PIA 89

“Isn’t it hot?”

Jeong Hee-seo, walking beside Ji-an, asked.

“It’s bearable. It’s not humid. This path feels cool, probably because of all the trees.”

“True. The cicadas are incredibly loud.”

Jeong Hee-seo’s gaze turned to the dense forest behind Ji-an. Just then, a breeze blew from behind him towards Ji-an. The scattered light was dazzling, and the feeling of pheromones sparkling and flying towards him was fantastic.

It was magical pheromones that made him able to eat effortlessly, even though he had eaten so much that the restaurant owner had discreetly asked if they were filming something. Ji-an leaned against Jeong Hee-seo, grinning broadly.

After meeting Ye-seo and experiencing Poggles’s first greeting, Ji-an had a change of heart. He thought that with something so beautiful inside him, he shouldn’t darken his mood with preemptive guilt over a future that hadn’t even arrived yet.

“We need to go this way,” Ji-an said, looking at his phone and guiding Jeong Hee-seo. He followed his lead without showing any sign of irritation despite the heat. They had left their car at the restaurant since their destination was in a small market beyond the park.

The bakery they found while searching during their meal at the restaurant was nearby.

“They say they have fresh strawberry cake even at this time of year!”

“I told you so.”

“Pardon?”

“I said you’d want strawberries.”

“Wasn’t it peaches?”

Ji-an pretended not to know and changed the subject. Jeong Hee-seo then held out his hand. When he absentmindedly took it, he pulled him close. Caught off guard, Ji-an bumped his cheek against his chest.

“If you want strawberries, just say so. I’ll get them for you without you having to look for cake.”

“Ouch, you’re being a bit rough. I told you that hurts.”

He just grinned in response and squeezed his hand tighter.

As Ji-an’s mood improved, so did his, without even realizing it. The two walked down the scorching path, not only holding hands but entwining their arms as they went.

* * *

‘Cake!’

It was as if the fairy in his belly had shouted. Ji-an, startled awake, blinked slowly in the darkness. Jeong Hee-seo was sleeping peacefully, facing him. After gazing at his fine skin under the dim night light, he gently kissed his cheek.

Poggles, do you really need to eat right now?

The time was just past 4 AM. Lying back down straight, he tried to fall asleep, but the more he told himself not to think about cake, the more he thought about it. Even Jeong Hee-seo’s pheromone-laced breath softly flowing from beside him couldn’t calm Ji-an’s appetite. If anything, it made it worse.

While Jeong Hee-seo’s pheromones had previously prevented him from even drinking water, now they tormented him in a new way.

It was less distressing than not being able to eat at all. Plus, the coveted cake was just one floor down in the refrigerator. It was far better than demanding a rare seasonal delicacy that was impossible to find at this time of year.

Ji-an snorted at the thought. It was too early to jump to conclusions, as this little one might crave something else tomorrow night.

“…”

He gently moved Jeong Hee-seo’s hand from his waist and placed his own hands on his belly. He waited quietly, hoping that if it really was what Poggles wanted, there would be some bubbling signal, but there was no response.

You’re already so clever, pretending not to know, aren’t you?

Ji-an carefully slipped out from under the covers like a thief sneaking through the house. He avoided wearing slippers to prevent making any noise and stepped onto the cold floor with his bare feet.

He took about three steps on his toes before a chill ran down his spine, and he turned back. But Jeong Hee-seo was still sleeping soundly.

Once past the door, which opened smoothly without a sound, it was easy. He quickly went down the stairs, turned on the light, and took out the white box he had previously stored in the refrigerator.

The white cream cake topped with fresh strawberries, which the owner said were grown on their own highland farm, made his mouth water just by looking at it. Ji-an generously cut a quarter of it and placed it on a plate.

Then, as he was about to take a bite…

—You’re quite skilled.

The piece of cake on the fork dropped. Ji-an stared into space, unable to close his mouth.

“Oh my god…”

—It’s been a while, how have you been? Aren’t you glad to see me?

Glad? The appetite that had been raging within him instantly vanished, which made Ji-an think that the one with the real talent was this voice. He glared at the innocent-looking plate.

“Why did you appear?”

When he needed it, no matter how much he called, it never answered… The sense of betrayal was immense, as ‘Seo Ji-an’ was the only being in the world who knew his situation. His initial desperation had turned into resentment and eventually into bitterness.

—Don’t be so tense. I’m not your enemy.

