Just Like a Fairy
She looks like a fairy. That was the thought that crossed Yoon Siwoo's mind as he watched Scarlet, dressed in a pure white dress, riding a snow-white unicorn while waving and smiling at the crowd.
Of course, her appearance played a part in making him think of a fairy, but it was her expression that truly sealed the impression. Though they had long since vanished from the world, legends said that fairies retained their childlike nature no matter how old they grew. And Scarlet's smile carried a pure, childlike innocence that made him wonder if that was exactly how a real fairy would laugh if they still existed. It was an enchanting smile, radiating untainted innocence and pure, unadulterated joy.
Despite believing he had seen almost every side of Scarlet, this was a smile he had never witnessed before. So she can smile like that, Siwoo thought, carving the image deep into his memory. He felt that just seeing her smile like that made the entire trip to the zoo worth every penny.
Of course, he also wished she would exercise a bit of restraint depending on the time and place. There was a certain level of common sense that anyone should possess. He wished she would realize that when a beautiful young woman in the prime of her youth rode a unicorn with such a dazzling smile, men were bound to swarm around her. After all, fending them off fell entirely on his shoulders.
...Thus, he quietly swallowed the greedy wish that she would save such a smile only for him when no one else was around.
In any case, after a tense battle of glares with the men eyeing her, he finally managed to steer her away from the crowd and gently chided her, telling her to be careful since it could lead to troublesome situations. At his words, she apologized and promised to be careful next time, though she offered a small, defensive excuse.
"Well... it was my first time. Seeing a unicorn, let alone riding one."
And the moment he heard the word "first" from her lips, Siwoo couldn't help but feel a pang of self-reproach.
"Your first time... Right, of course it would be..."
Just as she said, almost everything must be a first for her. It was only natural that she sometimes seemed to lack common sense or awareness of her surroundings. Though she looked like an ordinary girl at a glance, the life she had lived so far was light-years away from anything resembling normal.
He recalled her excitement upon arriving at the zoo, her declaration of it being her first time, and the joyful smile she wore while riding the unicorn. To her, this world was still filled with unexplored firsts. Along with a wave of sympathy, Siwoo felt a profound sense of duty swell within his chest.
"Hey... I know I just told you to be careful, but when you're with me, you can do whatever you want. Don't worry about what other people think."
"But... won't that cause trouble?"
"Even if it does, I'll clean up the mess. So, Scarlet, just do whatever you want and enjoy yourself to the fullest. Okay?"
As he spoke those words, a thought solidified in his mind. He wanted to give her more "firsts." He wanted to show her more of the world. He wanted her to smile like she did today, over and over again.
"My goal today is to pet every single animal I'm allowed to touch!"
When asked if there was anything she wanted to do, Scarlet made her declaration with a face full of anticipation. Chuckling at how much she truly seemed to love animals, Siwoo led her toward the other exhibits. He recalled the old saying that animals naturally gravitate toward kind-hearted people, confident that he would soon see her face light up with joy again.
However, over the next few hours of exploring, Siwoo would learn just how incredibly naive that assumption was.
"Why... why is everyone avoiding only me?"
After wandering through several areas, they finally arrived at Cat Town, a famous spot for feline lovers. Siwoo broke into a cold sweat as he looked down at Scarlet, who was currently on her knees, looking as devastated as if she had lost the entire world. He had never imagined she would possess a constitution that animals actively avoided to this extent... He wanted to comfort her, but even that proved difficult.
"Must be nice... having all the animals love you. Ugh, I want to hold a kitty too..."
Siwoo let out a wry laugh, feeling her intense envy as she stared at him, practically buried under a mountain of cats. In stark contrast to her, whom animals shunned entirely, Siwoo possessed a constitution that attracted them wherever he went. It had been making him feel incredibly guilty for a while now. If only they had taken a liking to her instead of him, just like the unicorn earlier...
Just in case, he had tried gently handing over one of the cats clinging to his shoulder, but the moment her hand drew near, the feline hissed in terror and bolted. Scarlet's face fell, looking deeply wounded, before she forced a brave smile and muttered:
"I think they hate me being here. I'll head out first. Take your time playing with them."
Siwoo sighed as he watched her lonely back disappear through the exit of Cat Town. He had brought her here to give her a wonderful memory, but at this rate, today would only be remembered as a sad, disappointing day. He glared down at the cats clinging to his clothes, but they only purred happily in response to his resentful gaze. Siwoo let out another sigh, his expression softening. There was no point in blaming the animals. Right now, his absolute priority was finding a way to cheer Scarlet up.
Gently peeling the cats off his body, Siwoo racked his brain for a solution. Suddenly, he remembered the souvenir shop near the entrance. He had caught a glimpse of it on their way in, and they definitely sold plush cats. Since she had said she wanted to hold a cat, maybe giving her a plushie would cheer her up? The thought crossed his mind, but it was immediately followed by a wave of anxiety. What if it backfired and made her feel worse? What if she reacted with something like, 'You got to pet all the real cats, and now you're telling me to just hug a stuffed toy? Are you mocking me?'
As he agonized over the dilemma, Lucy, who had been watching his inner turmoil, spoke up.
Even with Lucy's reassurance, Siwoo still hesitated, unable to shake his doubts. Sensing his reluctance, Lucy spoke once more to soothe his worries.
