R302 | Chapter 5

“No way, is the kid drinking wine?”

“I’m not a kid!”

“Ain-nim, just let him have it. A little wine won’t hurt, right?”

“Yeah… It’d be a shame to skip drinks at such a nice gathering…”

With support from Mr. Bjorn and Ms. Albina, Ain clicked his tongue and poured a little wine into the empty glass. Licht, apparently thirsty, eagerly sipped it down. Despite his initial opposition, Ain seemed pleased to see Licht enjoying the drink and held up the bottle with a grin.

“Is it good? Want more?”

“Yeah.”

Licht quickly held out his glass and gulped down the wine without hesitation.

“Our Licht, you drink well. So cute.”

“Not cute… I’m an adult now.”

“Sure, sure, but adults can be cute too.”

Ain patted Licht’s head and gently pinched his soft cheek. Licht, with a sulky face, continued sipping his wine. Just then, Rinne appeared out of nowhere and leapt onto Licht’s lap.

Standing on two feet, Rinne poked his tiny head between Licht’s mouth and the glass. Licht pulled his lips away from the glass.

“What’s up, Rinne?”

“Myaak. Mwoong.”

“Hehe… Rinne.”

Suddenly giggling, Licht lifted Rinne and started showering kisses on his belly. Rinne squirmed.

“Mweaaang, myaak!”

“Mm, so soft.”

“…Our Licht, can’t handle his drinks?”

“Myaaak!”

With a desperate wail, Rinne answered. Using his paws without claws, Rinne pushed away from Licht’s drunken embrace and managed to escape. Standing on the table, he glared at Ain as if ready to pounce.

“Uh… sorry. I didn’t know he’d get drunk from just that.”

Avoiding the piercing gaze of the cat, Ain looked at Licht. With his cheeks flushed red, Licht was clearly drunk.

“Licht.”

“Ain…”

Licht’s body swayed, and his pale hand suddenly wrapped around Ain’s neck. Burying his face in Ain’s chest, he rubbed his cheek against him. Ain let out a baffled laugh.

“Ain… I want more wine.”

“Licht? You’re drunk.”

“I’m not drunk… Give me wine, wine. Heiker ahjussi and Nidia won’t give me any. I’m an adult…”

“Uh-huh, I see. Sorry, Licht. Not every adult can drink.”

“That’s mean…”

Licht whined, rubbing his forehead against Ain’s shoulder. Ain clicked his tongue and stood up.

“I should put this kid to bed.”

“Yes, please do.”

“Ain-nim, I’ll do it.”

“No need. Don’t take our Licht away from me.”

Ain gently lifted Licht, who kept trying to cling to him. As his body floated, Licht’s eyes widened.

“Wow, I’m flying.”

“Uh-huh, sure.”

“I’m flying.”

“Yes, yes, you’re flying.”

Holding the excited Licht firmly, Ain climbed the stairs. In no time, they reached the third floor, and Ain gently shook Licht.

“Where’s your room, Licht?”

“There.”

Licht pointed to the room right next to Ain’s Room 302. The problem was that it used to be a small storage room. Frowning slightly, Ain opened the door and went inside.

“…Not bad?”

Worried it might still look like a storage room, the inside was completely different from what he remembered.

Moonlight streamed through a large window. The walls painted in a soft blue and the rug-covered floor were impeccably clean. The furniture, without any peeling paint or broken parts, looked like it had just been moved in.

Relieved that Licht was staying in a decent place, Ain sat Licht on the bed. As soon as he touched the soft surface, Licht tried to lie down, but Ain held him and took off his shoes one by one.

“Alright, Licht? You need to take off your outer clothes to sleep.”

“Okay.”

He answers well without moving. Ain sat on the bed and helped Licht take off his top layers. Since it was still early March and chilly, he had to remove two thin layers before reaching the shirt.

Then Ain found slippers in the corner and put them on Licht’s feet.

“Licht, let’s wash up before bed.”

“……”

“Let’s at least brush our teeth. Wash your face too. Come on, up.”

Standing up, Ain grabbed Licht’s hands and pulled him up. Licht wobbled to the bathroom.

“Can you manage on your own?”

“Yeah…”

Not feeling reassured, Ain decided to wait in the room until Licht came out. As he looked around, he found Licht’s diary on the desk.

