Raon placed his hand over Jaehwi’s as he stroked his forearm. What’s the big deal about drawing a little blood? He let out a short sigh, recalling how he had controlled his diet and even taken iron supplements. The one spending time in pain because his guiding ability hadn’t returned quickly was Jaehwi. Although he had taken a stabilizer, the stabilizer’s efficacy wasn’t as outstanding as expected, and all Raon could do was cover his ears.
Though his guiding ability had returned, Raon’s guiding skill now that they’d returned to the past was literally at its worst. Compared to when he had steadily received guiding coaching and trained, both the quality had clearly dropped and the quantity had decreased.
When his guiding ability was unstable like now, mucous membrane guiding was best, but neither Raon nor Jaehwi could readily desire each other. They just embraced, covered each other’s ears, or stopped at light kisses. They didn’t bare their feelings to each other and avoided deep skinship.
The first dungeon transformation had been after their bodies and hearts became one, and the second time was because the illusion dungeon had formed right after they learned each other’s hearts. Though neither brought it up, they were clearly thinking the same thing.
Raon, who had been continuously leaning on Jaehwi’s shoulder, moved his head to look at Jaehwi, and soon Jaehwi’s gaze followed. With a small movement, Raon brought his lips to Jaehwi’s lips and quickly pulled away before he could show any reaction.
“Let’s go out.”
“Now? Aren’t you working?”
“Something more urgent and important than work.”
“What is it?”
“You’ll know when we get there.”
Even if they were trapped in a cursed dungeon and met the same ending, if they didn’t want to leave regrets, they shouldn’t waste time but move a little more quickly and do one more thing.
* * *
Raon, who brought him out while even humming, seemed in a better mood than usual. Perhaps he had already told Jay, as he didn’t even mention their destination, and Jay dropped them off in front of a neat building.
Only after following Raon inside the building could Jaehwi know where this place was. Since nothing was on display, he thought it was a modern-style cafe… A world Jaehwi didn’t know was unfolding in a place that was neither a department store nor a shopping mall.
They were guided to a private spacious area and as they sat on the sofa, neat refreshments came out.
“Show me what you’ve prepared.”
At Raon’s single word, the door opened and what began entering were hangers with clothes. One, two, three, four… At first he counted how many, but when he saw not just clothes but shoes and accessories entering too, Jaehwi gave up counting any further.
“Everything looks fine, but where should we start?”
They hadn’t even started yet, but feeling an enormous fatigue already unlike usual, Jaehwi looked at Raon. Raon, who had been beside him just moments ago, was already in front of the hangers looking at this and that.
“But is this it?”
At Raon’s single word, the space that had seemed like a warm breeze was blowing froze in an instant. It wasn’t that an actual warm breeze had blown nor that a cold wind had blown. No ability user had used their ability, yet at Raon’s single word the atmosphere changed completely, and Jaehwi put back down the fruit he was about to eat.
And on top of that, is this it? Jaehwi’s eyes widened as he had lived with five identical pairs of pants, five t-shirts, and two jackets. There should originally be more? Weren’t clothes just something to wear to moderately cover the body according to social conventions?
“The size you mentioned isn’t something easily obtainable domestically. Today, please check your personal color while checking the overall feel and style, and once you decide for sure, we’ll prepare once more to match that.”
With a snap of fingers, Raon turned around sharply, and Jaehwi, who had been openly displaying his uncomfortable feelings until now, hurriedly organized his emotions and smiled brightly.
“Well, our Hwi-ya’s size… isn’t exactly ordinary. Just pick about twenty things to wear right now first, and we can order the rest.”
He didn’t understand why twenty outfits were needed right now, or why more needed to be ordered additionally, but Jaehwi smiled even more brightly. When Raon wanted it, what couldn’t he do? He could do anything.
He can do it. He’ll be able to do it. Even if it’s hard he has to do it, and somehow he has to accomplish it…
Jaehwi, seated in a chair in front of a large mirror, couldn’t participate at all in the conversation between the staff and Raon while colorful cloths placed on his chest moved quickly. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet—couldn’t all colors be defined with these plus brown tones or black and white?
“Pastel definitely won’t work. It would be nice if he looked like cotton candy.”
At Raon’s muttering as he held a very pale pink cloth (with Jaehwi’s ability, the best he could do was express colors with words like a little darker or lighter) next to his face, he swallowed a sigh of relief inwardly.
