Eat The World Tree

I considered maintaining the line.

After all, there was still nothing between him and her.

Above all, Jin Dallae was well aware that her actions could be a burden to him.

She knew it for sure. But why then?

“…Ah.”

A heated breath escaped her lips.

Desire raced ahead of reason.

-Wow!

She unknowingly blossomed a flower above her head.

‘What should I do…’

Then, a wave of embarrassment flooded in. Did anyone see it?

But overwhelmed with happiness that made her whole body flutter, she couldn’t help but be intoxicated by the sensation.

For a Tree Person to bloom a flower signified an experience of happiness that will be remembered for a lifetime.

It was slightly different from the pleasure directly linked to fruits.

Fruits and flowers. Depending on the constitution, the occurrence of Tree People blooming flowers and fruits can vary, but it usually happens only once or twice in a lifetime.

This was an experience that Jin Dallae, who might never experience such a thing again in her life, had just undergone.

“Are you okay?”

The man’s voice, spoken softly, made her cheeks, held in his embrace, flush like ripe strawberries.

‘I’m fine.’

Her mouth was tightly shut, and words hardly escaped.

She kept swallowing dryly, her nose stinging as if she was about to cry.

What unfolded before Dallae’s eyes, held in his embrace, was the scene she had always dreamed of.

‘I can’t stand it…’

Jin Dallae tightly closed her eyes.

Another flower bloomed, this time not on the left but on the right temple.

‘Right now, in this wide embrace… closer.’

The blooming flowers.

Just knowing him for a lifetime was enough to make her heart burst, but Jin Dallae resolved that all those thoughts were foolish.

For Tree People, flowers represented an overwhelming sense of happiness that they could not control.

Like a drug produced by themselves.

The brain actively worked when they bloomed, filling the head with a certain component. As a result, her self-control decreased, and her heart raced.

It was similar to how human judgment blurred at the peak of joy.

A reddish emotion etched in her eyes.

She kept feeling thirsty. She knew she would regret it for the rest of her life if she didn’t act now.

‘I shouldn’t do this.’

Her everyday life had recently been filled with the three syllables of one man’s name.

Whether she was handling work at the company or doing assignments at the Academy dormitory, she never shook off thoughts of him for a moment.

It was definitely not normal.

She knew. She knew all of this was wrong.

But-

‘…It doesn’t matter.’

Despite this, her mind, always so negative, was transformed into optimism in an instant, all because of a single flower.

“Hey. It’s over. We won.”

Pulled back from her thoughts by Lee Shiheon’s words, Jin Dallae’s eyes were deeper than before.

“…Really?”

Her lips curved like a crescent moon. Her pink lips, coated with lip balm, shimmered.

Jin Dallae relaxed the arms that were tightly holding him.

Then, she sneakily plucked the flower from her head and tucked it into his embrace, making sure no one else saw.

“Please take this… I don’t have a pocket.”

Lee Shiheon, with a complicated expression, took the flower and hid it.

A slight disappointment tickled her hand, but it was okay.

Today was a very important day for her.

Patience was essential.

“Cheers!”

Lifting their glasses high, they opened the drinking session.

Pork belly with soju.

Though there were hotel-style options, a true Korean drinking session unanimously agreed on this menu.

The irregular sizzling sound of meat cooking on the grills at each table naturally made the students’ shoulders bounce.

-Bunny bunny, bunny bunny, tree tree!

They were at the age where their blood alcohol concentration was likely the highest, still in their prime.

A wry smile appeared involuntarily as I saw groups already starting games.

‘I can’t keep up.’

The tension was crazy.

There were those who could down soju after soju. I remembered my old college classmates who joked that freshmen would still laugh even with a broken nose.

Since coming here, my body has been unusually tired, so I couldn’t keep up with their energy.

There were also slightly older students who seemed to share my thoughts. Eventually, a few of us gathered to quietly share drinks.

“That professor really teaches well, but it’s so difficult.”

“Seriously, I automatically cursed during the exam. I hinted it was too much, but they said they could handle it in their time…”

It was a drinking session filled with light-hearted complaints and gossip rather than intense gossip.

