Chapter 85
"Ah, please give me your son...!"
As someone who could call himself Yoo Seol-ah's master, I could tell the atmosphere was pretty warm and friendly—otherwise, she never would've said something like that. She must've gauged our family's vibe perfectly, picking the right time and place. My parents and even Baek Sia were all smiling, so it was a successful line, no doubt. Honestly, if she hadn't been a little nervous and stumbled over her words just a bit, it would've looked seriously cool. But hey, it was cute anyway.
It seemed to hit the right note with my mom too, who replied with a pleased smile. "If it's someone as pretty and kind as Seol-ah, sure."
"...Is that really okay?"
"Yeah. But there's one thing I want to ask—mind if I do?"
"Of course! I'll answer anything you're curious about!"
Figuring out what someone's like doesn't take long. Their attitude and innate personality slip out unconsciously, super easily. I figured my parents hadn't shot it down because, through all our chats so far, they'd confirmed Yoo Seol-ah's true character deep down.
"You're thinking of going all the way to marriage with Sion, right?"
"...Yes, that's right."
"Then, could you tell us the biggest reason you're thinking about marriage?"
There are probably tons of reasons she wants to marry me, but the biggest one? Even I'm a little curious. Yoo Seol-ah didn't spit out an answer lightly either—she sat there quietly, deep in thought. Her eyes turned serious in a way I hadn't seen lately, giving off this heavy vibe straight out of our Astasia days.
A moment later, she slowly opened her mouth. "There's just so much I'm grateful for... I want to make him happy."
Memories from the past flashed through my mind in an instant. Back during our first real one-on-one date, I'd felt her mindset shift just a little. She'd been carrying the weight of that time in battle when I'd taken the spear meant for her. But after drinks that night—the first time we talked about it—she'd left me with just one word.
'Thank you.'
From that day on, something had definitely changed. If gratitude had filled her heart instead of guilt or self-blame, that was a huge relief for me. Back here on Earth, living peacefully, I'd seen Yoo Seol-ah just being a normal girl—and I knew memories like that weren't easy for someone ordinary to handle.
Sensing it wasn't something she'd said lightly, Mom nodded slowly, her smile unwavering. "I see. Our boy's grown up well."
"Yeah. He's such an important person to me."
"Got it. Marriage is ultimately up to you two, so we'll just support you from behind the scenes. And I know this isn't something you say lightly."
"...Thank you so much..."
We hadn't come here expecting any specific support for the wedding, but this was a bigger win than anticipated. As Yoo Seol-ah and I both let out quiet sighs of relief in our heads, Dad spoke up.
"Hey, Sion. Go take a quick bath."
"Out of nowhere?"
"You can't exactly bathe properly living alone. We wanna talk a bit more with Seol-ah here, so soak in some warm water and relax."
"...Got it."
This was basically code for "we have stuff to discuss without you," but whatever—it wasn't a big deal. The important stuff was mostly wrapped up anyway.
"Don't say anything weird while I'm gone, okay?"
"Pfft, look at Mr. Lovestruck over here. No worries—just head to the master bath already."
"...I'll be back."
As I stood up, Yoo Seol-ah gave me a small wave goodbye. It was such a tiny gesture, but it lifted my mood like nothing else. I felt just as much gratitude toward her as she did toward me—maybe even more.
Now, what bath bomb should I use tonight...
In the end, we even got permission to get married... What a relief. Both of them were so kind, and just watching Baek Sia radiate positive energy made it possible. They seem to have opened up to me a bit, so even now with Baek Sion off in the master bath, it doesn't feel awkward at all.
"...Um, so... would it be okay if we started living together beforehand?"
"He must really like you, huh?"
"......Yeah."
The 'likes' piling up in my heart grow more every day. Wanting to wake up to Baek Sion every morning feels inevitable.
"Like we said, as long as you two discuss it properly, we're fine with it. And don't worry about moving costs—we'll handle that."
"...Huh? Oh, thank you, but I have savings too..."
"You said you draw illustrations, right? But you're only twenty—can't have saved up that much, yeah?"
My fan page recently hit over a thousand subscribers, with plenty on premium plans, so after fees, I'm making more than double what a typical office worker does. When I roughly shared how much I'd saved, both parents and Sia reacted with genuine surprise.
"Is Sion just blessed with good luck or what?"
"...Guess we should tell him to treat you right."
"He already treats me amazingly well."
This was easy to say with Baek Sion out of the room, but it was a fact I always thought deep down.
"Still, we'd already been planning to help with a place anyway. You've worked hard to save that money, so use it for something else you need later."
"...Thank you."
I'd heard it's not great to refuse adults too much. This felt like an unexpected huge gift—my heart was pounding.
"Mind if we tell a quick story from Sion's past?"
"Yes! I'd love to hear it."
Baek Sion doesn't share much about his old days. He doesn't seem to hide it on purpose, but he always brushes off questions casually. A chance to hear straight from his parents was rare, so I leaned in.
"Our boy's got a sneaky playful side, doesn't he?"
"...Yeah, sometimes."
"He wasn't like that when he was really little, though."
"Huh?"
It's possible for kids to mellow out young, but not super common, right?
"From way back, he never threw a single tantrum."
"Raising him was a breeze."
"Didn't cry much as a baby, and once he got bigger, we thought he was an adult already. For real."
...He does have this uniquely mature air, even with all his teasing.
"Never even asked for toys, which actually worried us a bit."
"Really?"
A kid not begging for toys? World-ending stuff.
"We'd just buy them for him anyway, and he'd play happily."
"But sometimes it felt like he was playing just to not make us feel bad about buying them."
He sounded like the poster child for "kidult"—behavior that usually hits post-puberty, but from childhood?
"Always thought of others first, and did whatever we asked without complaint."
"Unnie, he draws really well too."
"Oh yeah, I peeked at some recently—it's no joke."
From my perspective in illustrations, he could jump into pro work in a year or two.
"We were so grateful. No troublemaking, and kindergarten teachers raved about how mature he was."
"...Sounds about right."
"Then, in elementary school, he got heart disease out of nowhere."
"What?"
...Heart disease? I'd never heard a thing. It fit his habit of sparing me bad stories, but even old news worried me.
"Doctors said surgery was a must, but success odds weren't great. We lost our minds."
"......"
Odds meant success rate—if it failed, he could've died...
"But that little kid—Sion—told us not to worry too much."
...An elementary schooler facing life-or-death surgery, staying that calm?
No one wouldn't worry about themselves. He must've said it purely for his parents' sake. And now he's here, so...
"Surgery went fine, full recovery. After that, we begged him to live more selfishly."
"......"
"He finally loosened up a bit, but it's still just this level. You know how his words sound cynical, right?"
"...I see..."
His playfulness always hides deep consideration—even more so back then. I could imagine how complicated it must've been for his parents.
"Super smart too—no cram school, aced studies on his own. When we were out working, he'd feed Sia properly."
"Oppa never let me skip a meal... I'm so grateful thinking back."
"So he's never strongly demanded anything his whole life. If he ever does, we vowed to make it happen."
"Ah..."
From these stories, he'd always been super self-sacrificing for those around him. That the first time he pushed hard was for us?
"...I'll definitely make him happy."
If he hadn't taken that spear for me back then, my heart would've been pierced—I'd probably be dead. If this is my second life he gifted me, investing everything in him makes perfect sense.