IBODBF 68

Chapter 68

“Are you hurt?”

Jaius took a step closer to me and reached out his hand. Just as that hand was about to touch my cheek, I took two steps back.

He must’ve thought I was in pain because my face was burning red.

Now even my neck felt hot—it was probably the same shade too.

“N–no! I’m not hurt at all!”

I was so embarrassed I could die. Seriously, shouldn’t he be the one embarrassed right now? Why am I the one blushing like this?!

“Come here.”

“No!”

I waved my hands in refusal.

Maybe from a distance, it wasn’t clear whether I was actually hurt or not, but if he came any closer, he’d definitely notice the real reason.

“I–I told you I’m fine!”

As I stepped further away, Jaius finally let out a long sigh.

Then, resting one hand on his hip, he asked,

“…Then why did you come here?”

“Well, that’s, um…”

I hadn’t come for anything impure—it was just to give him a gift! So why did even that make me feel so embarrassed?

“What time is it?”

“Nine o’clock.”

“What?”

It’s already nine?! The finale’s only moving if you see it from the start!

The moment I realized time was short, all the embarrassment vanished. My head was now filled with just one thought: I have to see the finale!

“Come with me somewhere first.”

“Huh?”

Grabbing Jaius’s hand, I ran up to the rooftop. It was the perfect spot to watch it from.

We climbed stair after stair until we finally arrived. My breath was a bit ragged, but I swallowed it down and opened the door.

Bang, bang—!

At that very moment, dazzling lights blossomed across the night sky.

Phew, I made it in time!

Rita had said there would be fireworks on the last night of the Baeksul Festival.

I remembered that conversation from earlier that morning at the auction house. That’s when I’d come up with the plan—to watch the fireworks with Jaius in the plaza, then give him the gift.

Because I’d overslept, we were watching them from the mansion rooftop instead.

Well… this isn’t bad either.

Or maybe… it’s even better?

Hmm. Fireworks do look nicer from a bit farther away.

I turned my head slightly to glance at Jaius. As I expected, he looked completely mesmerized.

“Let’s go closer.”

Still holding his hand, I pulled him forward across the rooftop. Wanting to get as close as possible, I stood by the railing.

Letting go of his hand, I leaned on the railing and looked up at the same sky Jaius was gazing at.

I was relieved that his attention was caught by the fireworks.

If he’d brought that up again, we probably wouldn’t even be watching this finale right now.

Seeing that he didn’t seem to dislike this, I relaxed a little. I’d worried he might not enjoy it.

I’d give him the gift once the fireworks ended.

Smiling to myself, I murmured,

“Pretty, isn’t it?”

“…Yeah.”

“I knew you’d like it.”

“I like it a lot.”

Hmm? That sounded a little odd.

It was like he was answering my question—but also not?

I tilted my head, a little puzzled, but brushed it off. He must’ve just been that impressed.

“Well, aren’t you loving it—”

I couldn’t finish the sentence.

I’d turned slightly to tease him a bit, but the moment I did, our eyes met.

Those eyes weren’t the usual bright crimson—they’d deepened into a dark, wine-red hue.

The moment I saw them, my breath caught.

That deep oceanic gaze stirred something in my chest.

As I kept staring, all the booming sounds of fireworks vanished.

It felt as if the world had melted away, leaving only the two of us.

“…Hey, what? Since when were you staring at me?”

“…”

“Aren’t you watching the fireworks? You said you liked them.”

“I’ve been watching from the start.”

“What are you—”

“I like you.”

Everything felt strange—him saying it, and me hearing it.

He was clearly talking about the fireworks, and yet… why did it feel like the subject of that sentence was me?

Was I imagining things? Probably, right? He just happened to say it while looking at me.

I forced away my confusion and gave a nervous little laugh.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it—”

“Senika.”

“…?”

“It’s not the fireworks. Everything I find beautiful, everything I like—
it’s all you.”

Bang! Boom!

Fireworks exploded not just in the sky, but in my head too.

Beeeeep—

A ringing filled my ears.

Wait… all of that… was really meant for me?

