Mixed-Blood in a Gender Role Reversed World - Chapter 53

 Chapter 53 : Synchronization in Progress, So Don’t Change Your Dreams (2)  

As noon passed, the tranquil summer sky blazed as if it could melt the clouds.  

At the brightest moment of the day, the sun, awakening from its slumber, stretched out, and the halo of light that clung to it descended to the earth, each ray carrying its own purpose.  

The rays of light roaming the city illuminated the dark shadows nestled between the concrete jungle.  

One of them, circling and searching, finally settled in a suitable place.  

“…”  

Sehwa’s shoulder glowed brightly.  

Mina squinted slightly at the sunlight pouring through the window. Yet, her hand continued to gently stroke the back of the person in her arms.  

Rustle. The soft sound of her palm brushing against fabric filled the air.  

Perhaps it was that quiet sound that brought calm.  

The face buried in Mina’s chest slowly lifted, settling on her shoulder.  

The unsteady breaths grazing her neck gradually steadied.  

It felt as though the veil surrounding him was peeling away, layer by layer.  

At the same time, an inexplicable sense of satisfaction welled up.  

“…Are you feeling better?”  

A pointless question. All she needed to do was lend her embrace quietly.  

But it was better than asking why he had been like that.  

“Roughly.”  

His usual tone returned.  

It was hard to believe it came from that face.  

Not too serious, then?  

Mina felt relief, but a slight pang of longing surfaced.  

(If only Sehwa relied on me a bit more…)

Wouldn’t he think of me more fondly, at least?  

For a moment, Mina felt disgusted with herself for such selfish thoughts.  

To think such trivial things in a moment like this.  

But had her feelings been noticed?  

Slide.  

“…Ah.”  

Sehwa, who had been holding her, pulled away. Mina let out a dazed sound as his hair brushed past her cheek.  

Sehwa, who had been so close, stepped back and gazed at her with calm eyes.  

His lazily folded eyes, the same indifferent gaze as always.  

He glanced down, scanning Mina briefly. His gaze soon stopped at his own chest, damp with tears.  

Sehwa let out a soft sigh and ran a hand through his hair.  

“Sorry.”  

“It’s fine. You could’ve stayed longer…”  

“No need. Ah.”  

Sehwa glanced at the clock on the classroom wall and let out a short sigh.  

“It’s lunchtime. You haven’t eaten, have you?”  

“Huh? Oh, I’m fine—”  

“Just come with me. I’ll get you something from the canteen. It’s probably too late to get a proper meal now.”  

Sehwa stood up, turning his back after a quick stretch of his neck. His dark hair swayed with the vigorous motion, like a wolf shaking off its wet mane.  

Mina quietly watched him, then let out a soft chuckle.  

Even in the same time and place every day,  

Even if she got a little closer each day, she knew she could never tame him.  

Because he wasn’t a fox.  

And yet, she felt it.  

If she couldn’t tame him, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to let him sink his teeth into her neck instead.  

Love turns people into fools.  

___

_

They had been keeping quiet lately.  

…Everything had changed since then.  

The clinking of spoons echoed through the cafeteria, mingling with complaints about tasteless food, creating a market-like clamor.  

But it was the perfect setting for an awkward conversation.  

With trays in front of them, they picked at their food, barely eating, and began to speak.  

“…Did you talk to him?”  

“No. He was asleep. Mina was there too, so I couldn’t say anything.”  

“…Ugh.”  

“What’s with that sigh? You trying to die or something?”  

Hyemin glared at Sooyoung’s exasperated expression and continued.  

“Because you ran off that time, it was just me and Mom groveling to Sehwa.  

And now you’re telling me to go ask him alone? Are you even human?”  

“I said I was sorry… And what could I do? You saw how he looked at me wait, now that I think about it, this is all your fault!”  

Hyemin flinched, stung by Sooyoung’s words, then spat out a curse.  

“Goddamn it…”  

“Let’s call it even. Anyway, if we hand over the money today, it’s done, right?”  

“It’s not done today. We’ll have to go back and forth dozens of times. Two billion do you know how many cases it takes to carry that in cash?”  

“…We’re really delivering that ourselves?”  

“What, you think we can just send someone? Go ahead, try it. They’ll think it’s super sincere, right?  

To him, it’s probably pocket change. He’s just messing with us.”  

Hyemin shot Sooyoung an arrogant look, as if she were the smart one, though she had only parroted what her mother had told her.  

Sooyoung, annoyed by Hyemin’s attitude, spoke with a grimace.  

“Isn’t it weird, though?”  

“What?”  

“The address Sehwa gave us. It’s just some shabby one-room apartment. A guy who kills prosecutors lives there?”  

“It’s probably a storage place. Not sure, but maybe.” 

“What kind of storage?”  

“It’s an empty house. The owner changed a few months ago, but it’s not listed for sale.  

