༺ Solace (2) ༻
1.
“Zzz…”
As soon as the twins laid Siwoo on the bed, he twisted his body while making peculiar noises.
Every time he tossed and turned, the overpowering smell of alcohol swiftly permeated the room.
“Ugh…”
“We should open the window.”
“Right.”
Feeling the need for a breath of fresh air instead of savoring the alcohol’s stench, the twin unlatched the window, allowing a gentle breeze to enter the room.
“Mr. Assistant, wake up.”
“Ugh…”
“Please, Mr. Assistant! Wake up!”
“Uuugh…!”
Despite their repeated attempts to wake him up, Siwoo remained unfazed.
He only let out strange groans while twisting his body in response.
This was enough to make them give up.
“Alright, let’s just figure out what to do first.”
“What could have happened to him?”
“Maybe he celebrated his recovery by drinking?”
“If so, where’s the Associate Professor?”
“Hm…”
The twins discussed various possibilities as to why their Dear Mr. Assistant ended up sprawling like a fallen statue on the first floor of their outpost.
But, with the person who knew everything, Siwoo, sleeping like a log, it was ultimately a futile effort.
“For now, we have two choices in front of us.”
“One is leaving things as it is, right?”
“Yes. The other one is for one of us to stay with him.”
“But, we’ll never get permission to stay overnight…”
They were sneaking out to get to Tarot Town in the first place.
While it might be a holiday, if they were to mention that they’d be staying overnight, both the strict Head Maid Galina and their usually gentle Masters would undoubtedly get angry at them.
“That’s why we shouldn’t ask for permission. Of course, we should send them a pigeon to prevent them from worrying.”
“So, we’ll notify them and that’s it…?”
Odette was taken aback by Odile’s audacious suggestion.
Her occasional idea always gave the timid Odette a great shock.
And this time was no different.
“Um, Sis, can’t we just go home first and sneak out at night? I don’t want to get scolded.”
“No, I want to stay here.”
“What if I do it alone…?”
“No!”
If Odette were to go home by herself, Galina would undoubtedly ask about Odile’s whereabouts. After a good scolding, it was obvious that Odette would blurt out the whole truth.
Now, if that were to happen, her passionate night with Mr. Assistant would be ruined.
“Do we really need to stay here…?”
“Odette, just think about it. Even though he’s dead drunk, he still came to see us. Do you understand what that means? Mr. Assistant missed us that much!”
“R-Really…?”
“Just imagine how devastated he would be if he were to wake up and find himself all alone!”
“U-Um…”
“I can’t bring myself to let him experience a cruel thing like that! I’d rather get scolded later! That’s why, I’ll be by his side!”
“I guess you’re right…”
It didn’t take much effort to convince Odette.
Especially since the conversation had progressed in a direction where they had already ignored the option to leave things as it was,
Despite her grumbling, Odette still followed her sister obediently.
“Anyway, let’s commence the plan! I’ll send the pigeon!”
“I-I’m scared…”
“Odette, we’ve spent this holiday so meaninglessly, but since Mr. Assistant is here, we can turn that around! Try to see things in a positive light!”
“Okay, I understand, Sis…”
As Odile was about to go to the rooftop to release the carrier pigeon to Countess Gemini’s mansion…
Odette, who had been gazing at Siwoo’s face, called out to her,
“Wait, Sis, come here for a moment.”
“What? I thought we’ve decided what to do already.”
“That’s not it… Did you notice that there’s something different about Mr. Assistant?”
“What do you mean?”
Odile carefully observed Siwoo’s outstretched body. That was when she noticed something.
“It’s strange, isn’t it?”
“True…”
‘How should I express it? Um… Firstly, he seems much younger than before…’
‘He looks like he’s in his early twenties…’
But, that wasn’t the only thing she noticed.
“Don’t you think he has become more handsome?”
“Right?”
She hadn’t noticed it until now because of his flushed face, disheveled hair and unusual expression.
But, the current Siwoo looked different from his previous self.
First and foremost, all the acne scars that were once scattered here and there on his face had disappeared, leaving his skin resembling that of a newborn baby.
