Chapter 53
First up was a clothing store Hyunwoo led me into.
It looked like a proper kidswear brand, with all kinds of clothes on display in a fairly spacious building.
"Welcome! ...Oh! Aren't you the customer from last time?"
As we went inside, a female employee with a kind, friendly smile came walking over to us.
She recognized Hyunwoo, then looked at me and stopped in her tracks.
"Is this the little sister you told me about? Wow! Wow! So cute! You look just like a doll! Hi there!"
"...Hello."
"Are you shy? You're so cute..."
The woman came uncomfortably close and spoke to me in a very friendly way.
I was naturally the quiet type, so this kind of thing felt really difficult for me.
Jimin had been fine, at least, since they’d approached me slowly and with such care and consideration...
But this woman’s way of coming on to me felt a lot like Hyuna’s...
Of course, unlike with Hyuna, I didn’t feel repulsed or uncomfortable, but it was still a lot to handle.
"......"
In the end, I decided to slip behind Hyunwoo, someone I could trust, and wait to see what happened.
Honestly, just being in a store this childish—with the salespeople, the clothes, and even the decor—made me feel a little guilty.
Hyunwoo, on the other hand, was handsome and kind-looking to begin with, so he’d probably look perfectly natural buying something here...
But I didn’t think I’d ever get used to a place like this.
"My little sister is very shy."
"It seems that way. Cute, though."
"We came to look for some clothes that would suit her. We'll have a look around for a bit."
"Sure. Just call me if you need anything."
Hyunwoo immediately caught on to what I wanted, shielding me and saving me from the pressure of all that kindness.
Only after the saleswoman returned to the counter could I come out from behind Hyunwoo.
"......"
From across the store, the saleswoman smiled at me and waved.
Even from this distance, ignoring her didn’t seem polite, so I gave her a little wave back.
Though I didn’t smile.
"Hyun... Oppa, have you been here before?"
I was curious since the conversation had gone more smoothly than I’d expected, and the saleswoman seemed to know Hyunwoo, so I asked him.
Even though I’d almost blown our siblings act right at the start by calling him by his name...
I corrected myself fast enough, so we’re in the clear, right?
"Oh. The clothes you're wearing now are from here. The socks and panties, too."
"Pan...! Can't you just call them underwear here...?"
"Why? You called them panties yourself."
"We're outside...! Outside!"
Even though Hyunwoo and I were comfortable enough with each other to speak freely, I was embarrassed by such blunt talk with other people around.
I was annoyed with Hyunwoo for loudly broadcasting that, so I went over and whispered it to him, but he just repeated it louder.
It was only after I explained that it was because we were out in public that he nodded, looking a little confused.
...This body is really sensitive to feelings like embarrassment, too...
I wish Hyunwoo would be a little more considerate about things like that.
He’s better than me at picking up on subtle changes, but when it comes to emotions, he’s so dense...
"Sigh..."
I sighed.
Maybe she’d heard our conversation, too, because the saleswoman watching us seemed to be smiling even more broadly.
Her bright smile made me feel as if she’d seen something embarrassing, and I could feel my face heating up.
I mean, what was there to be embarrassed about...?
"...I love you."
Hyunwoo came over and whispered sweetly in my ear, just as I’d done to him before.
I knew he meant it as an apology, but did he really have to lower his voice and speak so sweetly right when I was embarrassed? His voice was so gentle.
A ticklish feeling lingered in one corner of my chest, and it became a little hard to breathe.
Thankfully, he pulled away right away, so I didn’t have to start breathing heavily.
"Minseo. Do you see anything you like?"
Hyunwoo naturally changed the subject and eased the tension.
He really was impressive in that regard.
"Hmm... I'm not sure..."
"Really?"
"There aren't any pants, and everything looks a little... um, childish..."
Even after looking around the whole store, I couldn’t see any pants in particular.
Everything seemed to be skirts with fruit prints or character designs—clothes that looked way too young and childish.
It was hard to believe this was the same store that had sold me the clothes I was wearing now. The difference in atmosphere was that big.
"It kind of... looks like they didn't put much effort into it..."
It was rude of me to say so, but the quality was different, and it felt like they were deliberately making the clothes clumsy despite being capable of making better ones.
In short, I wasn’t impressed.
Even less than I was with the maid outfit I had on now.
ㅡ Bang!
"Eek...?!"
Just then, the saleswoman, who’d been sitting by the counter, abruptly stood up and slammed her palm down on the desk.
Maybe she’d heard what I said, because the saleswoman strode over to us again.
What should I do...? Maybe she got mad because I said they looked like they hadn't put in any effort...?
"S-sorry..."
"So... you can tell?"
"Huh...?"
