Chapter 34
"There's no more. This is the last bite."
Mmph.
In the end, I found myself in Hyunwoo's arms, eating every bit of cake he offered me.
Partway through, I started feeling like I was the only one eating, so I asked Hyunwoo if he wanted some, too. He said he didn't like cake.
Of course, whenever he stared blankly at the empty fork, I'd make him eat a few bites anyway, even if I had to force him.
Every time, Hyunwoo smiled contentedly, looking so happy that it was honestly pretty creepy to watch.
Even if our relationship had come about under such bizarre circumstances, being held by a male friend and watching him from so close was bad for my mental health.
"Thanks..."
I was honestly surprised by how much I liked the cake.
The strawberries, which I hadn't cared for much before, were tangier than anything, and the whipped cream wasn't nearly as sweet as I'd expected.
It was like eating a perfect dessert, and I couldn't help being impressed.
And once again, thoughts of Hyunwoo's thoughtfulness came to mind, filling my heart.
...He'd probably analyzed my reactions and eating habits over time and thought about what I'd like.
I'd already gotten the sense that he'd figured out my tastes perfectly, starting with this morning's roast chicken.
Was that the experience he'd built up over years of cooking?
As expected, someone aiming to go pro had a different kind of intuition...
"What are you thanking me for? Like I said before, living with you makes me feel like I'm really living, and I like it."
His word choice still felt a little unfamiliar, though.
Hyunwoo never really swore or acted casual and familiar with me.
Since he kept throwing out such direct lines that felt a little cheesy, I didn't know how to feel.
It was as if... rather than saying he liked the feeling of living like a person, he'd said he liked living with me...
Since I wasn't a woman, there was no chance I'd misunderstand him, but if he'd said that to other girls, I bet a few would've gotten the wrong idea.
"...You should say things like that to the girl you like, not me."
I wasn't changing the subject because I was embarrassed.
I was just a little curious about the girl Hyunwoo said he liked.
I wanted to see the face of the person who'd managed to make love bloom in Hyunwoo's heart, so cold and guarded it was like a fortress.
Though if things went any further, I'd have to do everything I could to stop them.
I didn't want Hyunwoo getting arrested for abusing his girlfriend or something.
"Why?"
"I... I don't know. It's just the way you said it. Like, you want to live with me. You're happy. It sounded a little cheesy."
When I simply shared my honest impression, Hyunwoo smiled a little.
...Was he making fun of me?
"Hey... I was being serious..."
"Anyway, hearing that made you feel cherished, right? I'll keep that in mind."
"Well, yeah..."
I felt a little strange seeing Hyunwoo seriously take my feedback to heart.
"But I say this every time, but... isn't it pointless to ask me about that? I'm a guy, so..."
"Is that really something you should say after recommending that I say it to her?"
He'd hit the nail on the head.
I'd only said it because the thought had struck me the moment I heard Hyunwoo say it...
"Ugh... But I guess I had a feeling it might be something she'd like..."
"What? Minseo, like a woman's intuition or something?"
"...Probably not."
As I'd kept reminding myself, I hadn't become a woman on the inside, too.
Even if it was true that I'd gotten smaller, slept more, enjoyed being petted, and started preferring sweets...
My memories and my heart were still exactly those of an adult man; not a thing about them had changed.
"Maybe it's just my sixth sense... or something like that?"
I mean, all sorts of unrealistic things happen, like waking up one morning with your sex changed.
So it wouldn't be too hard to believe this body just had good instincts.
"But when you say that looking like that, Minseo, you sound really jealous."
"......"
What fresh kind of crazy nonsense was that?
I glared at Hyunwoo, my face showing how dumbfounded and incredulous I was.
Just because I looked like this didn't mean I'd actually become a woman.
"I mean, don't little kids get all snippy like this when they're jealous?"
Hyunwoo had started treating me like a kid younger than him.
First a pet... now a little kid. I was starting to wonder if my human rights were being respected at all.
"You know better than anyone that that's not what's going on."
"Do I?"
At Hyunwoo's blatantly teasing attitude, I pressed a hand to my forehead.
Surely he didn't mean that...
He couldn't seriously believe I was jealous of the person who'd stolen Hyunwoo's heart.
I wanted to punch that easygoing smile right off his face.
"Then how would you feel if I started dating her, Minseo?"
"...Sigh."
In the end, I let out a genuine sigh and squirmed a little, slipping out of Hyunwoo's arms.
There was no reason for me to stay in his arms once the cake was gone.
Hyunwoo must've just forgotten he was holding me, because he let me go without a fuss.
