Chapter 1249 – #290_Proposal(10)

#1243

1.
Kybele Periwinkle is lucky.

No witch would be able to refute this proposition.
After all, her very title is ‘The Lucky Witch,’ isn’t it?

Even when she was a newly ascended Great Witch, full of arrogance, she was always on the lookout for any scraps of good fortune. Just the fact that she had enough to fill a whole stadium is proof of that.

The power of luck she gained in exchange for giving up control brought only the most sparkling golden threads of fate, wrapping them around her body.

She was favored by the world.

“…Hmm.”

The tips of her neatly manicured nails tapped against the corner of a letter placed on the table.

[I will be waiting]
[Shin Siwoo]

A letter of only two lines is hardly enough to be considered a message for an appointment.

Isn’t the most important part of making an appointment, the time and place, missing?
But for Kybele Periwinkle, this is not a problem at all.

If she goes to a suitable time and place, it’s obvious that Shin Siwoo will be waiting there.

For her, who can flip a coin 100 times and get heads and tails every time, this riddle is as clear as day.

As is the reason why Shin Siwoo called her out with this letter.

“A proposal, huh…”

The love bug that’s been going around between couples before their wedding.

At dinner, everyone was so obvious about it, except for the five sisters who were clearly deep in thought. It seems everyone had a wonderful time.

It’s both enviable and something she secretly anticipates.

But what weighs on her heart more than that is confusion.

This confusion can be briefly summarized as follows:

Is it okay to get married?
Is my choice the right one?
Is it really Shin Siwoo’s choice?
Will accepting a proposal and marrying him really be the best choice for everyone?

As always, everything has gone too smoothly.

Compared to his other lovers, who all went through big and small episodes, conflicts, and hardships to get together, Kybele got love for free.

After that day’s tragedy, Kybele, who had never let anyone into her heart, realized she had Shin Siwoo in her heart when she came to her senses.

She naturally took the last spot in Shin Siwoo’s harem, which had originally declared it wouldn’t accept any more lovers, and coincidentally, a wedding aisle was laid out right in front of her not long after.

This marriage will surely be a huge stroke of luck.

The rookie, snot-nosed male witch she first met at the night market had become the strongest in the world.
He’s not just the strongest in terms of power, but he’s also the head of the Hessed Academy, which has far surpassed the Truth and True Name Academic Society in terms of scale.

And what about his connections?

There are plenty of witches who owe him big and small favors, and Siwoo’s lovers are a faction of powerful Great Witches (a very tight-knit one at that).

She gained the right to become his wife just by giving a few small favors in the past.

Now, if she just lets things flow naturally, all the glory, honor, and power will come tumbling down.

As if someone had already decided it.

“Ugh, never mind, never mind. My head hurts.”

She’s worried enough to get white hair.
It’s been a day or two of not sleeping a wink and covering her head with the same thoughts every time.

“Why think so complicatedly?”

Kybele came to a conclusion about the problem she had been struggling with for a long time.
Then, she packed her bag and headed to the meeting place.

2.
“Chairman, sorry I’m late.”
“Late? You’re right on time, perfectly!”

The meeting place was Sinchon.
The meeting time was 4 PM.
Siwoo, who was sitting on a park bench sipping coffee, smiled foolishly with a look that said, ‘As expected of you, Noona!’

Kybele, who had appeared with her arms crossed, pretending to be angry, couldn’t help but chuckle.

He has a subtle, playful side to him.
That’s why she liked him.

“Was it that much trouble to write a few more lines?”
“I believed that Periwinkle Noona would definitely come.”
“You often call me by my last name, you know?”
“It’s just stuck with me.”

The two of them naturally created a field that suppressed recognition, like sharing an umbrella.

“I have no idea why you called me out. What are we going to do now? You’ve prepared a date course, of course, right?”
“Should we start with some pork rinds and soju?”
“That’s cliché. It’s been a couple of times with the commoner experience. You’re taking me too lightly, aren’t you?”

