HKWM | Chapter 24

It was a few days later when I, thoughtlessly returning home, ran into Adam again. Noah had just left school and we were walking home hand in hand when we suddenly came face to face with him.

“Oh, long time no see… Jin.”

Seeing Adam’s face turn bright red just from calling my name, I was internally amazed at such a fool. Meanwhile, Noah, looking shocked, hid behind my back and stared at Adam with a fierce expression, like a baby bird protecting its mother… no, more like a baby bird protecting another baby bird. What are you doing…?

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“Noah, what’s up?”

“Let’s go quickly.”

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“Huh?”

“Now.”

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Noah, not satisfied with just urging me, grabbed my hand and practically dragged me forward. I briefly nodded in farewell to Adam, who was looking at us regretfully, and quietly followed the child. I could have stopped him, but it seemed better to just go along than to force the issue and possibly hurt him.

After a lot of grumbling along the way, the child finally stopped when we were nearly home.

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“Why did that guy call you Jin?”

“Uh… because I told him my name?”

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“You said only I knew that name.”

“What am I supposed to do if he asks for it?”

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“Tell him not to call you.”

The child immediately retorted to my explanation, and I slightly opened my mouth in surprise. Had Noah ever shown such displeasure towards me before?

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So, Noah was clearly upset that I had taught Adam my name. It was the first time he’d gotten angry about anything, and the reason seemed so adorably trivial that I almost laughed. Of course, I didn’t dare laugh in such a situation, so I just held it in and pretended to be oblivious.

“Why are you so angry?”

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“Only I should call you that… only I should know…”

Eventually, I laughed like a sigh. He must be sensitive about such things because he’s still young.

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“Okay, from now on, I won’t teach anyone else my name.”

“Never.”

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“Yeah, never.”

At my words, Noah repeatedly stressed the promise as if to make sure I’d keep it. I guess I might have to come up with a second name for everyone else now.

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The next day, Noah’s mood soured again when we ran into Adam on the way to school. He stood in front of me as if to say he’d see what I was going to do and looked up at me askance. It was a sorry situation for Adam, but I had no choice but to do as Noah instructed.

“Hello, Jin.”

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“Don’t call me by my name.”

“…Yes?”

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It was a strange request even for me, but I had to pretend to be calm about it. He seemed like a decent human, but I didn’t want to get too friendly at the expense of upsetting my kid’s feelings.

“He doesn’t like it.”

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“…Yes?”

Adam froze awkwardly, not fully understanding what I had said. Noah then added one more spoonful of warning.

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“Don’t even talk to him.”

I pressed my forehead. Was he trying to ostracize me completely? It wasn’t just about not calling my name, but not talking at all. Of course, I wanted this too, but Adam was technically a guardian of a schoolmate. I worried that he might think badly of Noah.

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But Adam smiled gently without showing any sign of discomfort. He seemed to realize that the declaration not to call my name was not because I thought ill of him, but because it was just a cute whim of a child.

“Alright, I will do that.”

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Adam’s voice was full of sympathy as he spoke. Noah hesitated for a moment but then walked into the school building without another word.

In a way, it was mischief, but considering Noah’s age, it wasn’t really a problem. That’s why they call kids at this age in Korea middle-schoolers with a syndrome. Having been through it myself, I could understand the tempest of emotions that came with the age.

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Separately, I formally apologized to Adam, who had been directly hit by Noah’s caprice.

“I’m sorry. My nephew is a bit prickly.”

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“No, it’s cute. He must really like his uncle.”

“Thanks for understanding. See you next time.”

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“Yes, take care.”

As I nodded in farewell, Adam made a disappointed face but didn’t hold on and simply smiled kindly.

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Back home, I sat on the sofa, thinking of Adam.

Regardless of the fact that he was a good enough person to generously overlook a child’s impolite antics, I had no intention of keeping close ties with other humans. Moreover, since Noah, who usually didn’t have strong likes or dislikes, was clearly upset to this extent, it seemed necessary to keep some distance.

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“But how do I keep my distance…”

It was tough because Adam would always come running to greet me whenever he saw me from afar. Plus, knowing that Adam was interested in me, I couldn’t harshly reject someone who hadn’t even confessed yet.

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“It’s kind of harsh to just push him away on purpose.”

I was worried that it might cause harm to Noah if unnecessary rumors started. Just then, a great idea popped into my head.

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“Well, there is another way to make him back off on his own.”

This method required help, so I called Kimaris, who was deep in thought looking at a recipe book. Wait, why does the apron keep changing? And it seems to get fancier by the moment….

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“…Do you keep buying new aprons?”