To get back at him for teasing me, I slowly walked toward the front door.
"Minseo. Where are you going?"
"I'm leaving because you're gross."
I pretended to grab the doorknob as if I really meant to leave.
Of course, I did wonder if it was a bit much, but Hyunwoo had made up nonsense about my feelings, too, so I could do at least this much...
...?!
"H-Hyunwoo...?"
In an instant, an incomprehensible situation unfolded.
Hyunwoo, who'd been sitting still, seemed to rise, then charged at me as fast as a flash...
"...I'm sorry. I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I won't say anything like that again..."
He shoved me against the wall, then leaned in close, his face right in front of mine, crying.
...What on earth had happened in that short time?
He was reacting this strongly just because I'd said one thing about leaving?
I remembered seeing something similar when I'd run away before, but I'd thought he was over it by now.
Was the idea of me leaving home still a trauma lodged in Hyunwoo's memory...?
Maybe Hyunwoo really did see me as the cat he'd raised...
"I-I'm not going..."
"You're lying... You promised, remember? You said you wouldn't go... Minseo. I was wrong. I really was, so... please don't say you're leaving..."
Hyunwoo pressed his face even closer, like he was about to bite my neck clean off.
The sight of him on all fours, his face pressed against the hollow between my neck and chest, was disturbing—and made me feel guilty.
...Still, you shouldn't trigger someone's trauma, no matter what.
"I'm sorry... I'm not going anywhere."
For now, I just held Hyunwoo's head and slowly stroked the back of it, which was about as big as my torso.
Everything had happened so suddenly that I didn't fully understand what was going on...
But either way, I was the one at fault.
Hff. Hff.
I felt his tense, panting breaths against my neck.
"Hn..."
It tickled a little.
It felt like someone had picked a blade of foxtail grass and was tickling my neck with it.
And the fact that I'd made Hyunwoo this nervous made guilt well up in me all over again.
"Ah...!"
Hyunwoo's hands, which had grabbed both my shoulders at some point, tightened as he squeezed my body hard.
It was the strength of someone pouring every bit of his obsession with not letting me go into his grip.
It wasn't just the feeling of being held; his hands seemed to be crushing me into a tiny bundle so he could keep me in his grasp forever, and it hurt.
He was squeezing me with enough force to crush me, as if he meant to make me small enough to fit in his hands.
"It hurts... It hurts...!"
I started to feel my shoulders twisting little by little.
My own body, which had always felt so familiar and sturdy, seemed to crumble as easily as tofu.
My bones twisted. The pain was so intense, I could believe they were cracking.
At the same time, my collarbones felt compressed, as if his thumbs were slowly crushing them.
Maybe my body wasn't actually being crushed...
"Ghk... H-Hey...! Lee Hyunwoo...! Hyunwoo!"
In the end, all the strength drained from my body, and I sank down...
Then Hyunwoo's weight pushed me farther, pinning me to the floor in a choking position as I screamed his name.
I'm breaking... This really hurts...
I could barely breathe...
"......Ah."
Then I heard a gasp.
Only then did he seem to come back to his senses. He loosened his grip and looked at me with eyes full of fear and anxiety.
Relieved to see the kind Hyunwoo I'd known return, instead of the beast from a moment ago, I let out a shaky breath.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... Minseo. I... What did I do..."
Hyunwoo spread his hands and looked them over as if he'd turned into a monster himself, then wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into a tight hug.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry. I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
He kept repeating apologies, like someone in a panic...
"It's okay. I'm the one who should apologize. I-I'm sorry for teasing you... I'm not going anywhere."
"Really? You really won't? No. Last time you said that, and then you went off by yourself..."
"...Where would I even go if I left this house?"
This wasn't why I'd made that joke.
I felt like I'd gotten nothing out of it.
I really couldn't joke about leaving home with Hyunwoo...
"You're really not going anywhere...? Really?"
At this point, I couldn't tell which of us was supposed to be the kid.
"Yeah. Promise... This is a little embarrassing, too..."
Only after we made a pinky promise, something we'd done back when we were really little, did Hyunwoo's expression finally start to relax.
...No. It relaxed, then quickly began to stiffen again.
"...I'm anxious."
"Huh...?"
"I'm anxious. From now on, let's sleep cuddling every night. Minseo, you sleep on the inside of the bed..."
"......"
If I ever had a son who loved me too much, I wondered if this was what it would feel like.
...But the moment I'd become a woman and started living under Hyunwoo's roof, that future had become as good as impossible.