Da-eun’s house.
Now, it feels like it’s my house too, and sitting on the bed in this now-familiar place, I sank into my thoughts.
At one point, Edel said that the birth of the girl nad Kanna-aria was a miracle.
Due to a clash with the dinsionals, a hole was made in the dinsional wall of Earth, far away.
By chance, a normal soul slipped through that hole, surviving the dinsional whirlpool without any protection.
After enduring the violent current, it broke through the walls of the world of Celia and settled into this world—a miracle that couldn’t be explained by re chance.
It’s a little funny that a god who creates miracles said that, but that only made the feeling of impossibility stronger.
‘Definitely, that’s true.’
If the shock from the clash with the dinsionals hadn’t been transmitted to Earth…
If I hadn’t been able to slip through the gap…
If I hadn’t survived the whirlpool, or if I had survived but lost the current and didn’t reach Celia, or if I was thrown back by the wall, or if I had died before I could even think...
Though I don’t rember, the reason I’m here now is because I overca countless "what ifs."
If soone else were to ask if others also overca their "what ifs" to live their lives, the answer would be yes, but even with that in mind, my life has been unusually full of twists and turns.
“Kanna, what are you doing?”
“Just reflecting on life.”
“…Suddenly?”
Da-eun made a puzzled expression.
Then, she carefully asked .
“…You’re not thinking bad thoughts, are you?”
“Bad thoughts? I’m not sure what you an, but it’s nothing like that.”
When I heard Edel’s words earlier, I did feel a strange emotion for a mont.
I couldn’t exactly na the feeling, but…
I think it was probably a sense of emptiness.
After eting Edel in Seongguk and talking, I had been pushing forward to completely annihilate the dinsionals.
Going to Raxia, raising my rank, and coming to Earth, all of that was for that purpose.
Now, hearing that it’s no longer necessary to completely annihilate them, I felt a sense of emptiness, like I had lost my goal.
I couldn’t explain this to anyone else, but I couldn’t help but feel that my guess was correct.
However, when I thought about it more, I realized that feeling wasn’t useful at all.
The danger had decreased, and my work was lessened, yet instead of feeling satisfied, I was complaining.
‘Maybe I’ve gotten too comfortable.’
Just because the work got easier didn’t an my value had diminished.
“Yeah. It was a pointless thought.”
“Hmm… I don’t really get it, but… anyway, it’s all resolved, right?”
Da-eun, who had shown so unease, finally gave a relieved expression.
“I’m glad.”
“Da-eun, you’re overreacting.”
“Overreacting? If the person I’m with suddenly starts talking about a moir, anyone would react like , right? Especially if it’s a kid.”
“…So I’m a kid—”
As I was about to respond to Da-eun, I stopped myself and shook my head.
“What’s wrong? Weren’t you about to say ‘I’m not a kid!’?”
“I’m just saving my energy because I know you wouldn’t listen.”
Since I’d probably just get comnts about being cute or small, I didn’t bother.
Da-eun, who was listening to , stared at blankly.
“…Has Kanna gotten smarter?”
“Do you want to find out?”
“No! If I get hit by Kanna, it won’t just end with pain!”
“…Surprising. I thought you’d be happy, since you’d get rewarded.”
Could it be that I was wrong about Da-eun?
Maybe she wasn’t as perverted as I thought.
But my thought shattered completely with Da-eun’s next words.
“Well, yeah. But you have to be alive to enjoy the reward, right? I’ll just be happy with a pat from Kanna filled with love.”
“Big dreams, huh.”
“They say you should have big dreams. So, I hope Kanna will say ‘I really like you, sis!’ and hug .”
“…Haa.”
I didn’t even know where to start complaining, so I just sighed. Da-eun giggled and lunged at .
“Is Alice going to keep staying in Demons?”
“Didn’t you hear it last ti? To properly hold divinity.”
A few days ago, on the day the filming for A Cup of Pause ended, Da-eun had dragged her tired body to follow , wanting to hear the story in full. Now, why was she asking such a random question?
Looking at her with a confused expression, Da-eun gave a sheepish smile.
“I heard it. But, the plan might have changed, so I asked just in case.”
“You’re hoping the plan changed, aren’t you?”
“Ugh, well… honestly, a little.”
“Haa…”
I could guess why Da-eun was saying this.
