No-Makeup Princess: Thirty Minutes Before the Shadow Escape
Thirty minutes before Si-hyun and Luna departed Bosingak via shadow movement—
Tatata.
"Elissa, where are you taking me all of a sudden, carrying me like this?"
"Sis, right now we need to move fast first. I'll explain on the way, so hold on tight and don't fall off."
Elissa was carrying Victoria toward the spot where the black sphere had been.
"Kidnapping a cute girl like me out of nowhere and just running off— that's so mean, Elissa."
"Sis, you know that puppy-dog look doesn't work on me no matter how hard you try."
"Tch, you're no fun. But seriously, where are we going? We've come this far; you can tell me now, right? I rushed out so fast I left my sword behind. What if it's dangerous?"
"You won't need a weapon. The place we're heading to might just be... the safest spot in all of Seoul."
"Not exactly the thing to say while rushing toward the site where the Collector was obliterating everything just minutes ago. What on earth did you sense back there to make you bolt like this?"
"The emotion from the black sphere flipped in an instant. Not only is it amazing that it changed so suddenly, but the new emotion is a complete 180 from the first one. From sorrow to joy, despair to happiness. And the last one I felt... honestly, I'm still not sure about it. Whether I sensed it wrong or not."
"What kind of emotion was it?"
Elissa paused for a moment to catch her breath, then booped Victoria's nose.
"The one emotion emanating from Bosingak after the sphere vanished... it's love. An enormous, intense love."
"Love...? What, someone's filming a romance drama at the site where a ghost story just disappeared?"
"Probably not... Anyway, let's hurry first. I don't know what's there, but I need to satisfy this curiosity faster than anyone."
Elissa gave a vague answer to Victoria's question and picked up the pace again. She was deliberately swallowing the full truth inside.
'For now, since she's still got that innocent little-girl vibe, telling Sis about the emotions I sensed wouldn't be good for her emotional development... right?'
What Elissa had sensed was definitely love. But it wasn't the light, fun kind from rom-com anime or dramas, nor the sad, wistful sort.
The love pouring from Bosingak was obsession. Possession. Monopoly. Domination. Restraint. Imprisonment. Yearning. Addiction. Just hearing it made her legs go weak—heavy, sticky love.
Setting aside whether you could even call this "love," Elissa had never felt anything so cloying and swamp-like before.
'I can't tell Sis about this. If she, who's never even been with a guy, learns emotions like these exist... it'd be a disaster.'
Not that Elissa herself—a total virgin who'd never even held a man's hand, let alone dated—was in any position to worry about anyone. But right now, her mind was fully occupied fretting over her sister, Victoria.
'But... there's one thing that's bothering me. The closer we get to Bosingak, the more convinced I am—this isn't one person's emotion.'
At first, she'd thought it was one woman feeling this toward one man. But as they drew nearer to Bosingak, Elissa realized she'd been mistaken.
'It's not from one person. At least two emotions are mixing and flowing out...'
It was the result of two women's sticky emotions intertwining and merging.
What kind of man could inspire this kind of love from two women?
'Normal guys might envy a man loved by two women... but I'm actually worried for the guy on the receiving end...'
If he couldn't properly respond to such dark, profound love, his fate was obvious without needing to see it.
As Elissa inwardly fretted over some man she'd never even met, Victoria—still cradled in her arms—jabbed Elissa's cheek urgently.
"E-Elissa... l-look at th-that...!"
Her eyes were wide with shock, like she'd spotted something completely unexpected.
"Someone's standing at Bosingak... Back turned, so I can't see the face clearly, but that's definitely...!"
Elissa looked where Victoria pointed and couldn't hide her own surprise.
She hadn't expected to encounter that existence here of all places.
"It's too much of a stretch to mistake that for just some tall guy's back... There's only one man in the world wrapped in swirling jet-black energy like that..."
Hair like the black night sky transplanted. Cold, emotionless eyes harboring endless abyss. A being who always looked down on everyone from a lofty posture.
"Codename... Phantom."
The one who'd saved humanity by obliterating countless ghost stories had appeared again.
—Shwaaak!
But the moment Victoria and Elissa noticed him, as if they weren't supposed to, he scattered his jet-black energy and vanished from the scene.
"Ah...! W-wait a sec! Phantom...!"
"Shh! Sis, even so, he's a ghost story. You can't just chase after him recklessly."
"Ah... he's already gone. But Elissa, you know me—I can't stand leaving questions unanswered."
Victoria sighed deeply, clearly regretting letting him slip away right in front of her.
Where Phantom had stood lingered only a faint silence.
