episode_0155

50. Remembering the oath of that time once again. (1)

I opened my eyes to the tickling sensation on my forehead and saw him slowly stroking my head.

” Are you awake? ”

” Ugh… How long did I sleep? ”

” About… an hour? You can sleep more. ”

” Could that be so…? ”

The warmth of his body on my cheek and the feel of his hands caressing my bangs made me feel drowsy again, but I quickly woke up to the sound of my child sobbing from the bed.

” Uh… Uh, where is this…? ”

” Hey, are you awake? ”

” Heeeek….! ”

The eight-year-old girl who discovered me hid herself by pulling the blanket over her.

I raised both hands toward the child who was peeking out from under the blanket and showing his face, indicating that I would not pose any threat.

” I’m sorry if I startled you. How are you feeling? ”

” Mo… body…? Huh…? Oh, come to think of it… arms and legs…! ”

The child put down the blanket as if it was new and looked at or touched his arms and legs that had returned to their original state. Then, as if he remembered something, he came to me and pulled at my clothes.

” Ha, the sky…! My, my little brother, Sky…!? Huh?! Is it okay? Right?! ”

I slowly took the child’s hand that was holding my clothes and hugged him, showing him the child lying next to me.

” Oh, heavens…! ”

” I’m done with the treatment… I’ll wake up soon. I’m sorry… because of me… ”

” Oh, did your sister… treat you…? ”

” Yeah. Now, it’s not scary, is it? ”

The child nodded slowly, buried his face in my chest, and began to cry.

” Oh, thank you… Sob… For saving my little brother and me, I’m really, sob…! ”

” Yeah… It’s okay now. Everything’s okay… ”

I patted the child’s back and waited until the crying stopped.

As I held the child in my arms, I felt warmth from the child… and for some reason, I felt warmth blooming in my heart as well.

‘It feels warmer than before…’

Feeling the warmth, I put the baby back to bed, who had stopped crying, and covered him with the blanket, then asked if he was hungry.

The child started to make a ‘gurgling’ sound and looked at me, hiding his face in the blanket as if embarrassed.

” Do you like hamburgers by any chance? ”

The child seemed startled by the sudden sound of a man’s voice behind me, hid his face under the blanket, and grabbed my hand.

” It’s okay… This guy isn’t a scary person either. ”

” Oh, really…? ”

” Yeah! And you’re really good at cooking! ”

When told that he was good at cooking, the child’s eyes lit up and he slowly opened his mouth.

” Hey, hamburgers… I like them… My brother and I… will like them too. ”

” Okay. Then I’ll make it, so wait? ”

As he left, the child slowly pulled at my collar.

” Am I… close with you, oppa? ”

A child looking at me with pure eyes. I was momentarily taken aback by that sight…

” Huh? Uh… So… Yeah. We’re really close. ”

” I see…! By any chance… did you and your brother get married? ”

” Oh, no… that… ”

” Ah~ Are you still dating…? ”

He stroked the child’s head, touching his feverish face.

‘Really… the innocence of a child… no, innocence… is that right…? ‘

The sight of the child accepting my hand, as if he didn’t mind having his head stroked, really… If I… were to have a child…

” I, I… I feel a little sick now… ”

” Oh, I’m sorry. But more than that… What’s our little girl’s name? ”

” My, my name is… Kang Su-ah. My younger sister is… ”

” Kang Ha-neul… right? ”

” Yes… ”

” My name is Charles… no, Yujisu. Nice to meet you. ”

” Yes! Pretty sister! ”

After that, I spent time talking with the child… no, Su-ah, until he came back.

While Su-ah was making flower and animal shapes with fireworks to keep her from getting bored, the sound of Haneul waking up was heard from next to her.

*****

” Oh my god!!! ”

” Who, who are you… ”

Suah is placed on the bed with Haneul while holding her in her arms. Suah then hugs Haneul.

At that sight… a part of my heart rang with a ‘zing’.

” Who… Who are you… ”

” Thank goodness… I’m really thankful…! ”

As he listened to the two children talking to each other, Haneul could hear that he was still not able to speak properly, but it was not so bad that he could not understand.

The moment I thought, “Maybe it’s because I didn’t learn to speak properly that I speak like that,” the sky looked at me.

” Sister… Who is this sister? ”

” This sister… ”

” My name is… Yujisu. Nice to meet you? ”

” Who…who! This sister has a singing head…! ”

Su-ah turned to Haneul, who got out of bed and started playing with her hair.

” Ha, Heaven, you can’t do that!!! ”

” Okay. Okay, come a little closer and touch me. ”

As I lifted Haneul up and held her in my arms, I watched Haneul continue to touch my hair as if it was a miracle. As I watched, I felt as if I had become a mother.

Just holding a child makes me feel so… comfortable.

As I was walking around the room with Haneul in my arms, talking to Suah, the door opened with a ‘creak’ sound.

” Hey? That kid woke up too? ”

” Sister! It smells good! ”

” Are you hungry? Wait a minute. ”

He slowly sat Haneul down on the bed, took out the table and placed it in front of her, and placed the food he had brought in front of her.

