* * *

I think I’m definitely sick. Recently, my heart has been pounding irregularly, which doesn’t seem right. It even beats suddenly and unpredictably, with no set rhythm. This must be what they call arrhythmia.

Sometimes my heart would beat gently, at other times it would beat rapidly, and occasionally it would throb so hard that it felt like it would burst. Am I going to die like this?

If I die because my heart bursts, I plan to write down in my phone notes that the culprit is Lee Taeshin. All these palpitations started and ended with him.

Ever since that night, every time I saw Taeshin, my heart would pound. Meeting him on the way to school, pounding.

Making eye contact during a lecture, pounding. Accidentally brushing against him, pounding. Every symptom was connected to him.

Moreover, the pheromones felt excessively strong, to the point that I thought I could sense them from 100 meters away.

The sweet scent that accompanied the softness became even sweeter, making me feel like I always had candy in my mouth.

Above all, when all these combined, they synergized to the point that I couldn’t do anything.

When I made eye contact with Taeshin, the gentle thumping turned into a wild pounding, and the pheromones overwhelmed me like waves, with the sweet scent filling my mouth, leaving me utterly marinated.

Even before, sometimes when he smiled at me or whispered softly, I felt my heart flutter and my legs weaken, but this was different.

The thought that Taeshin might actually be using magic seemed more plausible.

Otherwise, there was no reason for me to suddenly feel this way.

Why? We’ve been together for ten years, and nothing like this has ever happened before. Why now?

Park Kangseop often joked about the all-powerful Lee Taeshin theory.

Maybe he knows something?

So I asked him via message if Taeshin could use magic.

[Park Kangseop> Yeah]

[Park Kangseop> He even received the 118th Merlin Medal and has a staff with Moon Sunwoo’s hair in it]

I was about to reply with “a staff with my hair in it, really?” but then Kangseop sent another message.

[Park Kangseop> As if. What are you dreaming? Lee Taeshin using magic, lolololololol]

[Screw you, you’re dead tomorrow. I’m going to break your spine in half.]

Tomorrow will be the day of your funeral. Grinding my teeth, I closed the chat with Kangseop and sent a message to Taeshin.

[Do you have the 118th Merlin Medal?]

[Taeshin♥> What’s that?]

[It’s something great wizards receive.]

[Taeshin♥> Do they sell it at Disney?]

[No, you can buy it at Platform 9¾]

[Taeshin♥> Ah…]

So, he’s not a wizard. I guess I was talking nonsense.

If it’s not magic, the only answer left is that I’m sick.

Maybe I’m having side effects from being too exposed to Taeshin’s pheromones?

Entertaining a more plausible guess, I secretly glared at Taeshin sitting at the desk next to mine during the lecture.

While I couldn’t focus because of his pheromones, he was diligently absorbing knowledge.

You’re responsible for my midterms. You don’t know it, but you have a big responsibility.

Glaring at Taeshin, who was disrupting my studies, I turned my attention back to the professor who was passionately teaching.

There were words written on the blackboard, but they looked like hieroglyphs to me.

In the end, I wasted the entire two-hour lecture.

The next lecture was a three-credit one, but with Taeshin sitting next to me, I thought I’d waste this one too.

Maybe I should suggest sitting separately for this lecture. While pondering how to endure this, Taeshin nudged my shoulder.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Huh? Nothing.”

My heart thumped at that.

Calm down, it’s too early to die.

Pressing down my pounding heart, I left the lecture hall.

I definitely needed to suggest sitting apart for the next class.

If we were physically apart, his pheromones would be less noticeable, and I’d be less distracted.

“…So Grandpa said if we have time, we should have a meal together… Sunwoo?”

“Huh?”

“So, what do you think?”

I had been zoning out, thinking that Taeshin’s voice sounded particularly nice, so I had no idea what he had just asked.

Not knowing what he said, I gave the safest answer I could think of.

“Um… sounds good?”

“…Really? Then tonight, let’s stay at my place. I’ll ask my mom to make your favorite dishes.”

“Huh? What?”

“We haven’t had a sleepover at my place in a while.”

My casual response had turned into a significant conversation. Just spending a few hours together in a classroom was challenging enough, and now he wanted a sleepover? My mind was in chaos.

A smiling Lee Taeshin, Lee Taeshin exuding pheromones, Lee Taeshin poking at me without knowing my feelings, and Lee Taeshin who will naturally end up sharing the same bed with me.