"Why does he always appear without a word and vanish just like that? If only he'd say something..."
Victoria hopped down from Elissa's arms and touched the spot where Phantom had been.
—Swipe.
A bit of bloodstain and lingering warmth on the ground.
"Phantom... You're a ghost story, but you bleed red human blood?"
"Sis, it might not be Phantom's."
"Could be, but... the warmth makes it feel like it was his."
"If Phantom really got hurt, then what you guessed on the way here seems right. 'The one who broke the Collector was probably Phantom,' you said?"
"Honestly, there's no other way to explain why the Collector's Netherworld and black sphere vanished in an instant."
Victoria pictured Phantom facing the ghost story alone.
His footsteps marching silently forward even as dark-red energy battered him. His resolve to break the ghost story no matter the wounds—felt in the bloodstains.
"Phantom... why do you go so far...?"
A vague wistfulness welled up in Victoria's chest.
Phantom, who pushed through silently even if no one acknowledged him. That always-noble back view seemed just a touch lonely. Was it her imagination?
"Pushing through wounds like this for us... for humans... what's the reason you fight ghost stories...?"
Victoria wanted to know Phantom's purpose, beyond even her insight.
Did he harbor ambitions too grand to imagine? Or did he truly pity humans despite being a ghost story?
Blue flames flickered once more in Victoria's azure eyes.
"I want to know... Phantom, what are you...? What the hell are you thinking...?"
* * *
"Ah~~~ Luna's scent is so sweet, seriously."
Sniff—!
I was fully savoring the fragrance of Luna, cradled in my arms.
Sniff sniff.
"It's wild, right? Sweet but powdery, light but rich. Pretty girls even smell classier."
"U-um... S-Si-hyun...?"
"Yeah? What's up, Luna?"
"I-I'm yours... so y-you can sniff all you want... b-but it feels kinda embarrassing..."
"Haha, sorry sorry. Was I too obvious? Kinda pervy, huh?"
"It's what you want... so I actually like it... j-just a little embarrassing... hehe."
After shadow-moving home, Luna and I were lying in bed, chatting away.
Only a day or two apart, but Luna had a ton of questions for me.
"Si-hyun Si-hyun, I have another question."
The girl fiddled with my cheek with her tiny hand, firing off more queries.
We'd been at this Q&A for over three hours on the bed, but her questions showed no sign of stopping.
'Whew... I'm exhausted to death, but tonight I gotta tough it out!'
—Pinch.
I pinched my thigh to chase away sleep and stay lively for Luna.
No excuses like being tired and nodding off first tonight.
Luna had just bloomed with tons of past memories, forgotten truths, and—most importantly—fresh emotions.
Receiving those tender new feelings was my duty as her guardian.
'If I can't even do this, I don't deserve the love of a princess as pretty as Luna.'
I smiled warmly and gently took her hand from my cheek.
"What else is my princess curious about?"
"You know, Si-hyun, how'd you know my mom and dad collected treasures for me...? The old story you told me was real. How'd you know something even I didn't?"
Her golden eyes sparkled as she asked, reminding me of that Japanese anime heroine.
'What was it... 'Watashi, kininarimasu!!'? The one always yelling about being obsessed.'
Luna grilling me for three hours straight was no joke... but anyway, that's not the point.
I absolutely couldn't tell her the truth.
Saying 'It was just a made-up tale that luckily hit the mark' would kill my vibe!
Me, manly Yoon Si-hyun. This secret dies with me.
I stroked her cheek a few times, then gazed at her with my most tender expression.
'Act natural and shameless here.'
"Luna, it'd be weirder if I didn't know."
"Huh...?"
"Your silver hair's prettier than any jewel made of real silver, and your golden eyes sparkle more than real gold. How could parents ignore a daughter this cute and pretty for other treasures? I figured there had to be another reason."
"......"
Luna ducked her head at that, burrowing deeper into my arms.
"Si-hyun... I hate you..."
Huh, wrong reaction? Did I mess up?
But seeing her cheeks flush rosy-pink, I realized she was just hiding her embarrassment.
'She's seriously adorable.'
I gently stroked Luna as she curled up in my embrace.
"Luna, that shy?"
"......"
She peeked up at my question, staring intently. Pouting just a bit, like she was sulking.
'Oh, that's cute too. New expression.'
As I admired her pout absentmindedly, she inched closer, golden eyes gleaming.
"I wanna embarrass you too, Si-hyun."
"Huh? What're you—Luna—"
—Whoosh.
The next instant, a sweet scent and something soft and warm nuzzled my neck.
And right then, a chime rang in my ear.
Ah...?