Beast, Blue Blood - Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Ha-yeon followed Si-woo with her eyes. Seeing his bare face, he looked so much like a man that it was hard to imagine him dressed as a woman. To call him ‘Selena’ seemed unlikely given how distinctly East Asian he appeared.

‘Come to think of it, he said he was born during the Joseon Dynasty.’

Even though it was said to be less conservative than the late Joseon era, it was still a Confucian-centered society. Ha-yeon wondered what the elders of that family would think if they saw him dressed as he was now.

In any case, without makeup, he looked even younger, probably in his mid-twenties.

When Ha-yeon followed Selena to the kitchen, she saw him looking into the refrigerator and asked.

“What would you like to eat?”

“Make me pasta.”

Ha-yeon answered while sitting on a high stool on the island. Selena turned around with a puzzled expression.

“Don’t you usually eat a lot of pasta?”

Ha-yeon shrugged.

“If you see the pasta I make, you’ll find it hard to say it’s the same as the one you make.”

Though it was hard to imagine how creative his pasta might be, Selena smiled lightly.

“Please wait a moment.”

Saying that, he tied his long hair and stood in front of the counter.

Ha-yeon rested her chin on her hand, watching Selena prepare the dish. Some strands of his hair fell over his long, white neck.

His size and build made it obvious he was a Luax, but his physique seemed slimmer than most men. However, from what she had seen earlier, it didn’t seem to be due to a lack of muscle but rather because of the dense concentration of muscles.

She thought that he wore flashy patterns that distracted from his appearance, making him look more intimidating, like a sister who always wore long sleeves. If he just showed his arms, it wouldn’t give off much of a feminine impression.

Since it was a simple dish, Selena soon placed a plate on the table.

“Eat.”

“I’ll enjoy it.”

Ha-yeon took a bite of the pasta and nodded in satisfaction. It was definitely different from what she would have made, and it was good.

As she ate more seriously, Ha-yeon asked.

“By the way, how did you get so good at cooking?”

Selena pulled out a napkin and placed it in front of Ha-yeon while answering.

“After living alone for about six hundred years, you get good at it eventually.”

‘So you’ve never been married?’

Ha-yeon wondered.

Luax of a certain age often had multiple marriages, including common-law marriages, to the point of losing count on their fingers.

But was it unique to the Ivanov clan? Most members of the Ivanov clan lived as singles. Although her uncle Ivan had been married before as a human, and her father Alex had been a monk in his human life, Selena was also single.

At that moment, seemingly unconsciously, Selena brushed away the strands of hair that had fallen. His large hands and the way he looked down, along with the aura he radiated, made him seem excessively ‘masculine,’ causing a meatball to get stuck in Ha-yeon’s throat.

When Ha-yeon suddenly started coughing, Selena looked up.

“Is the taste off?”

“No, it’s stuck in my throat.”

“I’ll get you some water.”

Selena got up and walked past her. Ha-yeon frowned as she watched his back. She couldn’t get used to it. The gap between the Selena she knew and the one before her was too vast.

After finishing their meal, Selena looked at the time displayed on the wall.

“I’ll draw your blood and then take you home.”

However, Ha-yeon boldly sat on the sofa, waving her hand.

“That’s a hassle. Do it tomorrow morning. I’m going to sleep here anyway.”

“Then I have some work to do. Is that alright with you?”

Selena asked.

Ha-yeon shrugged.

“Why ask? It’s not like you’d stop just because I said no. Turn on the TV.”

The TV turned on. Seeing Ha-yeon focus on the TV, Selena sat at a desk facing the large window in the living room.

At some point, Ha-yeon glanced at Selena working without paying any attention to her. Sitting in front of a modern computer, it suddenly felt as if the place had transformed into an elegant pavilion where a scholar was reading old books.

“That’s almost like a scam.”

She murmured. With his excellent hearing, Selena caught the muttered words and turned to ask.

“What did you say?”

“I’m going to take a shower.”

Ha-yeon replied, getting up and heading to the room.

* * *

After Ha-yeon disappeared into the room, Si-woo took out a cigarette from a drawer and stepped out onto the balcony. Though called a ‘balcony,’ it was large enough to fit a decent-sized house. A blue swimming pool shimmered surrounded by transparent glass windows overlooking the city. Si-woo sat on a rattan sofa and lit his cigarette.

He glanced toward the room Ha-yeon was using. Even if by accident, he couldn’t have imagined Ha-yeon opening the bathroom door and entering. He had planned to shower and reapply light makeup before she woke up.

After smoking for a while, he stubbed out the cigarette in an ashtray and went back inside, sitting in front of his computer. Before long, Ha-yeon finished showering and moved around behind him, but a focused Si-woo didn’t hear her.

“Si-woo.”

A voice suddenly snapped him out of his concentration.

Turning around, he saw Ha-yeon with wet hair, pouring whiskey from a shelf in the home bar.

“That was your real name, right? Chu Si-woo.”

It was a name he hadn’t heard in so long that it almost felt unfamiliar.

“But why Selena?”

Ha-yeon asked, bringing the whiskey glass to her lips.

“Miss.”

Si-woo suddenly reached over and took the glass from her.

“You said we’d draw blood tomorrow.”

Ha-yeon saw Si-woo standing next to her and took the glass back from him.