Haneul couldn’t take her eyes off the dish she was seeing for the first time and was drooling. Suah was sitting in front of him and sitting still, but she was still licking her lips with an expression on her face as if she hadn’t seen him in a long time.

” Can Suah eat by herself? ”

” Yes! Oh, I can do it by myself…! ”

As if he was confident, he took out a fork and started eating a hamburger.

It looked like it had been cut in advance, and the hamburger was cut to fit the size of a child’s mouth, so I smiled at him and cut it into smaller pieces with a fork for Haneul before putting it in his mouth.

As if it was his first time eating a hamburger, he chewed and swallowed slowly, then opened his eyes wide and looked at me and started shouting.

” Isn’t it hot? ”

Haneul shook her head

” Drink it!! ”

” That’s good. Should I thank my brother over there? ”

” Thank you. ”

He smiled at that sight and told me to eat quickly, so I picked up another piece with my fork and put it in my mouth.

The atmosphere in the room felt very warm as the children enjoyed the food.

As if we had become one family.

Not long after, Haneul, who had finished eating the hamburger, started to nod off, so I laid her down and covered her with the blanket.

” How was Suah? Was it delicious? ”

” Yes! It was really delicious… back when I was little, my mom made it for me… ugh… ”

Su-ah tries not to make a sound because Haneul is sleeping next to her.

He hugged Su-ah and patted her back.

” It’s okay to cry. When you’re sad… it’s better not to hold back. ”

Immediately, a child came into my arms and cried sadly.

From what you just said… I guess, their parents… are no longer in this world.

How hard must it have been for two young children to survive?

That’s why… Obelisk… might have entered that cult.

They too were people who had lost precious things, so they must have taken the two children.

But that doesn’t mean… they give these children something in the form of red candy, calling it a ‘gift from God’…

That’s… crossing the line.

As soon as the hand that was patting stopped, Su-ah looked at me with tearful eyes.

” Sister…? ”

” Oh, I’m sorry. But… Are you okay now? ”

” Yes, thank you… ”

” No… ”

The words, ‘You were sick because of me,’ didn’t come out.

If I told you… I felt like this child would leave me.

Su-ah, who had been looking at me as I stopped talking, started hugging me again.

” I know… this might sound like I’m being too… childish… but… ”

” Yeah. ”

” When I hug you like this… it feels like I’m being hugged by my mom… I like it. ”

A sudden feeling as if my chest is being squeezed.

Not a painful sensation… but a feeling of being touched by the child’s words.

” Hey, Unnie?! ”

Without realizing it, I hugged Su-ah even tighter…

” Then, shall we stay like this a little longer? ”

The child began to fall asleep as he felt the sensation of being hugged without saying a word.

As if I had been longing for some warmth for a long time.

*****

As I covered Su-ah, who had fallen asleep, with a blanket, I heard a playful voice from behind.

” You’ve completely become a mom? ”

” Ugh… Then, then you are… Dad…”

” Hmm… Is that so? ”

As he hugged me from behind and asked for a kiss, I placed my lips on his.

A kiss that isn’t short, but isn’t long either.

Maybe, if there were no children…

His hand, which had been hugging me from behind, slowly came closer to my stomach and slowly caressed that place… and I placed my hand over it.

” Someday… we’ll have a child, right? ”

” Of course. I want to have your child? ”

” Me too. When I see a child sleeping like this, I think I know why people want children. ”

I also saw the two children sleeping together with him looking at the children.

I hope you have… happy… dreams.

He came out and sat on the small sofa next to the sleeping children, our bodies overlapping each other, talking.

” Tomorrow… when Su-ah wakes up… I’m going to ask her. ”

” What? ”

” Where did you come from… and red candy. Something like that… when did you get it and eat it. ”

” Shall the kids tell you? ”

” You don’t have to say anything… Just show me that you know. Anyway… ”

” Charlotte? ”

I left his arms and looked out the window as I continued.

” Even if they aren’t kids, there are a lot of guys who would talk… ”

Yeah, well… there’s no need to remind these kids of unpleasant memories about the obelisk.

In this crumbling world, children… just need to grow up smiling.

Because adults are there for those kids.

*****

” Then, listen carefully to what I say here. Okay? ”

” Yes! ”

Suah said she understood and waved at me while sitting on the bed, while Haneul was still sleeping soundly.

He grabbed my arm the moment I was about to leave the house, smiling at the child.

” Just a moment before you go. ”

” Okay, wait a minute, the kid is watching… uhm…! ”

I couldn’t push him away as he kissed me passionately.

Rather, I wanted him more…

There was a man who covered his mouth with a ‘Phha…’ sound and hit me, and he pushed me away with a smile and told me to take care.

I smiled slightly at the sight of Su-ah covering her face with both hands behind her back, but secretly looking at us with her eyes.

A view of some children reflected in the window as they leave the room and go to where their older brother is, stopping for a moment to look outside.

The children I first saw in that place where there were bloody handprints, hiding from the devil.

” Don’t worry. Those kids… will never… turn out… like you guys. ”

Yes, just like the oath I made a long time ago.

I will do everything in my power to ensure that those children do not meet the same fate.

That’s why I became a goddess.