CRY FOR ME, TOO

GYPSY thought that she would be fine now that she had full control of her feelings.

She broke down earlier after realizing that Gio was already dead because of the original Gypsy's strong emotions. Thus, she thought she only felt that way because she was being affected by someone else.

But now that she was standing in front of the bonfire that burned Gio's remains. Apparently, Molly Jacobs– the "failure" of a Necromancer– had turned his corpse into a wooden puppet. Thus, she decided to burn that wooden puppet as a means to "bury" her poor younger brother.

It was already late at night, and the sea breeze was cold.

The fact that only she and Yvo stood in front of the bonfire to send Gio off made the atmosphere gloomier.

[But I can't complain since I know why only the two of us are here.]

The few knights that they brought, including Winston Volk, were occupied.

If she remembered it correctly, Yvo asked the knights to torture Molly Jacobs before they killed her. It was cruel, but she didn't care about the Necromancer who had committed atrocious crimes, even excluding what she had done to Gio.

[Gypsy and Gio, I hope you two are happy now.]

She couldn't believe that the late Grand Duke Evan commissioned a Necromancer to turn Gio into a puppet just to "tame" her.

[Is this the reason why the original Gypsy in the game lost her mind?]

According to the game's storyboard, the original Gypsy had snapped and attacked Yvo. That was how the game's minor villainess had died by the hands of the main character. She couldn't remember what made the original Gypsy go insane, but now she knew why it happened.

[She probably found out that her younger brother has long died. But since Evan Woolsey was already dead during that time, she probably lashed out at Yvo. Or perhaps she just wanted to kill anyone and everyone related to the Woolseys to avenge her younger brother.]

Her heart squeezed painfully, and she shed tears again.

[If something like that happened to Si-woo, I'll go insane and commit mass murder, too.]

She knew that violence wasn't the answer, but…

"Will Noonim cry that much too when I die?"

[You're the main character, you won't die early.]

"I won't, Young Master Yvo."

"Noonim, I thought your purpose in life is to suck up to me."

She flinched. [He knows that I'm buttering him up to survive?]

"So why is Noonim being cold to me now?" Yvo asked, then he gently pinched her chin and made her turn her head in his direction. "Does Noonim wish to join her younger brother in eternal peace?"

[This kid really knows how to threaten people creatively.]

"You'll outlive me, so how could I cry for you when I'm already dead by the time you meet your end?" Gypsy said while wiping her tears off using the blue handkerchief that Yvo handed to her earlier. "But I would probably cry for you in the afterlife."

"Why does Noonim think that I will outlive you?" he asked, still holding her chin between his fingers.

"Because you're strong and I'm weak?"

"This strong person will protect the weak you."

That was so cheesy that it made her smile. "That's reassuring to hear, Young Master Yvo."

The fingers holding her chin "hostage" moved to her cheeks to brush her tears away. "When will you stop crying for someone else in front of me, Noonim?"

"You can't tell me to stop crying for my younger brother," she said, a little firmer than usual. "That's cruel, Young Master Yvo."

"But I don't like seeing Noonim cry."

"Then close your eyes," she said, acting stubbornly. Yvo didn't look scary these days, so she was pushing her luck. She was still older than him, so she ought to teach him some manners. "Young Master Yvo should be kind to people who are mourning."

He tilted his head to one side. "Is that an unwritten rule?"

"It's called human decency."

"Noonim is getting brave these days," he said in a teasing yet threatening voice. "Am I being too soft on Noonim?"

Okay, she ran out of luck now.

She avoided Yvo's intense gaze, then she slowly lowered herself until she was sitting on the sand. She was afraid that her knees would buckle from fear, so she already sat before they collapsed. Then she hugged her knees closer to her chest.

"Young Master Yvo, can we stay a little longer?" she asked carefully and politely. "I want to accompany Gio as long as possible."

"Noonim, stretch your legs."

She was confused, but she did as she was told.

Then, much to her surprise, Yvo lay down on the sand and used her lap as a pillow. Instead of explaining, he just put his hands over his stomach and closed his eyes.

"What are you doing, Young Master Yvo?"

"I'm doing what Noonim wants me to do."

"Huh?"

"Noonim told me to close my eyes so I won't see you crying," Yvo said defensively. "I'm just being an obedient young master. Is that wrong?"

[No– but you're acting weird.]

But after Yvo displayed his slight irritation earlier, she didn't have the courage to talk back to him in case she offended him.

"Noonim, you like playing as my older sister, don't you?" he asked, then the corner of his lips lifted into a half-smile. "Since Noonim is mourning, I'll be kind to you and play as your cute dongsaeng tonight."

He sounded like she should say 'thank you' to him.

[I want to pull his hair…]

But she didn't want to die yet, so she just held it in while hitting her chest with her fist as quietly as she could.

Suffice to say, irritation quickly replaced her sadness.

[I'm going to die from high blood pressure at this rate.]

"Noonim is doing something cute again."

She was a little surprised when she realized that Yvo had opened his pretty jewel-like blue eyes already, and he was looking at her as if he was the most amusing person in the world.

[Is he annoying me as a form of entertainment?]

"Young Master Yvo should take a nap," Gypsy said, then she covered Yvo's eyes with her hand. "I'll wake you up when I'm done crying."

This time, she would probably cry from frustration.

Yvo, on the other hand, chuckled when she covered his eyes with her hands. "Noonim makes me want to put you in my pocket."

[Kids these days are scary, for real.]

***

NOTE: Hi! Please consider ADDING 'Butter Up the Crown Wolf' to your LIBRARY. Thank you! <3