Just a Little Longer

My eyes kept drifting toward the guild.

I hadn't been waiting that long. Probably.

The doors opened sooner than I expected.

Employees filed out one by one. Luce came out after them. She wore her usual expression — until she found me, and something in her face simply let go.

That small shift looked strangely large.

I straightened my posture for no good reason.

Luce stopped walking and looked at me. Those quiet brown eyes found me and smiled, as if they'd been searching.

"Siyun-ssi, did you wait long?"

"No? I just got here."

"Liar."

"H-how could you tell?"

"A little."

Her low laugh reached me before the night air did.

I opened my mouth, pretending it was nothing.

"So... what are we doing now?"

Luce tilted her head slightly, as if considering.

"Want to get dinner together?"

I answered a beat late.

"...Sure."

"Really?"

"Yes. Lead the way, please."

Luce gave a short laugh and turned.

"This way."

I fell in beside her without a word.

Bresen's night was quieter than its day. Quiet enough that other things became audible.

Footsteps. The soft brush of fabric.

Luce walked ahead naturally — the stride of someone who knew this city's nights. I followed behind her for a while, then drifted up to her side.

There wasn't really a reason... no, there was.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere I like."

"By yourself?"

"...Sometimes."

"And tonight?"

Luce's gaze flicked sideways for a moment.

"Tonight I didn't want to go alone."

She said it lightly, but it settled heavy.

I smiled briefly. And even after smiling, my heart refused to quiet down.

Just past the end of the main street, tucked a little ways into an alley, sat a small tavern with no sign. Easy to miss.

Low lamplight waited inside. The air was quiet, wood and liquor mixed together.

Only after we sat in a corner booth did my breathing ease a little.

We ordered moderately. What we ate mattered less than everything else that night.

At first we talked about anything. Closing time. The drinks. How Luce held her liquor better than expected. Things like that.

None of it was remarkable. And yet I felt like I'd remember all of it.

Luce traced a finger around the rim of her cup, then spoke quietly.

"Thinking about it, I see you every day, but I don't know anything about you, Siyun-ssi."

"...Same here."

"I only ever talked about settlements."

"You always look over my commissions once I finish them, though."

"Well, those are important."

The answer came a little too fast. She seemed to notice it herself — her eyes dropped, then rose again.

It was funny. And cute.

"They were important? Those?"

Luce didn't look away.

"...They were important."

A short answer. But that was when I understood — the shorter the words, the firmer they could be.

Conversation broke for a moment. The tavern's noise leaked into the gap.

Luce broke the silence first.

"Today I just... wanted to see you."

"For no reason?"

"Yes."

"You know that just makes me more curious, right?"

Luce pressed her lips together briefly. Hesitation showed. Then she chose honesty after all.

"You kept coming to mind, Siyun-ssi."

I had nothing to say. Or rather — too much.

Luce kept looking straight into my eyes as she continued.

"I just... didn't want today to end like this."

I set my cup down without meaning to. My hand was clenched tight. I didn't know since when.

"I like that."

"Like what?"

"That reason."

Luce blinked at me without a word. Slowly.

"It's nothing special."

"It is to me."

This time was different. Luce couldn't laugh right away. The tips of her ears had gone faintly red.

As cups emptied and plates dwindled, the talk grew light, then deep again.

"Ah — we don't even know each other's ages."

My head lifted at that.

"You're right."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-five."

"Oh... older than I thought."

"Ehk — that actually stings a little?"

"No, really. I figured twenty-three, twenty-four at most."

"I'm offended. What about you, Luce-ssi?"

"Twenty-four."

I started to lift my cup and laughed first.

"Call me hyung, then."

Luce fired back like she'd been waiting.

"Ha. Don't make me laugh."

"Why? It's accurate."

"Accurate my foot."

"Then how about we drop the formal speech?"

Luce's eyes narrowed.

"Just like that?"

"Hasn't the formal stuff been weirder this whole time?"

"Switching to casual out of nowhere is weird too, isn't it?"

"You don't want to?"

