novelraw Chapter 275 : Chapter 275
Chapter 275 : Chapter 275
Chapter 275: The Answer
Ho-cheol patted his waist with his fist.
“Whew. That was tough.”
He let out a long sigh and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Two hours?
Three hours?
It was impossible to even guess how much time had passed.
After more than an hour, he was half out of his mind, having reached a state of unity with the dinosaur suit, so he had no time to worry about the passage of time.
Even while taking a breather and talking with the Twins in between, several kids were clinging to the back of his neck, so there was no real break time.
And this was only the result after passing roughly half of the work onto So-hee and Ji-an.
If he had come alone...
Just the thought of it sent shivers down his spine.
I survived the biggest crisis of my life just like this.
Thanks to their very passionate and intense playing, all the children were exhausted and went to sleep.
The Twins still seemed to have energy, but they were dragged away by the other children.
As he sat there, half-removed from the dinosaur suit, staring blankly at the ceiling with his mouth agape, Hye-jin smiled brightly and brought over coffee on a tray.
“You worked hard. Please rest while having this.”
It was mixed coffee with hot steam rising from it.
Ho-cheol let out a weak laugh and shook his head.
“Don't you have cold water with ice?”
“Oh dear. I prepared something warm since it’s cold out. I guess I should have brought something cold.”
“In my heart, I want to shovel snow and eat it right now.”
As he refused the coffee and simply tried to catch his breath, Ji-an staggered over to him.
She flopped down on the floor to his left, completely sprawled out.
“I feel like I'm going to die toooo…”
The red pom-pom of the Rudolph nose resting on the bridge of her nose drooped limply.
The number of children she played with wasn't that high.
It seemed they instinctively sensed the ominous aura flowing around her and were hesitant to approach.
However, a courageous few, plus the Twins, especially those two, relentlessly tormented Ji-an.
Of course, it was only torment by Ji-an's standard; at least to Ho-cheol, it was nothing more than mischievous childish demands.
She had insisted last time that all lingering feelings were shaken off and that they were no longer related, but human relationships aren't that easy to form and break.
Especially when they were genuine children who were barely a year old.
Or perhaps they perceived her as a figure similar to a parent, even without a blood connection.
Either way, Ho-cheol was only happy if they got along well.
Ji-an, too, had sins to atone for, so she was completely at the mercy of the two.
Finally, So-hee sat down exhausted on Ho-cheol's right side.
“Santa costume, huh.”
So-hee ripped off the Santa beard and took off all the thick clothing.
The line running from her neck to her shoulder was damp with sweat.
“This is the first time I’ve sweated this much in the middle of winter.”
She pulled her collar open and subtly checked the inside.
The inside of the clothing was also covered in sweat, making it shiny.
“Ugh. I really need to wipe off this sweat somehow.”
At her remark, Hye-jin pointed to the side.
Naturally, the facility was equipped with shower facilities.
They were originally too shabby to comfortably suggest to guests due to budget issues, but thanks to Ho-cheol’s generosity, they were the first facilities to be renovated.
“You can shower before you leave.”
“Me, me! I want to shower!”
At that, Ji-an sprang up.
The Rudolph outfit had even worse ventilation than the Santa outfit, and her activity level was more intense, so she was just as drenched in sweat.
She desperately wanted to wash off the sweat right now.
“Should we go shower together then?”
So-hee said nonchalantly.
Having lived under the same roof and seen everything worth seeing and not worth seeing, they had no hesitation in using the shower facilities together.
However.
Ho-cheol hooked his index finger into the pocket of So-hee, who had halfway risen from her seat.
She turned her head to look at him, puzzled.
But Ho-cheol pretended not to notice and did not say a word to her.
Instead, he quietly raised his index finger to his mouth.
The meaning was clear to anyone.
“Never mind. You go shower first. I think I need to rest a little longer.”
“Yes. I’ll turn on the boiler right away. Please use it comfortably.”
Hye-jin and Ji-an headed for the shower room first.
Only Ho-cheol and So-hee remained in the playroom.
She tilted her head and asked Ho-cheol.
“What's the matter all of a sudden?”
“Ah, well. I thought I'd get some fresh air outside for a bit.”
Ho-cheol dodged the question, lightly scratching his temple with his index finger.
“I have something I want to give you, and something I want to say.”
A rustling sound came from the hand Ho-cheol was hiding behind his back.
It was a mistake he would never make normally.
So-hee pretended not to notice and smiled.
“Sounds good. Shall we take a walk?”
