Ch. 54 - Did you see?

The evening after hunting the Hounds, Yoo Seo-Eun and I decided to buy clothes before heading home.Last night, I realized that she didn't have enough clothes and other household items. It's a natural problem that arises when you have an extra person in your life and you're not prepared.

So we were planning to go to the department store together to buy pajamas and daily necessities, and Team Leader 1 saw us.

"Hye-Rim, Seo-Eun. Are you getting off work now?"

"Yes, Team Leader 1. Before heading home, I'm stopping by a department store to buy some clothes for Seo-Eun."

"Really? Would it be alright if I joined you?"

Team Leader 1 naturally asked to come along.

I didn't see any reason why not, and I thought it would be nice to have her opinion when choosing clothes. I'm not exactly sure what looks good and what doesn't, so her help would be appreciated.

I asked Yoo Seo-Eun with my eyes if that would be okay, and she smiled vaguely and nodded.

"Of course, it's more fun with a group than just the two of us, right?"

"Is that okay? Thank you, Hehe."

Now that she had my permission, Team Leader 1 smiled happily and walked between me and Yoo Seo-Eun.

Yoo Seo-Eun looked like she was regretting something, while Team Leader 1 seemed very excited. There was a strange atmosphere between them.

As I observed their expressions, Team Leader 1 put her arm around me.

"While you're buying clothes, I'll pick out yours too, Hye-Rim. Didn't we agree to go shopping for clothes again next time?"

"Mmm, you don't have to do that."

In fact, I wanted to buy Yoo Seo-Eun whatever clothes she wanted and go home as soon as possible, because the biggest gift to an office worker after work is simply going home.

Just as I was about to decline, Team Leader 1 put her arm around Seo-Eun and asked:

"What kind of clothes do you like, Seo-Eun? With your beautiful face and great style, I think you can pull off anything."

"What? Oh, I'm just going to buy a comfy hoodie or something."

"Come on. That's nice too, but a girl needs to dress up a bit more. I'm sure you didn't get a chance to decorate while you were in the demon realm, right?"

"Yeah, but......"

I already noticed that Yoo Seo-Eun is similar to me.

She's a homebody who prefers staying at home, watching Netflix and YouTube, and spending the day in bed rather than focusing on dressing up and appearance. Of course, being a girl, she cared about it to some extent, but compared to others, she was less concerned.

That's Yoo Seo-Eun and me.

Of course, I care about my appearance to some extent. No woman or man can completely ignore their appearance, but I prioritize ensuring it doesn't dominate my social life.

Why invest in looking good? Typically, it's to attract the opposite sex.

I don't see the point in spending money on clothes if I'm not interested in pursuing a relationship.

"If you wear pretty clothes, won't your crush see you a little differently?"

That's what Team Leader 1 said to Yoo Seo-Eun.

But Yoo Seo-Eun, who is similar to me, doesn't care about relationships......

"Hmm, I guess that's true."

.....is what I thought, but Team Leader 1's words seemed to convince Yoo Seo-Eun.

Is Yoo Seo-Eun interested in a relationship? Well, it would be unusual for someone not to meet anyone in five years.

"Isn't Seo-Eun the same case as me? I've already noticed it."

"Ah, hmm......"

"I know it's going to be a tough road, but you've got to push through, right?"

"I guess so, now that you say that."

"What are you guys talking about?"

I asked as they were having a secret conversation amongst themselves, and Team Leader 1 chuckled, putting her index finger to her mouth.

"Don't worry about it. It's a secret conversation between girls."

"I'm a girl, too."

"Hye-Rim, you shouldn't be part of this conversation. Right, Seo-Eun?"

".......Yes."

Blushing, Yoo Seo-Eun gave a small nod.

Wow, they're already bullying me. I feel disappointed.

"Seo-Eun, I think you should wear something like this. Our hair styles are similar, so I'll recommend something similar to what I wear."

In the first hour, Team Leader 1 recommended several outfits to Seo-Eun. I thought Yoo Seo-Eun might find it difficult to choose clothes for such a long time, but she listened attentively and made her selections carefully. S~ᴇaʀᴄh the NʘvᴇlFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

After all, she's a girl, so maybe she's interested in clothes.

While they were picking out clothes, I bought some tableware and other necessities for Yoo Seo-Eun.

