(I’m basically playing his wife right now...)

Her eyes lowered slightly.

(But it’s just an act.)

Another pause.

(For them.)

Her gaze dropped to the side.

Suha and Han were clinging to each other again, small hands gripping tight like they were grounding themselves in the middle of all this. Without thinking much about it, Seong uncrossed her arms and reached out, gently patting both of their heads.

They looked up instantly.

Smiled.

Then hugged her.

Seong froze for half a second— just a tiny, almost unnoticeable pause, before she awkwardly returned the gesture, wrapping an arm around them while keeping her face completely blank.

(Yea... for these two...)

Her expression stayed flat.

But inside—

(Why are they this cute...)

(Oh my god.)

(I love them.)

She held them just a little tighter than necessary before letting go, composure snapping back into place like nothing happened.

Then—

She noticed it.

Her eyes shifted again, this time catching movement ahead.

Si Hon was still looking upward, distracted, not paying attention—

And the Blue Team was moving.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

Closing the distance.

Seong’s gaze sharpened slightly as she watched them approach, step by step, until their leader finally came into full view.

Aeloria.

"That girl..." Seong muttered quietly under her breath, recognition settling in as the blue haired woman stopped right beside Si Hon, arms crossed, expression tight with irritation.

It wasn’t subtle.

She looked like she absolutely hated this.

Their teams naturally closed in behind them— Edur stepping forward without much reaction, Seong shifting slightly to the side, Suha and Han staying close as the Blue Team members gathered just as tightly.

Then—

It started.

Low at first.

Barely noticeable.

Whispers.

Seong’s eyes flicked toward the source, catching a few of the blue team members huddled just enough to hide their expressions— except they weren’t doing a very good job at it.

"O— M— G..." one of them whispered, barely holding it in. "Mihu... are you sure?"

A tiny pause.

Then, from behind them—

"Yes."

Soft.

Certain.

Seong didn’t say anything.

Didn’t move.

But her eyes shifted slightly toward Si Hon... then to Aeloria... then back to the group whispering behind them.

And just like that—

She understood.

Not everything.

But enough.

"I see," she muttered quietly under her breath, her expression still calm, but her eyes narrowing just a little more as the situation started arranging itself in her head.

Then she looked back at Si Hon again.

Still clueless.

Still standing there like none of this had anything to do with him.

Seong held that gaze for a second.

Then looked away.

(This is going to be annoying.)

But she didn’t step in.

Not yet.

Because something told her—

This was about to get worse on its own.

Seong let out a slow sigh and shifted her gaze forward again, only for it to land right where she least wanted it to.

Si Hon.

Aeloria.

Right on cue, Aeloria suddenly stepped forward and jabbed a finger straight into Si Hon’s chest, her voice cutting out sharp and loud.

"Hey! I hate this too, okay?! I should be the one complaining here!"

It should have sounded intimidating.

It almost did.

But whatever effect she was aiming for got ruined halfway through by the strange softness clinging to her tone now, that cursed, irritatingly cute edge that refused to leave no matter how angry she looked.

Seong’s eye twitched.

Still, she said nothing.

(Yea... not my problem.)

(We’re just playing family anyway.)

Her eyes shifted to Si Hon instead.

He was staring at Aeloria with that same unreadable face of his, barely reacting, barely even looking bothered. For a second, Seong studied him closely... then exhaled quietly in relief when he didn’t seem swept up in any of it.

"Okay..." she murmured under her breath, almost to herself.

Then the whispers started again.

Low.

Close.

Annoyingly close.

"Oh my gosh... is it true, Mihu?" one of the girls beside Seong whispered, nearly shaking with excitement. "Are they... starting to become a couple?"

"Yes," Mihu answered immediately, voice hushed but certain. "Can’t you see? Our boss... our lovely princess... she’s blushing. Like... really blushing. Crazy blushing."

Seong gave the smallest nod to herself.

She understood what they meant.

And for some reason—

It annoyed her, more.

Her gaze slid back toward Si Hon just in time to catch him looking directly at Aeloria’s face, like he was examining something only he noticed.

Then another whisper came.

Even worse than the first.

"Oh my god... wait... this is literally it, isn’t it? The pink leader... the quiet, nonchalant male lead... and our boss is the cute blushy princess female lead..."

"SQUEAK!"

The sound burst out so suddenly that everyone nearby froze.

Aeloria’s head snapped around at once, sharp and immediate, blue hair swaying as her eyes locked onto the source with enough force to make half the people behind her flinch.

"What was that?!"

Behind her, Mihu stood stiff as stone, hands half raised like she wanted to disappear but had missed the timing. Her face had gone pale, the expression of someone who had just betrayed herself in the worst possible way and knew there was no recovering from it.

Seong, meanwhile, only let out another slow sigh.

This entire situation had somehow managed to become louder without anything actually happening.

Then—

Thump.

Thump.

Something poked her side twice.

Seong looked down.

Suha and Han were standing there shoulder to shoulder, staring up at her with matching serious expressions far too intense for two children their size.

They looked less like kids and more like tiny officials arriving with urgent business.

Seong crouched slightly, face as blank as ever. "What?"

Suha immediately puffed out her cheeks and pointed dramatically toward Aeloria like she was identifying a criminal.

"Mom... that blue-haired girl looks like she’s trying to take Dad from us. ( •̀⤙•́ )"

Seong blinked once.

Slowly. "So?"

Han, meanwhile, had already entered full strategist mode. He tapped his chin with one finger, brows furrowed, eyes narrowed as though calculating troop movement on a battlefield.

"We should take him back."

Seong turned toward him with the same expression one might give a wall that had started speaking.

"...ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ... How?"

The twins exchanged a glance.

Then smiled.

The exact same smile.

Small.

Confident.

Dangerous.

Before Seong could prepare herself, both of them leaned in close, one to each side, whispering into her ears like agents delivering classified instructions.

"Mom..." Suha began solemnly.

"Go to Dad," Han continued. "Call him honey... While holding his waist."

He took a slow breath. "Be dominant."

Seong froze.

Completely.

Her face remained calm, smooth, unreadable.

Perfect composure.

But inside her mind, everything immediately fell down several flights of stairs.

(...Huh?)

(What?)

(Me?)

(Call him honey?)

(No.)

(Absolutely not.)

(We are acting. That is all.)

(There are limits to acting. And what? Where did this kid learn this word!?)

She straightened slightly, lips parting as she prepared to reject the entire ridiculous plan on principle alone.

Then her eyes lifted.

And immediately regretted it.

Aeloria had somehow moved even closer to Si Hon.

One hand rested on his shoulder now.

Still glaring.

Still blushing.....

Still somehow managing to look angry and adorable at the same time.

Still existing in the most inconvenient way possible.

Seong’s eyes narrowed just a fraction.

Then she looked back down.

Suha and Han had activated their final weapon.

Puppy eyes.

Silent.

Round.

Wide enough to count as emotional blackmail.

Unavoidable.

Cruel.

Seong stared at them for three long seconds, as if hoping sheer patience would dissolve them into mist.

It did not.

Instead, she slowly closed her eyes and inhaled through her nose.

(Yea...)

(Never mind.)

(It’s just acting anyway.)

(Temporary.)

(Meaningless.)

(Probably.)

She rose to her feet in one smooth motion, brushing the folds of her robe back into place with quiet dignity that did not match the nonsense she was agreeing to. Then she released a deep, exhausted sigh that sounded older than the arena itself.

"Alright," she said flatly.

"Fine."