Chapter 113 – Shifting Perceptions (4)

I want to create more memories with the one who means so much to me.
Who in the world doesn’t entertain such thoughts?

-Turrrr, turrrr.

The cell phone rings at regular intervals and then abruptly stops.
The mechanical voice of a woman echoes throughout the room.

-… …You will be connected to voicemail, and call charges will apply.

-Click.

“…Why won’t they answer?”

Azalea, who had been staring blankly at the screen, attempts to call them again, but soon realizes her predicament and tosses her cell phone onto the bed.

“They must be busy.”

Lying down on the bed and resting her arm on her forehead, she mutters to herself:

“Am I becoming too obsessed…?”

After the midterm exams.
Five days have already passed since she decided to try and develop a deeper relationship with him.

Of course, there had been no proper meetings between them thus far. There was no significant progress in their relationship.

“…So what should I do?”

She had tried to arrange a get-together, even subtly dropping hints. But in reality, she hadn’t seen him face-to-face, except for the few times she brought him potions out of concern.

“I guess he must be busy,” she could have said, but a woman’s heart wouldn’t allow her to dismiss it so easily.

As she experienced these newfound emotions, she couldn’t help but feel awkward in expressing them.

“I need a sugar fix.”

Azalea picked a chocolate from the basket on the table, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth. She smiled at the sweetness that filled her mouth while keeping her eyes fixed on her cell phone, hoping for a call.

– Whoo! Whoo!

“Oh, wh-what?”

Just then, her cell phone vibrated.

‘…What should I say first? A greeting? Good morning…?’

Caught off guard by the sudden situation, Azalea hastily threw herself onto the bed to check the screen, aware that she couldn’t let the call disconnect.

[010-xxxx-xxxx]
[Gu-seul]

“…Ah.”

Her soaring expectations plummeted into utter disappointment. Her flushed face cooled down in an instant.

“This one rarely calls, except during meals…”

Grumbling, she answered the phone.

“Hello?”
[Oh, hello~ Hehehe. I called because I thought of you after such a long time. Everything’s all right, isn’t it? That last tournament was such a letdown.]
“Ah, yeah. That’s true. I’ve been a bit busy lately.”
[Huh? Why does your voice sound so disheartened?]

Recently, Azalea had been voluntarily distancing herself from certain people, resulting in strained relationships. Gu-seul was one of those individuals.

Despite this, Gu-seul would naturally call Azalea from time to time.

If it were anyone else, Azalea might have refused to take their call. However, she never avoided Gu-seul’s calls.

From the beginning, she had distanced herself from those around her due to the guilt she felt for viewing others as mere tools.

‘…This one.’

The relationship between Azalea and Gu-seul was slightly different.

When Azalea was attending the military academy, actively enlisting those around her for her revenge, she had a conversation with Gu-seul that led her to a realization.

[Do you have any worries?]

A cunning one.

A kindred spirit. A woman who always seemed to harbor secrets and whose sincerity was nowhere to be found. Despite their years-long acquaintance, Azalea was still unaware of Gu-seul’s background.

“Worries?”
[Yeah, your voice sounds lifeless.]
“…I have many worries. I’m afraid I might not be able to participate in the Forest Keeper Selection.”
[Is that really all?]

‘She’s truly quick-witted.’

Azalea placed her hand on her phone and sighed quietly, ensuring her voice wouldn’t be heard. She decided to make an excuse and end the call.

The moment she tried to come up with an excuse, a single thought flashed through Azalea’s mind.

Gu-seul.

She was one of the most angelic women at the Korean branch of El Academy.

If Cornus was a noble young lady with an unattainable, lofty aura, Gu-seul was the kind of beautiful girl who could be found at least once in every school. With her straight black hair, ever-smiling face, and friendly, adorable demeanor, she had long been rumored to possess the appearance closest to one’s first love.

…Wouldn’t Gu-seul, being who she was, know how to seduce a man?

Whenever they went out for drinks, Gu-seul was always there, and among the men Azalea knew, there were quite a few who secretly considered Gu-seul their ideal type.

Azalea’s one-sided reasoning gained a strong foundation.

“…Hey,” she asked.

[Mm-hmm.]

“Have you ever been in a relationship? I’m asking because I’m really, really, really curious.”

[…Oh?]

A playful hint mixed into Gu-seul’s voice.

[Hehehe. So, Azalea, you’ve never been in a relationship even after turning twenty, huh?]

‘I should’ve known.’

A small arrow flew and struck Azalea’s chest.

[So, what’s the deal? Have you met a guy you like?]
“No, it’s not that I like him or anything.”
[Ah, did you receive a confession?]
“…Huh?”

Azalea closed her eyes for a moment, recalling the past.

Their encounters were rare now, but… she remembered receiving something akin to a confession. She could still recall every conversation she had with Lee Si-heon.

– No, I was just startled because I saw you in the newspaper.

Those were the words she had heard when they first met.

– I wanted to be friends, but I guess my heart got ahead of me.

She had thought it was annoying back then, but looking back, she felt embarrassed about it.

And the most memorable words of all:

– Strangely, I found myself thinking only of you.

Once, when I was grappling with depression and impulsive urges, Lee Si-heon said something to me at a drinking party.

I can’t be certain what was on his mind when he uttered those words… but isn’t this essentially a confession?

A man admitting to a woman that he can’t help but think of her. My face flushed with heat.

A baseless confidence welled up within me, supporting the hypothesis that Lee Si-heon hadn’t answered the phone because he was genuinely busy, rather than because his feelings for me had waned.

