Beast, Blue Blood - Chapter 92

Chapter 92

“Welcome!”

In traditional Mongolian attire, Yeon-ha greeted them while holding a tray of cookies. She looked so adorable that she seemed more like a traditional doll than a person.

“Doesn’t it suit you so well?”

Si-woo smiled as he spoke.

“Am I a bit late?”

Yeon-ha shook her head.

“No, you arrived just on time. But isn’t this your usual outfit?”

“I’m sorry. I’ve been so busy that I didn’t have time to prepare.”

Yeon-ha looked slightly disappointed but didn’t press further, knowing how busy Si-woo always is.

“But what about that…?”

Yeon-ha’s expression changed when she saw the teddy bear that Jerome was holding, or rather, holding out in front of him. Although she was not thrilled about it, she smiled and said nothing more, as it was a gift.

“Come in.”

Jerome went off to put the teddy bear somewhere else, and Si-woo followed Yeon-ha.

In the hallway, Ha-yeon was standing. At first, Si-woo didn’t recognize her because she was turned away.

She was dressed in a wide-sleeved white blouse and a long red dress that reached her ankles, cinched under the chest with a golden ribbon, resembling traditional Russian attire. She also wore a semicircular golden hat. Her hair was braided into a single strand with a red ribbon interwoven, and she had pearl earrings.

For a moment, Si-woo felt as if he were meeting a princess from the ancient. Ha-yeon’s expression was one of dissatisfaction as she cast a scrutinizing glance at Si-woo, reading the hidden message behind his unusually tense demeanor.

At that moment…

“Selena!”

Kyu-hwa, standing behind Ha-yeon, approached with a bottle of beer in hand, her hair in two braids, and wearing a school uniform. Although the uniform suited her to some extent, her appearance, being in her late twenties, gave off a somewhat out-of-place impression if one didn’t know the party’s concept.

Si-woo smiled at Kyu-hwa’s ever-cheerful demeanor.

“Did you come?”

Kyu-hwa draped an arm around Ha-yeon’s shoulder and spoke.

 “Isn’t our daughter just beautiful? I can’t believe I gave birth to such a lovely daughter.”

She then gave Ha-yeon a quick peck on the cheek. Ha-yeon only managed a slight, slightly strained smile. Although she wasn’t too pleased with her mother’s embarrassing behavior, she seemed to tolerate it, knowing it was out of affection.

Kyu-hwa then looked at Si-woo and asked.

“But why are you in your usual attire?”

“I didn’t have time to prepare because of work.”

“That’s too bad. I was hoping to see our Selena’s bare face for once.”

Ha-yeon, surprised, turned to her mother and asked.

“Have you seen it before?”

Kyu-hwa nodded.

“I just drowned him because he wouldn’t show any more skin to a girl with a boyfriend who’s been with him for less than a hundred days.”

As if that was typical of her mother, Ha-yeon rolled her eyes slightly. Meanwhile, Kyu-hwa continued.

“Ever since I met your father, my eyes have been glued to the sky, making every man look like a squid. If I had met Selena before I met your father, you might not have been born.”

He knows it’s Kyu-hwa’s way of giving compliments, but it seems like only Si-woo notices that Ha-yeon’s expression is gradually souring. So, Si-woo decided to change the topic.

“How is the progress on the new school construction?”

Kyu-hwa extended her hand.

“Let’s not talk about work. Today is our adorable daughter’s birthday.”

As Kyu-hwa lovingly gazed at her daughter, Ha-yeon looked visibly displeased.

“Are you already drunk?”

At that moment, Tauga, dressed in a turban and traditional attire, approached from behind. He was about to speak to Si-woo, who was still in his usual attire.

“Why…”

“I’ve been busy.”

Si-woo preempted the question, considering he would likely face it all day for not adhering to the dress code.

Understanding how busy Si-woo was, Tauga said nothing further.

“Let’s go in. Everyone has arrived.”

When they entered the living room, the Ivanov clan was gathered. Ivan was dressed in a black suit from the Victorian era.

Noticing that Alex was absent, Si-woo turned to Kyu-hwa and asked.

“Didn’t Captain Alex come?”

“He couldn’t make it. With the daughter’s birthday, he had something he couldn’t miss no matter what. Luckily, Ha-yeon doesn’t mind such things. The kid is pretty cool about it.”

Ha-yeon indeed had no particular attachments. ‘Chic’ would be the best word to describe her. But why was she…

Si-woo caught himself thinking and immediately stopped. Today was a day when the whole clan was gathered, so both he and Ha-yeon could take some time to distance themselves and gather their thoughts.

As they sat at the table, Tauga, who was seated next to Si-woo, quietly murmured.

“Traitor.”

“Then you should cross-dress, too.”

Si-woo replied nonchalantly.

When it was time to exchange birthday presents, Si-woo received the teddy bear from Jerome and handed it to Ha-yeon.

“Happy birthday.”

Everyone’s faces were filled with concern as soon as they saw the teddy bear.