Luce said nothing for a moment. Then she smiled. Just a little.

"...No. Okay."

That single short switch to casual landed deeper than I expected.

I didn't hesitate.

"Casual's better."

Luce turned her head slightly.

"It's still... awkward."

"Yeah? You're doing fine."

"You already seem used to it."

"I adapt fast."

"...Well. That's true."

Luce only pressed her lips tight. I knew she was holding back a laugh. It nearly drove me crazy.

The mood had loosened. I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠used the opening.

"So how did you end up working at the guild?"

Luce didn't even pause to think. Like the answer was already waiting.

"I was curious about the outside."

"Outside?"

"Yeah. Not far away or anything... I just wanted to be next to things that were alive."

I didn't want her to stop.

"People coming in, going out, getting hurt, coming back alive. It's chaotic, but... strangely, that's where I felt alive."

"That sounds like you."

"What does?"

"Looking quiet, but being drawn to somewhere loud like that."

Luce huffed a small laugh and rolled her cup.

"Sitting still makes me restless."

"I know."

"What do you know."

"I've watched you every day."

A short silence. But even silence like that didn't feel bad anymore.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Luce leaned forward a little. Toward me.

"Then what about you?"

"What about me?"

"What kind of person were you? Originally."

Not an easy answer to give.

There was nothing special. Nothing to brag about, and even digging through my memories, not much remained sharp. Sometimes that was a comfort. Sometimes it was just empty.

"Just... nothing much."

"...Liar."

"Really. I was alone. I just lived."

"And now you're not?"

"Now it's different."

"How?"

I spoke as if leaning a little on the alcohol.

"Weirdly, ever since I came here... every day feels vivid."

Luce just watched me, saying nothing.

"I got used to this place strangely fast."

I glanced at the golden surface of the beer for a second. Then at Luce. This wasn't something I could say while looking away.

"Because you were here."

Luce went still for a moment. Her eyes, her breath — both of them.

"Are you usually good at saying things like that?"

"First time?"

"Liar."

"You said that earlier too."

"Hard to believe this time either."

"Then wait and see."

"How...?"

I smiled at her. I didn't answer.

"We've got time. Going forward."

Luce was silent for a long while. At the end of that silence, a smile bloomed very slowly.

"Mari wasn't wrong."

"So you hate it?"

"No."

Just one word.

But that one word changed the temperature of the entire night.

As the cups emptied a couple more times, Luce loosened bit by bit. Her eyes slowed, and her words followed. Not falling apart — more like things she usually held down were rising, little by little.

She was cute.

Luce was staring straight at me. For a long time. Then she opened her mouth.

"Hey. Honestly, you stood out from the start."

"In a good way?"

"Hmm~"

Luce looked at me with the corner of her mouth lifted.

"You were weird, for one thing."

"That one hurts."

"But... you were handsome."

The laugh came immediately.

"Oh, that part's fine?"

"And you had a good body."

"Wow. I don't know where to put myself."

"So... that made you even weirder."

"But if you're weird and handsome and built, isn't that actually a good thing?"

"That's the most suspicious part~"

"This one's drunk."

"...Just a little."

Luce dropped her gaze, then raised it again. After admitting it.

"At first it was just that. Just... someone who stood out."

The end of her sentence caught slightly.

"I don't know when it started, but if you weren't there, I'd think of you."

I couldn't laugh anymore. I just looked at her.

"When you stood at the settlement desk, I'd look at your face before the money..."

There was no room left for a smile.

"When you came back hurt, I hated it."

Luce slowly traced a finger along her cup, as if choosing her words.

"And then at some point... I just kept..."

The surrounding noise hadn't vanished, but that moment alone felt especially quiet.

Only then did I realize I'd been holding my breath.

"...Is that so."

Luce looked at me steadily. Her lightly flushed face was strangely even cuter.

I deliberately lifted the corner of my mouth.

"But you know. From the first time I saw you, your eyes were a little strange."

Luce huffed out a laugh.

"What is that supposed to mean."

"Just. They weren't ordinary."

