Chapter 6

In the quiet house, the first to move was Mom.

Click.

From the drawer beside the bed, she pulled out scissors and started cutting out the self-portrait of me she held in her hand. She carefully trimmed around the image, cutting away the white background, almost as if extracting it like a nukki—an isolated subject.

"How does it look, Eun-ah? Did Mom do a good job?"

Her sudden question left me speechless. Her voice trembled ever so slightly, though she tried her best to hide it.

When I didn’t answer, she opened the frame sitting on the bed and took out the family picture inside.

Then she placed my cut-out portrait next to the girl in the image.

With that, the four-person picture transformed into one of five.

“Ta-da~.”

Mom held the frame up with a smile. Her lips curved upward, but her eyes drooped with sadness.

Dad, meanwhile, was watching me silently.

Mom set the frame down and hugged me. Dad followed, wrapping his arms around both of us.

“You’re our child too, Eun-ah. We can’t leave you out.”

Her trembling voice, on the verge of tears, echoed in my ears. I had no words.

"Thank you, son. And… I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you felt that way."

They comforted me for what felt like forever. It was likely my parents who wanted to cry the most, yet it was my eyes that welled up with tears.

At that moment, I finally felt as though I had let go of the family from my previous life.

From my parents’ perspective, though, it must’ve been odd. After all, I was just a four-year-old child…

Sigh. This is all just karma, isn’t it?

"Mom loves you more than anything in this world, Eun-ah. You coming into my life was a miracle, a precious gift. So please, stay by our side, stay with your family. Even if it’s just in a picture."

"Okay… I will. I’m sorry."

It felt undignified to speak while still hugged tightly, but hey, I’m four, right?

...What am I even doing in such a serious moment?

My heart tickled, pounding softly in my chest. It felt good.

When I glanced at Dad, who had yet to say anything, he sniffled.

“Sniff… Snort.”

Had he been crying all this time?

"Hey, honey… Do you think we should take our son to a psychiatrist?"

Whack!

"Ow!"

Mom slapped Dad’s back with such force that her frustration was clear.

"Do you really think there’s something wrong with Eun-ah’s head? I mean… maybe, but still."

Her gaze turned to me, her sad smile cutting deep into my chest.

"It’s our family’s job to help Eun-ah, not a doctor’s. We’ll only consider a hospital if things get really bad."

"Yeah… You’re right."

With that, the two reached an agreement and began planning for the future, most of which revolved around spending more time together as a family.

Though being hugged by Mom felt a bit embarrassing, I endured it.

Ugh, I feel like I’m acting like some edgy middle-school kid.

“I can’t be part of this family! My existence will only hurt them!”

...Thinking about my cringe-worthy past behavior made my head spin. It felt like a sudden identity crisis, the kind teenagers typically go through.

I’ll never act like that again.

I wasn’t a substitute for my older sister. I was a proper member of this family.

From now on, I won’t give Mom and Dad any more reasons to worry.

As things settled down, Dad picked up the frame and hung it on the wall.

The picture, now adorning a corner of the wall, fit beautifully and felt complete.

“Ha-yeon is still with us. Look, she’s right here, smiling.”

Dad gently touched the image of my sister, who wore a bright smile in the picture.

“So, Eun-ah, I want you to smile like that too, just like your sister. Okay?”

"Okay. I will."

"Our son~. Thank you for drawing your sister. But it’s a shame that you left yourself out."

Dad lifted me off Mom’s lap and held me up as he sighed dramatically.

His words made me hesitate.

“Um… Should I redraw it?”

“No, that would ruin the meaning of our first family portrait. Besides, I like how you stand out more this way—it’s even better.”

He grinned.

"Really?"

"Of course! You’re the most handsome and adorable part of it."

I tried to suppress the smile creeping onto my face.

"Next time, I’ll draw an even bigger family portrait. And I’ll put myself right in the center."

“Haha, I’ll look forward to it!”

"We trust you, son."

Hearing their praise made my shoulders lift involuntarily. Compliments really could make even me, Lee Ha-Eun, dance with joy.

Just as I was basking in the warm atmosphere, Mom spoke.

