“Mi-Michael!”
Alicia, the first to come to her senses, rushed forward and shielded Michael behind her back.
Her gaze toward Cabelenus was filled with wariness.
“I’ll apologise. Just don’t touch the child. It’s because he’s still young."
“I know.”
“...”
“There’s no need to be so wary. I don’t intend to harm him.”
Even after he spoke, her gaze toward him didn’t soften in the slightest.
Cabelenus started to approach Alicia but stopped in his tracks when he saw the back of her neck stiffen with tension.
“Am I really that frightening?”
“...”
Alicia stepped back without answering, and a frown formed between Cabelenus’s brows.
Her frantic attempts to block the child from his view were almost pitiable to behold.
“I swear. I won’t so much as lift a finger against you or your child. So there’s no need to be that guarded around me.”
Cabelenus sighed deeply while standing still.
Alicia glanced at him once, then cautiously turned away.
“Stay inside the house, Michael.”
“No. I want to stay with Mum.”
“Don’t be stubborn.”
Alicia firmly pushed Michael away as he clung to her.
Michael pouted with a deeply sullen expression.
It was the first time his mum had ever pushed him away like that.
“But in return, Mum has to come right away.”
“Alright. I’ll be there soon.”
As Alicia gently brushed the child’s hair aside, the gloomy expression on the child’s face quickly softened.
Cabelenus quietly watched the scene and only spoke after Michael had gone inside the house.
“Is that child really that precious to you?”
“More than my own life.”
Her unwavering eyes shone brightly, matching her unhesitating answer.
Cabelenus stared at her blankly.
It felt as if he had returned to the moment when he first met her.
Despite her shabby appearance, he still couldn’t take his eyes off Alicia.
‘No, she’s different from before.’
Her eyes, once untouched and unguarded, had been finely honed, transcending time.
He regretted not witnessing that moment of change, and at the same time, felt sorrowful.
Her life seemed perfectly fine even without him — no.
Rather, it felt like her life could only be complete without him.
He felt as if he had become an impurity.
That was why he couldn’t bring himself to hold the small hand that gently pushed him away.
・・・・・
“Mum, that mister is here again today.”
“Stop staring outside and come eat quickly.”
“But that mister’s fixing our fence right now…”
“Michael. ”
“…Okay.”
Michael dejectedly came down from the sofa, his shoulders drooping.
When his mum made that face, it truly meant she was angry.
“That man is leaving today, so don’t worry about him, okay?”
“You said that yesterday, too.”
“...”
“But, why does he keep coming to our house? Who is he, anyway?”
Alicia’s hand tightened around her spoon.
The innocent eyes of a child who knew nothing made her throat go dry for no reason.
Michael had never once said he missed his father.
The child, more mature than his peers, often behaved like an adult and was careful never to bring up his father.
But she knew that whenever a man old enough to be his father passed by, Michael’s gaze would naturally follow.
Though he never said it, the child always missed his father.
“…He’s just… someone Mum knew a long time ago.”
“Then he’s like an uncle. Like Uncle James, right?”
"No. It’s different."
“Is it because you don’t like that man?”
“Yes. I don’t like him.”
Alicia nodded out of obligation.
“Then I’ll dislike him too.”
“...”
“Mum’s enemy is my enemy. I’m always on your side.”
He expected praise in return, but none came.
Michael rolled his big eyes around, watching Alicia’s reactions closely.
Alicia stirred her soup for a long time before finally looking up.
“…Don’t dislike him too much.”
“...”
“Mum hopes that Michael won’t hate that man too much.”
“Why?”
Michael stared at Alicia, waiting for an answer.
Only after the steam from the soup had disappeared did Alicia finally speak.
“That person means a lot to Mum. And…”
“And?”
“It’s a secret.”
“A secret? Why?”
“Because it’s more interesting that way.”
Alicia smiled and gently brushed Michael’s cheek with the back of her hand.
Maybe one day, when the little boy grew up, the time would come to tell him everything. But for now, she wished he knew nothing.
