43. Naive Boy

"Good luck!" Grace said after pulling her car.

Adro smiled, then briefly stroked Grace's head. "Don't be late for meals, and don't stay up too late."

Grace chuckled. "I'm not a kid, Adro. Even before you came, I've been taking care of myself alone."

"But now that I'm here, I'll be part of it!" Adro stared at her with risen brows and a tilted head, eliciting another chuckle from Grace.

"All right. Thanks for driving me here. Call me if anything happens!" Adro said before exiting the car.

"Bye..." Grace waved as Adro smiled at her before closing the door.

"Phew..." A long exhale escaped Grace's lips as she watched Adro turn away from her. "Why does it feel kind of heavy, although he's just going to stay overnight for five days?"

A slight heaviness pressed on Grace's heart. She thought it would only be temporary, but now the sun had set, casting her entire living room in warm orange. Why does the feeling still haunt her?

Sitting alone on the sofa, Grace contemplated her empty house. "It's so quiet."

The last time Grace felt like this was when she returned from her grandmother's funeral. It was empty, silent, and desolate; it was depressing.

Again, despite being an introvert, Grace didn't enjoy living alone. However, she had coped with and adapted to that condition since her grandmother passed away. But unexpectedly, she just needed a short time to adapt to Adro's presence, and now her comfort seemed to depend on him. All her struggles to get used to being alone were shattered in an instant.

The more Grace realized Adro's influence on her feelings, the more she worried about what would happen if he found his way back to his world. Just like her grandmother, Grace would never be able to meet and connect with Adro again, as if he were dead. She didn't want to experience that sorrow anymore.

Grace leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling. 'I have to suppress my feelings for him. Otherwise, it will be detrimental to me. I hope Adro succeeds as a model. That way, he won't have to depend on me anymore and maybe can have his own home.'

The only way to stop her feelings from growing stronger for Adro was to evict him from her house. If they rarely met, Grace believed she could slowly erode her feelings and dependency on Adro, even though she knew it wouldn't be easy at first. But the problem was, she couldn't openly kick Adro out—she didn't have the heart to do it. If Adro didn't have the self-awareness to leave this place, it would be perplexing for her.

***

Several floors of an apartment building were the dormitories for Sky Talent Agency employees and talents. One of the units was where Adro stayed during his training. In that unit, Adro shared a room with another male model named Elvis.

"So, you're the latest addition to this team," Elvis said, pointing to a wardrobe. "You can put your clothes on the left—I've taken the right side."

"All right," Adro said while taking his clothes out of his gym bag.

"Sorry if this sounds offending, but do you know that you don't look like a model? Is that your daily outfit even though you go outside?" Elvis asked.

Adro glanced down at his clothes, then nodded. "I dress like this every day. I'm undergoing training because I'm an ordinary person who wants to become a model. Is that something strange?"

"Not really," Elvis shrugged. "But it's indeed quite rare. I'm a model, but I'm still undergoing training because my portfolio isn't good enough yet."

"I see that you've never worked as a model, but have you at least studied at a modeling school? What school did you go to?" He continued.

"I didn't go to a modeling school. I'm a farmer's son who just came to the city." Adro replied in a flat voice tone, getting skilled at lying.

"Well," Elvis nodded. "… because you're inexperienced in this industry, I'd advise you to be a bit cautious; the modeling world is tough."

"Thanks," Adro said.

Tough? Adro wanted to see how tough it was to pose in front of a camera and wear nice clothes compared to standing on the front lines with tens of thousands of armed enemies in front of him. Elvis's warning didn't faze him. He believed he could handle anything. Since childhood, there has been nothing Adro couldn't master once he learned it. He only needed a short time to learn.

However, after the first day of modeling training, Adro realized that his muscular body, which was accustomed to wielding a sword, was not used to posing according to a model standard and showcasing his muscle. He thought he just needed to stand in front of the camera and smile, as when Grace took his photo, but it turned out that many techniques needed to be mastered. Thanks to his genius brain, no matter how unfamiliar something was to him, he could nevertheless absorb it well.

There was one thing that Adro realized was different in his new workplace—an aspect that made him enjoy his time here. It was how people treated him as an ordinary person, not a prince or a handsome man—perhaps because looking attractive was a standard in this industry, so everyone had to work professionally without favoring someone solely based on their appearance.

In this place, Adro was not privileged. Yet, this feeling was special to someone who had always been the center of attention and praise since infancy.

"That's awesome! I'm glad you're not struggling there."

"Nothing is as difficult as overcoming my worry about leaving you alone," Adro replied, smirking. "So, have you had dinner? Are you going to sleep?"

"I have. I might go to sleep after finishing my assignment." Grace replied.

Adro squinted his eyes. "You sound tired. Are you okay?"

"Of course I am! I'm just tired after working on my assignment for a few hours. But talking with you and knowing you're fine is like a break for me." Grace chuckled. "Sorry for making you worry,"

Adro shook his head. "No need, Grace. But are you sure you're not picked on on campus? I hope you're not hiding anything."

"Today is just like any other day," Grace half-mumbled.

Adro remained silent for a moment, adjusting his breath. Then he smiled again. "Then what about your painting results?"

"I got compliments for it. It's all thanks to you, Adro. Thank you so much!" Grace's voice rose.

"Glad to hear that. I'm happy I could help you," Adro replied, smiling broadly. "Don't push yourself too hard. Rest if you're tired, okay? Thanks for spending your time with me. I'll hang up now."

"Seriously? It's nothing!" Grace giggled. "Okay then. Good luck tomorrow and goodnight, Adro."

"Goodnight, Grace," Adro replied before ending the call.

"That's so nice of you; talking that loud on the phone like there's no one here." Elvis gave a thin smile while staring flatly at Adro.

Adro's smile, which was still lingering after talking to Grace, dimmed. He turned to the blonde-haired man who was lying on the bed opposite his.

"If you mind, I'll call outside next time. But since I didn't see you sleeping or reading a book earlier, I thought it wouldn't hurt you if I have a call here," Adro replied.

"Listen, buddy, that's not what I meant. I don't mind if you talk here, but I'm just surprised at your confidence to be affectionate on the phone with your girlfriend in front of someone you've known for less than 24 hours." Elvis got up from his bed. "In my entire life, any guy I knew would hide or at least walk away from others if he wanted to talk seriously with his girlfriend, just like you did just now."

Adro's brow furrowed. "She's not my girlfriend."

Copying Adro's expression, Elvis guessed, "So, is she your sister?"

Silent for a moment, Adro replied, "Yes, I consider her my younger sister."

"HAHAHA!" Adro's answer sent Elvis laughing until tears welled up in his eyes. "Damn, dude! Please tell me you're joking! Seriously, I didn't expect you to be so naive! Haha! Even at the photo shoot session, you spoke like a war general, but now you look like a teenage boy who just had his first wet dream!"