MTLNOVEL Chapter 20
Chapter 20: The Second Day of the Holiday (2)
—–CROW—–
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When I came out of the shower, Da-Hye was lying down in front of the shoe rack.
Already dressed and wearing her shoes, she grinned at me.
How excited could she be?
She looked like a puppy eager for a walk.
Her wiggling toes resembled a wagging tail.
“Su~ng~Hyeon~ah~ Are you do~ne?”
“Not yet. I still have to do my hair and get changed. Are you really going out like that without even drying your hair?”
“Yep! We’re just going out to play, aren’t we? I’m going like this.”
Da-Hye was wearing a pink character t-shirt and a worn-out tracksuit.
The same outfit she wore when we first met at the cafe.
She probably didn’t have other clothes to choose from, but from experience, I knew she’d look pretty even in that.
But not today.
Today, Park Da-Hye had a special reason to look extra pretty.
Really.
It wasn’t simply because I wanted to see her looking beautiful or try different outfits on her; there was a genuine reason why Da-Hye needed to look her best today.
“I’ll give you some clothes. Let’s change into something else.”
“What clothes? Do you have women’s clothes?”
“Wait a minute.”
I pulled out a brand-new, unopened outfit from the bottom drawer of my closet.
It was a matching tracksuit from a sports brand, lavender dolphin shorts and a matching jacket.
I bought it hoping Soo-Yeon would wear it comfortably in the computer room,
but I never even got to show it to her, and now it was being used like this.
It was a bit sporty for a date outfit, but perfect for a weekend outing.
If Da-Hye wore a white camisole underneath, it would look great on her.
“Change into this.”
“Sung-Hyeon, you really have everything… Are these your girlfriend’s clothes?”
“Girlfriend? What girlfriend?”
“Don’t you have a girlfriend? You have women’s clothes at your place. And two computers.”
“Do you think I’d be living with you if I had a girlfriend? I don’t. I broke up with her a few days ago.”
“You broke up… I’ve been feeling so bad about it. That’s a relief, heehee.”
I was shocked that she’d been thinking that.
It was absurd.
Not only was she thinking about living at a guy’s place who had a girlfriend, but she also asked for a back hug while feeling guilty.
Park Da-Hye, the woman who went straight for what she wanted.
She really didn’t think things through.
While Da-Hye went to change, I chose my outfit.
As I said before, there was a reason why Da-Hye needed to look extra pretty today.
And the same applied to me.
I usually dressed sloppily on weekends, but today, I needed to make an effort.
What should I wear?
Something casual to match Da-Hye’s outfit… Let’s see.
Gray wide-legged joggers, a lavender sweatshirt, and white sneakers similar to Da-Hye’s would be good.
I’d style my hair up.
After getting dressed, I realized we were wearing similar colors; someone might mistake us for a couple.
Again, this wasn’t because I was excited; it was a necessary measure.
When I came out, Da-Hye, already changed, was standing by the door.
*Wow.*
I barely managed to suppress my exclamation.
I knew she’d look good in it since she looked beautiful even in worn-out clothes, but…
This was… something else.
She looked like she was in slow motion again.
She had her hands in her pockets, looking towards the veranda, then slowly turned to face me.
The hem of her dolphin shorts fluttered in the breeze.
Her shimmering shoulder peeked out from beneath the jacket.
The most striking thing was her snow-white skin.
Her legs, exposed all the way to her ankles because of the short shorts, were… how should I describe it?
The combination of her natural skin tone and her shut-in lifestyle made them look almost like LED lights.
Dazzling.
“How is it? Does it suit me?”
“Should I be honest?”
“Yes!”
“You look incredibly beautiful.”
“Whoa.”
Her playful expression instantly turned bright red.
Even Da-Hye probably didn’t expect that kind of answer.
I was just as embarrassed to say such a thing.
But I couldn’t help it today.
Just like how Da-Hye needed to look beautiful, I needed to shower her with compliments about her appearance.
Embarrassed, Da-Hye fiddled with her bangs.
Then she noticed my outfit and said with a bright smile,
“Wow, Sung-Hyeon, you’re wearing lavender too! Are we matching? Your hair looks cool today, too!”
“Matching? This is more like camouflage. Shall we go?”
“Yes! Let’s go! I’m hungry.”
“Did you put on sunscreen?”
“No? I just put on the lotion you gave me.”
“You’re telling me you usually only wear lotion?”
Oh dear. There was another pitfall.
Even middle school boys wore moisturizer these days; a twenty-year-old girl going out with just men’s lotion?
Well, I’d already decided to support Da-Hye until she could stand on her own two feet. Since things had turned out this way, it would be best to start by helping her with skincare.
And her hair, too.
Da-Hye’s hair was naturally fine and pretty, but up close, I could see split ends.
But skincare and haircare weren’t my areas of expertise…
I needed help.
Someone came to mind.
“Da-Hye, would you mind if we met someone else today?”
“Huh… I wanted to hang out just the two of us. Who are we meeting?”
“My older sister.”