“It’s not a confession, but I’ve heard something similar.”
[Oh my, I’m truly envious.]
“Why has your tone suddenly changed?”
[Just because? Hehe. Middle-aged women often say such things while watching dramas. I was just trying to imitate them for a moment. So… what about you?]
“…It doesn’t seem too bad, I guess.”
[Hmm, then there’s a high chance of breaking up soon.]
“Actually… I think I might like it.”

Kyaaak! The sound of Gu-seul screaming and collapsing came from the other side of the phone.

[So?? Who is it? Who is it!?!]

“Why are you so excited?”
[Well, talking about someone else’s love life is always the most entertaining.]
“…”

As silence fell, Gu-seul continued the conversation.

[If you like them, just accept the confession.]
“Well, it’s kind of like a confession, but not really a confession…”
[Ah, so you mentioned it indirectly? You hinted that they like you? How did you do that?]
“They always help me out… When I’m struggling, they wake me up and tell me to do things properly.”
[That’s true love! Why else would they help you like that? They must have feelings for you.]

Gu-seul started to ramble on excitedly. Azalea closed her eyes and reminisced about the past.

‘…Could it be?’

Gu-seul’s words made sense as a reasonable love theory.

Lee Si-heon had sought revenge on her behalf. He was always there for her, even when she felt alienated and struggled with her relationships. When she fell ill, he provided shock therapy, urging her to come to her senses.

When she asked him why he did all that, his response was that he thought of her…

“Eh, really? No way.”
[They put in a lot of effort. If you like it, just confess.]
“…So, how should I confess?”
[Starting from there…?]

However, even if Azalea felt certain, she couldn’t outwardly express it, as she was inexperienced in love.

[Just confess through a message. If you’re really that close, it’s fine.]
“Can I really do that?”
[Why are you hesitating so much? Someone else might step in if you don’t act.]

Someone else…
Azalea thought quietly to herself.

‘Cornus.’

For some unknown reason, Cornus and Azalea had grown close from one particular day. When observing them, it was easy to notice they spent quite a bit of time together, which sometimes made Azalea feel uneasy.

“…Hmm.”

As Azalea tried to come up with a plan, Gu-seul offered a suggestion.

[How about a retreat? I’ll also make it clear that I like you.]
“How would you make it clear?”
[You know, like when they say ‘bring your closest friend of the opposite sex!’ I’d immediately run, take a picture of them, and bring them along.]

Certainly, that seemed possible. With that thought, Azalea etched the advice deep within her.

But what if such a topic never comes up?

[I’m leading the retreat. Recreation host!]
“…!”

For the first time, Gu-seul’s advice proved helpful!

“Really?”
[Of course. Ah… but I’ve been running low on sugar lately-]
“Cake?”
[Confirmed~ Let’s meet separately later and talk!]

After the call ended,
Azalea closed her phone and chuckled inwardly.

If things went well… it might not just be an abstract notion of getting closer, but rather, she began to entertain the idea of forming a more concrete relationship.

Embracing each other… and even deeper connections.

– Ugh!

“…What a surprise.”

Startled by the vibrating sound, Azalea checked her phone.

– Contacting you regarding the childcare center. Are there any other changes from the previous proposal?

Nursery school. Azalea began advocating for it as children who had lost their parents in the recent surge of Ent incidents started appearing.

Jinmok Child Care Foundation.
To provide a haven for wounded children.

She was simultaneously a cadet and handling her company’s affairs.

Of course, it was difficult, but she was capable of managing it.
Her growth period, filled with pain and embarrassment in its own way, was gradually coming to an end.
Azalea believed it was due to him, that man.

– Missed call [Lee Si-heon] 1 case.

“Ah.”

Azalea, browsing through her address book to make a call, noticed the missed call that had come in while she was on the phone with Gu-seul.

“…”

Lee Si-heon.

She contemplated as she looked at the name of the missed call. The corners of her lips, inadvertently grazed, curled up.

Somehow, the sensation of a kiss committed under the influence of alcohol had become a symbol of their connection.
It was a mistake, but the memory was still vivid.

And the memory of offering her cheek.

“Heh.”

Azalea’s smile was laden with a sticky emotion called obsession.

* * * * *

– The customer is on a call; after the beep, it will be connected to voicemail, and a call fee will be charged.

The mechanical voice of a woman echoed through the phone.

She doesn’t answer the call.

Feeling apprehensive because her fondness for me is so high. It’s unnerving to know she’s on the phone with someone else.

‘…I hope everything’s alright?’

Driven by jealousy, Zodiac had subdued the mightiest trees I knew, White Peach and Heaven.

‘Considering how the kind-hearted Zodiac had changed so suddenly… How will Azalea fare?’

It’s not jealousy, but obsession.

It’s astonishing that she harbors such feelings towards me.

Despite being told not to, I had assumed there was some boundary since they spoke with respectful language…

‘How could I have known it would come to this?’

“Statue.”
“Yes?”
“Is it a girl again?”

Look at this. Zodiac’s gaze has changed.

‘No, come to think of it, my older sister has always been drawn to Bam at night.’

With that thought, it seems there’s not much difference in the jealous Zodiac’s behavior compared to before. It’s too complicated. Why has such a sudden change occurred?

“…Little brother, now is not the time to think about girls.”

-Crunch.

Zodiac scolded me and brought something round to my mouth. Meanwhile, her cheeks were repeatedly performing a chewing motion.

‘…’

I bit the fruit with a bitter smile.

“You need to eat it within 10 minutes.”

Our water peaches, overflowing on the bed and rolling on the floor.

Is it truly the case that, at times, a bountiful harvest can bring tears to a farmer’s eyes? I felt as if tears were streaming down my own cheeks as well.

“Chew the statue quickly!”
“Yes.”

Indeed, acorns offer remarkable value for their cost.

This thought struck me anew.