Halloween Party
Sia and I finished our date just like that.
We’d slipped out of the last cosplay store like fugitives… but thankfully, I thought I hadn’t given Sia a peek into my tastes.
With the cosplay store as our final stop, our date came to an end.
At the last minute Sia suggested ordering Halloween props online, and now our hands were clutching a single bag of pumpkin candy as we headed home on the subway.
Inside the subway car, I couldn’t help wondering why Sia seemed so much happier than usual.
“Hehe, today was fun, right?” Sia asked with a bright smile.
“…Yeah, it was.” I replied, letting the comment slide because Sia was happy. It was all good.
After getting off the subway, I walked Sia all the way to her front door to see her inside safely, then turned to head home myself.
Just as I was about to leave, Sia called out to me.
I turned back to see her waving excitedly.
“I’m counting on you for Halloween! Make sure to come!” she beamed, smiling wide.
I waved back, grinning. “Of course!” I answered cheerfully.
One week until Halloween.
Time flew by in the blink of an eye.
Midterm exams were looming, but I kept praying for those seven days to rush past.
And now, today was Halloween.
At school, the kids were sharing their candy and chocolate around.
“Here, Siwoo, take some.”
“Oh… thanks.” I took a few pieces from the tray.
I popped one chocolate into my mouth, then stuffed the rest into my bag.
As the chocolate slowly melted on my tongue, I chewed it quickly, worried Sia might catch me enjoying it too much.
Once everything was gone and I’d rinsed with water, I thought I was safe.
But then Sia tilted her head, sniffing the air curiously.
“…What’s this smell…?” she wondered.
“Eh? What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Chocolate… I smell chocolate on your breath… What happened?” Sia pressed on.
“……” I froze.
A detective couldn’t have sniffed it out better.
Of course, I still had to deal with the first problem—the one staring right at me.
“I… just ate the ones the class was sharing…” I admitted.
“Is that so?” Sia asked, tilting her head.
“Of course! I put the rest in my bag.” I explained.
“……” Sia stayed quiet for a moment, then her eyes sparkled with mischief.
“Do you like candy more than chocolate?” she asked.
“Huh?” I blinked, surprised by the sudden question, but her eyes were serious.
“I win—chocolate is my favorite.” I answered quickly.
“Eek… but you always preferred candy before…” Sia pouted.
“I like both equally.” I insisted.
In truth, I loved the smooth, gooey texture of chocolate far more than the hard, crunchy bite of candy. Sia had changed that, though—now she ate candy happily, too. But I never told her that.
Hearing my confession, Sia’s expression shifted as if she was deep in thought. She nodded once, like she’d made a decision.
“So… this time there’s only candy left. Are you okay with that?” she asked seriously.
I almost burst out laughing, but I held it in. “Of course I’m okay! I like chocolate more, not that I hate candy.”
“Good.” Sia relaxed, smiling.
We’d successfully dodged the issue. Now the only thing left was to survive the rest of the school day. I pushed through the final three classes in a daze.
Ding ding ding!
“Alright everyone! Today’s Halloween, so no sneaking off to weird places—stay home and have fun!” the teacher announced.
“Yessss!!!” the class cheered in unison.
“And remember, the cleaning duty kids—clean thoroughly and head straight home! We’ll all be leaving early!” the teacher called out.
“Understood!!” we all replied.
“Then let’s get going!” the teacher said with a wave.
With that quick dismissal, we all poured out of the classroom like a wave.
Since neither Sia nor I were on cleaning duty, we headed straight to her house without waiting for anyone.
I’d already told my parents, so there was no problem.
When I opened the front door at Sia’s house, the smell of food rushed out like a warm hug.
Sweet dishes of every kind filled the air, making my nose tingle instantly.
Inside, a smiling auntie and uncle greeted us from the kitchen.
“Ah, Siwoo, welcome!” they both said warmly.
“Siwoo! Long time no see!” the uncle added with a big grin.
“Wow, it smells delicious!” I replied.
“Hello, Uncle. I hope you’ve been well.” I greeted him politely.