“Yes, there are so many different designs. I buy a new one whenever I find one. I even stopped by the black market last time—”

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I just opened my mouth slightly and silently listened to Kimaris’s torrent of words. It was the first time Kimaris talked this much. Some people become chatterboxes when it comes to their interests, but aprons, of all things… not even a sword….

Had I turned a perfectly good demon into something weird? I felt strangely guilty.

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“…I’ll increase your allowance, so buy lots of aprons.”

“Thank you for your kindness.”

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Anyway, back to the main point, my idea was to ask Kimaris or Phoras to pretend to be my lover. If I had a lover, not only Adam but also anyone else who might take a liking to me in the future would give up, so it was a very simple and effective solution that would only require one day of hardship.

Both were plausible enough on the surface, but Kimaris seemed like a better choice than Phoras. If Phoras, who was still somewhat afraid of me, was asked to pretend to be my lover, he would probably panic, and it might look like he was being coerced.

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But Kimaris was just as shocked when he heard my plan.

“…Could you repeat that, please?”

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“Just pretend to be my lover for a day.”

Kimaris tapped his ear with his large palm as if he thought there was a problem with his hearing.

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“Sorry, my lord. It seems my body is not functioning well due to my long stay in the human world.”

“No, your ears are doing their job fine.”

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“…So I heard right, then.”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

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Kimaris’s face looked like he had chewed something he shouldn’t have, and he asked reluctantly.

“…Could you tell me why?”

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“It’s nothing big, just that there’s a human who likes me and I want him to back off on his own. If a bad rumor started, it would be troublesome, so I thought I’d use a more amicable solution.”

“Humans usually have one lover at a time, I’ve heard that from Phoras. You’re using that fact, I see.”

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Kimaris nodded his head but didn’t look completely convinced.

“Why not ask Phoras instead of me?”

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“It’s not an order, it’s a request. And if I asked Phoras, it would look like a kidnapper and a hostage.”

What a useless guy… Kimaris muttered a curse. It looked like we were headed for a fight again, but I just ignored it as usual.

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Soon Kimaris composed himself and knelt on one knee as usual.

“Since it’s a request, please retract it. I’ll follow your orders.”

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“…Yeah, thanks. Anyway, it’s not a big deal, just let the rumor that I have a lover spread a bit.”

“How much is a bit?”

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I clenched my mouth. How would I know…

“Well… just play it by ear based on the situation. Anyway, let’s go together when I pick up Noah later.”

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“Understood.”

When Kimaris and I arrived at the school, it was earlier than usual, yet there were quite a few people there to pick up their kids. I quickly elbowed Kimaris in the ribs when I spotted Adam among them. Perhaps because I was too hasty, I failed to control my strength and his face crumpled.

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“Ouch-”

“Ah, sorry.”

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Kimaris, rubbing the side where he had been elbowed, hesitated for a moment then took my hand. It was the most basic form of physical contact to appear as lovers. However, we were both so uncomfortable that it was clear to anyone that we were not really a couple.

I whispered to Kimaris, who looked as if he’d rather wash his hands immediately.

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“Am I some kind of virus to you? I don’t like this either.”

“What is a virus? Is that the name of a feathered one?”

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Feathered ones were a derogatory term demons used for angels. This guy… did he hate holding hands with me as much as he would with an angel?

“Never mind….”

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I muttered like a sigh and discreetly looked around. Everyone was glancing at us with surprised faces. To fuel the rumors, I prodded Kimaris.

“Get a bit closer.”

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“How could I possibly….”

“Are you joking? There’s room for two more people between us.”

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Kimaris squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them and moved his upper body closer, casually placing a hand near my waist. It was almost like a gentleman’s hand, but his effort to quickly resolve the situation was commendable. Moreover, he seemed more reluctant than embarrassed by his earlier comment.

Just then, Adam, who had spotted us from afar, froze with a shocked expression. Seeing tears welling up in his eyes, I felt a prick of conscience as if I had hurt him unnecessarily. But the main objective had been achieved, so that was something.

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Just as I was about to pull away, a cold voice came from behind.

“What are you doing?”

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Startled, I turned around and saw Noah, who had come outside at some point, looking even more shocked than Adam. Moreover, he was glaring at Kimaris as if he would devour him, his mood clearly twisted in some way.

Before Kimaris could protest his innocence, Noah walked up briskly and snatched my hand away.

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“Noah, wait, it’s not what it looks like….”

I trailed off, turning my head towards Kimaris without knowing why I was even making excuses. However, he just glanced between me and Noah and then quietly averted his gaze.

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“That jerk…!”