They stepped outside and walked around the facility’s yard.
The chilly air characteristic of winter seeped deep into their lungs.
Her sweat-soaked body cooled instantly, and the cold air caused her body to shiver slightly.
She rubbed her arms with her palms.
“Ugh, it is cold after all.”
“It is.”
Ho-cheol shortened his stride and naturally stood behind So-hee.
Then, he cautiously tore the wrapping paper of the gift he had brought.
Ho-cheol, who had been right beside her a moment ago, disappeared.
So-hee turned around in surprise.
And at that moment, she looked down at the soft sensation of cloth gently wrapping around her neck.
“What is this?”
It was a scarf.
A scarf knitted with warm red yarn.
Ho-cheol smiled faintly.
“It's a Christmas gift.”
She blankly pressed the scarf with her fingertips, then brought the end up to her face.
The soft texture wasn't just soft yarn.
A faint breath and voice escaped from beneath the scarf covering her lips.
“...Did you knit it yourself?”
“Why. Does it look shabby?”
He asked self-consciously.
He had worked hard to make it, but the limitations of a beginner were clear.
Indeed, if one looked closely, the scarf was in rough shape in many ways.
The parts where the yarn hadn't been pulled taut were lumpy, and the edges were unevenly slanted.
In addition, the finish was clumsy, with threads sticking out on the surface.
Compared to commercially sold items, the craftsmanship was utterly crude.
But So-hee shook her head.
“No.”
She answered, smiling brighter than ever.
“It was made so well that I thought you bought it.”
The scenes of him diligently knitting the unfamiliar pattern, repeating mistakes over and over, played out like a movie in her mind.
It was only natural that she preferred this gift over any luxury brand item.
“Thank you so much.”
Though she said that, So-hee clicked her tongue slightly, looking a bit disappointed.
The Christmas gift she had prepared for Ho-cheol was regrettably left in the car.
It would make such a beautiful picture if we exchanged them right now!
She turned toward the car, intending to quickly retrieve it.
However, she stopped at the voice from behind her.
“And, you know. I’m going to give you the answer to the confession you gave me the other day.”
The day before the Giant Monster Extermination Operation.
So-hee had confessed to Ho-cheol.
It wasn't just testing the waters or giving him a hint.
She had clearly delivered her genuine feelings and emotions.
Therefore, Ho-cheol had promised to give her an answer to the confession after the operation was over.
However, contrary to his promise, he had been pretending to ignore it, putting off the answer.
In fact, he had decided the answer a long time ago.
He just hadn't been able to say it because he lacked the courage.
“But before that, when did you start liking me?”
At the unexpected question, So-hee hesitated for a moment.
She covered her lips with the scarf and let out a long sigh.
If he asked when, she couldn't pinpoint the exact moment or day.
She just liked him a little more each day, and whenever a big incident occurred, that feeling grew even larger.
At some point, it became overwhelmingly huge.
She simply came to her senses, and those emotions and feelings exploded.
Ho-cheol nodded at her explanation.
“Is that so.”
He pondered for a long time, then placed his hand on his waist and looked up at the sky.
The dark sky, where starlight rarely seen in the city twinkled.
He looked back at her and smiled.
So-hee’s expression instantly brightened.
She took a step toward Ho-cheol.
The meaning of that smile was clearly...
“I’m sorry.”
At Ho-cheol’s apology, So-hee stopped in an awkward posture.
She couldn't help but doubt her ears.
Sorry?
Did he say sorry?
Does that mean he’s refusing?
She couldn't understand.
She couldn't accept it.
She had honestly never even considered Ho-cheol rejecting her.
It would have been impossible for them to live under the same roof without any hesitation if there wasn't a mutual attraction.
She firmly believed that all he needed was a little time to accept her.
Yet!
So-hee, who had been staring at Ho-cheol in silence for a long time, finally opened her mouth.
“Am I.”
Her voice trembled pitifully.
“Am I not allowed?”
“It’s closer to can’t... than not allowed.”
A question mark popped up above her head at his cryptic expression.
“What do you mean by that?”
If he was refusing her confession due to external factors, there was still plenty of room for hope.
Ho-cheol slowly revealed his true feelings.
“I have lived my whole life without ever feeling love, let alone favor, affection. Respect and admiration. Those kinds of emotions toward anyone.”
Around the time he finally came to his senses, unlike other ordinary people, he lost both parents in an accident and was pushed to live as a Villain.
The first light he saw in that darkness.
Even that light, which guided him on the right path, faded before he could fully understand its warmth.
