For a mont Mika’s stomach twisted with unease.
What if Fauna really had forgotten everything that had happened between them the previous night?
That would be a nightmare—all that effort, all the tension and carefully built emotion, gone.
He peered over the crowd again, watching her smile and instruct the patients.
’She looks way too normal.’ He thought, brows furrowing slightly. ’Not a hint of fluster...maybe she already moved on? Maybe it just took an extra day?’
Then, just as he was starting to worry, one of the smallest patients—a girl no older than eight—hesitantly raised her hand.
Fauna imdiately noticed. She crouched down to the child’s level, her kind smile never faltering.
"Yes, darling? What can I do for you?"
The little girl fidgeted, twisting her fingers together.
Seeing the legendary Plague Maiden so close—the woman she’d only ever seen on hospital posters and TV made her shy. But Fauna’s warmth had a way of lting hesitation.
"Go on." Fauna said gently. "Don’t be nervous. You can ask anything you like. I promise I’ll answer it."
The girl took a breath, gathered courage, and said softly, "Um...I actually have a doubt. Sothing I don’t understand."
Fauna tilted her head, smiling. "Oh? What kind of doubt?"
The child pointed down at the CPR dummy in front of her.
"Mama and Papa told that there are certain places on my body that no one should touch. And I shouldn’t touch them either. They gave a big talk about the ’good touch’ and ’bad touch.’"
As soon as she said that, a few other children piped up.
" too!" Said a little boy.
"My mommy said the sa thing!"
"Yeah! My dad told too!"
Their tiny voices overlapped, drawing a few fond chuckles from the adults nearby.
Fauna nodded patiently, waiting for them to settle before asking, "Yes, that’s very important. You all learned that lesson very well. So, what’s your question about it?"
The girl looked at the dummy again.
"Well...to do CPR, we have to press on soone’s chest, right? And you also said we have to blow air into their mouth...like kissing them on the lips."
She looked up with wide, innocent eyes.
"Isn’t that wrong? Mama and Papa said not to do those things. Won’t it break the rules if I do that?"
The other children fell quiet for a mont before nodding vigorously, murmuring in agreent.
"Yeah! That’s what I thought too!"
"Isn’t that bad?"
The adults chuckled softly at their sincerity, while Fauna’s heart lted at the sight. She reached out and gently caressed the little girl’s cheek, smiling with pride.
"You’re such a smart little girl." Fauna said tenderly. "You’ve got wonderful awareness, and you think deeply about what’s right and wrong. I’m sure you’ll grow up to be a brilliant young lady."
The girl blushed shyly at the praise, and Fauna continued, her voice both gentle and firm.
"As for your question, you’re absolutely right about the difference between good and bad touch. If anyone—anyone at all—ever touches you in a place they shouldn’t, or makes you uncomfortable, you must say no right away."
"Scream, run, tell your parents or a grown-up you trust. That is sothing you should never stay quiet about. Understand?"
All the children nodded solemnly.
"But." Fauna went on, smiling again. "CPR is completely different. When you’re giving CPR, you’re not doing sothing bad—you’re saving soone’s life."
"You’re not touching them to hurt them or for fun. You’re performing a dical procedure. It’s just like a doctor giving a patient dicine or using a stethoscope."
"It might look a little awkward, but it’s the right thing to do."
She demonstrated again, pressing her hands over the dummy’s chest.
"You push here to keep their heart working. Then you breathe air into them so their lungs can work again. That’s not wrong—that’s kindness. It’s bravery."
The children nodded, wide-eyed with understanding.
Then, with a teasing smile, Fauna added,
"But that doesn’t an you can just lie down sowhere, pretend to faint, and wait for a boy or girl to co running over to give you your first kiss."
"Only naughty little tricksters would do sothing like that!"
The entire group burst into laughter—the children giggling uncontrollably while the adults shook their heads fondly.
But among all of them, the one most affected by her words wasn’t any of the children.
It was actually Mika.
He had been standing at the side, listening absentmindedly, when her explanation hit him like a lightning bolt.
It was as if a lightbulb had turned on in his head.
He had been wondering the whole ti on his way here—how to bring things between them to the next stage, how to test her reactions, how to escalate their connection without pushing too far.
And now, with just those few innocent words from Fauna—the perfect idea had blood in his mind.
A slow grin spread across his face.
But before he acted on that new spark of inspiration, he wanted to gauge her current state.
He needed to see how she would react to him now, after everything that had happened.
So Mika waited patiently until the CPR session concluded. One by one, the patients and children thanked Fauna and waved goodbye, heading back toward their rooms.
Fauna smiled warmly, waving after them, her voice still soft and full of care.
"Good job today, everyone! Don’t forget your training! Though I hope none of you will have to put it into use!"
When the crowd finally dispersed and the terrace quieted, Mika decided it was ti.
He started walking toward her.
But just as he was about to call out her na, he stopped himself, an impish smile tugging at his lips.
’No...Fauna loves surprises.’ He thought mischievously. ’She’d probably like a warm hug after a long day.’
So, he decided to sneak over and hug her from behind.
Cecilia noticed him approaching, raising an eyebrow but saying nothing. A couple of the nurses saw too and exchanged quiet glances, so amused, so exasperated.
Then, before Fauna could even turn around—Mika wrapped his arms around her from behind and gave her a warm hug.
"Gotcha." He whispered with a smirk.
For a second, he expected the usual—her gentle laugh, a playful scolding, maybe even a return hug.
That was how she always reacted.
But instead—
"KYAAAA!"
