Halloween
It was definitely clear now. As September gave way and early October arrived, the summer that had made us feel like we were dying of heat was finally saying goodbye.
The weather had grown noticeably cooler, and it felt like the time had finally come to put away the hanbok and pull out the autumn clothes.
Of course, it was just talk. In reality, we were simply wearing our school uniforms with jackets over them.
But now that the sun had set and it was chilly, I felt perfectly fine.
Besides, I was carrying a cardigan just in case, and if Sia got cold, I could give it to her.
Of course... the time I had was shorter than the time Sia had.
"Siwoo, can I borrow your cardigan?"
"Here."
Ever since we started school, Sia would borrow my cardigan the moment I got there, wearing it herself. So I barely got to wear it.
I once bought a blanket that I thought would be warmer than a cardigan and offered it to her, but she turned it down.
Other girls were fine with blankets, but...
'I like the cardigan that smells like Siwoo!'
I had nothing left to say.
Showing obsession toward me wasn't new to Sia, but this was the first time it had reached this level.
She had shown a little during the sports festival, but... up until then, this was intense.
It started after we went on the field trip.
At first, it wasn't that different, but about a week later Sia started sticking to my side like glue.
When I asked why she had changed, she said,
"Siwoo has become... so cool that all the girls are after him..."
Her reason was simple: other girls were targeting me.
No matter how I looked at it, that didn't seem right, but...
Honestly, something felt off about the atmosphere around me.
Especially when girls treated me... they seemed strangely kinder, but Sia didn't act like that.
I told her so, but she just leaned even closer and said,
"...They were pretending to be foxes until suddenly they flipped."
And she stuck even tighter.
Honestly, I've known Sia since we were kids, and other girls never crossed my mind.
Yet Sia was anxious because I hadn't properly answered her confession.
Everything was my fault, so I let her have her way in everything.
Since we were glued together at school, Donghyeok, Seonghun, and Minsung noticed us.
'Is this them declaring war on us?'
'...What did she do in her past life to make her like this...'
'Hehe...'
They said.
'Disappear! I thought you were both fashion geniuses! Suddenly you're alphas and everyone’s chasing you! Betrayed boyfriend, go date your girlfriend!'
'Honestly, hanging out with you two makes me feel diabetic, so you two go play.'
'If I join, I'll definitely be out of place...'
They all stopped hanging out with us.
Because of that, I spent way more time with Sia.
Of course, teachers started giving us side-eyes, thinking we were too close.
But they never scolded us openly. When we went on excursions or ran into each other, they would just ask casually.
We weren't doing anything too excessive at school, so they were just checking how we were doing. They didn't ask anything beyond that.
I didn't hate these questions, but talking about dating was embarrassing.
I didn't even talk to my parents about dating.
Still, I was managing my school life somehow.
The boys who had been avoiding me because of 'betrayed boyfriend' were now hanging out right next to me.
I was living a solid school life.
And it was mid-October.
'Siwoo, I want to go somewhere this weekend. Is that okay?'
'Sure, but where?'
'Hehe, it's a secret.'
'Last time... you weren't secretly taking me to a water park, were you?'
Of course that was my own misunderstanding, but I had said it as a joke.
'...Ah... um...'
Sia suddenly started spinning her eyes.
From that, I knew she was planning something behind my back, but she said,
'It's fine. Since it's okay, let's go together.'
'Ah... okay!'
In the end, we decided to go together.
Since I had brought it up as a joke anyway.
We made plans for the weekend and finished talking.
※※※※※※
Sia, who had made plans with Siwoo, looked normal on the outside, but inside...
'Yay!! I made a date with Siwoo! Thank goodness!!'
Sia was incredibly happy that she had a date with Siwoo.
The reason Sia was this excited was because she had received advice from her mother, Kim Jieun.
◆◆◆
About a week had passed since we returned from the field trip.
Sia was lying in the living room of her house, throwing a tantrum.
'Iiiiiick! I'm so angry!!'
'Ha... why are you like this, Sia?'
This was the first time I had seen her throw a tantrum after meeting Siwoo, so old memories came back. I stopped washing dishes in the kitchen and went over to her, wiping my hands on my apron.
Sia spun around in a circle, then stopped and bared her teeth.
'Those foxes... are after my Siwoo.'
'......'
'Ugh! He's my Siwoo! He's mine! They haven't even looked at him until now, but now they're chasing him!!'
'So that's what you're doing right now?'
'Yeah... I'm angry...'
Sia was throwing a tantrum because of the girls crowding around Siwoo.
Even at the beginning of the semester, the girls who had no interest in Siwoo had started targeting him seriously after the field trip, so their eyes toward him had changed.
Anyone could see they were after him, so Sia had no choice but to be furious.
Of course, it wasn't perfect. After Siwoo had planned properly, no one dared approach her anymore.
The seniors from Narago High who had almost disappeared after the water park trip were still gone, and girls from other schools or when she went out in the city no longer talked to her or tried anything.
Sometimes someone would approach, but it was only when Siwoo wasn't around. When Siwoo came, they would apologize and step aside.
So in a way, it was great that her date with Siwoo wasn't interrupted, but what Sia felt was that Siwoo looked good to everyone.
Until now, she had just chased him away easily, but now even Siwoo got approached sometimes.
So recently, she had stuck even closer to Siwoo, making sure everyone knew he was hers, but it wasn't easy.
'So what do you want me to do?'
'Me too... teach me your succubus ability.'
'No.'
Sia had asked Kim Jieun to teach her succubus ability, but she refused instantly.
'Why! I want to do dates with Dad comfortably using my ability like Mom!!'
Kim Jieun actually hated other guys approaching her, so when she dated, she instinctively made people leave using her ability.
Sia knew that and asked for the same, but she was refused. The reason was,
'Sia, your power isn't fully awakened yet, so controlling it is unstable.'
Because Sia's ability was an anomaly.
'Even in middle school, most could do it! But now in high school, I still can't! I want to do it too!!!'
'Be quiet, you brat! It's because adults naturally awaken it later. Why are you doing this now!'
Kim Jieun's shout made Sia deflated.
'But... I don't know how Siwoo sees me... and the foxes keep watching me... what do I do...'
'......'
'The tarot said you'd do well, so don't worry so much.'
'But tarot is just tarot...'
'......'
Seeing Siwoo get more popular by the day made Sia worry he might leave her side.
But as a parent, Kim Jieun knew the truth, yet she couldn't say it carelessly.
Because talking about love and relationships was up to them, not adults.
Still, since Sia was worried, her parent wanted to do something.
But telling her the succubus ability might cause real trouble, so as Kim Jieun was worried, a good idea popped into her head.
It was this:
'Sia, there's a way.'
'What? Is it good?'
'Of course it is.'
'What is it? What is it?'
'Catch Siwoo directly without using any ability.'
'How do I do that...?'
'Hehe, come here.'
'.........!'
'......!'
After hearing the method from Kim Jieun, Sia...
'Yeah! I'll try it once!'
She decided to put it into practice.