14) Chapter 3. That's not it, actually...! (6)

“Has Chae‑yi not come to school?”

Before I realized it, I had walked up to Cheong Hwirin and asked her that.

“Hm? Ah, you’re….”

She flinched in surprise when she looked down at me, then noticed Soi standing beside me and looked a bit flustered.

“Rua. Soi.”

Our teacher spoke to us gently.

“Why don’t you two head back to the classroom for now? This is something the adults need to talk about.”

Soi and I looked at each other.

I was curious. And worried.

The first period had just ended. If something had happened at home and that was why Chae‑yi didn’t come to school, then Hwirin wouldn’t have come all the way here to confront the teacher like this. Which meant Chae‑yi must have left home this morning.

“I told her so many times to take the car….”

I heard her muttering anxiously and stared up at her.

She probably thought she was speaking quietly, but it wasn’t very successful. That typical grumbling of someone who never has to worry about what others think.

“……?”

Noticing my almost glaring stare, Hwirin looked even more flustered.

Had she never met a kid who looked at her like this?

“Alright, alright. Rua, Soi. Let’s go back to class.”

The teacher stepped between us.

“But Chae‑yi…”

“Don’t worry too much. I’m sure she’s fine.”

Would she really be fine?

We live in an age where you can track someone’s location as long as they have a smartphone. If even Hwirin couldn’t find her and came all the way here, didn’t that mean Chae‑yi left her phone behind?

But still, there was nothing more we could do.

Even if we meddled, nothing would change.

Because in the end, we were just kids. If we did something strange and caused trouble, we’d only get in the way.

“Rua.”

Soi tugged on my hand.

“Let’s go.”

Her eyes were full of worry as she looked at me.

Of course she was worried about Chae‑yi too, but right now she was more worried about me.

In the end, I let Soi pull me back to the classroom.

*

We didn’t see Hwirin again that day.

As soon as the second period ended, Soi and I went to Chae‑yi’s class again, but she still wasn’t there. None of the kids knew anything either.

Same during the next break, and at lunch.

By the time classes ended, I was still anxious.

Was it my fault?

Logically, I knew it wasn’t. What could I have possibly done to keep Chae‑yi from coming to school? Even if something happened on the way, it wasn’t something I caused.

But even if I knew that…

I was the one who kept approaching her even though she didn’t want me to. I couldn’t do it alone, so I dragged Soi in and forced us to “become friends.”

And the more I did that, the more withdrawn Chae‑yi became. At first she was cold but confident, but afterward she talked less, shrank back, kept her head down.

She always seemed a bit gloomy, but I thought she was just naturally shy and that she’d return to normal once we got closer.

Did she really hate it that much?

“Rua.”

Soi spoke.

“Let’s go look for her.”

“Look for her?”

“Yeah. Chae‑yi.”

“…….”

Could we really?

I wasn’t sure.

When I was in elementary school, I used to run around the neighborhood all the time, and Soi did too.

But searching for a missing kid wasn’t the same as playing outside.

What if we went too far? What if we got lost?

What if something happened to Soi because of my selfishness?

“Let’s go.”

But Soi pulled my hand like always. She always smiled and told me it was fine whenever I hesitated.

Like a gentle older sister comforting her little sibling.

I felt pathetic for being comforted by her. And guilty. And grateful.

I held back the sting in my nose and took out my phone.

*

It was far on foot, but thankfully only a twenty‑minute bus ride.

The orphanage where I spent my childhood.

I hadn’t been there since before entering elementary school, but it looked exactly the same—so much so that it felt like I had visited just yesterday.

“…….”

Soi must have expected it to some degree. Not that she knew I’d come here specifically, but she probably knew I was from an orphanage.

I was the kid Auntie Yujin had “brought in.” Even if she didn’t know at first, once she learned such places existed, she must have guessed.

Maybe she even understood why I wanted so badly to be close to Chae‑yi.

“Rua?”

The teacher was startled to see me suddenly appear, but she recognized me immediately.

She looked older than before, and when I asked if Chae‑yi had come, she looked even more surprised.

“No… she hasn’t. Did something happen?”

“N-no, nothing… I just thought of this place.”

Her eyes softened with pity.

If a kid shows up after years and immediately asks about another child, anyone would think she never forgot.

She asked if we wanted to come inside and rest, but I shook my head.

Soi and I bowed together and left.

“Can we look around the area?”

Honestly, I didn’t think the chances were high. It was just an impulse—following the only connection I had with Chae‑yi.

But I didn’t want to give up.

It was selfish. Even if something happened, at least I could say I tried.

So…

“Yeah. Let’s look.”

I hesitated with my head down, but Soi smiled brightly and nodded.

“She’s definitely nearby!”

There was no basis for it—she was just trying to comfort me.

I didn’t know whether I should feel comforted or not.

*

Worried the orphanage staff might get concerned, we walked around calling Chae‑yi’s name.

I didn’t expect an answer even if she was hiding.

“Rua…?”

But not long after we started searching, we heard a reply.

“…Chae‑yi?”

There was a small park near the orphanage. We rarely went there since there was a playground inside the orphanage, and we weren’t allowed to wander far anyway.

In a corner of that park, on a bench, Chae‑yi sat curled up, clutching her bag, staring at us in shock.

Now that we actually found her, I didn’t know what to say.

Soi and I froze for a moment, then looked at each other.

*

Chae‑yi said she had been avoiding adults.

She knew someone would come looking if she didn’t go to school, so she tried to stay hidden.

She avoided police, and when adults passed by, she walked confidently like she lived in the neighborhood.

Mostly she just wandered through empty places.

“Let’s go back, Chae‑yi.”

“…No.”

She shook her head.

“I want to stay here.”

That stubbornness only children have.

Soi plopped down beside her.

“Why did you come here?”

She asked gently, the same tone she used with me.

“…….”

Chae‑yi hesitated, glanced at me, then lowered her head.

“Because I liked it here.”

She meant the orphanage.

“You liked it?”

She nodded.

“No adults forcing me to study, no adults making me do training, and they gave us snacks.”

Then she glanced at me again.

Ah. She remembered.

The guilt hit me harder than anything else.

I never looked for her. I just assumed she’d be better off after being adopted. And it was a hero’s household, so I thought she’d be fine.

I didn’t keep my promise.

“…….”

After thinking for a moment, I held out my hand to her.

“Chae‑yi.”

And with all the courage I had, I said:

“Can we… be friends again?”

“…….”

She stared at my hand—

“No.”

—and pouted.

Huh.

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Pub: 08 Mar 2026 22:28 UTC

Edit: 08 Mar 2026 22:28 UTC

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