“I realize I haven’t been calling you by your name.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Come to think of it, he had always addressed me as "you" or "my dear." Geoffrey glanced briefly at Damian before speaking softly to me.
“It would be best to close the distance between us. Please, feel free to call me Geoffrey as well.”
“Huh? That’s a bit…”
I mean, even if he looked like he was in his twenties, he was much older than me, and a Archmage, no less! Plus, I come from a culture rooted in Confucian etiquette. My internal compass isn't set to "Hey!" to grandfathers like in the West, it’s set to a deep, respectful bow.
Knowing the soul inside him was basically a senior citizen, my tongue simply refused to spit out his name casually.
As I awkwardly avoided his gaze, Geoffrey tilted his head slightly and naturally took a step closer.
“Now that I think about it, we agreed to talk about each other, but we didn't get around to it today.”
…Did we? Come to think of it, I felt like I’d heard something like that pass by.
“Are you the type who takes a long time to get close to someone?”
“…Yes. Quite a long time.”
Suppressing the urge to nod violently, I spoke with heavy emphasis. I hoped that by saying this, he would be more cautious.
But Geoffrey either didn't hear me or chose to ignore it. He reached out and brushed his fingers against my cheek.
Hey, didn't I just say it takes me a long time?! Before I could even swat his hand away, Geoffrey let out a small chuckle.
“I see.”
As soon as he finished speaking, something touched my lips. It was incredibly light, like a stray breeze.
…It was Geoffrey’s lips.
The moment I was about to scream reflexively, Geoffrey pulled back and spoke quickly to stay ahead of me.
“Given my age, I prefer moving quickly once hearts are aligned rather than letting a relationship progress slowly.”
“……!”
“Human life is finite, after all. If we spend too much time just getting to know each other, isn't that a loss?”
You don't mean hearts are aligned, you mean bodies!
I covered my lips with both hands and scrambled backward. But despite my reaction, Geoffrey simply bowed his head with an unbothered expression.
“I look forward to being called Geoffrey next week. Shion.”
He talks about his age and the finitude of human life, and yet he expects me to call him by his name?
That, however, was just an echo in my mind. As Geoffrey left and the door clicked shut, the inn fell silent. I stood there dazed, pressing my hand against my lips.
…Why did I fall for it again?
The more I thought about it, the more absurd it felt, and heat rushed to my face. But then I felt my back prickle as if it were getting hot too. I turned around to find Damian staring at me intensely.
“Why does that human mage keep trying to touch you?”
“I don’t know either.”
I shook my head with a tearful face and finally dropped the hand that was covering my lips.
“How would I know? He said something about his 'type' or whatever, and even though I rejected him, he keeps doing that after saying he wouldn't.”
He was like some pathetic guy who gets rejected after a confession and then clings on under the guise of being "just friends." Pretending to be nonchalant while his eyes are full of devious intent, just waiting for a chance… well, he is an Archmage, so maybe that's not entirely wrong? In a different sense, of course.
While I was lost in those useless thoughts, Damian tilted his head.
“Does he want to give you his seed?”
“…What?”
I stared blankly, momentarily failing to process the words, but Damian asked with a dead-serious face.
“Shion, does that human mage wish to mate with you?”
“……”
My mouth opened and closed. My lips twitched several times, but no words came out. Damian watched me intently before suddenly reaching out and grabbing my butt.
“……!”
Wait, what? My butt?
His massive hand completely cupped one side of my rear. He wore a pensive expression, squeezing and pressing it as if he were kneading rice cake dough.
“He has no conscience.”
“Wh-wha-what… what are you doing?!”
“To think he intends to mate using something this tiny.”
He shook his head slowly. He looked as if he had truly just heard the most ridiculous thing in the world.
Wait, first of all, what does mating have to do with my butt? And besides...
“Why are you touching my butt?!”
“I asked first. Why does he keep trying to touch you? It’s not just now. It was the same last time, and just a moment ago. He kept targeting your hand even while rambling about useless things.”
Is that why you were so quiet earlier?!
I had wondered why he seemed ready to pounce on Geoffrey at first but then went silent, apparently, he was busy being suspicious.
“I don't know! Maybe he thinks it’s some kind of seduction!”
I suppressed my embarrassment and pushed his hand away. This time, I used both hands to firmly guard my backside instead of my lips.
