239 – Memory (2)

Baek Ryeo-il sniffled. He was suddenly terrified by the fact that he was alone. The cave, with its extinguished campfire, looked even darker and scarier.

“Mommy….”

The sniffling soon turned into sobbing. He fumbled his way toward the entrance, crawling out. It was still dark outside.

Baek Ryeo-il soon spotted the back of Mimi, who was spying beyond a mound of dirt.

Thank goodness. She was still here.

“You said Mommy and Daddy would come after I woke up,” Baek Ryeo-il said in a tearful voice. Startled, Mimi looked back.

“You’re awake already?”

“Where is Mommy? Where is Daddy…?”

Seeing her, the sorrow he had been suppressing surged up. His face turned bright red, and he finally burst into the tears he had been holding back.

“Mommyyy…! Daddy…!”

“Gasp.”

Mimi’s face turned pale. In a flurry, she scooped up Baek Ryeo-il and returned to the cave.

“D-don’t cry. Be a good boy. Mommy and Daddy will be here soon.”

“Waaaaah…!”

Mimi was frantic, not knowing how to soothe the crying child. She stomped her feet in anxiety, endlessly stroking the child’s back.

It took a long time before Baek Ryeo-il stopped crying. Held in Mimi’s arms, he continued to hiccup for a while, fidgeting with his fingers.

“Are you done crying?”

Mimi felt relieved once the child grew quiet.

“You really are a baby. You surprised me.”

“I’m not a baby.”

“How old are you?”

“Four.”

“What? No way. I thought you were at least seven?! …You really are a baby.”

“I’m not a baby!”

Baek Ryeo-il pounded her chest with fists that felt like cotton balls.

“Hahaha. …Ugh, that hurts. Stop hitting me. How can a little brat be this strong?”

Mimi, who had been giggling at first, eventually stiffened.

Baek Ryeo-il’s eyes widened in surprise when she exaggeratedly clutched her chest. Because he had been crying until a moment ago, a single tear clung to the corner of his eye.

“I’m sorry.”

With a deeply apologetic expression, he stroked her shoulder.

“Does it hurt?”

“No, I’m joking. Fortunately, this book protected me.”

Mimi tapped the front of her clothes where the book was tucked. He had wondered why she felt so hard for a human body.

“Now that you’ve calmed down, do you want to wait here for a bit? I need to go out and check the situation.”

“No!”

Baek Ryeo-il clung to her instantly so she couldn’t get up.

“Don’t leave me alone. I’m scared.”

“Alright. I won’t go.”

As if their previous awkwardness had never existed, Baek Ryeo-il stuck to her like a cicada on an old tree, refusing to let go for a second.

Mimi stopped trying because the child panicked at the slightest movement, but she still glanced toward the entrance, seemingly concerned about the outside.

“…They’re taking too long,” Mimi muttered. Thinking she might leave him again, Baek Ryeo-il gripped her clothes even tighter.

“Can’t I just go for a second? I have to see what’s happening.”

“No.”

“Sigh, just go to sleep. Why did you wake up so early… Aren’t babies supposed to sleep like ten shizins a day?”

“I’m not a baby.”

“Yes, Elder. It is still dawn. Please sleep a bit more.”

But sleep would not come.

Baek Ryeo-il also began to worry about his parents. They had never left him alone for this long.

The two remained silent in a solemn atmosphere.

The wait was far too long.

Restless, Mimi finally declared her surrender.

“Fine, I lose. Let’s go together. But we’re only looking from a distance for a moment.”

Baek Ryeo-il’s face brightened.

They crawled out through a small hole. Breathing in the fresh air made Baek Ryeo-il feel a bit better.

“Here, take my hand.”

Baek Ryeo-il took her hand without hesitation. For the first time, he showed a smiling face. A rosy flush appeared on his chubby cheeks.

“Are you that happy?”

“Yes!”

“Sigh. Your parents must have a hard time raising you.”

Mimi shook her head. The corners of her mouth curved into a soft arc.

However, before they could take more than a few steps from the cave entrance, Mimi came to a dead stop. Just as he was about to ask why, Baek Ryeo-il smelled something burning in the air.

