M 196

To Hae-rim, adults were like magicians. His somewhat strict little dad would sometimes scold him for doing things, but his big dad and grandfather would grant him whatever he wished. Having grown up showered with love from adults, the boy knew well that in his short life, his wishes had never gone unfulfilled.

Asking his big dad to meet Apie was in the same vein. He knew he couldn’t actually meet a dinosaur that had already gone extinct. But he believed his cool big dad would somehow make it happen. As always, his big dad would surprise him in unimaginable ways! At the very least, wouldn’t he gift him a new Apie doll? So Hae-rim was very excited.

And then his grandfather even said he would build an amusement park where he could play with Apie! An amusement park just for him and Apie!

Humming the theme song of “Apie’s Great Adventure,” Hae-rim plucked at the grass on the ground. He pulled back on a tree trunk as tall as himself, falling backward, but he just laughed, enjoying even that. Oh Seon-ran was startled and about to rush over, but seeing the child laughing gleefully, he chuckled and went back to what he was doing.

As his grandfather had instructed, Hae-rim stayed within sight, patting the lawn and having a good time. He was kneading the warm, soft soil when a sparkling powder landed on the tips of his maple-leaf-like fingers.

“Huh?”

What, what is it? Excited, the boy raised his head, but he was slightly taken aback because it wasn’t what he had expected.

“…Little Daddy?”

What came into Hae-rim’s view was his little dad. The white and pretty daddy who had just left with his big dad.

Unlike usual, his sparkling little dad looked like a fairy from the fairy tale his little dad had read to him a while ago.

“It’s little daddy.”

But where did his little dad go? Why isn’t Grandpa looking this way even though his little dad is here? He had many questions, but his happy heart took precedence. So he stretched out his arms, wanting a hug, acting cute and calling out, “little daddy,” but to his dismay, his little daddy shook his head with a smile.

“Whyyy?”

Why? Why? The three-year-old, who had never had his request for a hug rejected, soon had teary eyes. He had been good with his grandfather. He hadn’t gone anywhere and had only played here. But why wasn’t he being told he was pretty and good? His lips pouted greatly in sorrow, and his little daddy hovered around him with a flustered look.

“Dadddy.”

Mustering his courage once more, he called out, and his little daddy hesitated before crouching down to meet his eye level.

And it was then that Hae-rim realized something was wrong. Wrong? It was definitely his little dad… but it was different from usual. His face, his body, and now that he looked closely, even his hairstyle seemed a little different.

“You’re not… little daddy?”

The person, no, the fairy, who was covered in sparkling powder and looked exactly like his little daddy, finally nodded.

“Huh? Then where’s little daddy…?”

The fairy opened and closed his mouth as if to say something, and instead of a voice, there was only a whooshing sound like the wind, but it wasn’t scary. Was it because his body was sparkling? It felt like singing.

“…Hmph. Daddy.”

Maybe it was because he kept calling for his little dad, but he really missed his dads. They said they would be here soon, but he still missed them…. Hae-rim puffed out his chubby cheeks and tapped the ground. He wouldn’t cry, even though he was upset. Crying over something like this was something only babies did.

“Does our little puppy miss his dads?”

Hearing the voice calling for his dads, General Oh Seon-ran, who had been gauging the width of the land, approached. The lawn and stems were pulled out here and there, doing no justice to the garden he had cherished, but he didn’t seem to mind in the slightest.

“Your dads will be here soon. It’s Hae-rim’s birthday party, after all.”

“Birthday!”

That’s right, today was the day for his birthday party. Recalling the happy news he had forgotten because of the sudden appearance of the fairy, the child clapped his hands.

Then the fairy also clapped softly, as if to congratulate him. Smiling brightly, looking so much like his little daddy that it was strange he had mistaken him for his little daddy a moment ago.

“…Huh?”

