IPUAVNP Chapter 119

Episode 119

 

Kernels had been watching Brody ever since she mumbled to herself about wanting to quit everything and go home.

And when she started talking about the magical door, Kernels realized something: this rabbit truly wanted to go home. 

From her earlier gloomy demeanor, he had already guessed there was some trouble between her and Kyle.

Soon, Kernels came to a conclusion:* If she wants to go home despite Kyle being here, it means she’s thinking of leaving him!

Kernels supported the idea of them separating. After all, Brody was of no help to Kyle in expanding his standing in Roden.

That’s why he benevolently told Brody about the magical door, encouraging her to prepare and leave. At the same time, he broke his promise to Brody by spilling the news to Kyle.

It was his way of letting Kyle know that the rabbit was planning to leave him so he could emotionally prepare himself.

Kernels looked at Kyle, who stared at him in shock, and kept talking.

“She asked me when the magical door would open, saying she wanted to leave through it.”

Kyle’s eyes wavered at Kernels’ words. Brody had never once told him she wanted to leave or anything similar.

Watching Kyle’s growing confusion, Kernels exaggerated further, pouring fuel on the fire.

“She looked like she’d leave right away if the magical door opened now! I’m sure she has no intention of staying here with you, Kyle.”

Kyle would never leave Roden’s valley.

Kernels was certain of it, just like the people of Roden were convinced Kyle would reclaim his place here.

So if Brody truly wanted to leave, Kyle would have no choice but to send her back to her hometown alone.

“That was probably just a heat-of-the-moment thing after a fight,” said the Oswald twins indifferently.

But since the very premise of the two having fought was incorrect, their words didn’t register with Kyle.

Outwardly, Kyle only looked cold and composed, but inside, he was deeply shaken.

The claim that Brody said she wanted to leave had initially shocked him. Thanks to Kernels’ whispers, it felt as though she intended to leave him behind.

But he soon considered other possibilities.

Perhaps it was because of the humiliation she had suffered recently from his relatives.

Maybe that had soured her feelings and made her question staying here. If she hadn’t told him about it, it could be because this place was his hometown, making it difficult for her to bring it up.

If she wanted to leave, he would go with her. Kyle was willing to follow her anywhere.

He was prepared to leave everything behind if that’s what she wanted.

But if she wanted to leave him behind and go alone…?

No. Why would Brody do that? She wouldn’t.

Unless she had someone else…

Kyle felt his recent unease reignite and overwhelm him, making his vision go dark for a moment. But he forced himself to stay calm.

He rose from his seat. This time, he would ask Brody directly. He would find a way to ask—subtly or openly—and get an answer.

The answer that she wasn’t planning to leave alone, and that if she left, she intended to take him with her.

Kyle hurried home, his heart pounding with all kinds of negative thoughts. But he ignored the noise and arrived at the house.

When he did, he saw Brody at the front door. She wasn’t waiting for him; it was still early.

In front of her stood a man.

The moment Kyle saw Brody standing with the man, talking to him, and smiling—that smile, the most beautiful one in the world to Kyle—flames of jealousy and anxiety roared inside him.

And what made it worse was Brody’s behavior.

After saying something to the man, she smiled radiantly at him.

It was as if someone had dumped oil on the fire inside Kyle.

His expression went ice-cold in an instant as he strode toward the two, his long legs eating up the distance.

“What are you doing?”

Kyle suddenly inserted himself between Brody and the man, blocking her from view.

He glared at the man with sharp, dangerous eyes before his brow furrowed in recognition.

“Kyle…!”

The man, startled by Kyle’s sudden appearance, was Jeremy, Kyle’s relative.

Seeing him, Kyle immediately remembered how Jeremy had been rude to Brody before.

Without hesitation, he grabbed Jeremy by the collar.

“Why are you here again? Didn’t my last warning mean anything to you?”

“Kyle!”

Brody exclaimed in shock. She had been surprised to see Kyle home early, but now she had to quickly intervene.

“Kyle, stop it! He’s here to apologize to me!”

“Apologize?”

Kyle’s brow rose skeptically.

“Yes! He came to apologize for being rude to me last time!”

Brody cried, tugging at Kyle’s arm, urging him to release Jeremy.

“So let go of him already!”

However, Kyle’s grip on Jeremy’s trembling collar only tightened.

An apology? 

Kyle knew Jeremy wasn’t there out of genuine remorse. It was just to save face.

Knowing this, Kyle flung him to the ground and said coldly,

“If you’re really sorry, don’t show your face around here again. Get lost.”

