I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 153

Chapter 153: A Significant Intersection (9)

After finishing my shift at the barbecue restaurant…

Jieun, my coworker, handed me a small box as we walked out.

“What’s this?”

“Just… a gift. For you.”

“I’m asking what it is.”

“Why are you asking? Just open it.”

She was right.

I could just open it and see for myself.

“I’m… I’m going to the restroom!”

“Alright, I’ll wait here.”

I untied the ribbon and lifted the lid.

Inside, an assortment of chocolates, their shapes and colors varying, filled the box, their sweet aroma filling the air.

“…Chocolates?”

And then…

I heard them.

Whispers, sharp and laced with a strange mix of annoyance and jealousy.

“Is he blind?”

“…Haa, I don’t understand…”

“Seriously? After all the times I’ve hinted…”

Their words, their frustrated tone, made it clear they were talking about me, but, what was the big deal?

They were just chocolates, mass-produced and readily available at any convenience store.

‘Whatever, I’ll just give them back.’

But before I could close the box…

“Hey! Min-hyeok! What are you doing?!”

Jieun rushed over, her eyes wide with alarm.

“What are you doing? Why are you closing the box? I got them for you!”

“I don’t really like sweets.”

“What?!”

She stared at me, incredulous.

“At least… try one! It’s the thought that counts!”

“I’m good. Give them to those guys. They seem to have a sweet tooth.”

I pointed at the other male employees, the ones who had been whispering behind my back.

Jieun, her expression a mix of confusion and exasperation, asked,

“Do you… Do you even know what day it is?”

“What?”

“February 14th. You don’t know what that means?”

“It’s just February 14th. It’s not a holiday, it’s just a regular workday. What’s the big deal?”

“….”

She facepalmed, letting out a sigh.

“Right… You wouldn’t know… Sigh.”

I hadn’t said anything wrong, had I?

She pouted, watching me as I attempted to close the box again, and then…

She snatched a chocolate, popped it into her mouth, and then shoved one into mine.

“Ugh.”

“It’s not that sweet, see? You have to eat them all, okay? Don’t throw them away or give them to anyone else.”

Her tone was threatening, her gaze unwavering.

If I refused, if I dared to spit it out… I had a feeling I would regret it.

‘…I can’t exactly spit it out now.’

I sighed, and chewed the chocolate obediently.

“See, it’s not that bad, is it? And you have to finish them all, okay? You’re not allowed to throw them away or give them to anyone else.”

It wasn’t as sweet as I had expected. She was right.

Jieun, her smile returning, muttered something under her breath. I caught the first part, “How could I…”, but I didn’t hear the rest.

…It didn’t matter, did it?

I had done what she asked.

The pressure was gone, but she wasn’t done with me.

“When’s your birthday, Min-hyeok?”

“What?”

“I’m asking when your birthday is.”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Well…”

She looked away, fidgeting with her hands.

“I… I don’t think chocolates are a good enough gift! I want to get you… a real present!”

Birthdays only brought back bad memories.

I told her she didn’t need to know.

And then… she pushed me onto a chair.

“Hey! What are you doing?!”

“I’m not letting go until you tell me! You have to answer! Understood?”

“That’s… that’s not fair! Ugh… Mmmph!”

“Tell me your birthday!”

She had pinned me down, her weight pressing against me, demanding to know my birthday…

And I realized how terrifying it was, to be trapped, to have my breath stolen away.

It had been suffocating…

Just like this.

…

…Wait.

“Mmmph! Mmmph!”

I opened my eyes, and my vision was obscured by something soft and warm.

This… This was happening again!

The same feeling, the same sensation of being trapped, my breath stolen away…

It was just like that time, when I had been pinned down, my face buried in…

“Mmmph! Mmmph!”

I struggled instinctively, pushing her away, creating space.

“I… I almost suffocated…”

I couldn't believe this was happening again.

Or rather… This wasn’t even in the game!

-Ding!

▶ Status Ailment: Suffocation Level 3 removed. ◀

▶ Status Ailment: Asphyxiation Level 2 removed. ◀

“Seriously? Status ailments even for this?”

This wouldn’t have happened in the game, but reality… reality was filled with unexpected ways to die.

I had fallen asleep?

I had been determined to stay awake, but… it seemed like I had dozed off. And I had slept for quite a while, judging by the position I had woken up in.