"...What wasn't."

"They were the eyes of someone interested in me."

"...What are you talking about."

"You like me."

"Who does."

"You."

Luce lowered her head, then raised it. In that space, she seemed to have sorted something out.

"...You're right."

There was no place left for a joke to stand.

I didn't expect that...

I just said it too.

"Me too."

Luce's eyes wavered for the first time.

"...From the beginning?"

"Eh, not from the beginning."

"...Honest, at least."

"You did keep coming to mind, though. You."

Once the words were out, I only burned hotter.

"Whenever I went to the guild, you were the first thing my eyes found."

Luce just listened.

"Coming back from a commission and knowing you'd be there. I liked that."

Before I even finished, Luce picked up her cup. Her fingertips trembled faintly.

When it was time to get up, I reached out first.

"I'll get this."

Luce's hand came down firmly on the back of mine. Once. Decisive.

"Huh? Why?"

"Because I want to pay tonight."

"You don't have to...?"

"Yeah."

She was already taking out her silver coins.

"I asked first."

I looked at her quietly.

She didn't look away. Then she added,

"Tonight I just... want to."

I withdrew my hand.

"Stubborner than I thought."

"Just figuring that out?"

"Heh. Well, works for me."

"...Idiot."

Outside the tavern was colder than before. But it was strange — my body felt even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hotter.

Luce walked ahead. Again. I fell in beside her without a word.

We talked far less than before, but somehow the distance between us was closer.

The gap between our shoulders narrowed. Very slowly. Without either of us claiming credit.

At some point our hands brushed. Once.

I felt Luce stiffen, just barely.

I didn't hesitate. I took her hand.

"Hup...!"

Luce startled and stopped walking, looking at me. Her eyes had gone a little wide.

I smiled and laced our fingers together, as if it were nothing.

"This much is fine, right?"

Luce said nothing. Instead, pressure came into her hand. Just a little more.

Then she spoke. A beat late. Her voice trembled slightly.

"...Yeah."

"You're supposed to ask about these things."

"If I said no, would you let go?"

"No?"

"..."

Luce huffed a small laugh. The grip on my hand tightened further.

That was enough.

I wished the road were shorter. Because this moment was flowing too slowly.

The closer we got to the destination, the slower our steps became.

At some point we both stopped. Our hands stayed as they were.

Luce's gaze rose. Under the lamplight, her eyes were deep. Far deeper than I'd expected.

"...Siyun."

Hearing my name in casual speech felt unfamiliar. Unfamiliar in a way that wasn't unfamiliar at all.

Two syllables, and for no good reason my whole body prickled.

"Yeah."

"...Want to stay together... a little longer?"

I smiled instead of answering. And pulled her in.

"What do you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠think?"

"Ah..."

Luce's body came into my arms.

The moment we pressed close, her chest met my chest. Soft, and warmer than expected.

My eyes found her lips, then rose. Her eyes were waiting.

She was looking, and I was looking. Neither of us looked down first.

Chup—

Our lips touched lightly, then parted. Like a confirmation.

Then Luce's hand caught my collar. Trembling, and still not letting go.

I didn't ask again. I just leaned down once more.

Chuup. Chup.

The sound of kissing leaked small and clear into the quiet night.

The second one was different. From the moment our lips met, our breath tangled. Lines fell apart more easily than expected.

My hands found her waist. Traced her back. The grip holding on grew stronger.

Luce's body trembled slightly.

"Heup... wait... gulp..."

That one sound blanked everything in my head.

She said wait, but there was no force pushing me away. The hand gripping me only tightened further — enough to wrinkle cloth.

I pressed my lips to the nape of her neck.

Hot. A pulse beat under thin skin. Under my fingertips, under my mouth.

Luce drew in a breath as if holding it.

"Heuu... Siyun, you really..."

"What?"

"...Nothing."

I didn't need to ask further.

Still holding her hand, I simply followed where she led.

Bresen's night closed behind us. Quietly.

It had been that way from the start.

There had never been any thought of going back.