“I only said that because the thought of feeding you frozen food or canned food broke my heart. Who told you to think about going hungry, hm? Did you really have that little faith in me?”
“No, that’s not what I meant…….”
Who would ever imagine this was a conversation taking place after we had eaten budae jjigae inside a department store? I hurriedly offered Baek Hyeonwoo one excuse after another, but he was already thoroughly offended. He pressed his lips tightly together and would not even pretend to look at me.
“Brotheeer.”
“…….”
“Brother, I’m sorry. Okay? I didn’t say it because of that…… I only meant that I didn’t want you to work yourself too hard.”
“…….”
“I don’t like going hungry either. You know that.”
“…….”
This was bad.
I had honestly thought it was nothing, but Baek Hyeonwoo seemed to have been deeply hurt. Even when I cautiously edged closer, he refused to acknowledge me and sharply turned his head away.
The funny thing was that while stubbornly ignoring me, what he was actually doing was clearing the table and cutting fruit. He had even carved every slice of apple he held out for me into a pretty little rabbit, so all I could do was laugh.
I picked up a piece of apple and ate it, calling him several more times, but no answer came. In the end, I was the one who surrendered. I raised both hands once in a gesture of defeat, then lowered them and said,
“Then make me ribs for dinner tonight.”
“…….”
“Okay? Cook them until they’re really soft and tender.”
What would other people have said if they heard me? Are you out of your mind? Zombies have appeared and the world is ending, and you’re asking him to make ribs? Have you gone insane? They probably would have reacted something like that.
But I had no choice. Unless I acted spoiled like this, Baek Hyeonwoo looked ready to sulk for days without saying a single word to me.
“You’ll make them for me, right?”
“……All right.”
Only then did the deep crease between his brows slowly ease. He kept sneaking glances at me and pouting, as though he still had more to say but was forcing himself to hold it in.
Now.
I quickly let out a heavy sigh and muttered loudly enough for him to hear.
“Ah, my legs hurt.”
“……Your legs hurt?”
“Yeah. My calves ache a little.”
“It must be because you walked so much today.”
Walked so much, my ass. I probably had not even taken a thousand steps. Did Baek Hyeonwoo realize that these days I walked even less than I had back at home? I swallowed the remark and needlessly patted my perfectly healthy leg.
“Let me see.”
The moment I started exaggerating, Baek Hyeonwoo examined my leg with a grave expression. His large hand kneaded my calf and knee several times, then before I knew it, moved up to my thigh and pressed firmly into the inner side.
Flinch.
I had not expected his hand to reach that far, so I reflexively pulled my leg back. The instant my eyes met Baek Hyeonwoo’s, I gave him an awkward smile.
“Does it hurt here too?”
“……Ah, uh, no. That part’s fine.”
“Only your calf?”
“It’s not that bad…… Just a little?”
At that, Baek Hyeonwoo let out a short sigh.
Without asking anything else, he carefully lifted my leg and placed it across his thigh. The hand wrapped around my calf was extraordinarily gentle, and it was obvious from his touch that he was carefully controlling his strength so loosening the tight muscles would not hurt me.
“…….”
Anyone could see that he looked worried, yet every time Baek Hyeonwoo touched me, a strange sense of aversion kept rising inside me. Whenever his fingertips rubbed across my skin, my breath stopped, and whenever our eyes met, the soles of my feet tingled.
I kept feeling the urge to pull my leg away and confess that I was actually fine, that I had only pretended because I wanted to cheer him up.
This isn’t right…… Maybe I shouldn’t have faked it.
The regret came belatedly, but it did not last long.
“At least for today, it would be better not to use your legs any more.”
As Baek Hyeonwoo said that, he looked unmistakably like someone who was pleased with the situation. The corners of his mouth were not openly raised…… but how should I put it? He looked like someone who had been waiting for this exact moment.
I felt the discomfort I had experienced moments ago vanish completely and silently sighed, 'Good grief'.
Right. Even if it was troublesome, he was the one doing the work, not me. And if he liked it, then whatever.
I had just accepted that and relaxed the tension in my body when—
Boom-!
A tremendous noise erupted without warning, and the entire building shook violently. My body pitched forward, and I nearly fell, but Baek Hyeonwoo caught me around the waist before I could make a fool of myself.
“W-what was that?”
I hurriedly grabbed my eldest brother’s forearm and asked. Was the building collapsing? No, that could not be right. Could it? I curled tightly into myself, even holding my breath as every nerve in my body sharpened.
