The clothes Ha-in had left behind at the hospital that morning were now neatly folded in the backseat of Si-yul’s car.
Even if it hadn’t been those clothes, his trunk was always packed with Ha-in’s spare outfits. Anyone who saw it might assume his profession was clothing merchant or fashion stylist.
And those who knew he was a veterinarian might even suspect his hobby was cross-dressing…
What kind of man folds clothes prettier than a woman?
The clothes were folded as neatly as if they were on display in a boutique. Pulling them back on, Hae-in found herself wondering if there was anything Si-yul couldn’t do. Well—he really couldn’t draw. That she remembered.
But still, grabbing Bang Yuna’s hand like that… that had been too much.
She was a woman who had liked him. And he had just taken her hand like that.
Hmph.
Hae-in swallowed down a petty little jealousy that felt too trivial to voice aloud and quickly pulled on her clothes. The cold made bare skin prickle.
Si-yul had turned on the car’s heater, but the leather seats against bare skin were still icy.
Realizing once again the value of fur, Hae-in hummed cheerfully as she dressed.
Normally she would have just gone home as a cat, but today, since it was the season’s first snow, they had decided to take a walk through the park together.
Walking hand in hand through a snowy park was exactly the sort of thing that perfectly hit Hae-in’s tastes.
Of course, in her imagination, she wasn’t a cat but a person.
…He’s not planning to give me the ring today, is he?
Since they were going on a trip soon, maybe he’d wait until then. If he gave it now, would she be able to act as surprised as if she’d never seen such a thing before?
Every thought Ha-in had these days began with “well,” and ended with “ring.”
“Are you done yet?”
“Yeah, I’m done.”
Si-yul had been waiting outside in the cold.
When Hae-in opened the car door, he held out a pair of socks he’d brought from somewhere.
“Put these on. Your feet must be freezing.”
“Huh? Where did you get these?”
“I didn’t buy them. I’d left them at the hospital to change into if my shoes ever got wet. They’re new, so you can wear them without worry.”
At his gesture, Hae-in sat on the car’s backseat and stretched her feet outside. Si-yul slipped off her shoes and pulled the gray socks over her thin black stockings.
Since they were men’s socks, on her small feet they came up to her calves like leg warmers.
Strangely enough, the look worked. They went well with the sneakers she’d been wearing.
“Warm?”
“Mm-hm.”
Hae-in nodded eagerly, delighted by the thick, fluffy socks he’d given her. It was nothing special, yet her spirits soared with joy.
“Good. Let’s go.”
As she stepped out of the car, still staring happily at her feet, Si-yul offered his elbow. He meant for her to take his arm. Hae-in immediately clung to him, pressing her flushed cheek against his arm.
Even with snow falling, she wasn’t cold at all.
Instead, another thought filled her mind:
In my whole life, will I ever meet a man who devotes himself to me this much again?
Probably not—even if she were born again.
________✧⑅˖♡∘˚˳°↝^._.^_________
The park that stretched between the hospital and the apartment was a path Si-yul often crossed on his commute.
Normally it took only fifteen minutes, but walking the long route along the outer paths made it a decent walk. With the snow falling tonight, everywhere they stepped had its own charm.
The white flakes drifting down from the black sky looked as if they could be eaten with an open mouth, or caught with an outstretched hand.
Of course, snow was just as elusive as falling leaves.
Linked arm-in-arm, Hae-in twisted this way and that, trying to catch a snowflake.
“Watch where you’re going or you’ll trip,” Si-yul scolded.
In reply, Hae-in just clung tighter to his arm.
If I fall, he’ll catch me anyway!
Her mischievous face plainly said as much, and Si-yul could only smile helplessly.
“Your feet okay?”
“Yeah, they’re warm with the socks!”
“You always dress too lightly.”
“And you always worry too much.”
Their familiar exchange of complaints passed back and forth.
Just walking together like this was enough.
This winter, spent together, was sure to be remembered as warm.
If either of them were missing, then even the hottest summer would feel cold and sorrowful.
Perhaps the knowledge that summer’s trials would inevitably come soon was what made this moment all the more precious.
“It gets cold suddenly once evening falls.”
“Does it?”
“Oh, and she said she’ll have the portrait ready by next week. I’m looking forward to it.”
