"M-Mister! Can I have that SpongeBob balloon, please?"
Ro turned toward the tiny voice calling out to him from below.
"Your na?" he asked, crouching a little despite the suffocating heat inside the bear costu.
"Lilian!"
"Thank you, Lilian" he said softly, handing her the balloon.
Ro couldn’t help but sweat buckets inside the oversized bear costu.
His entire body felt like it was on fire under the harsh afternoon sun beating down on his back.
Earlier, he had been full of complaints about wearing such a ridiculous disguise.
But now, strangely enough—he had gotten sowhat used to it. It wasn’t comfortable by any ans, but he had stopped complaining while handing out balloon after balloon to the growing number of children around him.
He had realized earlier that if he wanted any chance of seeing Paris and Egypt, he had to draw attention sohow especially from children their age. If he truly wanted to identify Sylvia’s twins, he had to do sothing—no matter how humiliating or pride-crushing it was.
Who would ever guess that the future chairman and heir of Hariston was standing in front of a school gate, dressed in a ridiculous bear costu, just to get a glimpse of Sylvia’s children?
And though he was nearly exhausted from the nonstop stream of excited kids, this was still the only way he could scan each of their faces up close, clinging to the small hope that one of them might be one of the twins.
But then-
Ro’s eyes landed on a little girl standing a bit farther away, her wide, sparkling eyes fixed on him. He unconsciously furrowed his brows. Sothing about her made his chest tighten, even from a distance.
Her gaze was locked on the balloons in his paw. The little girl quickly stepped forward and joined the line of children.
When it was finally her turn, Ro got a better look at her.
"Mister, can I have two of that balloon, please?" she asked without hesitation, pointing at the last two pink Barbie balloons.
"Hey! Don’t be greedy," another child behind her said. "You’re by yourself, so why are you asking for two?"
The little girl spun around with her hands confidently placed on her hips. "Because the other one is for my twin sister!"
Ro froze.
Twin sister?
His heart skipped a beat. Could it be—?
He slowly returned his gaze to the girl now turning back to him. Their eyes t.
Ro’s breath caught in his throat. The world seed to stop moving altogether.
He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her.
It was like looking at a ghost.
No—more like looking into a mirror.
The features were unmistakable. The eyes. The slight pout in her lips. That determined brow.
There was no doubt.
There, standing right in front of him, was one of them.
He had just found her.
"Mister Bear, can I have two of those balloons? My sister and I both want the Barbie design!" the little girl asked innocently.
Ro still couldn’t move. He stood frozen in place, staring at the girl in front of him as he tried to morize every detail of her face.
It was strange—of all the children who had co up to him asking for balloons, she was the only one who made his world suddenly stop.
The little girl’s features were uncanny. It wasn’t just a resemblance. No—she looked exactly like him.
If he ever had a daughter, especially a twin, this is exactly how she would look.
"Hey, Mr. Bear! I said can I have two of that balloon, please?"
Even the way she raised her brow, the color of her eyes—it was all him.
She was too adorable for him not to be completely srized. Ro’s hands trembled slightly as he handed her the last two balloons he had.
She had to be Sylvia’s child.
He was certain.
Even though she didn’t resemble Sylvia, this child in front of him—she looked just like him.
There was no way he was mistaken.
"Hey, Mister Bear! That’s unfair!" a girl from the back of the line complained.
"Why did you give her both balloons when thereare still five of us waiting here? Can’t you see? Instead of giving her two, you should’ve at least given the last one to the rest of us!"
That snapped Ro out of his trance.
He hadn’t even noticed that more kids were still waiting in line. All of his attention had been completely absorbed by the girl who looked like his miniature reflection.
"Alright, calm down, kids. I think I still have six more balloons in my car," Ro said to the five children. "I’ll go get them for you, okay?"
He quickly turned around, hurried to his car to grab the remaining balloons, and handed them out to the children.
Then he turned his attention back to the little girl, who was about to walk away.
"W-wait... little girl!" he called out.
She stopped in her tracks and glanced back at him. He quickly walked up to her again.
His hands were still trembling slightly, and he wasn’t ready to let her go just yet—he still wanted to see her a little longer. He couldn’t explain why, but his heart was pounding wildly in his chest.