However, he hadn't forgotten the path the light showed him and tried not to stray from it.
In that process, he met people, met them again, and continued to meet them until now.
Each one represented an overwhelming and burdensome emotion.
And Ho-cheol was able to maintain his current self precisely because of that pressure.
So-hee and Ji-an, as well as Da-yeon and Ye-jin.
They all, subtly.
No, too obviously, showed their feelings to Ho-cheol.
In a situation where everyone harbored similar feelings, accepting So-hee’s feelings was no different from rejecting the feelings of the rest.
For Ho-cheol, who had never experienced the goodwill of others in his entire life, having to answer one person's feelings while rejecting others was practically impossible.
“I just couldn’t bring myself to cut anyone off first.”
If the situation were reversed, if they left because they no longer harbored any feelings for him, that would be acceptable.
He could just endure it.
But rejecting their feelings and true intentions was a completely different matter.
So-hee gasped in disbelief.
“Just for that kind of reason?”
“...That’s a bit harsh.”
Ho-cheol narrowed his brows.
While some might see it as an absurd excuse, Ho-cheol was serious.
However, So-hee was more enraged than Ho-cheol was genuinely displeased.
She had expected some grand reason, or a secret that she shouldn't dare to judge.
But what did it turn out to be?
He was afraid accepting her confession would hurt the others?
He wouldn't get involved with anyone out of pity for the people who liked him?
In a way, it was a very Ho-cheol-like reason, but to her, the person involved, it was infuriating.
Was he saying he couldn't accept her confession for such a cowardly reason?
Thwack—!
She angrily kicked Ho-cheol’s shin.
As if that wasn't enough, she thrust her face right up to his.
Ho-cheol instinctively backed away from the force of So-hee, who was shouting as she stepped forward.
“What did I say! I told you to monopolize me, I never told you to monopolize him!”
“Then accept everyone who likes you and clings to you! And just grab them by the wrist or the neck and force it!”
“I can't look only at you, but you must look only at me!”
“Just grab and hold onto them, whether it’s one person, two people, or ten people! Just live like that!”
This time, Ho-cheol widened his eyes in surprise.
If her meaning wasn't what he suspected, this was a very dangerous remark.
“...You say you like me, but is that even possible?”
She was suggesting two-timing.
No, tentacles.
It was a mindset Ho-cheol could neither empathize with nor understand.
If the person he liked were to turn their eyes elsewhere, could he accept that purely because he liked them?
“Of course not, I hate it. Just thinking about it makes my head feel hot. But the feeling of liking you is bigger than that. I think, I want to be by your side even like this. So, what are you going to do?”
Closer—
With every word she spoke, So-hee moved forward, and Ho-cheol backed away.
In the midst of this, Ho-cheol's back soon touched the wall of the building.
There was nowhere left to retreat.
Ho-cheol raised his hand to calm So-hee, who was threatening to overwhelm him at any moment.
“Just let me catch my breath for a second.”
“No. Don't even breathe until you answer!”
She started to clench her fist but then relaxed her hand.
The intense shouting and emotion from just a moment ago instantly disappeared.
She looked at him cautiously and asked again gently.
“I like you even if I have to endure all of that. Do you still dislike me?”
“...Of course, I like you.”
So-hee sighed in relief.
Although it was half-forced, she finally heard the answer she wanted.
“Then that’s enough. Because I unconditionally like you twice as much as you like me. Whatever you do is fine. Just...”
Tears had already gathered in her eyes.
Even she couldn't clearly explain what kind of emotion was contained in these tears.
However.
“Just don’t forget that I’m also by your side—that’s enough.”
She was certain that joy was the biggest emotion.
Silence flowed between them.
Ho-cheol kept his lips parted for a long time.
So-hee also lowered her eyes slightly and pursed her lips.
It wasn't that they had nothing to say; they had so much to say, but they couldn't figure out where to start.
And just as they were about to open their mouths simultaneously.
“...Snow.”
“It’s snowing.”
White snow fluttered and fell between them.
Their gaze naturally went upward.
White snowflakes were falling.
They lowered their heads and met each other's eyes again.
The wavering emotions and worries from just a moment ago had all disappeared.
A snowflake, fluttering, landed on Ho-cheol's lips.
In the instant his breath caught at the coldness.
So-hee stood on her tiptoes.
That snowflake was covered by So-hee’s lips reaching up to meet it.
The snowflake melted and vanished on Ho-cheol’s, or perhaps So-hee’s, warmth.