From somewhere not too far away came a piercing scream that seemed to tear through the air. The sound was so mangled that I could not tell whether it belonged to a person, a zombie, or something else entirely. Biting anxiously at my lips, I whispered near Baek Hyeonwoo’s ear.
“……Do you think something collapsed?”
“We’ll have to go and see.”
The moment I saw his eyes narrow, I tightened my grip on his arm. Afraid he might leave me behind and go alone, I urgently said, “Take me with you.”
Baek Hyeonwoo answered by lifting me into his arms.
Boom.
The floor trembled once more. It was far weaker than before, but at the same time, it seemed closer.
“Hold on to my neck.”
“Mm.”
Even Baek Hyeonwoo, who always acted strangely relaxed and insisted that nothing was wrong, did not look pleased. His rigid expression seemed tense, or perhaps simply irritated.
The moment I saw that, my anxiety surged. Without realizing it, I clung tightly to him, almost hanging from his neck. My breathing broke into uneven bursts, and I could feel my muscles stiffening, but I could not calm down at all. It felt as though something truly irreversible would happen if I let go of him now.
“……I’ve smelled this somewhere before.”
In the middle of all that, Baek Hyeonwoo said something incomprehensible.
A smell?
I instinctively sniffed the air, but the only thing I could smell was the budae jjigae we had eaten earlier.
I wanted to ask what he could smell, but Baek Hyeonwoo opened the door and stepped outside before I had the chance. His long, unhesitating strides carried a strange edge of irritation. Judging by his appearance alone, he looked as though he were marching off to catch someone who had run away owing him money.
Oddly enough, that made some of my anxiety fade.
Screeech! Kek! Kyaaagh!
The farther we went, the louder the zombies’ cries became, drowning out even the heavy noises that seemed to shake the ground. Other than on the first day, I had never seen so many zombies react this violently, so I could not help shrinking into myself.
“Brother, wouldn’t it be better to just leave?”
“We’ll only check. If anything seems strange, we’ll go.”
“It already seems strange…….”
Baek Hyeonwoo must have heard my muttering, but he paid no attention. His steps only grew faster, as though he could not hear me at all, and their rhythm was strangely rough. It did not feel as though he was merely in a hurry. It felt as though he was barely suppressing his irritation.
I quietly closed my mouth and held his neck a little more tightly. When I glanced up at my brother’s face, it wore the expression I normally saw only when I had done something truly wrong, making me feel needlessly self-conscious.
The farther inside we went, the clearer the commotion became.
In the department store’s central hall, a vast open space surrounded on every side by railings and escalators rising floor after floor, zombies were tangled together and swarming in every direction. A huge structure that must once have stood in the middle had toppled over, and someone was standing on top of it.
“Isn’t that a person?”
The whispered words had barely left my mouth when the woman standing on the structure moved lightly.
Even though she was jumping down from a considerable height, she showed neither hesitation nor the slightest stumble. The woman moved as lightly as though she were crossing stepping-stones, and even had enough composure to smooth back the hair that had fallen out of place.
As her soft brown hair slipped behind her ear, her face came clearly into view.
Eyes that tilted gently downward, lips curved in a graceful arc, an adorable impression that somehow resembled a puppy…….
On top of that, her neat white dress and thick pink cardigan looked so bright and fresh amid the situation that she might have been out for a walk. Overall, she gave a distinct impression of being delicate and lovable.
She was beautiful enough to leave me dazed.
And I knew who she was.
Even though this was the first time I had ever seen her face, I could not help realizing instinctively who she must be. Of course. There was only one person who could be that beautiful, who could make it feel as though sunlight poured down and flowers bloomed simply by appearing.
'She’s the female protagonist!'
Yes. Moon Seyoung, the female protagonist of <She Is the Brothers’ First Love!>.
In the original novel, Baek Hyeonwoo had said that if the word “lovable” were turned into a person, it would be Moon Seyoung. Now I understood why.
Perhaps sensing our presence, Moon Seyoung raised her head, and our eyes met.
The moment her beautiful acorn-like eyes filled entirely with the sight of me, heat rushed through my body, and then my heart began hammering wildly.
Unable to bear the embarrassment, I hugged Baek Hyeonwoo even more tightly, yet I could not tear my gaze away from her.
I thought I understood why my brothers in the original novel had risked their lives for her. No, at this point, the original Baek Sihyeon was stranger for not falling for her himself.
How could anyone look at someone like that and simply think, 'She suits my brothers well', then move on?
Moon Seyoung smiled brightly and waved, and at last bells began ringing inside my head.
I could see nothing but her.
The artificial light pouring down from overhead, the gentle breeze, even the flower petals drifting through the air all seemed to have been created for her alone.