Epilogue Chapter 19 - Cherry Blossom Ending (5)

“W-Wait, Darling! Calm down!”

“Ehehe. Honey~ I love you~”

“Who got Darling this drunk? Was it you, Yeon-Joo?!”

“It wasn’t me!! Besides, she didn’t even drink that much!”

“Forget that, just help me calm her down!”

“Fuuu. Maybe it’s because it’s almost summer~? Isn’t it a little hot, honey?”

“H-Huh? D-Darling! Keep your clothes on!”

“Kyaaaahhh! Crazy bitch! What do you think you’re doing in front of the children?!”

“Lilith! Stop watching and help us!”

“Fufu. Why? It’s fun, isn’t it? No one can see us anyway because of the barrier.”

“The kids can see! The kids!”

“Doggy~ I think I’m drunk too~”

“You’re a heavyweight, Layla.”

“Tch.”

***

“It’s getting noisy...”

Kim Si-Ah sighed as she watched the adults causing chaos.

“Haha, sorry. Mother Seol-Ah can’t handle her alcohol.” Oh Kang-Hyun smiled awkwardly as he scratched his head.

“

Woof!

”

Springie, excited by the sudden lively atmosphere, approached Kang-Hyun as he wagged his tail.

“Did you... decide to raise that dog?” Si-Ah asked.

“Yup. Cute, right?”

“Hmph. Not really.” Si-Ah turned away uninterestedly. She slightly glanced at Springie and asked coldly, “What’s... his name?”

“Springie.”

“Why Springie?”

“You know, because it’s spring right now.”

“That’s your reason?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re... so lame.”

“Urgh,” Kang-Hyun grunted, hit right on the mark. “I-I had other name ideas!”

“Like what?”

“Poppy... or Gilgamesh.”

“...”

“Oh, and François! Doesn’t it sound kind of elegant? Though Father shut it down...” Kang-Hyun mumbled.

“Lame,” Si-Ah remarked.

“Th-Then what would you have named him, Si-Ah?”

“Huh? M-Me?” Si-Ah asked flusteredly, not having expected the question.

She examined Springie’s fluffy brown fur and his small and round appearance.

She answered after some time, “L-Loofah?”

“Huh? Why Loofah?”

“Because... h-he looks like one.”

“...” Kang-Hyun stared at Si-Ah dumbfoundedly. “I don’t think you’re in any position to call someone lame.”

“S-Shut up! Why do I have to name someone else’s dog?!” Si-Ah shouted, her cheeks as red as a peach.

Kang-Hyun smirked and gestured for Springie to come.

“

Woof! Woof!

”

Springie ran to him with his tail wagging. Kang-Hyun stroked Springie’s back as Springie burrowed deeper into his embrace. Si-Ah raised her lunch box in silence as she watched Kang-Hyun. She fell into thought as she munched on the side dishes.

“What’s wrong? Is it not to your liking?”

“N-No, it’s not that. There are so many side dishes and they’re all delicious.”

“Right? Mother Seol-Ah is an amazing cook,” said Kang-Hyun proudly as he looked at Seol-Ah but quickly looked away. “A-Ahem. Sh-She seems a little busy right now, though.”

A drunk Seol-Ah was trying to undress, Kang-Woo and Yeon-Joo were using all their might to stop her, and Lilith was simply laughing at the sight. As their son, Kang-Hyun was embarrassed at the sight.

“That aside... why aren’t you eating?” Si-Ah asked as she peeked at Kang-Hyun.

“Me?”

“Yeah. You’ve... barely eaten.”

As Si-Ah mentioned, Kang-Hyun hadn’t eaten much because Springie was clinging so much to him.

“Haha. I’m okay. I’m not that hungry.”

Kang-Hyun could also eat Seol-Ah’s food as much as he wanted at home, so he was not as invested in the lunch boxes.

“Even so...” Si-Ah slurred as she repeatedly picked up and put down the egg roll in her lunch box. “Huuu.”

She took a deep breath as if she had resolved herself and picked up the egg roll. Just then, Kang-Hee sat next to Kang-Hyun in a flash and brought a sausage toward Kang-Hyun’s mouth.

“Oppa, have some of this.”

“Oh, thanks.”

Kang-Hyun smiled at his little sister’s generosity and ate the sausage. The harmonious taste of the sweet ketchup and the savory sausage filled his mouth.

“Is it good?” Kang-Hee asked.

“Yeah, it is.”

“I’ll give you some more.”

“No, you don’t have t—”

“What do you want to eat, oppa?”

Kang-Hee clung to Kang-Hyun as she grabbed side dishes with her chopsticks and fed him.

“Ah...”

Si-Ah, having lost her chance, blankly stared at Kang-Hee feeding Kang-Hyun while still holding the egg roll. Just then, Kang-Hee turned to Si-Ah and snorted as she smirked.

“Heh.”

“...”

A blood vessel bulged from Si-Ah’s forehead. She sat next to the other side of Kang-Hyun and brought the egg roll toward his mouth.

“Eat it.”

“Huh? I-I’m in the middle of eating something right n—”

“Eat it.”

“Mmrp!”

Si-Ah stuffed the egg roll into Kang-Hyun’s mouth.

Kang-Hee frowned intensely. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“What does it look like? Isn’t it obvious?”

“Can’t you see that I’m feeding oppa?”

“Is the order that important?”

“He’s having trouble eating.”

“Then I guess you can stop feeding him.”

