Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Yeo-reum’s guardianship procedures were finally completed.
I had expected there to be some kind of strict training or qualifications, but compared to adoption, guardianship laws were surprisingly loose.
On top of that, the situation itself was so unusual that it helped speed things up: a police officer who had grown up as an orphan, now taking custody of a child who had survived a monster attack.
From the higher-ups’ perspective, it must have looked almost admirable. A rookie officer finally starting to stand on his own, taking responsibility for a child who shared a similar fate.
And since I was a police officer, my identity was already verified. They probably assumed I wouldn’t do anything suspicious. That was why I was approved as her guardian.
“…Who are you…?”
Yeo-reum looked at me with wary eyes.
I lowered myself so I could meet her gaze.
Her round face, small frame, and those innocent eyes.
She felt different from the Seo Yeo-reum I knew in the game, but I was certain it was her.
“…I’m the police officer who saved you, Yeo-reum.”
“Not… my Yeo-reum…”
Her head dropped and she suddenly started to tear up.
That phrase, “my Yeo-reum,” must have been what her parents used to call her.
I knew that logically, but when it actually happened, I panicked and instinctively reached out my hand.
Flinch.
Yeo-reum dodged my hand and ran straight into the corner of the temporary protection center.
Her rejection was clear. She had no intention of accepting me as her guardian.
I could only stare blankly at her, unsure of what to do.
The center director, trying to comfort me, gave a small piece of advice.
“Maybe it would help if you slowly tried to build a relationship until the child opens up?”
“I’m not sure how to do that.”
“Hmm… I see. Then instead of taking her home immediately, how about visiting the center for a while and spending time with her?”
“Would that be okay?”
“Yes, of course.”
I thanked her for the consideration and decided that for today, I would just get familiar with Yeo-reum.
“Yeo-reum… um, see you tomorrow.”
I wasn’t good with words, so that was all I could say.
Yeo-reum just stared at me silently.
I couldn’t read her expression, so all I could do was hope she would start fearing me less. That was all I could do anyway.
From that day on, I visited the protection center every single day.
But there wasn’t much I could actually do to get closer to her.
I would bring snacks, sit beside her while she read, or watch her quietly as she packed her school books.
Even then, she would sometimes cry while packing, tears falling silently as she thought about her parents.
It was a kind of pain I had never understood when I only controlled Seo Yeo-reum in the game.
I realized it clearly. I could never replace her parents. I could never take away her pain.
But there was still something I could do.
I could stop her from becoming a magical girl. I could drive away that cursed hamster mascot if I had to beat it up myself.
I could keep her from being dragged into that terrifying, painful fight.
That much, I could do.
When I was reinforcing that resolve and looking at her, Yeo-reum finally looked back at me after a long time.
She was doing homework, and instead of the sad face I was used to, she looked like she was thinking hard about something.
“…Mister…”
“Ah… me?”
“You… I called you mister…”
I was twenty now in this world. Twenty-two in my past life. Not really an age where “mister” fit perfectly… and even my appearance wasn’t really that old-looking.
But to a ten-year-old kid, I guess I was still a mister.
And I had introduced myself that way too.
It stung a little, but I smiled and answered her.
“Yeah, Yeo-reum.”
“This problem… do you know it?”
She showed me a math problem.
It was a simple geometry question about calculating area.
I immediately felt confident and nodded.
“Of course. Let me teach you, Yeo-reum.”
It was the first time she had ever asked me for something.
So I explained it carefully, as sincerely as I could.
Yeo-reum was surprisingly smart. She quickly began to understand my explanation.
And when she finally solved the problem on her own, I clapped for her.
“Yeo-reum, good job! You’re really smart. Maybe even a genius?”
The moment she heard that, she started crying again.
“…Hic… sob… waaahhh…”
I had praised her, so why was she crying?
Confused, I panicked and hugged her gently, patting her head.
“Waaahhh… sniff… sob…”
“Sorry, Yeo-reum. I won’t praise you anymore. I’m sorry.”
“M-mommy… daddy…”
She cried harder, calling out for her parents.
I just held her and kept patting her back.
Again and again.
The next day, Yeo-reum asked me something unexpected.
“…Mister… are you… my dad now?”
Dad.
Was that the right word?
No. It wasn’t.
“I’m just your normal guardian, Yeo-reum.”
“Guar… dian?”
“It means someone who feeds you, takes care of you, and helps you grow safely until you become an adult.”
She didn’t seem to fully understand.
“Why…?”
“Hmm? Why what?”
“Why are you… taking care of me?”
Why?
Should I tell her the truth? That I wanted to prevent her from becoming a magical girl?
No. She wouldn’t understand that at all. Magical girls were a secret even within the government and the special response teams.
So there was only one answer I could give.
“Because I want you to be happy, Yeo-reum.”
“Me…?”
“Yeah. You.”
She still looked confused, but one thing was certain.
Even so, she had started to open up to me, even if just a little.
And that little bit meant a huge difference.
After that, I kept visiting the center every day.
“…Mister… am I going to live at your house now?”
She was the one who brought it up.
“You can come whenever you want. If you like the center, you can stay. It’ll be hard to keep living where you used to, though.”
The truth was, she couldn’t stay at the center forever. If she did, I would lose guardianship, and she would be sent to an orphanage.
In the game, it was never described in detail, but Yeo-reum didn’t seem to have a happy time there.
From my perspective, that wasn’t something I wanted.
And if she went to an orphanage, grew up, and entered society as an adult, I wouldn’t be able to track her anymore. And that cursed hamster mascot would eventually reach her.
Still, I said it gently so she wouldn’t feel pressured.
But maybe… all my efforts hadn’t been in vain.
“…I want to live at your house, mister.”
“…Really?”
“Yes…”
She slowly nodded.
And I, overwhelmed with relief and joy, hugged the small child tightly.
“Yeo-reum… thank you so much!”
“…Mister… I can’t breathe…”
She tapped my back weakly, and I quickly let her go.
She blinked at me, then bowed politely.
“Thank you… mister.”
“For what?”
“For saving me.”
“Ah… right.”
“And for… taking care of me.”
“…Yeah.”
“So… thank you… mister.”
She bowed again, far too mature for her age.
The child who had lost her parents was not acting like a child at all.
And that only hurt me more.
I definitely couldn’t replace her parents.
But at least… I could make her future a little happier than the original story.
That was my only goal in this world.
My only reason for living.