
"..."
I was momentarily speechless at her question. For now, I just sat down silently beside her.
When I sat right next to her, Yura scooted away. I moved closer again.
"Don't come over here."
I stared at her as she spoke with a trembling, tearful voice. Yura looked at me for a moment before averting her eyes.
"I'm sorry. For saying that weird stuff."
"What stuff?"
"...About, you know, asking if you had a man."
"What about it?"
"I'm sorry."
Yura's gaze returned to me. The anger hadn't vanished from her eyes yet.
But as I looked into them, I realized the emotion swirling there wasn't just anger—it was extreme hurt.
I'm not exactly a smooth talker. Even in a moment like this, I didn't know how to say something like, "I'm your man." Was it because it felt too cheesy? I couldn't stand the awkwardness of saying things like that.
But this was a moment where I had to think of Yura, not my own feelings. Even if there were things I couldn't bring myself to say, it was only right that I cast off my usual self and apologize sincerely.
"Fine. I'll go meet another man like you want."
I knew she didn't mean it; she was just speaking out of spite. But that didn't mean the underlying sentiment was entirely false.
Yura meeting another man. Just the thought of it made my blood boil.
I wasn't sure which of the emotions between us took priority to make me feel this way. But one thing was certain: I found the idea of Yura seeing another man repulsive.
I grabbed her hand as she turned away again. Startled by the sudden contact, Yura looked at me.
"Meet who? You're not meeting anyone."
"H-Huh?"
Yura had been the one hurt and angry, but the moment she heard the irritation and slight anger in my voice, she looked at me with wide, surprised eyes.
"Are you really going to meet another man?"
"..."
She was silent, her lower lip trembling.
I knew I was being brazen, and I knew she hadn't meant what she said.
But my comment had been a mistake, and since she wasn't letting it go easily, I couldn't just let her comment slide either.
"Are you?"
"N-No. I won't."
Faced with my burning gaze and firm voice, Yura retracted her words.
A brief silence followed. Her hand in mine was warm, and she didn't pull away, remaining still.
"I'm sorry."
There are no shortcuts to an apology. Until she felt even a little bit better, all I could do was say I was sorry. Even if I reached a point where I felt tired of saying it, I had to keep saying it.
"...I was hurt."
Yura, who had been silent, finally spoke.
"I've never even thought about anyone else but you."
It was a moment that made me realize once again what I meant to her.
"I was looking forward to us getting drinks this week, too. It felt like I was the only one who cared about you."
Among the human emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure, none are a one-way street. They say joy shared is doubled, and sorrow shared is halved.
Yura felt emotions based on the things I said, and by conveying those emotions back to me, she made me think and speak about her in return. I had momentarily forgotten this simple truth and hurt her.
One of the thoughts I had while she was angry and silent was the promise we made last week to go drinking. She must have spent the whole week looking forward to it. I worried that if things stayed like this, that plan would fall through.
It wasn't just about the act of drinking. I hated the idea of ruining a moment she had been excitedly waiting for all week.
"And then you..."
Her voice trembled. Looking at Yura's bubbly personality and always-bright appearance, I often forgot. The fact that, right now, I was the only person she could lean on.
I wasn't saying this out of arrogance. Yura truly had no one else to turn to, and since I was currently filling that role, I could be certain of it.
...I realized why I felt so disgusted when she mentioned meeting another man.
I had provided a place called 'me' for her to lean on, and she was leaning on me with all her heart. The thought of someone taking that place away from me made my temper flare.
I knew I was being greedy. Yura wasn't my property, nor was she someone only I could have. But being human, I couldn't help but be greedy.
I never wanted her to feel the way she did behind the cafe that day ever again. I silently pulled her into an embrace, patting her back as she vented her feelings, and Yura leaned into me.
"I'm sorry. I won't say things like that again. Let's go get those drinks after work."
"...Okay."
As I stroked her hair while she nodded, one thing weighed on my mind.
"...You're really not going to meet anyone else, right?"
Yura, who had her face buried in my chest, looked up with a start.
"I won't! I definitely won't! I don't know any other men besides you, and I'm not interested in—mph!"
Did she think I had taken her spiteful words seriously? I overlapped my lips with hers as she spoke frantically to deny what she'd said.
"Mmm, ah..."
The sound of our breathing as our tongues intertwined melded into the sound of the falling rain.