Heichi’s criteria for distinguishing between beautiful and not beautiful things is vague. And it’s not just Heichi—if you brought any esper from Epsilon, they’d be similar.
Well, the only thing Epsilon’s espers think is beautiful is their own guide.
When they meet their partner guide, they don’t care whether the other person is a shabby old woman, a newborn baby, or even a brainless Korogolian. From the moment they recognize the other person as their guide, the only beautiful thing for that esper is that guide alone.
For that reason, Heichi honestly said that Lee Heewoo was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen. It was a truth without a single lie. But Lee Heewoo turned his face bright red at the compliment, then bowed his head so deeply his chin touched his neck. Because of that, Lee Heewoo’s face became hard to see, so the frustrated Heichi asked curiously.
“Why are you doing that?”
“That’s, well… Usually on Earth, you don’t call a man pretty…”
“Is that so. Then you are the most beautiful.”
“We don’t say beautiful to men either…”
When he said that no matter what flowery words he attached they were all wrong, Heichi, lacking in expressive ability, closed his mouth for a moment. Then after thinking a bit more, he spoke carefully.
“It suits you well. Very much so.”
“Re, really? This… does it, suit me well?”
This time it seemed he’d complimented properly, as Lee Heewoo’s shoulders bounced. He spoke to Heichi in a soft voice with a fluffy smile.
“I, I’ve never worn clothes like this before… But they’re really warm, and fluffy… I want to wear only these all the time.”
It seemed the clothes he was wearing pleased him. To Heichi’s eyes, Lee Heewoo looked pretty enough even wearing a padding jacket with all the cotton dying and jeans that didn’t fit his waist and slid down, but since he liked these clothes more, his own mood improved.
Heichi, who had purchased several more outfits besides what Lee Heewoo was wearing, decided to send the purchased clothes directly to Lee Heewoo’s house. He briefly wondered if there was room in Lee Heewoo’s cramped house for all these clothes, but soon thought he could just change the house too and postponed that thought.
Lee Heewoo, wearing a pure white knit and faded jeans that fit him perfectly, had become lovely in a way befitting his age. He seemed to like the clothes, as he didn’t take off his characteristic fluffy smile for even a moment, so Heichi quietly captured that sight in his eyes.
“Then, where are we going now…?”
“Shall we go eat a meal?”
Since the incident happened not long after Lee Heewoo had arrived for work at the convenience store, there was quite a bit of time left until his next work time at noon. When Heichi checked his watch and made a light suggestion, Lee Heewoo unexpectedly gently shook his head.
“I’m still full from the kimbap you gave me this morning… It’s okay.”
Earthlings’ meal times were usually three times a day, at 7 AM, 12 PM, and 6 PM. Thinking about it that way, it certainly wasn’t time for his stomach to be empty yet. Having just left the private room and looking around the top floor that was only open to VIPs, Heichi’s eyes caught sight of a café located not far away.
Café.
A place to consume desserts and beverages. An establishment suitable for lightly consuming food and drink instead of a meal. As dictionary knowledge lined up in his head, Heichi raised his hand toward that direction and said.
“Then how about that?”
“Where… Oh, a café…”
Perhaps because it was a branch inside a shopping mall, the café was completely open without a single glass window. Thanks to that, the cake showcase in front of the counter was very clearly visible.
Heichi noticed Lee Heewoo’s Adam’s apple move lightly as his head turned following his finger. The Adam’s apple moving meant he’d swallowed saliva with a gulp, and that meant there was food he wanted to eat at that café. Heichi, who’d quickly caught on, began walking briskly toward the café.
As soon as they reached the café counter, Heichi pointed at all the cakes in the showcase that Lee Heewoo’s gaze had touched even once and said.
“Everything here.”
“That, that’s too much. I can’t eat all of this.”
“I’ll eat everything that’s left.”
Heichi didn’t care whether the leftover food was thrown away or not, but his guide seemed to find it very wasteful to leave food, so he gently persuaded him. Then Lee Heewoo soon seemed to think about something, then nodded his head and muttered to himself.
“Heichi, you couldn’t eat the kimbap this morning because of me…”
After much ado, the two people who had finished ordering 7 cakes and two drinks headed to a quiet corner seat in the café. Perhaps because it was morning time, there were many people walking around inside the shopping mall, but there were few customers inside the café.
“This, this looks like a strawberry whipped cream cake, wow…”
“Is this your first time seeing it?”
“No. Bonita has them too, but I didn’t really have a chance to try one…”
Lee Heewoo, who smiled sheepishly, scooped a portion of the cake with his fork, then lifted a small amount to fit his mouth size. As soon as he brought it to his mouth, his expression changed noticeably. His eyes softened in an instant and the corners of his mouth rose, creating a smile so sweet it could melt.
“Is it delicious?”
“Yes, yes! This, wow, this is strange, the cake I ate long ago didn’t taste like this…”
He didn’t know what kind of cake Lee Heewoo had eaten long ago, but what was important now was that this cake was delicious. When he carefully used his fork to try eating the whipped cream cake one after another, Heichi carefully stopped him and said.
