Chapter 9
“But wait, what did you call me earlier?”
Selena asked as she finished eating the bread and sausage. Leotis looked confused.
“You called me just Selena again, didn’t you?”
“…”
“You’re supposed to call me noona. Come on, say it. Selena noona.”
Leotis grumbled as he mumbled under his breath.
“We’re only one year apart…”
“Only? Did you just say only?”
Selena pretended to be mad. Leotis hesitated, then slowly opened his mouth.
“…Selena… noona.”
Gasp.
Was it because he felt shy calling her that? Leotis’ cheeks turned pink, and he fidgeted with his hands. That one small word shot straight through Selena’s heart.
How can he be this adorable?
Suddenly, she remembered what the noblewomen always used to say to her. Now she understood why they always squealed and covered their mouths.
This fluffy baby Pomeranian-like boy had just called her noona so sweetly. No wonder it made hearts skip a beat.
All the boys I’ve seen until now were the kind who bullied girls and used gross language… But Leotis? He’s a pure angel.
She had never realized that the word noona could make her heart race like this. Holding her pounding chest, Selena calmly said,
“Say it one more time.”
“…Selena noona?”
Leotis tilted his head as he said it again, still not understanding why she asked.
This is insane. Wait, where’s a phone—or a camera?!
If she could, Selena would’ve recorded this moment to keep forever.
“Leotis, you’re seriously too cute!”
Leotis frowned at her words.
“I’m a boy. Don’t call me cute.”
“You don’t get it. Being cute has nothing to do with being a boy or girl.”
“Still… boys should be cool, not cute.”
“Nope.”
Selena placed a hand on his shoulder and lowered her voice seriously.
“Listen closely, Leotis. In this world, cuteness is everything. Cuteness saves the world. Got it?”
“….”
Look at that face. Like he’s saying, ‘What kind of nonsense is that?’ But it’s the truth!
To Selena, “cute” was the highest compliment. Leotis didn’t seem to get it though and just looked confused.
“Doesn’t it sound nice? You’ve gotta keep calling me noona from now on. Promise.”
“…I’ll think about it.”
Leotis turned his head away with a huff. Selena figured he didn’t like calling her noona.
Oh well. I guess that’s the end of that.
But contrary to her expectations, Leotis continued to call her noona from then on. Sometimes, he even spoke to her first.
Before they knew it, they’d grown close enough to use nicknames with each other.
And something else had changed too.
“Selly noona.”
“Yeah?”
Leotis held up his hand. In his little green-stained hand were a bunch of colorful flowers.
“Are those for me?”
“Yeah.”
After that day, Leotis started giving her little gifts more often.
Drawings he’d made, fruits from lunch, and now even flowers.
He was like a stray cat bringing presents to someone it liked.
Thinking about how those tiny hands had picked each flower made Selena smile.
“Thank you. They’re so pretty!”
She happily accepted the flowers.
“Your hands are all dirty. Come on, let’s go wash them.”
She grabbed Leotis’ messy hand to head for the faucet. But Leotis stood still and didn’t move an inch.
“Leo? What’s wrong?”
“….”
His face showed clear displeasure. His eyebrows furrowed, and his lips pouted slightly.
Did I do something wrong?
“Leotis? Are you… mad?”
“….”
Leotis, who’d recently started talking a lot more, now kept his lips shut.
“You have to say something, or I won’t know what’s wrong, okay?”
Selena bent down and aligned herself with Leotis’ eye level. He couldn’t see her, but he could feel her presence.
After a long pause, Leotis finally moved his lips.
“…Why…”
He said something, but his voice was so quiet she couldn’t hear it.
“Huh? What did you say?”
“…Nothing.”
Leotis shook his head hard, then mumbled,
“Let’s go wash our hands.”
He turned and walked off.
“Wait! What did you say just now? I didn’t catch it! Say it again.”
“I was just talking to myself.”
Yeah, right. That was definitely meant for me.
Selena was curious about what he was trying to say. But knowing how stubborn he was, she gave up on getting an answer.
If it’s important, I’m sure he’ll say it later.
Why didn’t she hug me like before?
“Huh? What did you say?”
Leotis had spoken his thoughts out loud without realizing it. He quickly shook his head.
Why did I almost say that out loud…
Asking for a hug? That’s something little kids do.
Leotis didn’t see himself as a child. Sure, his body was still small, but in his mind, he believed he was a mature adult.
Pouting because he didn’t get a hug? That wasn’t like him at all.
The reason he kept bringing things to Selena—
It was because he hoped she’d hug him again, like she did before.
Leotis had never been hugged before. No one had ever held his hand kindly or washed his hair gently—only Selena had.
And that one hug…
The warmth of her arms. The soft smell near her neck. The gentle thump of her heartbeat.
When she hugged him, it felt like his dead heart started beating again. Like everything paused and the world became warm.
It was a strange, new feeling.
Unfamiliar, but not bad.
Actually… it was kind of… good. Not that great! Just… kind of okay, I guess.
Leotis wanted to be hugged again. But saying it out loud was way too embarrassing.
No way. I’m not a kid.
He hated that he was thinking like a child. That’s why he couldn’t ask for a hug directly.
But I don’t have to say it out loud!
Leotis thought back to the two times Selena hugged him—once when he was scared in the shower, and once when he brought her food.
He wasn’t confident he could fake being scared, so instead, he decided to just keep giving her things.
Maybe then, she’d hug him again.
But Selena didn’t react the way he hoped.
Dummy.
Ever since he started calling her noona, Leotis had been acting more and more like a kid around her.
He liked when she smiled at him.
He liked being praised.
He liked her soft touches and her affection.
He liked Selena.
But because Leotis had never liked anyone before, he didn’t even realize what he was feeling. So, he couldn’t tell Selena how he felt.
I don’t like that weird girl at all. Nope. Not even a little bit.
Even though…
“What the?”
A soft object brushed past his ear. Leotis reached up to touch it.
Oh. It’s a flower.
From the feel of it, he realized she’d tucked one of the flowers behind his ear. He quickly tried to take it out.
A boy with a flower behind his ear would look like a total fool.
But then Selena’s voice stopped him.
“Wow, it looks perfect on you, Leo!”
Just one sentence.
Leotis hated how much power Selena’s words had over him. But what could he do?
His heart and body were already moving on their own.
Selena giggled.
He usually hated laughter. Every laugh he’d heard before was cruel and mocking.
But Selena’s laughter wasn’t like that. Her voice rose a little higher when she laughed, and it sounded like an angel’s song.
“Look, Leo. Now we’re a couple!”
Selena suddenly leaned in close.
She took his hand and guided it to her ear. A flower was tucked behind hers too.
The soft skin under his fingers made him flinch. Her warm breath was so sweet—sweeter than any candy or chocolate.
No flower could ever smell better than Selena.
His heart pounded like crazy. He wanted to say, “Let go,” but his lips wouldn’t move.
His face burned. He seriously thought he might explode.
“Leo, are you okay?! Your face is all red!”
Selena’s panicked voice snapped him out of it.
“It’s just… hot.”
He quickly pushed her hand away and rushed to the faucet.
The cold water on his face helped cool him down.
“Hot? But winter’s almost here…”
“I just… get hot easily.”
Yeah. That’s it. He just gets hot easily.
It’s not like being close to Selena felt nice or that I liked the couple thing or anything…
“Couple…”
Leotis mumbled the word to himself.
Couple.
Just hearing it made his lips twitch. His heart started racing again, like it could take off at any moment.
One day… I want to marry Selena.
That sudden thought made Leotis shake his head fast.
Wanting to get married?
No way.
Absolutely not.
Nope. Nope. No way.
