Chapter 236
Chapter 236
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 236
Chapter Title: 77. Dancing with Summer (5)
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The next day, they played around.
Ate, played, watched shows, then ate and played some more.
In the middle, while playing the slot machines at the casino, Summer declared it "the biggest scam machine since those claw games" and hurled the machine across the room in a hilarious mishap.
It was fine. Summer had plenty of money now.
But even money couldn't fix getting kicked out of the casino.
Through every moment of fun, Yoo Ji-tae was treated like a slave.
Summer had forgotten about it for a while, but remembered again while watching a show.
"Slave. Shoulder."
Well, it wasn't hard to put her on his shoulders since she complained she couldn't see.
Piggyback rides when walking was a hassle? Sure. No place to put on her shoes? Kneeling worked fine.
But when it came to eating, Yoo Ji-tae started regretting his lost bet a little.
She ordered a ribeye steak, held out her fork, and opened her mouth wide.
"Slave. Feed me baby food. Ahh~"
This girl. She must've seen it somewhere.
Once their temporary master-slave dynamic kicked in, she had an uncanny knack for spotting what he hated and ordering him to do it.
"Eat with your own hands."
"Boo~ Yoowoomie, I can't reach it, I dunno how..."
"Yoo Yeoreum. You lost your mind?"
"Hing. Baby. You fed me last time? If slave feeds me, I eat reaaal good..."
For some reason, Yoo Ji-tae really didn't want to play along today.
Even Winter fed herself properly, didn't she?
"Not doing it? You're the slave."
A bet was a bet. With a resigned sigh, he shoved the steak into Summer's mouth.
And then she stuck out her tongue and licked the sauce off the steak all sloppy-like.
It wasn't subtle at all—it was downright messy. He grimaced.
"Kyahahaha!"
Summer burst out laughing at his deadpan expression. Then, with a gasp of realization, she muttered, "Ah, so that's why Spring said that...?"
What did Spring say?
Still, up to that point, it was tolerable.
Yoo Ji-tae could handle it that far.
But in front of the event clothing store, he could no longer endure the embarrassment.
"Ooh. Slave. That outfit's cute!"
Summer pointed at something and turned around.
Yoo Ji-tae was already gone.
"Huh? Slave! Where'd you go...!"
Summer yelled in disappointment.
And for good reason—the outfit she was pointing at was a bunny girl costume, complete with ears and hugging every curve.
"Argh, damn... How'd you know I was gonna make you wear that, you slowpoke?"
Disappointed, Summer called him.
His watch was off. She figured he'd come back if she waited, but an hour passed with no sign of him.
At this rate, he wouldn't return until the slave contract expired.
"Where are you? Come back!"
Paradise. In the quiet midday streets,
"I'm not wearing it! Not wearing itttt...!"
Summer's shout echoed.
Time flew by in a blur of fun, and night fell again the next day.
In a Paradise bar bathed in moonlight, Summer and Yoo Ji-tae ordered an exorbitantly expensive drink. Rémy Martin Louis XIII cognac. This Champagne-region spirit was special—not just pricey, but rare.
The sharply dressed bartender poured it into Burgundy glasses with a deft wrist snap.
Once he left, Summer sneaked a glance at Yoo Ji-tae and asked,
"How do you drink this?"
"Just drink it."
"No ice or salt or anything?"
"Straight up."
"What, like soju?"
She took a long sip.
Savoring the taste and aroma, Summer's eyes widened.
Velvety smooth texture. Richer and sweeter fruit notes than any common brandy, followed by a subtle oak aftertaste lingering on the tongue.
"Oh."
"Not bad, right."
"Yeah."
After a few glasses, Summer—who had dialed down her detoxification—started to feel a buzz.
Each breath carried the cognac's scent from within. Liking the sweet aroma, she breathed deeply and quietly.
"Hey. This booze is weird."
"How so."
"Breathing feels good."
"Nice."
Making even breathing special.
That was why Yoo Ji-tae chose Rémy Martin Louis XIII.
With the outside dark, the bar's soft lights felt even cozier.
They sat in silence for a long while.
"Few hours till we head back."
"Yeah."
"How was it? Have fun?"
"Uh, no...?"
Summer swirled her glass and grumbled.
"Wasn't fun."
Yoo Ji-tae nodded nonchalantly. He was used to her speech patterns now.
"Fun's good, but back home, it's business as usual. Got it?"
"Got it."
"Regret it?"
"Nah. Played hard enough."
Her gaze fixed on the glass. Fingers tracing its surface.
After a moment's thought, Summer spoke.
"Hey. About Yoo Gaeul..."
She paused, then added,
"...If she bugs me a bit, is that a problem?"
"Why."
"Just. Curious."
"Dunno. If it's bad enough to make living together awkward, yeah."
"No, not like I hate living with her or anything..."
"Then what?"