His eyes locked on hers. He couldn’t stop the trembling in his voice.
"N-na, please...?"
"My na? Why do you want to know my na?" the little girl asked curiously, her big eyes blinking up at him.
Ro crouched down to her level, trying to hide his nervousness.
"I-It’s because you’re really adorable. And I want to be friends with an adorable kid like you."
"Oh, is that so?" she said, her face lighting up with delight.
"My na is Egypt! Egypt Lincolm, Mr. Bear!" she declared brightly.
She bead as she introduced herself, and for a mont, Ro froze.
The na struck him like lightning. Egypt Lincolm.
He didn’t even realize his lips had begun to curve into an unmistakable smile.
Just as he had suspected, this little girl must be one of the twins. Egypt. What a beautiful na—one that suited her perfectly.
Strangely enough, he found himself liking her na more than any other he’d ever heard. When he was a kid, he used to hate his own na—Ro—because it was unusual.
He was often teased for being nad after a place. It made him feel like an outsider, as if his na hadn’t even been given much thought.
But now, hearing this sweet little girl share a na also tied to a place, sothing gentle tugged at his chest.
For the first ti, that uniqueness felt like a blessing.
"It’s such a beautiful na—just like—"
"Egypt!"
Ro stopped mid-sentence when a high-pitched voice called out from behind.
He turned his head—and his heart skipped a beat.
Walking toward them was another little girl—who looked exactly like Egypt. Sa bright eyes. Sa soft features. Sa adorable expression.
She must be Paris.
"I told you not to wander off on your own without , didn’t I?" Paris scolded breathlessly, eyes wide with worry as she hurried toward her sister. "What if a stranger tried to kidnap you?"
She hadn’t even noticed Ro yet. But Ro—he was still frozen in place, his heart thundering in his chest.
It was as if the world had stopped turning.
The mont he laid eyes on them, sothing inside him clicked into place.
He still wasn’t entirely sure if they were his daughters... but his heart?
His heart was pounding so fast it was as if it already knew—these two little girls were his.
"But I was only gone for a mont! And besides, Mr. Bear doesn’t look like a bad animal at all. Look at him— isn’t he cute?" Egypt said, turning her gaze toward Ro.
At that mont, Paris finally shifted her attention to him, her brows drawn together in suspicion.
Ro didn’t know why, but the instant Egypt called him cute, he instinctively struck a wacky pose, trying to look as silly and harmless as possible.
Paris’s expression, however, didn’t change in the slightest. If anything, one eyebrow arched higher before both knitted together in a sharp frown.
"He’s not cute at all"
She said flatly, making Ro freeze mid-pose.
"I didn’t know you were a fan of ugly bears, Egypt. You have a weird taste in animals."
"He’s not ugly!" Egypt shot back, pouting. "You just don’t appreciate him because the only cute things you know are cats."
Ro’s gaze shifted between the two girls. Despite having the exact sa face, their personalities couldn’t be more different.
Egypt was gentle and soft-looking, while Paris seed protective, sharp-tongued, and more mature in the way she spoke. Just from observing their reactions, Ro could already guess—Paris was probably the older twin.
"And this one’s for you." Egypt handed Paris a balloon.
"I know you like the Barbie design too, so I’m giving you the other one. Now, say thank you to Mr. Bear" she added with a sweet smile.
Ro noticed the faint pink creeping up Paris’s ears as she accepted the balloon. She glanced at him briefly.
"Is this... sothing I have to pay for?"
"H-huh? N-no... it’s free," Ro couldn’t help but stamr. He hadn’t expected Paris to talk to him directly.
"Are you sure?"
"Y-yes."
"Okay. Thank you for this. Bye."
She turned around, taking Egypt’s hand and starting to walk away.
Ro’s eyes widened. Was that it? After standing for hours under the suffocating heat, trapped in this ridiculous costu, was that really going to be his only interaction with them?
No way. He wasn’t ready to let them go—not yet. He wanted to see them just a little longer.
"W-wait!" he blurted out, taking a small step forward. "Uh... do you mind if I treat you both to so ice cream?"
Reviews
All reviews (0)