Hae-in, walking along happily, suddenly felt her legs weaken. Her body’s rejection of something—whatever it was—was not a good sign.
“…Me too!”
“Hm?”
“I hope it turns out well too!”
She forced herself to sound cheerful. She meant it. But at the same time, it was a lie.
She didn’t want to disappoint him, but she couldn’t shake the certainty that it wouldn’t work. Maybe it was just the pounding headache again, but the feeling was too strong.
No matter how she tried to hide it, her brows furrowed. With his sharp eyes, there was no way he wouldn’t notice.
“You… don’t look so good.”
“D-do I?”
“You look pale all of a sudden.”
“Maybe it’s a hangover? Or the weird color of the streetlights?”
She waved exaggeratedly toward the flickering orange lamp overhead.
He narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what was off about her behavior, but of course there was nothing he could reasonably guess.
How could he possibly know she was under the Reaper’s curse—that whenever their investigation came close to the truth, her body would begin to fail?
No matter how hard he thought, his imagination couldn’t reach that far.
“See? You need to drink less.”
“Hehe…”
“Maybe I should’ve given you honey water or cocoa before we came out.”
“I like cocoa better!”
He seemed convinced now that her momentary pallor had been from drinking. And when the subject changed, she really did look a bit better.
“You lose your head whenever it’s sweets.”
“Yup!”
“Want one of these?”
Without breaking stride, he pulled a candy from his pocket. The usual coffee-flavored ones he often offered her.
Hae-in assumed he carried them for himself, but in truth, he kept them just for her.
She was picky, but she usually accepted small sweets like this.
And today, as always, she accepted it without protest. The wrapper naturally went into his pocket as well.
Why candy? Maybe because when she ate, she reminded him of a hamster.
Like giving food to a little pet.
If she knew, she’d throw a fit and refuse, of course.
Unaware of his thoughts, Hae-in busily rolled the candy around in her mouth—until she suddenly froze in front of a fountain, now shut off for the winter.
“Mm?!”
“What’s wrong?”
Whenever Ha-in’s eyes went wide like a cat spotting a mouse, something always happened. It was as if she’d switched on an invisible radar above her head.
Si-yul grew uneasy.
Just stay a clueless, carefree hamster! It’s easier, it’s safer!
But Hae-in was never so simple. The “radar” finished its sweep, and before he could stop her, she darted away.
“I heard my owner’s voice!”
“…What?”
“This way!”
Off she ran, and Si-yul had no choice but to follow. A cat was always unpredictable.
“Hey, you!”
But Hae-in, oblivious to his wish that she’d be more hamster than cat, had already disappeared ahead.
How much easier life would be if he could just keep her in his pocket.
________✧⑅˖♡∘˚˳°↝^._.^_________
“Oh, oh my.”
Hae-in crouched behind a bush, holding her breath.
She covered her eyes as if embarrassed, but in truth she watched every detail of what was happening with Tae-il and Lee Ha-eun.
“What! What!”
“Why me…”
Meanwhile, Si-yul’s expression twisted in exasperation.
Why in the world was he hiding here, spying on some other guy’s kissing scene?
In reality, he had only dragged Hae-in out of sight because they’d stumbled into the middle of it, and he hadn’t wanted them to be seen.
At the apartment back entrance, Ha-eun had looked around nervously, then clung to Tae-il and rose up on her toes.
And then they kissed.
It was pure coincidence that they had witnessed it. The two had been out walking in the first snow as well, just like Si-yul and Hae-in.
“See you tomorrow then, Tae-il!”
Tae-il stood there, lips covered, dazed and frozen in place. Ha-eun, as always, had bolted.
The one caught off guard was Taeil.
Well, maybe being a little aggressive with Taeil might not be such a bad thing.
Si-yul knew couples could kiss, of course, but right now he was displeased. Hae-in, on the other hand, was positively glowing with excitement, for reasons Si-yul couldn’t fathom.
“How cute.”
Hae-in cupped her flushed cheeks in both hands, eyes sparkling as if she were watching a love scene in a movie.
Should I be praising her for not being shocked by Taeil’s kiss scene instead?
“Hey.”
“Hm?”
Si-yul, noticing that Haein’s gaze was still fixed elsewhere, grabbed her forearm and pulled her upper body toward him. Then, turning her, he pressed his lips against hers.
