After everything that had happened, things felt different with Jackie. Ever since the memories had come back, Jackie seemed like he might give up at the slightest trigger. Aera, on the other hand, felt more determined than ever. Sometimes Jackie acted so melancholic that she genuinely wanted to punch him. She wondered if a solid punch to the head might make him forget everything again.
He was scared of going through the same things all over again, and she could understand that. But there was a big difference now. They were both mortal, and the spirit that had attacked his body wasn't even strong.
On the way home, he kept mumbling to himself.
"For the first time in my life, I wanted to do something for myself. I couldn't chase after what I wanted. No matter how hard I try, I think in the end you'll get hurt again… because of me."
She had finally lost her patience. Why was he acting so fragile? She pulled the car over and took a deep breath to calm herself.
"What's wrong? Do you feel sick?" he asked.
"What's making me sick is your spoiled attitude. According to what you told me, my previous life was like hell, and this one isn't exactly easy either. Fine, I admit I've had my fair share of breakdowns too, but no one ever reached out to help me—until I met you. I used to live like Arin, shutting myself off from the world, but you showed me what it was like to live like a normal person. Even when my own parents didn't want to see me, you gave me the happiest moments of my life. So stop whining, or I swear I'll kick you out of this car."
"You're right… I'm sorry."
He was hopeless. She rolled her eyes and got back on the road.
They drove in silence for a while until Aera finally broke it with a question that had been bugging her.
"There's something I've been wondering."
"I'm listening."
"Why did Arin agree to marry the emperor? Sure, I was the one who accepted the proposal, but no matter how much I think about it, I can't come up with a good reason."
"I don't know. I thought about it a lot back then, but I never understood it. You had a plan you didn't tell me about… and you were carrying a dagger. But I guess it doesn't matter anymore."
Maybe it didn't. But Aera still wondered. Why would she want to marry someone who tortured her? Was she stupid?
"Maybe Arin had already accepted that she was going to die. Even if she had agreed to run away with you, she would've been at risk of being killed by the Celestial Kingdom. By agreeing to the marriage, she thought she could push you away and keep you safe. She knew you'd be safer in your own kingdom. She also knew it wasn't going to be a real marriage—that she was going to be sacrificed. That's why she brought the dagger. To kill herself."
It was just speculation, but when put that way, it made more sense. It was the kind of sacrifice only she would make.
She smacked the back of Jackie's head.
"Ow! What was that for?!"
"I was trying to save you in a dramatic fashion, and you went off and got yourself killed anyway? Are you stupid?"
"You must be hungry. That's the only reason someone would say something that dumb."
"Did you just call me stupid?"
"You said it first."
"Well, I was right."
"And so am I."
"If I'm being stupid, then don't talk to me."
"You don't talk to me, either."
Because of their bickering, the rest of the car ride continued in silence. There was actually another important question Aera wanted to ask, but now that they were fighting, she didn't.
Arin's blood had harmed a dark spirit. If that was true, maybe Aera's blood could do the same. She made a mental note to ask Jackie—once they'd made up.
"I'm starving," she muttered.
She had driven for hours without even taking a break. Her body was exhausted, but her hunger was stronger than her fatigue.
She opened the fridge and just stood there, staring into its empty depths.
"You know food won't magically appear just because you stare hard enough," Jackie said behind her.
She shot him a dirty look.
"I'm not speaking to you. Please respect that."
He lifted his hands in surrender. "Fine by me. I could've cooked something for you, but I'm sure you can handle your own problem."
Ahhhh! Aera could've murdered him right then and there. He had hit her where it hurt. Normally, she'd settle for instant noodles, but Mr. Healthy-Eating himself wouldn't let her buy any. And now she was about to die of hunger.
You can't let your guard down, Aera. She ordered fried chicken on her phone. The house was painfully quiet—neither of them were speaking. The only sound was her growling stomach.
Half an hour later, the doorbell rang, and she sprinted to the door. Jackie looked at her curiously. She tried to hide the food bag behind her.
"Who was at the door?" he asked.
"No one."
"The bell rang. You opened it. Who was it?"
"Oh… someone asking for directions."
"What's in the bag?"
"What bag?"
"The one you're holding."
"Oh… this? Just trash. I was gonna throw it out."
"Why didn't you?"
