episode_0004

To me, my father was nothing more or less than the person who helped me in my birth.

When I was seven, my father got caught cheating and ran off with another woman. Actually, my mother must have known about it before. Every time I got hit by my father, she would use the cheating as an excuse to stop me.

But the reason why it wasn’t easy to get a divorce was definitely because of me.

Parents are originally a pair relationship. If one side breaks down, the child becomes empty. The child becomes half a child.

So, I don’t think I grew up as a half-child. It may sound like I’m praising myself, but I lived my daily life like everyone else, without any shortcomings.

It was all thanks to my mother that I was able to do that.

My mother, who raised me alone for 17 long years. Even after being diagnosed with cervical cancer and even when death was imminent, my mother smiled for me.

That’s why I decided to become a future mother. It’s not just because I’m female. To me, being a mother means more than being a woman.

Just as my mother gave me the grace to do so, I also want to raise my future on my own.

I’ve been a mother for a little over four years now.

“Mirae, are you all dressed?”

“Ugh… .”

A sagging reply came from inside. I went in just in case, and sure enough, Mirae was dozing off with only her neck tucked into her forsythia-colored one-piece dress.

“And you’re going to daycare?”

“Uuuuu… I’m sleepy… .”

“Okay, let’s get dressed quickly and eat breakfast. There’s also Mirae’s favorite pudding, right?”

“Puding?!”

His half-closed eyes widened.

Why pudding in the morning? I decided to do that once a week.

‘They say that to be healthy, you have to eat what you want.’

That’s what my mother said. Of course, I try to restrain myself from eating too much pudding because it’s not good for you, but I think it’s okay to eat it once a week.

“Puding, pudding~!”

Above all, because the future loves dancing so much.

Mirae was already sitting on the chair, wiggling her butt. She was already holding a teaspoon in one hand.

“Should I eat the toast first?”

“Okay, I’ll have toast!”

If you give her pudding, she will listen well. Instead of a teaspoon, Mirae grabbed the toast with both hands and started eating it busily.

“Eat slowly. It’ll get stuck in your throat.”

My gaze fixed on the pudding never leaves. The corners of her mouth, covered in breadcrumbs, move constantly, and I laugh and admire her squirrel-like appearance.

“I ate it all!”

“Yeah, good job. Should I share the pudding with Mom?”

“Huh?”

Mirae, who had already eaten an entire piece of toast, pulled the pudding bowl toward her. Her eyes wandered in the air. Was it that shocking to be told to share it with me?

But I never said no.

Mirae looked back and forth between the pudding and me as if she was feeling regretful, then she finally scooped up some pudding with a teaspoon and offered it to me.

“Mom, eat… .”

“Thank you.”

I put the yellow pudding that was sloshing around on the teaspoon into my mouth. The sweet taste spread faintly. As expected, the teaspoon was too small to taste.

But I leaned back in my chair, patting my stomach.

“Ah, I’m full. The rest will be eaten by the future.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Mom ate it all.”

The eyes of the future sparkle.

The reason I asked to share wasn’t to steal the future pudding. It was just that I didn’t want you to grow up to be a greedy child.

Greed is absolutely necessary for humans to succeed. But is a life where one blindly pursues wealth and fame truly happy?

I don’t know. I’ve never had that much success.

Still, I have concluded that a life of sharing even a little is a happy one. I only understood it from what my mother said, but seeing the couple living next door made me convinced.

“Isn’t it more delicious when you share it with your mom?”

“Yeah! Mom, do you want one more bite?”

“Is that so?”

In the end, Mirae and I split the pudding in half.

“Take another bite!”

“It’s okay if you don’t give it to me…but you don’t eat the future?”

“That’s… my stomach… ugh! Oh, no! I think Mom wants to eat it! Ehehe… .”

I guess I was full.

* * *

“What did Seo-hoo do yesterday?”

“I saw the Masked Rider! The monster will not be forgiven by this Masked Rider! Rider Kick!”

The protagonist and heroine are five years old and go to daycare.

The daycare center is alternated between Seo-hu and his mother. It is only a 10-minute walk from the school, so I said it was okay for me to go, but she refused because she also wanted to spend time with her son.

“Childish.”

“What? Auntie, Auntie. What did Mirae do yesterday?”

“Um, did you play Magic Cat Chuchu?”

“Phew, it’s a magic cat!”

“Hey, Mom!”

The cute hand that was holding my uniform Mai gained strength.

Mirae tries to act mature in front of Seo-hoo. Seo-hoo wants to somehow overcome Mirae. I live in the middle of them, teasing Mirae.

Isn’t this the epitome of childhood friends? Oh, was childhood friends the icon of defeat?

