The time in England was literally all about rolling around doing nothing.
When he opened his eyes, he got up, when he wanted to eat, he ate, when he wanted to sleep, he slept.
He didn’t particularly want to go outside, nor did he want to do anything.
Since coming to this timeline, he’d never rested this comfortably. In the past, he had time to spare, but recently he’d lived a life measured in minutes.
Humming flowed from Siwoo’s mouth as he lay sprawled on Rush, who he’d called over asking to play and made lie down in front of the fireplace. Roxy, who hadn’t even been visible hiding somewhere, also quietly approached and sat down with her body pressed against Siwoo’s side.
Siwoo’s face as he opened “Sherlock Holmes” that he’d brought from the study was more comfortable than ever. The life he’d dreamed of was unfolding. A wonderful two-story house where every single prop seemed like a work of art. Winter with falling snow, a fireplace with actual burning logs. A large dog and a cute cat. His beloved “Sherlock Holmes.”
And…….
At the click sound, Siwoo raised his head.
“Are you going to fall asleep again doing that?”
He had a boyfriend who was incredibly handsome, kind, and perfect, wearing comfortable homewear and holding a camera in his hand.
“Yeah. I’m going to sleep. Because of someone, I couldn’t sleep properly yesterday either.”
“So you hated it?”
As he lowered his body to sit next to Siwoo who was lying down languidly looking up at him, Rush immediately raised his head high and began wagging his tail intensely. Although he was lying down obediently being his pillow since Siwoo wanted it, this energetic one wanted to run and play.
He stroked Rush’s head, conveying the meaning that he wanted to go out and play right now as Evan approached while his body had been itching. As befitting an intelligent one, Rush’s tail slowly lowered again, having noticed he couldn’t leave this place unless Siwoo permitted it.
“……”
I’ll give you a sausage later. Evan, who had been speaking with his lips to Rush acting sensibly, looked at Siwoo who pulled his hand and placed it on his own head.
With the book placed around chest level and his gaze clearly directed at the book, those hands were holding his hand that had stopped moving and making him stroke his own head.
Ah, this is really driving me crazy.
Are you jealous of Rush right now? Asking me to touch your head instead of Rush’s?
As Evan moved his hand, watching Siwoo who released his hand as if satisfied and flipped through the book pages, Evan shook his head.
Siwoo was clumsy at expressing himself. If it weren’t for the pheromones Siwoo couldn’t control, getting this close probably wouldn’t have been easy.
Siwoo never approached anyone first. But he obediently accepted touches from him.
There were almost no cases where Siwoo initiated physical contact with the members first. Instead, whether Yechan clung like a puppy, Sangjun stroked his head, or Chan put his arm around his shoulders, he didn’t refuse any action saying he disliked it.
There had been many times when that was truly disagreeable.
“Is it fun?”
“Yeah. Do you want to read it too?”
Evan covered the eyes of Siwoo who pointed with his fingertip at the “Sherlock Holmes” series piled up abundantly next to him without looking at him.
“Hey!”
Was his hand big, or was Siwoo’s face small?
As he covered more than half his face, a blunt voice immediately flowed out. Only red, plump, moistly wet lips were visible.
“Move your hand. It’s an important scene.”
It would be fine if he just removed his hand himself, but he didn’t remove it directly, and the lips that had been moving busily chattering stopped.
“……No, Evana. I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Ah, I’ve been caught.
Evan’s lips, which grinned, instantly devoured Siwoo’s lips.
“We have to go to Korea. If you leave marks again, I won’t let you kiss me!”
“It’s okay if you don’t let me. I just have to do it.”
Cute Siwoo’s tantrum melted away softly within Evan’s touch.
“There’s a family dinner tomorrow evening.”
After the stormy time passed, held in Evan’s embrace while enjoying the sensation of him slowly stroking his back, Siwoo opened his closed eyes.
“I’d like you to come with me, but if you don’t want to, I won’t force you.”