“You’re not on my side either.”

—Haha.

The voice chuckled softly. Was it just his imagination that it seemed tired?

—So you finally found out about Seo Ji-hyuk… How do you feel? Don’t you hate Yoon Ok-hee?

“What is there to feel? It just sucks. I also feel sorry for mom who had to live like that.”

—…

“At first, I couldn’t understand,but no matter how much I thought about it, I realized it’s something I’ll never fully grasp. I can barely see beyond my own nose. Besides, the mom in this world hasn’t done anything wrong to me… So I’m just holding on, thinking there must have been a reason for it.”

—I see. So that’s what you thought…

“I just… I also feel sorry for my mom in that world. At least in this world, Seo Ji-hyuk disappeared. Thanks to ‘Seo Ji-an’.”

This was a thought that had occurred to him occasionally over the past few weeks when he recalled the secret. In this world, Yoon Ok-hee was fortunate that Seo Ji-hyuk was gone. It would be better for Yoon Ok-hee if he never found his way back.

—It would be better not to provoke Seo Ji-hyuk too much.

“How am I provoking him? If anything, I’m trying to stay out of the way. Let the main couple live happily together.”

Ji-an suddenly remembered that he hadn’t answered Seo Ji-hyuk yet.

—Your very existence is a foreign object to Seo Ji-hyuk. He’s the protagonist of that world, and you’re the villain. You’re destined to fall in disgrace. The happier you become, the more you provoke his character. Don’t forget that.”

“Hey… that’s not right. How can you say such nonsense now? You said it yourself, there’s no difference between characters and humans. You said it’s just life.”

If they had to follow the fate prescribed by the story, then what was the point of living? If they struggled, shouldn’t there at least be a reward commensurate with that effort?

The voice seemed lost in thought and didn’t respond. Ji-an gripped the fork tightly.

—… Is the baby growing well?

“…?”

Why would the voice that once urged him to have an abortion now ask about Poggles? Ji-an wrapped his arms around his lower abdomen, suddenly overcome with anxiety.

“When you said we should switch for just a year… I doubted my sanity every day. No one in this world would believe me. Your voice is both proof that I’m not crazy… and proof that I might be.”

—…

“Poggles is… my driving force and my strength to endure. So don’t mess with the baby and just disappear.”

Ji-an glanced up the stairs. Strangely, he felt guilty towards ‘hyung-nim’ when he said the baby was his driving force.

—Ji-an.

It was the first time the voice had called him in such a gentle tone. The unfamiliarity of it made Ji-an’s face crumple.

—Do you want to keep living there?

The thunderbolt-like question echoed in Ji-an’s head.

For a moment, his mind went blank. It was a completely unexpected question. Perhaps that’s why Ji-an missed the timing to answer.

“Ji-an?”

As Ji-an was about to answer, staring blankly into space, Jeong Hee-seo slowly came down the stairs. Ji-an’s face was marked with confusion.

—Take care. I’ll be back soon.

The voice added one more thing and disappeared.

“… Did you want to eat cake?”

Jeong Hee-seo stood in front of Ji-an, who was still blinking in confusion. He had come down just as he was, wearing only pajama pants. The warmth from his bare chest radiated toward Ji-an.

Ji-an didn’t know what to say to him. His mind was a tangled mess of thoughts.

Did he really want to keep living here? That question implied abandoning his original world.

Was that even possible?

Would he choose to continue living in a world where he was destined to be a villain?

Could he leave behind the place where he had lived his entire life?

Ji-an realized how weak he was. While his heart ached at the thought of leaving Hee-seo and the baby, he had actually been relieved that he didn’t have a choice.

But now, he was being asked to choose for himself…

“Ji-an?”

As Ji-an’s face contorted, Jeong Hee-seo carefully reached out and cupped his cheeks. The warmth of those hands felt overwhelmingly real. Ji-an’s eyes wavered as he looked up at Jeong Hee-seo.

“I thought I heard voices…”

“Hyung-nim… I…”

Jeong Hee-seo was startled by the way Ji-an’s shoulders were trembling like a leaf. He began to check if something was wrong with him, but Ji-an raised both arms. His tear-filled eyes were contorted as if he had seen something terrifying.

Jeong Hee-seo, confused by Ji-an’s tears, hesitated, not knowing what to do. Ji-an placed his hands on Hee-seo’s chest and pleaded.

“Please… hold me.”