At the End of the Hidden Greenery - Chapter 244

Jiwoo followed Skiass’s lead, kneeling by the hollow at the base of the tree and slipping her arm inside. Skiass, meanwhile, had stripped down and climbed all the way in. He laid a plank across her forearm so that she couldn’t see what he was doing beneath it.

“Why?” 

“It wouldn’t look good…”

All Jiwoo could sense was the faint feeling of him brushing against her skin. 

Then, a prickle.

“Uht…”

“Did it hurt?”

“No…”

It stung for a moment, but the sensation faded almost immediately. Instead, all she felt was gentle pressure and the brush of touch across her arm. The real pain was being borne by someone else.

“Hu…”

Skiass was sweating profusely.

“Kugh…”

“Are you alright? Can you really keep going?” 

Skiass, who had been frowning, bared his teeth in something like a grin.

“Yes. Now I’m the only one who really, truly understands how much Seo Jiwoo has hurt…”

Kaman made a disgusted face as he looked at him.

“…You know you look creepy when you say things like that, right?”

“Kugh, what? Shame it’s only temporary… haa.”

Jiwoo looked at Skiass worriedly but she couldn’t say anything because the expression on his face was one of the happiest she had ever seen.

“I’m glad. This is something only I can do for you. No one else ever could.”

Jiwoo thought to herself: Good thing this is temporary…

But then she was startled. 

While her arm was trapped and immobilized, Kaman. who had been leaning against a tree with that usual lazy posture, suddenly stepped forward and wrapped her in a tight hug.

“Kaman, what are you doing?”

“…I was checking if you’ll indulge me when I throw a tantrum too.”

Usually, throwing a tantrum was something done when one wanted something but circumstances didn’t allow it. And only when there was someone who could actually grant it.

Jiwoo thought that even if one of her husbands did demand something, she probably wouldn’t be able to refuse. More often than not, they seemed to know her better than she knew herself. 

If they truly believed they’d be rejected, they would never bring it up in the first place.

“Skiass, you’re only doing this because you’re sure El won’t turn you down, right?”

“…”

“Besides, if you’re the only one inside, then El is left alone out here. Who’s supposed to guard the outside?”

“…”

Skiass dropped his gaze, refusing to answer.

“Kaman followed us, so it’s fine.”

If Kaman hadn’t come, there probably would have been another plan. Kaman knew that too, which was why he was nitpicking. 

And besides, though Kaman was fussing endlessly now, unlike Skiass he wasn’t demanding something for himself. He was clamoring because he wanted to give Jiwoo something, and that in itself made him endearing.

“Skiass.”

“…”

But for a while now, Skiass had been ignoring Kaman completely. While Kaman grumbled away, Skiass never once responded. Only the faint splashing sounds came from within.

“He doesn’t seem to be listening.”

“Not listening?”

“…When he’s focused, he wouldn’t notice even if something exploded beside him.”

They often said Skiass’s hearing was so sharp it was sometimes a burden. For him to not hear now meant he was absolutely concentrating.

“He only hears what he wants to.”

Just in case, Jiwoo called to Skiass.

“…Skiass?”

“Yes.”

He flinched at the sound of Jiwoo’s voice. He lifted his head briefly with sweat dripping down his pale face.

“So, sorry, Seo Jiwoo. I really need to focus now…”

In that short time, the shadows under his eyes had darkened.

“Sorry.”

“…”

Skiass apologized once more and gestured upward at the plank.

Tap.

The small opening that had let his face show was sealed shut.

“See you in a bit.”

That was the last thing he said. 

The hole disappeared as if it had never been there, the surface blurring like haze before settling into the natural bark of the tree. 

The disguise was so perfect that it seemed like an ordinary trunk.

“It feels like my arm is being swallowed by the tree.”

Now, nothing came from inside. No sound could be heard from within the tree, not even the faint splashing. 

Skiass was truly immersed in his work inside. Only the soft calls of night birds lingered, while Kaman sighed beside her.

“It might take a while. Jiwoo, are you uncomfortable?”

“I’m fine.”

Kaman sat down close beside her.

“When Skiass says he’ll do something, you can trust it. He’ll probably make things even better than he claims.”

“Really?”

“Ahem. He’s just harder to deal with than Enci…he’s stubborn too. But once he commits, he does it properly.”

Despite having sounded irritated earlier, Kaman cleared his throat and ended up defending Skiass.

“It didn’t even hurt that much.”

“Hurt is hurt, though.”

“…Yes.”

Jiwoo thought back to the days when no one would listen to her, which now felt like a dream. When she had been denied even the chance to learn language, and even afterward her words had been treated as meaningless. 

Now, though, even the smallest sound she made caught her husbands’ ears, their attention turning to her. Just now, even Skiass had reacted only to her voice.

How lovable that was, but her husbands didn’t even realize.

“Hey, look at this.”

Kaman pointed at a pouch lying by the tree’s roots. It was Skiass’s belongings.

“Want to see what he’s been hiding?”

“Is that alright?”

“Mm-hm. Punishment for the thief who stole someone’s painting.”