“……Family dinner?”
“It’s the end of the year. Since I went to Korea to be an idol, we’ve never spent the end of the year together.”
As Evan pressed his lips to his forehead and spoke calmly, Siwoo pressed his lips tightly together.
He’d already had tea together before, knew all their faces, and having a meal with the parents of a member who was also a friend wasn’t difficult at all. But the problem was that the situation had changed from then to now.
They were friends then, but they’re not friends now.
“……”
“Hm?”
It seemed his mumbled answer hadn’t reached Evan.
“Then before that, there’s a place I want to go with you.”
For Siwoo who was thinking about the meal with Evan’s parents, the most urgent thing was clothes. He couldn’t wear a boat neck top in a situation where torn skinny jeans or comfortable training pants, marks continued to be overlaid before the traces could fade. It would be good to dress neatly and cleanly.
Moreover, it wasn’t just one or two things he’d received that they’d sent from England until now. Last time was meeting them unexpectedly, but now when he was even making an appointment to go, he couldn’t go empty-handed.
“Did you think of a place you want to go?”
“A department store.”
* * *
December. The department store before Christmas evoked an excited atmosphere with splendid lighting and colorful Christmas decorations.
Even Siwoo walking side by side next to Evan was swept up in that atmosphere. The atmosphere of Christmas in Korea and Christmas in England was different from the start. Numerous people came and went, but there was no one particularly interested in them.
It had been truly a long time since he went around without caring about others’ gazes. Occasionally there were people who looked back again or hesitated nearby, but he just ignored such things. Whether idol or not, the person Evan himself was already eye-catching, so it was an unavoidable phenomenon.
At least there’s no one calling my name or Ocean.
“Isn’t this too much?”
Siwoo, who had been going around luxury brand stores led by Evan’s hand, shook his head looking at the semi-formal wear. It seemed to be dressing too formally.
Siwoo looked over Evan standing next to him. He wore black shoes and black slacks, a white round t-shirt with a navy blue long cardigan going down below his knees. He dressed very comfortably but looked as if he’d popped out of a pictorial.
“Dress comfortably. It’s not such a formal occasion. Don’t feel burdened. How about this?”
Siwoo stared blankly at the light pink hoodie Evan was holding. Wouldn’t it look too young? Would it cover the neckline completely? Although he liked pink, it seemed too casual to wear when going to greet them.
Siwoo, who changed clothes in the fitting room led by Evan’s hand and came out, checked himself reflected in the mirror. At the same time, he had to take the clothes given to him again and enter the fitting room. What am I doing right now? While going in and out several times, the clothes Siwoo had worn piled up neatly next to him.
“That would be good.”
Having changed clothes so much, he was even confused about what he was wearing. Finally, satisfactory words flowed from Evan’s mouth. His appearance wearing jeans with a cream-colored oversized turtleneck knit, and a dark gray coat over it, was reflected in the mirror.
He wondered what the difference was between what he chose first and this, but since it was the most basic design and seemed safe, Siwoo headed to the counter as is. Now that the clothes were done, what should he buy as a gift for his parents?
Siwoo’s hand taking out his wallet from his pocket was blocked by Evan’s touch.
“Birthday present.”
He couldn’t stop Evan who winked at him and paid first. But soon Siwoo ran his hand over his face. All the clothes he’d been wearing until just now were being neatly packed into paper bags.
He’d said this one outfit would be enough, but tired of the quarrel with Evan who didn’t listen to his words even with one ear, Siwoo gave up cleanly.
Having solved the urgent clothes matter first, at the words to simply drink something, Evan held a takeout cup with an iced Americano and Siwoo held an Americano as they went around the department store.
Siwoo, who had been following Evan walking ahead to see if there was anything needed, stopped his feet at the store entrance. He felt as if he’d teleported to another place in a very short time.
