Chapter 135: Now I’m Dating the Male Lead!

Cheon Yeonju was taken aback and glanced nervously at her own wrist, trembling.

“No, that sister has been saying things in such an unpleasant way from earlier.”

“I was just telling the truth, so why?”

“You heard everything? How could you hear our conversation from so far away?”

Ah, she must not have any Awakened nearby.

If she had gone abroad before the gate opened and lived without any high-grade Awakened in the vicinity, it was understandable she would be so flustered.

I shouldn’t have let my guard down just because the half-blood was at the far-off counter.

“Don’t you know I’m Awakened?”

Only then did Cheon Yeonju’s face turn pale, as if realizing something.

It seemed quite a shock for her to see such a side of the brother she had liked all this time.

“Why would I be yours? If you’re going to talk nonsense, don’t show up in front of me again.”

“H-how can you say that to me…?”

“Did you think I wouldn’t know all this time? Cut it out. I let it slide because you were young before, but not anymore.”

Her big eyes brimmed with tears.

A single drop escaped from her eyes as her trembling wrist, caught by the half-blood, shook.

But the half-blood showed no sign of being disturbed at all.

Instead, he sighed with irritation, as if annoyed, and simply let go of Cheon Yeonju’s wrist.

“I was just listening to what this heretic had to say, so I left her alone…………”

Pulling me toward him, the half-blood spoke without the slightest hesitation.

“Hey, since you’re mine, don’t think about touching her carelessly.”

“What?”

I almost asked “What?” along with Cheon Yeonju.

His eyes wide, I looked up at him, and he smirked meeting my gaze.

“Heretic, she’s my woman.”

I quickly covered the half-blood’s mouth with my hand.

It was lucky no one was around this corner; otherwise, we’d have been the center of attention in the middle of the bookstore.

‘Is he crazy?’

I never imagined receiving a confession like this.

I didn’t have time to care about Cheon Yeonju or anyone else.

The half-blood looked down at my flustered expression quietly.

He didn’t seem inclined to let go of my hand covering his mouth anytime soon.

Ignoring Cheon Yeonju’s cries and tears, I took the half-blood out of the store.

We slipped into a quiet alleyway.

Thankfully, no punks loitered or made a scene.

Having confirmed no onlookers, I took my hand off the half-blood’s mouth and took a deep breath.

I wanted to say something but couldn’t get the words out.

It was my first time experiencing something like this, too absurd and bewildering—I just stammered.

“Y-you…!”

As I fumbled for words, the half-blood shook his head twice in a troubled manner.

Then, as if making a decision, he hardened his expression and spoke seriously.

“C-Can you just be my woman?”

His eyes fixed on me, shining with desperation.

“My heart only reacts to you. The heart that never once raced… goes crazy just seeing you. Even when you’re beside me, I want to see you, and when you leave, I feel sad. I want to hear your voice, and every day I’m anxious you might suddenly disappear from my side…………”

He wasn’t the type to confess so earnestly, so I was confused why he was like this.

But his next words made me pause.

“No matter how hurt I was in the dungeon, it didn’t matter. But when I knew you were gone, I went crazy…………. Without you, I can do nothing… my heart stops, my mind stops, even the meaning of living disappears……….”

His increasingly heartfelt confession stirred something inside me.

But I hurriedly grabbed his wrist.

The half-blood paused when I suddenly held his hand.

“Uh, well, thanks for liking me that much… and um…”

I didn’t know how to respond, so I stopped speaking for a moment.

Rolling my eyes, our eyes met.

Looking into those deep eyes, I found myself answering without realizing it.

“Okay.”

“……Huh?”

“Yeah, let’s date.”

***

‘Wow, this isn’t a dream? This is real?’

I have no idea what kind of mindset I had when I got home.

Seeing me in some daze, my parents didn’t ask any questions.

I went straight to my room and lay down, staring blankly at the ceiling.

[Why? Are you dead?]

[Dead? Look, I’m blinking my eyes!]

Bisharp and Red were chattering beside me, but none of it registered.

‘I’m dating Ban Eunhyeol?’

Honestly, when he confessed earlier, I was thankful for his feelings, but accepting them was becoming harder.