“How was the exam for you, Sansuyu?”

“…It was normal.”

Sansuyu, holding her soju glass with a blank expression, answered the student’s question.

Her short and blunt reply didn’t cause misunderstandings among the students here, as they roughly understood Sansuyu’s personality.

“Right, aren’t the restaurants near the dormitory really good?”

“Agreed. Better than what my mom makes. Giggle.”

The conversation seamlessly transitioned to the next topic.

Sansuyu, being kind and innocent, naturally attracted attention as students watched her talk.

Her status as one of the nobility, yet talking informally with humans, greatly lowered the barrier to entry.

“Do you have any favorite foods, Sansuyu?”

“Yes. Spicy and chewy Tteokbokki.”

“Spicy and chewy…? Are you talking about the place behind the shops?”

“Yes, yes, it’s really delicious.”

“Pffft.”

Her good looks meant that once she started talking, everyone, men, and women, tended to laugh along.

Sansuyu’s mood was slowly lifting, too. She might not be aware, but I could see it.

‘When she’s happy, her shoulders always rise a bit. It’s subtle but noticeable.’

And for some reason, her hair brightened when she was excited.

Today’s Sansuyu resembled a forsythia bathed in abundant sunlight. If I had to compare, she was like the forsythias that bloom in spring.

“Oh, then shall we all go eat Tteokbokki together next time?”

At a female student’s suggestion, Sansuyu’s eyes widened before she looked at me.

-Is it okay to go?

Her rabbit-like expression, asking for permission, made me smile.

It’s like raising a high-maintenance little sister. Utterly enjoyable.

With a nod from me, Sansuyu answered.

“I want to go.”

Our child has changed.

Now, she’s even meeting people outside on her own?

I felt a bittersweet pang at such significant progress.

-Chirr

As one glass emptied, another filled.

Worrying about Sansuyu now seemed almost pointless.

I emptied a glass and glanced at the woman beside me.

The fair and delicate hand that had been sticking close by, pouring drinks, belonged to Jin Dallae.

“Your glass is empty.”

She slyly kept the conversation going with those around her while stealthily focusing on pouring drinks for me.

Our eyes met often, and each time, she gave me a mischievous look as if she was going to gobble me up.

▶Jin Dallae (96/100) [Obsession]

Seeing her affection level…

It was as I thought. The signs that had been showing little by little seemed to have exploded today.

‘They say affection levels don’t lie.’

The completely transformed Jin Dallae seemed like a different person even when just observed.

Usually sharp yet somewhat naive, but now, far from naive, she was like a lioness desperate to catch her prey.

I quenched my burning throat with a glass of water, thinking.

‘I don’t know what to do.’

This ambiguous attitude is a really bad habit. But bringing it up recklessly might lead to complications. Still, being honest seems to be the right thing…

Perhaps it was because I was deep in thought, but I started to feel the effects of the alcohol.

Feeling sleepy and wanting to wake myself up, I said I’d get some fresh air and left the lodging.

Outside the hotel.

Breathing under a foreign sky,

Jin Dallae, thinking this was her chance, followed me out.

“I came out to catch my breath too.”

When I turned around after feeling a nudge on my shoulder, Jin Dallae’s face lit up with a smile upon seeing me.

“Really?”

“Yes, is Shiba doing okay?”

Shiba should have been having dinner with Cheondo by now, brushing her teeth, and then off to dreamland.

I continued walking, thinking about them back in the dormitory.

Firstly, since Shiba and Cheondo both slept a lot and went to bed early, they were usually the first ones to fall asleep.

Then Hwangdo would wake up, smiling goofily while looking at the sleeping Shiba.

Next would be Baekdo, staying up late and enjoying her hobbies, like playing games on her phone.

A day in my dormitory life that I could recite in detail.

“Haha.”

A laugh was heard from my side.

Jin Dallae was grinning broadly.

Not the anxious laughter she used to have while glancing at me, but a radiant smile.

“…Do you know you always smile creepily when you think about your daughter?”

“Really?”

“I think it’s pretty cool.”

