Chapter 182
Chapter 182
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 182
Chapter Title: Episode 59. Fireworks (5)
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"I want to go."
The green eyes stared at him sullenly.
A hint of stubbornness seeped through her slightly firm voice.
Gaeul had told him, 'She needs at least an hour a week alone with her big sister Spring.' After shaking off her immersion in BY, Gaeul had rattled on about needing to let some air out of her puffed-up tires or something... but he had no idea what that meant.
Come to think of it, the last time he'd been alone with Bom was at least three weeks ago. By Gaeul's reckoning, that meant three sessions' worth of time they'd missed.
"Just stay here a minute."
"But I want to go..."
"Just a bit."
"Ten seconds?"
"That's too short."
"Why? I really want to go."
But right now, Bom was avoiding being alone with him.
Why?
She wanted to be with him, yet she was refusing it?
As he pondered that gap, the regressor recalled the times he hadn't answered Bom's requests. She'd said one happy thing could push away bad thoughts. She'd begged him to call her pretty. But he'd never given her that answer.
Even after countless regressions, he'd never had human-like interactions with dragons. This life was all new to him. He was confused. Inexperienced. It took deep thought to find answers.
And now, he'd finally found a small one.
"I just want to stay here a bit."
"Alone with me?"
"Yeah."
"I don't want to."
"Just stay. Here."
He said it with a hardened expression. Bom tilted her head.
"Huh? Why?"
"Don't ask. If I say stay, stay."
Bom gave him an odd look but quietly returned to his side and sat down.
They sat side by side, gazing at the sky.
Soon, the final fireworks of the festival—split into four branches—shot up.
As they burst in the sky with loud pops, Bom's pale skin was splashed with colors from the vibrant lights.
A moment of time passed with no words. No meaning.
Bom murmured blankly.
"I want to go."
"..."
"I'm kinda hungry too. And I miss Gaeul. I wanna know how well she sang."
"Then you should've come earlier."
"There were too many people. I miss Yeoreum and Winter too. So let's go back now."
"We can stay a bit longer and see them after."
"No way. Gaeul's probably getting her award right now."
"No."
"I need to go to the bathroom."
"Dragons don't need bathrooms."
"Dragons can't go to the bathroom?"
"You don't need to."
"But I might want to."
"Why would you want to?"
"You wanna know?"
"..."
"Want me to tell you what happens in the bathroom?"
"No. Forget it."
At his words, Bom shot him a sullen glance.
A brief silence followed.
Then Bom spoke in a slightly curt tone.
"Ajusshi... Do you think of me like a puppy?"
"What? Like a puppy?"
"Not? But it feels like you do. Come when I say come. Go when I say go. Eat what I'm given. Live however the owner wants."
"That's not it."
"If not, let me go. I want to leave now."
"Do you really want to go?"
"Yes."
"Even though I want us to be alone?"
"Just like I'm not your puppy, you're not my owner."
Bom said it with the most nonchalant face.
He usually didn't use Scales Eye on dragons, but right now, he needed to know the 'truth'.
"I want to go."
The truth floating in Scales Eye was a powerfully false—a lie in extreme conflict with her personal beliefs.
Bom was lying.
"Should I be honest?"
"About what."
"When we first met. You said, 'From now on, stay within my fence.' I decided to follow that. I've been good and quiet. So please stop controlling me now."
False.
"You've been uncomfortable with alone time, right? Now alone time makes me uncomfortable too."
False.
"If you're misunderstanding because of the hanbok, I told you—I just wore it. For the festival."
False.
"I'll go first. The finale started because of you. I wanted to watch with the others."
"..."
"I hate you, Ajusshi."
False.
Not a single truth in her words.
After spilling it all, Bom sighed in relief and stood up. Then she walked off without looking back.
Why was she lying? To put distance between them. To avoid alone time. Maybe she feared the times he'd rejected her.
So right now.
Her attempt to pull away was a lie.
He had to hold onto Bom.
He stood, approached, and grabbed her wrist.
Lacking skill in handling people or consideration, he didn't know how to gently stop a fleeing girl.
So he held her physically.
"Ah..."
His grip tightened. Bom let out a soft whimper—it hurt.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Stay here. When I tell you nicely."
When clumsily trying to hold someone with words.
All that came out was something close to a threat.
"Let go."
"Stay. I'm telling you to stay."
"I said no."
"Bom. You might actually get in trouble."
"..."
"Listen to me. Don't make me mad."
His rushed words came out jagged. Bom's face grew uneasy at her guardian's serious expression.
