My Gift

After we'd finished our card game, the clock had somehow crept close to twelve.

Just fifteen minutes more. It was the middle of the night, and in that time it would be exactly midnight.

I was so happy playing and laughing with Minseo that I'd gotten so absorbed I'd forgotten the time.

'Well, it's not like I have to go to work tomorrow, so it doesn't really matter.'

When I looked down at Minseo, I saw her staring intently at the clock on the wall, her eyes half closed as if she were in a trance.

Staaare.

She was concentrating so hard her eyes looked ready to pop out. Every time the second hand ticked, she gave a tiny twitch, almost as if she were keeping time with it. It was ridiculously cute.

She was so cute and lovable that I was glad I'd brought her home with me. It felt as if the sweaty life I'd spent buried in certification exams and exercise were washing away.

But staring at Minseo forever, lost in my own thoughts, would have been unnatural, so, as a friend should,

I asked her what was on my mind and naturally broke the awkward silence.

"Minseo. Why have you been staring at the clock this whole time? Is something wrong with it?"

"...No! I was just thinking it's already twelve..."

She was right. It was quite late.

Minseo's voice trailed off, and her body began swaying more and more out of sync with her words. She started rocking back and forth like she might collapse at any moment.

'Is she possessed or something?'

Her movements were creepy enough to make me believe it.

When her upper body pitched forward so far that I was sure she would fall, I quickly got ready to catch her.

But then she took a few steps, regained her balance, and wobbled backward as if she were about to fall the other way. She kept doing that, making me nervous every time.

Haaah.

Then Minseo let out a sound that was both tiny and precious.

The utterly adorable sound nearly made me lose my mind.

A yawn.

I listened closely to Minseo's delicate, cute breathing, so rare I might never hear it again, and hurried to etch those sleepy eyes into my memory, too.

If this were a collectible in a game, it would be a priceless item tied to an incredibly hard-to-get hidden achievement, even if it had no effect.

'Sleepy, huh?'

Minseo was exhausted, right on the verge of passing out.

Now that I knew she was struggling to stay conscious and swaying like that, she seemed incredibly unsteady. Honestly, I wanted to take a picture and hang it in a frame.

'Honestly, isn't this kind of a rare sight...?'

Worried she might fall at any moment, I watched over her like someone cheering on a toddler taking their first steps.

I stood ready to catch her at any time, never letting my guard down. There were so many false alarms that I kept twitching despite my size.

I didn't particularly enjoy that, but if it meant I could catch Minseo and hold her tight in my arms, a little embarrassment didn't matter.

'It's not like anyone's watching. So what if I look pathetic and don't act my size?'

At that very thought, Minseo's eyes slowly closed, and she toppled forward.

Maybe she'd reached her limit. I barely managed to catch Minseo as she fell asleep, looking completely at ease.

"Hey...! If you're sleepy, go sleep in the bedroom!"

Even though I'd been ready the whole time, someone who'd suddenly gone limp fell much faster than I'd expected, and I nearly missed her.

If I'd been even a little slower, Minseo's precious forehead would've hit the floor, and I would've made her cry.

I couldn't have been more relieved.

'As expected. She's even prettier up close.'

After supporting her in a daze for a while, I gently picked Minseo up in my arms, princess-style, as I always did, so I could carry her to bed.

'Come to think of it, did I carry her like this when we first met, too?'

The memory of yesterday's blood-soaked, nightmarish hell suddenly flashed through my mind.

The reek of blood, the grotesque scene.

And yet, at the very center of that terrible hellscape, Minseo had shone so brightly that she was beautiful enough to steal my heart.

My head had been filled with just one thought—that I had to save her—so I'd run straight to the hospital.

'Back then, I thought the flutter in my heart was because I didn't know it was Minseo.'

It wasn't.

Even after I found out it was Minseo, the mysterious girl before me was still my little queen, captivating my heart. I was already her loyal subject, devoted to Minseo alone.

I wanted to grant her anything she wished for. Make her smile. Save her. And make that girl mine.

When a possessiveness I'd never felt before filled my heart, I thought there had to be something wrong with it.

So I decided I wouldn't deny my feelings for Minseo.

