Chapter 70
“My, it seems to be a lost child.”
The group, who had approached without me noticing, muttered as they looked at the child.
The child had already calmed down and stopped crying in Baek Yi-heon’s arms.
After setting the child down, he bent his knee and asked kindly.
“Little one, what’s your name? Where are your parents?”
Choi Kkang-kang, who was behind me, whispered in shock,
“Wow. Who knew that soldier Hyung-nim could speak so gently?”
“……”
The child, who had stopped crying, smiled brightly at Baek Yi-heon and exclaimed.
“My name is Minseo! Um… Mommy and Daddy are gone.”
The child who had been smiling just a moment ago quickly teared up with big, watery eyes.
“They all left me behind… Minseo is alone now…”
Baek Yi-heon didn’t ask any more questions and quickly picked up the child again.
“Seems to be an orphan who lost parents in the chaos.”
Yu whispered in a voice low enough that the child couldn’t hear.
“We should contact Seo Jae-hyun-ssi.”
I had the same thought.
Since we would be leaving soon, it wouldn’t be right for us to take care of the child.
This peaceful village probably had institutions to care for orphans.
We decided to take the child back to the house for now.
“Let’s go, Minseo-ya. I’ll give you something tasty. There’s food in that car too.”
The child held Baek Yi-heon’s index finger with a hand as small as a maple leaf.
‘So tiny…’
Well, my half-sibling was about that small too.
As I was looking at that small hand with newfound interest, suddenly the child pointed directly at me with their tiny hand.
“Is it okay, Unnie?”
Confused, I pointed at myself with my index finger and asked back.
“Huh? Me?”
Then the child, as if carefully gauging my reaction, hesitantly asked,
“Yes. You won’t get angry if Minseo comes along…?”
I awkwardly nodded.
‘Why is the child asking me specifically?’
As if I had made them cry or something…
No way.
How could such a small child have such cunning thoughts?
Even though I’m a psychopath with severe distrust in humans, this level of suspicion was too much.
“Uh, um, yeah…”
Only after I awkwardly answered did the child seem relieved and start walking.
We arrived at the rural house, bringing the camping car along.
“This is the place.”
Baek Yi-heon said gently, setting down the child he had been carrying.
“Are you hungry? There’s still time before dinner, should I give you a snack?”
However, the child didn’t readily accept the chocolate bar Baek Yi-heon offered, instead glancing at me.
“Um, is it okay if I eat this…?”
Again?
Only after I awkwardly nodded did the child hurriedly accept and eat the chocolate bar.
“……”
Something felt off.
No, this must be my problem…
I quickly shook my head to clear my pointless thoughts as I watched Baek Yi-heon observing the child with a somewhat pained expression.
💎
“Yes, of course, there’s an orphanage in town. …But you say the child was alone by that stream?”
Seo Jae-hyun continued over the phone.
He wondered why a child would be alone in a place where villagers often go fishing.
However, he quickly added that they could gladly take in one more child.
But the problem was the child.
“No! I want to stay with Oppa!”
The child who had been playing well suddenly burst into tears.
“I’m staying here! Don’t send Minseo away!”
“…That’s…”
As Baek Yi-heon hesitated to give permission, the child looked up at him with teary eyes and said.
“Huh? Oppa? You promised to play dolls with me…”
“…..!”
Those words caused a great ripple in Baek Yi-heon’s eyes.
“Hyung-nim. You know we can’t stay here forever, right?”
Choi Kkang-kang said in a deliberately harsh tone.
“It might hurt the kid more when we leave.”
Of course, this was said out of concern for the child.
Baek Yi-heon nodded painfully at those words.
“I know. But just for a while…”
Looking at him, I recalled his worst nightmare that I had glimpsed at Mangsang Beach.
How hellish his days must have been after rejecting his young sibling who wanted to play on the day of his college entrance exam.
So he definitely couldn’t reject a child clinging to him, wanting to play dolls.
…Never again.
“Well, it’s fine.”
Unable to stand by, I finally intervened.
“Isn’t it better for the child to have even a brief happy memory?”
As I supported it, Choi Kkang-kang and Yu, who had looked uncomfortable, both nodded.
“If even you say so…”
Baek Yi-heon, looking more tired than usual, thanked me.
“Thank you, Noah.”
I’m about to leave anyway, did I meddle unnecessarily?
Wondering if I had acted unlike a psychopath, I awkwardly turned my head.
“…It’s nothing.”
💎
And so, with one more child added to our group, the next day came.
To cut to the chase, I didn’t leave for the shelter last night either.
“Tomorrow, let’s go investigate the village together, Noah.”
Yu had suggested we go check for any traces of Yoo Hyun-min’s group.
‘Right. I should take care of that man’s business before I go.’
Besides, there were still five days left until the week we’d decided to stay in Ganghwa Island was up, so…
This was just about fulfilling my responsibility. Definitely not because I didn’t want to leave them.
‘Definitely, definitely not. Of course not…’
“It seems there’s nothing in this village after all.”
Yu said to me as I was silently repeating excuses to myself.
We had circled the village, but as expected, there was no one suspicious.
From what we knew, Yoo Hyung-min’s group all used names derived from the Bible.
Johan, Hannah.
…And, though I hate to admit it, Noah and Cain.
There were people named “Kim Maria” and “Seo Joseph” in this village, but they were both Ganghwa Island natives.
In other words, people with confirmed identities.
I nodded and muttered.
“…Indeed.”
We had even warned Seo Jae-hyun in advance, so it was better to consider the Ganghwa Island camp safe now.
‘Really, really, I’ve done everything I needed to do now.’
I must leave tonight.
As I was clenching my fist and making that resolution, Yu said in a light tone:
“Looks like it’s just the two of us for lunch today.”
Choi Kkang-kang had excitedly gone to the workshop since morning to learn techniques.
Yesterday, he even had dinner there.
‘He really has such a good personality…’
Of course, only when he wants to.
Baek Yi-heon stayed at the house with Sehun and that child, Minseo.
It was an unexpected move for him, who always worried when I went somewhere.
‘Today, he couldn’t even properly say goodbye when I left.’
It was because of Minseo, who always tried to get his attention whenever he tried to talk to me.
“Noah. Be careful, and absolutely don’t separate from Yu…”
“Oppa! Now you play the prince role!”
His gaze when looking at the child clinging to him, begging to play dolls.
‘Is that how all big brothers are?’
Of course, I have a big brother too.
A half-brother I didn’t even know existed.
The kind of crazy brother who tried to strangle me as soon as we met.
“…Noah?”
At that moment, Yu softly called my name.
Lost in thought, I snapped back to reality with a start.
Maybe because it’s time to leave, I keep falling into strange, unlike-me sentiments.
I shook my head and smiled at Yu, saying,
“Lunch. What should we eat?”
💎
Thank you for reading! ♡