Actually, she doesn’t dislike it at all.
She actually likes it quite a bit.

Wandering through the alleys together, looking around, and eating food in a shabby old restaurant that she would never have looked at until the day she died if he hadn’t taken her there. Eating food she would never have tasted until the day she died if he hadn’t told her about it, and drinking cheap liquor she would never have drunk a drop of until the day she died if he hadn’t offered it.

All of that was a novel amusement.

The reason she’s being so picky is because she knows that if she pokes Siwoo in the ribs, he comes up with some pretty fun ideas.

“What is this?!”

And so, they arrived at another store.
Kybele was horrified when she saw the bizarre dish that was served on a gas burner about 20 minutes after ordering.

After that, a set menu of rice balls sprinkled with seaweed and steamed eggs came out, but the main dish in the tin pot monopolized her attention with its shocking visuals.

Chicken feet sticking out of a bubbling, bright red broth.
They put bean sprouts and green onions on top, but it couldn’t hide the gruesome sight.

It was truly a shocking plating.

“Ah, this is called spicy chicken feet soup. You like spicy food, right?”
“Can’t we just eat meat? Why are you eating things like pork rinds and chicken feet? And they’re quite expensive, too?”
“Uh-uh, just try it. Ajumma! One bottle of fresh soju here!”

Kybele, with her brows narrowed so much that she was about to have a seizure, examined the unheard-of dish called spicy chicken feet soup.

Right.
At first, pork rinds were also a shocking and horrifying dish, but they weren’t so bad once you ate them.
She decided to try it first.

“So, how do you eat it?”
“Put on these plastic gloves and put a foot in your mouth and pull it out. It’ll be hot, so be careful. Oh, and you have to spit out the small bones.”

Kybele picked up a chicken foot and bit into it, more cautiously than a researcher handling dangerous materials.

“Hmm.”

The spicy taste and the amazing umami that spread in her mouth, and the chewy texture, which was more about enjoying the seasoning than the taste of the ingredients themselves, were quite interesting.

Seeing Siwoo looking so smug as if he knew she’d like it, she was secretly annoyed, but well, this was a passing grade.

“It’s delicious, right? I knew you’d like it.”
“What do you know about my taste?”
“You really like spicy things. If it’s too spicy, you can eat the rice balls and steamed eggs here. Oh, it’s especially delicious if you sprinkle some seasoning on the rice balls. The broth is the real deal.”

Siwoo, who was smiling foolishly, recommended various side dishes.
They also ordered a nurungji soup to soothe the spiciness, and drank a strange-tasting drink in a pouch.

They also shared a glass of soju, and before they knew it, it was already evening.

“What’s next? Let’s just finish this bottle and go.”
“I’ve got everything prepared.”

The next course was also a commoner experience.

As Shin Siwoo was subtly quick-witted, the schedule was mainly focused on things that Periwinkle hadn’t done before, that is, things that she would find interesting.

-Clang!

“You’ve got a good swing.”
“Wow, Noona, you’re good. How do you not miss a single one?”
“It just works when I swing it?”
“Does your passive apply to this too?”

She swung a bat for the first time at a screen baseball facility.
Siwoo was amazed to see the balls all flying over the fence for a home run, even though she was swinging without even looking properly.

“A little more to the left? Or is it the right?”
“I don’t think that’s meant to be picked up. Wow! You picked it up?”
“It’s nothing. You can have it.”

She put her head together with the claw machine and struggled, and then picked up a ridiculously large prize, a bear doll, in three tries.

“Have you ever played bowling?”
“I used to like it quite a bit. It’s a game with a bit of history, you know? Wanna bet?”
“I’m not betting with you, Noona.”

She picked up a bowling ball for the first time in a while and made a perfect game.
Where did all the time go? It was such a fun time.

After finishing the commoner experience, they entered the penthouse of the Periwinkle Hotel with a cheerful afterglow in their hearts.
They shared a drink at the bar in the room.