Ha-yeon, who had been staring at the teddy bear for a moment, finally accepted it. Since the bear was so large, she didn’t receive it but rather patted it as she placed it in front of her. Then she hugged the bear’s neck and smiled.

“Thank you. I love it.”

Her bright face was cuter than ever.

Everyone was surprised, but Ha-yeon genuinely seemed to like it. Only Si-woo thought she looked like she was strangling the bear with a force that seemed to come from the spirit of Mother Russia.

* * *

From a distance, Ha-yeon was sitting on the teddy bear like a cushion while chatting with Hisha. Si-woo was relieved to see that, despite the size of the bear, it seemed to please her more than he had expected. Although he hadn’t bought it with the expectation that she would like it.

He turned to Ivan, who was standing next to the island.

“Seeing you in this outfit reminds me of when we first met.”

Ivan, pouring a drink from a large transparent bowl, glanced at Si-woo.

“I can’t even imagine that.”

Si-woo let out a small laugh. After all, when he first met Ivan on Isle Island—dragged there by Alex and Ah-eun’s agreement—comparing the frantic, out-of-control lunatic he was then to the Ivan of now would be quite a contrast.

“That reminds me.”

Ivan said.

“I remember how astonishing it was back then. They had dragged in a lunatic who had been rolling in the mud somewhere. It was so outrageous that even someone with severe anger management issues would have come to their senses. Yet, you were so frenzied it was almost terrifying.”

After being locked up and screaming and having outbursts, narrowly escaping death several times, it was strange but true that he gradually began to regain his senses. Alex had spent several days subduing him with sheer physical force, as Si-woo, driven mad, had fought back with his eyes rolling.

Naturally, Alex sustained some injuries, but he never gave up. This was one reason Si-woo held a special respect for Alex.

At that time, Ivan shook his head slightly.

“I was sure Alex was going to kill you and be done with it.”

Si-woo looked down at his reflection on the surface of his drink, arms crossed.

“I thought you didn’t want to come to your senses.”

Because facing reality meant confronting the fact that Eop-ji was killed, he failed to prevent her from dying in fear and pain, and his momentary rage turned Changwon-gu into a vampire.

Ivan shrugged and took a sip from his plastic cup.

“The most ridiculous part was when that lunatic started cross-dressing.”

“This look was… kind of a punishment.”

Si-woo muttered as if to himself.

“Don’t you think it’s time to stop?”

Ivan asked. It was more of a suggestion for Si-woo to free himself from self-forgiveness rather than a request to stop cross-dressing.

But Si-woo merely smiled.

“I’m not sure. I’ve lived like this for too long.”

He took a sip of his drink and laughed awkwardly.

“Hmm, is this… cotton candy flavor?”

“It’s Martha’s favorite.”

Ivan, who wasn’t particularly fond of sweet foods, seemed to be drinking it without complaint.

At that moment, Yeon-ha came over.

“Honey, Martha is crying. Could you calm her down?”

Since there was no one better than her grandfather to soothe Martha, Ivan gestured for Si-woo to stay and went over.

Left alone, Si-woo glanced around the living room. Ha-yeon was still sitting on the teddy bear like a cushion.

The reason Si-woo couldn’t stop cross-dressing wasn’t just about being ready to forgive himself. A bigger reason was that this appearance served as a bastion to prevent Ha-yeon and himself from committing irreversible actions.

Although Ha-yeon seemed indifferent to whether he cross-dressed or not, it was another matter entirely to stop it arbitrarily.

Si-woo quietly surveyed the people scattered around. No matter how he thought about it, any kind of adventure with Ha-yeon seemed too precious to him given how valuable this family was.

The clan had played a significant role in helping him manage his madness. Having something to protect had allowed him to keep his sanity.

‘But…’

Si-woo wondered if anyone else was noticing how Ha-yeon’s skirt was gradually slipping off the teddy bear she was sitting on, revealing more of her legs. Even Hisha, who had bent down to pick up a dropped snack and nearly brushed against her legs, seemed oblivious to it.

Although Ha-yeon probably felt safe because she was surrounded by family, it was hard to ignore the presence of her long, smooth legs standing out like a statue in the middle of the room.

Finding it difficult to look at, Si-woo turned his gaze outside.

“Where are you taking it?”

At that moment, Yeon-ha’s voice came through. Ha-yeon was carrying the teddy bear up the stairs.

“To my room. It seems to be in the way with people walking around.”

“Do you need help?”

“No, it’s light.”

With that, Ha-yeon disappeared up the stairs. Si-woo, who had been unknowingly tense, felt the tension ease as soon as she was out of sight.

A little later, Si-woo got up to use the bathroom. However, the door to the bathroom on the first floor was locked.

He returned to the living room and spoke to Emily, who was placing out more cookies.

“The bathroom is locked.”

“Really? It seems someone is using it. Would you like to use the one on the second floor?”

Si-woo went upstairs. Fortunately, the bathroom on the second floor was open. When he came out, he saw Ha-yeon standing in the hallway, arms crossed. Just as he was about to call out to her, Ha-yeon purposefully uncrossed her arms and started walking toward him.