NOVEL WEB Chapter 10
Thanks to my stubborn older sister who insisted on following me despite saying it was fine, we were able to reach the lost child together.
When unfamiliar people suddenly approached, the child, who seemed a bit wary, stopped crying and looked at us with teary eyes, slowly backing away. I quickly offered a handkerchief.
“Hey there, little one. Did you lose your mom and dad?”
“…Uh-huh.”
As I spoke in the gentlest tone I could muster, the child, alternating glances between me and my sister and the handkerchief, nodded and wiped her tears. She seemed to have quite a brave personality.
“What’s your name?”
“…Chae-ah, Yoo Chae-ah.”
“Chae-ah, huh? What a pretty name. I’m Kang Woo-joo.”
“Woo-ju? Hehe…”
As expected of a young child, Chae-ah couldn’t help but giggle at my name.
I didn’t feel particularly bad; if this silly reason could help her let her guard down and stop crying, that would be a relief.
“Do you like chocolate?”
“Choco…?”
“Yep.”
“I, I like it.”
Her slightly embarrassed nod at my sudden question was quite adorable.
So she likes it, huh? That’s good to know.
Rustle. Rustle.
I immediately opened the zipper of the sling bag I was carrying and pulled out a few packets of chocolate I had brought along just in case we had to wait long today. It seemed it would come in handy.
“How about we eat this, and once your tears stop, we can go find your parents with me and this pretty lady here?”
“Yes, pretty lady…”
As soon as Chae-ah took the chocolate, she unwrapped it herself and put it in her mouth, and I smiled happily at her. I could hear my sister muttering something behind me. The surrounding noise was a bit loud, so I couldn’t catch everything.
“Alright, don’t get lost again, so hold onto the pretty lady’s hand.”
“Pretty lady…?”
Before we set off to find her parents, I figured my sister would be less intimidating than me since she’s also a woman, so I told Chae-ah to hold her hand, but for some reason, she glared at my sister with cat-like eyes and backed away.
I didn’t know why, but it felt like she had reverted to how she’d been when we first met.
“Ah, I think Chae-ah would rather hold Mr. Cosmo’s hand.”
“Really? Chae-ah, how about holding my hand?”
“Hehe… Yes!”
Maybe it was because I was the one who gave her the chocolate; unexpectedly, Chae-ah chose to hold my hand instead of my sister’s.
Watching her cheerfully grasp my hand with her tiny hand made me think it would be nice to have a daughter someday. If marriage is even an option, of course.
“I guess there isn’t a lost child shelter nearby after all. It’s not mentioned in the pamphlet…”
While walking a bit ahead, I could hear my sister mumbling as she looked at the map in the pamphlet. When such a large event occurs, they usually create at least a nominal lost child shelter, but it seems that wasn’t organized properly.
“They probably think few people come with kids. Tsk, but they should at least set something up…”
My sister’s comment made me react a bit sensitively without realizing it. Normally I would have brushed it off, but it just reminded me of some bad memories.
“Chae-ah, do you have your mom and dad’s phone number or anything?”
“Phone number…? Uh, I don’t know…”
Since requesting help from a lost child shelter was already off the table, being able to contact Chae-ah’s parents seemed like the fastest way, but I got no answer I wanted.
In the end, it looks like we’ll have to wander around like searching for a needle in a haystack.
I didn’t particularly mind, but I felt really sorry about dragging my sister into this.
I’ll have to properly apologize later.
“Excuse me. Are you one of the staff here?”
After wandering around for a while looking for Chae-ah’s parents, my sister spotted a man passing by and spoke to him.
Unlike the staff at individual booths, the large AGP logo on his chest indicated he was part of the official event staff.
“Yes, that’s right. Is there something you need help with?”
“We found a lost child, and can you please make an announcement over the address system to help us find her parents?”
“Ah, we can do that. If you hand her over to us, we will keep her in the staff room and announce for her parents to come.”
Oh, I hadn’t thought of that. I must really be quite the fool. Whether or not there’s a lost child shelter isn’t the issue; I should’ve asked the staff for help from the start.
Anyway, that’s a relief. It seems we won’t take up too much more time than expected.
As the staff member smiled kindly and reached out to Chae-ah, I gently took my hand away from her and pushed her toward him, believing he would help her find her parents.
“Uh-uh…!”
Then, for some reason, Chae-ah clung to my waist, shaking her head.
She seemed to still be afraid of going to someone else, except for me, after having let down her guard that day. Looking up at me with eyes that looked like she would start crying anytime made me chuckle.
“…Looks like it won’t work. I’m sorry, but can we accompany you to the staff room? We’ll wait until her parents arrive, then we’ll leave.”
“Ah, understood. Then would you please follow this way?”
Seeing how Chae-ah was so wary, the staff member looked a bit hurt and, trying to force a smile, led us along.
It wasn’t exactly my fault, but I still felt awkwardly apologetic.
Finally, we reached the staff-only room, where we could see a desk staff sitting in front of a microphone for broadcasting. They seemed to be making various announcements required for the event.
“Please find our child, miss…!”