The pastel-toned clothes Raon was talking about couldn’t hide blood at all. Whatever it was, black (by Jaehwi’s standards, all black is black) seemed best, but unfamiliar words he’d never heard or seen were exchanged, and blacks and grays that were definitely black but subtly different made his eyes dizzy.
Sitting quietly in one place wasn’t such an easy task. But if Raon was there, that was different. His expressions, intonation, and speech that changed moment by moment. Jaehwi was stealing glimpses of Raon’s world he didn’t know, even as he held two cloths of the same color and seriously worried with wrinkles between his brows.
“Which one do you like better?”
If asked which of two blacks he liked better?
Jaehwi looked at the cloth once and Raon’s face once. Then he tactfully chose the cloth held slightly higher.
“As expected, our Hwi-ya. You have an eye for it. Then, what about this?”
Having learned the method of finding answers through reading the situation in the first battle of wits, Jaehwi’s choices were quick and concise. He just had to watch his two hands that had subtly different heights.
“Okay, now we’re done.”
As if signaling the end of the time he’d been sitting still, Raon stepped back and clapped his hands briefly, and at the sight of the cloths that had been messily placed around being cleared away, Jaehwi also stood up from his seat.
“Now let’s eat…”
“We’re done with color. Shall we take measurements now?”
We’re not going to eat? Fortunately, since Raon spoke before he could complete his words about going to eat, Jaehwi quickly closed his mouth and looked at the staff behind Raon. Isn’t this enough? Aren’t you tired? It’s enough to be exhausted. What more do we need to do here? Just tell them the size of the clothes I used to wear and get the same size…
The words circling in his mouth couldn’t quite come out. Because right now, Raon’s eyes and the eyes of the staff behind him were the same. He could feel with his whole body that they looked happy somehow, excited, and were in high spirits.
After that, Jaehwi was held there for two more hours. Taking measurements ended quickly, but after that there was a rather serious meeting about designs. Won’t you just give me something loose and comfortable? Jaehwi’s inner thoughts were, as expected, not conveyed to them.
He didn’t know how many outfits he put on and took off, and countless clothes passed over Jaehwi’s body, from tight clothes to loose clothes to formal wear he was wearing for the first time in his life.
“As expected, the completion of fashion is face and body. How does even burlap become vintage when draped on him?”
Jaehwi, who changed into the clothes Raon gave him and came out, gently raised the corners of his mouth at his brightly smiling face. He was about to change clothes in the fitting room when he didn’t understand why he had to wear clothes that were torn here and there and tattered, then looked at the tag on the clothes and couldn’t hide his absurdity. Because the price of these clothes, for which Raon’s expression of “burlap” was perfect, was equivalent to the monthly salary he received at NCSC.
Jaehwi, who had no desire whatsoever to pay this expensive money to wear burlap, quickly raised his hand and pointed to the fitting room with his index finger.
“This looks very good on you too.”
“That’s the problem. I really like the rebellious feeling. But I don’t feel good because it fits so perfectly that everyone will stare. Is there anything else left? Did you try on everything roughly? Jaehwi, what did you think was okay?”
At Raon’s words as he sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, drinking a beverage, Jaehwi’s pupils trembled. Choosing one cloth from among a few wasn’t so difficult. But how many outfits did he just try on? If you ask him what style was best when he can’t even properly remember what he wore…
“I’m not suddenly going to make you wear a baby pink knit, so tell me your opinion.”
He couldn’t answer the previous question, but even before Raon finished speaking, seeing the staff member grab the pink knit, Jaehwi urgently shook his head. Pink? That’s not it. Hyung. It’s definitely not that.
“Got it. We’ll just buy everything. Let’s go with something moderate for now. Send the checked items to the house, and for the list you made, as soon as they’re ready in the right size. Give Jaehwi the ones set aside separately. He’ll wear those right away.”
Jaehwi, who changed into the clothes the staff brought again and came out, barely swallowed the saliva pooled in his mouth. Shopping was one of the things Raon enjoyed. But if it’s shopping like this…
“Our Hwi-ya is really pretty. I’ll buy you everything you need so you won’t lack anything, so let’s dress like this from now on. Hwi-ya.”
The corners of his lips gently rose, his eyes folded prettily into crescents as he smiled, and Raon looked happier than ever, so Jaehwi couldn’t bring himself to say he couldn’t do this a second time.
