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1.

Amelia had booked a hotel in Jeju Island, but they couldn’t possibly get there at this hour.

So, Siwoo quietly canceled her reservation and booked a nearby hotel instead.

Luckily, even though it was late, finding a room wasn’t that hard.

If it was Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, or New Year’s, every hotel would’ve been packed to the brim already.

Fortunately, today was December 27th, an uneventful in-between day.

So, he managed to secure a room in a five-star hotel only a ten-minute walk away.

Although, now that he wasn’t receiving financial support from Countess Gemini anymore, he had to bear the expensive cost himself.

He did have some money from all the gold Takasho forced on him during his time as a host, and the bounty he had split with Sharon during their time together though, so he didn’t have to stress too much about it.

The cold night air brushed past the Han River.

People with their coat collars up hurriedly flagged down the taxis passing by.

The streets were still adorned with Christmas decorations, and festive carols played in the background.

“...”

Meanwhile, Amelia followed Siwoo like a curious puppy on its first walk.

She didn’t seem to notice, but her mouth had been slightly open in awe for quite a while now.

Her gaze was locked at the cars passing by, making her fail to notice the traffic lights—not that she’d understand what it meant even if she did—so Siwoo had to pull her back when she almost crossed the street recklessly.

“We’re almost there.”

“Okay.”

After 30 minutes of walking, her gaze was drawn into a giant ad billboard as if she had found one of the world’s wonders. It was only when Siwoo called out to her that she closed her mouth and followed him along.

Her over-the-top attempt to act unfazed was actually kind of cute.

For a moment, it helped Siwoo forget all his worries about how he should deal with her.

After going through more hassle, they finally checked into the hotel late at night.

On a side note, Siwoo had anticipated that Amelia would draw attention—both from her stunning appearance and the fact that she was clearly a foreigner—so he had brought along one Tarnishing Charm for concealment.

Still, even the charm had its limits.

It still failed to prevent a small mishap.

The receptionist, who checked them in, stared at Amelia for an unusually long time, seemingly mesmerized.

Well, considering that even when Siwoo and Amelia had the worst relationship, he had never been able to insult her appearance despite him cursing about everything else, this was only natural.

Once in the elevator, Siwoo inserted the key card and pressed the floor button.

He booked the best room available through the app; a high-floor suite with a view of the Han River. Now that check-in was complete, though, he felt a strange unease.

Amelia.

Hotel.

By themselves, these words seemed perfectly ordinary.

But when combined, they created this odd, jarring feeling.

It reminded him of the time they stayed at Sophia’s villa in the Border Town.

An odd mix of tension, unfamiliarity, and awkwardness lingered in the air.

Amelia flinched slightly at the sensation of the elevator rising, gripping the handle of her travel bag tightly.

Unlike Odette and Odile, who had eagerly embraced everything in this world as ‘new and interesting’ when they first arrived, Amelia seemed to approach each moment in a more ‘What the hell is this?’ way.

She was standing much closer to him than before.

I could put my hand on her shoulder and comfort her. It should be fine, right?

The moment when Siwoo, who thought so, tried to do exactly that to Amelia, who had her head hung low...

-Ding!

The elevator stopped, opening its door to reveal a hallway lined with mirrors on both sides.

“I’ll lead the way.”

“Alright.”

Amelia’s voice was noticeably quieter than before.

He didn’t need to analyze anything to know that she was intimidated by all this.

It was clear from this that Amelia was a country bumpkin by nature.

Thanks to her master’s teachings and her own experiences, she had come to view the Modern World as a ‘very unpleasant place.’

So, it wasn’t surprising that she’d feel overwhelmed and tense, her shoulders hunching as she took in the unfamiliar surroundings.

Though both fascinated and shocked, she steadied her racing heart and followed Siwoo.

At the very least, it was easy to get to their room after checking in.

All it took was a swipe of the card key.

“Here we are.”

Amelia watched him carefully, her eyes studying his movements as if he was performing some kind of magical ritual. As she unpacked, she glanced around the room, unable to hide her confusion.

The room itself was immaculately clean.

There was a faint smell of disinfectant on the bedding, as if it was freshly laundered. Even the slightly gaudy-looking sofa was in perfect condition, with no signs of wear.

It was a spacious twin suite, separated into a living area and bedroom, located on the upper floors of a five-star hotel with a stunning view of the Han River.

“...”

But, there was a clear disappointment in Amelia’s face.

She realized that her expectations had been wrong.

When she saw the enormous hotel with over 60 floors that didn’t exist in Gehenna and the grand lounge decorated with a Christmas tree, she had assumed her reservation was a success.

She even felt a sense of pride amidst her discomfort with modernity.

But when they stepped inside, her little moment of triumph turned out to be a mistake.

She never imagined such a tiny, cramped room could exist in a hotel that big.

The low ceiling and cheap-looking red carpet only added to her dismay.

Not only that, the air was also overly dry, the humidity was poorly managed, and the space was far too small for two people to share.

Even factoring the second floor of the room, it was still smaller than the old cabin.

Indeed, venturing out without much knowledge had only made things worse.

Now, she felt like she was back to being her old self; someone who just caused trouble for Siwoo.

“...”

However, Siwoo, who was too busy looking around the room, couldn’t possibly have noticed Amelia’s inner thoughts.

“Ms. Amelia.”

“Yes?”

Siwoo, who had been pacing near the floor-to-ceiling window, gestured to her.

Amelia, feeling awkward and unnecessarily timid, responded hesitantly.

“Could you come over here?”

