Chapter: 147
Yoon Si-woo’s first thought upon seeing Scarlet Evande in a pure white dress riding a white unicorn, waving and smiling at everyone, was that she looked like a fairy.
Of course, the idea of her being fairy-like was partly due to her appearance, but more so because of the expression she wore.
Though the fairy race had vanished from the world, it was said they had childlike innocence regardless of their age.
And in Scarlet’s laughter, there was a purity reminiscent of how fairies might have laughed if they were still around.
It was an enchanting smile that conveyed an untainted childlike joy, exuding pure happiness.
Despite believing he had seen various expressions from Scarlet, Yoon Si-woo was captivated by this smile that felt like a brand new revelation, imprinting it deeply in his mind.
Just seeing her smile was worth every penny spent on the trip to the zoo.
However, he silently wished she could exercise a bit more caution considering the time and place.
Surely, there were some common sense guidelines one would know.
If a girl in the prime of her youth was riding a unicorn and smiling like that, naturally, it would attract attention from boys.
He wished she would be aware that it was entirely up to her to navigate that attention.
…Thus, he quietly swallowed the desire for her to only show that smile to him when they were alone.
Anyway, after engaging in a playful rivalry with the boys who were vying for her attention and escaping the crowd, he offered her a gentle reprimand.
He warned her to be careful, as troublesome situations could arise.
To that, she responded with a smile, apologizing that she would be more cautious from now on, but also adding a bit defensively.
“…Well, it was my first time. Riding something like a unicorn or even seeing one.”
Upon hearing her mention that it was her first time, Yoon Si-woo had only one option — to reflect.
“First… Ah, it makes sense that it was your first time…”
As she had said, everything was new to her.
It was understandable that she sometimes lacked awareness and common sense.
Even if she appeared to be an ordinary girl at a glance, her life until now must have been far removed from the mundane experiences of most people.
He recalled the excitement she displayed the first time she came to the zoo, and the joyful smile she wore while riding the unicorn.
For her, this world must be filled with firsts yet to be experienced.
Yoon Si-woo felt a sense of duty mixed with sympathy awakening within him.
“…You know, I just told you to be careful, but when you’re with me, it’s okay to do whatever you want. Don’t worry about others.”
“…But what if something troublesome happens?”
“If something troublesome happens, I can take care of it. So, Scarlet, if there’s something you want to do, just go ahead and enjoy it, okay?”
With that, he thought how much he wanted her to experience more firsts.
He wanted to show her more new things.
So that she would have many more smiles like the one she wore today.
“Today, my goal is to touch all the animals I can!”
Scarlet shouted this with an expectant face when asked if she had anything she wanted to do.
Seeing her truly delighted by animals, Yoon Si-woo smiled and headed with her towards the area with different animals.
It was said that animals liked kind-hearted people, so he thought he would surely get to see her happy expression.
Yet, Yoon Si-woo would come to realize how naïve that thought had been after a few hours of sightseeing.
“…Why is everyone avoiding me?”
After wandering around a few spots, they finally arrived at a place famous among cat lovers known as Cat Town. Yoon Si-woo was sweating nervously as he looked at Scarlet, who seemed to be kneeling in despair as if losing all hope.
Could it really be that she had such an aura that animals would not approach her at all…?
He wanted to console her, but that too proved difficult.
“…You’re lucky. The animals follow you well. Ugh, I still want to hold a cat…”
Seeing Scarlet unable to hide her envy as she gazed at people surrounded by cats made Yoon Si-woo smile wryly.
Unlike her, animals seemed to flock to him wherever he went, which had been bothering him for a while.
He wished, just like the unicorn, the cats would follow her instead…
In a moment of desperation, Yoon Si-woo offered one of the cats that had been clinging to him to her, but as predicted, the cat bolted as soon as she reached her hand out.
Scarlet then made a hurt expression but quickly put on a forced smile and muttered.
“I think they would dislike me if I stayed here. I’ll go out first, you take your time playing with the cats.”
Sighing at her retreating figure as she left Cat Town, Yoon Si-woo felt disheartened.
They came here to give her a joyful experience, yet it seemed today would only become a sad memory for her.
Glancing at the cats that were clinging to him, he sighed again as he noticed the accusing looks they were giving him in return.
What would blaming them do?
Finding a way to lift Scarlet’s spirits was his top priority for now.
While trying to shake off the cats from his body, he suddenly remembered there was a souvenir shop near the entrance.
He had vaguely seen it when they entered, and he was sure they sold cat plushies.
Since she said she wanted to hold a cat, perhaps giving her a cat plushie would help her feel better.
For a moment, that thought crossed his mind. Still, an insecurity crept in that it might worsen her mood instead.
What if she reacted like “I came out touching a ton of cats, but now you want me to cuddle with this?”…
Lost in worries, Lucy, who had been watching him, spoke up.
[From what I see, she won’t react badly to receiving a plushie, so don’t worry too much.]
However, even with Lucy’s words, he wasn’t fully convinced, hesitating still, prompting Lucy to mumble encouragingly.
[Haven’t you been watching her? If someone gives her a present thinking of her, she would never take it negatively.]
After hearing Lucy’s assurance, Yoon Si-woo nodded.
Indeed, Scarlet seemed to be a person who wouldn’t get angry at a gift aimed at comforting her.
