Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Time for Seuli (1)
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Saturday came around, and as promised, I headed to Seuli's neighborhood to hang out with her.
At first, she had said, "Let's play at Haneul's house!" But I deliberately chose her neighborhood instead, worried it might turn into another play session with Dasom.
Of course, Seuli was already fretting over Dasom. She'd brought it up during our short call last night.
"Won't Dasom feel left out...?"
"It'll be fine. I play with her almost every day."
"That's exactly why she might get upset if we don't..."
How could anyone be this kind-hearted?
Dasom isn't Seuli's little sister. She's mine.
Yet sometimes, Seuli looks after her just like she would her own sibling.
It really shows what an amazing, warm person Seuli is.
"I'll pick up some snacks for Dasom so she won't feel bad."
"Hehe... Okay, thanks."
Only then did Seuli break into a small smile.
Anyway, after that call, I was standing in front of her apartment, waiting for her.
I've crashed there briefly before and walked her home countless times, so the place feels like second nature now.
I could probably make it here from the bus stop blindfolded. Sure, I'd trip a few times along the way.
Lost in those silly thoughts while waiting...
-Squeeze
...a pair of small hands wrapped around my shoulders.
I knew exactly whose they were, so I turned around with a smile.
"Seuli, you made it?"
Seuli just looked up at me with a grumpy pout.
"...Haneul, you're too tall. I can't cover your eyes."
Now I noticed—she'd been standing on her tiptoes, trying her best to block my view.
Unfortunately, at just shy of 150 cm, she couldn't quite reach.
"Ughhhh...!"
She stretched her arms out as far as they could go, reaching for my eyes, but I dodged by going up on my own tiptoes.
"Tchhh...."
Seuli pouted in mild annoyance and dropped back to flat feet.
But none of that mattered.
What did matter was how Seuli looked today.
She was completely different. Stunningly so, in a way that caught me off guard.
What do I mean?
Her outfit was downright flustering.
Skirts weren't her thing outside of school uniform, but here she was in one that paired perfectly with a crisp shirt.
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And she was still wearing that snowflake hairpin I'd given her.
Plus, her skin looked even fairer than usual today.
Seuli's complexion was already pale, so anything whiter than that could only mean one thing.
"Seuli, did you do your makeup?"
She flinched a little, then gave a tiny nod.
I never expected makeup from her. No offense, but Seuli always seemed like the type who kept her distance from that stuff.
She preferred comfort over fussing with appearances.
That's why this made her look so refreshingly different.
Not bad at all, though. If anything, it brought out a whole new charm.
She kept staring at me, like she was fishing for something specific.
Her bright, expectant eyes gave it away.
I had a pretty good idea what she wanted to hear, but saying it out loud felt... embarrassing.
Still, I had to.
"Hey, Seuli."
"Yeah...?"
"...It suits you. Really well."
Only after I said it did she let out that soft laugh.
"Hehehe...."
She looked so overjoyed, my earlier hesitation felt downright foolish.
If I'd known she'd be this happy, I would've just called her pretty right away instead of overthinking.
Seuli made no effort to hide her glee.
"Haneul, come on, let's go."
Beaming from ear to ear, she grabbed my hand and started leading me somewhere. I happily followed along.
A few minutes of walking later, I finally had to ask where we were headed.
"...Hey, Seuli."
"Hm? What's up?"
"Where are we going?"
"...I was just following you?"
"Same here?"
We'd both been wandering wherever our feet took us, no destination in mind.
"Pfft... hahaha..."
"Heh heh heh..."
We both cracked up right there on the spot.
The whole situation was just too ridiculous and fun not to.
Right?
She got all excited from my compliment, grabbed my hand to lead the way, but ended up matching my pace—so I assumed she had some plan.
Such a silly, memorable moment.
We snapped out of it and headed to a café first.
It had a cozy vibe, but the coffee was surprisingly affordable.
Probably because students flocked there—we could order without breaking the bank.
"I'll have an iced Americano. What about you, Seuli?"
"Me... um... iced chocolate."
"Got it~ One iced Americano and one iced chocolate. That'll be 6,200 won."
"Sure."
I pulled out my card to pay, and Seuli watched me the whole time.
"I could've covered it..."
"You can get snacks later."
"Okay! Deal!"
She nodded enthusiastically, grinning as we found a seat and waited.
When the drinks arrived, we went up together to grab them.
"I could've gone alone."
"I just wanted to go with you."
Her shy smile was the cutest thing.
Back at the table, we sipped our drinks—chasing off the morning drowsiness—and chatted about this and that.
"I wonder what Dasom's up to right now."
"Probably sleeping? She sure loves her naps."
"Hahaha, true. Every time I went to your place, she'd be out cold."
It was a fact.
Weekends, she'd come over to play with me and Dasom, but Dasom was almost always asleep when she arrived—even now at three years old.
"But Haneul, seriously, what's the deal with iced Americanos? What do they even taste like?"
"A little bitter?"
"...And that's good?"
"Not good, exactly... more like aromatic."
"No clue."
Puffing out her cheeks as she slurped her iced chocolate, Seuli definitely had a kid's palate.
The original Seuli was the same—sweet over bitter every time.
She once bought an Americano to seem more grown-up around Kim Doyun and regretted it instantly. Adorable.
...Would the current Seuli ever choose one on her own someday?
Who knows. Maybe. I'd love to witness it—another one of her firsts.
"Haneul, what should we do next?"
"Hmm... well..."
I had plenty of ideas.
Manga café sounded fun. Movies, too.
Board game café or arcade wouldn't hurt.
Worst case, a dog or cat café.
So many options, it was dizzying.
"Where do you wanna go, Seuli?"
"Anywhere you pick is fine by me."
She smiled brightly over a sip of her chocolate.
How was even her answer this cute?
I decided to let sweet, kind Seuli choose.
"Okay, Seuli. Here's the lineup."
"Yup!"
"Dog café, cat café, manga café, or movies."
"...Three out of four are cafés."
She had a point.
I felt a twinge of guilt for the lazy list, but Seuli just smiled like it didn't matter.
"Dog café sounds best to me."
"Dog café?"
"Yeah, puppies are so cute."
"Come to think of it, dogs or cats—which do you like more?"
She answered without a second's hesitation.
"Dogs! They're sweet and adorable. Woof woof!"
Her puppy impression amplified her natural cuteness into overdrive.
"Besides, cats scratched you before, remember?"
"Oh, right."
It was when we were ten, tagging along with our parents to a cat café.
One cat took one look at me, yowled, and swiped. Looking back, it must've sensed I wasn't your average ten-year-old boy.
Cats can see souls, or so they say.
Nodding to myself at the realization, I asked her,
"Dog café should be open soon—there's one nearby. Head there?"
"Yes! Let's do it!"
She bobbed her head wildly and took a big, happy slurp of her iced chocolate.
Sweet as could be, with pure bliss on her face.