A Sweet Dream and a Surprise Outing

Having finally welcomed his long-awaited day off, Yoon Siwoo had been basking in a state of sheer, unadulterated excitement since early morning, wearing a grin as bright as a kindergartener on a field trip. He hadn't even reached home yet, but his heart, swelling with anticipation for the upcoming date, was already pounding with a pleasant flutter. His steps quickened in perfect sync with his racing pulse.

"Mom, look at that big brother. He's smiling so much."

"My, you're right. Something wonderful must have happened to him."

Overhearing the brief exchange between a mother and child passing by made him realize just how wide his grin was, sending a flush of embarrassment to his cheeks. But what could he do? He simply couldn't help but smile when he was this happy. Still, thinking it would be a bit embarrassing to let Scarlet Evande see him looking so utterly giddy, he tried to compose his face right before reaching the front door. However...

"You're back? You're earlier than I expected."

"...Yeah, I'm home."

"Have you eaten breakfast? I set some food out for you just in case. Do you want some?"

"......I do."

The moment he opened the door and saw Scarlet greeting him, keeping the corners of his mouth from twitching upward was an absolute battle. Having someone wait to welcome him back to a house that had always been empty—and for that person to be the girl he loved, whom he was going on a date with today—was a level of happiness almost too overwhelming for Yoon Siwoo to bear.

"What about you, Scarlet? Aren't you eating?"

"...No, I don't have much of an appetite. I'll go get ready first, so let me know when you're done eating and ready to go."

"Oh... okay."

Sitting down at the dining table, he noticed only a single set of utensils. When she replied that she had no appetite, Yoon Siwoo recalled the phone conversation he had overheard Sylvia having.

Scarlet really is on a diet. Could she really be doing this... just to look good for me...?

Staring blankly at the closed door Scarlet had disappeared behind, Yoon Siwoo's face flushed crimson, and he buried his face in his hands on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the table. After taking a moment to cool his burning face, he quickly finished his breakfast and decided to get ready himself.

Standing before his wardrobe, he agonized over his choices for a long while. Knowing Scarlet's personality, he figured dressing up too formally might make her feel pressured, so he settled on a neat, casual outfit. But as he looked in the mirror, a sudden realization struck him. It wouldn't be good if they were spotted out on a date together.

Personally, he didn't care at all if the world found out about his relationship with Scarlet. However, she might find the public attention burdensome. Furthermore, although it wasn't common knowledge among ordinary citizens, her history of being interrogated meant that drawing unnecessary attention could prove problematic.

After pondering for a moment, he let out a sigh and reluctantly put on a cap and a face mask to conceal his conspicuous hair color and facial features. He wondered if wearing a cap and mask on a date was a bit much, but considering Scarlet's circumstances, he decided it was the right choice.

"I'm all ready. Do you need more time?"

Once he was fully prepared, Yoon Siwoo knocked on Scarlet's door.

"......No, I'm done too."

The door swung open, and the moment Yoon Siwoo saw Scarlet step out, his jaw dropped.

She was wearing a white dress that exuded an elegant, feminine charm—something the usual Scarlet would never dream of putting on. Hesitating with a faint blush on her cheeks, seemingly embarrassed by the unfamiliar attire, she looked like a masterpiece brought to life. Yoon Siwoo could only stare, utterly spellbound.

"......Is this kind of outfit too weird for an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠outing after all?"

"N-no, it's not weird. Not at all."

Far from weird, he wanted to tell her that she looked absolutely breathtaking, but his heart was pounding so violently he could barely squeeze the words out. Seeing her dressed in a way that clearly showed she was conscious of their date, he couldn't stop his lips from curling upward. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Scarlet looked infinitely more beautiful than usual today. Was it just his mind playing tricks on him, or had she applied some subtle makeup...?

Entranced, Yoon Siwoo asked before he could stop himself, "Did you... put on makeup?"

The moment the question left his mouth, he flinched, realizing it might be an embarrassing topic for her to answer. Yet, deep down, he desperately hoped she had. If she had, it would mean she truly was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠conscious of him, just as Sylvia had said. And in response to his question, Scarlet snapped back in a grumpy tone,

"Do I really have to spell it out for you?"

Her reply, which sounded as though she wished he had noticed without having to ask, made him briefly curse his own denseness. But the sheer wave of joy that rushed over him made him profoundly grateful for his face mask. If he hadn't been wearing it, the foolish, ecstatic grin plastered across his face would have been completely exposed to her.

"If you're ready, let's go. The zoo opens at nine."

"......Okay."

Even on the way to the zoo, that silly grin never left his face. A date with just the two of them—it felt like an absolute dream. Perhaps because of his euphoric mood, everything they passed along the way seemed exceptionally beautiful. However, the smile that had been etched onto Yoon Siwoo's face vanished instantly, replaced by utter bewilderment, the moment they arrived at the zoo gates.

"Big sister! Over here, over here!"

"Miss Scarlet, over here!"

The children from the orphanage and the director, Maria, were waving their hands as if they had been waiting for them.

"What are you standing there dazed for? The kids are waiting. Let's go."