Not sure if it’s creepy or cool.

It was embarrassing but nice to hear a compliment.

“A great dad.”

“Not really. I’ve been worried lately about not being able to pay enough attention to her.”

“Raising a child alone and having a lot of work… You’re doing well. If I were your daughter, I would be so grateful.”

Jin Dallae hadn’t received much love from her parents.

That conflict continues even now. She said she was still not in contact with her mother.

A bitter family situation.

“Please let me know if there’s anything about Shiba. Is she doing well in kindergarten?”

“Yeah, they said she’ll be able to talk soon. Apparently, she understands almost everything we say.”

The praises from the kindergarten teachers about Shiba made me incredibly happy.

Today, she did this and came first.

It was comforting to hear even the trivial things. The most touching development was that Shiba, who initially sought only my company, now actively engaged with other children.

It felt bittersweet to think her affection for me might have diminished slightly, but it was for the best.

“There’s going to be a concert later. Will you come?”

“I’ll definitely come.”

Grinning, Jin Dallae clenched her fists and inquired about the timing.

Reflecting on it, Jin Dallae had been instrumental in raising Shiba.

Since our child was shy, Jin Dallae was the only person she was truly comfortable with.

“…This makes me feel like I’m the mom.”

-Shiver.

Under the moonlight, the forest, alive with the sound of insects, seemed almost enchanted.

As we walked along the path through such a forest, we exchanged a few words, and soon, the surroundings shifted to a darker and more secluded area.

My steps grew heavier.

The silence quickened the heartbeat. Jin Dallae, hands clasped below her belly, looked down at the ground and followed closely.

“Over there.”

The sound of footsteps ceased.

“Yeah.”

I, too, halted. With that, the ambient noise stopped, allowing us to focus on each other’s words.

I swallowed a bitter breath internally.

“There was something during the game today.”

“Are you talking about the flower?”

“…Yes.”

Jin Dallae shyly confirmed.

Flower…

I couldn’t grasp what this flower signified when I first saw it.

Had it been a fruit on her head, I might have felt somewhat embarrassed but not clueless about its meaning.

So, to avoid any misunderstanding, I discreetly researched it.

Blossoming was a physiological phenomenon that occurred when a Tree Person was happy.

It’s said that many Wooden People never experienced it in their lifetime.

“…You know what it means, right?”

There may be some differences in constitution, but to feel such joy from a mere hug…

While the intensity varied from person to person, Jin Dallae’s words essentially amounted to a roundabout confession.

“I know.”

I remained silent for a long time before finally speaking.

“What do you think?”

Expressing my thoughts was challenging.

I took out the Jin Dallae flower I had been keeping.

Surprisingly resilient, the flower had maintained its color and form without a single wrinkle despite being rolled around in my pocket.

Looking at it, I forced my sealed lips apart.

“I don’t know.”

I spoke honestly. Delaying here could lead to bigger problems.

Jin Dallae’s breathing paused momentarily.

After a long while, she finally spoke.

“Do you find me unattractive?”

“No.”

“Or, do you like someone else?”

I didn’t give a specific answer. Sometimes, silence was the best response.

For Jin Dallae, this was as good as a rejection.

An abrupt, somewhat impolite refusal.

Yet, there was an indescribable strength in Dallae’s voice.

“I’ve done everything to make you misunderstand…”

Thud, thud…

Tears marked the ground.

As I reached into my pocket for a handkerchief, Jin Dallae tightly grasped my hand.

“…Still.”

With all her might, she clutched my wrist.

“It’s already too late.”

“What?”

A translucent status window engraved in my retina.

The affection level of Jin Dallae recorded there had risen even higher than before.

“…You said you’re still unsure. Then, you don’t know.”

Tears mixed with a smile. Yet, it didn’t seem twisted.

“I’ll be by your side forever.”

Jin Dallae said, a statement so typical of her.

“…If you find me disgusting, then just step on me and go. I’ll keep following you anyway.”

The etched obsession still clung and didn’t disappear.

At that moment, I instinctively realized.

It might take a very long time for one of the labels next to her name to fall off.

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