Crazy. I can’t sleep. The image of Lee Taeshin smiling like spring and emitting a soft and sweet scent lingered before my eyes. The chances of tonight being my last night alive were high. My heart was genuinely going to burst.

“Uh, uh! I just remembered! I have something to do today.”

“Something to do? What is it?”

“…Gaming?”

I counted my fingers and rolled my eyes, blurting out the first word that came to mind. Taeshin looked down at me calmly, then picked up his phone to call the head of our household.

“Why are you calling my mom?”

“To get Auntie An’s number.”

“Why do you need Auntie’s number?”

“To get rid of it. Hello, Mother? It’s Taeshin…”

“No! Mom! Mom! I love you!”

I quickly snatched Taeshin’s phone and expressed my filial piety to end the call with my mom. Then, I held onto the phone tightly, hiding it behind my back, afraid he’d call her again.

“You heartless person! Do you know how many of my save files are in our gaming console, and you want to get rid of it?”

“Not all of those belong to Moon Sunwoo.”

“Well… that’s true! But you shouldn’t do that! We’ve worked on it together! There’s time invested!”

“Since we filled it together, it’s time to clear it. It’s about time.”

Taeshin, who was seriously trying to get rid of our cherished gaming console, reached for the phone again.

Realizing he wasn’t joking, I desperately swung my arms to protect the phone, trying to keep it from him.

But due to our height difference, he unfairly managed to snatch the phone. He pulled me in tightly with one arm and extended the other to grab the phone.

“Taeshin!”

The moment he got hold of the phone, I hugged him tightly, fearing our gaming console would soon be reduced to scrap metal.

Physically, I couldn’t win against Lee Taeshin, so I switched to Plan B, appealing to his emotions.

“Our gaming console and save files, we’ve raised them together. They’re like our children. We’re their mom and dad, so we can’t just throw them away. Blood ties are forever!”

I shouted to evoke sympathy, but when I looked up at Taeshin’s eyes, they showed no change, as if daring me to keep trying. Not knowing what else to say to save our console, I just stubbornly insisted.

“Honey! You can’t do this to our kids! What if one day, with advancements in AI, the game save files come to life and say, ‘Dad, why did you abandon us? Mom tried to stop you!’ How would you explain that?”

Don’t abandon our gaming console!

Lee Taeshin was like the sixth son in our house, able to come and go even if no one was home. Plus, my mom trusted him more than me.

If I didn’t get a firm promise now, he might sneak in anytime to dispose of it.

I buried my face in his chest, pleading, and then sneakily looked up to check his expression. Instead of a condescending look, he had an odd, dazed expression, as if he’d seen a ghost.

“Taeshin?”

“Sigh…”

He turned his head, covering his face with his hand. When he removed his hand from his eyes and covered his mouth, his gaze wavered like rippling water.

Seeing his somewhat scolding look, I wondered if I had done something wrong and stared back at him, confused.

Then I realized Taeshin’s pheromones were incredibly sweet at that moment. The sticky sweetness, like melting multiple candies in my mouth, made my body tingle.

The ticklish sensation felt like being touched by feathers, and I flinched, realizing I was too close to him.

“Don’t throw away the gaming console.”

The excitement of wanting to protect the console subsided, and embarrassment set in. My heart pounded, and my face heated up.

Avoiding his eyes, I glanced around nervously, and Taeshin sighed again.

“Alright.”

“Really!?”

I looked up at him in surprise at his agreement. And his gaze made me dumbfounded, leaving my mouth agape.

His soft eyes were warm, almost looking like he didn’t know what to do because he liked it so much. I couldn’t understand why he suddenly seemed happy, but it was strange, and I couldn’t find words to say.

“If Moon Sunwoo is the mom and I’m the dad, what can I do?”

Taeshin lightly cupped my cheek and gently stroked the blushing area with his thumb. The tender movement tickled, making my body tremble with a tingling sensation.

“C-class! We’re going to be late!”

“Wait, Sunwoo…!”

There was no one near the stairs or in front of the elevator. Realizing we were running late, I turned hurriedly to take the stairs but slipped and stumbled forward. Thinking I was about to fall, I squeezed my eyes shut. But,

Instead of hitting the ground, I was caught by a strong arm. I slowly opened one eye.

“Are you okay?”

Taeshin was right in front of me, holding me tightly against the wall to prevent me from falling down the stairs.

* * *