Chapter 7
Where did the kind male lead go? The one who was kind to a fault?
After leaving the storage room, Selena was too dazed to think straight.
It wasn’t that she was upset about being called ugly. She just needed time to process whether the boy in front of her was really the male lead.
Suddenly, she wondered—
Maybe the Leotis from the original story used to be this wary of others too when he was young?
Kids are more sensitive and delicate than adults. The reason the other children at the orphanage bullied Leotis so much was because the director led the way in treating him differently.
If he had grown up in that kind of environment, it made sense that he’d naturally resist being touched by others.
The reason he didn’t act like that toward the heroine in the novel…
“Was that because of some FL buff?”
Selena decided to approach Leotis more carefully from now on.
“Yeah, he’s still just a child. As the adult here, I should be the one to adjust. If I keep approaching him, someday he’ll open his heart.”
After what happened, Leotis thought Selena would never speak to him again.
But—
“Good morning, Leotis.”
Selena greeted him like nothing had happened.
“Selena, are you close with Leotis now?”
“Oooh~ They’re dating~ Selena and Leotis are dating!”
The other kids immediately took the chance to tease her.
“Selena, are you dating Leotis? Did you two kiss already?”
Limon was the worst among them.
“Just because I said hi? That doesn’t mean we’re dating.”
Selena didn’t back down at all and snapped right back.
“Limon, Jack, Anton—hi to all of you. I guess that means I’m dating all of you too.”
The boys were stunned by her bold response. They mumbled for a bit, then walked away, bored that their teasing didn’t work.
“Kids are just kids.”
Leotis finally opened his mouth.
“Don’t talk to me.”
Honestly, he was kind of happy that Selena talked to him again. He thought he’d never have another conversation with anyone. So having her come over so casually made him feel thankful.
But instead of showing that, he just acted grumpy again.
“I talk to you because I want to.”
Selena answered him confidently, just like she did with the boys earlier.
“The kids might start picking on you.”
“Are you worried about me, Leotis?”
With a light teasing tone, she stepped a little closer. Leotis could feel her presence right in front of him and instinctively took a step back.
“I-I’m not!”
His heart pounded. His face felt hot.
It was all because of Selena.
He told himself he was just angry because she kept pretending to be kind. That must be why he was acting this way.
“Don’t worry. I’m not like the other kids.”
“…”
“No matter what anyone says, I’m on your side, Leotis.”
“What do you mean you’re different…? Well, I guess she is. She’s a really weird girl.”
“Do what you want.”
Leotis mumbled, slightly calmer now. There was no point saying anything. She clearly wouldn’t listen anyway.
Selena chuckled softly. It wasn’t the usual mocking laugh he was used to. It felt warm, like being wrapped in a blanket.
For the first time, Leotis thought someone’s laugh actually sounded nice.
“I hope she keeps laughing like that.”
“Looking at him like this… he really reminds me of Cheese.”
Cheese was a stray cat Selena loved in her past life.
When they first met, Cheese hissed and ran away. But after feeding him every day, he started to come closer and act cute.
“He looks more like a puppy than a cat though.”
Selena stared quietly at Leotis and reached out to hold his hand.
“W-What are you doing?!”
Leotis freaked out and tried to pull his hand away. But he was much smaller and thinner than the other kids, so he couldn’t overpower Selena.
“Just come quietly.”
Realizing he couldn’t break free, Leotis finally gave up.
Selena dragged him to the shower room.
“No matter how lazy they are, how could they not wash him for days?”
Leotis couldn’t wash himself alone, so he needed help with bathing.
But the director, who should’ve taken care of him, never bothered. So Leotis ended up looking like a dirty street kid.
After being locked in a dusty storage room, his hair and skin were covered in grime. His once snow-white hair had turned a dull gray.
Selena decided to bathe him herself, in place of the neglectful director.
“Wait… if I’m going in with him, which one do I use?”
Standing in front of the red and blue doors, Selena hesitated.