Ugh, why was he interrogating her like this now?
"I'm not speaking to you. Stop talking to me." She started walking to her room, but he stopped her.
"Aera."
She was sure he was about to apologize. She smirked, ready to bask in her victory.
"What happened to our healthy eating rule?"
"What about it?"
"That's what I'm asking you."
"There was no food left."
"You could've cooked something."
"I was too lazy."
"You could've asked me. You're starting a strict schedule tomorrow. You'll have to say goodbye to most of your favorites for a while."
"WHAT?! Don't ask me to do that. I can't…"
"You're being dramatic. Hand it over."
He took the food bag from her and walked to the kitchen.
"You could've at least let me eat it. I paid for it…"
But he wasn't listening anymore. She flopped on the couch and turned on the TV, trying to forget her hunger—but there was nothing good on.
"SO BORING."
Eventually, Jackie returned with a glass of green liquid.
"What's this?"
"A perfect drink. I made it from vegetables and fruit. It's calming, helps you sleep. My manager used to make it for me. I think you'll like it."
"Hmmm." She wasn't so sure about that, but she couldn't exactly refuse either. It had a strange taste, but at least her stomach wasn't growling anymore.
These past few days had been exhausting. Sitting on the couch now, Aera finally realized just how tired she was.
Jackie was sitting on the couch next to her, watching her intently. With him looking at her like that, there was no way she could stay mad at him. Her heart felt like it was full of little bunnies hopping around.
"Come here. I want to hug you."
"I thought you were mad at me."
"I was. But I made peace with myself."
Smiling, he sat beside her, and she snuggled up to him like a cat.
"I want to ask you something."
"I'm listening."
"What happened the night I got drunk?"
"You kissed me."
"You said I what?"
"You tried to seduce me. It was a very difficult night for me."
She elbowed him in the stomach. "Don't mess with me."
"I'm not messing with you. I'm just telling the truth."
She stood up to head to her room, but Jackie grabbed her by the arm and gently pulled her back.
"Where are you going?"
"I don't want to hear more of my embarrassing moments."
"But I thought you were incredibly attractive."
She forgot how to breathe for a second. Her face turned red all the way up to her ears. She elbowed him again.
"Stop making me blush."
"You're even cuter when you blush."
"Jackie!"
"You're beautiful in every way."
Ughhh, why did he have to say things like that? She felt like a giant piece of cotton candy from head to toe.
"You're going to kill me."
His expression turned serious. "Are you not feeling well?"
Why are you like this, Jackie...
"No, you idiot. Everything you say is messing with my heartbeat. I think I'm going to die from too much love."
He looked relieved, smiled, and pulled her into his arms again. He started playing with her hair — her favorite thing in the world. Her grandmother used to stroke her hair to help her sleep. But even that didn't compare to how much she loved Jackie playing with her hair. She was already exhausted, and now, finally, she drifted off in his arms.
She woke up at the crack of dawn to the sound of her phone ringing. Her body was sore from sleeping curled up on the couch. The number wasn't saved in her contacts.
"Hello?"
"Hi, this is Lotus Company calling. There will be a promotional photo shoot tomorrow at 3 p.m. Attendance is mandatory."
Photo shoot? What promo?
"Who was it?" Jackie asked.
"Someone from the company. Apparently there's a photo shoot tomorrow."
"Isn't it kind of early for promo photos? That's weird."
"Yeah, it sounded weird to me too."
"Maybe it's part of their new system. We'll have to be there at least an hour early."
"Is that really necessary? There are only five of us in this project. With makeup and pictures, it shouldn't take more than two hours."
"You think so."
"What do you mean?"
"I remember my solo shoot taking hours."
She buried her face in her hands. "I can't handle this."
"You can complain later. Come on, let's get you some breakfast."
She grumbled her way into the kitchen. As she ate, she looked at Jackie and then at herself.
"I think we're a perfect couple. Well, not exactly a couple, because you still call me by my name. You don't say 'babe' or 'honey' like other couples. But even so, I think we're really compatible."
"I'm lazy and messy, and you're the opposite — disciplined and organized. We're like yin and yang."
He sat in the chair across from her.
"Today, we're going to do the last thing you wanted to do."
The last thing I wanted to do? What was that?
"What are you talking about?"
"You said you wanted to go to a hammam."
