Chapter 27

[27] There Were So Many Things I Wanted to Do with Oppa…

Judging by the gap in my memory, I must have passed out.

I was sure Sia and I had been making love as passionately as usual.

…Things had gotten more heated than usual because of the mood, but even so, could someone really pass out while doing “that” with their partner?

‘What on earth happened?’

My head felt shrouded in fog.

It was as if I couldn’t feel anything else, either.

How much time had passed?

“...Oppa? Oppa!”

At the sound of Sia’s worried voice, my other senses gradually began to return.

“Oppa, are you awake?”

“Ugh…”

I clutched my forehead with one hand and looked around.

Sia was staring at me anxiously, and then there was…

…Rokan?

Why was Rokan here?

Come to think of it, this wasn’t Sia’s lair. It was Rokan’s.

“You’re awake. How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. But what exactly—”

What had happened?

“As you can see, you lost consciousness. Shasha brought you here as soon as you passed out.”

Rokan’s words naturally brought a question to mind.

Why would I… pass out?

Sia and I were allowed to spend only three hours together each week.

But we hadn’t even come close to using up those three hours. From making tteokbokki to things getting heated between us… it couldn’t have been more than an hour or so.

Rokan stroked his chin, then sighed.

“The opposing energies within you must have clashed as they tried to mix.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“It’s still only a theory, but I think it happened because you tried to deepen your connection beyond a simple meeting.”

He’d phrased it as tactfully as he could, but Rokan’s meaning was perfectly clear.

Whoosh—

Sia and my faces turned bright red at the same time.

There was nothing unusual about that between a couple.

But having her grandfather find out about it was an entirely different matter.

…How were we supposed to continue this conversation?

“So, according to you, Grandpa… if Minjun Oppa and I, um, do that…”

“Then something like this will happen again, regardless of how much time you have together.”

“…I understand.”

“It’s only a theory, but what else could explain it?”

Maybe it was my imagination, but Rokan seemed to be carefully keeping his expression neutral for our sake.

“This will be resolved once I can fully control my dragon powers, right?”

“That much is certain. That’s the root of the problem.”

Sigh.

I swallowed the sigh that threatened to escape and nodded.

“Oppa’s feeling better now, so we’ll head back.”

“Go ahead. Your time together is precious. I shouldn’t get in the way.”

After a brief farewell to Rokan, we returned to Sia’s lair.

“I’m just glad you weren’t sick or anything, Oppa.”

Sia mimed rubbing her chest in relief as soon as we got back. She’d thought something truly terrible had happened this time.

“At this point, I’m starting to wonder if I’m a sunfish.”

The mood had grown too tense, so I tried to lighten it with a joke.

“Even when I’m laughing, I’m not really laughing, Oppa.”

Sia still managed a bitter smile.

“So, for a while…”

“We can’t do it.”

We’d held back our feelings as much as we could in front of Rokan, but we couldn’t hide how disappointed we were at the thought of not being able to be intimate for a while.

“I waited two thousand five hundred years, and only just managed to do it once in Gangneung the other day…”

Sia’s eyes filled with regret.

“If we hadn’t done it then, I think I would’ve regretted it for ages.”

“Right. The heavens are so cruel…”

We’d been getting so caught up in the moment. How could it have ended so abruptly?

“I haven’t told you until now, but I was really looking forward to it.”

I could only imagine how Sia must have felt.

“There were so many things I wanted to try with you, Oppa.”

“…?”

That was the first I’d heard of that.

“I even bought rope, just in case, and handcuffs, and a few different costumes…”

“…Oh.”

I could only groan at Sia’s belated confession.

‘Dear God.’

It was already the sixth day since our unforgettable housewarming date.

As the date was winding down, Sia had handed me several presents, saying they were in return for the gifts I’d given her.

They were matching T-shirts she’d picked out herself, matching accessories, and matching hats.

…And some of her clothes.

‘Sia, why are you suddenly giving me these?’

‘Well, I thought you might want to feel the same way I do.’

She wanted me to feel as if I had a newlywed home, just like she did.

On top of that, she’d said:

‘I don’t want other people to think you live alone in your apartment.’

…Honestly, I wasn’t sure what she meant by that.

Rokan had called.

Was it like leaving a pair of men’s shoes in the entryway of a woman’s apartment, so people wouldn’t think she lived alone?

I stared at Sia’s clothes hanging on the rack in the corner of my balcony, then turned away.

That wasn’t important right now.

‘This is taking longer than I thought.’

It had been almost ten days since I’d manifested that mysterious, unknown sword aura.

Since the control device wasn’t ready, I still couldn’t enter a Gate.

