Chapter 26
My steps felt light.
Though I felt a little guilty about leaving Minseo home alone while I went out to work my part-time job, I’d finished early today, after all.
Just thinking about going home to Minseo, who would welcome me with a bashful, awkward smile, already seemed to give me strength.
A smile crept onto my face for no particular reason as I looked around downtown—the sort of place people usually wandered around just to have fun.
The noisy cacophony of dozens of songs spilling out of the various shops, all overlapping one another.
The shouts of people walking by and raising their voices so they could talk over the din.
The signs everywhere, using neon lights in every color to catch people’s eyes and stay in business.
It wasn’t a place I particularly liked, but surrounded by clothing stores, snack shops, cafés, and the like, I found myself indulging in happy thoughts.
If someday I could have Minseo all to myself and make her truly mine...
We could walk down this street together, flirting and fooling around, or stop by somewhere like a café and spend a leisurely afternoon.
Especially since we could even go shopping at that clothing store over there...
"...Huh?"
Through the enormous glass windows of the clothing store, I could see the children’s section at a glance.
At first glance, the clothes looked childish, and their colors were so bright that they didn’t seem like they’d suit Minseo at all.
But amid them, the outfit on a mannequin in the corner caught my eye.
A small, elegant black-and-white dress so stylish and beautiful that I couldn’t understand why it was in the children’s section.
There was a maid outfit.
'I have to buy that.'
In that instant, my mind raced, and I could almost picture Minseo wearing it, blushing with embarrassment.
It wasn’t as if I could keep her dressed in nothing but my T-shirts for the rest of her life, so she did need new clothes.
Besides, since it was a proper outfit, Minseo would be less reluctant to wear it.
She’d probably think it was better than wearing nothing but one oversized T-shirt with no underwear beneath it.
When I came to my senses, I was opening the store door as if under a spell.
"Welcome! This is I Like It, a specialty children’s clothing brand! Is there anything you’re looking for?"
The moment I stepped inside, an intense fragrance filled the place.
It was such a soft scent that it stung my nose and made me dizzy, as if it were trying to exterminate every grown man who smelled like an old guy. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment.
'Calm down. I’m way too excited right now.'
That only made my imagining of Minseo’s cute, adorable appearance grow stronger, until it felt like I might stop breathing.
After taking a moment to steady my breathing, I looked at the clerk in front of me.
"Um, how much is that maid outfit?"
The price didn’t really matter.
There was practically no question that I was going to buy that outfit and take it home.
I was just worried that a grown man showing up alone at a children’s clothing store and buying a maid outfit might look suspicious...
I wanted to make a good impression—as someone choosing a sensible gift, not a shady person.
Maybe I was overthinking it.
"...Excuse me, sir. May I ask what you’re planning to use it for? There have been a lot of unsavory incidents lately, so... I’m a little worried."
Perhaps because I’d gone straight for the maid outfit, the clerk’s expression tightened as she asked me politely, in a cautious tone.
I did think, 'I’m just buying clothes. What business is it of yours?' but...
'It’s not like I’m buying it for anything particularly weird.'
Deciding I had nothing to be nervous about, I chose to answer confidently.
With a little embellishment.
"Oh. My little sister likes clothes like that. She’s in elementary school, and she looks cute in them."
"Is that so...?"
The clerk still looked a little doubtful.
Normally, I wouldn’t go to this much trouble, but since I was at it, I decided to show off Minseo’s cuteness and pulled up a photo on my phone.
"This is my little sister. What do you think? Cute, right? Isn’t she just adorable? She recently started living with us."
It was a photo I’d taken that morning after seeing Minseo sleeping and thinking she looked cute.
Even seeing her again, I was so captivated by her angelic beauty that I couldn’t keep the smile off my face, even in front of a stranger.
The clerk glanced back and forth between me and Minseo on my phone for a moment, then broke into a bright smile.
"You don’t look like you’re lying! There’s been so much talk lately about doll murders and things like that... I was going to refuse to sell it if you seemed suspicious."
"...I take it you own the store?"
"Yes. I do everything by hand, from making the clothes to selling them, so I hardly make any money... But it’s fun, you know?"
Was this woman really running a store like this just so she could dress children in pretty clothes?
Unlike me, she seemed like a genuinely decent person.
Not that it was any of my business.
"It doesn’t sell anyway, so I’ll give it to you cheap. Fifty thousand won! How about it?"
That price still felt a little murderous, though.
"What?! Are women’s clothes really that expensive?"