Hearing Lucy's words, Yoon Siwoo nodded. Indeed, Scarlet was not the type of person to get angry at a gift meant to cheer her up. Gaining courage from Lucy's advice, Siwoo quickly ran to the souvenir shop and picked up a cat plushie. As he held it, praying that this would lift her spirits, Lucy chuckled and spoke.
Blushing at Lucy's praise, thinking, Is... is that so?, Siwoo went to pay for the plushie. But as he stood at the counter, his eyes widened at an item displayed right next to the register. Before he could stop himself, he picked it up and held it out to the cashier.
"Um... please add this to the purchase as well."
"Ah, the cat-ear headband? We have them in white and black. Which color would you like?"
"......Both."
......It was just a souvenir. It was absolutely not because he wanted to see Scarlet wearing cat ears. As Siwoo muttered this excuse to himself in a desperate attempt at self-rationalization, Lucy let out a heavy sigh.
'......I only bought them as souvenirs.'
'......'
After a brief moment of intense blushing, Siwoo did his best to ignore Lucy's sighs and stepped out of Cat Town. There, he spotted Scarlet waiting for him on a nearby bench.
"...Why did you come out so fast? You should have played with the cats a bit longer."
"No, well... you see..."
Feeling incredibly self-conscious because of the items he had just bought, Siwoo hesitated. But steeling his resolve, he pulled the plushie out of the bag and gently placed it in Scarlet's arms. Scarlet stared blankly at the stuffed toy for a moment before looking up at him.
"......A plushie?"
"Y-yeah. Since you couldn't hold a real cat, I thought at least this... Hey, don't misunderstand! I'm not trying to tease you! It's just, you looked so sad earlier..."
He blurted out the explanation in a panic, terrified she might think he was mocking her. Perhaps his desperate wish to cheer her up reached her, because a soft smile bloomed on Scarlet's lips.
"......Thank you. This actually makes me feel a lot better. I'll treasure it."
"......Really? I'm glad it helped......"
Though he felt a bit embarrassed, seeing Scarlet hug the plushie tightly made his own lips curl into a silly grin. Hearing her say she would treasure his gift brought him an indescribable wave of happiness. He was busy praising himself for gathering the courage to buy it when his guard dropped. And in that exact moment of relaxation—Scarlet suddenly snatched the shopping bag from his hand.
"Ah! W-wait! I can carry the bag!"
Siwoo watched blankly as Scarlet opened the shopping bag, likely intending to put the plushie inside. Then, his brain finally registered exactly what else was sitting in that bag, and he cried out in a panic. But it was already too late.
"What's this? Headbands?"
"I-I just bought them as souvenirs! Just souvenirs!"
He desperately tried to excuse himself, but the moment Scarlet looked at him with a knowing, mischievous glint in her eyes, his mind went completely blank. Overwhelmed by a soul-crushing embarrassment at having his secret desire exposed to the absolute last person who should ever see it, he was seriously contemplating 'Should I just die?' when Scarlet burst into laughter and slipped the black cat-ear headband onto her head.
"......Huh?"
Scarlet, wearing the cat ears he had only pictured in his mind. Seeing it in reality was several times cuter than anything his imagination could have conjured, causing Siwoo to let out a thoroughly dumbfounded sound.
"What do you mean, 'huh'? Here, this one is yours, so let me put it on you."
Scarlet giggled, reaching up to place the remaining white cat-ear headband on his head.
"Silly. These make terrible souvenirs. Even if we took them home, we'd never wear them, and we can't exactly display them like plushies. You can only wear stuff like this in places like this. So if we don't wear them now, it's just a waste of money. Right?"
Siwoo nodded dumbly at her logic, unable to tear his eyes away from her. While he was completely dazed, his phone somehow ended up in her hands. Holding the phone, Scarlet stood on her tiptoes to wrap an arm around his shoulder for a photo. The warmth of her touch where their bodies met. The sweet, intoxicating scent wafting from her up close. The sheer sensory overload made his head spin.
"Okay, taking it now. Smile!"
Even though she told him to smile, Siwoo had no idea if his face had complied. After checking the photo and laughing softly, she handed the phone back to him. Siwoo stared blankly at his screen. His previously blank wallpaper had been replaced by a photo of his own dazed face, with her arm slung over his shoulder, smiling brightly beside him.
And in that moment, Siwoo realized. Just like his phone's wallpaper, he too had been irrevocably changed. Now that this memory was etched into his soul, he could never return to the days when he had been completely alone.
As he stared at the photo, she spoke to him.
"If you want to remember today, a commemorative photo is much better than a souvenir. Every time you look at it, the memory will come rushing back."
Listening to her, Siwoo thought to himself. Even without a photo, he would never have been able to forget this moment.
"Since I received a gift, this is my payback."
"......Yeah. I'll treasure it. I'll treasure it forever."
Even so, this photo would become one of his most precious treasures from this day forward. Because the memory of this very moment would undoubtedly remain the most vivid, unforgettable highlight of his entire life. Siwoo smiled warmly, absolutely certain of it.
"For example, like this, meow. You have to end every sentence with meow, meow."
Well, at least until he heard Scarlet's cat impression. That was simply playing dirty. Even after fleeing the scene under the pretext of buying drinks, he had to spend a long time trying to calm his frantically racing heart.
...I think Scarlet just awakened a new preference in me. Muttering to himself, Siwoo thought. It was an unforgettable, intense day in many ways. But above all, it would be remembered as a deeply happy day. He truly believed that—right up until that very moment.