“So you really like him?”
“It’s not about him, it’s Alice… I an, how did you know…?”
Da-eun made a face as though I had hit the nail on the head.
How did I know?
Was there any question more obvious than that?
“You’re always grinning while looking at photos of her. Isn’t it strange I didn’t notice? At least try to hide it or say sothing.”
“But…!”
Da-eun made a face like she was about to cry and pulled out her phone from her pocket.
“…Don’t show .”
I could already predict what Da-eun was going to do, but she completely ignored and shoved her phone in my face.
On the screen was a picture of a pink-haired girl, looking a bit sour like she ate a bitter persimmon, alongside a gray-haired girl with a playful smile.
There was no mistaking it—the girls in the photo were Alice and .
If I had known she’d look at it non-stop, I never would have taken that photo.
I wasn’t in a good mood, so my voice ca out colder than I intended.
“If you like her that much, why not go live with Demons?”
“…Huh?”
“Why? Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“Are you… upset?”
Da-eun, who had been confident until now, instantly deflated, looking at warily.
Upset?
No, I wasn’t upset.
“Angry.”
“…Ack.”
“Soone’s struggling with the dinsionals, and soone’s ssing around with them, how could I not be mad?”
“I wasn’t ssing around with her…”
“…”
“No, I’m sorry… I was wrong…”
Of course, Alice, having a similar appearance to because she’s based on my design, can’t help but look like . But still, seeing her getting close to Alice made furious.
“Ugh, ugh…”
Each word Da-eun said made her sway as if she were about to collapse, and eventually, she clutched her chest.
“I’m sorry…”
Thinking she was probably joking again, I looked up at her face, but there was genuine guilt in her expression.
Step by step, Da-eun carefully approached and hugged .
“I didn’t know you’d hate this much… I guess that’s too irresponsible to say. You’ve told plenty of tis that you didn’t like it, right?”
“…Yeah.”
“Even if I say this, it won’t make Kanna feel better, but I’m really sorry.”
Her warm hands gently rubbed my back.
It’s not like such words and actions would make my bad feelings go away, but...
For so reason, I didn’t want to push her away.
“Honestly, when I heard Alice’s proposal, I was really happy.”
“…Why?”
“I thought that Kanna wouldn’t have to fight so dangerously anymore.”
Oddly enough, Da-eun’s words seed to align sowhat with the thoughts I had earlier.
“Of course, I know I shouldn’t completely trust it. But still, when I think about it, I can’t help but feel affection.”
“But Da-eun felt that way before you even heard Alice’s proposal.”
“…I feel embarrassed saying this, but when I first saw you, I thought it was really Kanna. After that, I just joked around to lighten the mood.”
No one likes seeing their loved one going through tough things.
In that sense, Alice’s appearance, offering a sowhat smoother solution instead of dangerous battles, felt like the arrival of a savior.
Da-eun said,
“Honestly, it wasn’t just because Alice looked like you. …But, she’s cute, so I did like her.”
Even in this atmosphere, Da-eun could say things like that.
Her voice, getting quieter, was very much a Da-eun thing to say.
But maybe because of that, I actually trusted her more than I expected.
“I knew Kanna didn’t like it, so I shouldn’t have done that. …Ah, I’m not blaming Kanna. It’s just that I was being foolish…”
Hug.
Before Da-eun could finish her words, I buried my face in her chest.
Da-eun often said that she could tell there was a different scent from her hair and body wash, even though we used the sa ones.
I used to think it was just nonsense, but now, as I buried my face, I understood what she ant.
‘It’s a warm scent...’
Even though there’s no warmth in a scent, that’s how I could describe what I felt in Da-eun’s embrace.
After staying in that warmth for a while, I mumbled without raising my head.
“…I’m not going to say sorry.”
I realized that the reason Da-eun acted the way she did wasn’t what I thought, but...
“Still, I don’t like it.”
“…Yeah. I’m sorry.”
Her soft voice comforted like a gentle stroke.
“I won’t look at other girls anymore.”
“…Here we go again.”
I lifted my head, giving her a slightly annoyed look. Da-eun smiled sheepishly.
Still, well.
“If you do, I’ll kill you.”
“…?!”
Sotis, maybe it’s okay to indulge in this kind of playful banter.
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