No matter what, she was the person I loved, and knowing that person was Minseo didn't make my heart waver.

'Her appearance... or rather, something more than that. A mysterious feeling beyond it? The essence of her soul... Is that a strange metaphor?'

Anyway, drawn to her by some indescribable feeling, I thought only of Minseo, and for the first time, I awakened to the feeling called love.

"......"

Minseo, nestled in my arms, suddenly looked so cute that, before laying her on the bed, I found myself wanting to kiss her.

Right. Even though I'd failed earlier, Minseo was asleep now, so she wouldn't notice if I secretly showed her my love. It seemed like it would be fine.

I didn't feel particularly lustful.

Minseo was someone precious whom I had to protect—someone who would become my lover.

It was just a simple feeling: her tiny lips looked so glossy that I wanted to taste them, like biting into a forbidden fruit.

I thought maybe I could show her just a little without giving myself away.

'I'm sorry...'

In the end, I couldn't hold back any longer and let my heated feelings show.

Still, I wanted our lips to meet only when we were both conscious.

I wanted us to confirm our love, so for now, I would settle for her forehead.

I gave her a light kiss, laid her on the bed, and gazed fondly at her as she slept peacefully.

My goddess and the sole purpose of my life. She was already like a part of me.

'Ah...'

Just then, quiet, tranquil moonlight began pouring through the window beside the bed and onto Minseo.

Refreshing.

That was the only word I could find for Minseo's beautiful, sacred appearance; she was so radiant I almost thought she was dazzling me.

'It almost looks like she's glowing...'

Minseo's hair was a deep black.

It should have absorbed light instead of reflecting it, like most Koreans' hair, yet it seemed to have swallowed the moonlight coming through the window.

She seemed to radiate a divine aura, like an agent of God. Just standing before her made me feel as if I were confessing my sins.

I felt ashamed. It was as if all my selfish desires and ulterior motives toward Minseo were laid bare and put on trial.

'Maybe Minseo still doesn't know anything...'

The truth was, I knew Minseo's build, and I'd carried her and run with her yesterday and today, so I knew her weight, too.

So I could easily have ordered clothes for her yesterday in advance. It would've been more than possible not to leave her wearing only one of my shirts.

'But I didn't.'

Besides, like the woodcutter who stole the fairy's heavenly robe, I'd snuck off with Minseo's hospital gown while she was bathing and hurried to return it to the hospital.

Minseo had shown herself to me without suspicion, trusting me simply as another man—as a friend.

I'd imposed my selfish desire to cover that body in my scent.

It was dirty... vile. Selfish.

I was a disgusting adult, with no courage to confess my true feelings, yet trying to change and manipulate Minseo to suit my own tastes.

A filthy act: hiding my intentions, using that delicate girl's feelings to approach her without hesitation, and making her believe that my self-serving actions were normal, even unconsciously.

'Ugh.'

When I realized all that, I felt like I was going to throw up. I laid Minseo on the bed, then found a spot on the floor as far away as possible so I could try to sleep.

No, I tried to.

"Hyunwoo..."

But even then, Minseo grabbed the collar of my shirt with her tiny little hand and wouldn't let go.

I was happy. It felt like I'd received a divine message that I wasn't on the wrong path.

It felt like a gift from the world after all the effort and hardship I'd endured, and I even shed tears of emotion.

Minseo's small touch seemed to comfort me, as if she were telling me not to struggle alone, not to suffer.

It all felt far too good for me to deserve, and yet I couldn't bring myself to reject her touch...

'...Right. Since I've been given this chance, I might as well be as shameless as I can.'

Unable to pull her hand away, I climbed into bed beside the sleeping Minseo and hugged her tight.

She was warm. I could feel not only her body heat but our heartbeats, too, and a happy rhythm swept over me, as if we'd become one.

Holding her close, I realized Minseo was even more precious and delicate than I'd expected.

Her body felt as if it would snap in two if I squeezed too hard.

As carefully as if I were handling glass, I gently stroked Minseo's hair and went to sleep.

"I love you, Minseo. You probably don't know yet... Wait for me."

Until I have the courage.