So I abruptly grabbed his wrist to cut him off.

‘If I kept listening, my fingers would’ve all curled up and disappeared.’

I understood his earnest heart, but I couldn’t listen any longer.

I guess he was recalling the time I originally returned to my dimension, because his dark expression made me feel sorry enough to hear him out a bit.

I hadn’t realized that my returning to the original dimension affected Ban Eunhyeol so deeply.

Well, if he crossed dimensions to come get me, it had to be serious.

‘But hearing my heart only reacts to me was a bit hard to take.’

I already worried about what Ban Eunhyeol would say to me next.

In web novels, when the protagonists start dating, they usually spill all sorts of cringy lines.

‘I have to keep my cool.’

Ban Eunhyeol knows I’m from another dimension and that the school scene there is different, so hopefully he’ll keep some boundaries.

I have to believe that.

Anyway, I can’t believe I’m dating the male lead after possessing someone.

Still feels unreal, so I pinched my cheek hard.

“It’s not a dream.”

Mumbling while lying blankly, Bisharp and Red poked their faces closer.

Judging by their tilted heads, they thought I’d gone crazy.

“I’m fine. Uh, really fine.”

But how am I supposed to go to school now? Will Ban Eunhyeol show off that we’re dating?

‘He definitely won’t hide it.’

Then I’m going to be exhausted for a while.

I lay quietly, blinking my eyes silently.

My pounding heart sounded so loud I thought it might burst.

‘How can someone like him love me that much?’

I don’t know since when Ban Eunhyeol liked me, but saying life has no meaning without me?

Can someone really love another that much?

I wasn’t there yet, so I felt a bit guilty.

My feelings were tangled.

Brrr-

Then my phone by my bedside vibrated.

I wondered if it was Ban Eunhyeol and nervously unlocked it.

[D+1 – Ban Eunhyeol]

It looked like it would take a long time to get used to this kind of relationship.

I squeezed my eyes shut and reopened them, wondering what to reply.

At that moment, another vibration sounded, and Do Ihyun’s name popped up at the top of the screen.

‘Ah, I have to talk to Do Ihyun too.’

If he liked me, it was better to clear things up quickly.

Otherwise, he might keep liking me without knowing anything.

‘Wow, this is so complicated.’

What should I say when I meet Do Ihyun?

He’s helped me many times, kept my secrets, and I owe him a lot.

‘Let’s just meet and talk.’

I immediately set up a meeting with Do Ihyun.

***

Rather than waiting until tomorrow, I thought it better to meet and talk right away.

We met at a park in a residential neighborhood.

“What brings you here at this hour?”

Since I rarely called Do Ihyun at this time, he seemed worried something was wrong.

I sat on a bench, hesitated a bit, then honestly told him what had happened today.

Of course, I didn’t tell everything, just briefly said I was now dating Ban Eunhyeol.

“Oh, so you’re dating.”

If Do Ihyun liked me, I was worried about how to reject him.

But his answer was surprisingly straightforward.

“Congratulations.”

“Uh… thanks.”

Didn’t Do Ihyun like me?

Ban Eunhyeol did, that much was clear, but maybe Do Ihyun didn’t.

Getting such a casual congratulation made me embarrassed for even preparing rejection lines.

Summoning courage, I asked him a question.

“Do you like someone?”

Do Ihyun looked up at the sky for a moment, then smiled softly and replied.

“Yes.”

My heart dropped.

Could it be me?

“Could you tell me who it is?”

A very cautious question.

Do Ihyun smiled slyly, then lowered his gaze.

“It’s a secret.”

Looking back up at me, he added softly.

“I’ll tell you later. It’s someone you know well.”

“Oh, someone I know well?”

Then it’s not me?

I thought he liked someone around me.

I nearly sighed with relief but held it back.

Knowing Do Ihyun didn’t like me and that he was talking about someone I knew brought me great comfort.

“Okay, tell me later!”

If I can help, I’ll do my best.

Do Ihyun was truly a good friend.

Only then did a smile appear on my face.

We smiled at each other.

An unforgettable night was passing by in many ways.