Was this really a place he could enter? Watching Evan’s back entering without hesitation, Siwoo drank a bit of the appropriately cooled Americano. A colorful and cute atmosphere. It was a place that didn’t suit Evan and him at all. As a woman pushing a stroller passed right next to him, Siwoo quickly moved out of the way.
After watching Evan standing with his arms crossed having a conversation with a store employee for a while, Siwoo approached him with slow steps. The moment he saw clothes and shoes smaller than his palm, his heart tickled. No matter where he looked, there wasn’t a single item they could use.
In a place full of baby bottles on one side and small toys, Siwoo couldn’t place his gaze anywhere and only blinked.
“Why did you come here?”
Siwoo, who approached close to Evan’s side, whispered in a very small voice. Then, as if he couldn’t hear his voice well, Evan bent down and approached closer to him.
“Why did you come here?”
Siwoo, who met Evan’s eyes that seemed to sparkle more under the lighting, pulled up the knit hem to his lips and spoke again.
“Ah, to buy Katie’s present. I’m an uncle in name, so I have to prepare a Christmas present.”
Evan, who confirmed the light of relief on Siwoo’s face upon hearing the words Katie and uncle, raised his hand and gently stroked his small head. Since it was a family dinner, his hyung would come too. Then naturally his sister-in-law and niece would come too.
“Your niece’s name is Katie? She must be a girl. How old is she?”
At the mention of a niece’s present, the appearance of hesitating and being flustered disappeared completely and at that action of looking around, a faint smile bloomed on Evan’s face.
“10 months.”
“Huh?”
“She’s now ten months since birth.”
Evan opened his phone messenger. He brought up the screen full of niece photos that his hyung had unilaterally sent and held it out to Siwoo.
“Wow, she’s totally pretty. Like a doll. She’s an angel.”
At the photo of the cute child with the same blonde hair as Evan but bright blue eyes, Siwoo unknowingly stomped both feet. She really looks like a doll. Every time he moved his fingertip to change photos, it seemed like the cute doll was moving alive.
“This is her present?”
Without hiding the naturally blooming smile, Siwoo, who had been looking at the photos, raised his gaze and looked at Evan again.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll buy it. I’ll buy it for her. What do children like this need? What do they like?”
“The manager was just recommending clothes.”
Before the words even ended, Siwoo who had been right in front disappeared. Siwoo, who was going around the wide store, raised his hand to find him.
Why do I feel this way when choosing a present to give to my niece?
At his thoughts that were too ahead, Evan raised his hand and rubbed his lips slightly before approaching that place.
“It’s really small.”
It was Evan who stopped Siwoo from trying to buy everything. On the palm of Siwoo’s hand, who was waiting for the clothes and toys he’d bought a lot of to be wrapped, were shoes even smaller than that.
“Right, they’re small.”
“Look, look, this is called baenaetjeogori. It’s what newborn babies wear.”
Siwoo, who put down the shoes, grabbed Evan’s hand and pulled it. He made him spread it so the palm faced up, then this time placed very soft clothes on his hand.
“Wow……! How is this. It’s only as big as your palm. There are no young babies around me. Your niece is very pretty, right? I want to have a niece too. Should I tell my noona to get married quickly?”
Every appearance of Siwoo whispering with light in his eyes, more excited than when shopping around the luxury brand store just now, was entirely captured in Evan’s eyes. Rather than your noona getting married and having a niece, if you want it, we could be faster…….
“Should we buy it?”
The sentence that had been circling only in his head flowed out of his mouth.
“What?”
“This.”
As if not understanding his words, Siwoo’s expression, who had been looking at him blinking, changed moment by moment. A question briefly appeared on the innocent face that had been smiling brightly. Then his pale cheeks reddened. Soon after, the baenaetjeogori that had been placed on Evan’s hand disappeared, and eventually he showed his back moving away from him with quick steps.
Baenaetjeogori (배냇저고리) – Traditional Korean newborn baby clothes