“Hmm? Carsein?”

Harnie, rubbing her eyes, sat up.

She yawned, covering her mouth with her hand, and then glanced at me, and then at the Oath Orb, a thoughtful expression on her face.

“The Orb’s magic should have prevented you from moving, but… you managed to get up, which means… you must have slept well.”

“…”

“I… I couldn't help it. I was… waiting for you, and I got sleepy, so…”

I wanted to argue, to ask how she could possibly fall asleep in this situation, but…

There was something else I needed to address.

“Harnie, you need to be more careful.”

“What are you talking about? I just woke up. ”

“You should be more aware of the danger. Don’t you think this… situation, is dangerous?”

Harnie blinked, a smile playing on her lips.

“Dangerous? What’s dangerous about being with you?”

“It should be obvious.”

“Ahahaha!”

She laughed, her voice echoing through the room.

“Seriously, you’re worried about assaulting me? In your sleep?”

Had she misunderstood?

“I doubt you would even try. ”

“…I am a man, you know?”

“I’d be cautious if it was any other man. But you, Carsein… it’s fine.”

She lowered her hand, her laughter subsiding, and continued, her voice softer now,

“You might not know this, but I can sense those kinds of intentions. I can feel it, in their gaze.”

“Their gaze?”

“Yes, the way they look at me. My lips, my neck, my chest, my bare shoulders… They’re already undressing me with their eyes.”

“Well, I’m not that different then.”

“What?”

“I can’t help but… look. It’s natural, to admire someone’s beauty.”

I had been cautious at first, aware of her status and the potential danger, but…

She was beautiful.

And after we signed the contract, I couldn't help but admire her, to appreciate her beauty.

But she simply laughed, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

“That’s why you’re different, Carsein. You’re honest.”

“That contradicts what you just said, doesn't it?”

“Those men… they only see me as an object, a target for their desires. They wouldn't be so honest. They would pretend, they would lie, even when I catch them staring. Do you understand?”

“…”

“They shower me with compliments, trying to hide their true intentions, but their words… they’re hollow, meaningless. But you, Carsein… You’re honest, both in your actions and your words. Don’t you see the difference?”

Was this a trap? A test?

“If you wanted to… you would have done it already. I knew, from the moment we met, that you weren’t like them.”

She claimed she could sense those intentions, those desires, that she could distinguish genuine admiration from lust.

She had built her defenses, honed her instincts, to protect herself.

This was her first engagement, she had said. And she had survived those encounters, those attempts to manipulate and control her, because of her intuition, her ability to read people.

But I had to say this.

“I’m still a man, Harnie. You should be careful.”

She shrugged, as if dismissing my concern, and then, covering her mouth with her hand, she asked,

“Oh, right. When’s your birthday?”

“…”

“Carsein?”

It was strange.

Jieun, in my dream, had asked the same question.

And the even stranger thing was, mine and Carsein’s birthdays were on the same day.

So, the question didn’t bother me.

“December 31st.”

Her eyes widened.

“So it’s already passed!”

It was just a birthday, why was she making such a big deal out of it?

And then…

“…We’ll celebrate it together next time.”

Her words, softly spoken, put an end to the conversation.

***

“Carsein?”

“Ah, yes.”

“We should leave now. It’s not good to fall asleep at a party, is it?”

“…Yes, we should go.”

-Ding!

▶ You have completed all scheduled events at the party. ◀

▶ Calculating Completion Rate… ◀

The status window confirmed it. Time had flown by.

‘…I slept for four hours?’

I couldn’t believe I had wasted so much time sleeping.

And it was even more unbelievable that nothing had happened while I was asleep.

But the most concerning thing was…

‘Why hasn’t Arina come?’

It was time. She should have arrived by now.

I had incurred penalties, and Arina, according to the script, was supposed to track me down, no matter where I was.

This terrace was supposed to trigger a choice, a confrontation.

‘What am I missing?’

I wondered, as I left the terrace, Harnie by my side.

And then, as I reached the first floor lobby…

I saw her.

Arina.

She was walking towards us, her expression grim, her eyes narrowed.

“Carsein.”

Harnie looked at me, her eyes filled with worry, but I nodded, reassuring her that everything was fine.

She stepped aside, giving us some space, and Arina spoke, her voice cold.

“Why didn’t you tell me? About what happened?”

…What?

That wasn’t the question I had expected.

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