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Chapter 147: Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat

Chapter 147



She looked like a fairy.


That was Yoon Si-woo's thought as he watched Scarlet, dressed in a pure white dress, riding a pure white unicorn and smiling while waving to the crowd.


The idea of her resembling a fairy was partly due to her appearance, but more so because of the expression on her face.


Although fairies had long since vanished from the world, they were said to have maintained a childlike nature no matter how old they became.


And in Scarlet's smile, there was an innocence so pure that Yoon Si-woo couldn’t help but think that if fairies still existed, they would smile just like that—like a pure, untainted child expressing genuine joy.


It was an enchanting smile, one that exuded the feeling of unspoiled childhood innocence, pure and unfiltered joy.


Even though Yoon Si-woo thought he had seen many different expressions from Scarlet, he realized this was the first time he had ever seen her smile like this. He engraved that image deep into his memory, thinking to himself that she could smile like that.


Just seeing her smile like that made the visit to the zoo worth it.


Of course, he also wished that she would exercise a bit more restraint in certain situations.


After all, wasn’t there a common sense that any person would know?


He hoped she understood that when a young woman in her prime smiles like that while riding a unicorn, it would naturally attract men.


And the task of getting rid of those men would fall entirely on him.


…So, he quietly swallowed the desire to see that smile reserved only for him, away from others.


After spending time fending off the men who were eyeing her, he finally managed to pull her away from the crowd and scolded her.


He told her to be careful because it could lead to trouble.


To which she apologized, saying she would be more careful next time, but she also replied in a slightly defensive tone.


“…Well, it was my first time. Riding and even seeing a unicorn.”


When she mentioned that it was her first time, Yoon Si-woo couldn’t help but reflect.


“Your first time… Of course, it would be…”


As she said, everything would be a first for her.


At times, she seemed clueless or lacking in common sense, but that was understandable.


She might look like an ordinary girl, but the life she had lived was far from ordinary.


He recalled her excited expression when they arrived at the zoo for the first time and the joyful smile she had while riding the unicorn.


For her, this world was likely full of first experiences.


Yoon Si-woo felt a mix of sympathy and a sense of duty settling in his heart.


“…Hey, I know I just told you to be careful, but when you’re with me, it’s okay to do whatever you want. Don’t worry about other people.”


“…But that could lead to trouble.”


“Even if trouble comes, I’ll take care of it. So, Scarlet, if there’s anything you want to do, just do it and enjoy yourself. Got it?”


And with those words, he thought to himself.


He wanted to give her more firsts.


He wanted to show her more new things.


So that she could smile like she did today, even more often.


*


"My goal today is to touch every animal I can!"


When asked if there was anything she wanted to do, Scarlet exclaimed with a face full of excitement.


Laughing at how much she genuinely liked animals, Yoon Si-woo headed with her towards the area where other animals were located.


Thinking that since animals are known to follow kind-hearted people, he would surely see her happy face.


But Yoon Si-woo quickly realized how naive that thought was after several hours of sightseeing.


“…Why, why are they all avoiding me?”


As they roamed around, they eventually reached Cat Town, a famous spot among cat lovers. Yoon Si-woo broke into a cold sweat as he watched Scarlet, who was kneeling in despair as if she had lost the world.


He never imagined she would be someone who animals avoided to this extent…


He desperately wanted to comfort her, but it wasn’t easy.


“…You’re lucky. Animals follow you well. Ugh, I want to hold a cat too…”


Yoon Si-woo couldn’t help but smile bitterly at Scarlet’s envious gaze as she looked at him with cats clinging to him.


While she was the exact opposite of someone who animals wouldn’t follow at all, he, on the other hand, seemed to attract animals wherever he went, which made him feel a bit uneasy since earlier.


He would have preferred if the animals had followed her, like with the unicorn earlier…


Just to test it, he handed her one of the cats clinging to him, but as soon as she reached out her hand, the cat was startled and quickly fled.


Seeing this, Scarlet made a hurt expression but soon forced a smile as if trying to show she was okay and murmured,


“If I stay here, it seems like they won’t like it. I’ll go out first. Take your time playing with the cats.”


As she said that and left Cat Town, Yoon Si-woo let out a sigh as he watched her back.


They came here to give her a fun experience, but at this rate, today would only remain a sad memory for her.


He glanced at the cats clinging to him with a hint of resentment, but even under his resentful gaze, they continued to cling to him, purring contentedly, which made Yoon Si-woo eventually relax and let out a sigh.


There was no point in blaming the cats.


Right now, the priority was finding a way to cheer Scarlet up.


As he was trying to remove the cats from his body and brainstorming for a good idea, Yoon Si-woo remembered there was a souvenir shop near the entrance.


He vaguely recalled seeing stuffed cats for sale when they entered.


Since she said she wanted to hold a cat, wouldn’t hugging a stuffed one help lighten her mood?


That thought crossed his mind briefly, but a sense of unease quickly followed, worrying that he might make her feel worse instead.


What if he gave her the stuffed toy and she responded with something like, ‘So you’re saying that while you got to play with real cats, I should just hug this toy? Are you teasing me?’


As he was agonizing over it, Lucy, who had been watching him, spoke up.


[From what I can see, she wouldn’t take it the wrong way just because you gave her a stuffed toy, so don’t worry too much.]


Even after Lucy’s reassurance, Yoon Si-woo still hesitated, lacking confidence, so Lucy tried to reassure him again.


[You’ve been watching her all this time, haven’t you? You know she’s not the type of person who would take offense to a gift given out of consideration.]


Hearing Lucy’s words, Yoon Si-woo nodded.


Indeed, Scarlet wasn’t the kind of person who would get angry at a gift meant to cheer her up.


