Chapter 36.2

Chapter 36.2

Ara emerged exactly four minutes and fifty seconds later.

Half of that time had been spent beating the life out of her blankets, so she had no choice but to grab the nearest outfit within reach and throw it on.

“Looks like there’s not much of a difference between a lady’s outing attire and her loungewear.”

Leaning casually by the door, Seok-kyung remarked with an ambiguous expression.

Ara shoved her phone into the back pocket of her jeans, pouting slightly.

Her shirt, originally a pale sky blue, had faded into near-white with wear. Technically, Seok-kyung wasn’t wrong. But she wasn’t about to agree with such a blatantly teasing comment.

“Why pick a fight? You’re the one who told me to just wipe the sleep from my eyes and come out.”

“I didn’t think you’d take it so literally.”

“Does a maid’s outfit matter? If you don’t like it so much, buy me something yourself.”

I should’ve gotten something when Seol-do gave me that money at the market.

Curse those wicked loan sharks. No good for anyone’s life.

Though her retort sounded confident, Ara muttered complaints inwardly while subtly adjusting her outfit. She smoothed out the slightly stretched collar and tugged discreetly at the hem of her shirt, worried it might have ridden up.

Seok-kyung’s eyes swept over her outfit from top to bottom. With a brief sigh, he muttered as though making a reluctant compromise.

“For now, we’re out of time. Next time, then.”

Before Ara could even ask what he meant by next time,

—Snap!

The now-familiar sound of his finger snap echoed crisply through the quiet living room.

The elegant art wall and large TV in the house soon seemed to collapse, the familiar scenery quickly fading. The ethereal entrance, glowing blue around its edges, was the mysterious passage Ara had crossed with Seok-kyung during their trip to the market.

The difference this time was that, rather than leading into a forest, the view beyond the passage was of a hallway in a building.

“Before you move, let me give you one warning,” Seok-kyung said, waiting for Ara to finish scanning the unfamiliar space with her eyes. He spoke after a slight delay.

“Once you cross the ‘spiritual gate’…”

“Spiritual gate?”

Ara asked, and Seok-kyung extended his hand.

“This.”

His smooth finger pointed to the very entrance Ara was looking at. It seemed to be a mystical door linking this world to another place, which was why it had such a name.

“Aha. And?”

“So, after crossing, don’t wander around recklessly.”

Seok-kyung’s tone was serious.

What? What’s going on now?

Ara shrugged nonchalantly, her face showing no sign of tension.

“I never wander around recklessly anyway.”

“Isn’t that the same person who went on a picnic with Baekseol all the way to the Mirowon boundary just yesterday?”

Seok-kyung was being annoyingly petty again.

“Fine, fine. I’ll just quietly follow you around, Kim Seok-kyung. Don’t worry.”

Ara quickly agreed, hoping to avoid getting verbally slapped again.

Seok-kyung gave her a slightly skeptical look, but then reached into his jacket pocket and pulled something out.

“Hand.”

“Huh?”

“Hand.”

He gestured toward Ara’s hand.

With a confused expression, Ara raised her hand, palm up, towards him.

Seok-kyung hesitated for a moment before flipping her hand over, exposing her palm.

Clink.

Cold fingers lightly placed something on Ara’s palm before pulling away.

It was a necklace.

A delicate golden chain with a small emerald, no bigger than a pinky nail, hanging from it. The stone radiated a soft, continuous glow, almost as if it contained fireflies inside.

“A gift?”

Ara asked, slightly flustered.

Unconsciously, her heart lifted a little, but

“It’s not a gift.”

Seok-kyung’s firm rebuttal immediately deflated her excitement.

Of course. It’s not like he’d do something nice.

Ara pouted in disappointment.

“Then what is it?”

“Too bad. It would have been nicer if it wasn’t a one-time thing.”

“…Why?”

“It’s pretty. It could be a special souvenir,” Ara replied casually as she reached behind her neck.

Her delicate fingers brushed against each other several times, just barely grazing the sensitive skin under her neatly manicured nails.

But the small clasp wouldn’t catch. She tried repositioning the end of the chain twice, but it still didn’t work.

“Complaining about souvenirs when you can’t even put it on properly…”

With a frustrated click of her tongue, Ara muttered to herself.

If she didn’t want to wait, Seok-kyung could at least help, or say something nicer!

Just as she was about to snap at him, she felt his presence behind her.

“Hold still.”

His cold fingertips gently brushed against her slender fingers, sending a shiver down her spine. Ara froze, taken aback by the unfamiliar sensation. Seok-kyung took the clasp from her hand and began fastening the necklace for her.

In the dim light of the living room, his breath was slightly uneven, the warmth of it brushing against Ara’s neck, spreading over her skin like a soft, heated wave.

Unconsciously, Ara squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her fists.

He’s too close. It feels so strange.

An inexplicable, ticklish warmth spread from the nape of her neck down her spine, a sensation she couldn’t quite explain—something both awkward and alluring at the same time.

“Seok-kyung, I… just let me…”

“It’s done.”

But before Ara could finish her sentence or turn away, Seok-kyung had already pulled back, his breath finally subsiding as he stepped back.

“Let’s go.”

With an indifferent look, Seok-kyung crossed the boundary of the gate once again.

“Oh, right. Let’s go.”

Ara, still rubbing the back of her neck absentmindedly, followed him. Her thoughts were still tangled, distracted by the tingling sensation she couldn’t shake off.

Her eyes flicked between the necklace gleaming at her collarbone and the transformed surroundings, but there was no time to look at anything else.

She didn’t notice Seok-kyung a few steps ahead, repeatedly exhaling to cool down his flushed ears, trying to hide his embarrassment.