“I didn’t really think you’d readily agree.”
“Confessing that you thought I was teasing you so blatantly.”
Behind a faint laugh, Jun’s hand swept across my cheek. Unlike his always casual words, Jun’s touch was warm, making it difficult to figure out what to say. Jun’s habit of treating me casually didn’t change.
“Even without that, I already brought it out, thinking you might say something like ‘you also wear it.’ If you change into it now, will it be okay?”
“Seeing Kim Jun in a school uniform after a long time.”
“Even though you’ve seen me in a suit many times, is there a hidden romance with a school uniform?”
“It’s not the school uniform, it’s you who has a romance with it.”
“…Iharu. Don’t suddenly barge in. It makes my heart flutter.”
It was always like that when I was with you. My chest, filled with unspoken words, was brimming with excitement.
“Iharu.”
“It’s still me.”
“It feels like I’ve heard that a few times.”
“I’ll leave soon.”
“This is already the second time you’ve said that.”
“If I say it for the third time, I’ll leave.”
“Then say it now. No need to wait.”
“Hurry up…”
“Stop it?”
Ignoring Jun’s futile words, I carefully examined myself in front of the mirror. In fact, I had already put it on a while ago. I wondered how Jun would see me now. Imagining an answer that couldn’t be known, the time spent standing at the door grew longer.
A white polo shirt with a lace collar and short navy blue shorts that were in fashion at the time.
Does it look awkward? Looking at my face in the mirror, turning it back and forth, doubts only arose. No matter how you look at it, it was a style suitable for the fresh age of twenty. I didn’t feel like taking a step in this way.
“It’s not that you haven’t put it on yet, you just haven’t shown it.”
“…”
“You look pretty no matter what you wear.”
“Kim Jun, speaking very straightforwardly.”
“If you come out, I’ll tell you sincerely.”
“Even that comment just now was too blunt.”
“If you think about the time I made you wait, you wouldn’t say such a thing.”
“I’ll leave soon.”
“No. I’ll go in.”
“Huh?”
Before I could reach out with the handle, the door suddenly opened wide. Jun’s expression, which felt serious rather than serious, caught my eye. Without realizing it, I took two steps back. It was a clumsy step that would easily be caught up by Jun.
“You were already wearing it.”
Jun’s face, which came closer to me, became closer. Jun’s expression, facing each other like that, soon looked like he had seen something unexpected. In that moment of surprise, a generous smile slowly spread in the place where the tension had been.
“It’s Iharu.”
“…”
“It’s a compliment. Iharu is always pretty. Like a set rule.”
“…It’s not that much. It’s just unnecessary words.”
“Even if you say it’s not like that, you wouldn’t believe it. Even though I think I don’t need to keep saying it. This saying keeps coming out. That you are so pretty.”
Feeling awkward and embarrassed, I lowered my gaze that had been facing Jun. Only then did I notice the clothes Jun was wearing. A school uniform that fit well on his slim yet well-built body, extending below the sharp jawline that had become more defined than nine years ago.
It fit too well. As if Jun wanted to believe that he had just come up from the past, that what you were seeing was the twenty-year-old Jun. So much so that I wanted to keep coaxing him to continue playing that prank, even if he boldly claimed that he did.
“You keep examining my body mischievously.”
“Ah.”
Taken aback, my breath caught in my throat.
“You’ve been looking at it.”
“Not my body, but the clothes. You’re wearing clothes right now.”
“Are you trying to reverse the request to take it off now?”
“Haah, Kim Jun. Get out.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll stop. Stop pushing.”
I wasn’t the one pushing against resistance; I was being pushed. Knowing this, he pushed me back even more.
“Let’s go on a date. Just like this. Just as we were when we first met.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Why not?”
“I didn’t expect to meet the staff anywhere. It’s suspicious enough that we’re just the two of us. And if you’re dressed like this, there’s really no excuse.”
“So, we just need to go where we won’t meet the staff.”
“…Still, it’s a bit.”
“It’s a rare opportunity. When will we ever feel like this? Just like on the day we first met, the way you made my heart flutter. Walking down the street, walking along the beach, and walking through my heart filled with love for you.”
“Inserting strange words at the end again.”
“It’s not strange, it’s the most important word.”
Even after saying such words and looking at his nonchalant face, the laughter I had held back kept bubbling up.
Still, since he didn’t continue with that answer, he proposed a compromise: if I, dressed in a school uniform, felt embarrassed, I should just leave and go. When I said that it wasn’t the problem now, the indifferent response came back, saying that there wouldn’t be a problem.
My worry about what if we meet the staff was clearly ignored. They decided in advance that it wouldn’t be a problem at all.
“If we get caught, I don’t know what will happen.”
“I told you, just leave if that happens.”
That’s not the problem. Our conversation once again came to a dead end. I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
About twenty minutes away from the road that always passed by, there was a beach. I realized anew how large the sea embraced this seaside village.
Not only did it generously open its arms, but the waves incessantly pushed into the land, as if telling us to come closer, quietly spreading over the ground where the sand lay.
“It’s the sea.”
Soon, we walked along the point where the waves approached our feet, trying to soak us, but soon gave up.
The sound of the waves flowed like gentle background music. Jun, who grew up looking at the sea, often looked at me, who easily became excited with just the sea, with a proud smile.
“Haru, wait a moment.”
“Yeah?”
I turned around, but Jun wasn’t there. The sensation of the sandals touching the wet sand pulled my chin down.
“Oh…”
Sandals, one size larger than my foot, easily sank into the wet sand. So, my ankles twisted more frequently. Jun, who had been watching me, sat down with one knee raised and began unfastening the sandal straps.
“Why are you doing this?”
“Take off your sandals and walk. They keep twisting.”
“No, it’s fine at this level. It’s because I’m wearing a larger size.”
“That’s why I’m telling you. Take off your sandals for a moment. It’s uncomfortable.”
“It’s okay…”
As soon as the small foot that had been in the sandal came out, Jun gathered both pairs of my sandals in his left hand and stood up.
“Shall we walk holding hands?”
“We don’t have the memory of holding hands on the day we first met.”
“That’s why it’s better. It’s nice to have at least one memory like that. Come on, hand.”
I gently extended my hand towards Jun. That was when.
“Huh? Nuna…”
Beyond the abruptly turned head, Hyunsoo, with a surprised expression, appeared. Nevertheless, it was fortunate that it was Hyunsoo whom I encountered, and the held-back emotions swept over my chest.
“The director is here too.”
The trembling gaze shifted sideways. I made eye contact with Jihun, who alternately looked at us with an expression that revealed nothing.
I withdrew the hand that hadn’t quite touched. In the brief upward glance, I saw Jun biting his lips slightly.
The Villainous Demon Lord Laid an Egg for Her (Female-Dominated)
Several months after transmigrating into a book, Yu Wu found herself facing the demon lord Li You, who could no longer conceal his dragon horns. With one hand on her aching waist and the other gripping a sharp sword, she stared at him.
The demon lord’s eyes were red with fury:
“This is all your doing! Today, I won’t rest until I kill you!”
Yu Wu rubbed her temples. Putting aside the taboo against bloodshed during pregnancy, wasn’t it this very man who willingly walked into her trap that day?!
Warnings:
- Male pregnancy.
- Height ratios are set to mirror typical male-female height proportions.
- Characters include a foot-loving demon lord and an eldest daughter from an immortal family’s concubine lineage.
