Chapter 84

I don’t know much since I’m not a baby or anything…

Babies have this habit where if the one in front starts running, they just follow along.

When Jin-a, that kid up ahead, started running, Chae-a and Yuna began sprinting for no reason at all.

As I stared in confusion at the kids who had suddenly bolted,

considering they might get lost, I had no choice but to quickly chase after them.

We ended up at a resting area about halfway through.

It was a spot with benches where you could relax.

Since we were all tired from running, we lay down on the benches, staring blankly at the sky when—

Chae-a, who had been panting heavily, sat up and asked Jin-a a question.

“What’s this ‘Hagene’ thing?”

“Hagene? Oh, Hagwon. Hmm, how should I explain it…”

Jin-a crossed her arms, pondered deeply, then told Chae-a just how terrifying Hagwon could be.

“Once you go in, you can’t leave whenever you want, you can’t play, they only teach boring stuff… And you have to sit still for long periods. Plus, you’re not allowed to bring animals.”

Upon hearing this, Chae-a’s face turned pale with shock as she opened her mouth wide.

She kept reacting like she couldn’t believe it while exclaiming:

“Scary…!”

Then she clung tightly to my hand, curling up like a little ball.

While I patted her back to soothe her,

Yuna, who had been listening, spoke up with a rather indifferent expression.

“I’ve been somewhere similar too.”

“Really? Where?”

“It’s cold, dark, and full of ice. You can’t leave.”

Hearing this, Jin-a tilted her head curiously and asked:

“You mean a freezer?”

“…?”

Similar, but not quite the same.

Worried that the conversation might go deeper and reveal things Jin-a shouldn’t know yet, I decided to change the subject.

“But hey, are you gonna keep running away?”

That was the fundamental question.

Unless Jin-a was an adult, there was no option for a 7-year-old not to return home. So when I asked this,

Jin-a stiffened her expression, lay back down on the bench, and told me:

“I don’t know! I’m staying here.”

At that remark, I gave an awkward laugh and looked away.

Most people who say such defiant things usually just need time.

‘So, for now…’

I thought it’d be better to just observe quietly from the side.

But then Jin-a sighed while gazing at the sky.

“I don’t wanna go to Hagwon… It’s boring.”

“Scary…”

“Yeah, it’s scary too.”

I was worried Chae-a might start crying from fear,

so I gently stroked her hair to comfort her when suddenly droplets began falling from the sky.

Realizing I hadn’t checked the weather forecast, I glanced around,

but there was nowhere nearby to take shelter from the rain. As I panicked,

Somtuli and Kamangi, who had come with us, leaped up and pointed to one direction.

“Pii!”

“Dong!”

An announcement that there was a place to hide from the rain over there.

Upon hearing this, I quickly gathered the kids and pointed toward the location Somtuli and Kamangi indicated.

“Let’s go there!”

With that, we all started running forward, trying our best not to get wet.

*

A small cave.

Technically, it wasn’t really a cave since the inside wasn’t hollow—it was more like a space with a rock roof—but

it looked enough like a cave that I decided to call it that as I looked around.

‘We’ll stay here until the rain stops.’

If it gets really dangerous, I can always make a phone call or ask Somtuli and Kamangi for help.

For now, it’s best to just wait. So I squatted on the muddy ground when

Jin-a sighed while looking at us and said:

“Sorry, babies. It’s because of me…”

She seemed to think everything that happened was her fault.

Even though I shook my head and told her it wasn’t, she didn’t seem to listen, pulling her legs close and starting to look extremely dejected.

“I’ll just… go to Hagwon. I could’ve handled it myself.”

Her words made me feel a bit sorry, so I tried patting her shoulder.

But then Yuna shook her head with a deadpan expression and said:

“Nope. Holding back isn’t good. It makes your chest feel tight and hurts. So don’t hold back.”

While pressing her palm against her own chest, Yuna, whose ears perked up, looked somewhat gloomy before turning to Jin-a and saying:

“Understand?”

Upon hearing this, Jin-a chuckled slightly, nodded, and replied:

“I get it. But adults sometimes have to endure tough situations, so I’ll judge based on the situation.”

“Okay.”

“Still, it’s good advice. Thanks.”

Though it felt strange hearing a 7-year-old talk about adults, it wasn’t exactly wrong either.

