Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: A Chilly Seuli
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Seuli's name supposedly came from the snow that fell on the day she was born.
But ironically, Seuli herself was extremely weak to the cold.
Worried it might smell a bit, I asked for Seuli's permission before opening the door. By then, she had already wrapped herself in a blanket from our house and was shivering violently.
"Is it that cold?"
"Uh-huh...."
Seuli nodding her head was unbelievably cute.
If even her shivering from the cold was this adorable, what was I supposed to do?
I fetched her a thicker blanket and asked,
"Is there anything you want to do now?"
"Something I want to do... Hmmmmm...."
Seuli pondered deeply for a moment, then plopped down right next to me.
"I just want to spend more time with Haneul. Is that okay?"
There was no reason it wouldn't be.
I sat down beside her and shook my head.
"Let's stay together. All day."
"Hee hee hee hee."
Seuli beamed at me, her joy spilling over uncontrollably.
Watching her like this made me proud of my past self for all the effort I'd put into getting close to her.
Back then, Seuli had been incredibly shy around strangers. She still was, but at least with me, it felt like she'd completely opened her heart.
The me who'd worked so hard to win her over? Wasn't that the true essence of buying low?
Speaking of buying low, stocks suddenly came to mind.
If this world was based on reality, wouldn't it be smart to pick up a few shares?
I hoped the author had put some thought into stocks. If so, making a fortune would be a piece of cake.
...Oh right, cryptocurrency. Could that be my ticket to life-changing gains?
As these idle thoughts wandered through my mind, something incredibly soft poked my cheek.
*Poke poke*
"...Seuli?"
"......You looked like you were thinking about something else."
Seuli's face was all puffed up in a pout.
Guess she was punishing me for letting my mind drift while she was right there.
But Seuli, this wasn't a weird thought. It was for my future self.
I'd even considered pulling out my phone to check, just in case, but I couldn't even do that.
Her intense gaze was locked on me.
Right now, my time belonged to Seuli. I could check that stuff later, but her 14th birthday wouldn't come again.
I shoved aside any shady ideas about my phone and grabbed the TV remote right next to her.
"Seuli, is there anything you want to watch?"
"Something I want to watch? Nah... nothing in particular."
Seuli shook her head, but I wanted to find something fun to watch.
It'd make our time together even more enjoyable.
"How about an animation?"
"Animation? You watch that stuff too, Haneul?"
Hmm... sometimes yes, sometimes no.
If I had time, I'd watch; if not, I wouldn't.
One thing was certain: since transmigrating into this world, I hadn't really watched any. I'd played some games, though.
"Hmm... let's see what's available...."
I started browsing on our smart TV.
But nothing among the animations looked particularly fun.
The closest thing was something like Frozen, which was more for kids...
...Judging by Seuli's eyes, though, that's what we'd end up watching.
Thinking about it, Frozen actually suited Seuli pretty well. She was small and cute, like a little princess.
"Wanna watch it?"
*Nod nod nod nod*
I couldn't resist her vigorous nodding and hit play on Frozen.
I figured it'd be a bit childish, but I had no other options.
She wanted to watch it. When the birthday girl wants something, you make it happen.
Plus, even an adult might not find it too boring.
I seriously believed that.
*
My prediction was spot on.
I'd thought it'd be just a kids' animation, but the story was more engaging than expected, with real depth. It was actually fun to watch.
No wonder people loved it.
Seuli was even tearing up, she enjoyed it so much.
I should've watched stuff like this with her more often.
"Was it fun?"
*Nod nod nod nod*
Seuli kept nodding as she sniffled.
What a sentimental girl. How could she cry over something like that?
It was touching, sure, but not tearjerker level.
Still, I'd known she was the emotional type, so I wasn't too surprised.
"Hmm... I'll turn on the lights. It's getting dark."
"Oh, yeah it is...."
It was 4 p.m.—an awkward time—but outside was already starting to dim.
Winter days were short, after all.
I flipped on the lights and asked Seuli,
"Want to stay for dinner?"
"Nah, you said your parents are coming home for it."
"Hmm... still, shouldn't you eat something before you go?"
"I'm fiiiine~"
Behind her cheerful smile was consideration for my family.
"Besides, it's Christmas Eve. Don't you have to spend dinner with your family?"
Look at her, thinking of my family like that. How angelic.
Seuli was definitely an angel. One sent straight from heaven.
I was so grateful she was my childhood friend. And grateful to the author for putting me in this world.
...Though it'd be nice if they'd given my face some plausibility. Why keep my aggressively handsome features intact?
"Hey, Haneul."
"Yeah?"
"Can we go out for a bit before I head home?"
"Go out? Why?"
"...Just wanna take a walk with you."
