↳ Cabin 16: Nemesis

-- room updated!

@[G] Kim Sunggyu It was no different from the side of the walking demigoddess. Her heartbeats were unbelievably fast against her chest and she felt really flustered. But somehow, with Sunggyu's hand holding hers, it felt as if it was right for the both of them to be close.

"Yeah... I won't." She shyly replied as she continued her steps.

It felt... normal, but on its own way special.

Maybe it was because this was where they were meant to be: together, depending on each other, walking with their fingers intertwined, and on a level of understanding that both of them share.

@[G] Lee Yejin Sunggyu's heart was beating so hard inside his chest, but he was feeling giddy. It was hard to believe, but by gods, she likes him too! What could make him happier than that?

"Don't stray," he only said with a grin as he looked at their entwined hands, catching his breath afterwards as they continued their walk.

Awkward? Ailee doesn't have to worry about that. For Sunggyu, the atmosphere just got better.

@[G] Kim Sunggyu Okay, that move seriously made branded her an impulsive fool, Ailee thought as she continued her brisk walk. It was bad enough that Sunggyu's confession was a surprise. But for her to actually /imitate/ him and blurting things out that way?!

Even worse!

Aish, she wanted to say. Aish because she was being too straightforward. Aish because she just made the atmosphere awkward. Aish because the words might have taken Sunggyu by shock. Aish because of...

But Ailee couldn't complete her thought because the demigod easily caught up with her and held her hand, and she let him hold it as she decreased her walking pace.

@[G] Lee Yejin The thing is, what was he supposed to say otherwise? He couldn't just easily say he didn't really mean it because he /obviously/ /undeniably/ does!

Sunggyu caught up eventually because Ailee's steps slowed down, but he was silent. Mainly, he was worried because he didn't want to wreck their friendship just because of a confession - an improper one no less - and he was worried about so many what if's. What would happen from this point onwards, would they be awkward like this all the time, and the sorts.

But he still caught her words nonetheless... and... oh my gods.

"Eh...?"

Well, it was his turn to froze.

Did she just say she likes him too? And what... she won't stray?

...OMG. OMG OMG OMG...

"...Yah, Yejin! Wait for me!"

And he ran and caught her hand afterwards.

@[G] Kim Sunggyu "But... th-th-that's... h-hard, too..."

Well, if Sunggyu was not in an already deep grave, Ailee thought that he just /had/ to put himself into deeper waters by saying 'it's not that I'm not serious'. Of course! Who would eve /joke/ about that?!

Ailee's steps slowly got slower as the seconds ticked by, her pace slowly decreasing. She just could not get the words out of her head. It's either she'd have to reply or just find distractions to take the thought off her mind.

And, well, while they were a distance before the block of are near the dining pavilion, she swallowed hard and spoke in a voice that is just as rushed as the demigod.

"But I also like you, so I won't stray."

And she immediately broke off into a brisk walk.

@[G] Lee Yejin "W-Well... at least... don't mind it."

Okay, this was completely weird seeing how he was talking to her back, but oh well...

"I mean... it's not that I'm not serious but..."

Sunggyu forced a deep breath into his system to at least calm himself down a bit before continuing, because his heartbeats were going erratic and his hands felt cold for some reasons.

Gah. Just how in Olympus did he manage to get into this mess!?

"I'm... well... just saying. Y-you don't have to answer..."

@[G] Kim Sunggyu Well, honestly, it was hard to do what Sunggyu said. How could she /ever/ pretend that he didn't say those words if they were /that sharp/? Really.

It was such a fortunate thing that the demigod was walking behind her. If he was any distance close enough on viewing range, he would have noticed that the pink in her cheeks had already intensified twice as much and that her skin was incredibly warm.

Ailee was flustered, and that was undeniable.

She had just said to herself in the strawberry fields not long ago that she will tell Sunggyu how she feels one day or another. But to say that she likes him too?! Seriously... /this early/?!

Of course, she liked the guy - hell, just her blush would have given her away! - but can she match up to that rushed confession?

"I-I-It's... kind of hard... to..."

And she swallowed hard before letting out a breathless sigh while fanning herself.

... Gah.