The fairy, who had been enjoying himself, whispered something to his grandfather, lightly touching his shoulder with a smile on his face. Wanting to hear his voice this time, Hae-rim held his breath.

His little daddy’s voice is really pretty. He wondered if it’ll be similar to his dad’s? He waited with a pounding heart, but strangely, the fairy didn’t say anything. No, he seemed to be talking because his mouth was moving, but he still wasn’t making any sound.

Why…? Ah, maybe the fairy doesn’t know the words people use! Hae-rim thought, and that must be it, he raised his hand towards the fairy.

“I’ll teach you!”

Not to brag, but he had always been praised for being smarter than his peers. He was said to have learned to speak and write incredibly quickly. So he thought he could teach the fairy even simple letters.

“Huh? Hae-rim, why?”

“No, not Grandpa.”

By the way, why isn’t Grandpa acknowledging the fairy even though he’s got his hand on his shoulder? Hae-rim, who was fidgeting in frustration, cleverly realized another secret of the fairy. He’s a fairy! The fairy who looks like his little daddy is invisible to adults!

“……”

As if his guess was correct, the fairy gave Hae-rim, who had his mouth shut, a warm look as if praising him.

Exciting! He couldn’t be happier that he had a secret that his dads and grandfather didn’t know. Hae-rim covered his grinning lips and kept stealing glances at the fairy. But suddenly, he opened his mouth wide as if saying something to his grandfather and then slightly distanced himself.

Because he moved his mouth as clearly as possible, as if hoping that his grandfather, who couldn’t see or hear him, would understand, Hae-rim was able to easily understand what the fairy was trying to say this time.

I love you.

Words that his dads and grandfather said every day. Words that he also said often. That’s why he could easily understand. But why did the fairy say he loved his grandfather?

“Woah….”

Just as Hae-rim, puzzled, raised his hand to ask the fairy why, his toes suddenly began to turn transparent. Then his legs, his body, slowly disappeared, scattering sparkling powder.

The fairy waved gently at Hae-rim, who was looking at him with a dazed expression. Was it a greeting to say it was nice to meet him? Or was it a farewell, saying goodbye? Leaving Hae-rim deep in thought, the fairy who looked exactly like his little daddy disappeared like that.

“Baby, are you uncomfortable somewhere? Are you cold?”

“Huh…?”

“Grandpa’s worried because our puppy is just staring blankly.”

“Uhm, no… no….”

Hae-rim wondered how to explain this to his grandfather. If he said he saw a sparkling fairy, but it seemed like only he could see it, wouldn’t his grandfather be upset?

“Just, happy….”

Mumbling and slurring his words, he collapsed into his grandfather’s arms, and he laughed, wondering what he should do with this little puppy. Hae-rim rested his chin on his grandfather’s shoulder and struggled to look around.

Now that he looked, there was a white wildflower blooming in the spot where the fairy had disappeared. It was small and thin, so it was amazing that it had grown this much, but the wildflower stood bravely as if it wouldn’t give in. As if happy that he had discovered it, the wildflower slightly swayed its leaves, and only then did he see a small sprout leaning on it. Judging by the blackness at the end, that young leaf was probably very sick.

“Oh, your dads are coming over there.”

Oh Seon-ran, who was comforting Hae-rim by gently swaying him from side to side, pointed to a distant place. The child forgot all about the existence of the wildflower and jumped out of his grandfather’s arms.

“Daddd!”

As if noticing the child’s call, his dads waved from afar. Was it because he had seen the fairy a little while ago? Even if he couldn’t hear his dads’ voices, Hae-rim could tell what they were saying to him.

Hae-rim, Dad’s here, I love you.

His affectionate dads would surely be saying that. Just like they had done for him every day. And forever, for the rest of his life.

“Daddd, hurry!”

The clear laughter of the young child spread far and wide. Behind Hae-rim, who was jumping up and down with excitement, a wildflower blooming gracefully and a tender sprout fluttered and quietly disappeared.