Because of that aurora-colored sword aura, I was stuck outside the Gates until Rokan finished making the device.

I’d expected it to take about a week at most, but there still hadn’t been any word.

“…Should I call him?”

I felt bad about bothering him, but surely I could ask when it might be ready.

Just then—

“Hello?”

[Come to my lair. The control device is finished.]

Whoa. That gave me chills.

Speak of the devil.

“Yes, sir! I’m on my way!”

As soon as I hung up, I started changing.

I’d been bored, doing nothing but lazing around. At last, I’d be able to go back to the Gates.

In the past, I’d sometimes dragged my feet before going to a Gate because I couldn’t be bothered to earn money. And for a year after “that accident,” I’d been afraid even to go near one.

It was clear how much my outlook had changed.

It was all thanks to Sia.

Once I was ready to go out, I used an artifact to travel straight to Rokan’s lair.

“Lord Rokan, I’m here!”

“…Come in.”

I hadn’t noticed over the phone, but now that I was standing in front of him, Rokan looked exhausted.

His eyes were sunken, and his hair, usually neat and tidy, was a mess. It was easy to imagine how grueling his research had been.

And what about those dark circles under his eyes?

‘You could use those as a stepping stone.’

If the control device was so difficult to make that even an ancient dragon like Rokan had spent nearly ten days on it, no wonder he looked so drained.

“Um, Lord Rokan… are you sure you’re all right?”

“I’m better than I expected. Better than I expected.”

Despite his words, Rokan’s eyes looked utterly exhausted.

I should probably bring him a box of red ginseng as a courtesy next time.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. It was actually quite fun. A nice challenge.”

He didn’t look like he was having fun.

“Follow me.”

I followed Rokan somewhere deeper inside.

The lair looked huge from the outside, but it was even larger within. There were so many parts of it I hadn’t seen yet.

After we moved to another area, we arrived at a room full of artifacts, tools you’d expect to find in a forge, a miniature furnace, and unfamiliar devices whose purpose I couldn’t guess.

This must have been Rokan’s workshop.

He glanced around the workshop, then took something out of a drawer.

“This is the control device. Try putting it on.”

“Ah… this?”

The device looked far more ordinary than I’d expected.

At a glance, it was just a plain silver bracelet you might find in an accessory shop downtown.

“Wearing this should let you control that power. Other than being unable to use the sword aura, everything should feel as it normally does.”

“But what if I have no choice but to use it?”

That sword aura was dangerous enough to consume me, but it was also a powerful weapon that could let me fight beings whose strength far surpassed my own.

If I were cornered, there might be times when using that power was unavoidable.

Rokan answered my question.

“If it’s unavoidable, then use it. I’ll explain the details in a moment. For now, put it on.”

Rokan held out the control device. I fastened it around my wrist and moved my arm a little.

I’d expected to feel some change in my mana flow or my body as soon as I put it on, but nothing happened.

“Now we need to check whether it’s working properly.”

To test the device, we moved to a training area.

As usual, Sia said she’d watch my training remotely.

[Good morning, Oppa!]

As always, Sia appeared on the large screen and waved cheerfully.

She looked the same as usual, except for one thing that immediately caught my eye.

“Sia, that outfit…”

[It’s your clothes, Oppa! I was curious, so I tried them on. They’re really comfortable to sleep in.]

Sia was wearing the old clothes I’d given her the other day as pajamas.

They were among the better-kept pieces I’d given her, but they were still pretty fuzzy, and the sleeves kept slipping down. They didn’t look comfortable to wear as pajamas at all.

[So, Oppa, do you have any more old clothes at home that I could have?]

“I do, but…”

Personally, I’d rather she used them as rags or disposable work clothes than pajamas.

I’d better buy her some new pajamas.

[Really? Thank you!]

Before I’d even finished answering, Sia smiled brightly and thanked me.

How could she be that happy just because I’d offered her some old clothes instead of a real present?

Then she tugged at the fabric and began sniffing it.

Did the old clothes smell bad?

“Do they smell?”

[No, it’s nothing. I just thought they smelled like you, Oppa.]

What was that supposed to mean?

Sia was so cute that I found myself looking at her with a relaxed, helpless smile.

For a moment, I even forgot that Rokan was standing beside me and watching.

“I feel as though I’ve become an invisible dragon.”

“Ah. I’m sorry.”

Embarrassed that we’d been so openly affectionate in front of Rokan, I felt awkward.

“It’s all right. It’s natural for a couple, isn’t it?”

Still, an invisible dragon instead of an invisible person?

He was a dragon, not a person, so technically it wasn’t wrong…

…But for some reason, I felt like if he let out a roar, he could defeat both gods and demons.