@[G] Lee Yejin Sunggyu himself just swallowed as hard, and if there was one time he looked cute because he was flustered, that would be it.

"P-pretend I never said that..."

Lord Hades, why don't you just take me to the Underworld now? Aissshhhh...

He didn't know what to feel because the topic was diverted, but he murmured a soft shy 'okay' to it and surely, his steps followed hers. But this time he lagged behind, his shy gaze on her walking figure.

Yeah, weird as people - or Ailee herself - may think, he was still that little boy who has a crush on her...

@[G] Kim Sunggyu Ailee stopped walking the moment Sunggyu did, and let her eyes remain glued to him. Why was he even /this/ flustered. Even when he was just kid he /never ever/ got this way? So what happened?

She continued looking at him, her head tilting a bit as if to prove the paint that she was willing to listen.

But when the words finally registered in her system despite the speed...

"Eehh--" Even just one syllable got caught in ... and all that followed it were stutters with a wide-eyed expression.

"A-A--Ah... S-S-S-Sunggyu..." The demigoddess /just could not/ believe it.

"M-m-m-mworago?" She managed to say, but in her shock, pink had invaded her cheeks and she breathed out a soft ".... Ooohh..." while putting a hand to her cheek.

It was warm. Definitely warm.

"I--uhh... let's just go to the dining pavilion shall we?" She choked out before breaking out into a swift walk. HEr heartbeats were wild against her chest, her mind was unbelievably disoriented. She swallowed hardly, but her her skin tingled with the revelation.

She just couldn't get his words out of her head - the most important three.

'I like you.'

I like you.

I like you.

I like you.

By Aphrodite...

@[G] Lee Yejin "I don't... I mean... er..."

See, Sunggyu? You're totally dead now.

"I... aish. Fine." Huffing a breath, the demigod stopped walking and turned to the demigoddess, his expression serious though the tint of pink was more visible now. And what came out of his lips was a fast train of words.

"...I don't want you to stay around him too much, I don't like it, I'm jealous because I like you. Okay you can berate me now."

And he just looked down, his thumb fiddling with his ring again.

"Just... pretend I never said that..."

@[G] Kim Sunggyu So she really /was/ right. Ailee knew that somehow, she has this knack for guessing things correctly, but to still be right even with this kind of information?

For a fragment of time, the female just nodded in response to his words. But when the demigod suddenly cut his words, she looked at him in confusion, a soft "Eh?" coming out of her lips.

"You don't...?"

@[G] Lee Yejin "You suspected right, Yejin." Sunggyu replied softly. "My father is Apollo."

Explains why he lives alone with his mother all this time, explains why he could glow that way, explains why he likes to look at the sun... and it explains the paranoia too.

"I still worry, nonetheless, even if there is no reason to... so just be careful, okay? Besides, I don't---- ...nevermind."

And a faint trace of pink colored his cheeks.

Darn this. Of all times to slip up, Sunggyu. You're dead. You're seriously dead. Aish...

@[G] Kim Sunggyu "Well if you are a child of Apollo as what I suspect, then your so-called paranoia might mean something." Ailee said, her eyes and expression still undefined. "But then again, there is no reason to worry about me. I am going to be here for you like how I was there for you before."

@[G] Lee Yejin What if I want to be more, then, because my heart is yours as it always has been?

It was true that Sunggyu wasn't the type to say things out blatantly, because his words earlier didn't even come close to what he was thinking after Ailee's reply. And yet he didn't correct it.

He stopped walking, but didn't say anything and let the few moments of silence pass with him looking to the ground. The poignant smile was intact.

"You see now why I feel that I'm paranoid."

@[G] Kim Sunggyu Ailee was silent all throughout this brief monologue by Sunggyu, intent on listening and trying to have a grasp of how he felt. With the memories she already managed to trigger, she knew somehow that the demigod was not the type to say things out so blatantly. So it came as a surprise to her that those exact words slipped past his lips.

To think "I think I just didn't want to lose you" was already a hard hit. What more so when she heard "Even more so now" just after?

Ailee stopped walking... again.

"Sunggyu-yah..." She began softly, her expression undecipherable. "... you're not going to lose me. I will just be tending to Myungjae now, but I'm still your friend..."