At that, Amelia walked over cautiously, her steps small and timid.

Meanwhile, Siwoo briefly stepped away for something.

As he inserted the key card and turned off the lights...

“This is the night view. In my country, people pay an insane amount of money just to see this.”

When the dazzling city lights, the towering buildings, the massive steel bridges, and glowing street filled her vision, her eyes widened.

Almost immediately, her disappointment and guilt began to melt away.

The scene in front of her was a sight that she could never see in Gehenna; a truly sleepless city.

“It’s...beautiful.”

Her honest thought slipped out as she pressed her hand against the glass, her gaze drifted from the far-off ground below to the shimmering lights across the river.

“So, this is your home, Siwoo...”

Strictly speaking, the apartment he grew up in had long been demolished and redeveloped, but it wasn’t wrong to call Seoul his home.

Besides, he couldn’t bring himself to correct her after seeing her gaping her mouth in amazement, so he just quietly appreciated her cuteness from the side.

2.

They reserved a suite with twin beds, so the two found themselves sharing the same room in the hotel.

Sipping wine from the minibar while admiring the romantic night view—it seemed like the perfect setup for romance.

A fleeting blush, eyes locking, a quiet shift to close the gap, and then...a kiss.

Usually, that would lead to them slipping into the bed next to each other.

Then, what happened between Amelia and Siwoo?

“Good night.”

“You too... Sleep well, Siwoo.”

Absolutely nothing happened.

Since Siwoo had a fairly regular sleep schedule, it wasn’t strange that he went to bed at this hour. But even Amelia, who hardly slept, ended up resting her head on a pillow on a different bed.

Both retreated to sleep, unable to face the stifling awkwardness and tension in the room.

“Haaa... Damn...”

He exhaled a deep sigh, disguising it as a yawn.

Bridging the gap between them still felt impossible.

When he first learned about Amelia’s past and the sacrifices she made for him, he had been overwhelmed with emotion.

If he could return to that moment when his heart was full, maybe things would be different now.

He thought of clinking wine glasses with her. While they might end up not talking at all, they could just lean against the wall and kiss each other passionately.

But now, he wasn’t even sure where to begin.

Should he act like the carefree man he was when he had lost his memories and lived happily with Amelia?

Or should he act like the time when Amelia was an associate professor and Siwoo was a janitor?

As if cold water had been poured on the flames that were about to ignite, what replaced his drive and impulsiveness was an overwhelming sense of difficulty.

Amelia had come out into the Modern World and was no longer staying in that cabin alone.

When she said she wanted to see his hometown, it felt as if she was giving him a clear green light, but even so, the situation was still confusing to him.

If the mythical Cowherd and Weaver Girl had met under such awkward circumstances, they probably would have spent a day sulking on the Magpie Bridge...

As these thoughts raced in his mind, a few hours slipped by, and he eventually fell asleep.

Amelia waited until his breathing evened out before turning over carefully.

She glanced at him, then rose from her bed quietly.

After confirming once more that he was asleep, she got up and sat down on his bed.

“Siwoo...”

Even now, she felt that it was hard.

Loving someone while carrying the burden of guilt was just too difficult for her.

When she wandered the Modern World, longing for his forgiveness, she often dreamed of falling asleep in his arms.

She dreamed of reliving those moments of happiness they once shared.

And now, that dream felt closer than ever.

Siwoo had forgiven her and accepted her flaws.

He was the first one to give her courage when she had run away for so long, being fearful of loss and pain.

And now...

Here he was, within her arms’ reach, yet she could only keep her silence like a fool/

She took Siwoo’s hand.

His left hand, which she had injured.

He said that he still couldn’t feel anything there because the nerves hadn’t connected properly.

As she grasped his thick and sturdy hand—completely different from her own—an uncomfortable pain struck her heart.

Not only that.

She had made many excuses, claiming, ‘I wasn’t honest with myself back then,’ while having done countless terrible things to him that she could hardly justify even to herself.

Clutching his hand tightly, she pressed the back of it against her cheek.

“...I’m scared.”

Siwoo wasn’t the only one who was afraid and anxious.

She, too, thought, ‘What if that kiss we shared was only a fleeting rush of emotion after a long reunion? What if those feelings had already cooled down now?’.

Siwoo had forgiven her, that was for sure.

Likewise, he had also forgiven him for what he had done wrong.

However, just as conflicts and fights didn’t necessarily mean a breakup, forgiveness and reconciliation didn’t always equate to love.

Their current relationship was one of forgiveness and being forgiven, and that was it.

Besides, she knew that Siwoo already had someone else by his side.

“Siwoo is a kind person, so...”

He empathized with her pain, forgave her, and even agreed to this trip she hesitated to ask for, but perhaps that was as far as his kindness would go.

That thought paralyzed Amelia, keeping her from making any bold moves.

Even though there were so many things she wanted to ask of him.

“I want you to run your fingers through my hair...”

“...”

“To hold my hand and smile at me...”

“...”

“To hug me tight and never let me go...”

“...”

Leaning closer, Amelia hovered over Siwoo’s sleeping face.

Just before her lips met his, she stopped.

“And...kiss me...”

“...”

Of course, he didn’t say anything in reply.

Amelia gripped his hand tightly again, rubbing her cheek against it.

Regardless, from now on, she’d never run away anymore.

Even if it took a hundred or a thousand years, she’d keep trying until the day he turned back to her.

Amelia stayed in that position, sharing the faint warmth radiating from his hand.

With that, their first night of the trip came to an end.