Haramark. Specifically, Carpe Diem's old building. The one that had been joined with Elysium's before they all moved their headquarters to Eva.
Since the Neutral Zone was already being taken care of, Chohong had taken a moment to spend some time alone and reflect.
Walking through the dusty building, she murmured, "A lot's happened since we've been here, huh?"
Meeting that bastard she loved and called Oppa. Losing Dylan to that mission. Getting Maldong to come back. The Banquet. The Army Commanders showing up. Jihu almost dying over and over and over again, breaking her heart each time while she put on a brave face.
"...It's not fair, you know?" Chohong stared at the training room. The one that she had used so much in the past and barely at all since Jihu became the leader of their team. "...You came in like a storm and took everything from me."
Her pride. Her composure. Her peace. Her reputation...
"But at the same time, I guess you gave me a lot too, huh?" Chohong laughed, idly playing with the titanimum chain diamond bracelet on her left wrist. The one that he had casually slipped on her arm like the shameless flirt he was.
And then she placed her hand over her heart. One that didn't so much race at the thought of him, but instead calmed down. A soft warmth and... peace?
"Yeah. I guess that's peace, right?" Chohong murmured.
It was an odd concept.
The reason why she'd come to Paradise in the first place, even going so far as to take the Contract and risk everything was because she didn't HAVE peace back at home.
Being born an orphan. Being adopted to kind parents, but having them die from overwork trying to send her to school. Being stuck in Hong Kong at deadend waitress jobs barely making ends meet. Debating every day whether or not to swallow her pride and sell her body and time just for another day.
If she didn't manage to make that big break in Paradise... hell, if Maldong hadn't bought her contract to add her to Carpe Diem, maybe it would have ended up that way after all.
Chohong leaned against the wall, staring at the empty building. And as she did, she murmured, "It always ends up like this, doesn't it?"
No matter how good things seemed to get for her, in the end, she was still alone.
Even with Jihu...
"...You still feel ignored. Right, Chocho?"
Chohong flinched and instinctively spun around, swinging her mace.
But before it connected, she was pulled into a firm embrace by strong arms. And a familiar scent filled her nose.
A faint electric smell, like ozone. A hint of sandalwood mixed in with lilies... probably from spending so much damned time with Flone. But more than that, the familiar scent of steel. Something that never left him no matter what other things masked it.
Chohong clicked her tongue, but her heart warmed when she saw the person... the man holding her in his arms. "Oppa, you bastard. You like neglect play that bad or what?"
It was a tease. A bit of banter like always. But also, her real frustration.
Because she'd seen it.
How Jihu had run around to calm all the other girls. But how she was always forgotten. How she always had to be the one to initiate. How-
A soft warmth on her cheek. Then, Jihu's head, resting on her shoulder. "I know. I'm a terrible man for neglecting you. I've done you wrong."
Not a deflection. Not an excuse.
Just a calm admission.
Hearing that...
"You...!"
Chohong finally cracked and broke down crying.
===
I held Chohong in a gentle hug, rubbing my hand down her back.
No words. No excuses. Because I wasn't going to run away from the fact that I'd hurt her.
It was based on misunderstandings. I could say that it was because she didn't make it clear that she wanted my attention. That she should have said she wanted me to pay attention to her...
But that would be shifting the blame. And it wouldn't be fair.
Because I saw it now.
For the tough act that Chohong put on...
'This is who she really is.'
Someone who had been jaded by the world, but who naturally sought someone to lean on. A person whose world had crumbled over and over while she stayed strong. Like the tree that weathered the storm while all the rest were scattered to the winds.
A lonely person who just wanted to belong.
And a person who didn't have a place to belong for a long, long time.
"You're... a terrible man, Oppa." Chohong buried her face in my chest and said, "I waited for you. So long. I dressed pretty for you to pick me up at the airport and then Maria came instead. I did so much for you, but...!"
"I know." I gently kissed her forehead. "I understand now, Chohong."
"...I hate you."
"You don't. You're just hurt."
Chohong's breath hitched. Then she looked up at me.
Her eyes were red from tears. Her beautiful face wrinkled from stress and pursing her lips to bite back her words. All things she had hidden with makeup even here in Paradise to not worry anyone.
I reached up and caressed her cheek. "I should have realized that you were hurting. I'm sorry."
"...You should have." Chohong lightly headbutted me. "It was obvious."
"It should have been obvious, yeah."
"...I love you. I have for a while."
"I know."
"You're terrible for pretending you didn't know."
"I am."
"You could have turned me down. I could take it."
"That's a lie. You would have crumbled."
"...Dammit. I hate that you're right." Chohong let out a helpless laugh and buried her face in my chest again. "...So what are we? Am I just... what? A pet? A thing? Like a dog you pet when you're bored?"
"No." I gave a firm response. "You are Chohong. A strong woman who I respect. Someone who can walk on her own two feet. But..." I wiped away her tears. "Someone who's been strong for too long. And who's been forced to walk for too long. So tell me, Chohong. How do I make you feel loved?"
Chohong's breath hitched. "How do you... make me feel loved?"