“Ah, I understand, but first, please calm down, ma’am…”
Outside, I could see a couple, apparently Chae-ah’s parents, pleading with the staff member. The way they were speaking seemed quite serious.
Could it be?
“Mom! Dad!”
“Ch, Chae-ah!?”
With a sense of hope, I brought Chae-ah close to the couple, and while still holding onto my hand, she waved eagerly at them.
Upon hearing their daughter’s voice, the surprised woman only shed tears after confirming that Chae-ah was safe, rushing towards us with her husband.
So it was indeed Chae-ah’s parents. I’m glad we met them early.
“Chae-ah! I told you to hold onto my hand tightly!”
“Dear, don’t scold her. Do you think she wanted to get lost?”
The woman scolded Chae-ah as soon as she met her, while the husband approached us, relieved that everything was okay.
“Thank you for finding our Chae-ah.”
“Ah, no, it’s nothing. I was just doing what I had to.”
Feeling awkward as someone older bowed to me without reservation, I just smiled sheepishly. My sister, watching from the side, also smiled back.
But they should help a bit too.
“Really, thank you…! How can we ever repay you…!”
“Ah, no, I haven’t done anything. It’s all thanks to that lady.”
Casting a bit of a glare filled with resentment at my sister, suddenly, the wife came close to her, holding both of her hands and expressing her gratitude fervently.
Seeing that scene, my sister, who had just been in the same awkward situation I was, also bowed slightly.
She didn’t help me when I was in trouble, but look at her now.
“Chae-ah, from now on, you need to hold your mom and dad’s hands, okay? Understood?”
“Uh-huh, I got it!”
“That’s right.”
Before we parted, I emphasized one last thing, and Chae-ah raised her little hand cheerfully in response.
“Awesome brother! Pretty lady! Thank you!”
As we turned to head back to the event, Chae-ah’s last voice echoed behind us.
At first, she had been quite wary of my sister, but it seemed she had opened her heart towards her after witnessing her efforts to find her parents.
How admirable.
“Don’t forget to wave goodbye, sister.”
“R-Right…”
After prompting my sister to hold up her hand and wave, she awkwardly lifted her hand to greet Chae-ah.
Only after parting from Chae-ah’s family did we finally head toward our original goal, the Last Destiny booth.
“I’m really sorry for dragging you into this for no reason.”
“It’s, it’s fine. Honestly, I felt proud too.”
Finally realizing the late apology, my sister shook her head vigorously. The speed was so fast I felt a breeze for a moment.
Seeing that, I smiled wryly while I began to walk, but for some reason, I found myself opening my mouth without being prompted. I wasn’t the type to casually share my past experiences.
“Actually, when I was a child, I had a similar experience at an amusement park.”
“You did too, Mr. Cosmo?”
My sister responded somewhat unexpectedly upon hearing my little trauma from the past.
Feeling embarrassed to have revealed such a thing, I carried on with an indifferent expression.
“Yeah, it was around when I was seven…. At that time, I didn’t even know what a lost child shelter was, so I just sat on the street crying. It was really scary.”
“At that age, it’s natural…. Just imagining it is terrifying.”
It seemed my sister had never experienced anything like this herself. That’s a relief; it’s not a good memory at all.
“Then some young couple passing by took me to the lost child shelter and stayed with me until my parents came to get me. In retrospect, I’m really grateful to them.”
As I continued speaking, my sister widened her eyes in surprise, looking up at me as if she had discovered a crucial clue in a mystery novel.
“So, that’s why you didn’t take Chae-ah to the staff earlier…?”
“Exactly. Of course, part of it was Chae-ah showing wariness towards the staff, but it made me remember that experience, so I didn’t want to move at all.”
In a way, it seemed my bad trauma ended up causing my sister trouble as well.
I felt really sorry about that and once again offered my apologies, but my sister shook her head, as if it didn’t bother her at all, and gave me a warm smile.
“Honestly, I’m happy. This is a story you wouldn’t hear on the broadcast, right?”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Of course. As a fan, getting to know more about a celebrity is definitely a delightful thing.”
I had never shared this kind of story with anyone because it didn’t sound like a pleasant tale, but my sister interpreted it positively and smiled brightly.
It was hard to encounter a genuine smile from someone as beautiful as her; I couldn’t help but avert my gaze. My face felt a bit hot for some reason.
“Yet still, it feels wrong to have made you wait longer for no reason. Please let me at least apologize for that.”
“Mm… No.”
“…Huh?”
My so-called compromising suggestion was met with a firm rejection, and she immediately turned her back to me with her arms crossed.
It felt like she was trying to hide her expression from me.
“Honestly, it’s not something to be sorry for. You don’t need to excuse yourself for that.”
“…?”
I cocked my head in confusion at her declaration that making me wait twice long wasn’t something to apologize for.
If I were to put a mirror in front of me now, my dazed expression would be easily noticeable.
“Come on, let’s go. I’ll wait as long as you need today, so don’t worry about it.”
Apparently having realized that I was in disbelief, she chuckled softly and, as if to pull me, held on to the tips of my fingers just out of reach.
Such a confession-like remark is cheating.