By Zephyria “Hello! Angela!”
Startled by the sudden voice, Angela turned around in surprise. There, a group of children she had never seen before were standing together. While puzzled, Angela unconsciously became nervous and looked around, but everyone was unfamiliar.
What should I do?
In the moment she felt a sudden fear, Angela belatedly realized that she was looking for Winston. What am I doing! Trying to rely on the enemy, getting intimidated by something like this!
Angela recalled Yu-jin’s face and confidently puffed out her chest. There was no reason for her to be afraid at all. What could they do to me? If they hit me, I’ll hit them back.
I’m four years old now!
Angela got off the chair, clenched her small fists tightly, and stood alone facing the children. She was a little scared, but only a little. As Angela looked around warily, one of them suddenly stepped forward. In that instant, Angela unconsciously punched the child in the face.
“Hello, I… Ugh!”
At the sight of the boy collapsing with a miserable scream, the gathered children screamed and backed away. Angela hopped around, taking clumsy steps as she had learned from the old man in the same apartment who used to be a boxer.
“What? If you guys have something to say, say it from ten steps away from me! If you don’t want to get hit!”
The children were surprised and froze in place. In the chilly atmosphere, only Angela continued to skip around, moving her feet busily, when suddenly a shadow loomed over her head and someone picked Angela up.
“Ah!”
“What’s wrong? Angie. What did these children do to you?”
Angela, who had let out a short scream, finally relaxed at the soft voice she heard belatedly. Winston smiled, but when he said the last words, he scanned the children with a cold gaze. However, he still hid his pheromone scent. There was no reason to threaten such small fry, and more than anything, he was holding Angela.
The children, who were quickly frightened and frozen by the mere oppressive atmosphere, tried to back away hesitantly, but they couldn’t. Their parents were watching anxiously from a distance away from them. Among the children who were wavering and looking tearful, the biggest one mustered up the courage to step forward.
“W-we, we came to… to be friends with Angela.”
When she said their purpose in a trembling voice, Winston stared down at the girl’s face intently. Winston, who was also trembling like the other children, turned his gaze from her to Angela and opened his mouth.
“That’s what they say, what should we do?”
Angela blinked in surprise at the gentle voice, which was completely different from the cold gaze that had been looking down at the children. Friends? With me? Really?
When she looked down again, she made eye contact with the boy she had hit. Heuk, she felt sorry when she saw the child swallowing his breath and backing away.
“P-put me down, please.”
At Angela’s words, Winston readily bent down and granted her wish. Angela, who had put her feet on the ground, trudged towards the terrified boy.
“I’m sorry.”
Angela stopped a few steps away and apologized in clear, distinct pronunciation. Amidst the surprised gazes of the children, Angela continued, looking only at the boy.
“I misunderstood. Does it hurt a lot? I’m sorry, hit me instead. I was wrong first.”Having sincerely apologized, Angela closed her eyes and turned her cheek to the boy. This was the law of the street. What you do wrong, you must pay back. She steeled herself, recalling the old boxer’s truth about life.
“What do you mean, hit her! We came to be friends with you!”
Suddenly, the girl from before intervened. Angela opened her eyes, and the girl, standing between them, continued with a bright smile.
“Brayden’s okay, he’s a boy. Right? This kind of thing doesn’t matter, does it?”
The girl was smiling, but her eyes were sharp. As if she wouldn’t let him get away with it if he didn’t say he was okay right away. The boy, Brayden, looked around nervously with a crestfallen expression and nodded.
“Y-yeah, I’m, I’m okay…”
“See, Brayden’s okay too. So, we’re friends, right? Huh?”
The girl immediately turned to Angela and asked in a high voice. Angela hesitated at the child’s almost urgent attitude and glanced up at Winston. Winston only smiled without saying a word. As if to say, do as you please, Angela made up her mind and nodded.
“Yeah, okay.”
