Leave the Villainous Second Male Lead Alone - Chapter 5.11

The moment I stepped outside, the driving rain lashed against my face, making it almost impossible to keep my eyes open.

“Calli! Where are you?”

Wiping my eyes, I peered through the storm, but Callisto was nowhere in sight.

Thunder cracked loudly again, and my heart clenched with fear—not because of the storm but because I was worried about Callisto. He had always been terrified of thunder and lightning.

When he was a child, he had witnessed his nanny’s death on a stormy night like this. Assassins had killed her in front of him. For years after that, during stormy nights, he would tremble in my arms until dawn.

Another crash of thunder echoed, making my anxiety spike further. Desperation clawed at me.

“Hyung? Why are you outside in this rain?”

His voice, calm and steady, startled me. Callisto emerged from the shadows, seemingly unaffected by the storm.

I looked up at him, my worry etched across my face. His hair and face were soaked, rain streaming down his cheeks.

“I was… worried about you. With all this thunder…”

“Ah.”

He was already drenched, his body radiating a chill that seeped into the air around him. Still, Callisto only brushed his wet bangs back and gave a faint smile.

“I’m fine, Hyung. I’m not a kid anymore. I’ve faced storms like this countless times at sea.”

“You’re fine? You’re not scared anymore?”

“Haha.”

His amber eyes softened, and he chuckled lightly. Shrugging off his drenched jacket, he draped it over my shoulders and spoke kindly.

“If I let thunder scare me now, how could I lead the fleet? An admiral can’t be the first to falter.”

“But, Calli…”

“It’s really okay. Go back inside the tent. Look at you—you’re already soaked. You’ll catch a cold.”

He gently guided me back toward the tent, his arm warm and steady around my shoulders. Though he appeared composed, I couldn’t shake the unease in my chest.

“Then you come in too.”

“Me?”

He looked momentarily surprised but then shook his head with a soft smile.

“It’s dangerous out here, Hyung. I need to keep watch.”

His voice was as kind as ever, but firm. Still, I couldn’t let it go. His pale lips and cold, rain-drenched face lingered in my mind, stirring an inexplicable worry.

“Then just stay in the tent until the storm passes. If you’re worried, you can leave the tent flap open a bit to keep an eye outside.”

“There’s no need. I’m really fine, Hyung.”

As always, his expression was calm and confident. Yet, I couldn’t understand why my heart felt so unsettled. I bit my lip, glancing at him.

A sudden flash of lightning illuminated the night, bright enough to hurt my eyes. Thunder followed, booming and shaking the ground.

In that instant, I caught the faintest shadow of fear flickering in Callisto’s amber eyes. Though his face remained composed, his gaze betrayed the deep tremor within.

From the time Callisto was a child to the moment he fled to join the navy, I had never been apart from him. To others, it might have seemed like a 12-year-old taking good care of a much younger sibling. But with the mind of a 28-year-old, I had practically raised him as if he were my own child. Because of that, I often understood what he felt without him saying a word.

After a moment of hesitation, I tugged gently at his sleeve.

“Calli, I’m scared. Will you stay with me?”

“…Hyung, you’re scared?”

“Yeah. If we were at the estate, it’d be fine, but camping in an unfamiliar place with all this thunder… it’s frightening.”

“…”

Callisto looked at me in silence.

The relentless sound of rain filled the air, the occasional flash of lightning illuminating the distant fields. The thunder wasn’t loud yet, but I noticed Callisto’s broad shoulders flinch slightly.

Taking his hand in mine, I whispered, “Come on, Calli. Let’s go inside, okay?”

After a moment of pause, he finally nodded.

We headed into the tent together. The small space felt cramped with Callisto inside, as if it could barely contain him. I grabbed the blanket draped over my sleeping bag and wrapped it around his shoulders. He looked slightly surprised but quickly shook his head and tried to drape the blanket back over me.

“You should use it, Hyung. You’re cold.”

“Then let’s share it.”

“It’s too small to share…”

“Body heat is the warmest, isn’t it? Sitting close together and sharing will be better.”

Reluctantly, Callisto sat closer to me, his expression questioning why I was suddenly being so stubborn. Ignoring his confusion, I spread the blanket over both of us and pulled him into my arms. He stiffened in surprise, his body momentarily rigid.

“Hyung?”

“Just for a moment. It’s warm this way.”

“…”

He didn’t respond, and the silence stretched between us. Another flash of lightning lit the tent, followed by the faint rumble of thunder. Then, in a low voice, he murmured, “I’m really not scared, Hyung. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“Sure, sure,” I replied gently.

“I mean it…”

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