He was already a good-looking man in the first place, but his skeletal structure seemed to have shifted a little, making him even more good-looking than before.
Of course, this change was so subtle, one had to look at him very closely before one could notice it.
“Maybe his younger self was this handsome?”
“Who knows. Anyway, I’m going to send the pigeon now.”
“Okay.”
2.
Suddenly, the room fell into silence.
Siwoo, still lying on the bed, opened his eyes and gently touched his throbbing forehead.
“Am I…dying…?”
As soon he opened his eyes and made a small movement, he let out a voice that resembled the gasp of someone on the brink of death.
His hangover felt more painful than when Ea pierced through his brain.
He could feel his parching throat and headache that throbbed like a large bell ringing in his head.
“Where…am…I…?”
The last thing he remembered was when he ordered the second bottle of whiskey at the White Whale Bar and the owner popped out the cork.
After that, it was all blank. It was completely unknown what happened afterwards and how did he end up here.
Siwoo squinted his eyes and looked around the dimly lit room.
From the bed and the familiar layout of the room, he inferred that this place was the twins’ villa in Tarot Town.
When he attempted to raise his body, he sensed a weight on both of his arms.
To his left was Odile and to his right was Odette.
“…Zz…”
“…Hmnya…”
The twins, dressed in pajamas, were using his arms as makeshift pillows, sleeping in a curled position.
Well, they weren’t exactly wearing pajamas. Rather, those were loose-fitting one-piece dresses known as drawers.
To be more exact, those were the underwear they had always worn underneath their clothes.
“Huh?”
‘Did I fucked up?’
Feeling a slight panic, he cautiously surveyed his surroundings. Even when he made that slight movement, his head began to throb violently.
After a further observation, he noticed that the twins’ clothes didn’t seem as disheveled as he expected. They were only a little ruffled from the movements they made in their sleep.
‘Imagine if I actually fucked up, spending a passionate night with them before passing out and lost all memory of it… Well, it isn’t like I haven’t done something like that before…’
“Phew…”
The surprise he got after just waking up made him somewhat confused.
Then, he felt a tinge of pain in his heart.
‘What is Amelia doing right now?’ That thought crossed his mind.
He forcefully ignored it, before withdrawing his arms carefully so that his movements wouldn’t disturb the sleeping twins.
Before everything else, he needed to get some water.
Otherwise, he felt like he was going to throw up.
Siwoo awkwardly opened the door and went down the dark stairs.
At this moment, his stomach churned uncomfortably, perhaps because of the sudden jolt of movement that he made.
“U-Ugh… Uegh…!”
He gripped the railing tightly as he retched.
Thoughts like how he shouldn’t throw up here couldn’t even cross his mind due to how sudden everything was.
Then, when he felt like he had vomited everything out…
“Huh…?”
‘Ah, fuck.’ He silently cursed.
To his surprise, only a few droplets of saliva and stomach acid were scattered on the floor.
He didn’t know how long he had been lying down, but it couldn’t have been more than a few hours for his stomach to finish digesting what he had been eating.
“Ugh…”
Then, he roughly wiped off the saliva hanging from the corner of his mouth.
Under normal circumstances, this wouldn’t bother him much, but at this moment, it was different.
His head felt heated but the night air clung to his skin, chilling him down to his bone.
Siwoo made his way to the kitchen with unsteady steps, grabbed a water bottle containing three lemon slices and gulped the water down.
The relaxing sensation made him feel like the water had washed away the lingering scent of alcohol as it flowed through his stomach.
Water dripped down his chin, dampening his clothes, but he paid no attention to it and drank almost half of the bottle in one go.
“Ugh… Finally, I can breathe…”
He stood there while holding the water bottle for a while, his mind was cloudy.
There were so many things he had to think about, but he didn’t know where to start.
The only sensation he could feel at the moment was his chest felt tight, as if something had blocked it from pumping out blood.
In the end, he decided to not think about anything and just let things be as they were.
“Uh…”
Something trickled down from his eyes.
He didn’t know why he suddenly felt sad or why his tears suddenly streamed down his face.
Or why he felt as if his heart had shattered to pieces.
“Mr. Assistant?”
