A Savior for Just One Person

"I just want to go home..."

Hyunwoo had gone to the trouble of saying he'd buy me new clothes, so I'd come along, but...

Actually, now that I think about it, maybe it was my fault for not realizing something was off when the clothes Hyunwoo bought were so embarrassing to wear.

Knowing Hyunwoo... he'd probably bought them without caring what other people would think or even checking the size, just deciding the design looked fine.

He seemed pretty oblivious and free of preconceptions about things like that.

Still, that chick-themed kindergarten uniform earlier was really beyond the pale...

I never thought the maid outfit would look like a godsend.

"The brand name alone gave me a bad feeling. Sigh..."

"...Minseo."

As I sighed and grumbled to myself, Hyunwoo spoke to me with a grave expression.

Had he finally realized what he'd done wrong?

I had a lot I wanted to say, but if I started talking first, I felt like I'd get a little emotional, so I held myself back.

"What...?"

"But don't you think the sailor uniform at the end might be okay...? As everyday clothes..."

"......"

For a moment, I felt harsh words rise all the way to my throat.

I barely managed to swallow them back down and stared straight into Hyunwoo's eyes.

He looked at me with a steady, unwavering gaze, acting as though there was nothing strange about what he'd said.

Was he serious...? Did Hyunwoo genuinely think that was okay?

Sure, in terms of how little skin it showed, it might have been the most normal outfit out of all of them...

But by my standards, seeing a little kid who looked about elementary-school age wearing a cosplay sailor uniform would be shocking in its own way, wouldn't it?

And it wouldn't even fit... There was only one of each outfit.

So I had nothing more to say to Hyunwoo, who was spouting that kind of nonsense.

"I want to go home. Forget it. I think I have enough clothes without buying more."

The maid outfit I was wearing now might be okay to wear indoors once in a while... I mean, only when both outfits Jimin gave me happened to be in the wash.

When I thought about it, it wasn't as if I had any reason to go outside anyway.

Which also meant there was no need to stock up on a lot of clothes.

"But we haven't been out in so long. Weren't you looking forward to it?"

"I was, but..."

"Want to go somewhere fun? There's a café or karaoke place. I heard escape rooms and comic cafés are popular, too."

When I said I wanted to go back, Hyunwoo rattled off a list of what looked like the popular spots around here.

I couldn't help letting out a small laugh at how he seemed even more excited about going out than I was.

He knew so much about these places and had plenty of chances to go out, so I didn't know why he was so eager to go now.

"Hmm..."

Of course, Hyunwoo's desperate sales pitch did sway me a little, so I gave it some thought.

It was true, I didn't know when I'd get another chance to come out, and I did want to enjoy the fresh air while I could...

But if we went to the places Hyunwoo mentioned, there'd be a lot of people, and that would probably just wear me out.

And having to call Hyunwoo Oppa over and over was exhausting, too.

"Then let's just grab something to drink to go, and head somewhere else."

"Huh? Well... okay."

The best compromise I could think of was to stop by a café for drinks, then wander around somewhere quiet instead of staying here.

My wounds hadn't completely healed yet, but...

The river I'd tried to jump into back then really was beautiful.

I was hoping that if I walked along the river and chatted with Hyunwoo, I'd feel a little better.

I thought any trauma that might come up would be manageable as long as I kept holding Hyunwoo's hand tightly, like I was now.

"Let's go!"

Now that we'd decided, I took Hyunwoo's hand and led him along.

I wanted to get away from here, and I wanted to enjoy a quiet walk with Hyunwoo.

With a caramel macchiato in Hyunwoo's hand and iced tea in mine, we walked toward the riverside.

"By the way, why'd you get that? Do you like sweet stuff too, Hyunwoo?"

I asked sincerely, since I couldn't remember ever seeing Hyunwoo eat anything sweet.

I mean, ever since I became this body, I'd liked sweet things, so I'd chosen iced tea, but Hyunwoo had barely touched even the cake last time...

"...I thought you might want to try something different. This seemed like the least heavy option."

"You didn't have to..."

Even out here, all he was thinking about was me.

I didn't exactly dislike it, and inside, my heart felt warm enough to bring a smile to my face, but...

I couldn't just smile when I also wanted him to pay a little more attention to himself.

Looking at it like that, the drink's soft, slightly brownish color, with its milky tones, did make it look smooth, sweet, and delicious.

