Creak~

The bathroom door swung open as a little girl emerged. As she stepped out, a delightful aroma wafted towards her, guiding her with its mouthwatering allure. Her nose led her to a boy who was busily tending to a simmering pot.

Observing the discrepancy of the boy's small frame and the large pot, she couldn't help but find it funny.

Even though Tae Hyun Goo couldn't see her, he could hear her approaching footsteps. “Ooh? You’re done So-Young? How’s the clothes?”

“….It’s a bit big, b-but it’s still comfy!”

“Really?” Tae Hyun Goo spun around to steal a quick glance at her. In response, Cha So-Young awkwardly extended her arms, which emphasized the long sleeves.

“I guess so? It looks cute on you… I’m almost done, so wait for a bit.”

Cha So-Young nodded. With only one chair at the dining table, she scanned the room and arranged another chair for herself. While waiting patiently, she swung her legs back and forth, and a bored yet carefree expression soon appeared on her face.

It was a peaceful period, a moment where only the sound of the porridge bubbling and the crackling of the small fire filled the room. A short instant where she could forget her clutching anxiety.

But shortly after, her legs abruptly slowed down until she eventually froze in her place. She had been unknowingly pulled into her own thoughts. In her vision, a memory was slowly formed.

Similar to now, in the past, she had often sat patiently while she waited for her mother to prepare their food. And although it wasn’t something that happened frequently as they had their own servants to do the cooking. But occasionally, her mother would go to her personal kitchen and invite the whole family.

Right… her family. Her father, her older brother, and of course, herself. They'd all sit at the table and chat about all sorts of things.

Sometimes her father would tell various kinds of stories, or sometimes she would annoy her brother while her mother would join in the conversation and tempt them with food samples once in a while.

But now… those memories felt like a distant past to her.

“Hyun Goo…” her eyes fixated on the boy’s figure, still stirring the porridge.

“Hm?”

However, the boy only answered plainly as he kept his focus on perfecting his cooking. But soon, the little girl opened her mouth and let her faint words resounded within the quiet kitchen.

“…Thank you”

When Tae Hyun Goo heard it, a cheeky grin flashed on his face as he finally turned around to look at her.

“Oh my, I’ve been wondering when are you—” all of a sudden, his body stiffened in position as his words were halted inside his throat. A stunned expression could be seen on his face.

Sitting there, he found Cha So-Young staring at him with reddish, tear-filled eyes. Tears that kept rolling down her face in an unbroken stream.

Overwhelmed by her emotions, the little girl clutched her hands together. She tried wiping her tears away, but it was all for naught since new ones would keep pouring down. “I-I’m sorry Hyun Goo, you told me not to cry... but... but…”

Painful. That feeling pierced his heart when he saw her like this. He could sense her desire to just break down and cried in sorrow. But she forced her small body to hold it in.

Looking at her suffocating like this, it truly made Tae Hyun Goo feel lost in the sudden situation. It seemed the boy had forgotten that the one in front of him was just a mere child, not even past her tenth year.

In the end, he pondered for a while.

Soon after, he took a deep breath and grabbed the steaming pot before bringing it over to the table. After arranging the plate, he poured the hot porridge and placed it in front of her.

Meanwhile, the little girl remained quiet throughout all the process. Her eyes had even swollen from all the tears.

“The porridge is ready. Eat it while it’s still hot.”

So-Young stared blankly at the steaming white porridge with her eyes still like drizzling rain. Even though she was hungry despite eating the fruits from before, she seemed to have lost the appetite to eat.

But when she caught the sight of the boy’s encouraging smile, she decided to eat it regardless.

The first spoon entered her mouth.

Then the second.

The third, the fourth.

Gradually, her hand goes faster and faster to gobble the plate in front of her.

“Careful, don’t burn your tongue.”

When she heard his words, she was once again reminded of her mother.

That exact sentence… that familiar tone… it was as though the one before her was…

She nodded obediently.

Looking at her calming down, Tae Hyun Goo’s smile deepened as he continued to watch over her.

But as he gazed at her for so long, the young girl began to feel embarrassed as a slight blush marked her already rosy cheeks.

“Y-you should also start eating Hyun Goo.”

“Aah… right,” the boy was startled for a bit before quickly pouring the porridge into his plate and swiftly joining her.

Soon, the two of them leisurely ate their way through the porridge. And although there were still some remaining, it was a fulfilling meal.

.

.

.

Trrrrsss!

The sound of water rushing from the faucet echoed throughout the wooden house. Tae Hyun Goo was seen bringing the pot over to wash it thoroughly. But then, two hands appeared beside him, bringing over the rest of the wooden plates and spoons.

“I want to try washing it too…” said Cha So-Young.

Although he didn’t show it, the boy felt delighted when he saw her initiative to help.

“Do you know how to do it?”

So-Young felt a little dejected and shook her head. The servants had always been the ones that cleaned everything for her. Not only that, she had only ever seen it once as she was playing around the kitchen at that time.

“Alright, just follow me. It’s not hard at all.”

Quickly enough, it didn’t take long for her to get the hang of it. And while she was a little sluggish, all that mattered was that she was cleaning it meticulously.

Watching her eyes so focused on the task, Tae Hyun Goo felt a little guilty for what he was about to say. But he had to. And looking at the time, it was already late in the evening. So, considering that she had been exhausted all this time, she should be quite sleepy already.

He believed the faster he resolved this, the better it was.

The boy called to her in a gentle voice. “Hey So-Young…”

“Yeah?”

“…Why don’t you want to go home? Can’t you tell me?”