It was the first time Jaius had said something like that aloud. The emotion in his voice was so different from the subtle hints before—it overflowed.

My fingertips tingled as if electricity ran through them. My chest tightened. I could barely breathe. It felt like my heart might actually burst out of me.

Maybe that would be easier. At least then, I could do something about how hard it was pounding.

“Ugh…”

Grabbing my chest, I sank weakly to the ground.

Startled, Jaius bent down to support me, but I pushed his shoulder away.

“S–stop…”

“Senika.”

He called my name softly, gently, and I lowered my head even further.

If I looked up now, I felt like the feelings I’d locked away for so long would come spilling out uncontrollably.

“Senika!”

This time, his voice was louder, almost scolding.

He must’ve thought I was sick again, like earlier, and was genuinely worried.

His hand carefully cupped my cheek. Maybe because my face was so hot, his touch felt cool.

Then he slowly tilted my face up to look at me—and his expression turned to shock.

It was no wonder; my face must’ve been bright red, practically about to explode.

In his crimson eyes, the reflection of me looked unmistakably like a girl in love.

I bit my lip and looked up at him with eyes full of helpless frustration.

“…”

We said nothing—no, we couldn’t say anything.

I was too mortified that my secret had been exposed, and he… probably never imagined this moment either.

The night air was cool, yet my whole body burned. The heat wouldn’t go away.

“Here.”

To break the unbearable silence, I stretched out the hand I’d been hiding behind my back.

It wasn’t how I’d planned it—I’d wanted to say something charming and give it to him romantically. But at this point, I had no choice.

Jaius glanced down at the small box with the snow globe, then looked back at me.

“It’s a gift.”

That was my answer to the question in his eyes.

But instead of taking it, he just stared at me.

So I grabbed his hand and set the box in his palm.

“A gift?”

“You’re leaving tomorrow, right? Think of it as a keepsake.”

Freeing my hands, I stood up. Jaius followed silently, eyes still fixed on me.

He looked almost… unbelieving.

“Aren’t you going to open it?”

“…Is it really okay if I accept this?”

“Do you know how much I went through this morning to get it for you?”

Well, actually, Joshua did most of the work—but since he wasn’t here, I could take some credit.

“This morning?”

“Yeah. I went out early so no one else would grab it first.”

“You didn’t go alone, did you?”

“Of course not, I went with Joshua! Anyway, just know it’s really expensive. It was hard to find.”

Jaius blinked slowly, then let out a quiet laugh.

That laugh carried so many mixed emotions that I couldn’t even pick them apart.

It wasn’t unpleasant—it was warm. It made me smile, too.

“I hope you like it.”

He opened the box and carefully lifted out the snow globe, turning it in his hands.

Then he looked at me, a gentle curve on his lips.

“I do.”

“You mean you like the snow globe, not me, right?”

“I like you because you’re you.
And I like the snow globe because you gave it to me.”

“…”

Honestly, Jaius might be the best person in the world at leaving people speechless.

My fingers and toes curled up involuntarily—but I couldn’t say I hated it.

Trying to hide my smile, I rubbed my cheek and turned my head away. The sky was dark again.

The fireworks that had filled the night had long ended.

“Too bad we didn’t see the end.”

“Come to the North when the festival’s held.”

“They do fireworks there too? Then next time, let’s watch them together!”

The White Night Festival. That was what the celebration in the Black Dragon family’s territory was called. I remembered from history class—“white night” referred to when the sun never set, even at night.

They said the festival lasted for a week while that phenomenon occurred.

But wait, didn’t it snow all the time up north? How did they manage fireworks then?

“But doesn’t it snow every day in the North? Can you even have fireworks there?”

“…”

“And if the sun doesn’t set, what’s the point of fireworks?”

At my innocent question, Jaius’s faint smile twitched.

Of course I noticed. So you just made that up, huh?

I smirked slightly, and he quickly changed his expression to one of composure.

“It’s possible—on days when it doesn’t snow.”

“Oh, so it doesn’t snow during the white nights? That explains why those days are rare.”

“…”

I teased him with that irrefutable logic, and Jaius shut his mouth tight like a clam.