As I silently nodded, Jin-a, who had been staring blankly at the rain, asked a question:

“What are your dreams?”

The first to answer was Yuna.

“To have a warm house and live happily.”

“House?”

“Yep. Cold places suck. If everyone can live together, it’d be nice—with Haeuni, Chae-a, Seorin-nee, Arin-nee, Somtuli, Kamangi…”

Apparently, Yuna disliked the cold because she had been trapped in ice for a long time.

As I gently grabbed her hand to let her know I was there,

Chae-a stood up confidently and declared:

“Chae-a wants a big house like this! Then I can live with bugs!”

“Bu, bugs?”

“Yep. Bugs are cute!”

Jin-a’s face immediately froze at the mention of bugs.

I chuckled at her reaction while Jin-a muttered something difficult to overlook.

“You guys all want houses. Don’t you have homes? Why is everyone’s dream a house?”

That question about why everyone’s dream was to have a house

made my heart heavy since I also aim to have a house.

Though I don’t know what Chae-a and Yuna are thinking,

based on my own thoughts, it seems like none of us really have a place we can truly call “home” yet.

‘Rooms and dens aren’t really… home-like, are they?’

They feel more like temporary accommodations we’ll eventually leave.

Even though attachments have formed,

I occasionally feel uneasy, thinking we can’t stay here forever.

‘If I feel this way, Chae-a and Yuna might feel it even more strongly.’

So I wondered if their desire for a home stemmed from that psychological reflection.

Then Chae-a boldly declared to Jin-a:

“Yep. Chae-a doesn’t have a home!”

Upon hearing this, Jin-a looked completely baffled and asked us:

“How can you not have a home? Where do you live then? Outside?”

“At that place!”

“That place? Isn’t that somewhere only adults can enter?”

Though purely out of innocent curiosity,

this somehow made me feel a bit heartbroken, so I gave a wry smile, ready to answer on their behalf.

But Chae-a answered spiritedly:

“It’s fine for Haeuni, Chae-a, and Yuna! Because everyone except Haeuni is an adult…”

“?”

After hearing this, Jin-a hummed thoughtfully before nodding and saying:

“Alright, I believe you.”

“Thank you!”

“So, is that place livable? I’d like to visit too since they won’t let me into Hagwon.”

In response to this question, Chae-a flailed her hands excitedly and said with a happy expression:

“It’s super nice!”

“Really? I’m jealous. I’d like to visit instead of going to Hagwon. When I come to play later, can I…”

Before Jin-a could finish her sentence, a loud voice calling out “Jin-a!” echoed from far away.

Looking ahead, I saw a lady running towards us in the rain, realizing it was time for us to part ways.

“Mom’s here…”

Jin-a must’ve been thinking the same thing as me because she sighed and stood up.

As I watched her silently,

she waved her hand and walked into the rain, giving a brief farewell.

“Well, see you later. I’ll go first.”

As I waved back, thinking we should head back to the association soon,

I noticed Yuna and Chae-a watching this scene silently, blinking their eyes.

It seemed like they envied the sight of parents coming to find their child,

and just as I was about to say something,

“Hae-un! Chae-a! Yuna!”

From afar, Seorin and Han Arin were waving and running towards us.

Seeing this, the expressions of Chae-a and Yuna brightened visibly, and they started waving back.

Realizing they secretly envied such moments,

I resolved to try filling these gaps in their lives.

‘I need to put in more effort.’

While pondering how to fill these voids by crossing my arms,

Seorin approached us, pinched each of our cheeks in turn, and said:

“I was worried about you.”

To which Yuna, with sparkling eyes, asked Seorin:

“How much did you worry?”

Seorin, clearly surprised by this unexpected question, hesitated for a moment before slowly replying:

“A lot…?”

Satisfied with Seorin’s answer, Yuna nodded and hugged me, appearing slightly happier.

Though her expressions weren’t obvious, I sensed that she cared more about the people around her than I or Chae-a did.

Just then, Han Arin looked at us and suggested:

“Shall we go home? We can clean up and eat dinner. I’ll treat you to something delicious. And I have some good news to share.”

Curious about the good news, I tilted my head,

so Han Arin turned to me and explained:

“It’s been decided that we don’t have to stay in the hospital room anymore. We can live elsewhere.”

Upon hearing this, Chae-a widened her eyes and said to me:

“Like Beaver-nim got kicked out of his house…”

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