@[G] Lee Yejin "Let me correct then... thank you for not thinking that I'm paranoid." Sunggyu corrected himself with a similarly soft chuckle, letting his feet fall into step with Ailee's. He only smiled slightly as he listened to her talking, his features still soft somehow, though there was a tinge of poignancy in that smile of his.

"I don't belong where he does, Yejin... he's the boy everyone likes, and me?"

Taking a deep breath, he stretched a bit and folded his arms at the back of his head while walking, his eyes looking softly at the horizon.

"You were my only friend back then, and... back then, I guess you can't not choose sides. He wanted to be your friend, but then I don't belong there."

And softly, he sighed and looked down as his hands went down on both his sides.

"I think I just didn't want to lose you. Even more so now."

@[G] Kim Sunggyu For some reason, unknown to even Ailee herself, she chuckled although very softly. "Being called paranoid is just labelling or name-calling. I don't think you are, really." She said as she began walking again, this time her steps a little bit more confident.

"Actually, you have always been like this, if I remember things correctly." She began, her features softening as well. "I've been trying to remember more things starting from the time you led me back to my cabin after our talk in the strawberry fields."

She let the corner of her lips turn up slightly.

"Whenever it was Myungjae involved you always become a tad bit more questioning, a bit more concerned. It intrigues me, actually. Even after all this time you're /still/ wary about him."

@[G] Lee Yejin To that, Sunggyu hesitantly lifted his head to look at Ailee, but only shook his head after a soft swallow.

"I don't know." He began, taking a deep breath. "I sensed something bad, but I don't see what it is. Trust me, I would've told you already if I know."

Though, his features softened afterwards.

"Thank you, though... for not calling me paranoid. Though I think I am."

@[G] Kim Sunggyu Really, the little girl was still there.

For a few moments, Ailee only blinked at Sunggyu's words, choosing not to say anything and just listen. But after a few moments of letting things sink in, she settled with speaking softly.

"I... won't call you paranoid." She began, confusion still in her being. "But then again, what is so dangerous about your own deity-sibling?"

@[G] Lee Yejin "My turn to thank you for that. But with connection to what I wanted to say earlier..." Sunggyu smiled wryly for a moment.

"I think I should, though I'm afraid you'll call me paranoid." He chuckled lightly, looking back at her afterwards with a serious expression. "It's just that... I suddenly have a bad feeling about all this. So... be careful around him, please?"

Though, he couldn't help but look down with a wry smile afterwards.

"Okay. You can call me paranoid now..."

@[G] Kim Sunggyu Of course, she would be a sister to Sunggyu. The ring that the male had on his finger, the ring she had around her neck as a pendant, that was the perfect proof of it.

/Friends are the family we choose for ourselves./

Despite that hidden tinge of painful sentiment because of Sunggyu's words, the demigoddess just nodded. "I know." She began. "I know I am also a sister to you, but Myungjae has the same lineage with me. That isn't just anything."

But then she huffed a sigh and just shook her head.

"Alright. Thank you for considering my feelings about this, Sunggyu." She said in response to his decision of trying to stay away from Myungjae to keep anything else from happening. "I will try to keep him from starting anything to, if he would. That I can guarantee you."

But she couldn't help but look at him with his next words.

"If you feel like you should, then say it. If you don't think you should, then don't."

@[G] Lee Yejin Sunggyu guessed his question was probably expected, but he also guessed right about what her answer would be. She wouldn't choose, and he knew Ailee was truly Nemesis' daughter.

When it comes to him, though, he probably was just the same. Which was why the moment she stopped, he looked at her and waited for her to finish... and he was silent for a few moments before nodding in response. Yes, that assured him, and he was thankful, though he felt guilty, too. But then again, he hoped it would never happen.

"I know, and I'm thankful for that. But Yejin... you're also a sister to me."

And more, probably.

"That said... I'll stay out of his way as much as possible. I don't want to expose you to the chance of being in that position. Unless he looks for trouble himself."

He sighed softly again.

"And... I don't know if I should say this or not..."

@[G] Kim Sunggyu In a sense, Ailee both expected and did not expect the question coming out of Sunggyu's lips. But that does not change the fact that the moment the question registered, she wanted to stop walking and take the thought all in.

