"Marry me," the young Damio suddenly proposed, blushing. But Shiu, mistakenly believing Damio had animosity toward him, coldly replied, "Don't bother me."

The boy had passed by Shiu many times, staring intently but never saying a word. And now, after all that, Damio had the audacity to say this. Shiu was convinced that Damio not only hated him but also wanted to embarrass him in front of his family.

Shiu thought Damio had chosen a bad time to make fun of him. He was under strict training and his family expected a lot from him. At only ten years old, he felt immense pressure and didn’t have time to waste on Damio.

After responding coldly to Damio, Shiu turned around and went up to his room. He waited until no one was in the living room before executing his escape plan. He took only his toothbrush and underwear, along with some clothes packed in his backpack. There was no need to take much since he was just going to his grandmother’s house.

When the time finally came, he was about to leave through the back door of the mansion when he heard someone sobbing.

He tiptoed to his brother's room on the second floor. His father, mother, and siblings were there, comforting little Damio.

Shiu was shocked seeing Damio cry, and by the expressions on his family's faces and he realized they were equally taken aback. Everyone in the Vandaster household was accustomed to Damio; they treated him as if he were part of the family. He often came here to escape the bullying from his own parents and siblings. He even had his own room in the mansion. Damio's family was indifferent to his well-being; as long as their reputation remained intact, they didn’t care.

Damio had once reluctantly admitted that some of his family members called him the "Curse Child."

Shiu's parents and siblings were so angered that they wanted to confront Damio's family immediately. Shiu himself felt the same urge. What kind of father treats his son like that without reason? And it’s not as if Damio was an illegitimate child. He was their legitimate son, so the Vandasters couldn’t understand this mistreatment.

Despite everything that had happened, little Damio never cried. That’s why the entire Vandaster family was shocked to see him crying, especially since it was such a rare occurrence. He never cried, not even when his family beat him or mistreated him. But now, he was crying non-stop. Why?

"Shiu hates me." He sobbed even more, tears streaming down his cheeks as he struggled to control his emotions.

“No, no, Shiu doesn't hate you. It's just that…” Anshio, his brother, searched for the right words to calm his best friend.

"Shiu doesn't hate him, right, Father?" Anshio swiftly looked to his father when he realized he had no words to comfort Damio.

“Yes, Shiu is just a little tired, that's all,” said Shiu's mother, trying to soothe him.

“I’m sure he’ll talk to you later. When that happens, you can propose again. What do you think?” said Shiu's elder brother.

Damio nodded, wiped his tears away, and said, "I will try again."

Everyone started rooting for him.

The entire family watched the two kids with wide eyes until Shiu's father spoke up.

"Hold on a minute, though marriage? ...… they're both boys, aren't they?" The whole family looked at Shiu's father with a 'So what?' expression.

Mr. Vandaster sighed in defeat and said, "Why is a kid more romantic than me?"

"You should learn from Damio, dear," replied Ms. Vandaster.

Little Shiu, who had witnessed all of this, was speechless. “The reason he is crying is because of me!”.

***

Thinking about it now, Shiu still didn't understand.

Shiu stared at the now grown-up Damio, whose eyes were shining as he thought, 'That day, I almost forgot about my escape plan.'

He knew Damio has been very clingy to him, ever since the day they met the ghost. For some reason, Damio followed him wherever he went. Damio deeply cared for him and always gave him his full attention. Oddly enough, he was also very touchy and a little bit flirtatious with him. He was always trying to drag Shiu on dates…HUH!? Shiu paused in shock.

Shiu's eyes widened. He had just realized something he shouldn’t have noticed. Damio, who had been observing Shiu closely, sensed that something was wrong.

“Shiu…” Damio called gently and attentively.

Startled, Shiu looked at Damio with wide, shocked eyes. 'There it is. The way he talks to me and the way he looks… at…m…e… No, no, it's impossible. It can't be, It's my imagination.' While Shiu was absorbed in his thoughts, he denied any possibility of what it could mean.

Suddenly, he felt someone grab his chair and pull him until he was face to face with Damio. Damio held onto the chair while Shiu remained seated. He placed his foot on the back of the chair, gripped the top of it with his left hand, and held Shiu's chin with his right, forcing him to look directly into his eyes.

Damio leaned closer, pressing their foreheads together and erasing any space between them. "Finally, you noticed," he whispered seductively, smiling slightly.

Their lips were almost touching, and the tension in the air was palpable. Shiu could feel Damio's breathing and heartbeat. He was too shocked to move, and Damio's grip on the chair left him nowhere to escape.

For over a minute, they remained in that position, gazing intently into each other's eyes. But Shiu felt like he might be devoured by the guy if he didn't make a move soon.

Damio stared intensely into Shiu's eyes, then swept back a loose strand of blonde hair from Shiu's face. His gaze lowered to Shiu's heart-shaped, plump lips, and he whispered softly, “Can I kiss you?”