Fauna jolted as if she’d been struck by lightning and she leapt forward with a startled cry, breaking free from his arms so fast he barely registered it.
She then stumbled a few steps ahead and spun around, her face bright red, chest rising and falling rapidly as she tried to catch her breath.
Mika froze, stunned. "Fauna?"
Her hands were trembling, her eyes wide with panic, lips parted but unable to form words.
He took a careful step forward, raising a hand.
"Hey, are you alright—?"
But before he could even touch her shoulder, she jerked away again, dodging him like a startled bird.
"Fauna, wait—" He tried again, confused and concerned.
But she avoided his touch a second ti, backing away in quick steps.
And even when he tried to grab her over and over again, Fauna kept on dodging left and right and even ducking down and jumping over his hands like she was so ninja.
It was like his hand’s had beco razor-sharp swords in her eyes and she dodged both of them to save her life.
Mika blinked, bewildered by her, trying to make sense of it and he was just about to catch her.
But before he could, her voice rang out, loud and trembling.
"N-No, Mika! Don’t...Don’t"
"...DON’T TOUCH !"
The entire terrace fell silent.
Everyone—patients, nurses, even the passing visitors turned toward them.
Whispering began imdiately.
"Is he harassing Lady Fauna?"
"What’s going on over there?"
"That’s Lady Fauna, right? How dare he—"
"Just because Lady Fauna’s kind doesn’t an he can do whatever he wants!"
Within seconds, the crowd’s tone shifted into protective murmurs and sharp glares aid his way.
And realizing what she’d just caused, Fauna quickly bowed her head.
"I–I’m sorry!" She blurted out, voice trembling.
Then, before anyone could say another word, her wings unfurled fully, glowing faintly in the sunlight.
With a powerful flap, she lifted off the ground and soared into the sky, disappearing past the clouds in a blur of white and gold.
Whoosh!
Everyone on the terrace stood in stunned silence, staring at the empty patch of air where she’d been, wondering what had just occurred.
But of all the people staring up at the sky after Fauna’s sudden escape, Mika was probably the most bewildered.
Usually, it was the other way around.
She was the one chasing him, while he was the one dodging her hugs, fending off her surprise kisses, sidestepping the way she’d cling to his arm or try to snuggle against his shoulder when she thought no one was watching.
That was the rhythm they’d fallen into.
Her chasing, him pretending to resist.
But now?
Now she’d jumped away from him like he was the plague itself.
And not only had she dodged him, she’d actually escaped—right into the sky, wings glowing as she fled like a startled bird.
Mika stood there dumbfounded, still staring upward when a soft voice broke through his daze.
"Don’t worry about it, Mika."
He turned to find Cecilia approaching. She had already cald the curious patients and was now walking toward him, a sigh escaping her lips.
"You might be confused." She said with a faint, sympathetic smile. "But that’s just how Lady Fauna’s been all day."
Mika blinked, finally lowering his gaze to her.
"What do you an? She seed perfectly normal just now. Teaching CPR, laughing with the kids...I didn’t notice anything strange."
Cecilia shook her head slowly, amusent tugging at her mouth.
"That’s because you only saw her after she ca up here. Once she’s in her elent, surrounded by people and responsibility, she snaps back into the Lady Fauna everyone knows—cheerful, bubbly, glowing."
She chuckled lightly. "But before that? She was a complete ss."
Mika’s brow furrowed in curiosity. "A ss? How so?"
Cecilia crossed her arms, recalling the events of the morning.
"Well, first thing today, instead of going to her office like she always does, she accidentally walked straight into an operating room during a heart surgery."
Mika’s eyes widened slightly.
"Everyone inside just froze." Cecilia went on, smiling wryly. "The surgeons, the nurses, the patient’s family."
"Imagine seeing the Plague Maiden herself wandering in, half-dazed, while a surgery’s in progress. She stood there for a good ten seconds before realizing where she was and running out, apologizing to everyone along the way."
"Your joking..." Mika covered his mouth, trying not to laugh.
"Oh, I’m not. And it gets better." Cecilia said, raising a finger. "At lunch, when we ordered noodles, she sohow picked the extra-spicy option. You know, the one even the most experienced won’t touch."
"One bite and her face went bright red, tears streaming, nose running. She tried to stay composed, but she was literally fanning her mouth and gulping down water like her life depended on it."
Now Mika couldn’t hold back. A quiet laugh escaped him, shoulders shaking.
"And that’s not all." Cecilia continued, clearly amused by his reaction. "At one point, she tripped over her own stethoscope while turning a corner, then scolded the wall for ’getting in her way.’"
"Later, she tried writing a report but kept scribbling on the sa line over and over again, completely spaced out. The intern at that had to take the pen away from her before she poked a hole in the paper."
"Honestly, she’s been in a daze since she arrived."
Cecilia folded her arms, looking half-fond, half-exasperated.
"Tripping on her words, walking into wrong rooms, smiling at thin air. We were all wondering what could’ve possibly gotten into her. But we still have no clue."
But Mika knew exactly why and the grin on his face slowly turned into sothing else—a quiet, relieved smile.
He let out a long exhale he hadn’t realized he was holding.
’So she was affected after all.’
All morning he’d been worried that she had already shrugged off what happened the night before—that the feelings he’d stirred in her had faded as easily as mist.
But hearing Cecilia’s stories confird the opposite.
Fauna’s heart was clearly in chaos, her mind clouded by thoughts she couldn’t quite na.
And he knew it wouldn’t be long before she joins Yelena in bed with him.
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