I Picked Up an Abandoned Villain in the Polar Region

Episode 104

 

Kyle and Brody finally rose from their spot by the lake when the sky had fully darkened.

Brody stood up first, suggesting they head back home, but she wavered slightly due to her injured ankle.

Kyle noticed immediately, his expression hardening as he asked,

“What’s wrong?”

“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing.”

Brody replied casually, trying to walk as normally as possible to avoid worrying him. She even urged him to hurry along.

However, Kyle quickly noticed her unusual gait and spotted the bandage wrapped around her ankle.

“You’re hurt?”

He asked, his tone turning serious as he knelt to inspect her ankle.

Brody cursed herself internally for not removing the bandage earlier.

Though it was just a minor sprain, the sight of the bandage made it seem worse than it was.

Embarrassed, she decided to play along and allow herself to be helped.

“I twisted it when I fell earlier.”

Kyle’s eyes widened in concern.

“How did you fall?”

“I borrowed some clothes, but the hem was too long. I stepped on it while running and tripped.”

She explained, her voice tinged with a mix of frustration and embarrassment.

Kyle’s face fell, clearly upset by her words. He bit his lip, silently blaming himself for not getting her proper clothes sooner.

After a moment, he turned his back to her and said,

“Get on.”

Startled by his sudden demand, Brody hesitated.

“It’s fine. I can walk—”

“Just get on already.”

Kyle interrupted, his voice firm.

Caught off guard by his insistence, Brody awkwardly climbed onto his back.

The moment she did, Kyle stiffened briefly at the sensation of her body against his, but he quickly adjusted and stood up as if it was nothing.

Ignoring the warmth of her presence and her soft breaths near his ear, he began walking steadily.

Brody, too, found herself unusually conscious of their closeness.

The last time Kyle had carried her, she had been too distracted by pain to notice, but now she felt every detail—the broad, firm warmth of his back, the security of his arms supporting her.

Her heart fluttered unexpectedly, but she quickly tried to shake off the feeling.

Clearing her throat to break the awkward silence, she said.

“Guess what? Your mother made me three beautiful dresses today. She gave them to me as a gift!”

Kyle muttered under his breath,

“I bought you clothes today, too.”

Brody beamed at his response.

“Oh, your mother already said she’d adjust anything you bought to fit me perfectly.” She leaned her head against his back, adding softly,

“Thanks for thinking of me.”

Kyle smiled faintly at her gratitude.

Brody’s habit of thanking him for even the smallest gestures always made him want to do more for her, though she was blissfully unaware of this.

As they walked through the forest, Brody chattered cheerfully about her day.

“Did you know your mom is amazing at sewing? She even makes all the clothes for the family!”

Kyle, still brooding over his earlier argument with his father, responded gruffly.

“How would I know that?”

Sensing his mood, Brody continued talking, pretending not to notice his discomfort.

“She said she even made your clothes when you were younger…”

Her words made Kyle’s shoulders tense.

He had no idea.

Noticing his reaction, Brody tactfully fell silent, and the only sounds that followed were Kyle’s footsteps and the quiet rustling of nocturnal creatures in the dark woods.

As they walked deeper into the forest, Brody suddenly noticed small lights dancing in the distance. Her eyes widened in surprise.

“Fireflies!”

She exclaimed, sitting up straighter to get a better look.

Hundreds of fireflies illuminated the forest like floating stars, and Brody gasped in awe.

“I’ve never seen so many fireflies before!”

She said, her excitement causing her to swing her legs slightly.

Kyle glanced at her, amused.

“Don’t you remember seeing them the last time you came here?”

“I’ve never been here before.”

Brody replied, completely forgetting that Kyle had brought her to this very spot once before.

Kyle felt a pang of disappointment at her forgetfulness but soon realized he didn’t mind.

At least this time, he could see her joy firsthand.

“This place is amazing, Kyle!”

Brody said, marveling at the sight. Her enthusiasm made Kyle smile despite himself.

 

***

 

By the time they returned home, Kyle set her down and went to clean up.

Meanwhile, Brody stepped out of her room, her expression shifting from soft and sweet to sharp and determined.

Rolling up her sleeves, she marched straight to Alexander’s study, her steps filled with purpose.