“Kyle!”

Jeremy, despite his considerable size, stumbled and fell under Kyle’s strength.

Brody, startled, hurried to check on him.

“Oh my, are you okay?”

This was the worst thing she could have done in front of a jealous man.

Seeing Brody care for another man made Kyle’s mood plummet further. Without hesitation, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the house.

“Kyle, wait! What’s wrong with you?”

Brody called after him, trying to stop him. She quickly defended Jeremy.

“How could you throw someone like that? He really just came to apologize! Sure, he was rude last time, but today he was so polite and sincere!”

Brody was aware that Jeremy’s visit was likely influenced by Kyle’s presence, but she still appreciated his effort to apologize and his polite demeanor.

Hoping to clear up the misunderstanding, she added,

“No one else bothered to show up, but he came to apologize. I think he’s a decent person.”

“A decent person?”

Kyle’s temper flared even more at her words, and he turned to glare at her.

But as he looked at Brody, her flushed cheeks struck him like a blow. The words that escaped his lips next were ones he instantly regretted but couldn’t hold back.

“Oh? So, you like him?”

His agitation, born from his insecurity, had completely overtaken him.

Brody, caught off guard, faltered for a moment before she let out a small, resigned laugh.

“Like him? What are you even talking about? The only man I like is you,” she said, smiling sweetly.

Brody’s soft smile and the way she held his arm would normally have melted Kyle’s heart. But not this time.

As soon as he saw her expression, her voice, and her words, an icy chill gripped his chest.

It was the first time her actions felt so insincere to him. Her smile, her words, her demeanor—none of it felt genuine.

The shock paralyzed him. He couldn’t react.

Oblivious to his inner turmoil, Brody gently tugged his hand and led him to their room.

“I appreciate you standing up for me, but you really need to work on staying calm.”

Kyle followed her numbly, her words barely registering. Cold sweat ran down his back.

He desperately wanted to believe he was just overreacting, that his sensitivity had distorted everything. If not…

No, Brody couldn’t possibly deceive him. Clinging to denial, Kyle tried to convince himself he was mistaken.

But the lingering chill in his chest wouldn’t dissipate.

Once in the bedroom, Brody froze at the sight of a book lying on the bed.

It was a book about magical gates she had borrowed from Alexander’s study earlier that morning.

She had intended to return it but was interrupted by Jeremy’s visit.

Why did Kyle have to come home early today of all days?

Trying to act naturally, Brody let go of Kyle’s hand and walked to the bed.

Luckily, Kyle seemed lost in thought, his expression vacant. Taking advantage of his distraction, she discreetly picked up the book and shoved it under the mattress.

When she turned back to him, her face carried a forced smile.

 

***

 

That evening, Kyle couldn’t shake the cold, uneasy feeling in his chest.

Finally, as they prepared for bed, he worked up the courage to ask her what had been troubling him.

“Brody,” he began hesitantly.

“Hm?”

She paused in the middle of getting into bed and looked at him as he sat on the sofa.

After a heavy silence, Kyle asked,

“Are you okay living in Roden?”

“Hm?”

Brody blinked at the unexpected question, then shrugged lightly with a small laugh.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“…You don’t want to leave or anything?”

Kyle’s insides churned, but he did his best to keep his voice steady.

Completely unaware of his turmoil, Brody replied casually,

“Why would I leave? I like Roden.”

“…I see.”

“Of course! Roden’s your hometown, and it’s where we’re going to live together for the rest of our lives. I’ve already settled in here.”

She said with a playful giggle, diving under the blanket.

“I see.”

Kyle murmured, nodding slightly.

From under the blanket, Brody peeked out and smiled at him warmly.

“Goodnight, Kyle. Dream of me, okay?”

“…Yeah. Goodnight.”

His reply was distant, his gaze fixed not on her but somewhere in the void.

Brody, sensing his detachment, looked at him awkwardly before giving up and lying down.

Soon, she turned her back to him and drifted off to sleep.

But Kyle didn’t move. Hours passed, the clock hands turning silently as he sat frozen in place.

Only when the pale moon began to set did he finally rise.

In the suffocating stillness of the early dawn, Kyle walked toward the bed where Brody lay sleeping peacefully. His cold gaze traveled over her small frame.

Leaning down, he reached under the mattress and pulled out the book.

His eyes fell on a bookmarked page.

 ‘How to Open the Closed Magical Gate.’

Reading the text, Kyle felt the blood in his veins run cold.

Closing his eyes, he stood there, motionless.