Kiss the Scumbag-Chapter 39

“Daddy!”

“Angie, my angel!”

The two of them threw their arms around each other with all the strength they had the moment they reunited. Even though Yujin barely had the strength to walk this far, there was no way he could let go of the child in his arms.

“I’m sorry, Angie. You must’ve been so lonely.”

As he rubbed his cheek against hers and asked, Angela shook her head bravely.

“Cain read me fairy tales and gave me yummy cookies. I wasn’t lonely at all.”

When Yujin managed to lift his head, Angela spoke with conviction.

“I knew Daddy wouldn’t abandon me. I believed you’d come back.”

Hehe, the child giggled and hugged Yujin again.

“See? You came.”

At her words, tears welled up in Yujin’s eyes. Just thinking about how anxious she must’ve been, waiting for him all alone in this huge house, made his heart ache so badly it felt like it would tear apart.

“That’s right, Angie. Daddy will never leave your side.”

Yujin forced a smile as he looked into her face.

“Thank you for believing in me, Angie. My beautiful girl.”

As he gently brushed her bangs aside, the confidence that had lit up her face began to melt away. Seeing the big teardrops roll down her cheeks, Yujin realized that his daughter had been holding it all in with everything she had.

Of course. What could a mere {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} three-year-old possibly understand?

“I’m sorry, Angie. For leaving you alone.”

When he apologized with all his heart, Angela suddenly burst into sobs. Yujin held the child tightly as she burrowed into his chest, and though he tried not to cry, he couldn’t stop the tears streaming down his cheeks.

He had done something foolish. What good could ever come from doing something like that?

Rubbing his eyes roughly with the back of his hand, he fell into regret. He was only just now realizing what he’d almost done the night before.

If something happened to me, Angie would be all alone.

It didn’t matter what Winston called him. Yujin was going to leave this place anyway. He would never see him again.

So why had he been so angry, so hurt?

He’d lived through worse.

Vowing never to do anything so reckless again, Yujin laid down in bed with the child. His whole body ached and exhaustion threatened to swallow him whole, but he couldn’t die. Instead, he snuggled Angela and rubbed cheeks with her gently.

“Angie, Daddy’s really sleepy right now... is it okay if I take a nap? Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?”

“Mm-hmm, of course! I’ll help you sleep. Go ahead.”

Sniffling, the girl gently patted Yujin’s arm.

“Twinkle, twinkle, little star...”

Listening to Angela sing the lullaby, pronouncing each note carefully, Yujin fell asleep in an instant. As soon as she heard the soft sound of Daddy’s breathing, Angela kept patting his arm until the song was over, then nestled into his arms and fell asleep beside him.

What even is he?

Since returning to the mansion, Winston couldn’t get that face out of his head. He had been late for his tutor and got scolded, but he didn’t care at all. His mind was completely filled with thoughts of Yujin.

“What on earth is the matter with you? Being late is unacceptable behavior. It’s impolite.”

After the tutor left, his mother scolded him, but Winston just said he was sorry. Campbell Lady found her son’s uncharacteristic demeanor strange, but he avoided the issue, saying he needed to practice piano.

Yujin. Yujin.

He scoured the internet, looking for the name the angel had told him. There was no angel named Yujin. Hesitating, he even searched for demon names, but of course, it was the same.

No way. Someone that beautiful couldn’t be human. freēwēbnovel.com

Even in bed, Winston couldn’t stop thinking about that boy. No matter what, the thoughts just wouldn’t leave him. In the end, he came up with a plan the next day.

“You’ve caught a cold.”

Dr. Gerber, the family physician, made the diagnosis, and his mother let out a louder sigh than usual.

“A cold? Then what should we do? Should we have him admitted?”

As always, she worried too much. The doctor shook his head and said casually,

“It’s nothing serious. He’ll be fine after a day of rest. I’ll leave some medicine. Just get some sleep. Sleep is the best medicine.”

After pulling the heavy blanket up to his neck and breathing shallowly, Winston received a few light instructions from Dr. Gerber before the man stood to leave. Campbell Lady reluctantly nodded.

“Alright, I’ll cancel all of today’s appointments. Get some rest.”

“I’m sorry, Mother.”

He gave a few exaggerated coughs, and his mother gave him a worried look before kissing his forehead.

“It’s alright. Sleep well. Don’t think about anything.”

She gave him one last gentle glance before leaving the room with the doctor. She instructed the staff to draw the blackout curtains and block all sunlight from the windows so Winston could sleep. The maid followed the order and even turned off all the lights in the room. Thanks to that, Winston was left alone in complete darkness.

Perfect.

He waited some time to be sure no one was left in the hallway, then quietly slipped out of bed. Cracking the door and checking outside, he saw the hallway was, as expected, empty.

Everything from there went smoothly. He avoided the occasional servants, sneaking through the mansion and eventually escaping. Then he headed straight to the stables. The stableman, in the middle of cleaning, jumped in surprise at Winston’s sudden appearance, but Winston remained calm and composed.

“I need Lancelot. Prepare him right away.”

The stableman looked confused, but moved quickly to follow the command. Winston climbed onto the horse in one fluid motion, pulled out the cash he had prepared, and handed it to him.

“This is a secret. That’s hush money.”

The stableman, surprised, couldn’t hide his pleased expression. Leaving him behind, Winston spurred the horse and rode off at full speed.

He wanted to see Yujin as soon as possible. The face he’d longed to see all night — that was all his mind could hold on to as he rode.

Would Yujin be there today?

Would he be waiting for me?

...What if he’s gone back to heaven?

Fearful thoughts filled him. When he finally reached the annex, Winston was panting and his shoulders were heaving.

Huh?

Yujin, who had been sitting at the tea table by the window reading a book, suddenly felt something strange. He looked outside and was shocked. The handsome boy from yesterday was back again — on horseback, just like the day before. It was a massive shock. He had assumed today would be just another dull, repetitive day — what was happening?

Startled, Yujin jumped to his feet, about to rush out, but paused at the door and ran back to the window. The boy was still there. Rubbing his eyes, he confirmed it was real, then repeated the same motion two more times before he could finally bring himself to go outside.

The delicate sound of the wind chime carried softly on the breeze. Winston stood there for a moment, lost in thought. There wasn’t a single shadow of another person around the annex. Maybe he’s inside. There was a small bell next to the door. If he rang it, would Yujin come out? Hopefully the place wasn’t empty.

If it was, it meant Yujin really had been an angel — and returned to the sky.

I hope I’m wrong.

Winston thought to himself. He wanted to see him again. If Yujin had gone back to heaven, he’d never be able to meet him again — not unless he died.

Would I only see him again when I’m an old man...?

“Ugh, no way.”

Winston muttered out loud. He had gone through all the trouble of faking an illness and sneaking out, only to be sitting here on a horse lost in stupid daydreams. First, he had to confirm if Yujin was even here. Everything else could wait.

With that resolve, Winston dismounted. Just as he stepped into the clover field, the annex door suddenly opened. Through the wide-open door, the angel appeared. The surprise on his face slowly bloomed into a warm smile.

“Winston!”

The angel, cheeks flushed red, beamed as he called Winston’s name. Then, with all his might, the angel ran straight into Winston’s arms.