Gaining courage from Lucy’s advice, he rushed to the souvenir shop and grabbed a cat plushie.
Hoping it would lift her spirits, Yoon Si-woo heard Lucy laughing as she said,
[By the way, Si-woo, it seems you’ve matured a little. You’re now capable of choosing gifts considering someone else. You seem a bit cooler compared to the past, don’t you?]
Feeling flustered at her comment, he smiled awkwardly while waiting to pay for the plushie when he suddenly noticed an item next to the register and gasped.
Unintentionally, he picked it up and handed it to the clerk.
“Um… could you add this to my bill?”
“Oh, the cat headband? We have white and black options, which one would you like?”
“……Both.”
It was merely for a souvenir.
He definitely hadn’t bought it because he wanted to see Scarlet wearing cat ears.
As he mentally rationalized himself, Lucy sighed at him.
[…I’ll cancel what I just said. Hah, this is why boys are trouble.]
‘……I just bought it as a souvenir.’
[So you were deliberating over which color looks best on her, huh?]
‘……’
His face turned a bit red, yet he tried to ignore Lucy’s sigh as they exited Cat Town and spotted Scarlet waiting on a bench.
“… Why did you come out so quickly? You could’ve played with the cats a bit more.”
“N-no, well… it’s just that…”
Feeling shy due to the item he had just purchased, Yoon Si-woo hesitated, but then steeled himself and pulled the plushie from the bag, hugging it to her.
Scarlet stared at the plushie blankly, then looked up at him and murmured.
“… A plushie?”
“Well, it’s impossible to have a real cat, but at least this… Um, don’t misunderstand! I’m not trying to tease you or anything! It’s just that you looked really down…”
He hurriedly clarified, fearing she might think he was being teasing.
For a moment, it seemed like that fervent plea reached her, as a small smile appeared on Scarlet’s lips.
“… Thank you. This cheers me up a bit. I’ll treasure this.”
“…Really? I’m glad to hear that…”
Though feeling slightly embarrassed, watching Scarlet embrace the plushie filled him with warmth.
Hearing her words that she would cherish the gift brought him joy like never before.
Feeling he had made the right choice in buying the present, he relaxed for a moment, but just then, Scarlet abruptly snatched the shopping bag from his hand.
“Hey, wait! I’ll carry the plushie!”
As Yoon Si-woo stood there watching, dazed, she opened the shopping bag as if to put the plushie inside. He remembered what else had been in that bag and shouted in haste.
But by then, it was already too late.
“What’s this? A headband?”
“Uh… it’s just something I bought as a souvenir! Just a souvenir!”
He tried to explain desperately, but in an instant, Yoon Si-woo felt his mind go blank, looking into Scarlet’s meaningful gaze.
The overwhelming embarrassment of having his secret desire exposed to someone he shouldn’t have was crushing him, and he thought, ‘…Should I just end it all?’
But just then, Scarlet burst into laughter and put on the black cat ear headband atop her head.
“…Huh?”
Seeing her adorned with what he had only imagined, she looked far cuter than he had anticipated, and Yoon Si-woo couldn’t help but involuntarily let out a silly sound.
“What’s ‘Huh’? Hey, this is yours, so I’ll put it on you.”
With that, Scarlet chuckled as she placed the remaining white headband on his head.
“Come on, it’s useless as a souvenir. I mean, what use will it have at home? I can’t just decorate with it like a plushie. This is something you should wear out here. If you don’t wear it now, it’s just a waste of money. Right?”
Nodding vacantly in response to Scarlet, Yoon Si-woo couldn’t take his eyes off her.
Lost in a trance, he noticed his phone was now in her hand.
Holding his phone, seemingly trying to take a picture, Scarlet stood up on her toes and draped her arm around his shoulder.
Feeling the warmth where they touched.
The enigmatic, pleasant scent wafting from her proximity.
The sensation was dizzying.
“Okay, I’m taking the picture. Smile!”
Even though he was told to smile, Yoon Si-woo couldn’t tell if he managed to smile properly.
After a moment, he received his phone back from her, and staring at the screen, he found the wallpaper had changed from being blank to a picture where he was dazed, and next to him, looking cheerful with her arm around him was Scarlet.
In that moment, Yoon Si-woo realized.
Just like the wallpaper on his phone, he too had changed.
With this memory lingering, he’d never return to the time when he was alone.
She spoke to him as he gazed at the photo.
“If you want to remember today, a commemorative photo is better than a souvenir. You can recall the memory every time you see it.”
Yoon Si-woo thought inwardly as he heard her words.
Even without saving it as a photo, he likely wouldn’t forget this moment.
“Since you gave me a gift, consider this a repayment.”
“…Yeah. I’ll treasure it, I promise.”
However, he knew this photo would become one of his most precious treasures from now on.
For surely, the memory of this moment would remain etched in his life with vibrant clarity.
Yoon Si-woo smiled brightly, confident of that.
“For example, like this! Add ‘nya’ to the end of everything you say, nya.”
That was until he heard Scarlet’s cat imitation.
No way, that was a bit unfair.
Even after running off to get a drink, he found himself struggling to calm his racing heart for quite some time.
…It felt like Scarlet had sparked a new preference within him.
Muttering this to himself, Yoon Si-woo concluded.
It had undeniably been an unforgettable and intense day.
But above all, he was certain it would remain a day filled with happiness.
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