After that, Rita went on about various unimportant topics, such as the progress of the magic she had been researching previously.
It seemed she still hadn’t discovered a magic spell to identify the caster. For now, there was no need to worry about Cain being arrested as an arsonist.
Occasionally, she mentioned Edward. It appeared they still hadn’t officially announced their relationship. Unintentionally, Satin had caught up with their progress.
‘Or are they really not dating?’
Now that Satin was in this kind of relationship with Cain, he wondered. Were Rita and Edward truly in love, or had they just been friends, and Satin had mistaken their friendship for love?
Previously, Satin had thought that friendship and love could be easily understood through indirect experiences, but now he wasn’t so sure. What if that wasn’t the case?
‘Thank goodness I never said anything.’
While reading web novels or webtoons, Satin often came across confusing comments. Characters who barely knew each other would be in the same scene, and viewers would go crazy, thinking they were dating. His sister said it was a normal reaction, but Satin never understood it.
But now, Satin realized he was no different. He had let his imagination run wild and made a big deal out of nothing. If Rita and Edward found out, they would probably be shocked.
Satin rubbed his cheek, which was hot for a different reason now, and continued reading the letter.
There’s so much more I want to tell you, but if I keep writing, it might never end, so I’ll stop here. Take care of yourself.
Your friend, Rita
P.S. Please reply soon.
Seeing the postscript, Satin thought Cain’s guess might be correct.
Satin opened the next letter.
To my friend Satin,
What’s going on? Why haven’t you replied yet? If you need any help, please don’t hesitate to ask. If you’ve decided to break up with that leech, good for you. People who are that clingy aren’t good for your long-term growth.
If that’s not the case, I’m sorry. I hope you didn’t take it the wrong way. I only said it because I truly consider you a friend. But seriously, that leech…
…That’s enough reading for now. Satin folded the letter and put it back in the envelope.
“Are you done reading?” Cain asked.
“I’ll read the rest later,” Satin replied, organizing the letters and other items on the table. He gathered them to take upstairs, and as he stood up, Cain did too.
“Where are you going?” Satin asked without thinking.
He had just come in, so where was he going now? But instead of an answer, Cain asked a question.
“Aren’t you going upstairs?”
“Uh, yeah,” Satin stammered, nodding. Cain just looked at him, as if asking why he wasn’t going up already.
Satin left the kitchen and headed upstairs, with Cain following close behind.
He remembered a phrase from Rita’s letter.
‘Clingy people…’
He wondered what she meant by “not good for long-term growth.”
Cain followed Satin all the way to his bedroom. He watched, seemingly disapproving, as Satin put the letters in the nightstand drawer. Satin casually hid the nightstand with his back.
He wouldn’t throw them away, would he?
Cain, annoyed by Satin’s actions, clicked his tongue and glanced out the window. “When did you plant that?” he asked.
“Huh?”
“The flower. When did you plant it?”
What flower?
Satin approached the window and looked in the direction Cain was pointing.
In the corner of the small garden, a single yellow flower was blooming. It was a familiar flower, but Satin didn’t know its name.
Satin covered his face with both hands and sighed, “Agh, it’s just a weed…”
As part of his “Two-You-Na Pancake” plan, Satin had recently planted the garden full of green onions. If they grew well, he planned to find a place to sell them.
However, plans often collide with reality.
When he lived in the cabin, he realized that farming was a constant battle against weeds. Weeds seemed to have no growth limits. Often, a weed that wasn’t there yesterday would be waist-high today. The flower Cain had spotted was definitely not there this morning.
“How can this be?” Satin muttered.
He opened the wardrobe with a sullen expression, and Cain chuckled before returning to his room. Soon, he came back, having changed his clothes. Meanwhile, Satin had also changed into a work shirt.
Cain reached into the still-open wardrobe and pulled out a straw hat. He didn’t stop there; he placed it on Satin’s head.
Feeling embarrassed by the excessive kindness, Satin laughed awkwardly and said, “You don’t have to come out. You just got back.”
“Are you saying that because you want me to do all the work?” Cain replied.
What did he mean by that?
After a moment of thought, Satin understood. Cain was implying that if Satin kept making unnecessary comments, he would do all the garden work himself.
