Chapter 60 (2/2)

He smiled as his body pressed against her body. Although his smile looked bright, she felt as if she was watching a bird of prey.

”Where do you think I was all this time?” he asked.

”...You said you were at Outhouse.”

”I was foolish to think that you would read deeper into my words. Then I'll change the question a bit. Who's lair do you think I was at all this time?”

There were not many residents in Wonderland who had a lair in Outhouse. She answered easily as only one person came to mind.

”It wasn't Cheshire, was it?”

Mad Hatter smiled and buried his face in her neck. Then he said in an icy tone, ”I want to kill that man.”

”You mean Cheshire?”

”It's a bad habit to ask when you already know the answer. Really...I never knew I was someone who couldn't control his emotions to this extent. If it weren't for you, I would have killed him then and there.”

The voice that followed was filled with suppressed rage. SoYoon patted Mad Hatter on the shoulder. He whimpered and rubbed his face against her cheek. She flinched because it tickled and so created some space between herself and Mad Hatter. The blue eyes in front of her darkened.

The day she had escaped Cheshire's trap, Mad Hatter heard about it through Heart. Heart's voice that day had a strange happiness to it, and Mad Hatter was able to decipher what had happened between SoYoon and Heart that day. That's why he had gone to Outhouse: on the one hand, as revenge for what had happened to SoYoon, on the other hand, as a way to release his jealous energy. And also as a means to not see her for a while.

He had returned to Wonderland, thinking that he had gotten it out of his system, but when he saw the purple rings on her neck, his jealous rage returned.

Yes, this was only a bruise. It was easy to fix with his powers. He ground his teeth and moved.

”Disappear.”

With one word, he was able to make the kiss marks on her body go away. Even so, his anger did not subside, and he clung to her, burying his face in her neck.

”Mad Hatter? You didn't…”

”You know my name. Call me properly.”

”...Yochanan. Cheshire—you didn't—oof.”

Mad Hatter licked her neck. She cringed and turned away, but she was trapped inside the blanket.

He sucked on her neck until it left a red mark. However, he knew better than anyone that this was meaningless. Mad Hatter hugged SoYoon tightly.

”Do you love him?”

SoYoon did not answer his question. However, Mad Hatter didn't miss her slight flinch at his question.

There had been nothing that would make him give up on SoYoon—unless it was her decision. Mad Hatter's eyes sank heavily. He released her and got up.

”What about Cheshire?”

SoYoon got up and blinked at the sudden change in subject.

”You didn't kill Cheshire, did you?”

”Hmm, why do you ask that? Because it's not time for him to die yet?”

His words stabbed at her. SoYoon's hands, which were untangling herself from the blankets, froze in midair.

”What are you talking…?”

He smiled and answered to her surprised face as if nothing had happened.

”It's a joke. I did not kill Cheshire. He's still in the hospital. Even I know better than to cause a scene there. Why are you overreacting?”

He lay back down on the bed. SoYoon looked down at him.

He had abandoned his hat somewhere, so his orange hair flayed out on the sheets. The dark shadows under his eyes and cheeks emanated a strangely decadent beauty. When he smiled with that face, SoYoon became lost in its trance for a second.

”Why?”

He laughed, pretending to not know.

”...It's nothing.”

She couldn't tell him the truth, and she also didn't know how to spin a fake story, so she kept her mouth shut. Then he stood back up and went over to her.

The problem was that SoYoon happened to have turned her head at that moment. Their lips hit each other. As if they had planned it, their lips locked perfectly in sync, and Mad Hatter's eyes grew wide.

Mad Hatter had kissed her many times, but they had all been rather friendly—aside from the kiss mark he created a few moments ago. The two of them had not locked lips once since he'd been out to Outhouse. Surprised, Mad Hatter blinked rapidly and blushed.

”This is your fault for suddenly moving. I was definitely aiming for your forehead…”

Before tonight, the two of them had locked lips. Every year, he had breathed his magic into her body through their lips. In her perspective, this would all seem as if he was overreacting.