Chapter 101
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 101
“H-Honeybee…!”
A small voice. A faint whisper that felt as if it might fade at any moment lingered by his ear.
“H-Honeybee-nim…!”
The voice came again. Dokyun felt a gentle warmth spread through his heart at the sound and slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw as he lifted his eyelids was a pair of round eyes. From a distance where the tips of their noses could touch, he found clear pupils blinking at him. He stared blankly for a moment before realizing they were Eun-ah’s. He pulled her into a tight embrace and spoke.
“…Good morning.”
He patted her back as he spoke. In response, Eun-ah, who had been trying to talk to him, flinched before melting into his arms and murmuring back.
“Ah, we have to eat breakfast…”
Her breath tickled the skin above his collarbone.
Dokyun blinked, trying to parse her words. He realized she must have prepared breakfast while he was asleep and spoke again.
“Hm? You already made it?”
“Yeees…”
Had he slept too deeply? Normally, he would have woken at the first sign of her stirring, but he must have been more tired than he thought after moving around for the first time in a while.
“You should have woken me up. I feel bad sleeping while you’re preparing everything…”
“N-No… I-I’m okay… I-I like doing it…”
He had spoken out of guilt, but her reply was a string of pretty words laced with a smile. Feeling his chest warm at her voice, Dokyun smiled and held her closer.
He could feel her faint, trembling breaths and the small hands that held onto him with all their might.
After sharing a brief moment of warmth, Dokyun sat up on the edge of the bed, still supporting Eun-ah. He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, stroking her back as he continued.
“Thank you, always. Shall we go eat now?”
“Yes, yeees…!”
A small nod. Dokyun carried her to the dining table, where he saw toast laid out. He gently set her down and took a seat.
A moment later, Eun-ah, who had been fidgeting where he’d placed her, glanced at him and then slyly moved to sit on his lap.
When Dokyun tilted his head in question, she watched his reaction and offered a small excuse.
“I-It tastes better when I eat here…”
Her eyes darted about as she feigned innocence. Dokyun let out a soft chuckle. She then reached out, picked up a piece of toast from the table, and brought it to his lips.
“A-And it’s even more delicious if I feed you…!”
Her eyes sparkled as she spoke. Dokyun felt a sharp pang in his heart and replied.
“Is that so? But anything you cook is delicious, no matter how I eat it.”
“N-No, that’s not it…! I-It’s the most delicious this way…!”
She pouted at his playful remark and pushed the toast toward him. Laughing once more, Dokyun opened his mouth and took a bite. Only then did Eun-ah’s face break into a smile as she asked.
“S-So? I-It’s more delicious, right…?”
Her eyes were filled with anticipation. Chewing the toast, Dokyun glanced upward for a moment, then let the corners of his mouth lift into a smile and nodded.
“Hehe…”
Another pang shot through his heart as she let out a silly giggle at his answer. He then took the toast from her hand and held it to her lips.
“It is delicious. You have a bite too, Eun-ah. You fed me, so now it’s my turn.”
“Ah…!”
At his words, she opened her mouth in a perfect ‘ah,’ waiting to be fed. Dokyun watched her for a moment before pushing the corner opposite the one he’d bitten into her mouth, waiting for her to take a bite.
A moment later, Eun-ah took a large bite of the toast he offered and leaned her head against his chest, starting to giggle.
“Heehee…”
She was utterly adorable, her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk’s as she laughed.
Dokyun patted her back as she dangled her feet from his lap, then wiped a bit of sauce from the corner of her mouth.
“How is it? Delicious?”
At his question, Eun-ah swallowed the mouthful of toast with a gulp and nodded emphatically.
“Yes, yeees…! B-Because you fed me, Honeybee-nim, it’s even, even more delicious…!”
Dokyun smiled, thinking she had such a pretty way with words.
For a moment, he thought that if everyone in the world spoke like Eun-ah, the very concept of arguing would disappear. Realizing he was getting carried away with sappy thoughts again, he scattered the notion and spoke.
“Really? Then should we feed each other like this from now on?”
“I’d, I’d love that…!”
It had been a playful question, but her reply was so bright and earnest that he couldn’t bring himself to say he was only joking.
He felt a brief wave of panic, but then decided that it actually sounded pretty nice. He smiled back at her.
*
Late that afternoon, Dokyun watched Eun-ah finish her manuscript and stretch deeply before speaking.
“You worked hard today.”
“Mhm…!”
His words were met with a goofy grin.
Dokyun felt a smile creep onto his own face as she leaned against him, still smiling.
After a period of writing at a grueling pace, she had finally built up a month’s worth of stockpiled chapters.
Ever since she’d returned, she had seemed constantly anxious, as if she were being chased by something, and he had been worried sick. Seeing her so relaxed now put his own mind at ease.
No matter how he looked at it, her face was prettiest when she was smiling. He found himself wishing she could smile like this forever.
As he was lost in thought, Eun-ah, who had been squirming, pushed her manuscript toward him. Dokyun looked at her and asked.
“Should I read it?”
“Yeees…! Y-You can read it now…!”
She answered, her face beaming with pride. Dokyun let out a soft laugh and turned his gaze to the laptop.
One of the privileges of being with her was getting to read the next part of her novel a full month before it was released to the public.