“Please try the others too.”
“What? Oh, but then I can’t take this to go. I’ll eat just one first and if I’m full, I’ll take the rest to go.”
“Is the reason for taking it to go because it’s wasteful, or because you want to eat it again?”
When Heichi asked bluntly, Lee Heewoo fiddled with his fork then answered softly.
“Because it’s wasteful…”
“Then just eat it. I’ll eat everything that’s left, and if you want to eat it again, I’ll buy it fresh for you.”
“But, but then it’ll cost twice as much…”
“I don’t mind.”
Having said that much, Heichi demonstrated directly, this time scooping up the chocolate cake deeply himself. He lifted a small amount to fit Lee Heewoo’s mouth size, then brought it in front of his mouth.
“Please eat.”
“Th… thank you.”
As if he hadn’t expected to be fed directly, Lee Heewoo was flustered for a moment, then soon squeezed his eyes shut and opened his mouth to receive the chocolate cake. Thanks to that, Heichi, who saw Lee Heewoo’s oral structure from the front, involuntarily widened his eyes. The small, bright red tongue settled inside his guide’s mouth looked so delicious that he thought he’d die happy if he could suck on it once.
Of course, what Heichi could suck on wasn’t his guide’s tongue but the cake. Heichi ate up all the cakes that Lee Heewoo had taken one bite of and left, just as he’d said. Although Heichi didn’t consume food well due to discomfort, his physique wasn’t one to be full from this amount of intake, so it wasn’t difficult.
Through shopping and the café, Heichi noticed that his guide’s wariness toward him was loosening even slightly. Not satisfied with that, he looked around the shopping mall a bit more with Lee Heewoo. It was exceptionally crowded, but there was proportionally much to see as well.
“Um, Heichi, how about this…?”
“What is this?”
“This, these are socks, don’t you need them?”
Inside the spacious shopping mall, there were many stores, but also quite a few charmingly decorated stalls. What Lee Heewoo showed interest in was one where colorful socks were arranged.
“I also… want to buy these for you…”
Lee Heewoo kept watching Heichi’s reaction. He could clearly feel that he was worrying about what to do if he, a person from another planet, didn’t wear socks. Heichi hid his warming heart and answered plainly.
“I need them. Earth’s winter is cold.”
“Right, right! This, these are socks with fur on them, if you wear these they’re really warm!”
Among many socks, Lee Heewoo chose ones with fluffy white fur all over them. In front of the stall, such design socks had the name “sleep socks” attached to them.
While Lee Heewoo was excitedly paying, Heichi glanced at Lee Heewoo’s feet. Since what they bought today was focused on urgently needed clothes, Lee Heewoo’s shoes and socks were still the same. Worn out to the point where holes gaped on one side of the sole—socks and shoes that didn’t function as insulation.
And yet, his guide was trying to gift him socks with money he didn’t have. Heichi’s mood became strange.
“Heewoo.”
“Yes, yes?”
“I’ll buy one for you too.”
Heichi took cash from his breast pocket and purchased sleep socks in the exact same design as the socks Lee Heewoo had bought for him. The sizes were slightly different, but either way, sleep socks went to Lee Heewoo as well. Then Lee Heewoo flushed his cheeks and spoke with a pleased expression.
“Thank you… I, I’ll wear them well.”
“Yes. How about wearing them now?”
“Now?”
“Currently, the temperature of the distal parts of Heewoo’s lower body is very low. It seems good to prevent heat discharge by thickening the outer layer.”
At those words, Lee Heewoo looked down at his feet quietly. Eventually, he nodded and headed to the sofa in front of the restroom. Lee Heewoo, who sat down, took off the socks he’d been wearing, then pushed his feet crumpling into the sleep socks Heichi had bought.
“These are, really warm…”
“Is that so?”
“Since long ago, I really wanted to buy these. I wanted to, to buy one for Grandmother too…”
Lee Heewoo suddenly stopped speaking mid-sentence. His voice seemed somehow wet, so Heichi checked whether he was sad. Then he made eye contact with Lee Heewoo.
Grin.
Lee Heewoo knew how to smile lovably. No, he didn’t know whether he knew and did it, or didn’t know and did it but he himself saw him as lovely. But when his guide made such a smile, he was so lovely that it was too much to just watch.
“Thank you for buying them for me… I, I’m really happy…”
That was when it happened.
Heichi’s expression, which had been loosened even slightly while looking at Lee Heewoo, hardened instantly. It was because he felt a sensation he shouldn’t be feeling right now.
“Heewoo.”
“Yes?”
“Right now…”
Heichi checked whether there was any point of contact between Lee Heewoo and himself. However, the two people facing each other with about 30cm of width between them had no trace of contact even over their outerwear.
But then, why.
“Are you guiding right now?”
Why was he feeling the energy of guiding from his guide?
