Does it not matter to you if I date other girls?
Seol Ji-oh turned his body and entered his house next door. He didn’t like himself for begging in such situations, but strangely, he couldn’t control himself in front of Yeo-un.
I just want to talk and play with you.
Childish desires that were more appropriate for much younger kids kept surfacing. Seol Ji-oh threw his bag aside as he reached his room and approached the window.
He opened the curtains slightly and looked through the gap at Yeo-un’s window.
He didn’t know when this habit started, but sometimes Seol Ji-oh would look through the window like this.
The girl took out a beautifully wrapped gift box from her bag and approached Seol Ji-oh while holding it in her arms. Then, with a flushed face, she extended the gift.
“Ji-oh, this!”
Seol Ji-oh lowered his gaze and silently stared at the gift. The girl spoke with a nervous tone.
“To be honest… I, I like you!”
It was a shy confession. His own heart, however, showed no reaction.
Seol Ji-oh glanced at the girl and then glanced briefly at Yeo-un standing behind him. Yeo-un was gesturing for him to quickly accept the gift.
He burst into laughter.
Accept it?
Should I treat her well?
Is that what you want?
Seol Ji-oh, with a slight smirk on one corner of his mouth, accepted the gift as Yeo-un wished.
“Huh…?”
Surprisingly, the girl looked up at Seol Ji-oh in astonishment. It was surprising for her that Seol Ji-oh, who always forcefully rejected confessions from girls, accepted her gift.
“…Name?”
Moreover, Seol Ji-oh asked for her name, and the girl’s eyes widened. Flustered, she stumbled while introducing herself.
“Uh, A-young! I’m Kim A-young!”
“Thank you. Can I have your number?”
Seol Ji-oh handed his phone to A-young.
Upon that, A-young, in a very nervous state, pressed the number on the phone. Seol Ji-oh turned his head as he watched A-young’s trembling fingers.
Yeo-un, standing behind him, was looking at them with widened eyes. It seemed surprising to her that Seol Ji-oh, who always flatly rejected confessions, accepted A-young’s gift.
Seol Ji-oh gazed at Yeo-un’s face, watching for any emotion other than surprise.
But there was no sign of jealousy, sadness, or resentment.
I wished you would feel even a little of those emotions… Maybe you really don’t.
“Here! I’ve entered everything!”
“Okay. Thanks. I’ll contact you.”
Smiling at A-young, Seol Ji-oh felt low inside but managed to smile brightly, as if he was interested in her.
A-young nervously greeted both of them and quickly left the classroom. Seol Ji-oh approached Yeo-un.
“How was it?”
“Huh?”
“Kim A-young… Who is she?”
How are you feeling right now?
He looked at Yeo-un’s face with a deliberately indifferent expression, hiding the question he truly wanted to ask. Yeo-un casually smiled and made light of A-young.
“A-young is really nice and a good person! Wow, do I finally get a girlfriend now?”
“…”
“I thought you’d never date anyone.”
“Why?”
“Just… Because. You’ve received so many confessions, but you’ve never accepted any, right?”
Seol Ji-oh silently looked down at Yeo-un.
The reason he had never accepted a confession. Does she not think it’s because of him?
I’ve always been by your side. I’ve never left your side.
“Why do you think I haven’t accepted a confession until now?”
“Huh? Just… Maybe because there hasn’t been a girl you liked?”
“…,”
Seol Ji-oh, who had been silently looking down at Yeo-un, turned around without saying a word. He felt upset.
It felt like he had once again confirmed the fact that he was just a friend to Yeo-un.
“Hey, let’s go together.”
Yeo-un followed behind him with small steps.
Seol Ji-oh walked out of the classroom and immediately turned around, slamming the classroom door shut behind him. It was too stifling, and he felt like saying something to relieve the tension.
As the noise from the corridor was blocked, the classroom became instantly quiet. Yeo-un looked at the suddenly closed door with confusion.
“Why are you doing this?”
Seol Ji-oh approached Yeo-un.
“What am I to you?”
“Huh?”
Yeo-un looked up at him with a bewildered expression.
“Come on, Seol Ji-oh.”
“So, what am I to you?”
“…A friend?”
“Is that all?”
Yeo-un, as if not understanding English, looked at Seol Ji-oh and asked.
“Why? You’re a friend, so what? We may be like family, but still, we’re not really family…”
A friend like family. He pondered on those words.
Seol Ji-oh moved his feet and approached Yeo-un. Yeo-un raised her eyes, surprised at his close proximity.
Looking into those eyes, Seol Ji-oh embraced Yeo-un.
“…!”
Yeo-un felt a sudden surprise. Seol Ji-oh, who had embraced her first, shocked her, and she closed her eyes, startled by the pounding of her heart.
The sensation of embracing Yeo-un for the first time made his head go blank. It was confusing whether it was reality or a dream.
Feeling his body temperature rising rapidly, he managed to regain his composure with great effort.
How is Yeo-un feeling right now?
Was she shocked that I suddenly hugged her?
My heart feels like it’s about to explode; maybe Yeo-un’s heart is also beating fast?
At that moment, Yeo-un raised her hand and gently touched his back. Seol Ji-oh was surprised by Yeo-un’s touch on his back.
Through his ear, he heard Yeo-un’s soft voice.
“What happened? Did someone bother you? Or maybe… did your mother come yesterday?”
Comforting touch on his back, a gesture without any ulterior motive, relieved Seol Ji-oh.
Sigh…
It was a gesture completely different from his feelings. It was merely a comforting touch given to a stubborn little brother.
Unlike him, her heart seemed calm. There was no tension or trembling, as if none existed.
“Did you get scolded by the teacher? Or maybe… did your mother come yesterday?”
Seol Ji-oh released Yeo-un from the hug. Yeo-un looked up at him with round eyes, then giggled.
“Why are you acting strange today?”
“…Sorry. I’ll go first.”
“Huh? Hey, Seol Ji-oh!”
He left the classroom just like that. Yeo-un’s voice echoed behind him, but he had no strength to respond.
He felt incredibly sad and angry.
I gathered the courage to hug Yeo-un, but what I received in return was just a comforting touch.
She really doesn’t see me as a man.
To her, I’m just a friend.
That night, Seol Ji-oh couldn’t fall asleep until late. Sitting in front of the window as a habit, he gazed outside. Rain was pouring down heavily beyond the window.
Listening to the sound of rain, Seol Ji-oh looked at Yeo-un’s window with the curtains drawn. Yeo-un. Yeo-un. He repeated the round name several times, tasting it.
What should I do with these almost bursting emotions?
Seol Ji-oh thought of Yeo-un’s face, oblivious to these feelings. How long could he pretend to be just friends with these emotions buried?
It was frustrating, but there was no other way. Instead of confessing in vain and risking losing Yeo-un, it seemed better to wait a little longer.
Yeah, there’s plenty of time.
After all, the closest man to Yeo-un is me, so won’t she eventually see me as a man?
However, the next day, Seol Ji-oh painfully realized that his thoughts were wrong.
Yeo-un had disappeared. Like magic.
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.