“Hah, how brazen of you.” Kang-Hee glared at Si-Ah and hugged Kang-Hyun’s arm. “Is that jealousy I see?”

“J-Jealousy...?” Si-Ah said flusteredly. She stuttered like a broken machine as she asked, “Wh-Who’s jealous?”

“Hmph. I don’t think I need to answer that.”

Kang-Hee snorted and glared sharply at Si-Ah.

Si-Ah’s gaze turned cold as she asked, “That aside, why are you speaking informally to me?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“You did.”

“Hah. Are you taking advantage of your age since things aren’t going your way with words?”

“...”

Si-Ah bit her lip. She stared intently at Kang-Hyun’s free arm and slowly raised her arms.

“Ngh...”

However, she couldn’t bring herself to embrace Kang-Hyun’s arm as confidently as Kang-Hee, so she put her arms back down. Si-Ah clenched her fists in frustration and Kang-Hee smiled victoriously as she stared at Si-Ah.

“C-Could you both stop th—”

“Be quiet, oppa.”

“Shut your mouth.”

“Okay,” Kang-Hyun promptly answered under the fearsome pressure from both sides.

“Haaa,” Si-Ah sighed deeply after a long war of nerves against Kang-Hee and put down her lunch box. “I’m going.”

“Huh? Where?”

“The washroom.”

Si-Ah shook off the dust on her skirt with her hands and stood up.

“Alright, oppa~ let’s eat the rest of this lunch box!”

Kang-Hee stared at Si-Ah getting further away as she smiled like a victor and grabbed more food from the lunch box to bring toward Kang-Hyun’s mouth.

“Hmm...”

Kang-Hyun stared at Si-Ah’s back as she walked away instead of eating the food Kang-Hee brought toward him.

***

“Haaa. What the hell?!”

Si-Ah kicked a nearby cherry blossom tree irritatingly. She boiled with anger as she recalled Kang-Hee’s face as she clung to Kang-Hyun.

“I... feel like an idiot.”

She couldn’t understand why she had to feel this way for that weakling of a boy.

“For that half-baked weakling who can’t even use mana when he’s already nine...!”

Si-Ah expressed her boiling rage as she gritted her teeth. She then flinched after realizing what she had said out loud and quickly looked around.

“Phew,” she sighed in relief only after checking no one was around.

“Ngh...!”

‘Why the hell am I worrying about that idiot after coming here? I’m sure he’s still back there being fed by his little sister, smiling like an idiot!’

Si-Ah surged with rage again as she imagined Kang-Hyun being fed by his little sister.

“Argh!”

Wham!

Si-Ah kicked the tree again, unable to contain her rage. Cherry blossom petals fell like snow.

“Haaa.”

Wriggle.

Just as she was about to calm down and return, she felt something move on her shoulder.

“H-Huh...?”

Si-Ah’s expression froze as she slowly turned to look at her shoulder. A caterpillar, likely having fallen on her shoulder as she kicked the tree, was squirming on her shoulder.

“H-Hyaaaahh!”

She froze as if she had been cursed with petrification. She was so afraid that she couldn’t even think about brushing off the caterpillar.

‘A-A bug! A b-bug is on my s-s-s-s-shoulder!’

Si-Ah’s legs shook as her eyes filled with tears. She knew the insect would fall off her shoulder with just a brush of a hand, but she couldn’t move.

‘S-Someone, please help me...!’

She shut her eyes tightly, begging for someone to help in her head. Just then, Kang-Hyun suddenly appeared to remove the caterpillar from her shoulder.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“H-Huh? Wh-Wh-Why are you here...?”

“I was... worried about you. I thought you had a stomachache or something.”

Kang-Hyun smiled awkwardly and scratched his head. Si-Ah clenched her fists, her face as red as a tomato.

She stuttered, “D-Don’t tell anyone about...”

“Okay, I won’t.”

Si-Ah did not want anyone to know she had burst into tears, unable to move, because of a tiny bug on her shoulder.

“Th-Thanks...”

“It’s nothing. More importantly, you weren’t bitten or anything like that, right?”

“...” Si-Ah bit her lip and looked away from Kang-Hyun. “You think... I’m an idiot, don’t you?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I was trembling in fear because of that tiny bug.”

“Why does that make you an idiot?’ Kang-Hyun smiled and shook his head. “Everyone is scared of something. Besides, tons of girls in my class are scared of bugs.”

“B-But I’m the Martial God’s daughter!”

She thought it was unsightly for the Martial God’s daughter to tremble in fear because of a caterpillar.

“So what?” Kang-Hyun gently brushed off the cherry blossom petals on Si-Ah’s head and continued, “You’re Kim Si-Ah before you’re the Martial God’s daughter.”

“Ah...” Si-Ah’s eyes widened. Her cheeks turned as pink as the petals. “Y-Y-You’re acting awfully cool for a weakling. It doesn’t suit you.”

“Haha. Sorry.” Kang-Hyun smiled and grabbed her hand. “Let’s go. The adults are probably getting worried.”

“O-Okay.”

Si-Ah could feel the warmth from Kang-Hyun’s hand. The spring season in her heart ended with the cherry blossoms and summer arrived.

***

Kang-Hee was left alone after Kang-Hyun went to look for Si-Ah because he was worried about her. She looked down at the lunch box which was still over half full.

“Kim... Si-Ah...”

Crack!

She menacingly mumbled as the chopsticks in her hand shattered.