"...Dunno. Feels a little off sometimes... Seeing her face back home is weird. Annoys me. Actually, that's why I've been avoiding her lately."
"Why."
"Why what..."
Her breathing grew a tad ragged.
"Not saying she's the problem. You know me? My personality's shit. Hate tons of stuff in the world. So... just..."
Summer fell silent after that. For a long time.
She couldn't voice her weakness. It was embarrassing. Shameful. Made her hate herself. Admitting frailty denied her existence.
He thought.
Clumsy with relationships, but Yoo Ji-tae understood Summer's psyche deeply—enough to call it complete. Their lives overlapped in time.
And so,
one thing he wanted to say came to mind.
"I had one dream."
He started lightly. Silent Summer looked at him.
"Since I was little. Super weak back then. Obviously tough to achieve. I failed a ton."
Surprise flickered in Summer's eyes.
To her, Yoo Ji-tae was the strongest human alive.
To Red dragons, the strong were objects of worship. And here he was, mentioning his "weak days."
"Thought I had the answer. Get this one thing, and it'd all work out. But no. Even with tons, I couldn't reach my dream."
His voice sounded a bit downcast.
"So I grabbed more. No holds barred. More. Bigger. Figured I'd hit it eventually. Didn't."
"...So?"
"Repeating failures made me desperate. One tiny mistake, and I'd scrap everything. Problems meant starting over. In your words?"
"What?"
"Fuck~ Ruined it right at the end~ Might as well restart~"
Yoo Ji-tae mimicked her poorly, and Summer giggled in disbelief.
"Not even close."
"Whatever. Being that impatient was dumb. Narrows your view. Can't see far. Lose sight of what's important. Mind starts breaking."
But stripping the jest, something resonated in his words.
"Hm..."
As Summer pondered in silence,
he asked.
"What's your dream."
His guardian aura felt different—serious. Summer grew cautious.
Hesitating, he pressed.
"Surviving? Getting stronger?"
"No?"
"That's it, right? Then why get strong."
Dream...
The soft word stirred deep emotions. Something prickled in her chest.
Lowering her gaze, Summer fiddled with her glass.
A word never spoken aloud.
Yet never forgotten for a day.
Summer had such a dream.
"Words I couldn't say..."
She let it slip like a sigh, sincere.
"To big sis?"
"Yeah. And little sis too..."
He didn't ask what.
"That's why you're getting strong. Right?"
Summer nodded slowly.
He gave the child time to think.
He swallowed his drink. Summer followed half a beat later.
Soon, fragrant breath wafted.
"Summer... Listen close."
As his words fell, Summer lifted her head from the glass to meet his eyes.
"For 'us' flawed types, the path ahead is always narrow. Sharp gravel everywhere."
Us...
From someone seemingly perfect, born strong, came "us."
"Staring close makes it hard. World's full of jagged edges."
"Jagged?"
"Yeah. Things blocking you. Hindering. Mocking your steps. They'll hurt you. Someday it'll ache. Another day, it'll sadden. Might even fear moving forward."
"..."
"That's why we look 'far ahead.'"
Summer bit her lower lip.
Now she got why he brought her here. And his answer to her worries.
His words made everything click.
Las Vegas.
Here, Summer discovered joys she'd never known.
Moment to moment, reminded she was a Red Dragon. So much more fun and delight awaited, yet she regretted the return time.
Still, she pursued strength, forgoing such joy—because she had a dream.
Didn't she think it on the outing day?
On return, she'd convey those unsaid words.
"Sure, ignore the near, miss the small stuff. Trip on pebbles. Get scratched in thorns. Maybe sink in a swamp. But it's okay. We'll rise again. Keep walking. Know why?"
"...Because we're looking far?"
"Exactly."
The signpost pointed farther.
Summer didn't need to see Autumn as a rival.
"No need to obsess over petty close stuff, then."
"Spot on."
Autumn was just Autumn.
Separate from Summer's dream.
No jealousy if she pulled ahead.
No self-loathing from rivalry.
"Feeling competitive and overcoming it is fine. Autumn's talented, but you're more desperate."
"Yeah..."
"I believe you won't lose to her, but even if you do, no biggie. No rush. Feet on today. Eyes on tomorrow. Got it?"
"..."
Feet on today.
Eyes on tomorrow.
His teaching shook Summer's mind.
Tangled emotions unraveled. Satisfaction in daily growth. Superiority from wins. Anxiety toward genius ahead—all childish feelings dispersed with time.
Finally, Summer felt at peace.
"Got my words?"
Summer realized this was teaching from a "master," not just "guardian."
"..."
She looked at him.
He suddenly felt so adult.
Always big, but today bigger.
Made her feel small for a moment.
After mulling the meaning, her answer came seconds later—a bit off.
"Yeah..."
Thus ended the joyful time in Las Vegas.
On the way back. In the car. Summer neatly filed away the past few days' memories.
Someday. When things got really tough.
She'd pull them out, at least once. She thought.