Side Story Chapter 57 – The Tale of Small Things (2)

Yumi pondered seriously.

She was happy that Mom would find her soon.

But at the same time, she was really hesitant to pick up the phone.

Only then did Yumi recall what she had done wrong.

“Yumi… how are you planning to handle this…?”

“I don’t know…”

An accident happened because of her ability, and she ran away from the scene.

Of course, Mom and Dad were the ones who provided the cause.

But that doesn’t mean Yumi didn’t do anything wrong.

She had undoubtedly promised Mom and Dad.

That she wouldn’t recklessly use her ability because it was dangerous.

Yet, Yumi ended up using her ability anyway.

Whether it was voluntary or not, she used it, so it counts.

If you look at it in terms of results, she broke that promise.

So Yumi was terrified of picking up Mom’s call.

She was going to get scolded.

It was guaranteed.

It was an extremely obvious concept.

She was aware that if she did something wrong, she was supposed to be scolded.

But as the moment drew near, Yumi didn’t know what to do.

Honestly, she didn’t want to receive the call.

The resentment towards Mom and Dad was still tightly packed.

Maybe it would be okay any other time, but definitely not right now.

Although she didn’t think it would happen, you never know.

If she picked up, and ended up hearing some harsh words…

The emotional rift might deepen even more than now.

People, in general, can be quite cunning; even if they know they did something wrong…

They extremely dislike being pointed out for their mistakes.

Yumi, too, didn’t escape that nature.

But she couldn’t easily choose not to pick up the phone.

“Yeonwoo, didn’t you get the call?”

“Ah… I think I left my mobile phone behind… Sorry, Yumi.”

“You don’t need to apologize… it’s all… my fault…”

Especially in this situation where Yeonwoo had no phone.

To begin with, Yumi didn’t want to burden Yeonwoo since she was the one involved in the accident.

She just hoped that if Yeonwoo also got a call, maybe Mom would yell at him less.

But ultimately, that hope would be fruitless, and now that possibility was gone.

Even the phone’s battery refused to cooperate and stayed annoyingly charged.

It wouldn’t last long if she made a call, but if she left it alone, calls could keep coming in.

If she looked at it objectively, it wouldn’t last too long.

But it was enough battery to reach the limit of Mom’s rage.

While Yumi was fidgeting and worrying about how to deal with it…

“I’ll give it a try.”

– Tap!

“Hey, hey! What are you doing!”

A boy suddenly snatched Yumi’s phone away.

Physically, Yumi was superior to other kids, but…

The boy acted so quickly that she couldn’t react in time.

He must have been the same age, or maybe a year older, but how did he do that so easily?

Of course, Yumi had an ice cream in one hand, which limited her actions.

Even considering that, the boy’s actions were on another level.

Thanks to this, Yumi’s confusion about the boy deepened rapidly.

The boy calmly manipulated the phone—

– Cut.

“Oh, crap. I’m doomed.”

He hung up the incoming call, clearly not knowing how to handle the phone.

He seemed confident when pressing the call button.

But his finger accidentally hit the reject button right next to it.

The boy’s face showed a look of disappointment.

It looked like this wasn’t how he intended things to go.

But Yumi didn’t care about that.

“No! Hey! What are you doing! Are you crazy?!”

“…Umm… that was a bit… awkward…”

This was the worst.

Of all people, it had to be Mom’s call.

And he ended the call not by Yumi’s choice, but by accident.

Yet, Mom wouldn’t know who cut the call.

So she would obviously think it was Yumi’s doing.

And worse, he didn’t even give the phone back to her after pulling such a stunt.

“Hey! Just give it back!”

“No, wait. I’ll fix everything.”

That was the moment Yumi’s assessment of the boy plummeted to the bottom.

Naturally, Mom’s call came back quickly once more.

This time, the boy slowly moved his hand and pressed the call button.

He suddenly sat down on the ground, placing Yumi’s phone on his knees.

However, when he actually answered, he put the phone to his ear with surprising ease.

It was bizarre.

Was the phone not awkward for him?

But he didn’t act that way just a moment ago.

Could this kid possibly have dementia?

Who knows.

Even as Yumi’s head swirled in confusion…

The boy calmly spoke.

“Hello.”

Just four simple words.

