Chapter 55 : Good Boy (2)

As soon as I entered the room, my dad greeted me with a bright smile, lifted me up, placed me on his lap, and started working.

He didn’t ask why I had come here.

“Wow~ My daughter, thank you so much.”

“…Huh?”

“Thanks to you, I feel energized.”

Every now and then, he would say things like that, hum a tune, and continue working.

—Nod, nod.

“Daughter, if you’re sleepy, why don’t you take a nap?”

“…If I sleep, you’ll get sleepy too… I won’t sleep….”

Even as I nodded off, my dad held back his laughter and kept working in silence.

He had a lot of work to do, so I came here thinking I could help, but instead, I was just dozing off, feeling utterly useless.

‘…I’m sorry… I’m so sleepy…’

“Really?”

“…Yeah…”

I tried my best to fight off sleep.

But in the end, my eyelids drooped.

They felt so heavy.

My dad’s embrace was just too cozy.

And the soft scratching sound of his pen on paper was so comforting.

Eventually, I fell asleep on the best bed in the world.

Even though I had done nothing to help, my dad gently stroked my hair and simply told me he was grateful.

“…Thank you, my daughter. Sleep well. I love you.”

“…Da—”

Before I could even finish saying “Dad,” I drifted off completely.

Albinus gazed at his daughter, who had snuggled into his arms and fallen asleep, shifting slightly in her sleep.

She was so adorable that he got distracted, causing ink to smudge across his paperwork.

“Oh no, it’s all smudged.”

Using magic to fix it, Albinus let out a sigh and stroked Minho’s hair.

‘…She’s my daughter, but isn’t she too cute?’

He gently slid his hands under her arms and lifted her up as if she were a kitten.

“…Haha, so cute.”

Minho dangled in his arms, swaying limply like a cat being picked up.

Albinus pulled his daughter close and patted her back.

“My daughter is so kind.”

“You seem a bit down today. Did something not go the way you wanted?”

“Just the fact that you tried means you’re a good child.”

“Please, just keep growing up like this.”

Albinus didn’t wish for much.

As long as she grew up healthy, that was enough—yes, that alone would be enough.

Of course, as time passed, he might develop more wishes and expectations for her.

But for now, he just wanted to smile for her.

His daughter, who was born stronger than he was.

But to Albinus, what mattered wasn’t that she was “born stronger than him”—

What mattered was that she was “his daughter.”

“Minho is already more than kind enough.”

Whispering this into Minho’s ear, Albinus returned to his paperwork.

“Thanks to my little Minho, I can keep going.”

And it was true.

Whenever work became exhausting, thinking about his children and his wife gave him the strength to push through.

“Thank you, always.”

With a soft smile, Albinus gently placed Minho onto the small bed beside him.

Before she was born, he had personally made this bed, thinking that one day his child might come looking for him.

“Sleep well.”

Every time she stirred, he stroked her gently, focusing on his paperwork.

With his daughter beside him, cheering him on in her own way, it felt like the workload was disappearing even faster.

“…Would she like it if I brought this back?”

He had to gather mushrooms.

It had already been days since he last ate.

He had lost count of exactly how long.

“…I must not be a burden. I can’t… I’m a good child.”

Desperately, he ran through the mountains, gathering food for those who were injured.

He picked wild berries, collected mushrooms, and even caught some mice along the way.

‘I have to hurry, I have to hurry…’

Even though his stomach ached with unbearable hunger, he just kept running.

There were people waiting for me at home.

I ran as fast as I could and finally arrived.

“OO!”

Fortunately, I wasn’t too late.

Everyone was still alive.

“…Minho, you’re back…?”

“Yes, yes! I’m here! Can you see me?”

For some reason, ○○ looked sad but still managed a small smile.

“…You still can’t move your legs?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay!”

“You’re still just a kid.”

“I-I brought some things from the mountain…!!”

I turned over my worn-out sack, revealing the things I had gathered.

“Our Minho is such a good child, huh? …Thank you.”

“Am I… good?”

“Even though you’re doing this because of your mother, you don’t even resent her.”

“Please… don’t talk about Mom.”

“Oh my, that was harsh. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

○○ apologized.

I forced a bitter smile to reassure them.

I turned my head toward the grave marked by wooden chopsticks arranged in a cross.

I tried to recall something.

But nothing came to mind.

My head throbbed as if it were about to split open.

“Minho, what’s wrong?”

“…Ugh, my head…!!”

Suddenly, an unbearable headache exploded in my skull.

“Minho?!”

○○’s face in front of me began to melt away.

“…Ah, ahh…!”

—Rattle, rattle.

“Min…ho?”

“I-I’m not Minho…”

Before I knew it, ○○’s skeletal remains clutched my ankle.

“Minho…? Mi… Minho…?”

“Ugh, ahhhh!”