What kind of landlord does that? It’s probably a place his lackeys use to store stuff for him.  

That’s why he told us to drop it off there.”  

Hyemin rattled off what her mother had found out. There were definitely suspicious points.  

It would’ve been nice to confirm if Sehwa actually lived there, but they couldn’t find out.  

Her mother, who had promised to look into it, had clammed up the next day with a pale face.  

“Who’s the landlord?”  

“Don’t know. Just a Korean.”  

“Not Russian?”  

“Nope. Just a super clean, pure Korean.  

The name was super Korean too. Juhana, I think.”  

Hyemin’s eyes widened as she spotted something.  

“Hey, hey. There’s Sehwa.”  

“…Yeah. Going to the canteen?”  

“I’ll go check. Hold my spot.”  

“…You’re asking now? Mina’s with him.”  

Ignoring Sooyoung, Hyemin sprang up and walked off.  

__

“Go ahead. I’ll catch up.”  

“…Okay.”  

Hyemin hesitated as she approached, and I spoke to Mina.  

Mina gave Hyemin a slightly sulky look before leaving.  

I glanced around. Even in the quiet corner of the cafeteria, I checked for eavesdroppers.  

Hyemin’s expression told me what this was about the money I’d mentioned.  

After confirming no one could overhear, I spoke.  

“Go ahead.”  

I crossed my arms arrogantly, tilting my chin.  

“Uh, so… if we bring the money to the address you gave us tonight, is that okay? We’ll apologize again there too.”  

“…You’re way late. I remember giving you plenty of time, but you struggled that much for just that amount?”  

Irritation surged. I’d said two thousand.  

But since they mistook me for some gangster, the amount must’ve ballooned, and I’d been generous enough to wait.  

Hyemin’s eyes shook nervously at my cold tone.  

“The amount… was a bit much. But it’s all ready now, so…”  

As expected, it wasn’t two thousand it had probably grown to two hundred million.  

But the amount didn’t matter.  

(Because I can’t take it anyway.)

For some reason, my aunt keeps tabs on my account. She even has her lackeys stationed at the house.  

If I took that kind of cash, she’d grill me about where it came from.  

*…*  

I was just starting to gain some freedom after begging her.  

If she found out about this money, it’d be back to square one.  

She might even tighten her grip to keep her nephew out of trouble.  

I wasn’t greedy for the money, but it wasn’t worth the hassle. There wasn’t even a good place to spend it.  

I sighed, looking down at Hyemin, whose throat bobbed nervously.  

“Don’t bother. Don’t come to the address, and don’t try to give it to me separately.”  

“…?”  

My tone was cold, partly intentional, as I held back a bitter feeling.  

Hyemin’s mind was probably racing with all sorts of scenarios.  

If I didn’t do this, she and the others would get off without paying any price.  

This was already pretty lenient just some mental stress, and it’s over.  

“Sehwa, what do you mean?”  

“Guess.”  

Hyemin trembled like a soaked mouse. It wasn’t a comedy, but the tangled mess of misunderstandings was so absurd I couldn’t help but smirk.  

I turned away quickly to avoid bursting into laughter.  

“Wait, hold on. Can we talk a bit more…?”  

“No point. Oh, and just in case—”  

I stopped mid-step, turning slightly to growl lowly.  

“Don’t come to my place. Ever.”  

__

As the sun, hanging at the edge of the lofty sky, began to sink,  

I left school with Mina, as usual.  

On the way home, as we reached the fork in the road,  

“Today… you’re not doing it?”  

Under a common residential streetlamp, Mina, her face flushed, asked with a hint of curiosity.  

“Ah.”  

I let out a dry laugh, realizing what she meant.  

Until recently, I’d hug her before parting ways.  

I don’t know why I did it probably not my own will.  

Thanks to the dream I had today, my mind felt clear. The usual murky feeling when I thought things over was gone.  

Then, glancing at Mina, I saw her blue eyes sparkling with subtle expectation.  

I stepped forward, curving my eyes, and stopped in front of her without a word.  

“…”  

I slowly raised my arms. As Mina squeezed her eyes shut, I wrapped her in an embrace and spoke sincerely.  

“Thanks. For today.”  

I set aside playful lightness and spoke with pure earnestness.  

Waking from that dream, I couldn’t bear it. The warmth of that house, the voices of my parents stolen away.  

I wanted to scream, my throat burning, but the soft embrace had calmed me.  

“…Ah, yeah. It wasn’t much, but I’m glad it helped…”  

A new sensation stirred at the sound of Mina’s voice brushing my ear. I didn’t resist it.  

“Mina.”  

“Hm?”  

In that fleeting moment when human eyes close, I softened the sharp glint in my gaze.  

I dulled the words lingering on my tongue, blunting them as much as I could.  

“If you’re ever struggling… tell me. No matter what it is.”  

There was an emotion to learn even from Shasha.  

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Translated by Reversalmanhwa.web.id  

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