A Confession
We had written our Christmas wishes on the tree. We decided to move a little earlier than usual to grab lunch.
It was earlier than normal, but if we waited for the usual time, it would take another two hours because of all the people rushing in for lunch.
I was heading to the store I had already checked out.
“Siwoo, is it okay if I decide on lunch?”
“Of course. Go for it.”
Since it was just a restaurant, I followed Sia’s lead.
Then.
“Okay, let’s head over there for lunch!”
“Where?”
“Follow me!”
I ended up following Sia straight to the market.
“Market!”
“Yeah! I wanted to try the food here!”
It was a nearby market.
Inside were stalls selling serious dishes like 빈대떡 or 국밥, snacks like 어묵 and 떡볶이, and sweet treats like 붕어빵 and 핫도그.
Here the selection was wider than any restaurant, so it actually looked appealing.
“So what are you in the mood for?”
There were so many options and restaurants that I figured Sia would pick her favorite.
“I’ll just go to whatever looks good to me!”
“All of them?”
“Yeah! I want to try a little bit of everything.”
“Alright.”
Sia and I wandered through the market.
After checking out all the stalls,
“Let’s try this!”
When Sia picked something, I ordered a couple and shared.
“Here, this is for you.”
“Oh, I wanted to try that taste too.”
“Then eat this.”
We walked around the market eating and sharing.
At first I thought we should eat proper meals, but we ended up full anyway.
“I’m stuffed. How about you?”
“Me too… but it was so much fun!”
“I know.”
Even compared to my expectations, watching Sia enjoy herself was really fun.
“Siwoo, where to next?”
“Uh… it’s a bit of a walk from here. Is that okay?”
“Yeah! It’s fine!”
Sia and I headed toward a nearby department store.
Christmas was approaching, so the area was all decorated with lights.
That must have been why it was a popular spot.
“It’s pretty!”
“Right? Let’s go inside.”
“Can I take a picture here?”
“Of course.”
“Hehe, then I’ll take one with you.”
We took photos in front of the sculpture at the department store.
To get photos together, we asked passersby to take them for us.
Most were couples who had come to see the lights, so they happily snapped photos in return.
Then,
“Wait, why is that guy staring at me like that?”
“Eek? You can’t open your eyes?”
Because of the men staring at Sia, some girlfriends got jealous.
“Wow… you should at least dress decently.”
“It’s winter; why a coat? Maybe you should put on some padding.”
“Who cares if I’m wearing padding? Why a shiny one anyway! Freak!”
I got insulted too.
In the midst of it all,
“Hehe, everyone’s properly appreciating my Siwoo’s charm!”
Sia was delighted.
But… in all honesty, I felt the same way.
Because before, I never heard words like that.
I used to not care much about dressing up, but thanks to Sia, I started paying attention after we got together… and I’ve been studying up on it.
Even to me, it looked pretty good now.
So when we entered the department store, the stares felt a little more intense.
But I was used to them now and just let my gaze slide off.
Inside the department store, Christmas vibes were everywhere.
There were plenty of displays for gifts.
“So, did you come here to buy something?”
“Not really… do you mind?”
“Hmm, no. I wanted to buy something for Siwoo, so I came along.”
“Hmm? What floor?”
I thought it was winter clothes, but
“No, you can buy here too.”
“Then let’s look around.”
“Sure, I like that.”
Since it said you could buy even on the first floor, I hadn’t expected much, but I followed without saying a word.
Sia kept turning her head, looking everywhere.
If she was just sightseeing, her gaze wouldn’t have been so short.
I realized she was searching for something.
“What are you looking for?”
I asked to help, but
“It’s a secret.”
Since she said it was a secret, I followed her gaze.
Then a sweet smell started drifting over.
Sia and I followed the scent to its source.
It was a place selling 호두과자.
Even though my stomach was full, the smell stirred my appetite.
But I almost passed it because buying it felt wrong, until
“……”
Sia stared at it like she really wanted to eat it.
“Want to buy a pack?”
“Ah… if you do, thank you. I’ll look around; you go get the 호두과자.”
“Got it.”
Since there wasn’t much else left to see, I lined up to buy.
There were already quite a few people drawn by the smell.
But the staff was so skilled at frying that the line moved fast.
Before long, it was my turn. I bought a pack and headed out to find Sia.
“Thanks, Siwoo.”
