Blinking repeatedly, I forced my heavy eyes open and lifted my head.
When did I fall asleep? I looked at the wall clock, and it was already 1 PM.
It seed I had fallen asleep after getting exhausted from drawing all night.
Fortunately, I had completed the drawing, so I could feel so relief.
Since I had fallen asleep on the desk, my whole body seed to be crying out in protest.
"Ugh..."
I grimaced and stretched, making a sound that didn’t quite match the body of a four-year-old.
Crack.
After a simple stretch, I stood up and gathered the drawing.
I thought there might be a fra in the storage room. If I put it in there and hung it in the bedroom, it would look nice.
The room used as a storage was near the balcony. Dad always cleaned and took care of it, so it wasn’t very dusty.
"Let’s see."
The fras were in a spot that was easy to spot.
There were various types of fras, likely ones Mom had bought for the firstborn’s photos.
I couldn’t help but feel a bit bitter inside. How happy must Mom have been when she had her first child?
I swallowed a sigh that tried to escape and picked an appropriately sized fra.
It was a fra that was a little longer horizontally, and when I placed the paper in it, it fit perfectly.
Had she just bought this recently? Mom must have gotten it, considering it was the perfect size for the paper.
I opened the back of the fra and placed the drawing inside. Luckily, it had a chanism that was easy for a child to open.
I took the frad drawing and carried it to the bedroom.
"I hope it cheers her up."
The sense of unease that had been there earlier was gone, and now, all I wished for was the happiness of our family.
I stared blankly at the drawing that was now placed on the bed.
It was a family portrait—four people.
A young couple, a little girl who looked about five or six, and a newly born baby.
"......"
Normally, I would have drawn myself and Ha-eun, but I decided against it.
Wasn’t my place supposed to be where my sister’s should have been?
Maybe I had taken her spot.
It was because of these thoughts that I didn’t draw myself.
Suddenly, I noticed a water stain in the right corner of the fra. It was probably the tear stain from last night.
"It doesn’t matter. It’s not very visible."
Thanks to the fra’s corners, the tear stain wasn’t very noticeable unless you looked closely.
But it still felt kind of dull. Maybe I should add a little surprise to it?
I carefully covered it with a blanket and stepped out of the room.
Grrrrr.
"Ah."
As soon as I stepped out, my stomach growled loudly.
Thinking about it, I had skipped breakfast because I was busy drawing last night, and I hadn’t eaten in the morning either.
Lunch ti had long passed.
I headed to the kitchen and opened the fridge, but there wasn’t anything appetizing to eat.
Everything was either a al kit or sothing that could only be heated up in the microwave.
Before Dad ca back, I’d be stuck starving.
Still, I figured I could manage for one day.
And I had to look after Mom too. It seed like it would be hard for Dad to co ho anyti soon.
But just as I thought about this...
Beep beep beep.
The sound of the front door lock opening.
"Ha-eun!"
Dad rushed in, calling my na.
"...Huh?"
Startled, I headed to the living room, and as soon as Dad saw , he sighed in relief.
"Haah. Sorry, son. I was so distracted I forgot to check on you."
"It’s... okay. But what about Mom?"
"Mom? Oh, she’s fine. The baby was born without any problems."
Thank goodness. Really.
Dad smiled and gave a light pat on the shoulder.
"Eun-ah. How do you feel now that you’re a big brother?"
"Big brother? Is it a girl?"
"Yep. A beautiful little girl, just like our son."
Dad’s question made shrug my shoulders.
"I guess I look just like her. But I don’t feel anything special about being a big brother."
"Really?"
Dad gave a mysterious smile and headed to the kitchen.
"Our son must be hungry. I’ll make so food for you."
At our house, Mom and Dad take turns cooking. Both of them are pretty good at it.
"Are you going to make food and then go back to Mom?"
"...Yeah."
I asked, but Dad spoke in a lower tone.
"Mom’s really weak right now. I need to stay close to her."
His soft face showed that he was wondering if it would be okay for to go with him.
I wasn’t exactly the type to cause trouble, but from Dad’s perspective, I was still just a four-year-old.
No matter what kind of unexpected situation occurred, I’d be considered too young to handle it.
But Dad seed to trust .
"If you don’t want to stay alone at ho, do you want to co with to see Mom?"
"No, it’s fine."
Even though Dad asked to co, I declined.
Dad looked at with wide eyes, wondering why.
"I just... I don’t think I’d be able to do anything. There’s nothing fun to do."
"Why? You can play with when we get there."
"Dad, you’re not fun."
Dad looked at with a wounded expression, but I was just being honest.
Dad was like a gentle deer, always calm, not exactly a fun person.
It wasn’t like I could play with Mom, who was sick. Or with the newborn baby.
That would be ridiculous.
Dad made lunch for and grabbed his coat.
"Well, I’ll be back soon. I’ll co back for dinner."
He gave a kiss on the forehead and waved goodbye.
I rubbed my forehead and waved back.
Dad smiled and left, and after I ate my lunch, I lay back down in bed, still feeling exhausted.
I shouldn’t fall asleep right after eating.
But the warm blanket wrapped up, and sleep took over.
***
"Ah."
I woke up and looked at the window right above my bed.
The curtains were drawn, but since I was underneath them, I could still clearly see the outside weather.
The orange-tinted sky indicated that it was already evening.
I sat up and scratched my ssy hair.
If only my body had grown bigger, I would be living the life of a lazy bum.
It was even my dream job.