But the saleswoman crouched down to meet my eyes, looking a little surprised instead.
"You need cute, pretty clothes, right? Like what you're wearing now."
"Y-yes? No, not to that extent..."
"We have lots of clothes like that behind that door. Want to take a look in there?"
The saleswoman clasped both my hands and spoke with a serious expression, pointing toward the staff-room door.
Judging by its location, it looked like a storage room...
But I had no intention of looking at or buying more embarrassing clothes like these, so I was going to apologize and turn her down...
"Minseo. Let's go in."
"...Huh?"
But Hyunwoo took my hand and led me inside before I could refuse.
...I don't want to buy more embarrassing clothes like this!
"We put a lot of work into all the clothes in here, but no one buys them, so we keep them back here. Take a look."
"Oh... These clothes are pretty nice."
It felt like they were both grinning away at each other and showing me some kind of dangerous backroom deal, leaving me out of it...
Both of them had smiles that were needlessly serious and sinister.
Besides, these clothes didn’t look like they were in great condition.
It wasn’t a matter of quality. They were all costumes...
"Would it be okay if I had my little sister try one on?"
"Sure. You can decide after she tries them on. We don't have a fitting room, though, so you'll have to turn around."
Did I really have no say in whether I tried them on?
I sighed to myself at my miserable situation.
"I'm her older brother, so it's fine. I can help her change, too..."
"...Oppa, you turn around too. I'll change by myself."
I cut Hyunwoo off before he could keep talking, afraid that if I listened any longer, I’d end up having to put on a public changing show in front of them both.
What do you mean, it's fine? I'm embarrassed...
If I weren’t, I’d already be changing in front of Hyunwoo at home...
Regardless of whether we were the same gender, the fact that he was another person was already a hard no for this body’s sense of modesty.
"More importantly, it doesn't look like there are any normal clothes..."
I had to admit the quality was good. They were all made just as well as the maid outfit.
But none of them seemed like clothes meant for a little kid.
At the mild end, there was something that looked like a sailor uniform... and at the extreme end, even a bunny-girl costume.
I had to wonder who on earth made clothes like these, and why they were selling them.
And the one at the very end isn't even clothes. Why are there cat ears and a tail? How do you even wear those...?
This place is scary. Seriously scary.
"Minseo. Want to try this one on?"
"...They had something like this?"
While I was trembling in fear, Hyunwoo took one of the outfits hanging on the wall and held it out to me.
It was mostly yellow and reminded me of a little chick.
On top of that, there was a hat resting over the top of the hanger, making the one-piece outfit set look even more bizarre.
...That's obviously a kindergarten uniform, right? I can't believe they actually make these...
"I'm not wearing it... Absolutely not."
I scrunched up my face and made it clear I was refusing, and Hyunwoo gave me a strange look.
He almost looked a little disappointed... No, surely not?
The moment I put it on, I was pretty much guaranteed to be teased about it for the rest of my life.
I’d been following right behind Hyunwoo, but did he think I hadn’t noticed him discreetly opening his camera app earlier?
"Even kindergartens don't dress kids in those anymore, so no one buys them... And they're not even that cute."
Maybe she was trying to help me, because the saleswoman watching us matter-of-factly explained to Hyunwoo that the kindergarten uniform wasn’t all that great.
...Thank goodness. Surely he wouldn’t insist on making me wear it after she’d said that much.
The clothes were a little strange, but at least the saleswoman seemed more or less normal...
"How about something like this instead? It's a Santa outfit..."
I was a fool to think that.
How could not a single person here be normal?
A Santa outfit? Were my eyes deceiving me? How could that be a Santa outfit when it was cut so low it showed my collarbones, left my shoulders bare, and barely covered half my thighs?
They were just adult costumes made smaller...
Why was this stuff in a kidswear brand?
They did make it well, though...!
"Oh..."
"What's with the 'Oh'... Oppa, let's just go..."
I was afraid that if we stayed any longer, Hyunwoo would be fooled by that fake salesclerk, that scam artist, and buy it, so I grabbed his arm and dragged him out.
"W-wait! There's more besides that! There's a bunny-girl outfit, too...!"
"......"
The saleswoman called out to us loudly, even giving examples as she desperately tried to stop us.
Thanks to that, I could leave without feeling guilty.
"The Santa outfit seemed pretty nice, though..."
ㅡ Whack!
"Gah...?! Hey, Minseo...! What are you..."
Hyunwoo still hadn’t come to his senses and was spouting nonsense.
I got annoyed and kicked him in the shin.
"I hate that store... I'm never going back..."
After catching a glimpse of the abyss, even the clothes I was wearing now felt disgusting. I wanted to take them off.
But I couldn't walk down the street naked, so I'd just have to put up with them until we got home...