She wished for her child to be carefree, not having to read between the lines at such a young age.
She simply hoped for more days when he could comfortably laugh in her arms.
It had taken eight years to make that possible.
Alicia stretched out her arms and hugged her young son tightly.
It was her first time being a parent, and everything felt overwhelming and difficult.
Life as a parent wasn’t as noble as she had heard. There were times she was so exhausted she just wanted to run away.
Despite all that, the reason she endured was that even though the whining child was frustrating, when he turned around and smiled, it was so lovely.
She realised the warmth of him clinging to her as if she were his whole world wasn’t so bad after all.
In the end, she came to love him, not from a single moment, but from countless small feelings that gradually built into deep affection.
Only when that love came before everything else did Alicia truly become a mother.
To protect her child, she would fiercely stand her ground on the street, sometimes raising her voice, and reluctantly push to earn even a penny more. She worked tirelessly to put good things in her child’s hands, making sure he lacked nothing.
‘Michael is all I have. I don’t need anyone else.’
Alicia held him tighter, grounding herself in the steady beat of his heart.
She thought she wouldn’t waver — but that was a mistake.
The moment she saw those eyes, eyes that looked only at her, she crumbled instantly.
Back then and even now, Cabelenus shook the resolve Alicia had worked so hard to hold.
Even in that moment, her thoughts were on Cabelenus, who was still outside.
After all, what had kept her going for the past eight years was the trace of that man on the child’s face.
・・・・・
"So, who is that black-haired mister?
“I don't know either. Mum didn't tell me anything."
Michael rested his chin on his hands and pouted.
"According to my mum, he’s supposed to be someone really important."
"How do you know that?"
"I secretly overheard Mum chatting with the lady next door. They said that mister’s super rich. He pulls out handfuls of gold coins from inside his coat. So everyone thinks it would be better if that mister stayed at their place instead of the village chief’s."
"He definitely looked rich. The clothes that mister was wearing were really soft. It was the first time I’d ever touched something that soft.”
Michael's eyes narrowed.
Now that he thought about it, it wasn’t just the man’s clothes — even the accessories he was wearing looked fancy.
"Wait, you touched that mister’s clothes?"
"We even rode a horse together."
"Ugh, come to think of it, you’re really brave. Weren’t you scared? I couldn’t even look that mister in the eye. My legs still shake just from seeing him from far away."
"Honestly, he’s not really scary. It’s just…"
“Just what?”
"I don’t like how Mum’s changed."
These days, just thinking about his mum makes him feel really down.
Michael buried his face in his knees and let out a deep sigh.
"What’s wrong with your mum? I like her. She’s the prettiest and kindest lady in the village. I love the peanut butter cookies she bakes."
"That’s exactly the problem."
Michael roughly rubbed his face against his knees.
Ever since that black-haired mister showed up, nothing had felt right.
His mum had started spacing out like a broken doll and made more mistakes than before.
She even nearly burned the cookies she used to bake perfectly with her eyes closed.
And most of all…
"Problem? What do you mean?"
"You’re just a kid. You wouldn’t understand."
"You’re six years old too."
"No, I… never mind."
Michael sighed once again.
At first, he just thought his mum disliked that man, so he simply hated him too. After all, his mum’s enemy was his enemy. That was all there was to it. But then…
‘Mum cried.’
His tiny fists clenched tightly.
Last night, she had stared blankly at the brooch he brought her and cried in silence.
‘Mum doesn’t cry often.’
His mum hardly ever cried — it was almost amazing.
The only time he had ever seen her cry was when he was sick.
"…What if that mister takes Mum away from me?"
"Huh? Why would he take your mum?"
He wanted to comfort his mum when she cried, but he just couldn’t.
Seeing her silently crying in the middle of the night felt so unfamiliar.
It felt like a stranger had put on his mum’s skin and was pretending to be her.
"When she’s with that man, she doesn’t feel like the Mum I know."