No sooner had the words left her mouth than the girl grabbed Angela in a hug and said what she had prepared.
“Happy Halloween! Happy birthday, I’m Jordan Young!”
Then, Jordan pointed to Brayden and added.
“He’s my brother. Brayden Young. Do you want to come over to our house sometime? We have a dog this big.”
Behind the talkative Jordan, the other children, who had been watching, belatedly gathered around.
“I’m Patricia Turner. Let’s be friends!”
“I want to be friends with you too, ah! I’m Sienna Malone…”
Angela was bewildered as she looked around at the children who were vying to say their names and chattering away.
* * *
It was about an hour later that Angela left with Winston. While she was running around and having fun with the other children inside the party venue, Winston was talking to the children’s parents. Their intentions were obvious, but it didn’t matter since everything in the world revolved around one’s own benefit anyway. It was beneficial to Winston as Angela was enjoying herself.
“Please come to our party next time. It’s my daughter’s birthday soon.”
Winston nodded generously at someone’s quick-witted suggestion.
“If you send me an invitation, I will definitely come. Angela will be happy too.”
“Oh, of course. My daughter will be very happy too.”
“It would be nice to create a parents’ group on this occasion.”
“That’s right, it would be a more special gathering since the children are all friends.”
Winston only drank champagne in response to the people who were chattering away, not missing a beat. At the unspoken pressure to keep their distance, they soon became aware of the situation and changed the subject. While dealing with them appropriately, Winston was careful not to let his attention stray from Angela. So, when the child stopped running around and yawned, he spoke up as if he had been waiting for it.
“My daughter is tired, so I should put her to bed now. Excuse me for a moment.”
“Ah, yes. That’s right. It’s almost time for our children to go to bed too…”
“The party was really fun today, Mr. Campbell.”
“See you again next time, thank you.”
Leaving the pouring greetings behind, Winston headed for Angela. Just in time, Angela was receiving a grand proposal from Jordan.
“What? Kindergarten?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Jordan looked around at the children around her as if seeking their agreement and continued.
“We all meet and play together every day. How about it? It’ll be fun, right?”
The children who had been standing around blankly in the back quickly chimed in.
“Uh, uh, yeah. Of course.”
“You come too, let’s play together.”
“We all go to the same kindergarten, it’ll be really great if you come too!”
Angela blushed and stammered at the children who were cheering and even clapping.
“Yeah, okay. I’ll think about it.”
It wasn’t something she could do on her own. Just as she was about to change the subject, Winston picked up Angela at the perfect moment.
“Shall we stop playing for today and go up to sleep? We have to go see Daddy early tomorrow.”
“Yeah, okay.”
Angela answered without hesitation. He was secretly worried that she might want to play with her newly made friends a little longer, but it was a relief. Angela waved to the children and turned around in Winston’s arms. The children sent Angela off, all saying goodbye in unison.
As they walked away, the children’s faces, which had been full of smiles, turned expressionless as if possessed.
“Seriously, who does she think she is, acting all high and mighty.”
Following someone’s words, complaints poured out from here and there.
“My mom and dad said we had to play with her because they need to be friends with the Campbells, but she doesn’t know anything.”
“That’s right, I wouldn’t even bother with a country bumpkin like that.”
“Jordan, why did you tell her to come to our kindergarten? I don’t want to play with her!”
Jordan replied primly to the flood of complaints.
“Anyway, there’s no way she can come to our kindergarten. It’s not a place where just anyone can enroll.”
She heard that Jordan had been reserved for since before she was born. Suddenly, she’s going to come to our kindergarten? No way.
Jordan scoffed and crossed her arms.
“She’s too low-class to hang out with us.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. They had been lying all along, pretending to like Angela. Except for one person.
Thump, thump.
Brayden, who was holding his swollen cheek with one hand, just stood there, staring in the direction Angela had disappeared. As if he couldn’t hear his sister’s words at all.