It looked so tasty that I couldn't bring myself to declare I wouldn't ask for even a sip.

"...Let's go!"

Without saying any of that out loud, I grabbed Hyunwoo's arm again and urged him to pick up the pace.

Since Hyunwoo was so much bigger than me, he didn't budge at all, so it was a struggle to pull his arm against my chest and drag him along.

For some reason, he stared at me with a dazed expression, drooled like an idiot, then came to his senses and started walking.

Sometimes Hyunwoo acts like such an idiot, and I have no idea why.

"R-right! We should go. Yeah."

"What were you thinking about?"

"Um... I was thinking how soft and squishy it feels when you hug me."

Hyunwoo said something blatantly insane with a slightly mischievous expression.

Then I found myself flustered by the calm way he reached out and stroked my head.

Hyunwoo was the type who would never normally say things like that.

I could easily tell he was joking.

"......"

The only problem was that this simple body of mine was starting to feel a little happier because of what he was doing.

This body seemed to love being praised and feel happy whenever someone patted its head, no matter the situation.

Of course, considering how Hyuna's praise had only made me feel worse, there seemed to be something special about Hyunwoo's words.

Maybe it was because I wanted to think of Hyunwoo as special, since he had saved me.

Perhaps I recognized Hyunwoo as a godlike being, and felt happy receiving even things that barely counted as praise as a blessing.

I was that broken and fragile now.

ㅡ Kiss.

Feeling my face grow hot at Hyunwoo's light kiss, I reminded myself once again.

The feelings I had for him definitely weren't ordinary.

Even if they hadn't reached the point of love... they belonged to some category a little different from friendship.

Was it fanaticism...? After having such a hard time that I'd given up on life myself, had I made my feelings special by assigning meaning to Hyunwoo just so I could force myself to keep living?

I didn't know. Human emotions were so fickle; I could twist them to suit myself, but when I tried to figure out exactly what they were, I couldn't narrow them down to a category.

If it turned out to be empty fanaticism and obsessive love, would I lose myself? Was that why my instincts were forcibly rejecting the thought?

It felt as if my emotions were blurring my own perception, making me mistake them for love or friendship.

ㅡ Squeeze.

Well, in truth, thinking about it deeply wouldn't change anything.

It was too difficult to define these feelings just yet, so for now, I would simply enjoy the happiness Hyunwoo gave me.

I let go of his arm and clasped Hyunwoo's hand tightly once more.

This time, because I didn't want to let go.

I squeezed Hyunwoo's hand as if promising I would never let him go, expressing that he wasn't the only one who was special to me.

Though my strength was so feeble compared to Hyunwoo's that he probably couldn't feel it.

But that was enough.

I would keep staying by Hyunwoo's side, letting him protect me and doing my best to repay his kindness, so there was nothing more I needed to explain.

"Minseo, I don't really know this area well. Could we walk a little slower?"

"Yeah..."

"I don't want us to get separated and end up lost, so I'd better hold your hand tight, Minseo. Right?"

"......"

Besides, Hyunwoo was strangely perceptive about the most unnecessary things.

I couldn't tell whether he'd said that by chance or had read my actions and tailored his words to me, but to me, they melted in like the sweetest sugar.

ㅡ Slurp.

I took a sip of my iced tea to wet my throat, which was burning for no good reason.

The taste grew sweeter, as if it were speaking for how I felt right now.

But at the same time, it was so overwhelmingly sweet and cold that I felt myself losing touch with reality.

As if I were lost in a fantasy, seeing only the reality I wanted to see.

Rather than this iced tea, made of nothing but lies, the caramel macchiato in Hyunwoo's hand—with its touch of bitterness and warmth—began to look more appealing.

"Hyunwoo. Can I... have just one sip of that...?"

"Of course. I bought it so we could share."

In the end, I couldn't hold back and started pestering him again, and Hyunwoo offered me his drink as though he'd been waiting for me to ask.

Just as I expected, it had a milky richness and the smooth sweetness of caramel, along with a comforting warmth I couldn't taste in my own drink.

And so I became sure once more.

Hyunwoo really was one of the few messiahs who might be able to save me in a tangible way.

For Hyunwoo's sake, I decided to share the faith and prayers I had to offer.

The cool, clean sweetness of 'ideal' itself.

"Since I had a sip of yours... you should try my iced tea too, Hyunwoo!"

"...It's refreshing. Tastes good."