“Ah, that was fun. You’re quite good at planning courses, you know?”
“I’m glad you’re satisfied.”

The orange lighting, shining sensually in the intentionally darkened space.
The atmosphere was also ripening.

This was also the place where the two of them had their first encounter.

“Periwinkle-nim. I have something to tell you.”
“Wait a minute, before that, I have something to say first.”

So, it seemed like this place would be a good place to end things.

Kybele already had an answer when she came here.
That answer was to end her relationship with him.

To stop running away as he said, to stop acting like she’s the protagonist of the world with her eyes blurred. She had the courage to face fate.

But even at this moment, her self-regulating magic would be pulling the golden threads of luck towards Kybele.

The affection she feels for Shin Siwoo.
The affection Shin Siwoo feels for Kybele.
The relationship between the two of them, which is naturally heading towards marriage.

In the end, she had just grabbed an excessive amount of luck.
Whether she wanted it or not.

Now, she didn’t have the nerve to whine about how she didn’t need luck or anything.

She was just afraid.

Siwoo had started a joint study to control ‘luck’ for her sake.
And the moment the study was on track.
That is, the moment she started to properly control the luck that was unconsciously manifested.

Like Cinderella’s magic disappearing at midnight, she was afraid that all this happiness would be dismissed as just luck.

Therefore, she couldn’t accept his proposal.

She wouldn’t deny it.
She was running away again.

“……”

She was going to say something cool like, ‘You were the best luck in my life,’ and kiss him before letting him go…

Her lips wouldn’t fall off.

She closed her eyes tightly, with lingering feelings and hesitation, wondering if she could ever have such a happy time again.

“Periwinkle-nim.”

His broad arms wrapped around her as if he was hugging her.
The moment the chain of the necklace wrapped around her neck, Kybele felt it.

“Wh-what is this?”
“It’s the gift I told you about before. It’s an artifact made based on Mistletoe that blocks unconsciously manifested luck. I made it in the form of a necklace. It was quite a struggle to make this.”

She couldn’t not feel the golden threads that had always been wrapped around her being cut off.

The witch’s magic was breaking.
The luck that may have created all these miracles was leaving.

“I know what you’re worried about. But will you look at me just once?”
“I don’t want to…”
“Just once. Just once is enough.”
“Q-quickly take it off… I said I don’t want to.”

She had thought she might face it someday, but she was so afraid of facing reality after removing her luck.
She lowered her head because she was afraid of what kind of eyes he would look at her with, and what kind of eyes she would look at him with.

It was ridiculous.

She had said that she was sick and tired of being played by the world’s favoritism, but when it came time to give up her luck and face reality, she was so afraid.

“It’s okay. Really.”
“It’s not okay! I don’t want to see myself like this… That’s why I’m trying to stop! Don’t you get it?”
“I know. That’s why I’m saying it’s okay.”

His confident and gentle voice urged Kybele.
Kybele, who had been burying her head like a turkey and running away from reality, felt his stubbornness and quietly raised her head.

And she felt her heart pounding as if it would burst.
In front of her, she saw Shin Siwoo, shrugging his shoulders with a mischievous smile.

“How is it? Nothing’s changed, right?”

He was still looking at Kybele with gentle eyes.
He was still lovely.

Nothing had changed.

“Hey…! If you do something like this without saying anything… I’m really going to lose years off my life, you know?”
“You lack faith in the Chairman.”

The tension that had risen to its peak was released, and she felt like her legs were giving out.
Siwoo hugged Kybele tightly, who was about to stagger.

“Come to think of it, didn’t you say you had something to tell me?”
“Ugh…”

Another confession time after she had been all excited by herself.
Her cheeks were burning red.
It was a strange feeling she had never felt before, a mixture of joy and shame.

But here, she had to act like an older woman and say something cool.

“…Take responsibility.”
“For what?”
“Marry me and take responsibility!”

She didn’t know if she had said it as coolly as an older woman, but…