The uncle usually came home around Chuseok, so I was supposed to see him this year. But our family trip to Jeju had changed everything. We hadn’t met at the auntie’s birthday after all.
I’d stopped by once since then, but the uncle was always out, so today was the first time I could see his face properly.
“Come on, put your bag down, wash your hands, and hurry over. We’re almost done.” the auntie said.
“Okay.” we both answered.
After washing up in the bathroom, we rushed to the table and stopped dead. The spread was massive—enough to make your knees buckle.
Not only the quantity but the variety was impressive. The main dishes included cheese tteokbokki, pizza, chicken, japchae, and sashimi. There were plenty more I didn’t recognize.
If I had to pick the most eye-catching, it had to be the sashimi.
The uncle was beaming with pride.
“Siwoo, Uncle put in real effort! I promised to eat sashimi together when I got back, remember?” he said happily.
“Oh…” I realized we’d made that promise earlier this year. With everything that had happened, I’d completely forgotten.
The auntie looked a little embarrassed beside him. “Sorry… your uncle insisted on eating sashimi.”
“Haha, it’s fine. I love sashimi.” I smiled.
“I love it too! It’s all good!” the auntie laughed.
“Hehe, lucky me.” I replied, quickly looking away as I reached for the food.
Since Sia had already told me about her being a succubus, I wasn’t worried about the auntie’s identity anymore. We’d talked about it right after she confessed.
The real reason I’d been avoiding the auntie had nothing to do with that. It was because of her birthday.
I’d been too tired from my trip to Jeju and hadn’t sent her a message. She’d been sulking for days, and I could tell she knew something was up.
Apart from that, everything was fine. I always had a great time at Sia’s house.
Though… the sashimi on the table was a little unusual.
“I picked fresh yellowtail and sea bream especially for you, Siwoo!” the uncle declared proudly.
“It’s because you like it better than me.” the auntie teased.
“Nope! Siwoo likes sea bream too!” I protested.
“It’s because of you!” the uncle shot back.
“Eek…” I laughed.
After a bit of playful bickering, we finally sat down.
“Let’s eat!” we all said together.
I started with one bite of each dish. Everything was delicious—the auntie’s cooking was always top-notch.
Once I’d tried a little of everything, I dug in properly. I went for the chicken and sashimi mainly.
The uncle looked disappointed if I didn’t eat the sashimi, so I kept going. I actually loved it, so I wasn’t forcing myself.
As I ate, a piece of food fell onto Sia’s plate.
“Need some tteokbokki?” I offered.
“Yes!” Sia nodded eagerly.
“I’ll get you some water too.” I added.
I kept topping up her plate now and then, and soon she’d finished everything.
My stomach was full, so I sat back and relaxed. The auntie brought out more cookies.
“No thanks, I’m full.” I started to decline.
But the auntie just smiled and set down a plate of cookies that looked like mini Jack-o’-lanterns.
“Sia made these herself!” she announced proudly.
“Two of them?” I asked, surprised.
“She helped a little, but she made them all by herself.” the auntie corrected.
“Wow…” Sia’s cookies were oddly shaped—lopsided and a bit crooked, but she’d clearly put in a lot of effort. It showed in every clumsy little detail.
I glanced at Sia. She was carefully avoiding my eyes, pretending to look at her plate.
The auntie noticed and gave me a quick wink. I grabbed one cookie and took a bite.
It was a bit darker than expected, almost slightly burnt, but the slight tang was surprisingly pleasant.
I ate a couple more. “These are good,” I told Sia.
She finally looked up, her voice soft. “I’ll make them better next time…” she muttered.
“I can’t wait.” I answered with a smile.
We kept eating, chatting lightly, until the table was cleared and we collapsed onto the living room sofa.
My stomach was too full to move anymore. Sia walked over quietly, sat down beside me, and we just stared at each other for a while.
The aunt and uncle came out in their going-out clothes, said goodbye, and headed for the door.
I stood up from the sofa. “Where are you going?” I asked.
The auntie smiled. “We’re going on our own little date.” Then they were gone.
It was 8 PM. For the first time since we’d arrived, Sia and I were completely alone.