I’d expected them to cost thirty or forty thousand won at most, so I couldn’t help being taken aback.
A men’s outfit several times larger than this could be bought as a matching top and bottom for twenty thousand won... couldn’t it?
An unbranded, one-person-made outfit costs this much? Even on sale, it’s fifty thousand won?
"It normally costs six figures... That one took a lot of work, so it’s a bit expensive, and it’s completely handmade..."
"Hmm..."
When I hesitated for a moment, the store owner looked visibly flustered.
"Th-then I’ll throw in something else! Do you need socks or anything like that?"
Seeing how determined she was to sell that outfit, even if it meant bundling it with something else, I felt a little... sorry for her.
Well, there probably weren’t many parents in the world who’d buy something like that to dress their precious child in.
She must have poured money and effort into making it because she was sure it would be cute, only for it to become unsold dead stock and a headache.
Still, the quality wasn’t bad, so I went ahead and decided to buy it.
"Then... could I maybe get some socks or underwear, too...?"
"I don’t sell girls’ underwear... though I did make some...? I’ll throw that in, too! The underwear and those five sets of socks over there, all for seventy...! Seventy thousand won. How about it?!"
I wanted to ask why she’d made underwear she didn’t even sell, but...
It seemed like a good enough deal, so I paid and accepted the bulging bag.
"Thank you... Thank you so much...!"
"Sure... Well, good luck with the store."
The way she kept bowing was a far cry from the confidence she’d shown when she first offered me the outfit for fifty thousand won, and it even looked a little undignified.
I really wanted to check the colors and designs of the five pairs of underwear Minseo would be getting...
But if I did, I’d probably be branded a pervert and reported.
"Bring your little sister next time, and I’ll give you another special deal! Please come again!"
The owner saw me out, promising more perks in a final attempt to turn me into a regular customer.
'...Not bad.'
I had a feeling I’d get along pretty well with that shop owner, so I thought I might start coming by more often.
After all, since the clothes were handmade, she could probably take custom orders, too.
For some reason, today had been full of nothing but pleasant things.
To share the feeling with Minseo, I stopped by a nearby bakery, bought a slice of cake, and headed home.
For some reason, I thought I saw red paint marks on the stairs leading up to my place, but it probably wasn’t important.
Still, if I went inside grinning too much, she’d get suspicious, so I put on a poker face to preserve the surprise.
Then I opened the front door, trying to act casual. As casual as possible.
"Minseo. I’m home. The cake was cheap, so I bought some. Let’s eat it togeth..."
She wasn’t there. Minseo wasn’t there. The Minseo who’d been sleeping on the bed with a goofy smile just before I left for work, even at lunchtime, was gone.
'...What is this? A hidden-camera prank?'
No. It couldn’t be. I desperately tried to push away my growing unease.
Minseo was satisfied with this life. She’d smiled at me as if she were happy.
She’d promised me she wouldn’t even think about dying anymore. There was no way she’d gone out on her own.
I hurried to the window and quickly searched the area around it.
Had someone broken in from outside? Could she have been kidnapped? They couldn’t have come in through the front door. That much was certain.
But there was nothing. The screen was clean, without a single mark. There was no way in from outside.
"No... No. That can’t be... Minseo wouldn’t leave. She’d stay here, with me, laughing and happy together for the rest of our lives..."
My strength gave out, and the cake slipped from my hand.
The box crumpled, and whipped cream splattered across the floor.
The sight only made my anxiety worse, and I began searching the house like a madman.
I checked the closet and under the desk, even moved the bed, and opened the cupboards just in case.
She wasn’t there. Nowhere. Minseo, who was supposed to be here, wasn’t anywhere in this space.
And only after I reached for the bathroom door, which was closed but slightly ajar, and flung it open...
"Ah... Ahh! Aaaaaaaah!"
I could finally let out a scream of anguish.
'What... What on earth went wrong?'
Thud! Thud!
I slammed my head against the floor again and again. I felt a little dizzy, and my forehead seemed to be swelling, but I didn’t stop.
Thud! Thud!
Blood began to seep out. Little by little, the liquid crept into my eyes, stinging them.
Thud! Thud!
And once my strength finally gave out and I collapsed on the floor, I could hear the pounding at the door even more clearly.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Only when I realized the front door was pounding again did I hurry over and open it.
"Hehe... I’m back..."
There stood Minseo, holding the hand of a girl I’d never seen before, dressed in cute clothes and smiling awkwardly at me.