[9] Oppa, I have one wish.

“What kind of bitch is she?”

Sia’s cold voice rang through the restaurant.

For an instant, the entire restaurant fell silent at her icy tone.

“Sia, let’s go outside and talk for a moment.”

Minjun took Sia by the hand and led her outside, both to let her cool down and to buy some time so that her anger might subside.

Fortunately, she obediently followed him outside.

“So, what kind of bitch was she, Oppa?”

“The blonde woman who was sitting diagonally across from us.”

“Ahhh, that bitch.”

An ordinary person would have had difficulty remembering someone they had only glimpsed in passing, but she had already memorized the faces of everyone inside the restaurant.

“So what did you do?”

“Of course I told her I couldn’t give it to her. She kept pushing, so I made it clear that I wasn’t interested and drew a firm line.”

“.......”

Minjun’s answer was the textbook-perfect response, but her stiff expression showed no sign of relaxing.

Of course, she understood logically that other women could also develop feelings for Minjun, but experiencing it firsthand had been far more shocking than she had expected.

But then—

“Sia, are you angry?”

“.......”

“Look at me. Sia. Look into my eyes.”

Minjun gently held her face with both hands and made her look into his eyes.

The face that had seemed as unstable as a ticking time bomb just moments ago gradually began to turn red.

Minjun could tell that although she was trying not to show it, deep down she had been feeling anxious.

They had been separated for a whole year, and the Sia who had returned was no longer an ordinary human like Minjun.

‘If I want to ease Sia’s anxiety, this is the only way for now.’

It might not be the best solution, but at least it would be the next best thing.

Minjun suddenly pressed his lips against hers.

Hard enough to take her breath away.

“……!”

Her pupils widened in surprise as their lips met.

But she did not push Minjun away.

Instead, as though she had been waiting for this moment, she gently placed her hands around Minjun’s waist.

“Why would I ever look at another woman?”

When I have you.

After the deep kiss, Minjun lightly kissed Sia on the cheek.

Soon, the light began to return to Sia’s eyes.

“Trust me. Of course I do.”

This time, Sia kissed Minjun on the cheek in return.

Once everything had been settled, the two returned to the restaurant.

“Are you feeling a little better now?”

“A little.”

Her expression, which had been cold as ice, had softened considerably. She certainly seemed much more stable than she had been at first.

But no matter how much Minjun had cheered her up, her anger toward that woman had not disappeared.

“Oppa. Would you mind going to the restroom for a moment?”

At Sia’s sudden remark, Minjun was about to answer, ‘I don’t need to go,’ but then he happened to meet her eyes.

She didn’t want him to see her at her worst.

She did not actually say those words, but Minjun could easily understand what she meant from her gaze.

“Then… I’ll go.”

Minjun obediently stood up, showing that he understood.

As soon as Minjun was temporarily out of sight—

Sia glared at the woman who had tried to get Minjun’s number.

The woman seemed to have not even an ounce of guilt, happily chatting and eating with her friend.

As Sia looked at that disgusting face, she felt her anger rising once again.

Our Minjun Oppa, whom I waited 2,500 years for.

How dare she.

How dare some nobody like her, who doesn’t even know her place, set her sights on him?

And those lines she used to get his number were ridiculous, too.

She actually said it was okay? She knew perfectly well that he had a girlfriend and still tried to get his number? Even after her own friend tried to stop her? And then she asked whether it would be okay to remain female friends?

Just look around. How many women here do you think wouldn’t fall for our Oppa after seeing his face? But none of them say anything out loud, do they? Because they know he has a girlfriend. They just think, ‘He’s handsome,’ admire him, and leave it at that.

None of them have the kind of pathetic thought that makes them try to get the number of a man who obviously has a girlfriend.

Right?

Someone who was hardly even worthy of being called a person like that…

She needs to be taught a lesson.

“You. Come outside for a moment.”

With a cold expression, Sia stood in front of Hwang Yeonju.

But—

“Why should I?”

Even after seeing Sia’s expression, the woman brazenly shot back.

At her shameless attitude, Sia folded her arms and glared at Hwang Yeonju.

Then she released the Dragon killing intent she had been suppressing all this time.

Once again, she spoke slowly and clearly, one syllable at a time.

With Dragon Fear imbued in her voice.

“Come outside.”

***

After briefly going outside at Sia’s request—or rather, her not-quite-a-request—

I was sitting there quietly staring at the freshly served spicy rice cakes, waiting for Sia to return.

‘When is Sia coming back?’

I didn’t know exactly, but she was probably giving that woman a piece of her mind over what had happened earlier.

‘I probably would have done the same if I were in her position.’

I just hoped she would finish things at a reasonable point, calm herself down, and come back quickly.

Not because I was worried about that woman, but because I felt like the whole thing was unnecessarily ruining our pleasant mood.

I had been waiting for Sia to return for quite some time when—

The restaurant door opened, and the woman who had come over earlier to get my number staggered back inside.