"..."
Then she whispered softly.
"It hurts..."
"..."
"I won't go, so let go first..."
He released her wrist.
Her uneasy expression remained.
He just met her green eyes.
They stood awkwardly facing each other for a while.
"Sorry for grabbing so hard."
When he apologized, Bom nodded.
"Kidnapper..."
A mischievous glint mixed into her mumbling expression.
She seemed to be preparing something. He watched her eyes. She watched his, preparing whatever it was.
As they eyed each other, Bom spoke.
"But hey. Know what?"
"What?"
"That thing. You know..."
"What."
"Close your eyes."
He closed them. In that instant, Bom hiked up her skirt hem and bolted into the bushes.
Suddenly running? For what?
No chance anyway. Even if she dashed, she was lizard-fast. Bom barely ran before Yoo Ji-tae grabbed her waist and lifted her into the air. Kyah! Finding the situation hilarious, Bom burst out laughing. He tossed the kid into the brush. Sprawled on the ground, she propped herself up, burst into laughter again, and flopped face-down.
After the laughing fit, the tension eased. Bom sat quietly in the grass. Yoo Ji-tae sat beside her.
"Um... I know what you're worried about, Ajusshi."
Bom continued calmly.
"You think we can't get too close."
"..."
"The game will end someday... And then we'll have to part. Crossing that line would hurt when we separate. Right?"
The regressor didn't answer. So Bom spoke more clearly.
"But... I think that's wrong. For me, with you... it's not like that. I don't know what you're thinking, but it's not for me."
"You're the one jumping to conclusions."
"Then we're both jumping to conclusions."
Hee hee. Bom giggled and lowered her head.
"I'm just acting close because playing with you is fun. You know. I'm such a boring, dull girl."
Yoo Ji-tae wanted to check that with Scales Eye. But he couldn't see her eyes.
"Yeah, so... Don't feel burdened about getting close to me. Don't misunderstand. You're just so fun..."
Even now, Bom was carefully choosing words to ease his burden.
But Yoo Ji-tae didn't believe her.
"Yeah, got it, Bom."
"Huh?"
"Wanna look at me?"
"Huh? Why?"
"Turn around for a sec."
"No..."
"Why."
"Just... feels like I can't look into your eyes."
This made Scales Eye impossible.
But Yoo Ji-tae recalled Gaeul's words. If they had even an hour a week consistently alone... Bom's extreme emotions, full of harsh words, would settle a bit.
Bom was considerate of him even feeling like the world was crumbling. She acted so mature. But her emotions weren't detached—she was just a lump of blood barely over twenty years in this world.
"Ajusshi. So you get what I said?"
The regressor paused without replying, thinking.
He knew he had to treat Bom differently from the others. Maybe because she wanted different treatment. But everything he knew about handling her came from her. So even now, he recalled her words to find the right action.
"Yeah. Got it."
What had Bom said?
If worried, comfort her. If she needs changing, help however. If you love her...
Then she stood and started walking.
"Shall we go?"
If you love her, Bom had said, hug her quietly.
The regressor approached Bom from behind as she walked ahead, cautiously extending his arms toward the child.
The final firework soared high and burst grandly.
"Ah..."
The next moment, Yoo Ji-tae was hugging Bom from behind.
Startled, her body flinched. Then it stiffened in tension. Unskilled in hugging, he awkwardly wrapped around her stomach. Bom, rigid, just gently placed her trembling hands over his.
"Sorry for snapping earlier."
"..."
"I've never thought of you as weird or bad."
"I said bad things."
"I don't believe it. Water off a duck's back. No need to worry."
Actually, there was one flaw in Bom's words.
He wasn't worried about parting.
What he feared was that after hurting her so long, he had no right to happiness with her—so he avoided getting close altogether.
But if Bom wanted happiness together, what should he do?
"Let's think about it together. We still have plenty of time."
"Yeah..."
"A bit slower. Let's talk."
"Okay..."
But Yoo Ji-tae couldn't pull his hands away.
Bom's hands over his were pressing down, refusing to let go. Pushing on his knuckles, he realized his hands were pressed too deeply into her stomach. He could feel her navel between his fingers.
This distance, this touch, felt wrong.
"Reconciliation hug's over."
"..."
Bom's head stayed silent.
But when he slyly tried to withdraw, she pressed harder to stop him. Again and again. Bom. When he called, Mm. came reflexively.
In a smaller voice, Bom whispered slowly.
"Just one minute..."
He kept his arms around her until the fireworks faded from the night sky.
Bom's stomach was warm.