Should I feel a sense of crushing defeat at the arm length that allowed him to effortlessly catch the phone even while standing behind me, or should I feel a wave of relief?
A tangled mess of emotions washed over me.
Perhaps sensing my complex expression, Raphael tilted his head, and I forced myself to say with a deadpan tone,
“Just feeling a bitter sense of inadequacy regarding my own skeletal structure.”
“……Er, my apologies?”
You’re the one who has nothing to apologize for. It’s my arms that are just too short.
Before handing the phone back to me, Raphael checked the number Adrian had left and then naturally added his own number as well.
“I’ll be in touch.”
“Pardon?”
“I wanted to chat a bit longer, but the director is calling me. See you next time.”
With those words, he offered a light nod and vanished.
Adrian was already nowhere to be seen.
The moment both of them disappeared, the air turned instantly chilly.
Grabbing my head in both hands, I let out a heavy sigh.
Ding—
Another text arrived.
[Queen’s Department Store Hand-Crafted Croquette: -4,500 KRW]
……Were those croquettes really that damn good?
Knowing where they were sold, I heaved a sigh and dragged my feet forward.
Then, something suddenly caught my eye.
“Give me this, please.”
A gift should do with this, right?
And with that, I hurried my steps.
Guided by an employee to find the exit, I headed toward the croquette shop.
Because of the vast scale of the place, just finding my way around took a fair bit of time.
Soon, platinum-blond hair came into view in the distance.
And by some miracle, he was already wearing clothes that fit his body properly.
It didn’t look like he had used my card, so did he have a different one?
Lucian was holding something heavy in both hands.
“What did you buy so much of?”
As I walked up, Lucian turned naturally and spoke.
“The fried food you like, and Jeyuk is there. I bought some ahead of time, but it got cold so I bought another batch.”
Unopened boxes of croquettes were visible.
So, let me get this straight—he bought some once, and because they got cold, he went and bought more?
What kind of brand-new, flexing-money-for-the-sake-of-it nonsense is this?
I blinked in sheer absurdity, but Lucian maintained an entirely calm expression.
Then, he held out the croquette he was holding straight toward my face.
“Ah, say ahh, Master.”
“What?”
For a split second, I doubted my own ears.
What is this bastard saying, fucking hell.
Does he expect me to go ‘Aah’ right here?
Does he think I’m going to play newlyweds with him, doing things like, ‘Ah, honey, open wide’?!
Yet, words failed to escape my mouth.
The shirt he had changed into in the meantime had its chest area splitting open again, revealing his bulging, chiseled muscles just a fraction.
Staring at that sight, I froze completely and blinked.
Lucian’s red eyes sparkling right before my eyes, his unwavering smile, and the overwhelming muscular definition rippling down his solid forearms.
……Terrifying.
I quietly opened my mouth.
“……A—Ah.”
I bit down into the croquette.
Fucking hell.
It was insanely delicious.
Inside the crispy fried batter, savory potato and a moist filling blended together harmoniously.
The moment I took a bite, the rich, savory, and mildly spicy flavor exploding across my mouth made an exclamation slip out on its own.
“How about you, Master? No text messages came through, didn’t you find anything you liked?”
While wiping away the grease smudged at the corner of my lips, I snapped my head up at Lucian’s words.
Seeing him flash that same unbothered smile, I awkwardly scratched the back of my head and held out a small box.
“It’s a gift, though using your card to buy it felt a bit weird.”
I had blown through pretty much all my scholarship money.
My hands were trembling violently, but I forced myself not to show it.
Lucian glanced down at the box. His brows ticked upward by a fraction.
“Using my card?”
“It’s not like that’s the only card in existence, you know.”
I pulled out a different card from my worn-out wallet.
Lucian looked at me as if surprised, then slowly took the box.
The brush of his fingertips against mine sent an unnecessary, chilling ripple down my spine.
“Cufflinks. You wear suits a lot anyway.”
At those words, Lucian slowly closed and opened his eyes.
Then, carefully opening the box to check the contents inside, he gently stroked the cufflinks with one finger.
“Thank you, Master.”
“……Don’t mention it. I should be the one saying thanks.”
Pointing at the white knit sweater I was currently wearing, Lucian swallowed back a smile and asked quietly,
“Did you not buy anything else?”
“No. People’s gazes were way too prickly.”
It wasn’t just about the steep prices; the way people were staring at me felt flat-out strange.
At first, I thought I was just imagining things, but it was definitely because of Lucian.
From the department store staff to passing customers, every single one of them would flinch in surprise upon seeing Lucian, then immediately shrink their posture or scurry away fast.
I shook my head vigorously and let out a sigh.
“You can just order whatever you’re going to wear normally online, let’s go home now.”
At that moment, Lucian closed the box and extended one hand outward.
“Master.”
“What?”
“Would you do me the honor of putting them on for me?”
His red eyes gazed down at me quietly.
Yet rather than feeling scared, an absurd dry laugh bubbled up.
Why on earth do I have to put these on him myself?
“Your hands are perfectly fine, why do I have to do it?”
At that, Lucian slowly narrowed his eyes, brought one hand up to his chest, and bowed slightly at the waist.
“Because if you were to put them on me yourself, Master, I feel it would hold a much deeper meaning.”
Fucking hell, this bastard is starting up again.
“There’s no deep meaning. Just do it yourself.”
Saying it firmly, I bit down into my croquette once more, but Lucian tilted his head slightly. His red pupils deepened.
“You may say that, Master.”
One corner of his lips slowly curled upward.
“Though your heart seems to be moving quite differently?”
“What?”
He extended his arm slightly closer.
“Even while looking at me this close, Master, you haven’t looked away even once.”
Ah, fucking hell.
Since when have I been staring at this bastard this intensely?
I hurriedly averted my gaze and cleared my throat.
“No, I just…… you suddenly shoved your arm out, so I looked. What kind of weird nonsense are you spouting?”
Despite that, Lucian smiled with a look of deep satisfaction, still waiting with his hand outstretched.
If I didn’t just do it, it felt like it was only going to get way more annoying. In the end, letting out a sigh, I fished out the cufflinks from the box.
“Hand over your arm.”
At those words, Lucian extended his arm even further as if thoroughly pleased.
I reached out to fasten the cufflinks, and the moment our fingertips lightly brushed, a microscopic jolt of electricity rippled through the air.
Was it static electricity?
