I PICKED UP A CHILD IN A DUMPSTER-Chapter 124: Answer me... Mihu.

"I’m his wife."

The words landed clean.

Direct.

Final.

They didn’t need emphasis. They didn’t need explanation. The weight of them settled into the surrounding immediately, cutting through everything else before anyone could even react.

Before that silence could fully form, Seong moved, reaching out and pulling Suha closer to her side. Her hand rested on the girl’s shoulder, steady snd certain, like it belonged there.

"And this is our kid," she added, just as calmly. "We even have a twin."

That was when the silence truly hit.

Not loud. Not dramatic.

Just heavy.

Aeloria flinched.

There was no attempt to hide it this time, no effort to keep her composure perfectly intact. The reaction came out raw and immediate, her posture stiffening as the words sank in faster than she could process them.

"How?"

The word slipped out of her before she could stop it, her composure cracking for the first time as confusion pushed through.

And then—

"YES!" Suha lit up instantly, her entire face brightening as she nodded with full, unfiltered enthusiasm, like she had just been given the perfect moment to confirm everything.

"Suha, and my brother Han and Mommy Seong and Daddy became a family earlier!" She said it so naturally, so confidently, like there wasn’t a single strange thing about that sentence at all.

And somehow—

That was enough.

Aeloria paused.

Not dramatically. Not in a way that drew attention.

Just... a small break.

Something shifted behind her eyes, subtle but real, like the information had landed— but hadn’t settled properly yet. Her gaze moved, flicking from Si Hon... to Seong... then back again, measuring, recalculating, adjusting.

Then—

Unexpectedly—

She smiled.

Just a little.

Not warm. Not soft.

Controlled.

"Oh..."

A quiet laugh slipped past her lips as she lifted a hand to her mouth, the gesture light, almost elegant, like she had already come to a conclusion she was satisfied with. "Ohoho... I see."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, amusement sliding into place as she leaned just a bit closer toward Seong, closing the space around them in a way that wasn’t aggressive— but definitely not friendly either.

"A roleplay, is it?" she said, her voice light, almost teasing— but with a clear edge underneath. "How interesting."

The air tightened again.

Then her gaze sharpened.

"And you’re proud enough to call yourself his wife?"

That one landed differently.

Seong didn’t respond right away.

Instead, her eyes dropped briefly to Suha, the hand still resting on her shoulder. There was a pause there— short, but noticeable— and the look she gave her wasn’t angry, wasn’t harsh.

Just... disappointed.

Very.

Then her gaze lifted again.

And just as the tension began to build back up, threading tighter between them—

Si Hon stepped in.

Literally.

Sliding between them like someone who had already decided this needed to end before it got worse.

"Could we just... stop this?" he said, his voice calm but clearly carrying a hint of strain now. "We don’t even know how much time we’ve wasted, and we still haven’t read anything."

That did it.

Seong let out another sigh, crossing her arms again, her expression settling back into something quieter— controlled.

Aeloria, on the other hand, rolled her eyes.

"Fine." She turned away— but not without brushing past Seong on purpose, her shoulder bumping lightly into her. Seong’s response was immediate, her gaze snapping toward Aeloria with a sharp, irritated glare.

Aeloria didn’t react.

At least— not to them.

Instead, she turned away like the entire exchange had already been dismissed in her mind, her attention shifting without warning as her hand reached out and grabbed Mihu’s arm. The movement was quick, controlled, leaving no room for argument.

Mihu squeaked.

Not metaphorically.

Actually squeaked.

"We don’t have time," Aeloria said simply, already pulling her along before she could even process what was happening. "I’ll be back."

And just like that, she dragged her away.

A few steps passed in a blur, Mihu stumbling slightly as she tried to keep up, her thoughts still lagging behind everything that had just unfolded. Then, just as suddenly—

Aeloria stopped.

Mihu blinked, looking up at her in confusion as Aeloria turned her head slightly, glancing back over her shoulder.

In the distance, Seong was lightly— yea, smacking Si Hon’s back hard, her expression unreadable, while Suha stood beside them, still smiling like she had just watched the best show of her life and was fully satisfied with the outcome.

"Hey. Mihu." The call came quieter this time.

Mihu straightened immediately, posture snapping into place out of pure instinct. "Yes, boss?"

Aeloria didn’t answer right away.

There was a pause— short, but noticeable— as something flickered across her expression. Not irritation. Not arrogance. Something less defined, something she clearly hadn’t sorted out yet.