‘Seriously, is this what he calls a threat?’
Although it seemed ridiculous, Satin kept quiet. He was starting to understand what Rita meant. If Cain did everything for him, Satin might lose the opportunity to grow.
‘It’s ridiculous, really.’
Without further conversation, they went downstairs. Before heading out, they paused briefly at the entrance. They needed to change into boots, as squatting and working often ruined their shoes.
As Satin struggled to put on his boots, he brought up a random idea. “I was thinking before you came, what if we raised a couple of chickens?”
“Chickens?” Cain asked, tilting his head curiously. To Satin, he looked quite cute, though Cole might disagree. He was more like a leopard now than a cat.
Lost in thought, Satin didn’t respond immediately, so Cain asked again, “Why chickens? Do you want to eat them?”
“No, for the eggs.”
“Do you like eggs?”
“Well, I don’t dislike them.”
“Then let’s do it.”
“What about you? Don’t you like eggs?”
“No, I don’t dislike them either.”
Cain was an easy person to feed. He ate whatever Satin gave him, often asking for more of this or that during meals.
‘Does he enjoy taking food from my plate?’
Satin smiled to himself, bending over to adjust his boots. Cain noticed and asked, “Why are you laughing?”
“No reason. But if we’re going to raise chickens, we’ll need to build a coop,” Satin said, losing his balance as he tried to pull up his boots. Fortunately, he didn’t fall to the floor. Instead, he ended up with his head against Cain’s chest.
“Whoa, almost fell…” Satin muttered, grabbing Cain’s arm to steady himself. He was about to say thank you, but instead blurted out, “You’re too close.”
Cain chuckled as if Satin had said something silly. Feeling embarrassed, Satin stepped back.
Finally ready, they were about to leave when Cain grabbed Satin’s arm. “Wait a second.”
“Why?”
“Your hat is crooked.” Cain adjusted the hat, pulling the ribbons under Satin’s chin. His rough hands clumsily tied a bow.
Every time Cain’s fingertips brushed his chin, Satin felt a strange flutter in his chest. He looked away, pretending to examine the ceiling.
Finally, Cain finished and stepped back, smiling when their eyes met. “What? Why are you smiling?” Satin asked, checking his appearance self-consciously. He didn’t see anything unusual, and Cain was dressed similarly.
Cain tilted his hat slightly and replied, “Oh, I was just remembering something that old man said.”
“What did he say?”
“He asked what I wanted to do when I returned to Cloverland.”
Satin vaguely remembered having such a conversation before.
Cain continued, his hands still on Satin’s hat, “I said I hadn’t really thought about it. Back then, there was nothing I wanted to do. The idea of having a purpose in life seemed strange.”
It seemed that Cain’s perspective had changed, which was why he was saying this now. His voice was gentle, unlike before.
“Even now, there’s nothing specific I want to do, but something has changed.”
“What is it?” Satin asked.
Cain’s eyes sparkled. “Life is enjoyable.”
A bright smile spread across Cain’s face. He was looking at Satin, but also gazing into an uncertain future filled with anticipation and excitement.
“I never thought I’d be raising chickens or tending a garden.”
Satin felt the same way. Cain spoke as if he could read Satin’s mind.
“It’s such an ordinary thing. So ordinary that I never even imagined it.”
Now, they could think about doing things just for the sake of it, whether they happened or not. These imaginings weren’t just empty dreams; they were possibilities waiting to become reality.
“It’s become so normal, and that’s what makes life enjoyable.”
Life had been full of crises. Nothing ever went according to plan, and dreams always seemed out of reach. Satin had struggled with social interactions and couldn’t imagine a future without his sister. He had no reason to live alone and no desire to try.
Then, he escaped reality with a childish wish, only to find that even in a fantasy world, life wasn’t perfect. He became an unexpected villain, met evil people, nearly died, lost his memory, and ended up on this strange adventure. It had been anything but smooth.
But that’s life—full of crises, sometimes resolved, sometimes not, but always continuing.
Satin looked into Cain’s eyes, seeing the distant future reflected in them.
“Me too,” Satin said.
Fin.
It was a good read, thank you!
Waiting for Ss’s.