Seeing Scarlet smile softly at him as if nothing were out of the ordinary before naturally walking toward the children, Yoon Siwoo finally realized. He had indeed been dreaming a very sweet, very delusional dream.

Pulling all-nighters for several days straight taught me one thing: staying up late naturally increases the time you spend lost in your own thoughts. They say people get sentimental in the dead of night, don't they? Maybe that's why I found myself pondering things I normally wouldn't—strangely philosophical questions, like how I should live out the rest of my days.

Of course, fueling these thoughts was the grim realization over the past few days that the day my time as "myself" would come to an end might not be all that far off. Naturally, this led me to think of a bucket list—things to do so I wouldn't leave this world with any regrets. When I asked myself what I would regret the most, the answer was leaving behind unfulfilled promises. That immediately brought to mind the promise I had made to Rion to go to the zoo together.

Conveniently, I had already been consulting with Director Maria to plan a field trip to the zoo for all the kids. Since this was a promise I could fulfill in the near future, I was trying to decide on a date when...

To think he wanted to go out and play instead of resting on his single day off of the week. Hearing that sparked a wave of pity inside me. I suddenly recalled from the original novel that Yoon Siwoo, perhaps because he had no family, hated staying home and was secretly very lonely. On top of that, because he graduated early, he missed out on making the friends he normally would have at the academy. Naturally, I was the only person who could hang out with him.

So, taking this poor guy's circumstances into account, I gladly agreed. He was so incredibly happy when we made the plans that it actually made my heart ache a little.

After making plans with Yoon Siwoo, I coordinated with the director to move the zoo trip up to match his day off. Honestly, we could have gone separately, but I figured a lively, bustling group outing would be much more fun for a lonely guy like him. I didn't tell him beforehand to keep it as a surprise. Since I owed him so much, I wanted to cheer him up with a little event like this.

Anyway, the day of our outing arrived. After serving him a decent breakfast, I went back to my room to get ready. That's when a video call came through from the director's phone.

Rion was on the screen, with the director presumably holding the camera. Watching her spin around in her brand-new white dress with a bright, innocent smile, eager to show it off to me, I couldn't help but wear a proud, fatherly grin. Then, Rion asked:

I answered hesitantly. Yes, I did indeed have a similar dress. When I went shopping with Sylvia a while back, she had forced me to buy a white dress, insisting it would look absolutely perfect on me. It was so overly feminine that I had never dared to wear it, leaving it buried deep in my closet ever since...

Sensing an ominous foreboding from her words, I prayed it wasn't what I thought it was. But of course, my luck was never that good.

My mind went completely blank. Oh, dear God. Why must you test me like this...? For a moment, I cursed the heavens for sending such a cruel trial my way, but then I remembered this world was a hopeless, dreamless place to begin with, and my expression hardened. Sensing my hesitation, Rion spoke up timidly.

"Ah, big sister... If you don't want to, it's totally fine! You don't have to worry about it, you can wear something else."

She said it was fine, but it was obvious she would be deeply disappointed if I wore something else. Rion, being far too mature for her age, would probably just smile and say it was alright anyway. And that was the last thing I wanted to see.

Gritting my teeth, I flung the closet doors open. There it was, staring back at me: the white ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dress. Yeah, what's the big deal about a dress anyway? Back in the military, you literally wore a miniskirt and a crop top to dance to a girl group song in front of your entire unit just to win a vacation. Think about it. If you hadn't won that vacation and missed seeing your mother's face one last time, you would have regretted letting your pride get in the way for the rest of your life. So, if you don't wear this dress today and disappoint Rion, you'll definitely regret it.

I drilled it into my head. I am a man. A real man's man. And a real man never makes a child sad.

Thus, acting like the true alpha male I was, I swiftly changed into the dress and showed Rion. Seeing her absolutely ecstatic over our matching outfits made all my embarrassment vanish instantly.

Or so I thought, but standing in front of Yoon Siwoo was a completely different story. I couldn't help but feel incredibly embarrassed. The way he stared at me with those dazed, wide eyes felt like he was silently judging me, as if saying, Wow, how could you wear something like that?

To make matters worse, he had the audacity to take it a step further and tease me.

"Did you... put on makeup?" he asked.

His behavior reminded me so much of my squad mates who teased me by calling me the "Goddess of the Battlefield" after the cross-dressing contest. Annoyed, I snapped back at him sharply.

"Do I really have to spell it out for you?"

Mark my words, Yoon Siwoo. A real man never wears makeup.

Anyway, we headed out and arrived at the zoo, where we were met with exactly the reaction I had anticipated.

"Whoa! Big sister and Rion are wearing matching outfits!"

Rion was practically bouncing with joy. Meanwhile, Yoon Siwoo muttered,

"......So we weren't going out just the two of us."

"Yep, it's my little surprise. The orphanage folks are basically your family, so I wanted to make some happy memories of a family outing for you. Well? Are you happy?"

"......Yeah, I'm happy."

Seeing Yoon Siwoo's eyes grow slightly red, seemingly deeply moved by my surprise, filled me with a profound sense of satisfaction.