“Don’t make a fuss over one glass of whiskey. You’re always so uptight.”

She waved her hand dismissively, then walked over to the sofa, putting her legs up and sitting comfortably.

“I like that your house has good liquor.”

Si-woo looked at her.

“Is that the only reason you come to my place?”

“Why not?”

Ha-yeon replied.

“There’s nothing wrong with that, but I thought you came because you felt comfortable here.”

Suddenly, Ha-yeon patted the seat next to her.

“Come here.”

Si-woo sensed that Ha-yeon had something to say, so he went over and sat down. Ha-yeon gazed at him intently.

“Do you remember when we were young?”

Si-woo hadn’t expected her to bring up the past. Ha-yeon looked him up and down and continued.

“Even as a kid, I found it fascinating to see a man dressed as a woman.”

While Si-woo couldn’t hide his astonished expression, Ha-yeon calmly sipped her whiskey. When Ha-yeon was kidnapped, Si-woo was the first person to come running. But after she left for Africa, he never came to visit her again. It was as if they had never known each other.

Ha-yeon had often wanted to ask.

‘Why didn’t you come to see me?’

Of course, right after the kidnapping, she had felt uncomfortable around Luax, but after such a significant event, it was understandable to feel that way. Yet, Si-woo seemed to have forgotten her entirely, like an unwanted package that had been discarded.

However, time is a great healer. Whether Si-woo came to see her or not, Ha-yeon gradually adapted to her new life and eventually forgot about him. Until she returned to Seoul, she didn’t even think about whether he had ever been part of her life.

Now, she understood that life is a series of hellos and goodbyes, like the ebb and flow of the tide.

Resting her chin on her hand, Ha-yeon asked.

“So, do you sleep with men or women?”

Si-woo realized how much time had passed for Ha-yeon to ask such a question, especially while sipping whiskey. But whether he pondered the fleeting nature of time or not, Ha-yeon seemed genuinely curious.

“You’re biologically male, so do you sleep with women? But wanting to be a woman could mean you like men, so maybe it’s men? But then, if it’s between men, that makes you gay, right?”

Si-woo was a straight man without any unique sexual preferences, but due to his cross-dressing, he was used to such misunderstandings. Sometimes he found it easier to let the misunderstanding be.

“Which do you think it is?”

He asked.

Ha-yeon shrugged.

“I don’t know. I’d have to have slept with you to find out.”

From that comment, Si-woo realized that Ha-yeon was still inexperienced.

“It’s best not to think about it too much.” 

He advised, meaning there was no need to rush.

Ha-yeon, however, seemed to interpret it differently and smirked, as if mocking him.

“You are an old-fashioned adult. You tell the kids to do this and that while you do whatever you want…”

“I don’t.”

“Liar. I saw you going into a hotel with a woman.”

Si-woo froze for a moment. Seeing her waiting for his answer with a challenging look, he cleared his throat and said quietly.

“When was that…?”

“So, it’s women.”

Ha-yeon said with a knowing smile that was so charming it was almost enough to make him fall for her. Yet, despite that, Si-woo felt a headache coming on.

‘It was a leading question.’

Realizing there was no point in continuing the conversation, Si-woo stood up.

“Get some sleep.”

Ha-yeon didn’t reply and kept drinking her whiskey, prompting Si-woo to turn back and call her sternly.

“Miss.”

“Ah, really. Enough with the nagging. Got it.”

Ha-yeon said, regretting her impulsive decision to sleep over as she got up. She realized that Si-woo was just a nagging avatar sent by her parents. She had walked right into this mess herself.

Si-woo sighed as he watched Ha-yeon disappear into her room. Now that she was older, she had developed a rebellious streak, making her even more difficult to manage. He took the glass Ha-yeon left behind and put it in the dishwasher. Before heading to his room, he noticed the light seeping out from Ha-yeon’s room and spoke.

“Turn off the living room lights.”

[Yes, turning off the living room lights.]

The living room lights dimmed, making the night view outside the window stand out more vividly.

When Si-woo entered his room, the lights turned on automatically, revealing a neat, hotel-like room. On one side of the room was a large window, displaying the night view like wallpaper. Si-woo lifted the covers and lay down.

Staring at the ceiling illuminated by the outside light, he mentally reviewed the tasks he had handled today and those awaiting him tomorrow.

‘Let’s just sleep.’

He felt grateful that even Luax needed to sleep every night.

Rustle.

Just as he was drifting off, his sensitive hearing picked up a sound. Si-woo opened his eyes and looked at the door. He sensed someone moving in the living room. Judging by the weight of the footsteps, it wasn’t an intruder but Ha-yeon. Curious about what she was doing at this hour, he got up and went outside.

“Miss?”

Ha-yeon, wearing an oversized T-shirt, turned around from the kitchen, holding a pot.

“I’m making ramen.”

“At this hour?”

It seemed her inner Korean was stirring. Realizing it wasn’t his place to interfere with what she ate, Si-woo turned back.

“Eat and then sleep.”

From behind, Ha-yeon asked.

“Do you want some?”

“No.”

Si-woo went back to his room and closed the door. Ha-yeon stared at the closed door, then suddenly put the pot down and ran her fingers through her hair.

“I really can’t get used to this.”