“You have a sister? An older sister?”
“Yeah, my older sister. You don’t have to meet her if you don’t want to.”
“No, I want to! I’m really curious about Sung-Hyeon’s sister!”
“Great. Then let’s meet her before we come back, after we eat and have some fun.”
“Okay!”
“Hurry up and put on some sunscreen. You’ll get sunburned; it’s a beautiful day.”
When I handed her the sunscreen, Da-Hye’s face lit up with mischief again.
She closed her eyes, tilted her head up, and said,
“Put it on for me~.”
“Oh, really? Just because we hugged for a bit, you think you can ask for anything? You’re mistaken. I’m not an easy man.”
“Hey, I granted your wish for free, can’t you do this much for me?”
She was being sly, bringing that up now.
I should draw the line here, with this last favor.
We were going to live together now; we needed to set some ground rules.
“…Then this is the last time. I’m never doing this again. No more physical contact.”
“You’re so stingy, Kwon Sung-Hyeon. Especially since you don’t even have a girlfriend.”
“That’s *why* I’m saying this, you dummy. Back hugs are for people who are dating. And now that we’re living together, we need to be more careful. No more physical contact!”
“Ugh…”
Before Da-Hye could complain further, I quickly dabbed sunscreen on her face and rubbed it in.
So soft. Youth was a wonderful thing.
Her skin, which had only ever known lotion, was as bouncy as a max-level slime.
It was fun to touch.
“All done. Let’s go.”
“Okay! I’m riding the Sung-Hyeon bus today!”
“Alright, leave today’s date to me! Kwon Sung-Hyeon bus departing!”
“Let’s go!”
**
We didn’t need a car or a bus today.
There was a fashion district a short walk away, full of restaurants and shops, perfect for a day out.
Just across the street was a park with a canal, also great for spending a weekend afternoon.
It was only a ten-minute walk.
Da-Hye seemed to be enjoying her rare outing; her steps were light and bouncy.
She would occasionally skip ahead of me, then turn around and run back to my side.
Whenever she saw a dog being walked, she’d crouch down and pet it for a while.
She seemed to be having a lot of fun.
Playing games all day was nice, but it was good that we came out.
As expected, the fashion district was crowded, being a weekend with beautiful weather.
I glanced at Da-Hye’s expression.
She was very talkative back in the apartment complex, but she’d been silent since we got here.
There it was.
Her expression had hardened, as expected.
“Da-Hye.”
“Uh… yeah! Sung-Hyeon, what?”
“Are you okay?”
“With what?”
“You don’t look so good. Do you want to go somewhere else if you don’t like the crowds?”
“No! I was just lost in thought for a second. I’m fine!”
No, she wasn’t. She looked incredibly uncomfortable.
Da-Hye had great focus.
Once she concentrated on something, she became completely oblivious to her surroundings.
It was like that when I was explaining the menu at the cafe and when we were talking at the bar.
But when her focus broke?
I’d noticed it when she first entered the cafe, and when we moved to the second and third locations…
Da-Hye struggled to be around crowds.
The moment her attention shifted away from me, her expression would harden, and she’d become extremely tense.
Just like now.
If she was this uncomfortable just entering a cafe, this crowded street must be overwhelming.
I understood how she felt.
Six years ago, when I was cooped up in my tiny room, I felt the same way.
After being confined to my own space for so long, I always felt like an outsider in crowded places.
*This isn’t where I belong. I don’t belong here.*
Trapped in a self-made prison, I felt alienated.
I was okay back then, but Da-Hye couldn’t be like that.
It was too sad for her to consider herself an outsider at twenty, the most beautiful age, the age when she should be the protagonist of her own life.
I led Da-Hye to the very center of the fashion district entrance.
I opened the camera app and said,
“Da-Hye, look here. Let’s take a picture.”
“Huh? Here?”
“You have a picture from when we first met, right? Don’t you want a picture from our first date?”
“Oh, I really do! Let’s take one!”
“Then look here~. Okay, ready?”
*Click!*
“Done. Da-Hye, look at the picture.”
“Uh, okay…”
Her eyes widened as she looked at the photo.
In the picture, we were smiling brightly at the camera, looking perfectly at home in this bustling street.
Da-Hye, with her radiant white skin, looked especially stunning, like an Instagram influencer.
This was why Da-Hye needed to look beautiful today.
When you lose confidence in a crowd, the best way to regain it is to dress up.
Especially for women; it’s like a 10x buff.
And if I added some sweet talk, the effect would be even greater.
“You’re the prettiest person here today, right? Don’t you think so?”
“Huh?”
“See? I can’t see anyone else but you. You’re the most beautiful person in this whole street today. I guarantee it.”
As expected. This was the right answer.
The anxiety in her expression melted away, replaced by happiness.
Her bright smile brought back her usual cheerfulness.
That’s it.
This was the real Da-Hye, the woman who went straight for what she wanted.
Seeing that expression boosted my confidence.
Perhaps I could do more for Da-Hye than I thought.
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—–CROW—–
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