"What do you mean? If she’s not your mum, then who is she?"
“...”
“Michael?”
“I knew it, this won’t do..”
Michael sprang to his feet, clenching his fists.
Startled, Chris quickly called after him, but it was no use.
Once the boy had made up his mind, there was no stopping him.
・・・・・
"Mister."
“...”
“Mister!”
“...”
"Can’t you hear me? Mister!"
Michael waved both arms, trying hard to catch the man’s attention.
But no matter how many times he called, the indifferent man didn’t so much as glance his way.
"Mis. Ter!"
“...”
Sure enough, there was no response this time either.
Michael pouted like a sulky fish.
"Oh? It’s Mum!"
“...”
"See? You were listening! You’re just pretending not to!"
As soon as the man finally turned his head, Michael stuck his lips out even further in a pout.
The man gave Michael a quick sideways glance, then looked away again.
"Ugh! Why are you ignoring me again?!"
“...”
"Look at me! I want to talk to you!"
“...”
“Mum!”
“...”
"See? You only turn your head when I say that!"
Michael stomped his feet in frustration.
But even then, the man’s response didn’t change much.
After scanning the area to make sure Alicia wasn’t nearby, he turned his head away again and went right back to fixing the shed.
Michael glanced at the man who was skillfully hammering nails, then finally slumped down where he sat with a sigh.
No matter how many planks his mum added, the shed that leaned more each year had, before long, become surprisingly sturdy under the man’s care.
“Mister, are you a carpenter or something?”
“...”
“Isn’t that hammer heavy? I can’t even lift it, and Mum always struggles, but you swing it with one hand like it’s nothing.”
“...I guess your dad doesn’t take care of things like this?”
“I don’t have a dad — wait. Did you just talk? You really said something, right?”
Startled, Michael sprang to his feet.
Feeling that he had finally caught the man’s attention, he couldn’t help but clap.
“What do you mean you don’t have a dad?”
“Wow, it’s real. You really did talk.”
“Kid.”
“I’m not a kid. I’m Michael. Michael Nus.” [1]
Michael put his hands on his hips, beaming with pride.
He felt an unshakable joy that the man was finally looking at him.
“I don’t care about your name—”
“What’s your name, Mister?”
“...”
“My mum says that if someone tells you their name, it’s polite to tell them yours back.”
“…Cabelenus.”
Cabelenus sighed deeply with an annoyed expression, but Michael didn’t care at all.
Instead, the boy’s subtle move to slip closer beside Cabelenus revealed unmistakable curiosity.
“That’s all? What about your last name?”
“Von Schwarhan Blanche.”
“Von Schwa… what now?”
The smooth, foreign-sounding name flowed like music, but when Michael tried to repeat it, his tongue got all tied up.
He made a face and gave up halfway through trying to say it.
“Mister, can you say your name again, please?”
“Cabelenus von Schwarhan Blanche.”
“Cabele… ugh, why is your name so long? Mister, you’re not lying because you don’t want to tell me your real name, right?”
“Think what you want. Anyway—”
“I knew it, it was a lie. No wonder I couldn’t say it properly.”
Michael regained his confident expression and now boldly crouched down right in front of Cabelenus.
Cabelenus was about to warn the boy off, but when he saw the familiar colour of his eyes, he clamped his mouth shut.
The child shared many traits with Alicia, making it hard to be cold toward them.
“Then what’s your real name, Mister?”
“...”
“Wait, are you ignoring me again?”
“...”
“Mister!”
“Your mum wouldn’t like it if she saw you with me.”
“So you’re not talking to me because of my mum?”
Michael frowned in disbelief, but Cabelenus remained unfazed.
“She’s my mum.”
“I know.”
“If you know that, then why do you care so much about my mum?”
“Mister, do you like my mum?”
Michael openly showed his displeasure, frowning.
Translator's Corner:
[1] Michael’s surname is: “누스”, which is the last two characters of Cabelenus’s name “카벨레누스.”
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