But the reaction to that was incredibly intense.

A voice burst out from the gap between the boy’s ear and the phone.

– “Who is this!”

“Is this the mother of Yumi and Yeonwoo?”

– “This is Yumi’s phone! Who are you!”

Her voice was full of worry and vigilance toward the other party.

Yumi’s heart felt heavy with guilt at the thought that she had worried Mom.

At least it was a relief that Mom’s voice wasn’t angry.

But that didn’t lessen the weight of guilt Yumi felt at all.

As thoughts of whether she should just go back began to pile up, the boy quietly uttered a weightier statement than Yumi’s feelings.

“I’m just saying that I have your daughters with me.”

A sudden silence echoed from the other side of the phone.

Then, it seemed there was a small commotion on the other end.

As if someone had just passed out and collapsed unexpectedly.

– “The kids are safe! Please just let us hear your voice!”

A much more frantic and slightly trembling voice than before.

Even Yumi could sense the desperation in it.

It was strange.

Even if Yumi and Yeonwoo ran out without permission.

Did Mom really need to worry that much?

Right now, they were somewhat calm, and enjoying their ice cream nicely.

In that moment, the boy quickly switched to speakerphone and slyly gestured to Yumi and Yeonwoo to take the phone.

A thoughtful move from the boy to not let Mom worry too much.

Yumi and Yeonwoo willingly accepted his kind gesture.

“Mom, I’m here.”

“I’m here too.”

– “Hah… so glad you’re safe…”

Hearing Mom’s sigh of relief made Yumi’s heartache with guilt.

She had thought about how to avoid answering the call…

But Mom was actually so worried about Yumi and Yeonwoo.

Meanwhile, the boy took the phone back and resumed talking to Mom.

“That’s all I can tell you. It seems the kids are not in a situation to talk anymore.”

– “So you don’t want to hurt the kids! What do you want!”

It seemed like he was trying to calm the mom with a reassuring tone.

Though he had a slightly strange smile, his words were nothing but correct.

Yumi and Yeonwoo’s ice cream had entirely melted by now.

If they didn’t eat it soon, their hands would get sticky and unpleasant.

So they could only focus on quickly finishing their ice cream.

They weren’t good at multitasking between eating and talking on the phone.

Regardless of Yumi’s feelings, the boy’s smile deepened a bit.

“Well… there’s nothing much I want. I feel like I’ve done enough.”

“You… didn’t do anything to the kids already, did you…?”

“Nothing at all? Just had some unexpected expenses thanks to the kids, though?”

Of course, the contents contrasting the smile were supremely rational.

In any case, a price is essential for everything.

If you do a job, you would naturally expect to be paid.

No matter who you are, to get what you want, you must put up an equivalent value.

The same goes for the ice cream Yumi and Yeonwoo were eating.

Could they obtain that expensive ice cream for free?

The boy must have bought it.

Using the term “expenses,” which is relatively complicated for a kid, felt a bit odd.

– “Then I’ll give you as much money as you want! So please don’t touch the kids anymore!”

“No, please don’t worry too much? Hehe, nothing will happen. Probably.”

– “I’m begging you… sniff… please… ugh…”

Hearing the mom’s voice mixed with tears made Yumi’s heart waver significantly.

While she felt wronged, she never wanted to cause this much worry.

Especially since Mom had always shown such a strong front.

Now, she was crying because she was so worried about Yumi and Yeonwoo.

For some reason, Yumi’s eyes were also starting to feel a bit moist.

– “Hey.”

Then just like that, it dried up.

Instead, her whole body started to tremble.

Suddenly, a chill ran through her.

The source was Mom’s spine-chilling red voice.

It couldn’t simply be described as red.

It was more vivid than the ice cream Yumi was eating.

More vibrant than the color of the hair Yumi inherited.

More striking than the blood everyone possesses.

It was painted with a more vivid shade of intent to kill.

No, it wasn’t just red.

It was deeper, and much more intense.

She thought it was over, but it utterly wasn’t.

Even if the affiliates were gone, it was only temporary.

Deep in the hearts of the people around the world lay dormant—

One day, beneath the choir of the international anthem once more.

With a sickle and hammer full of red stars crossed, the day would come when they would raise that noble banner again.

More red than any great federation, it was the savage voice of Mom.

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