Then she looked back at Mihu.

Fully this time.

"What is this feeling...?"

Her voice dropped, softer than usual, the sharp edge dulled just enough to let something more uncertain slip through. Her eyes narrowed slightly, not in anger— but in thought.

"Do I look relieved?" she asked, watching Mihu carefully. "Did I look relieved when I heard they were just... roleplaying?"

That did it.

Mihu’s brain snapped.

Hard.

(FUCK,)

(I’M SO IN...)

(MY BOSS IS SO IN LOVE— THIS IS PEAK!!!!! OH MY FUCKING GAWD! WOAUHOO!!!)

The scream stayed trapped inside her head, but it hit with enough force to nearly knock her off balance.

Every signal, every reaction, every tiny shift she had just witnessed slammed together into one overwhelming conclusion that she absolutely, definitely should not say out loud.

And yet—

On the outside, Mihu was smiling.

Not subtly. Not something she could hide behind or play off as nothing. It was there— clear, obvious, sitting right on her face like her thoughts had slipped out without permission. The kind of smile that didn’t match the situation at all, the kind that only made everything worse the longer it stayed.

Aeloria noticed.

Of course she did.

Her gaze locked onto Mihu immediately, the shift in her expression slow but precise. Confusion came first, faint but visible as her brows drew together just slightly. Then, just as quickly, it sharpened into something more focused— something closer to suspicion as she studied her, like she was trying to pull an answer straight out of her face. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Why are you smiling?" she asked, her voice slower now, more deliberate, each word carrying just a bit more weight than before.

Mihu didn’t answer.

She couldn’t.

Not immediately.

That smile was still there, stuck, refusing to disappear no matter how much her brain screamed at her to fix it. Her thoughts were moving too fast, crashing into each other, trying to sort through everything she wanted to say and everything she absolutely, definitely should not.

Aeloria’s eyes narrowed just slightly.

"A small pause..." No, it wasn’t said, but it felt like one— stretching just long enough to make the silence uncomfortable.

"Answer me." Aeloria finally snapped looking straight at Mihu’s eyes.

And just like that, Mihu stood there, completely caught— balanced on that thin line between survival and disaster, between saying something safe... or something that would absolutely ruin everything.

Because right now—

The most dangerous thing in the room—

Was whatever gonna came out of her mouth next.

Mihu gulped.

The sound was small, barely noticeable— but inside her, everything was moving way too fast. Her thoughts crashed into each other, survival instincts screaming one thing while her excitement pushed another.

And then—

She chose.

Without hesitation.

Without fear.

She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around Aeloria, leaning in just enough to close the distance between them. Her hand came up slightly, shielding her mouth as she tilted her head toward Aeloria’s ear, lowering her voice into a whisper that carried far more confidence than she actually felt.

"Boss..." she murmured carefully. "Do you know those... romantic knight and princess stories?"

Aeloria didn’t react the way she should have.

No irritation. No immediate snap.

Instead, she paused.

Then, slowly— almost cautiously, she nodded.

"Y-yes...?" she answered, her voice steady, but just a little off from its usual sharpness. "Why is that?"

Mihu’s lips curved slightly.

Not wide. Not obvious.

Just enough.

"Those stories..." she continued, her voice still low, dragging the words out just a bit, like she was guiding Aeloria somewhere she hadn’t realized she was heading. "They’re usually about romance... right?"

Aeloria blinked.

Then nodded again.

Faster this time.

"Y-yes...? What about it?"

There it was.

The opening.

Mihu’s smirk deepened just a little.

"And at the end..." she went on, tilting her head slightly, voice soft but deliberate, "...or even halfway through..."

A tiny pause.

"they get... smoochy smoochy, right?"

Aeloria’s eyes twitched.

Hard.

Her hand shot up instantly, reflex kicking in as if she was about to smack Mihu without a second thought— but it stopped mid-air, frozen by something else.

That promise.

The one tied to Si Hon.

Her fingers curled slightly instead, tension tightening before she forced it down, her expression stiffening as she looked away for half a second, clearly trying to hold herself together.

"J... Just say it," she snapped, her voice sharp— but not as steady as before.

Mihu flinched instinctively, raising her hands in defense for a split second before lowering them again, clearing her throat as she straightened slightly.

"Oh... sorry, boss..."

A small pause.

Then—

"It just means you’re—"

***

(Back to Si Hon.)