"Did you pick out all the clothes?"

"Yes, Hye-Rim, I just finished picking everything out and bought it."

"You already bought them? I was going to buy them."

"It's fine. I bought them because I wanted to. And while I'm at it, I bought your clothes too."

"...You bought mine too?"

While I was asking, Team Leader 1 handed me the clothes. The clothes looked similar to the ones I had bought before going to the amusement park.

"Hye-Rim, you don't usually buy clothes except for occasions like this, so I have to force you to!"

"You're not my mom. ...But thank you; I'll wear it."

I'll wear it the next time I have to meet Team Leader 1 on the weekend.

I tried to buy her some clothes, but she refused, saying that she already had plenty at home. However, as I was discussing the idea of buying her something, Yoo Seo-Eun walked out after changing into new clothes.

Yoo Seo-Eun looked surprisingly stunning and dressed quite beautifully.

She was naturally beautiful in anything she wore, but there was an extra radiance about her when she wore the clothes that Team Leader 1 had chosen.

"...What do you think? Does it look good on me?"

Yoo Seo-Eun asked cautiously while looking at me. I smiled slightly and nodded.

"It's very pretty. It looks like you picked well."

"Ha, haha. Really? Thank you. It seems you know how to say things like that too."

Yoo Seo-Eun blushed and giggled at my compliment.

Watching from the side, Team Leader 1 muttered to herself.

"....I'm a little jealous. I'll have to try harder next time we go on a date."

When we got back home, we immediately unpacked the items we had bought. As expected, the first thing we did was organize our purchases.

Among the clothes we bought today were several shirts for Yoo Seo-Eun. After changing into one of the shirts, she came over to the couch, where I was sitting, and sat down.

While looking at me, she casually unbuttoned her shirt.

"Why didn't you just unbutton your shirt beforehand?"

"......This doesn't work on you."

"Huh?"

With a disappointed look on her face, Yoo Seo-Eun opened her shirt and pulled it off. I assume she buttoned her shirt fully out of habit.

I placed my hand on the jewel in her chest and drew mana from it. Just as she had done yesterday, her body began to heat up.

"Sigh... Ugh."

"Hold on, it'll be over soon."

"Yeah. O-okay. Ugh!"

Her fists clenched tightly, trying to contain the heat in her body. Despite the discomfort, Yoo Seo-Eun gritted her teeth, knowing it would only last a little while.

After about five minutes, today's purification was over. Just like yesterday, Yoo Seo-Eun's entire body was covered in sweat.

I handed her a towel.

"Good job, you're in better shape than yesterday. Now wash up and come out. For dinner, let's eat the snow crab that Ha-Yeon sent."

When we arrived home, we found the snow crab that Ha-Yeon had sent me sitting on my front doorstep.

"Got it; I'll be right out."

"Okay. Take your time."

While Yoo Seo-Eun went to wash up, I cleaned the snow crab. In the meantime, I decided to try on the clothes that Team Leader 1 had bought for me. At the very least, I should try them on first.

I stood in front of the full-length mirror in my room and carefully removed my current outfit. As I changed, I noticed that Team Leader 1 had selected clothes that complemented my skin tone and hair color, creating a well-balanced overall look.

"I'll put this in the closet for now."

I felt like my wardrobe, which was full of comfortable and cozy clothes like hoodies, had finally gotten some proper clothes.

"Huh? It's been a while since I saw this."

As I was cleaning out my closet, I saw my school uniform from high school.

Even though I had worn the uniform not long ago, I was happy to see the uniform I used to wear.

I don't miss those days at all, but for some reason, there is a sense of nostalgia in these clothes.

Next to the school uniform was the uniform of the Awakened Crime Division, which I would wear at the award ceremony.

I was in the middle of organizing my clothes and preparing for another change.

"Hye-Rim, I'm done. You should wash up to-"

"......!"

Just as I finished taking off my top, Yoo Seo-Eun entered the room, toweling off the water in her hair.

I hastily covered my chest and stomach with my hands at the sudden appearance of Yoo Seo-Eun.

"......"

"......"

For a moment, awkward glances crossed the air. Yoo Seo-Eun blushed profusely at the sight of me half-naked, and I asked in a slightly shaky voice.

"...Did you see?"