In that instant, Cha So-Young’s hand stopped moving. Tae Hyun Goo glanced at her, already expecting this kind of reaction.

“You can’t tell me?”

“I…”

She tried answering him, but every time she tried to recall the details of her past, fear unknowingly began creeping into her. Despite wanting to tell him, she truly didn’t wish to relive the painful memories again.

As a result, the feeling of guilt weighed heavily on her mind, viciously gnawing at it. And as she was just a child, she didn’t even understand this complex feeling. In fact, she believed that she was stupid for not just telling him. But her body simply refused to listen to her.

Perceiving her state of conflict, Tae Hyun Goo waved his hand in front of her to wake her from her negative spiral. “Hey, what are you thinking so hard for? It’s fine if you don’t want to. I don’t mind at all!”

When So-Young heard that, her current feelings were only amplified even more.

“But—”

“No but!”

The boy quickly showcased his bright teeth of a smile, “Look at me, do I look like I’m angry?”

So-Young slowly shook her head. “I’m sorry Hyun Goo…”

“It’s fine~”

But despite his reassurance, So-Young's mood still didn't show any sign of improvement as she hung her head low. Looking at her like this, Tae Hyun Goo’s eyes masked a glimpse of insight. “Then how about this. Tell me about your parents! How are they like?”

The truth was, this was his true intent.

He was worried that the reason she left her house was because of her parents failing at their job. Or to put it bluntly, He was afraid that she had been abused back at her home. Thus, leading to her running away.

This was why, after asking this question, the boy made sure to perceive her reaction to assess the truth. And thankfully, she didn’t seem to express any feeling of fear or agitation when hearing a question regarding her parents.

Although it may sound wrong, he was glad that the reason for her running away turned out to be something else. But even with that, Tae Hyun Goo kept his brows furrowed. ‘But… why does she seem a little sad?’

So-Young opened her mouth as she began describing her parents.

“Dad and mom… they are the best…”

“Dad… is very kind. Dad always helps people out and always teaches me to be kind and smart to everyone”

“Mom is also very kind… Mom always plays with me whenever I ask. And even when I did bad things, mom never shouted at me and teaches me to be responsible.”

Listening to her description, the content certainly indicates that she was loved greatly by them. But for some reason, her expression only grew worse.

Having gathered all the clues, all kinds of ideas kept popping out in the boy’s mind as to guess her actual story. But he quickly suppressed such thoughts, after all, it was just mere guesses, and he already got what he wanted anyway.

Noticing that everything had finally been washed clean, he told her to follow him. And after a few more steps, he led her inside a room.

As they entered the room, Cha So-Young’s face was gradually replaced with a semblance of interest and curiosity.

“This is your room now.”

Scanning her surroundings, she quickly discovered that the room wasn’t crowded at all, on the contrary, it was rather spacious.

But nevertheless, there were still some intriguing items.

A mask and a robe, for example, could be seen hanging just beside the door, while basic furnishings, such as a small table and a wardrobe, were positioned right next to the bed. And in addition, not far from the bed, one could view the ancient tree through the window.

Inspecting the place firsthand, Cha So-Young could strongly sense an old and quiet ambiance from the room. Dashing to the window, the young girl was able to witness a gorgeous nightsky.

An everlasting ashen sky hugging firmly onto the innumerable bright starlight, followed by its silver crescent and rosy leaves flowing softly with the gentle breeze.

“Woah! So pretty!”

But as she was admiring the beautiful piece, the window was abruptly shut by a foreign hand.

“Alright alright, that’s enough looking around. It’s already time for kids to sleep now.”

So-Young quickly shot him a look of someone who had been wronged. “But Hyun Goo! You are also a kid!”

“That’s right. But I’m a bad kid. And a bad kid can sleep a little later!”

“…”

Watching his annoying grin plastered on his face, Cha So-Young couldn’t do anything but grudgingly climbed up the bed.

But after a couple of seconds passed by, she opened her eyes and looked at the boy. “Hyun Goo…”

“What’s up?”

“I’m going to sleep now, so why are you still staring at me…”

Tae Hyun Goo skillfully facades a shocked and hurtful image. “Oh my~ I am so pitiful~ even though this is my place. I’m not even allowed to look around.”

So-Young felt annoyed by his pretense.

“Hehe, alright alright, I’m leaving now. But you better sleep.”

When she heard that, Cha So-Young’s eyes narrowed down in suspicion. However, she called out to him once again. “Hyun Goo.”

Almost closing the door, the boy stopped and popped his head back inside to reply to her. “Yeah?”

Cha So-Young fixed her gaze at his golden eyes, this time, she wanted to say it properly. “Thank you.”

For a moment, the boy didn’t react at all, his face remained expressionless. He couldn’t put his finger on the feeling that he was experiencing right now. Which to him, was very strange given that he had already heard this not so long before. But he quickly gave a small smile.

"Once is enough.”

He wondered what was so different this time.

“…Goodnight, So-Young.”

Right after saying that, the boy closed the door quietly.

.

.

.

The door to the young girl’s room gradually opened. After confirming that Cha So-Young had fallen asleep, Tae Hyun Goo quietly entered the place. The youngster then approached the wardrobe and carefully took out the clothes inside it.

After all, this was originally his room, and now that he had given it to this cheeky little girl, he had to move out all of his clothes now.

After some back and forth of transferring his stuff, something reminded him. Moving towards the bed, he took out an old ring from within the table’s drawer, being very cautious to not make any noise.

The ring appeared to be made with a cheap metal that any blacksmith could forge. It was truly anything but unique, just an ordinary metal ring.

As he was attempting to close the drawer once again, his body jolted slightly when something touched his side. Looking beside him, he found So-Young had turned towards him with her sleeping face still attached tightly.

Seeing her peaceful face, Tae Hyun Goo smiled inwardly. But gradually, he fell deep in thought. He was reminded of her previous words. ‘The best parent huh…’

‘If only mine was a fraction of that…’

Letting out an exhausted face, he gave an, ‘Oh well…’ before quietly walking out, leaving Cha So-Young to rest comfortably.

The little girl had gone through a lot. Thus, a proper rest was of utmost priority.