Right when he was about to put down the water bottle…
A drowsy voice echoed from behind.
He glanced back and saw Odile rubbing her eyes while suppressing a yawn.
“You scared me, why did you suddenly disappear…hoaahm…*”
But, her effort turned out to be futile as she let out a yawn anyway. She instinctively brought her hand to her mouth, subtly lifting the one-piece dress she was wearing, momentarily showing her tiny belly button.
“Ms. Odile…”
“Your memory has fully returned, it seems?”
“…Yes.”
In contrast to the twins who were overjoyed to see him, his response was severely lacking in enthusiasm.
But, it wasn’t like Odile could do anything about it.
‘He probably hasn’t sobered up yet. Or maybe he’s still feeling sleepy.’
Odile stood near the window in the living room, bathed in the moonlight, while Siwoo stood inside the dimly lit dining room. As a result, Odile couldn’t see his face.
“Can you get me some water? I’m thirsty.”
Odile approached Siwoo while dragging her slippers. When she reached out her arms, she became startled.
The reason for this was because of the tears that were streaming down his eyes.
She looked at him with concerned eyes.
“W-What’s wrong? Are you in pain?”
Siwoo swiftly wiped his eyes with his sleeve.
He didn’t want to show her his unsightly appearance.
“No, I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Did I come here on my own? I didn’t do anything rude, did I?”
He deliberately attempted to change the topic of the conversation.
Still wearing a worried expression, Odile nodded gently.
“Aside from you suddenly barging in and lying down in a weird position, you didn’t do anything rude.”
“I see. Sorry.”
“What are you apologizing for? Did you forget already? You’re the benefactor who saved our lives twice, Mr. Assistant. As long as you don’t set this place on fire— No, I still won’t mind even if you do that.”
Odile gently tapped his arm while comforting him with the most soothing tone she could let out.
“I won’t do something like that.”
Siwoo let out a weak chuckle.
Perhaps it was due to Odile’s playful nature, but he felt much better than when he had been standing alone in a daze.
“Anyway, you said you want some water?”
“Yes.”
Siwoo poured some water into a cup placed next to the shelf and handed it to Odile.
She took the glass and downed its content in one gulp.
“Ah! So refreshing!”
While a witch like her didn’t really need to drink water, her throat felt unnaturally dry, perhaps due to the strong scent of alcohol coming from Siwoo. Not to mention that she had used his arm as a makeshift pillow and drifted off to sleep not too long ago.
After placing the glass down, Odile called out to Siwoo, who was still in a daze.
“Um, Mr. Assistant?”
Her call made Siwoo turn his gaze on her.
Just a while ago, his gaze seemed so distant, even though she was right in front of her.
But at the moment, Odile could sense that he was giving his utmost attention to her.
“Yes?”
Odile, standing slanted in the dim moonlight, was holding the hem of her dress tightly while stroking her hair.
After a brief period of hesitation, she pursed her lips.
“I won’t pry. But, if you’re having a hard time, you can ask for my help.”
She briefly glanced at him before averting her gaze and continuing her words.
“I’m on your side, Mr. Assistant.”
The moment he heard those tender words, he felt as if the crutch he had been relying on for support had crumbled.
Like a cork had been released from his mind.
A surge of emotion overwhelmed him.
Without realizing it, he pulled Odile, who was standing in front of him and hugged her tightly.
Her petite and soft body was being held tightly in his arms.
“Eek!”
In response, Odile let out a startled sound.
“M-Mr. Assistant…! You surprised me!”
At first, she only felt surprised when Siwoo suddenly did that, but soon she realized that his shoulders were trembling.
He was crying.
The warmth emanating from his body brought forth a sense of loss that was vividly painted by the waves of emotions.
At that moment, all Siwoo wanted was someone to cling to.
Before long, Odile’s shoulders were wet with tears.
Seeing this, she gently caressed Siwoo’s trembling head.
“It’s okay… I won’t go anywhere… I’m right here with you, Mr. Assistant…”
She patted his back while hugging his head.
The girl could feel her nose and eyes getting wet, but she didn’t release Siwoo from her embrace until he finally calmed down.