Arriving at the door, she took a deep breath to steady herself and knocked firmly.

“Father, it’s Brody. May I come in?”

To her surprise, it wasn’t Alexander’s voice that responded but Eliza’s.

“Come in, Miss Brody.”

Realizing Eliza was with him, Brody saw this as an opportunity.

Straightening her posture, she opened the door and entered the study.

Alexander was seated at his desk, and Eliza stood to his left.

The atmosphere was far from pleasant.

Alexander, his face weary, was rubbing his temples while Eliza seemed to be pressing him about an earlier incident.

Brody, after bowing respectfully to the pair, strode purposefully to the table where Alexander sat.

Her expression was resolute, and without preamble, she said,

“Father, I am deeply disappointed in you.”

Caught off guard, Alexander stared at her in surprise, looking as though he’d suddenly been accused of something unforgivable.

But Brody, undeterred by his reaction, continued with a trembling voice, unable to suppress her rising emotions.

“I specifically asked you to treat him with more kindness, to show him just a little more love. And yet, you’ve hurt him again.”

“…”

“I believed you loved Kyle. I believed you wanted to repair your relationship with him. Was I wrong? Was it all a misunderstanding on my part?”

As if perfectly timed, a single tear slipped down her cheek, her sorrowful expression striking a chord with both Alexander and Eliza.

While Alexander remained speechless, Eliza stepped forward, her heart aching for Brody, and gently comforted her.

Then, she turned to Alexander, her voice soft but reproachful.

“Darling, didn’t we agree not to be harsh with Kyle anymore? Didn’t we promise to treat him kindly, even if he lashed out, because of what we’ve done in the past?”

Though her tone was calm, the combined force of Brody and Eliza’s reproaches was relentless.

Alexander, however, also had his reasons. He had genuinely tried to be kind to Kyle, even offering a compliment, but Kyle had responded with sarcasm, derailing the moment.

Still, as Eliza reminded him, he should have controlled his temper.

Instead, he’d let his pride dictate his actions and ended up blaming Kyle for their strained relationship, basically saying, ‘It’s your fault I wasn’t kind to you.’

Alexander knew he was in the wrong.

His treatment of Kyle had been harsh long before his son began avoiding him. So with a heavy heart, he endured their rebukes in silence, unable to offer even a feeble defense.

 

***

 

That night, battered by guilt and regret, Alexander barely managed to sleep.

He awoke the next morning, tired and restless, and stepped outside, hoping to avoid breakfast—and the inevitable awkwardness with Kyle.

But as fate would have it, he ran into Kyle, who was sneaking out to avoid encountering his father.

Kyle’s expression hardened as he noticed Alexander but didn’t even turn to face him.

He simply walked on, as though Alexander wasn’t there.

Alexander, however, had made up his mind to say something.

“Kyle,” he called out.

Kyle stopped but didn’t look back.

For Alexander, that was almost a relief.

Seeing his son’s resentful eyes would have made it even harder to muster the courage to speak.

Finally, he broke the silence.

“What I said yesterday… that was sincere. I wasn’t trying to make a point. I meant it.”

He hesitated, recalling Kyle’s words from the previous day, which had pierced him like a thorn.

‘I didn’t start hating you first. You hated me first. That’s why I began to hate you in return.’

Alexander lowered his gaze, unable to bear the sight of Kyle’s back any longer. His voice trembled slightly as he added,

“I’m sorry.”

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Kyle frozen in place.

Kyle slowly turned his head to watch his father retreat, his eyes wide with disbelief.

It was the first time Alexander had ever apologized to him.

The same father who had hurled harsh words at him all his life, who had once thrown an inkwell that left him injured, had never before uttered those words—not even once.

Was someone behind this? 

But Kyle knew his father well. Alexander was not the kind of man who apologized under pressure.

He was too proud to admit fault to anyone.

Kyle’s eyes, once brimming with anger and resentment, now softened slightly.

He didn’t feel reconciled, nor did he accept the apology fully. But the unquenchable flame of his fury, which had always burned at the mere sight of his father, had gone out.

It wasn’t peace, but rather a stillness, like the calm after a storm on the open sea.

With that quiet gaze, Kyle stood motionless, staring at the space where his father had disappeared.