"That's right." I nodded and said, "I'm not a mindreader- Ah, that's a lie. I can read minds to an extent if I decide to. But it's better to communicate. So, I want to hear it from you directly, Chohong. How do you want me to love you?"
Chohong took a step back and looked at me.
I waited.
Chohong was quiet. Then she said, "...If you can read minds, shouldn't you know, you bastard Oppa?"
"I want you to tell me. Words have meaning, you know? They vanish after you speak them, but their meaning lingers. That's why it's called 'spelling.'"
"...You're too damned good with words, Oppa. But... Fine." Chohong took a deep breath and then looked me in the eyes. "I don't want to be the one reaching out all the time. I don't want to chase you. I know you're busy. I get that. I know I'm not the only one. That's fine. But... I want to feel important. ...Please? That's... really all I want. Is... that too much?"
"Not at all." I stepped forward and gently held her hand in mine. "Alright. Do you like having structure? Or do you like being spontaneous? Should I make time for you every day? Or surprise you?"
Chohong's eyes widened, genuinely surprised I was listening to her. Then her cheeks turned red and she said, "I-I... Well..." She fidgeted a bit and murmured, "...This is nice. You showing up when I wasn't expected. Making me feel loved. Listening. I think... I prefer this." She laughed and said, "I think if you scheduled me in like a meeting I'd get annoyed. You probably would too, right?"
I kissed her forehead and said, "Mmhm... Daily Chocho is a bit much~"
"Hey!" Chohong huffed. "I'm not THAT bad." She hesitated. Then she said, "...I'm more than best friend category now, right? And better than a 7?"
Oh.
...Oh.
I pulled her back in for a gentle hug and said, "Forget about that, Chohong. It was guy talk. I didn't think it would cut you this deep."
Chohong was quiet. Then she murmured, "...I didn't think it would either. But it did. So... am I? More now?"
"You were always enough." I shifted her to face me and rested my forehead against hers. "You don't need to be 'more' or 'less' of anything, Chohong. I love you for what you are, not who you can become or who you were. The woman in front of my eyes right now. That is who I love and choose to love. Got it?"
Chohong stared back at me. Then a trembling smile crossed her face. "...You're a terrible man, Oppa. I want to believe you, you know? But I know you're playing me. I bet you say this to all the girls, huh?"
"No. I'm saying this to YOU, Chohong. Because these are the words you want to hear. And these are the words you want me to be sincere about. So I'm being sincere. I choose to love you. I want to love you. So teach me how to love you." I held her hand up and kissed it. "Loving me is easy. I don't need to teach you that. I'm a simple man, after all. But me loving you... that's the hard part."
Chohong's breath hitched. Then she was quiet for a long time, staring at me. "...You mean that."
"I do."
"...You love me? Really?"
"I choose to."
"...You choose to." Chohong murmured. "...You're choosing me. But... there's so many other women in your life too. How can you choose me when you have them?"
"By listening to what you want, and learning how to make you feel loved. Because what it means to be loved differs with every person."
Chohong was quiet. Then she let out a warm laugh. "...Yeah. I guess that's true. No, it definitely is." She smiled, a brilliant and serene expression that was even more outstanding due to how rare it was. "...Because my Oppa doesn't see the women in his life as 'women.' But as 'people.' Otherwise... you would have tried to make a harem from the start. And you could have."
"I definitely could have."
"But you didn't." Chohong laughed. "You didn't. Because you see us as people. And you weren't sure how to love us like we needed. Hell, WE didn't know we needed to be loved. I sure as hell didn't."
"Mmhm. But you do now, right? My Chohong?"
Chohong's breath hitched, her cheeks blushing red. She shyly averted her gaze and said, "...Say it again? That... I'm yours?"
"My Chohong." I smiled and gently hugged her. "The reliable person who's cursing my death brought me back each time."
Chohong laughed. "You're never going to let that go, are you?"
"Nope?"
"Pft."
"...Feeling better?"
Chohong smiled. "...Yeah. Because I know you want to love me. You just didn't know how, right?"
"Right. So teach me?"
"...Okay, Oppa. Then..." Chohong blushed. "...H-Here. Can we... you know?"
I laughed and scooped her up. "I didn't take you to be a shy girl in bed, Chocho."
"Sh-Shut up! I've had sex before! But..." Chohong looked at me and blushed, averting her gaze. "...I've never made love. So... show me? How it feels to be cherished?"
"Better yet." I gently kissed her neck. "You teach me. Let's learn together how you feel best cherished, okay?"
Chohong turned a beet red and buried her face in my shoulder. But then she nodded and said, "...Okay, Jihu. Then... make me yours. Properly? And... I-Inside. Um. Please?"
"...You want to be a mom too, huh?"
"Sh-Shut up. S-S-So what if I do, huh?"
I kissed her neck. "Don't worry. If that's how you feel loved, that's how it'll be." After that, I walked her to her old room.
Chohong realized it and then softened. "...You're such a sap."
"Says the girl who's putty in my arms and asking to be a mom."
"C-C-Could you NOT say that! What if it gets added to my alias, huh?!"
"Alright, alright." I laid her down on her bed and then ran my hand down her legs. "Now... let's learn where you feel best, shall we?"
"O-Oppa, no, Jihu- Wait- Hnn~?!"