Oh, right. They were supposed to go after the camp. But so much had happened, she had completely forgotten.
"Actually… I forgot about that. It's okay, we don't have to go. The last few days have been exhausting. I just want to stay home today."
She was genuinely tired, and she also had to prepare a video for her channel.
"Whatever you want."
She needed to come up with a believable excuse. The voice recordings were already done — she just needed to edit and upload the video. It would take at least an hour. Jackie didn't know she was yeppo Gumiho yet. She knew she had to tell him eventually, but not now.
"I need to go to my room."
"What for? I thought we'd watch a movie together."
"Um… I've got something to do. But we can watch something after."
"What do you have to do?"
"It's private. Don't ask."
"What kind of private thing?"
"I said don't ask. Ugh, it's private, okay?"
"I still don't get it—"
"Ughhhh! There's a photo shoot tomorrow, right? I need to prep for that. Don't bug me."
She rushed to her room and locked the door like that could actually keep Jackie out. For someone so informed about beauty routines, it was strange that he didn't understand the time-consuming pain of hair removal.
She sat at her computer and started editing the video. Time passed faster than she expected, and the work ended up taking longer than she thought. But in the end, she managed to upload it. She took a deep breath and stepped out of the room.
"Did your private thing finish?"
"What private thing?"
"You told me not to bother you because it was a private matter."
"Oh. Right. That private thing. Yeah, done."
"Then you can spend time with me now?"
"With pleasure."
Jackie was seated at the piano.
"Before all this happened, I was working on a new song for my album. But I kept postponing the release because something always felt off. I never knew exactly what it was."
"Would you sing it for me?"
He started playing. She gave him her full attention. Halfway through the song, he suddenly stopped.
"Everything from here sounds stupid. It never comes out the way I want."
She sat next to him. "Play it again from the top, and when you stop, let me take over."
He did as she asked. At the part where he stopped, she began playing. She filled in what he had left empty. When the song ended, he looked at her with excitement in his eyes.
"The song was beautiful, but like you said — something was missing. Do you remember what I told you last night? That we complete each other? I don't want to brag but… I'm going to. The missing piece was me. If you rearranged this as a duet, it would be so much better."
"You're better than half the producers out there. This has to be a duet track."
"When I come back to life, I want to sing this song with you."
"I'm still a rookie. I'm sure there are more experienced people who would love to sing it with you."
"You're being unfair to yourself. You're a hidden gem. You deserve so much more than you think."
She couldn't respond. What could she even say? Of course she wanted to sing freely, openly—but sometimes, life just didn't give you what you wanted.
"What's your favorite movie? Let's watch that."
"The King and the Clown. It's an incredibly powerful movie—both the story and the music."
She was glad the topic had shifted. She immediately opened the film Jackie had mentioned. They both watched intently. It was her first time seeing it, and it lived up to everything Jackie had promised. Her skin tingled with goosebumps the whole time. By the end, they were both sobbing messes. Especially when Lee Sun Hee's Fate played—it echoed in her ears long after the movie ended.
"I hate crying," she grumbled. She knew herself well; the emotional impact would linger for at least three or four days.
"Crying doesn't suit you at all, so don't cry."
"Then why did you make me watch it?"
"I didn't make you. You asked what my favorite movie was."
Fair enough.
"You didn't even ask me mine."
"What's your favorite movie?"
"You're only asking because I brought it up, but I'll answer anyway. Since my life already feels like one long, depressing drama, I prefer films that feel warm and comforting. My favorite is Letters to Juliet. It takes place in Italy. I've always wanted to go to Italy… but I guess it'll never happen."
"If one day everything works out, we could go together."
"Only if I'm not mad at you. Right now, I am."
"What did I even do this time?"
"You never show any curiosity about me."
"You're really going to be mad about that?"
"Yes. Got a problem with it? That's your issue."
"If you get mad at me again, I'll punish you."
"You can't do anything to me."
"Are you sure?"
"YES."
He pulled her close and kissed her.
"I'm still mad at you."
He kissed her again.
This sweet troublemaker didn't even blush—just kissed her out of nowhere.
"Okay, okay, fine! I forgive you."
And he kissed her again.
"But I already said I forgave you!"
"I kissed you because I love you."
And so, the rest of the day was filled with their usual playful bickering.