“I can’t go into the boys’ shower room…”
Thankfully, shower time had passed, so there wouldn’t be any other kids around. The girls’ shower room had stalls—she could hide if needed.
Selena brought Leotis into the girls’ shower room.
Squelch!
Leotis flinched at the feeling of stepping on still-wet tiles.
“Oops, your socks are soaked. Don’t worry. You can wear clean ones after.”
“…”
“Leotis?”
She thought he’d demand to know where they were going by now.
But surprisingly, he stayed quiet. No—he wasn’t just quiet.
“Leotis? Are you okay? Are you sick?”
He was trembling slightly, clearly scared. His lips were clenched so tightly that teeth marks had formed.
“Wait… now that I think about it…”
That scene where the male lead jumps into the frozen lake to save the FL, even though he’s scared of water because of his childhood trauma, really stayed with me! ><
She suddenly remembered a reader comment she saw online about the original novel.
“I can’t believe I forgot something this important!”
Leotis was terrified of water. Because the director used to dump cold water on him without warning when bathing him.
Being soaked in icy water in the dark—of course it became a trauma.
Selena had brought him here without even warning him. He must’ve been terrified.
“I have to get him out of here.”
Just as she was about to take him outside, she stopped.
He couldn’t avoid water forever. Even if she didn’t bathe him now, the director eventually would—and it’d be traumatic all over again.
“I can’t leave him in the hands of that monster.”
“I’m sorry for dragging you in here, Leotis. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Selena pulled the trembling boy into a hug. She gently patted his back.
“It’s okay. I’m not trying to hurt you.”
Her voice was soft and soothing, like a lullaby. She waited patiently, holding him until he calmed down. After a while, his shaking stopped.
“Let go.”
His voice cracked a little. His cheeks were red—maybe from embarrassment or maybe fever.
“You okay? Your face is red…”
“I said let go!”
Leotis pushed her away and jumped back.
“Looks like he’s fine now.”
“Alright, then shall we wash up?”
At the word “wash,” his face darkened again.
“You don’t want to?”
nod
He quietly nodded—very unusual for him.
“But you can’t stay dirty forever. Do you want the director to wash you instead?”
Leotis quickly shook his head—not once, but three times.
He really, really didn’t want that.
“Then let’s wash together now, okay?”
“…”
“You need to stay clean to avoid getting sick.”
“…”
“Your pretty hair is all messy from not washing.”
Selena gently touched his dirty, grayish-white hair. Finally, Leotis spoke.
“…Okay.”
“Good boy, our male lead.”
Selena led him into one of the stalls and turned on the shower. She made sure the water pressure was gentle, just in case he got scared again.
The temperature was perfect—neither too hot nor too cold.
“Okay, lean forward.”
It would’ve been faster to wash his body too, but…
He was still a boy. It’d be too embarrassing for him.
Selena decided to just wash his hair and face.
Leotis awkwardly bent his head. Selena carefully scooped water with her hands and wet his hair.
“How’s the temperature? Okay?”
“Yeah.”
Cute. He was answering now.
She washed his hair gently, making sure not to make him uncomfortable.
“This is harder than I thought.”
Washing a kid’s hair with her small hands wasn’t easy. She lathered soap clumsily and rinsed carefully.
“Phew, all done! Just need to wash your face now—”
—“…You!”
Huh? Did she just hear the director’s voice…?
—“Selena!”
Gasp!
It wasn’t her imagination.
The director’s shrill voice rang out from outside the shower room.
“Oh no. I haven’t even washed his face yet…”
“I can wash my face. Even shower alone.”
As if he read her mind, Leotis spoke sharply.
“But you can’t go back by yourself, can you?”
“I can.”
When Selena hesitated, Leotis added another line.
“Don’t bring me into the girls’ shower room again.”
“Huh?! How did you know—?!”
She blurted it out in surprise.
She thought for sure he hadn’t noticed.
But Leotis just tilted his head casually toward the door like it was no big deal.
“…Sorry. See you later.”
Selena rushed out in a panic and didn’t even hear his quiet words.
“…Yeah. Selena.”