But it’s okay. I will never make the future a defeated heroine. We’ve been close since the beginning, and we’ve been childhood friends since we were one year old.

The victory of the future is already predetermined. We just have to be careful not to change it.

“Oh my, today is the day that comes. Are your school hours okay?”

“Yes, there’s still a lot left.”

As we were walking busily, holding the children’s hands, we arrived at the daycare center before we knew it.

The teacher with an innocent look who welcomed us at the door. It was as if he was born to wear a forsythia-colored apron.

“You should play nicely and not fight with the kids. I’ll pick you up after school.”

“Okay. Okay! Mom, don’t fight at school and be well!”

“When did his mom fight?”

As we were exchanging greetings, Mirae lifted her head and stuck out her lips.

Kiss hello.

Originally, the uncle and aunt next door did this every morning, but Mirae saw it and asked me to do it too.

side.

“Hehehe… .”

When I kissed her naturally as if I was matching her beaks, Mirae smiled bashfully and stepped back.

“Wow. I’m copying what my mom and dad do.”

Seo-hoo shook his head as if he was going crazy. What was wrong with his mom and dad kissing that made him react like that?

I vaguely guessed when I thought of that sweet couple, but I decided to stop imagining things there. What are they showing in front of the child?

“Is Mirae getting along well with you today? Should I do it with the teacher too?”

“I won’t do it… ! And… It’s not my sister, it’s my mom… .”

“You still play that game? Hehe, then have a nice day.”

“Ahaha, thank you!”

I bowed and ran out of the daycare. If I explained, I would be late.

* * *

I still don’t have any friends.

To make a small excuse, the middle school is connected to the elementary school, so the members didn’t change much.

No, honestly, it’s all my fault.

The pitch-black bangs that always hang down to the bottom of her eyes. The school uniform pants she chose instead of a skirt. In addition, the life she had as an elementary school student had become ingrained in her, so she had lost her ability to speak.

Also, it became more difficult to deal with girls who had reached middle school. They formed factions and stuck together, ostracized those they were not close with as if they were foreigners, and started talking about girly topics like cosmetics and clothes, making it difficult to join in.

So, even if the members had changed, it wouldn’t have been much different. The ecosystem of middle school girls was much more harsh and cruel than I thought.

“Sigh… .”

When I arrived at school, I bought a can of coffee from the vending machine. I sat by the window and sipped the coffee while feeling the breeze. Doesn’t it feel good?

As I was walking towards my class with a cup of coffee in my hand, I heard a commotion in the hallway.

“Hey, did you see Iharu on your way here?”

… My story? My interest was piqued, so I sneaked a glance in the direction where the sound came from.

With thick eyebrows that gave off a strong presence, and lips that sparkled as if they had glow-in-the-dark stickers on them. The so-called popular gang. A group of girls who had a firm grip on our class.

“Oh, I saw it last time too.”

“No, listen. The girl called Iharu her mom? That’s a total ripoff. Isn’t that a rumor?”

Rumors? Rumors about me that I didn’t even know about have come out. Well, it’s understandable that I wouldn’t know since I just kept going back and forth between school and home.

Let me hear it.

I stood against the hallway wall and poured myself a can of coffee.

“Crazy, so you gave birth to her when she was in elementary school? Somehow. She was looking at a picture of her baby on her phone and smiling.”

“Oh my god, you crazy bitch! How can you have a baby in elementary school!”

The girls were having fun, slapping each other’s shoulders with their palms. I had a rough idea of what the rumor was, but it was just as ridiculous as what I had just heard.

Still, I’m glad you brought it up.

I walked into the classroom, happily looking at the girls laughing as they mentioned me. No one turned their head even though I passed right by them, as if I had no presence.

It’s nice that I don’t have to say hello, but it might be a little lonely… .

“Wow… !”

As I swallowed a bitter smile at such complicated and subtle emotions, I ended up bumping into someone standing in front of the classroom door.

“Mi, sorry… .”

As I was passing by, apologizing, my hand felt empty for some reason.

The canned coffee I just opened. There’s no more canned coffee.

“Wow, this day is a mess. Why did it have to be Hanna Yeon… .”

A boy let out a sigh as if he felt sorry. And soon enough, my feelings became similar to the voice I heard.

The blue underwear was slowly getting wet. Even the coffee soaked her skirt, leaving water marks on her white thighs.

“Over there… Hic… !”

I needed to apologize quickly, but I just couldn’t open my mouth.

A girl named Hanna Yeon, with dark blonde hair tied up in a ponytail.

The problem was that Hanna Yeon was a head taller than me, and the way she looked down at me was scarier than I thought.

And not only was her lip twisted in an irritated way, but she was also known as a notorious bully at school.

Oh no… .