Chapter 45
As a child, a mysterious girl saved me and then disappeared without a trace.
Well, sure. It’s an unforgettable, impressive story, but…
Hearing it somehow made me feel strange.
No, that’s not it. Whether that girl was Ruan’s first love or not has nothing to do with me. Honestly.
“So, has Zoe been staying in the North all this time?”
While I shook my head to collect myself, Ruan asked a difficult question.
“Um… well, I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not. Ha ha ha…”
“Did she stay or not? Or were you in the capital?”
I tried to dodge the question, but Ruan caught onto me.
“Ahaha, well… was I in the capital? Or wasn’t I?”
Ruan looked at me with a suspicious gaze as I babbled nonsense.
Ugh, I don’t know… the childhood story wasn’t in the tutorial…
All I know is that Zoe’s last name is Blanche and her parents died in an accident, leaving her an orphan.
But how could I explain the complicated situation of a possessed character to Ruan? My head started to hurt.
System, if you know the answer, tell me!
I’d been silently asking for help, but as expected, no answer came.
Of course. I wasn’t expecting anything.
“Zoe?”
“Ah, sorry. Actually… all my family died in an accident, but I survived alone. Because of the aftereffects, my memories before the accident are hazy…”
To clear Ruan’s doubts, I quickly put on a tragic expression and vaguely explained.
It wasn’t a lie anyway. That was the only thing “Zoe Blanche” and “Kang Haneul” had in common.
“I asked an unnecessary question. Sorry, Zoe.”
Ruan’s flustered face came into view.
It was the familiar expression people had when they looked at me after the accident.
‘Poor child at a young age, tsk tsk…’
‘Guys, I went on a family trip yesterday…! Ah, sorry Haneul.’
Sometimes, pity can be a kind of violence.
After fully accepting the death of my family and dulling the pain to some extent,
even if I said I was fine, no one took my words at face value.
No matter how much time passed, to others I was still a “pitiful child.”
“Haha… it’s okay. It’s all in the past anyway.”
Normally, I would have joked to lighten the mood, but for some reason, my lips wouldn’t form a smile, so I lowered my lashes and barely forced out my voice.
Then Ruan’s gaze lingered on my shadowed face.
“Still, we should thank Zoe’s parents.”
“…Thank? Why?”
Ruan paused as if thinking, then placed his large hand over my cherry-blossom-colored hair, smiling as he said:
“That’s because your parents raised you with love, allowing you to grow up bright and strong.”
“…”
“Zoe. The Zoe I see is a warm and strong person.”
It was unexpected.
After all, this was the first time Ruan had said something like this to me.
I raised my head and quietly met Ruan’s calm gaze.
Seeing his transparent purple eyes, without a hint of deceit, made me feel like I might cry.
“…Thank you for saying that.”
“Zoe.”
Before I knew it, a transparent tear slid down my cheek. Ruan’s long, slender fingers, which had been resting on my head, gently brushed down my face.
His warm fingers swept across the wet corner of my eye, then glided down to my slightly flushed cheek.
I looked at him as he softly touched my cheek.
“Actually, that’s what I wanted to hear too.”
“Huh?”
Wanted to hear? What does that mean?
He lowered his gaze briefly, then continued calmly:
“Actually, I have an older brother. Unlike me, he’s very strong and perfect at everything.”
Wow, Ruan has a brother? I wonder if he looks just like him…?
Thinking it was serious, I relaxed when it turned out to be a normal topic and replied:
“Wow, you have a brother? Lucky… I’m an only child. So, um… does your brother look like you?”
“I’m said to resemble my father, and my brother resembles my mother.”
Wait, if he looks like his father, then his father must be handsome, and his mother must be stunning too.
“Wow. Then your brother must be handsome too…”
Ha, handsome siblings… this game really is the best.
I smiled faintly at the endless blessings of handsome people.
The tears that had been flowing had gone.
Since Ruan had never talked about himself or his family before, I stared at him, silently urging him to continue.
After a brief pause, he calmly continued:
“Yes, everyone liked my brother. I respected and followed him as well.”
“Eh, Ruan, you’re great at everything too, aren’t you? Last time, you even broke a wall with your sword…”
“No, compared to him, I’m nothing.”
Hmm, someone like Ruan doesn’t need to be humble…
I looked at him in confusion.
If Ruan were a royal or noble heir…
Rich family, beautiful, and possesses aura…
This guy is basically the perfect ideal son.
“Hmm, your older brother is better than you… I really want to meet him someday!”
“If you met Zoe, my brother would have liked her too.”
“Oh, then speaking of which…”
“If he were alive.”
The atmosphere froze like ice.
I couldn’t think of anything to say, just rolling my eyes in panic.
“Uh… sorry, I didn’t… know that.”
I wanted to hide in a hole. Asking stupid questions about handsome guys when I didn’t know…
I hung my head in shame at my thoughtlessness.
“It’s okay. It’s all in the past anyway.”
“Still…”
“When my brother died, everyone looked at me with pity. As a child, I hated it.”
Ruan cupped my face with both hands and lifted it to meet my eyes.
His gaze was infinitely warm.
“That’s why I wanted to tell you that instead of comforting words. Thank you for growing up bright and strong.”
Seeing Ruan’s smile blossom like a flower, my heart felt unbearably ticklish.
Crazy… heart, calm down!
Is it arrhythmia? Why are you pounding like this?
I calmed my quickened breath and slowly parted my lips.
“Ru… Ruan, thank you for growing up strong and bright too.”
Ruan’s eyes widened, then locked onto my face.
“Thank you for saying that.”
I stared at Ruan’s bright smile.
Jet-black hair, purple eyes, long lashes shading them, a charming tear spot above his cheekbone.
All together, it was like a perfect sculpture.
Lost in his beauty, I suddenly met Ruan’s gaze.
“Ah… th-then… shall we go out now? Sophia must be waiting…”
I tried to turn my head in embarrassment, but Ruan gently held my chin in place.
At that moment, his intense gaze pierced me.
Like a prey in front of a predator, I parted my lips nervously.
“Ru… Ruan?”
Ruan stared at me without answering.
My face might break…
Why did the atmosphere suddenly turn like this?
Vulnerable to physical contact, I froze on the spot.
Unlike Ruan, who shamelessly teased me despite being young, I was a pure, born solo, totally clueless in romance.
For someone like me, this situation was overwhelmingly intense.
While I rolled my eyes in panic, Ruan slowly closed the distance between us.
“Ru… Ruan, don’t joke around.”
“Zoe, close your eyes.”
Close my eyes? You crazy…!
No way… he’s going to, he’s going to… kiss me?
Crazy, I haven’t even had my first kiss yet!
