City ​​of Witches 345

Chapter 345 – #75_오만과 편견(4)

#343

1.
Closing time.

“You’ve worked hard, Siwoo, hyung!”
“Thank you for everything!”
“Yeah, you guys have worked hard too.”

Today marked the end of Siwoo’s long stint as a host bar promoter.
After a small party and drinks with the Rose Glass members, Siwoo had a one-on-one with Takasho.

“Siwoo, my brother in spirit and flesh! You’ve worked so hard!”
“So, did you get some regulars?”
“Of course! At this rate, we’ll not only break even soon but also be able to open a second branch. Though, I don’t plan to go that far. You can’t get full on the first bite, or you’ll get a stomach ache.”

It seems the word-of-mouth among witches is quite powerful.
With Periwinkle’s help in improving services and Siwoo’s aggressive promotion, all reservations for the next three months are fully booked.
Even without that male witch now.

Takasho stood up and offered Siwoo a handshake with a smile.
As soon as their hands met, he wrapped his arm around Siwoo’s shoulder, hugging him and patting his back.

“I don’t know how many times I’ve said it, but it’s all thanks to you. So…”

Takasho took off his watch, clicking it off his wrist, and handed it to Siwoo.
Without needing to mention the brand, it was a luxurious symbol of success at first glance.

“Ah, it’s okay, keep it. Why are you giving me this?”
“It’s nothing compared to what you’ve done for me, but please accept it.”
“I said it’s okay.”
“Just take it! My friend!”

Takasho almost forced the watch onto Siwoo’s wrist.
He gripped Siwoo’s shoulder again, smiling brightly, showing his teeth.

“If you ever have any trouble, tell me. I’ll do anything to help, even if it costs me my life.”
“Okay, I appreciate the thought. Let’s finish our drinks.”

It felt like a scene from a youth movie, making him feel a bit ticklish inside.
Anyway, this was a load off his mind.

“Ah, Periwinkle the witch told me about a new liquor supplier. It looks like I’ll be going to the mortal realm soon.”
“What? The mortal realm? They’re letting you go?”

Gehenna is a city for witches.
To maintain its unique atmosphere and the stability of conservative witches, interaction with the mortal realm is strictly limited.
For example, smugglers who transport goods between the mortal realm and Gehenna are never allowed to leave the border town.
But a trip to the mortal realm?

“I even got a temporary pass from Count Adonai. It’s a direct supply contract with the Adonai Trading Company’s smugglers, so I think it’ll be easier if I go myself. It’s in Europe, so I can’t visit my hometown. This is the life of a successful businessman.”
“Be careful out there. Don’t go AWOL.”
“If I run away, what happens to the shop?”

-Knock knock

As they were chatting and laughing, the door opened with a knock.
It was Paul, who had become quite friendly with them.

“Takasho, the witch is here to see you.”
“At this hour? Where is she?”
“She’s right next to me.”

Before Paul could say anything, a green hair scattered.
A perfect figure that made you mistake her for tall even though she wasn’t that big.
A cold impression like a stray cat and piercing mint-colored eyes that enhanced that image.
It was Sharon Evergreen, with a chest that was hard to hold with one hand.
Sharon, dressed in a pretty dress, pressed her chest and bowed to Takasho.

“Hello, I’ve heard a lot about you from Siwoo. I’m Sharon Evergreen.”
“Sharon, what brings you here?”
“I was curious because you’re Siwoo’s best friend. I couldn’t see you when I came before.”

On the other hand, Takasho, who had been surprised and stiff, quickly welcomed Sharon.
He stood up and bowed politely to greet her.

“Hello, I’ve heard a lot about you too. Siwoo was bragging so much about how pretty his girlfriend is that I was a little jealous. Wow, seeing you in person, I just want to kill him.”
“Girlfriend?”

Sharon’s ears perked up at the word “girlfriend.”
She smiled happily and sat down naturally.

“It’s okay if I join if you weren’t talking about anything weird, right?”
“Oh dear, this is awkward. We were in the middle of a very weird conversation.”
“Heh, what were you talking about?”
“Siwoo was asking for advice on where to have the wedding and how many kids to have.”
“What? Really?”

And so, a three-person drinking session was naturally formed, led by Takasho.

2.

“So, this guy Siwoo caught a male deer.”
“Siwoo, is that true?”
“Yeah, I did. Do we have to keep talking about this?”
“Dude, can’t you see Ms. Evergreen is enjoying it?”

The past was being revealed against his will.
Sharon, who had been completely absorbed in Takasho’s exciting storytelling, was now happily clinging to Siwoo’s side.

“That’s when I knew. ‘Ah, this guy is really crazy.’ Usually, if something bothers you, you’d back down if the situation isn’t right, right?
This guy doesn’t have that. If he doesn’t like something, he goes straight for it. He’s got guts. A man among men.”

He appreciated Takasho’s goodwill in trying to boost his image, but it was embarrassing since it had been like this for a while.

“Can’t you stop? You said you were grateful for my help…”
“Why~ I’m having fun. I wanted to hear what Takasho had to say.”
“Ms. Evergreen, you don’t have to call me Takasho-ssi. You can speak casually. Just call me Takasho.”
“Really? Then you can speak casually too. If you’re Siwoo’s friend, you’re my friend too.”
“How could I do that? Here, have another drink.”