With Lucy’s encouragement, Yoon Si-woo quickly ran to the souvenir shop and picked up a stuffed cat.


As he thought to himself that he hoped this would cheer her up, Lucy spoke with a smile.


[By the way, Si-woo, you seem to have grown a bit. You’ve learned to pick out gifts while thinking about someone else. Compared to before, don’t you think you’ve become a bit more of a fine man?]


Blushing at Lucy’s words, Yoon Si-woo was paying for the stuffed toy when he noticed something else next to the counter and widened his eyes.


Without thinking, he picked it up and handed it to the cashier, saying,


“Um… I’ll take this too.”


“Oh, are you talking about the cat ears headband? We have it in white and black. Which one would you like?”


“…Both.”


…After all, it was just a souvenir.


He definitely didn’t buy the cat ears for Scarlet because he wanted to see her wearing them.


As Yoon Si-woo mumbled that to himself in an attempt to rationalize his actions, Lucy sighed and remarked,


["...I take back what I said earlier. Ah, men will be men."]


‘...It was just a souvenir.’


["So, were you also debating which would suit her better, the white ones or the black ones?"]


‘...’


Though his face briefly flushed with embarrassment, Yoon Si-woo deliberately ignored Lucy’s sigh and stepped out of Cat Town, where he spotted Scarlet sitting on a bench waiting for him.


“...Why did you come out so soon? You should’ve stayed longer with the cats.”


“Well, um... it’s just...”


Feeling embarrassed to face her, especially with the items he’d just bought in mind, Yoon Si-woo hesitated but eventually made up his mind and took the stuffed toy out of the bag, handing it to Scarlet.


Scarlet stared blankly at the toy before looking at him and murmuring,


“...A stuffed toy?”


“I know it’s not the same as a real cat, but... um, don’t get the wrong idea! I’m not teasing you! It’s just that you looked really disappointed...”


Fearing she might misunderstand his intentions as teasing, he urgently explained himself. Thankfully, his desperation to cheer her up seemed to work, as a small smile appeared on Scarlet’s lips.


“...Thank you. I feel a bit better now. I’ll treasure this.”


“...Really? I’m glad you feel better...”


Though a bit embarrassed, he couldn’t help but feel his own lips curl into a smile as he watched her hold the stuffed toy close. The fact that she said she would cherish his gift made him so happy.


As he praised himself for having the courage to buy the gift, the tension in him began to ease. But just as he relaxed, Scarlet suddenly snatched the shopping bag from his hand.


“Ah, w-wait! I’ll carry it since it’s a stuffed toy!”


As Yoon Si-woo stood there dumbfounded, watching Scarlet open the shopping bag as if to put the toy away, he suddenly remembered what else was inside that bag and shouted urgently.


But it was already too late.


“What’s this? A headband?”


“I-It’s just a souvenir! Just a souvenir!”


Desperately trying to explain himself, he shouted, but the moment Scarlet looked at him with a meaningful gaze, his mind went blank.


The intense embarrassment of having his hidden desire discovered by the last person he wanted to know made him inwardly despair, thinking, ‘...Should I just end it all?’


But then, Scarlet burst into laughter and put on the black cat ears headband.


“...Huh?”


Scarlet with cat ears, something he had only imagined.


Seeing it in reality was even cuter than he had imagined, and Yoon Si-woo couldn’t help but utter a foolish sound without realizing it.


“What do you mean, ‘Huh?’ Here, since this is yours, I’ll put it on you.”


Scarlet smiled and placed the remaining white headband on his head.


“Dummy, this is a total bust as a souvenir. You won’t have any use for a headband like this at home, and you can’t display it like a stuffed toy. These are only meant to be worn in places like this. So, if you don’t wear it now, it’s just a waste of money, right?”


Though Yoon Si-woo nodded blankly in agreement with Scarlet’s words, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.


While he was still in a daze, Scarlet suddenly had his phone in her hand.


Holding his phone, Scarlet placed one arm around his shoulder, standing on her toes as if she was getting ready to take a picture.


The warmth he felt from the touch.


The pleasant, unidentifiable scent wafting from her so close.


The dizziness caused by all of this.


“Okay, I’m taking the picture. Smile.”


Even though she told him to smile, Yoon Si-woo wasn’t sure if he actually smiled properly.


When she checked the picture and laughed softly, Yoon Si-woo received his phone back and stared blankly at the screen.


The once empty background was now replaced with a photo of himself looking dazed, while beside him, Scarlet smiled with her arm around his shoulder.


At that moment, Yoon Si-woo realized something.


Just like his phone’s background had changed, so had he.


Now that this moment was imprinted in his memory, he knew he could never go back to the way things were when he was alone.


As he stared at the picture, she spoke.


“If you want to remember today, a photo is better than a souvenir. You can recall the memory every time you look at it.”


Yoon Si-woo thought to himself as he listened to her words.


Even if he hadn’t taken a picture, he wouldn’t have forgotten this moment.


“Since you gave me a gift, consider this my return gift.”


“...Yes. I’ll treasure it, treasure it dearly.”


But still, he knew that this photo would now become one of his most cherished possessions.


Because he was certain that this memory would become one of the most unforgettable moments of his life.


Yoon Si-woo smiled brightly, completely sure of that.


At least until he heard Scarlet’s cat impression.


“For example, like this. Nyaa~. You should add ‘nya’ at the end of your sentences, nya.”


That was just too unfair.


Even after he escaped by claiming he was going to get a drink, he had to struggle for a long time to calm his pounding heart.


...It feels like I’ve developed a new preference because of Scarlet.


As he muttered that to himself, Yoon Si-woo thought,


It was an intense day I’ll never forget in many ways.


But, for sure, it’ll remain a day I remember as a happy one.


At least until that moment, he thought so.


---------------------


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