I'm the Only One With a Different Genre - Chapter 216

Chapter 216

Honey

***

The temporarily halted power soon began to move again, actively searching for an answer.

A completely different appearance, the phrase “the most precious person,” and family.

Combining these three keywords, the answer came easily.

‘Lover.’

Lian’s power interpreted Iris as a ‘former lover.’ For someone like Lian, whose experience in relationships, not to mention knowledge, was close to zero, being told, ‘You actually had a girlfriend, so act as you would toward her,’ was bound to cause a malfunction.

Yet, before the overwhelming power that could even safely censor [itself] and [itself], Lian’s lack of knowledge posed no threat.

Artificial ‘love’ bloomed in Lian’s eyes, and memories he had never experienced were imprinted in his mind.

“I’m really… sorry. I must have worried you too much, honey.”

“…?!”

Honey, darling, baby… Various terms swirled in his head, but the most neutral one slipped out. Iris was so shocked that her tears, which had been about to flow again, stopped in their tracks, and she froze in place.

When he gently embraced her with a tender touch, she nearly collapsed.

Thump, thump!

Her heart pounded so violently it felt like it might leap out of her throat.

“I’ll never leave your side again.”

The moment the words she had longed to hear spilled from his lips, Iris swallowed her breath in overwhelming joy.

Iris instinctively realized that the air, the sounds, and even the warmth of this moment would be deeply etched into her memory.

Thus, Lian’s power caused him to think of Iris as his ‘lover.’

Living alone in a broken world was different from living with someone else.

Even if Lian acted as though the monsters were merely ordinary people, Iris’s perception would inevitably shatter if she viewed the monsters as they truly were.

“Be careful not to get hurt.”

As if it had been a lie that he had perceived the ruined roads and collapsed buildings as ordinary before, Lian now carefully guided Iris, avoiding the broken paths to ensure she wouldn’t get injured.

“…Let’s go that way.”

While Lian had the power to protect himself, Iris was an ordinary person, and she realized that the monsters could have a negative influence on her. So, they began to avoid the monsters.

Just by Iris’s presence, Lian started to behave like a resident of the ruined world.

This change made Iris tense as well. The monsters, which had oddly not attacked Lian before, now seemed as if they might attack him violently at any moment.

‘It’s a good thing I have a weapon.’

Iris placed her hand on the hilt of the sword strapped to her waist and let out a sigh of relief.

“Huh?!”

“Gasp…!”

“What the… gasp!”

At that moment, unfamiliar voices echoed from a distance. When she turned her head, she saw a group of people staring at her in shock.

“An… angel?”

Her white hair flowed softly, sparkling like snowflakes. The pure white silk draped over her shoulders resembled the wings of an angel, and her eyes, which seemed to hold the starlight of the night sky, were an unusual color, exuding an otherworldly beauty.

In a world devastated by monsters, there was no rule that an angel couldn’t appear, and Iris’s striking appearance only fueled that impression. The combination of these two facts led to such a dumbfounded remark.

Hearing herself being called an angel, Iris frowned slightly and placed her hand on the hilt of her sword, ready to draw it at any moment. As she scanned the group with a hardened expression, her vision was suddenly blocked.

“Haha, of course my honey is as beautiful as an angel.”

Lian, who had somehow moved to stand beside her, blocked her view. His words of praise caused Iris’s face to instantly flush a deep cherry red. She was so embarrassed and shy that even the tips of her ears turned red.

Squeeze.

The pressure she felt in her hand snapped Iris back to her senses. When she looked down, she saw that Lian was gripping her hand tightly, almost to the point of pain.

Reflexively, Iris raised her head to look at Lian’s back. She couldn’t see his expression, so she had no idea why he was holding her hand so tightly.

‘Are they enemies?’

The thought that Lian might be holding her hand out of anxiety or fear stiffened Iris’s expression. To confirm her own unease, she took a step to the side and stood next to Lian.

Thanks to Lian blocking their view, the group, who had barely managed to regain their composure, once again stared at Iris in a daze.