I shot him a glare, expecting him to sneer or snort, but Damian’s expression was unexpected. His red eyes were wavering aimlessly. His pupils widened slightly, and a mix of fluster, shock, and incomprehensible confusion swirled within them.
For a monster, he sure has a wide range of expressions, I thought randomly. Just then, Damian asked with a very serious face.
“Wasn't human seduction about giving food?”
“…Pardon?”
What kind of nonsense is this?
I looked at him with an absurd expression, and then Damian’s past words flashed through my mind like a montage.
‘To think a mere human would try to seduce me.’
‘Because you gave me food when I was injured.’
Come to think of it, this guy had been mistaking food for seduction all along!
Back when he was "Happy," whenever I ladled out some soup, he thought I was pouring out my heart, when I handed him a bowl of rice, he took it as a marriage proposal.
That’s why, when he said he’d stay at the inn in human form, I just went along with it thinking I could use the extra labor… but now, the look in his eyes had changed.
His eyes narrowed suspiciously. Having listened to Geoffrey’s words, it seemed Damian was now doubting his own belief that food equaled seduction.
“Well… there is a famous meme that goes ‘Do you want to come over for ramyun?’, so seducing someone with food isn't entirely wrong, but…”
Even as the words left my mouth, I felt ridiculous. I mean, there isn't even any ramyun here.
What should I do? Should I tell him the truth? But if I tell him the truth and he tries to kill me for "daring to deceive a monster," then what? Or what if I keep lying and get caught later?
My throat felt parched, but I fumbled through my explanation.
“There are many different types of seduction… I mean, what he did was sexual…”
The only terms I could recall were types of love like Agape or Platonic that I’d learned back in middle school, but those concepts had long since evaporated along with my life as a part-timer.
“So… if Agape is like a parent’s love, then for me, giving food is more… a bit of 'Jeong'? That kind of paternal instinct that wells up when I see someone enjoying my food… it makes me feel proud and, well, moved.”
I could feel my words getting more and more tangled. Damian seemed to realize things weren't adding up either, as he slightly raised an eyebrow while watching me babble.
“Then, are you saying you feel those emotions for everyone who eats your Gukbap?”
“No! That’s business! That’s providing labor in exchange for payment! Love is way too expensive a word for that! It's not that I don't have, uh, desires... but it’s not like I get turned on just by handing out Gukbap…”
Ultimately, the conversation went completely off the rails. My mouth was running faster than my brain could keep up. Even as I rambled, I wondered why I was talking about this.
But Damian’s red eyes began to glow slowly as they followed the movement of my lips. That made me even more flustered, my voice grew louder, and my words lost all direction.
“So, what I'm saying is, Gukbap isn't just food, it’s 'Jeong,' and 'Jeong' is like the flavor of living among people. It's not exactly love, but well, if humanity is love, then it could be a type of love…!”
Damian suddenly cut me off.
“And me?”
“…Huh?”
“You tried to seduce me, so why don't you do it to me?”
…What?
As I stood there with my mouth agape, Damian raised his hand and tapped his own lips.
“I will accept at least this much.”
“……”
I gulped involuntarily.
Damian slowly tilted his chin up. It was a gesture that said, “Go ahead, try it if you can.”
What do I do? If I refuse now, will he really rip me apart for "daring to mock a monster"? Or since I trimmed his nails, will he try to bite me to death instead?
My survival instinct took the wheel. After frantically racking my brain, I finally gave a resolute nod and swallowed hard.
“…Hold still.”
Steeling my heart, I took a step toward Damian. Damian, who had his chin tilted up, slowly leaned his upper body down. Since he was a good two spans taller than me, he had to practically fold himself over.
Soon, our eyes were level. As our gazes locked, I gulped again. Is this right? Wasn't there a better way? These thoughts swirled in my head, but the moment I met those red eyes, all other thoughts vanished.
“Um…”
“……?”
“Please close your eyes.”
Damian obediently closed his eyes.
Dammit, I’d rather he just snorted at me like usual.
Whether it was cringey or just plain embarrassing, I hesitated several times before finally reaching out to wrap my arm around Damian’s waist. But he was too thick to encircle with just one arm. If I used both, I’d look like a cicada clinging to an ancient tree.
Left with no choice, I reached up and placed my hands on his shoulders. Normally, I would have had to stand on my tiptoes to reach, but since Damian was leaning down, I could easily reach him with just a slight lift of my heels.
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