<Diary>

Do not read!

If you read, bad luck

will come!!!

Ain couldn’t help but chuckle. Bad luck, huh? It was so like Licht to threaten like that. The three exclamation marks, as if trying to be intimidating, were adorably cute. Writing it like this only makes one more curious, but Ain wasn’t shameless enough to read someone else’s private diary.

Ain tore his eyes away from the diary and looked over the desk. The neatly placed fountain pen had a slightly bent nib, and the ink bottle was nearly empty. He thought he should buy a new one later and turned to the window. He took in the still peaceful village.

After watching for quite a while, the bathroom door opened, and Licht came out. His face was still a bit red, but he seemed more sober after washing up.

“Licht, feeling better?”

“Yeah… Sorry, I must’ve been heavy for you to carry.”

“Huh? Not at all. Licht, you were light as a feather. You should gain some weight.”

“It’s not that bad…”

Licht shook his head and sat on the edge of the bed.

“What were you looking at?”

“Just the village. It’s been a while, nice to see it hasn’t changed much.”

“But if you walk around, it’s changed quite a bit. Mr. Mac expanded the blacksmith shop, the temple got renovated recently, and the general store moved to the next block. Oh, and they tore down some houses in the south and built new ones.”

Licht’s voice, full of excitement, showed his affection for the village he lived in. Ain smiled gently.

“Yeah, a lot has changed here too. Nidia’s grown up and working with you, and you’re using the storage room as your room.”

It’s natural for things to change over time, but the changes here felt more fascinating to Ain. This was where events that changed his life began.

Licht nodded and laughed softly.

“Yeah… Actually, this was a guest room at first. But not long after the inn opened, a guest hanged themselves in this room, so they turned it into a storage room because it felt creepy.”

“What?”

Ain frowned.

“Why are you using such a room?”

“It’s been a long time. It’s more efficient to use this room, which was originally a storage room, than to lose a guest room.”

“…Our Licht, you sound like a real inn owner.”

“Of course. I’ve been running the inn for three years now.”

Feeling a sense of foreboding, Ain hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Licht, what about Kaine-ssi…?”

“…He passed away. Three years ago.”

Licht replied as if it was nothing. As expected, though he had anticipated it, Ain felt a bitter taste. Losing his mother at a young age and then having to say goodbye to his father too. Ain felt deeply sorry for Licht in front of him.

“I’m okay.”

“Uh-huh, you’re brave. Good boy.”

Ain ruffled Licht’s hair, who was speaking maturely. Licht glared at Ain, telling him not to treat him like a kid. Ain smiled and withdrew his hand.

“But Licht. Can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Why are you using this room? Your original room… it’s full of memories with your mother and Kaine-ssi.”

In Ain’s memory, there were definitely three guest rooms on the third floor. He thought he was confused because it had been a while, but it seemed they had turned the family room into a guest room, adding one more.

“Yeah. But… my dad was sick for a long time and passed away there. When I go in, instead of good memories… I remember more bad ones, so I just changed it.”

“Licht.”

Ain stood up abruptly and approached Licht. He stood in front of Licht and gently wiped the wet cheek with his fingertip.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. Don’t cry, okay?”

“I’m not crying…”

“If you’re not crying, then what’s this dripping, spit?”

“…Gross.”

“Yeah, so admit it’s tears.”

“I’m not crying.”

“Oh dear, our Licht. Spitting with your eyes…”

“Ain, you’re a fool.”

With a soft laugh, he sat next to Licht. Then he hugged Licht tightly and lifted him, laying him down beside him. Licht, suddenly lying on the bed, looked bewildered.

“…What’s this?”

“Let’s sleep, our Licht.”

“I’m not a kid…”

Though grumbling, Licht obediently closed his eyes. Ain patted Licht’s chest gently. Tired and having drunk, Licht soon fell into a peaceful sleep.

“……”

Ain watched Licht quietly for a while before getting up. Seeing his tear-stained face sleeping peacefully stirred something in his heart.

―This time, say goodbye to Licht before disappearing. Licht was really upset. Cried a lot….

‘To think I made this kid cry so pitifully…’

Guilt washed over him. As Rinne said, he shouldn’t disappear suddenly this time. Resolving that, Ain left the room.