“Min…ho… you, you… you’re Minho…!”

“I-I’m! I’m Minho! Let go of me!”

Tears welled up in my eyes as I struggled. The skeleton grinned.

I couldn’t see its expression, but somehow, I felt it smiling.

“Minho… Mi-Mi-Minho is a ba-bad, bad child, huh?!”

“R-right?! Hahaha!”

Its jaw clacked loudly as its laughter mixed with the sound of rattling bones.

“I’m not a bad child! I’m not!”

As I shouted in protest, the skeleton, which had been fading away, suddenly tightened its grip on my ankle and pulled me closer.

Our eyes met.

“Then why did you do it?”

“Why did you feed us poisonous mushrooms?”

“Why, why, why did you do that to my child?!?!”

Why are you doing this to me?

Who are you?

I couldn’t remember anything.

How did I even know this person?

Why had I been calling them ○○ all this time?

I didn’t know anything.

But looking at them, I felt something both unfamiliar and nostalgic.

Like I had done something terrible to these people.

But if they were really those people, they wouldn’t be calling me a bad child.

Which meant—this person wasn’t ○○.

“…I was already forgiven…”

“Forgiven?! By who?! You bastard, you ran away, cast aside your emotions, and only cared about surviving!!! Forgiven?! Hah!”

“…Shut up!!”

“You’re the most useless thing in the world!”

“Those people…! Those people…!! They were the most important to me!”

I couldn’t remember their faces, their personalities, or even their names.

But somehow, I felt it had been true.

I didn’t know why I had been in the mountains.

I didn’t know why I had been gathering food for them.

I didn’t even know why I had lived with these people.

But I felt it.

That moment in time had been both utterly hopeless and yet, it had been everything to me.

“Let go of me, you piece of trash!”

I cursed as I kicked the skeletal hand gripping my ankle, shattering the bones and breaking free from that monster’s grasp.

“Haah!!”

As soon as I stood up, I frantically looked around to figure out where I was.

“…Haa… a dream?”

Thankfully, it seemed to be just a nightmare.

Cold sweat formed on my forehead, dripping down in beads.

Along with the sweat, tears also began to fall.

I rubbed my eyes vigorously to wipe away the unstoppable tears.

But they wouldn’t stop.

Was it the relief of realizing it was just a dream?

While the memory of the dream gradually faded, the emotions remained vivid.

“…Dad…”

Without thinking, I called out for my father.

“Minho?”

“…?”

Then, my father, who was beside me, called my name.

That’s right. I had fallen asleep in Dad’s office.

I suddenly remembered that I had been crying my eyes out, and embarrassment washed over me.

I quickly covered my face.

“Minho, are you crying?!”

Dad, startled, rushed over and picked me up in his arms.

“…Hiccup!”

“You’re even hiccuping. You must have had a nightmare.”

“I… hic! had a nightmare… hic!”

The fright even brought on hiccups.

A child’s body gets startled so easily.

As Dad gently patted my back, my tears eventually stopped.

“What kind of dream made you cry so much?”

Dad tousled my hair with a smile.

I clung to him tightly, trying to hide my face as much as possible.

I didn’t want to show him my tear-streaked, ugly face.

“…I had a dream where I became useless… a bad kid.”

“A dream where you became useless?”

“…Yeah.”

I couldn’t remember exactly, but I think that’s what the dream was about.

I worked so hard, but my efforts were all in vain.

“In the dream… I became a bad kid.”

“A bad kid?”

“If I’m useless, then I’m a bad kid…”

The words left my mouth before I even realized it.

Being useless means being a bad kid?

I didn’t even know I had such thoughts.

“Minho, why do you think that?”

“…I don’t know…”

I had no idea why I thought that way.

I just couldn’t explain it any other way.

Dad thought for a moment before smiling warmly.

“Maybe it’s because you want to grow up quickly and help Mom, Dad, your sisters, and your grandparents?”

A wise answer, fitting for a king.

That might be it.

Maybe I felt guilty that I never got the chance to repay Yuri unnie for taking care of me in my past life.

So… I wanted to repay her kindness and help her?

“…I think… that might be it.”

I nodded.

Then, Dad hugged me tightly and said,

“Then Minho is already a good kid. You’re already helping us.”

“…Huh?”

“Just smiling beside us gives us strength.”

Dad lifted me up as he spoke.

“…R-Really?”

I asked hesitantly, and Dad nodded firmly.

“…Hehe, a good kid…”

“Of course! You’re a good kid!”

If Dad says so… then it must be true, right?

Maybe that’s why no one ever asked me for help.

Because I was already a good kid and was helping in my own way!

“Hehe, thank you, Dad.”

“Then, will you keep helping Dad by staying by my side?”

“Yes!”

“Our Minho is so good.”

“Heehee!”

I couldn’t help but laugh like a child.