Something inside her was saying that maybe Sunggyu just wanted to be sure that their friendship was still there after all those years of not being able to see each other. But another part was saying the seemingly impossible - or was it impossible - thing: Sunggyu actually was feeling insecure and that he needed her confirmation that even after all those years, despite the connection she now has with Myungjae, that she will still stay with him.

Nevertheless, she kept walking, bit her apple, chewed and swallowed, then answered as truthfully as she could.

"If possible, I would not choose. But if circumstance demands it..." She trailed off.

Myungjae is her /sibling/. She cannot really abandon him just like that? Especially when they came from the same mother?

"... Myungjae is my brother, Sunggyu..." She began, this time really stopping her walk again before huffing a breath.

"... but if it assures you, I will confirm it. I will pick you. You know that my heart has not changed. But I cannot just throw everything away about Myungjae, especially since he is now solidified as my brother."

@[G] Lee Yejin "You chose me before." Sunggyu said softly, letting the sweetness of the apple into his senses as he walked slowly on Ailee's side.

"I do not wish for this to happen. But if someday you have to choose between me and him again..."

He sighed, almost as softly as the wind, though still holding her hand.

"...what will you do?"

@[G] Kim Sunggyu Ailee could say nothing, do nothing, except stare at the ground after she recounted everything to Sunggyu. She seemed to be tired out just by recalling, but then again she cannot blame herself. Everything happened in the pan of only an hour and a few minutes - everything was still fresh - but she already had to recall everything in front of the man that was more than keen with the situation.

Though, when the demigod tugged at her hand, her gaze snapped up to look at him and she began walking. Upon his question, she then began walking while taking a bit out of her apple.

She nodded as a response.

@[G] Lee Yejin Sunggyu himself had no idea where his protector was, though he had a feeling that short-lived 'friend' of his had already gone to the other realm. But yes, the explanation did convince him... though he still couldn't explain where the ill foreboding came from.

"I see..."

That was all he said to Ailee, accompanied with a soft nod, before biting on his apple quietly and tugged on her hand to start walking again.

"One question."

@[G] Kim Sunggyu "I /did/ meet him in the past, but I couldn't remember him." Ailee began again. "I only took his face to mind, but never really had the capability to remember who he is. It was only that night that we were at the strawberry fields that I managed to understand that it was him that had been appearing in front of me constantly."

A deep breath was the prelude to her answer. "I didn't. But he then began to talk about... Appa."

It had been years since she last saw her satyr, who disguised himself not as a best friend, but as a step-father, so that she can be adopted from the orphanage that she was in. He had been telling her to go to camp half-blood for so long, but she just didn't listen. The moment she agreed, he only briefed her about everything and led her to the gate.

But he never went in.

"He was saying things about him meeting Appa... my protector... and Appa telling him that he was also a child of my mother. He told me that Appa sent him after me immediately so that I could have an ally in the cabins, at least a sibling who I can call my ally."

@[G] Lee Yejin The moment when Apollo claimed him, Sunggyu remembered very well; he himself had a bright golden lyre shining above his head. Sadly, that had been the last of what he remembered.

A lot of things doesn't make sense here, though.

"Weird..." He gazed towards the direction of the gate, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. "How did he know—oh yeah, you met him."

But it still doesn't make sense...

"Did you tell him you're Nemesis' daughter?"

@[G] Kim Sunggyu Ailee slowly nodded. "The first time I saw him there at the borders, he still had no identifying mark. No balance scale above his head like what I heard, no feeling of identification because of being a fellow claimed child, nothing." She began. "He was so close to fainting. He was staggering already."

And recalling the image of the male struggling to make steps as if he was walking for such a long time, the demigoddess closed her eyes momentarily, gripping the apple harder.

"But the moment I met up with him, just before he fell to my arms, a bright balance scale shone above his head. If that wasn't an identifying mark or even just a hint of being claimed, I don't know what is." She said. "Not to mention... the first thing he said the moment I held him was..."

A deep breath preceded the recollection of Myungjae's words.

"... 'Finally, you recognized me... Yejin-ah... my sister.'"

The female looked down on the ground at that point in time, only choosing to bite on her apple to momentarily stop herself from speaking.