The sudden kiss sent Hae-in collapsing back onto the grass. Since she had been crouching, it wasn’t much more than a tumble backward, but she landed squarely in Si-yul’s shadow.
He lowered her gently, brushing his lips against hers again as he whispered:
“This isn’t the time to be swooning over someone else’s kiss.”
Then he delved deeper, past the lingering sweetness of candy still in her mouth, insisting with each motion that she pay attention to him instead. His kiss was insistent and intoxicatingly sweet.
At first, she only flinched in surprise, but soon enough Hae-in responded to his kiss with equal fervor.
She willingly parted her lips, sharing her warmth, savoring every sensation of the moment.
When they finally pulled apart for air, she eagerly pressed her lips back to his and murmured against him with a happy tremor in her voice:
“Kang, one more time.”
The light glinting on her radiant cheeks was like the first snowfall—so beautiful, so fragile, so heartbreakingly lovely that it etched itself into his eyes, impossible to forget.
It felt strangely warm, for a winter’s night.
________✧⑅˖♡∘˚˳°↝^._.^_________
The next morning.
In what was now to become Si-yul’s living room, all the members had gathered: Tae-il, Lee Ha-eun, and Kim Gi-do—of course, along with Hae-in, the cat.
There were exactly five hours left before the plane departed.
It took about an hour and a half to reach the airport, and since international flights required arriving three hours early for check-in, Tae-il had only thirty minutes before he would have to leave this house.
This was truly the last time. Taeil’s eyes had looked on the verge of tears for a while now, perhaps because he couldn’t help wondering when the five of them would ever gather like this again.
“Hey, Miss Lee Ha-eun.”
“Yes?”
“Are you really sure about this? I mean, with a guy like him. He’s not exactly reliable, is he?”
Si-yul gestured toward Taeil—the only one looking like he might burst into tears—and asked with an air of disdain. He didn’t hesitate to say such things right in front of the man himself.
“He’s lacking, but to me…”
“…?”
“…those are the parts I like.”
Her expression was finally relaxed. For a long time she had been torn apart by turmoil, her eyes clouded with unease, but now—
“Are you confident you won’t regret this choice?”
“Yes. I’ve wasted too much of my life being foolish. I just want to fill it, even if it’s late.”
“Well, sure, but…”
Her answer was firm, even resolute.
Si-yul was the one caught off guard. He hadn’t expected such unshakable certainty on her face.
“From now on, I want to live more honestly with myself. I don’t want to keep hiding, swayed by everyone else’s voices… ending up with nothing, as if I had no will of my own.”
“…I see.”
“When I think that it almost ended that way… that’s what I regret more.”
At least now, it seemed, no matter what others said, she wouldn’t waver. That was enough for Si-yul.
“And besides, I’m too happy right now to waste it on regret.”
“You do look happy.”
“But still… it’s true that I did something I shouldn’t have, just for the sake of my happiness. I plan to live with self-restraint.”
“Well, leaving Korea for a while isn’t a bad way to start.”
“…I also feel grateful to you, Doctor Kang—no, Mr. Si-yul.”
“What do you have to thank me for? You should be thanking your fiancé.”
Only Kang Si-yul would say something like that so bluntly. Lee Ha-eun blinked, momentarily startled, perhaps because his words had struck too close to home.
Her face reddened slightly, but what she mumbled wasn’t guilt or lingering attachment—it was memory, gratitude, and repentance.
“You’re right. You’re absolutely right. I think I’ll have to live the rest of my life thankful to him. I told him I was sorry, but… he told me he’d rather hear thank you.”
“Oh? That fiancé of yours? Sounds like a real man.”
“The moment I first truly felt that Senior Tae-jun loved me… was when he let me go. Isn’t that ironic? All that time, I could never really believe it. I knew he liked me, cared for me, cherished me… but somehow, I never felt certain it was love.
“No matter how often he said it, I couldn’t understand. But when he… after I had done something so wrong… when he told me to be happy anyway… only then did I know. I had been loved.”
Haein thought she understood what Lee Ha-eun meant.
Strangely enough, love wasn’t always felt in the whispered words of I love you. It came suddenly in the smallest, most ordinary of moments.
Like when he tucked socks into her bag, or when he pulled candy from his pocket just for her.
Those unremarkable moments—that was when love arrived.