The story was now entering its latter half, right in the middle of its climax. Being able to read it in advance was an unexpected perk for Dokyun.
As he thought this, he recalled the moment he was first brought here, forced to read this very novel aloud. An involuntary, dry laugh escaped him.
Back then, he had hated reading this story so much. It was absurd to find himself now eagerly awaiting her next chapter.
Looking back, it had been a turbulent winter.
He’d been captured without knowing why, forced to read a novel in restraints, and had to rack his brain to avoid her constant advances. Then, he’d finally succumbed to temptation, kissing and touching her at every opportunity, only to be confronted with a secret he could never have imagined.
It was the biggest turning point of his life, a ripple that had shaken his entire heart.
Who would have ever guessed that the criminal who kidnapped them was a person with multiple personalities?
It was a winter filled with things he never thought he would experience in his lifetime.
It had been painful and terrifying. But amidst it all, there were also happy and joyful memories, so he couldn’t say he hated it entirely.
If he had to say, it was a pretty enjoyable winter. It felt like he’d just been swept along by the currents, but thinking about how he’d managed to endure it all filled him with a fresh wave of emotion.
Now, it was the season of new beginnings, when fresh buds begin to sprout.
He didn’t know how many more challenges lay ahead. Nothing had been truly resolved, and there was still so much he didn’t know.
He would do his best to care for her every moment, but would that make things any easier? Don’t they say that life never goes the way you want it to?
He could only hope that the end would be a happy one.
As these sudden emotions washed over him, Dokyun sat there, lips sealed in a daze. Eun-ah glanced at him and tugged on the collar of his shirt.
“H-Honeybee-nim…”
“Hm? Yes.”
The tug brought him back to his senses. He saw her glaring at him with a slightly peeved expression and belatedly realized he’d been lost in thought with her manuscript right in front of him. He looked apologetic.
“Ah, sorry. I suddenly got distracted.”
“N-No… Focuuus…!”
Her lips jutted out in a pout as she scolded him. Even so, Dokyun found himself thinking how pretty she was even when she was angry. He let out a few soft chuckles before pulling her into a tight hug.
“Alright, alright. I’ll read it now.”
“Mhm…”
Eun-ah eyed him suspiciously for a moment before finally nodding and handing him the mouse.
Dokyun placed the mouse on the sofa beside him and began to scroll, reading the manuscript.
The text filled his vision.
She’s a hell of a writer, he thought.
From the very first sentence, her writing sucked you in.
You’d think the flavor would get familiar after this long, but she was an author who knew how to write a truly diverse story.
She would add a layer of grandeur to the initial bleak atmosphere, then create a variety of other moods with different flavors, making it impossible to get bored.
He became completely absorbed, scrolling frantically through the story. A short while later, he realized he’d reached the end of the manuscript. His mouth hung slightly open as he spoke to her.
“Today’s chapter was especially good. I was a big fan of the romantic mood you wove in.”
“Hehe…”
“So, do those two get together?”
“Th-That’s a spoiler…!”
He’d asked a question that popped into his head while he was focused on reading. She covered her mouth with both hands, guarding her secret. Dokyun let out an “Ah,” and nodded, a smile playing on his lips as he replied.
“Ah, right. My apologies.”
“Hehe… N-No, it’s okay… B-But still, no spoilers…”
Dokyun felt a tickle in his chest as she spoke with a silly grin. He pulled her into another hug and asked a new question.
“Come to think of it… The Girl Who Catches Bugs is ending soon. What are you going to write next?”
“Huuuh…?”
It was a question that had been on his mind lately.
The Girl Who Catches Bugs was entering its final stages. That meant, unless she planned on quitting for good, it was time for her to start thinking about her next work.
Someone who wrote this well would make anything interesting, but still, he was curious about what genre she would tackle next.
As he mulled it over, he saw Eun-ah blinking at him and figured she probably hadn’t decided yet. He spoke in a suggestive tone.
“If you haven’t decided, how about fantasy?”
He wasn’t picky about genres, but if he had to choose a favorite, it would be fantasy. At his question, Eun-ah flinched and avoided his gaze.
Dokyun sensed something was off. A moment later, she pushed her lips out in a slight pout and answered his suggestion.
“I-I don’t really like fantasy…”
“Oh, really?”
“Mhm… I-I don’t like it…”
He felt a pang of disappointment at her answer, but if she didn’t like it, there was no reason to push. He nodded and continued.
“Well, if you don’t like it, you don’t like it. Don’t feel too pressured. I’ll enjoy reading anything you write.”
“Yes, yeees…!”
She gave a small nod, but he could still see a hint of discomfort in her expression.
Worried that he might have pressured her, Dokyun pulled her into a tight hug, kissed her forehead, and spoke again.
“I mean it. I’ll love anything you write.”
Seeing her expression slowly relax at his words, Dokyun pressed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes.
It was the truth. Wasn’t she the author he had worked hardest to “salvage” in his entire life? Of all the authors Dokyun had ever met, she was the one whose writing best suited his tastes, and she was the author he loved the most. There was no reason he wouldn’t be able to read her novels.
…With one single exception. The Legend of the Seven Dicks.
That one might have crossed a line.