Mimi placed her index finger over her lips with a serious expression. It was a sign to be quiet. Baek Ryeo-il nodded.

Still holding Baek Ryeo-il’s hand, she lowered her posture and began to crawl. Her pace changed. It was very slow and completely silent.

Baek Ryeo-il lowered himself just like her and walked quietly. Seeing this, Mimi smiled silently.

After a while, the smell of burning grew stronger, and by the time they reached the mound of dirt Mimi had been spying from, the scent was pungent enough to sting their noses.

Mimi cautiously peered over the mound.

And Baek Ryeo-il saw a red light flickering, reflected in her pupils. The sky was still too dark for it to be sunlight.

Baek Ryeo-il was curious about what was beyond the mound, but even on tiptoe, he wasn’t tall enough to see.

Then, she suddenly pushed Baek Ryeo-il’s head down. At the same time, she ducked her own body. Holding her breath, she seemed to listen intently to the outside…

“Let’s go back! Quickly!”

She snatched Baek Ryeo-il by the waist. Then, she raced back the way they came. As they neared the cave entrance, she practically threw him inside before squeezing herself in.

Holding Baek Ryeo-il, she sat with her back against the wall furthest from the entrance. Her heart was pounding wildly.

Even without being told, Baek Ryeo-il held his breath.

As the surroundings fell silent, the faint rustling sound of someone stepping on grass reached the child’s ears.

Someone was searching the area.

Terrified, Baek Ryeo-il burrowed into her embrace. Mimi hugged his back even tighter.

She glared at the entrance with sharp, gleaming eyes. She was focusing on every small sound and presence coming from outside.

How much time passed?

Mimi picked up the outer garment she had used as a blanket and draped it over Baek Ryeo-il’s head. Then, she covered her own head as well.

Baek Ryeo-il flinched at the voice echoing in his ear. Before the child, who was unfamiliar with telepathic speech, could make a loud noise in surprise, she had already anticipated it and gently covered his mouth.

Realizing what she was trying to do, Baek Ryeo-il shook his head urgently. She was trying to leave him again.

Knowing how Baek Ryeo-il would react from their previous experience, she preempted him. Her heavy fingertips pressed several points on his body. Suddenly, Baek Ryeo-il’s body stiffened. Even if he wanted to move, he couldn’t budge a single finger.

Now able to move only his eyes, he looked at Mimi in disbelief. His large eyes filled with tears.

If he could, he wanted to beg her not to go.

Baek Ryeo-il’s tears fell in droplets.

I don’t. I don’t know! Don’t go…! Don’t leave me alone…!

Baek Ryeo-il screamed desperately in his mind. No matter how much he struggled, his physical body did not move an inch.

He truly knew nothing. Why his parents had left him here alone. Why they had entrusted him to a stranger. Why even she was trying to leave him.

Nothing made sense. He wasn’t smart. So he begged her over and over not to go, but that desperate voice never reached Mimi.

Mimi gave a bitter smile. She could guess his inner thoughts just by looking at the tears streaming down his cheeks and the look in his eyes.

Mimi stepped out from under the garment for a moment and returned. In her hand was his mother’s sword. She had completely forgotten about it after it had rolled away while they were sleeping.

Mimi hesitated, then carefully reached out and gently stroked his head.

With that, Mimi vanished, carrying his mother’s sword.

Baek Ryeo-il was alone once again.

Left alone in the pitch-black, cold darkness.

Because he had shared warmth with someone, even for a short while, his young and immature heart had grown soft and fragile.

Every moment, he suffered from a terror that was unbearable for a child. He trembled with the fear that this moment would never end.

As he spent the night screaming silently, he eventually lost consciousness.

When he opened his eyes, his body could move again. However, he didn’t have the strength to lift a finger. Baek Ryeo-il stared blankly at the moss clinging to the ceiling.

After a while, he realized that his vision had brightened.

The long night had finally passed, and faint sunlight seeped through the cave entrance.

…But his mother and father did not return.

Nor did Jegal Yeom-mi.

He was still alone.