LM 126

“Ice cream’s here!”

After the distribution, it was snack time. As soon as they heard the word “ice cream,” the young children rushed over. No matter how much they were told to line up, it was no use. They surrounded the person holding the ice cream as if besieging them, each reaching out their hands. Some, with careful planning, even managed to grab two.

“Oh, they’re amazing, aren’t they?”

As he stood back and watched the scene, a volunteer who had approached unnoticed spoke to Woo Hyunse. He didn’t know if she had received the ice cream amidst the chaos or if she had received it beforehand to give to the children, but she was holding two. She handed one to him, so he took it for now.

“Don’t the kids ever ask you to buy them things?”

While Woo Gibbeum was often approached, the children didn’t come near Woo Hyunse. Even though he looked kind, his dumpling-like plump ears and the scar near his neck seemed to evoke an instinctive aversion. He fiddled with his ear, which had been cleaned up so that there were no signs of blood but was still not fully deflated, and answered listlessly.

“No.”

The volunteer laughed, saying he was lucky, and continued talking. Woo Hyunse found it annoying to talk, but since he didn’t have anything else to do, he remained silent.

“When you volunteer at an orphanage, there’s always one or two kids who are really cunning. They’re actually just starved for affection, but it can be quite troublesome for the volunteers.”

“Is that so?”

“Especially that kid. His name is Kwon Yuwon, and he’s like the resident boss here. He’s such a fox. He’s already using his charms. You be careful too. If he comes and asks you to buy him something, you might end up buying it without even realizing it.”

The volunteer pointed to one of the children in the group. He was a pretty boy. His upturned eyes were sharp and bright. Even now, he was grabbing the sleeve of a volunteer who looked rather gullible and begging for ice cream. The volunteer, charmed by his cute face, handed over his share to the child.

But Kwon Yuwon didn’t eat his prize—instead, he ran to a child sitting in the corner with it in his hand. The child, who had been squatting and drawing on the ground with his finger, slowly raised his head at Kwon Yuwon’s call.

Just then, someone passed by, blocking his view, so he couldn’t see whether the child had received the ice cream or refused it. He was about to watch a little longer when he heard Woo Jung-ryeol’s forced laughter from behind, making him grimace and turn around.

He left the auditorium and looked for a quiet, secluded place. Following a fragrant scent that wafted from somewhere, he found a bench overgrown with wisteria behind the building. Clusters of flowers like bunches of grapes hung down from the branches.

Since no one was around, he stretched his legs out on the bench and sat down comfortably. He was thinking of just killing time until it was time to leave. If he got caught before then, there was nothing he could do.

He crossed his legs and leaned his elbow on the bench, lifting his head. The flower clusters were hanging down close enough to touch his nose. He was about to reach out to pluck one, tempted by the fragrance, when he sensed a small presence nearby. He lowered his hand and turned his head.

A child was standing behind the wall, peeking out with only half of his face showing, looking hesitant. His pale face, like a magnolia blossom, looked familiar somehow.

A beat later, he remembered where he had seen him. It was the child to whom the cunning little Kwon Yuwon had delivered his prize.

He wouldn’t have cared who came or went, but seeing the child’s large eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to be indifferent. Those eyes, which looked like they would burst into tears the moment you touched him, piqued the other boy’s interest.

“Hello.”

Thinking he might be scared, he put on the gentlest smile he could muster and greeted him. The child glanced at Woo Hyunse out of the corner of his eye, then stealthily came out from behind the wall. His gaze wandered near his hand, and he wondered what he was looking at, only to realize it was the tube of ice cream that he had absentmindedly brought out because he had nowhere to throw it away.

“Do you want to eat this?”

Since he didn’t like sweets anyway, he offered it to him, and the child hesitated, fidgeting. But then, as if he had made up his mind, he cautiously walked over. However, he couldn’t open the wrapper and struggled. He looked at Woo Hyunse once, then back at the ice cream, his face crestfallen.

“Give it here.”

He tore open the wrapper, took off the lid, and put it in his hand. Only then did the child sit down next to him, swing his legs, and put the ice cream in his mouth.

After concentrating on eating for a while, the child suddenly looked at Woo Hyunse. He frowned as if contemplating something, then abruptly offered him the ice cream.

“You want me to eat it?”

He didn’t answer, just nodded. Touched by his sincerity, he opened his mouth, but just before the ice cream reached his lips, the child’s expression became earnest. His reddened lips were also slightly parted. He felt like the child would start crying if he actually took a bite, so he chuckled and straightened his back.

“You eat it all.”

The dark expression immediately brightened again. The child nibbled away at the ice cream. He sucked up every last drop and then got up to throw the wrapper in the trash can.