"Won't you be cold?"
*Nod nod*
Seeing her nod so energetically, I nodded too.
"Alright, let's take a walk."
She seemed thrilled with my answer, breaking into a big smile.
Why was she so cute? Even her smile was unfairly adorable.
But for Seuli, a little rule-breaking was fine. She was so sweet; a bit of excessive cuteness was forgivable.
*
I stepped outside with Seuli.
But now that we were out, I had no idea where to go.
"...Where do you wanna go?"
"Anywhere you want, Haneul."
Letting her decide wasn't the best call, apparently.
"...Okay. Just wandering then?"
"Yeah, let's go."
With that, she sidled up next to me.
I ended up just following my feet, with Seuli trotting happily alongside.
We started chatting about this and that.
"Haneul, isn't school tough?"
"Nah, not really."
Honestly, it was a bit.
First semester was fine, but now with Dasom to look after, it was tougher.
Still, thanks to her, I'd gotten more diligent, so that was a plus.
Plus, biking to school early was good exercise.
Personally, I hoped to surpass my old height and hit 180 cm.
What was my previous height?
...172 cm, the Korean male average. I wanted more than that, please.
Lately I'd been taking the bus instead of biking, though, so maybe not. Kinda depressing.
"If it's tough... you could transfer to a school around here. I'd be fine."
I brushed off her words lightly. It was just her kindness talking; deep down, she wouldn't want that.
"It's not that bad."
"Okay...."
My firm denial seemed to deflate her a little.
No need to feel down over something like this.
As I wondered if I'd phrased it wrong, her voice came again.
"Brrr...."
She sounded cold, so I looked over. She was rubbing her hands together.
Her hands must've been freezing.
I casually took her hand and slipped it into my pocket.
This should warm it up.
*Flinch!*
Her body jolted lightly, and I glanced at her.
Had I been too forward?
"...Should I let go?"
*Shake shake shake shake*
She shook her head furiously.
Alright, if she's denying it that hard, better not.
I kept her hand in my pocket, and the Seuli who'd flinched moments ago soon settled, entrusting her hand to me obediently.
"Warmer now?"
*Nod nod*
With words suddenly vanishing from Seuli, our chat fizzled out. After wandering outside for about ten minutes, we had no choice but to head back in.
Once we were home again, Seuli spoke up.
"Um... Haneul."
"Yeah?"
"I, uh, that is..."
"That?"
Stammering as she took off her padding, Seuli squeezed her eyes shut and got to the point.
"Um... so... my cheeks... they're really stinging..."
"Stinging?"
"......Can you... hold my cheeks?"
Hold her cheeks?
With my hands?
My hands weren't even that warm... and putting them on a girl's cheeks felt kinda off...
But her eyes were so earnest, I couldn't refuse.
She'd clearly agonized over even asking, given her earlier stuttering.
In the end, I had to nod.
"Sure."
The moment I answered, she came over, grabbed my arms, and placed both my hands on her cheeks.
*Squeeze*
My hands met the soft, squishy warmth of Seuli's cheeks.
Incredibly soft. So squishy. On par with Dasom's.
But more importantly...
"So warm...."
Seuli wore the happiest expression imaginable.
[]
Were my hands that warm?
Definitely warmer than her cheeks right now.
I kept my hands on her cheeks as she wanted, and she rubbed them against my palms, soaking up the warmth greedily.
That scene... yeah, it hit my heart hard. Her cuteness was lethal overdose levels.
Still, I was happy in that moment too, and since she loved it, I kept gently stroking her cheeks.
When that too-short, bittersweet time ended and her cheeks slipped from my hands, Seuli apologized.
"Sorry, Haneul. That must've been uncomfortable, right?"
"Huh? No, not at all."
My position had been a bit awkward from her pulling my arms, but it wasn't uncomfortable.
Hearing that, she gave a small smile, grabbed her bag, and put on her padding.
"...Haneul, I'm heading out."
"Oh... yeah, I'll walk you."
"No, really, it's fine. I wanna go alone today."
She shook her head, but I stubbornly insisted, and we compromised on me seeing her to the bus stop.
At the stop, when the bus arrived, Seuli flashed me a bright smile.
"Haneul, Merry Christmas. Thanks so much for today."
"Yeah, happy birthday, Seuli... and Merry Christmas."
I waved back at her enthusiastic hand-waving, ending our incredibly happy two-person birthday party.
By the way, Mom and Dad said they'd had a blast wandering around with just Dasom while I was gone.
I wasn't jealous of that, but what came next was the issue.
Both parents were eyeing me with suspicious, lecherous, yet playful gazes.
What? I didn't do anything.
Still, gratitude was gratitude, so I held Dasom until she fell asleep, watching over her the whole time.