“Oh, by the way, Eun-ah, it’s time for you to start preschool.”

"Right, but I think kindergarten might be a better choice."

“Kindergarten starts at five. It’d be good for him to make friends sooner.”

Her bombshell left me dazed.

Wait a second. Weren’t we just enjoying a heartfelt family moment?

What is this nonsense about preschool now?

“No way!”

“Sorry, but no can do. You need to experience a little piece of society, my dear son~.”

Is that really necessary, Mom?

“Remember the preschool that Soo-Yul’s mom recommended? Apparently, Soo-Yul goes there too.”

Now they were just making decisions over my head. Did I not have a say in this?

We were having such a nice moment.

Why was my education suddenly such a serious matter?

"Alright, let’s check it out sometime."

“Yeah, let’s do that. Maybe not this week, but we’ll book a consultation for next week.”

"Okay, sounds good."

Just like that, I was thrown into the prospect of mingling with a bunch of little kids.

Great. What was I supposed to do there?

Doodle in a sketchbook with crayons? It’s not like I could play with the kids.

Dealing with Ha-Soo-Yul was exhausting enough. Now I’d have to handle dozens of her kind.

Actually… Soo-Yul wasn’t so bad. She was quiet, at least.

Please, let there be no screaming kids.

If I was going to go, at least grant me that one wish.

Thinking about it, Soo-Yul didn’t seem to have any friends at preschool.

Maybe if I sat next to her, things would naturally stay quiet?

Then again, she didn’t really seem like the type to make friends easily. She had this unapproachable air about her, something like a cool beauty.

Still, to adults, she was just an adorable little girl.

To kids her age, though, she might seem hard to approach. That’s probably why she only played with me at the playground.

Poor girl. Like a proud, aloof cat.

Heh. Guess I’ll have to become her first friend.

So far, we were just neighbors.

But from now on, we’re nakama.

That tumultuous day passed, and a week later…

"You said it was just a consultation…"

“See you later, son~! Be good without Mommy, okay?”

I had been deceived.

Wasn’t it supposed to just be a consultation? A trial run before they made a decision?@@novelbin@@

This is betrayal. We were supposed to be cool, Mom.

This is the worst. I wasn’t even mentally prepared for this.

And yet, there she was.

“Why are you acting like that? Are you sick? Do you want a hug?”

Ha-Soo-Yul interlocked her fingers and leaned her face close to mine as soon as I walked in.

A hug? Save that for your future husband, kid.

This is how I ended up in the Sunflower Class.

“Babababa!”

“Tatatata?”

“Teacheeeeer!”

Was this what a madhouse looked like? My head spun.

Sure, maybe my brain was exaggerating the chaos, but still, this was something.

"Ugh. I’d rather die."

…Isn’t that the saying for moments like this? Not that it changes how drained I feel.

"Eun-ah, Eun-ah."

Ha-Soo-Yul called out, shaking her clasped hands.

When I blinked at her, she pointed.

“Over there. Let’s do that.”

What is that? And could she not see all the stares we were getting?

The other kids’ eyes practically screamed “alien species.”

Come on, kids, we’re full-blooded Koreans, I promise…

I sighed and followed Soo-Yul to a pile of puzzle pieces she’d apparently been working on before I arrived.

The sheer number of pieces was intimidating.

“Seven hundred pieces…?”

Half of it was already complete.

Holy crap. She’s not four. There’s no way.

For a second, I wondered if she was a reincarnator too.

"???"

Her confused, vacant expression made me dismiss the thought immediately.

“This part is yours.”

She even assigned me a section, pointing it out with precision. My head throbbed.

Could we even finish this today? I’m terrible at puzzles.

Still, the colorist in me figured it wouldn’t be too bad. I grouped similar colors and connected them one by one.

Fifty minutes later…

I finished my section and glanced at her side. She only had a few pieces left.

A mischievous idea struck me.

I stood up and sat down beside her, unnoticed as she focused on the puzzle.

When only one piece remained, she smiled brightly and reached to place it.

But I pressed my hand over hers and stole the final move.

The room went silent for a moment.

Just like last time.