Having completely dropped his guard with just one ice cream, the child soon wriggled onto Woo Hyunse’s lap. Like a small puppy finding a soft cushion, he wiggled his bottom to get comfortable. Woo Hyunse, who had suddenly become a chair, was taken aback but didn’t coldly push the child away.

‘Sometimes, there are children who ask to be hugged. But please don’t indulge them if possible. If they get used to it, it will be difficult for the next volunteers.’

He vaguely remembered the warning he had received from a staff member. But he didn’t care. The warmth of the child nestled in his arms was as warm as if he had soaked up the May sun. Since there was no one watching, Woo Hyunse thought, “Oh well,” and wrapped his arm tightly around the child’s waist to keep him from falling.

The child, in a good mood, swung his legs, which didn’t reach the ground, and hummed a song. Curious about what song it was, he strained his ears. He thought it would be a children’s song, but it was an old song from the past.

Fly me to the moon.

Let me play among the stars…

Wasn’t it a rather mature choice of song for a child to sing? The pitch and rhythm were almost completely off. But even so, he sang diligently with a lisp, his two front teeth missing. Woo Hyunse buried his head in the child’s neck and shook his shoulders, chuckling. He hadn’t had anything to laugh about lately, but thanks to this child, he was filling up a month’s worth of laughter.

After finishing the song, the child glanced at Woo Hyunse with a coy look. He didn’t say anything, but he knew he was looking for praise. Clearing his throat, he clapped his hands together.

“You sing very well.”

Only then did the child grin and twist his body. As soon as he released his arm, the child wiggled and sat facing Woo Hyunse this time. Then, he cautiously reached out toward his ear. His delicate hand, like a spring leaf, brushed past the part with the bandage.

“Does this hurt a lot?”

“…”

For a moment, he forgot what to say and looked at the child. He was simply asking about his swollen ear, but to Woo Hyunse, it sounded like a question with a deeper meaning attached to it. The child’s small, warm hand seemed to caress more than just the wound on his ear.

“No. It doesn’t hurt at all.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Upon hearing the confirmation, the child smiled brightly. He didn’t hide the fact that he was missing his front teeth. A breeze blew between the two of them. Lilac-colored flowers fell like rain on his black hair and small shoulders. The child shook his head, and this time, the flower petals landed on Woo Hyunse’s hand, thigh, and sneakers.

Woo Hyunse didn’t particularly like children. They cried and whined at the slightest thing, and they were noisy. But this child was different. He was like a small, young, and fragile animal. One that hadn’t yet left its mother’s embrace.

His eyes were as clear as a stream, and every action was cautious and lovely. The way he caressed his ear, the way he wiggled his feet to the rhythm of the song.

He could adopt a child like this as a younger brother.

Or even a son.

“Do you want to be my son?”

Of course, it was a ridiculous suggestion. It was a sudden, out-of-the-blue question, but even if he thought it was a joke, he couldn’t push this lovely child under Woo Jung-ryeol’s shadow. It was enough for him and Woo Gibbeum to experience hell.

The child blinked his big eyes slowly. A beat later, he lowered his head, and then, not long after, shook it. It was a wise choice.

Hearing footsteps running toward them, Woo Hyunse turned his gaze first. The child whom the volunteer had called cunning was looking at the bench, panting. The child sitting on his lap flinched and quickly got down. Regretting the warmth that had suddenly disappeared, Woo Hyunse clenched his fist for a moment and then released it.

“Where were you? I’ve been looking for you!”

“You were looking for me?”

“Yeah. I was going to give you a snack, but I couldn’t find you…”

Kwon Yuwon held Kwon Siyul’s hand tightly and pulled him toward him. He hid him behind his back and glared at Woo Hyunse with defiant eyes. He looked exactly like a wildcat with its fur standing on end.

“I told you not to talk to strangers.”

“He’s nice…He even gave me ice cream.”

“You can’t trust adults. Come on. Let’s go inside.”

Kwon Yuwon pulled the hesitant child away. Before leaving the bench, the child looked back. When his eyes met Woo Hyunse’s, he smiled, his mouth forming a crescent shape. That radiant smile was as bright as the roses growing thickly on the fence and as lovely as the hydrangeas in full bloom.

“…”

The wisteria flowers fell like a shower in the breeze. After brushing back his disheveled hair, the child was nowhere to be seen.

Only Woo Hyunse was left alone. He soon dusted off his pants and got up. Before leaving the bench, he looked back for a moment, just as the child had done. The lilac-colored flower clusters danced gently, scattering a fragrance that resembled the child.

Woo Hyunse inhaled the scent deeply into his lungs. It was a scent that seemed like it would remain in his memory for a long time.

―The End.