Her hair was disheveled, her face was deathly pale as though she had seen a ghost, and her makeup was completely smeared.

‘What on earth happened?’

It was obvious that she was far from normal.

Her legs trembling, the woman eventually sat down. She awkwardly gathered her belongings and then immediately left the restaurant.

Her companions called out to her, but she seemed unable to hear anything they said, desperately trying to get outside.

In the end, her companions hurriedly paid the bill and chased after her.

“……What on earth happened?”

I didn’t know exactly what had happened, but perhaps Sia had given her a proper lesson.

I decided to leave whatever happened there to my imagination.

If I found out, I might get hurt myself.

Meanwhile, Sia returned.

“Sorry, Oppa. I took a long time, didn’t I?”

“No, it’s okay. Are you feeling calmer now?”

“Yeah. I’m really fine now.”

Sia’s expression looked much brighter than before, so I decided not to think about that woman anymore.

“The spicy rice cakes just came out. Let’s eat before they get soggy.”

“Okay. Oppa, you eat, too. They’ll get cold.”

We were happily chatting and eating spicy rice cakes when—

“Oh, right, Sia. What’s in that bag?”

“Huh? Oppa, you didn’t open it?”

“No. It’s your stuff.”

Apparently satisfied with my answer, Sia gave me her characteristic fresh smile and handed me the shopping bag.

“It’s a present for Oppa. Here.”

When I opened the shopping bag, an expensive pair of wireless earphones appeared.

The earphones I was already using had been malfunctioning, so I had been planning to replace them anyway.

But the previous pair had also been a gift from Sia, which was why I had been reluctant to replace them.

“So you weren’t actually going to the restroom earlier. You went to buy these.”

“Yeah. I was originally planning to surprise you, but…”

Sia trailed off.

If it hadn’t been for that woman earlier, perhaps we would have spent an even more intimate and pleasant time exchanging gifts according to her original plan.

Sensing Sia’s disappointment, I simply hugged her tightly.

“What does that matter? Thank you. Really.”

When I expressed my gratitude, Sia smiled with her eyes, looking satisfied.

“Sia, is there anything you want as a present?”

“No, no. Just being able to spend time with Oppa right now is a gift in itself.”

Sia waved her hands.

“Still, think of just one thing.”

“Hmm.”

She thought about it at first, but soon Sia’s eyes began to shine intensely.

“It’s not really a present, but I do have one small wish.”

“What is it?”

“I want to try role-playing just once.”

Role-playing.

That was a rather unexpected answer.

I didn’t know whether Sia had always liked this sort of thing, but it wasn’t particularly difficult, so I decided to indulge her.

“What kind of setting?”

“We’re an older girl and younger boy who grew up playing together in the neighborhood.”

This was unexpected as well, I supposed.

“So you want me to call you Noona?”

“Just for one day—no, even half a day would be enough. I really want to try it just once. Is that… okay?”

Like a little girl who had spotted a doll she liked at a department store, Sia looked up at me with sparkling, childlike eyes.

How could I refuse when she was looking at me so earnestly?

“Okay. There’s nothing wrong with trying it once.”

“Really? Then can we start right now?”

She wanted to do this that badly?

“If you wanted to try something like this, you should have told me earlier. It’s not difficult.”

“Thank you, Oppa!”

The very moment I gave her permission, Sia’s gaze changed.

From the innocent gaze of a naive college freshman to that of a mature woman who suited the title of Noona perfectly.

“Minjun.”

“I’m startled.”

It was the first time I had ever heard Sia speak informally to me, and goosebumps spread all over my body.

Still, I had to play along.

“Yes, Noona.”

It felt incredibly strange to call Sia Noona when she had called me Oppa so dutifully ever since before we even started dating.

At that single word, Noona, the corners of Sia’s eyes rose as high as they could.

As though being called that had been her deepest wish.

“Want to go eat ramen with Noona?”

At this moment, Sia truly felt like a Noona.

A Noona like a wolf trying to devour a younger man.

***

In the early hours of the morning, while Sia was sleeping soundly—

I woke up in the middle of the night and went up to the rooftop to get some fresh air.

“Whew.”

She had asked to be called Noona for only half a day, so I had spent exactly that amount of time calling her Sia Noona and pretending to be her younger man.

Perhaps because she had become completely immersed in the role-play, Sia had treated me like a younger man with a significant age gap between us.

‘Was Sia always this mature?’

I had thought I knew a great deal about Sia, but through this experience, I realized that I actually didn’t know her as well as I had thought.

If you asked whether I disliked it…

‘I actually liked it.’

I thought events like this could be nice every once in a while.

I still couldn’t forget those alluring eyes of Sia’s, which had been the complete opposite of her usual innocent image.

As I stood lost in thought, feeling the cool breeze against my skin, I gradually began to feel sleepy again.

I slowly decided to return to the house where Sia was waiting.

But then—

“Ugh.”

Suddenly, a sharp pain unlike anything I had ever experienced before struck me in the chest.