Chapter 26: A Fairy Tale Reconciliation and a Fist Bump

“Teacher, if I were Eliza, I’d be sad that mom died, but the new queen made my brothers into swans, so I’d be so so sad.”

“Right, she’s a stepmother, but hating the brothers and Eliza so much seems really mean, even to me.”

“But you know, Eliza can’t speak because she has to make shirts from nettles, but the brothers also became swans and can’t speak, so it’s the same!”

“Haha, that’s true. But Minju, is ‘The Wild Swans’ your favorite fairy tale?”

“Hmm… not really. I like ‘The Frog Prince’, ‘The Little Mermaid’, and ‘Thumbelina’ too. Taeyang oppa read me lots and lots of stories with princesses!”

“Wow, Taeyang read all those to you?”

“Yes, Taeyang oppa was the first person I met after he came to the hospital! Teacher, you know, Taeyang oppa is the coolest man I know.”

As they walked toward the lounge, Minju chattered on with an excited face.

During her cramped and stuffy hospital life, spending time with Kang Taeyang seemed to be one of Minju’s rare joys.

Come to think of it, Kang Taeyang had been looking after Minju for quite a while.

The stories I heard from all over were so different that I felt I couldn’t quite figure out what kind of person Kang Taeyang really was.

If possible, I thought it would be better for me to possess Minju’s heart and see him in a good light.

“Minju, but today, can we read a different fairy tale instead of ‘The Wild Swans’?”

“Which fairy tale? I know tons and tons of fairy tales. Teacher, you tell me.”

“Oh, but this one might be one Minju doesn’t know.”

“Really?”

Minju’s eyes widened, and she rapidly blinked her thick lashes.

I stopped in place, bent down deeply, brought my face close to her ear, and whispered.

“Whoa!”

After hearing what I said, Minju made a sound as if she was breathless.

Her sparkly eyes were full of curiosity and expectation.

When I gave her a little wink, she covered her mouth with her small hand and giggled.

Somehow feeling like I’d returned to my mischievous childhood, I ran with Minju toward the lounge.

“Taeyang oppa! I’m here!”

Kang Taeyang, leaning askew against the window of the lounge, was looking at his phone with a bored expression.

When Minju greeted him in her loud voice, Taeyang’s face lit up with lively energy.

He spread his sturdy arms wide to welcome Minju.

“Oh, our Minju is here?”

Taeyang extended his muscular arms and scooped Minju up with one hand.

Minju burst into laughter, as if she found it thrilling.

But Taeyang, who had been laughing just as lightly, spotted me peeking out from behind Minju and made an openly displeased face.

“What? Why are you here again?”

Taeyang tilted his head and looked at me with disapproval.

The favorability value, which had gone up and down [♥️4], blinked busily above his head.

“Taeyang hyung, hi!”

“……”

I remembered that last time, when I called him hyung, Taeyang had secretly liked it.

I gathered my courage and greeted him warmly, but Taeyang practically ignored me.

He didn’t even answer, didn’t even throw me a proper glance.

He was clearly in a huff.

“Well, um, I was curious about what happened next in the fairy tale… Hehe.”

I knew it was a flimsy excuse, but I added it with the desperation of someone clutching at a sleeve.

Like a criminal being interrogated, I raised both arms high, as if proving I wasn’t holding a weapon like a gun or a knife.

I furrowed my eyebrows, smiled, and watched Taeyang’s reaction.

I hoped Taeyang would understand that I came here today to make up, not to fight.

His sharp, gleaming face still gave off a faint hostility.

His fierce, animalistic energy was such that if I’d met him on the playground, I would have been crushed in the intimidation game right away.

“Taeyang oppa, today please read the fairy tale that Teacher Wooju made!”

“What? He made a fairy tale?”

“Yes! Teacher Wooju draws this~ much well. Last time he drew Winky’s face too.”

On the outside I was smiling awkwardly, but inside my heart was shriveling up.

I worried I might get cut off just like that, but fortunately Minju saved me this time.

“Hmm.”

Without missing the moment, I rummaged in my bag and took out the sketchbook.

The idea had come to me suddenly last night, so it might be a bit sloppy because I made it in a hurry.

Still, it was a picture book I’d worked hard on with all my heart.

“Minju, aren’t you curious about what happens after ‘The Wild Swans’?”

“Hmm… I’m curious about that too, but today I want to read the fairy tale Teacher Wooju made.”

“You have to do that, right? You’re sure you won’t regret it?”

“Yes. Taeyang oppa, Teacher Wooju said there are cool animal friends in the fairy tale book.”

Taeyang still looked reluctant.

But even the ruler of the playground couldn’t withstand a little lady’s pitiful gaze.

Tsk, Taeyang clicked his tongue briefly and snatched the sketchbook from my hand.

Even while doing that, he stubbornly refused to meet my eyes.