The clock on the wall showed it was around 6 PM. Which ant…
Knock knock.
"Dad’s ho."
The sound of knocking ant Dad had co back.
I quickly got off the bed and walked out. Dad was waiting at the door, smiling, and I returned a faint smile as I sat down at the dining table.
Dad would probably go back to the hospital. He might sleep there.
He knew that I could sleep alone since I was already sleeping separately from my parents.
It didn’t matter, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of loneliness.
"Is it good?"
Dad asked as he watched eat. I nodded and answered.
"Yeah. So, do I have to stay ho alone again today?"
"Well... if you’re scared, I can stay ho and not go."
I knew he was saying that for my sake, so I shook my head.
"It’s fine. It’s the sa as sleeping alone in my room."
Dad made a subtle expression and sighed.
"I know how mature you are, son. But to your mom and , you’re still a four-year-old baby."
"Hmm..."
It wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have while eating.
"...Actually, I asked Auntie to help take care of you."
"Huh? Oh... that’s fine."
"I already talked to her, and she said she was happy to help. And So-yul is coming too."
"So-yul? Why is she coming?"
"I don’t know. She said she wanted to co with Auntie."
I snapped out of my daze and thought for a mont.
Well, she’s just a kid who probably wants to be with her mom. It made sense.
Dad said that when Auntie ca, he would leave with her.
Not long after, Auntie and So-yul arrived at our house.
Since we lived in an apartnt complex, it wasn’t too far. Maybe just a different building, a few floors away?
Dad told the two won to take care of as he left.
"Ha-eun, hello~."
"Hello, Auntie."
"Hi."
After they entered the house, they greeted and looked around.
Now that I think about it, this was probably the first ti they had been inside.
We always just t at the playground or on the street.
Auntie looked around the house before stepping out to take a call on the balcony.
Her expression seed a little serious, so it must have been an important call.
Leaving us two kids behind.
"Hey, Ha-eun."
...Is she always this friendly?
I thought she was usually a quiet, reserved kid.
"Can you show around the house?"
?? Well, sure.
Even if it was the sa apartnt complex, the layout might be different.
I motioned for her to follow, and So-yul grabbed my hand tightly.
"Huh? Wasn’t I supposed to grab it?"
She looked at with a slightly dazed expression as she tilted her head and asked.
"No, that’s not it. Um, it’s fine. Let’s just go."
This was the first ti in my life I had held a girl’s hand, other than Mom’s.
Of course, I could get in trouble for saying that since I’m only four, but...
Who cares? I’m four too.
Later, I’ll probably look back and think, "What was I thinking? How could I hold her hand?"
Laughing at the funny thought, I showed her around the house.
However, I didn’t take her to the master bedroom because there was a drawing I had made, and it felt a little awkward.
Instead, So-yul narrowed her eyes and looked at the door to the bedroom.
"Why aren’t we going in there?"
"It’s Mom and Dad’s room. I’m not allowed to go in there either."
I avoided the question by lying halfway.
I could go in there anyti, but there was a drawing in there, damn it.
"Huh? Auntie said it was okay to go anywhere, though?"
Auntie must’ve finished her call by then, and she ca back, laughing and pointing her finger.
"Heh. I’m sure I said it as a way of being considerate, but this auntie already asked for permission."
Sotis, I wonder what’s going on in that woman's head. Where does she even get that way of speaking?
Reluctantly, I led both of them into the bedroom.
Oh right. Just a minute ago, Auntie cheered when she saw So-yul and holding hands.
Once we entered the bedroom, the normal furniture and the bed with a mix of white and navy colors caught their eyes.
The shape of the bed stood out, clearly suggesting that there was sothing important there.
Auntie didn’t seem interested in lifting the bedding, so she left that alone. So-yul, however, was on the verge of exploding with curiosity.
"Is it a treasure?"
"Daughter, other people’s things aren’t treasures."
Auntie patted So-yul’s head before turning to ask .
"But I’m curious too. What’s that?"
"...It’s a drawing."
"A drawing?"
"Yeah, well..."
I ended up answering because I had no choice. Well, it didn’t matter. There was no reason to hide it from them.
"Want to see it?"
"Oh? Is that okay?"
"I want to see it too!"
At their request, I pulled out the frad picture from under the blanket.
"Wow, wow, wow, wow. This? You drew this with just colored pencils?"
"Wow..."
Auntie was full of admiration, and So-yul looked like she was lost in space again, staring blankly.
I felt a bit embarrassed and cleared my throat. Auntie snapped back to reality and handed the fra back.
"Wow. Ha-eun, you’re going to be an amazing artist when you grow up."
"Heh. I’ll think about it."
I didn’t say I’d do it, just that I’d think about it.
Just then, Auntie suddenly asked.
"By the way, I’m curious. The adults here, are they your mom and dad?"
Yeah. I drew my mom and dad, and under them...
"Who’s the little girl between them? She doesn’t look like Ha-eun at all."
Auntie’s question was a bit intrusive. But she didn’t know our family’s situation.
However, I couldn’t give her an answer.
"It’s a mistake. But I didn’t want to just throw it away."
"...I see?"
Auntie accepted my explanation and nodded, and we left the bedroom and went back to the living room.
There wasn’t much to do. What should we do?
"Auntie brought a board ga. Want to play?"
Auntie had brought a board ga called Burmabu.
We nodded and sat down around it.
The ga board quickly turned into sothing that resembled a gambling house.
And the loser was...
"No way. I lost to these little kids?"
Auntie was relentless.
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