Right in front of me, Sia was standing with her back to me.
“You’re already here?”
Even though she said she would come to where I was, she was surprisingly fast.
“My legs are fast. But Siwoo, can you lean down for a second?”
“Really? Okay.”
I leaned down, and
“Hey!”
“Eek…!”
Sia quickly wrapped something around my neck.
At first I thought it was something weird, but the soft, cozy feeling near my neck made me realize.
“A scarf?”
I knew it was a scarf that Sia had put around me.
“It’s a little chilly; I bought it because I only had a coat on. How is it? Warm?”
“Yeah… super warm. Thanks.”
“Hehe, that’s good to hear!”
“But why red?”
Of course red was fine, but I was curious.
She whispered right by my ear.
“…Normally succubi have red eyes. That’s why I bought red.”
“……”
Sia whispered that her eye color was red to me.
Now that I knew, I felt even better.
I buried my face a little in her voice.
With the scarf wrapped around me, we started wandering the department store again.
I thought there wouldn’t be much to see, but there was actually a lot.
After buying some warm drinks and a small snack, we sat in the resting area and ate the 호두과자 I had bought earlier.
The time had passed, but the 호두과자 was still warm and perfect to eat.
While we chatted at the department store, the sun started to set.
Now it was time to move again, so we left the department store.
“Where next?”
“Hmm… Namsan.”
“Namsan? It’s not far?”
“We’re taking the cable car. Let’s go quick.”
“Ah… yeah.”
As the sun set, Myeongdong became even more beautiful.
LED lights on structures turned on, creating a more stunning view than during the day.
We had passed that stretch earlier, but the atmosphere was different from the daytime.
“It’s pretty…”
“I’ll show you something even prettier.”
Sia and I arrived at the cable car station.
We had bought the tickets online in advance, so we checked them quickly and boarded.
“It’s expensive, right? I’ll send the price later.”
“Since I got the scarf as a gift, it’s fine.”
“If that’s the case…”
Sia seemed satisfied, but I could tell she was still annoyed.
To cheer her up,
“Sia, look over there.”
“Where… whoa!”
The night view was incredible.
As the cable car climbed higher, the city lights below became more breathtaking.
Under the dark sky, the bright lights made everything feel beautiful.
“It’s so… pretty.”
“Yeah, right.”
I wasn’t the only one feeling it; phones started clicking as people on the cable car snapped photos.
“Sia, I’ll take your photo.”
“Ah… yeah…!”
We took photos with the Seoul night skyline behind us.
Sia in my photo looked mysteriously beautiful.
“You turned out really pretty.”
“Really? Wow! Of course it’s Siwoo!”
“Thanks to the model.”
“I’ll take one of you too this time,”
The photos from the unexpected cable car ride ended only after we arrived.
After getting off, the others headed toward Namsan Tower.
“That’s not a walking path?”
“Over there will be crowded later, so we’ll skip it.”
“Ah… okay!”
We walked the quieter path down instead.
It was less crowded here.
“It’s pretty here too!”
The views were just as stunning.
After a short walk, we reached a large deck.
A truly breathtaking landscape stretched out before us, like a photo spot.
“Hehe. It’s pretty here too, right?”
“Yeah, right.”
“……”
“……”
A silence fell between us.
Sia kept glancing around nervously, tapping her shoe on the ground.
I watched her quietly and spoke.
“Sia.”
“Ah… should we take a photo here?”
“Sia…”
“This time you go first…”
“Lee Sia, look at me.”
“……”
Sia looked at me without a word, but her eyes started trembling uncontrollably, as if she was anxious.
“At the beginning of the year, you said you’d make me fall for you by the end of the year.”
“……Yeah. I did say that.”
“And today is Christmas, so the end of the year is coming.”
“……Yeah. That’s true…”
“So now I’m going to tell you how I feel.”
“……”
Sia didn’t say anything.
Her expression showed a mix of emotions: anxiety, impatience, sadness, and hope.
Unlike her usual confident self, she looked incredibly nervous.
She seemed pitiful to anyone who saw, but I continued quietly.
“You know… I think I took too long to answer.”
“…It’s okay.”
“You forgive me?”
“…Yeah… so… no…”
“Sia.”
I paused.
My body was shaking, so my voice probably was too.
I took a small breath and pulled out a small box from my pocket.
“I like you.”
The small box contained a ring case with a pair of rings.