“The Hippo and the Lark. Written by Yeon Wooju.”

Taeyang opened the first page of the sketchbook and let out a small laugh.

Under a peaceful afternoon with blazing sunlight, a picture of a hippo and a lark getting along by the lakeside served as the cover of the picture book, so to speak.

Minju, with her mouth hanging open, looked full of anticipation for what story would unfold.

“To the lark, the hippo looked really cool. Unlike herself, who always hurried around, the hippo was always relaxed, and his body was as solid as a rock and very strong. So the lark wanted to become friends with the hippo.”

“……”

“But once she actually became close with the hippo, she began to feel a quiet dissatisfaction with the parts of him that were different from herself. ‘You have to move faster than anyone to find food. I don’t understand how you can stay in the water all day. You’re actually very lazy.’ The hippo got angry and didn’t want to see the lark anymore.”

Minju pricked up her ears and focused on the story.

Unlike when he read “The Wild Swans,” Taeyang didn’t pick up the kids and put them down with that possessed emotional immersion.

Instead, he read the picture book with a somewhat serious, ambiguous expression.

He seemed to have noticed that the story in the fairy tale was a metaphor for our quarrel.

“…The lark was afraid she would grow apart from the hippo forever. So she brought a cherry from the forest and gave it to the hippo. And she apologized to him. ‘I’m not as strong as you, and I don’t know how to kick my legs in the water. If my words made you feel bad, I’m really sorry. But I still want to be close with you.'”

“……”

“The hippo, whose anger had cooled, sprayed water on the lark so she could cool off in the hot weather. The lark was happy too and sang a pleasant song for the hippo. The two became friends again and lived happily ever after. The end!”

“Wow, that’s so fun!”

When the short fairy tale ended, Minju clapped enthusiastically.

After closing the last page, Taeyang’s expression seemed somewhat softened.

He held the sketchbook at arm’s length and examined the crayon-colored pictures closely.

Then he threw an interested glance at me, who was standing nervously next to Minju.

“You had this kind of talent? Drawing pictures and making stories.”

“Yo-you know, I told you I was doing art therapy volunteer work at the hospital! I’m an art student, after all.”

“Yeah, well, it’s kind of cute. Nice.”

Taeyang shrugged and leaned back loosely against the chair.

Minju flipped through the sketchbook Taeyang had put down, chattering about how the strong hippo was cool, how the lark that got up in the morning was diligent, and so on.

The way Taeyang’s hand stroked Minju’s head was full of affection.

“Hey, hyung, are you still mad at me now?”

“I’m not the kind of jerk who’d hold a grudge against someone who apologized.”

I had been lingering around while standing, but now I finally sat down quietly next to Taeyang.

I stole a glance at his solid jawline and asked, and fortunately it seemed my apology had reached him.

My mind was put at ease, and I let out a sigh of relief.

“Oh, I’m really glad.”

“What? Was it that surprising?”

“I was actually really nervous the whole time. I was afraid you’d say you wouldn’t see me again.”

“Why were you being so careful? Anyone would think I was tormenting you.”

Taeyang let out a chuckle and replied playfully.

I’d worried he might be the type to hold a grudge, but once his anger cooled, he seemed to brush off his feelings quickly.

Now that the tension that had been weighing on me for days was gone, I started to feel like joking around with Taeyang again.

“I told you. Without any ulterior motives, I still want to build a healthy friendship with you.”

“So, Yeon Wooju, you’re saying you didn’t approach me with any hidden intentions?”

“Believe me. I’m truly innocent, Kang Taeyang, the best soccer player in South Korea.”

“I didn’t believe you at all… but now I’m in a situation where I have no choice but to believe you.”

“Taeyang hyung, so we’re friends again, right?”

I asked with an excited feeling.

I wanted to get an exact confirmation so he couldn’t take it back later.

Taeyang stared at me, then extended a tightly clenched fist near his face.

‘Huh, he’s not going to hit me with that, is he?’

“What are you doing. Fist bump.”

Even though I knew he wasn’t, I flinched, and Taeyang raised his thick eyebrows as if curious.

‘So athletes do it like this!’

I grinned, clenched my fist firmly, and lightly met his.

The protruding knuckles bumped together, sending a tingling sensation.

“With this, we’re getting rid of everything we’ve been holding back, clean and simple.”

“Hehe, okay.”

Like Taeyang, I leaned back lazily in the chair.

My mouth corners naturally lifted.

Of course, there was still a long way to go, but it was the first peace I’d found on this game strategy in a while.

“This is the first time I’ve seen Taeyang oppa smile like that.”

At that moment, Minju, who had been quietly watching us, muttered with a shocked face.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

I’m not broken, you’re the one who seems broken, Fairy

InvincibleReverse PursuitRomance

Read Now →
Not interested