As the conversation flowed in a friendly atmosphere, two or three hours had passed in a blink of an eye.
The office table, which had only had alcohol on it, was now scattered with snacks and ramen.

“Anyway, it was an honor to drink with you after just hearing stories. Ms. Sharon.”
“I also feel like it was even better to see you in person after just hearing about you from Siwoo. And hearing about all those old stories.”
“There are a lot of lies mixed in, so take it with a grain of salt.”

If Takasho’s gilding had materialized, he would have turned into a gold-plated Buddha statue by now.
He was grateful for his friend’s desire to boost his image in front of his girlfriend, but it was too much.

“Anyway, I had a great time today. I’m sorry for taking up too much of your time, so shall we get going?”
“Yeah! Let’s hang out together again next time.”
“Yes! See you next time!”

Siwoo and Sharon, having finished saying goodbye to Takasho, walked out to the Malkuth Gallery side by side.
The night air, heavy with moisture, felt like it had rained all night.
As the calendar turned, it was definitely winter, with a chilly feeling.

Sharon linked her arm with Siwoo’s and walked in step with him.
The soft cushion gave him quite a happy feeling.

“It’s been a while, walking with Siwoo.”
“Yeah, it feels like we used to do it almost every day.”
“Because Siwoo’s busy. It can’t be helped.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll make more time in the future.”

Come to think of it, it had been a long time since they had spent time alone like this.
Since he started working at the host bar, he hadn’t had much time, and even when he returned to Gehenna, he was mostly with the twins.

He suddenly looked at Sharon’s profile.
Her sharp nose and thin lips.
She looked like a fairy from a dream, staring ahead, lost in thought.
He gently wrapped his arm around her waist, and she giggled as if tickled, looking up to meet his eyes.

“Siwoo.”
“Yeah?”
“You did it with Odile and Odette… right?”

He felt like his legs were giving way.
Of course, he was planning to tell her soon.
Just like he had told the twins that he would never draw a line or distance himself from them, he was planning to tell Sharon the truth about their relationship so far.

But it was uncomfortable to suddenly be put in a situation where he had to confess like this.
There was a clear difference in nuance between saying it first and being questioned about it.

Their steps had stopped.
He could clearly see Sharon’s eyes, which had been staring at him, wavering.

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to hide it. I was going to tell you soon…”
“No, no! I wasn’t trying to scold you. I just wanted to confirm if it was true.”

Sharon avoided his gaze.
He could imagine how much of a piece of trash he must look like.

It was taboo for a witch to touch an apprentice witch.
It was taboo to sleep with both twin sisters.
It was also taboo to keep it a secret and sleep with another woman.
He had achieved a triple axel of taboos, so it was definitely difficult to bring it up first.
But…

“Sharon, can you listen to me?”
“Can I speak first?”

What was this strange atmosphere?
There was a cool tension in the air, but Sharon’s reaction was somehow calm.
But he couldn’t tell if that calmness came from disillusionment, skepticism, or contempt, or what.
It was hard to figure out.

“Siwoo is really important to me. The most important person in my life. More important than magic. I can say that for sure.”

Sharon met his eyes again.

“It makes me sad and jealous that you sleep with other people and show the expressions you only showed me to other people.”
“…Sharon.”

Sharon’s lips got closer.
She pulled on Siwoo’s collar and kissed him.
When she pulled away, Sharon was smiling like a flower.

“But I still want Siwoo to be happy. I don’t want you to be looking at my face because of me.”
“I was going to sort things out properly too. But…”
“Hey~ There’s no need to talk about it. I told you, I don’t want you to be looking at my face. Ah, I hate this serious atmosphere. I tried to copy a drama, but I can’t handle it.”

Sharon waved her hand as if everything was just a joke and let go of his arm, walking ahead.

“Huh?”

For some reason, he was holding her wrist tightly.
Sharon turned around, looking surprised.

“Me too.”
“What, what?”
“I’m sorry for not saying it first. You’re really important to me too.”

Sharon’s face lit up as she stared blankly at Siwoo.
He felt like you could have that kind of expression if you could have everything in the world.

“Yeah! I knew it.”

Late at night.
There were no passersby.
All the shops lined up on the street were closed, and the only two people in the gallery, which had been bustling during the day, were the two of them.
Holding Sharon’s slender wrist, their lips got closer again.

A little more deeply and intensely.
And the tip of Sharon’s tongue, which he tasted after a long time, had a bitter taste of Skadi.
Sharon also didn’t refuse and held Siwoo’s waist tightly.
When the kiss ended, Sharon looked up at Siwoo with dazed eyes at the thing pressing against her lower abdomen.

They had already had many experiences together.
They could tell what each other was thinking just by looking at each other’s eyes.

“Really? Here? What if someone sees us?”
“I can’t wait until we get to the dorm… so… if we go to that alley… I don’t think anyone will come, right?”

Siwoo had teleportation.
Sharon knew that too.
But the fact that she was making this suggestion meant…

“Well, I heard that a thrilling relationship… makes it stronger… and I won’t force you if Siwoo doesn’t want to…”

So, could he refuse?
That night, it was said that the mournful cries of a cat were heard in the alley of the Malkuth Gallery.