“Huh…”

“Ah…”

Far from looking like enemies, the group seemed downright foolish, and Iris was momentarily taken aback by their idiotic demeanor. Were these the kind of fools that made Lian tense?

Unable to suppress her rising doubts, Iris turned her gaze toward Lian. His mouth was smiling, but his eyes were not. In his eyes, a burning emotion was clearly visible, almost tangible.

It was a feeling Iris knew all too well.

‘Jealousy…?’

The emotion she never thought she would see from Lian was there. The moment she realized it, her heart gave a great lurch and began to race uncontrollably.

When she squeezed the hand that was holding hers, Lian, who had been glaring at the group, widened his eyes and looked at Iris.

Iris wanted to whisper to Lian that she was his and would never leave his side, but the heat rising to her head made it difficult to speak. Instead, she expressed her feelings through actions.

Plop.

With a soft sound, Iris buried her face in Lian’s chest, as if she had lost all strength. Then, with her free hand, she slowly wrapped her arm around Lian’s waist.

The warmth of her touch enveloped Lian. The sudden closeness, without any apparent reason, momentarily paralyzed Lian’s rationality.

‘Ah, she’s my lover.’

The confusion in his mind settled with the single word ‘lover.’ Lian naturally extended his free hand and embraced Iris’s back.

Regardless of the illusion created by his power, Lian held his breath for a moment, feeling a tickling sensation in his chest, before exhaling slowly.

“What, what is this…”

“Could she be a monster that bewitches people…?!”

As the two of them suddenly began acting all lovey-dovey in the middle of the ruined road, the group, having finally come to their senses, started to slowly back away. The atmosphere between Iris and Lian was so out of place in the decaying world that it felt ‘unnatural.’

Before long, the group of people fled in a hurry, leaving only the two of them standing on the wrecked road. The two remained in each other’s arms for a few more minutes, their faces flushed, before they finally resumed their journey, holding hands tightly.

***

A lover.

A lover refers to two people in a romantic relationship. It means more than just holding hands and walking together.

Lian, due to his power, had come to think of Iris as his ‘lover,’ and he had also gained an understanding of the concept of a lover through his power. However, knowing something and acting on it were two entirely different things.

No matter how much his power commanded him to engage in lover-like physical affection, his body stuttered and failed to function properly. This wasn’t just because of his lack of experience in relationships.

Receiving affection from someone and returning that affection was something unfamiliar and difficult for Lian, something that had long been a source of trauma.

Holding hands was fine, but when it came to hugging her waist or getting close enough to feel her breath, Lian’s body would stiffen and fail to respond. It was Iris who took the initiative, not missing the opportunity.

“Oppa, it’s cold.”

“Huh? Oh… is it?”

“Yeah, let’s stay closer.”

As night fell and the temperature dropped, Iris clung tightly to Lian, even though it wasn’t that cold. She sat between his legs and pulled his arm around her waist. Leaning her back comfortably against his chest, her soft hair swayed under his chin.

As Iris nestled in his arms, a subtle floral scent filled Lian’s senses, leaving him dizzy. Through their connected bodies, he could feel her racing pulse. It was the sound of Iris’s heartbeat. Her emotions were so vividly conveyed that Lian’s own heart began to pound wildly in response.

Hissss…

Creak…

Though eerie noises echoed around them as the monsters wandered in the dark, the two of them seemed to exist in a completely different world, simply enjoying their sweet time together.

Until the sun rose the next day, the two remained closely entwined, and Lian spent the entire night wide awake, unable to sleep.

“Oppa… are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m… fine.”

Despite his clearly exhausted appearance, Iris asked with concern. Lian immediately straightened his back and nodded. For some reason, he didn’t want to show any weakness in front of her.

Thus, a new day dawned in the world heading toward ruin.

“Oppa, have a bite too. Ah—”

“Ah—”

Unlike the dying world around them, the atmosphere between the two remained as warm as spring.

End of Chapter