Chapter 10
But I spent the rest of the day in kindergarten without saying anything to Sia.
I didn’t ask why because… I figured it was just one of her moods, and anyway, I’d be heading to her house soon, so I could ask at home then.
As the closing bell rang, just as expected, Sia’s mother came to pick us up.
“Yes!”
“Yes.”
After we grabbed our kindergarten bags, Sia suddenly came up beside me and linked arms with me.
“Why are you doing that?”
“…It’s nothing…”
I pulled my arm away quickly, embarrassed because linking arms in front of her mother felt too childish.
But Sia’s silent gaze pinned me in place, as if silently begging me not to let go.
“…Come on.”
So I walked out with Sia, arms still linked together.
At the front door, Sia’s mother smiled brightly the moment she saw us and said with a sweet voice, “Oh my, oh my.”
My face felt hot, but Sia held onto my arm even tighter, leaving me no choice.
How tightly she held on?
“I need to put on my shoes, let go.”
“No…”
“Hurry…”
“Then keep holding my arm.”
“Okay, fine.”
“…Yeah.”
Only after I gave my reluctant answer did Sia finally loosen her grip.
Then, the moment I slipped on my shoes, she linked arms with me again.
Sia’s mother chuckled softly as she watched us and gently patted my head.
“Alright! Let’s go, kids! Today we’re going out for dinner!”
“Out for dinner?”
Sia’s mom usually cooked at home, and I loved visiting their house to eat her delicious meals as my special treat.
Compared to my own mom, hers made food taste even better, so eating there felt like a special joy for me.
But on most days she still made homemade meals, so I was a little surprised when she mentioned going out today.
“Yeah, today… should we pick something Siwoo likes?”
“Um… well… I don’t really…”
“Don’t say that. Just pick whatever you want, no pressure.”
Even if she said no pressure, honestly, I didn’t crave anything special.
After all, I could eat out almost every day at the company with my parents.
So I really didn’t have any strong food preferences.
“I’m really fine. Sia, you choose.”
“Siwoo, pick for me.”
“No, you pick.”
“No way, you pick.”
“Um…”
I muttered to myself, thinking it had suddenly turned strange, and finally suggested, “Then let’s go get tonkatsu.”
“Tonkatsu? Great! Let’s hurry!”
So we piled into Sia’s mom’s car and headed to a tonkatsu franchise restaurant.
We ordered a mountain of food.
I chose the king tonkatsu, Sia the hamburger steak, and her mother the pasta.
It didn’t end there—each of us also ordered pizza and drinks.
“Um… did we order too much?”
I asked hesitantly, worried I’d overdone it.
“Haha, it’s fine. Eat up, Siwoo.”
“Yes… I’ll eat everything.”
The food arrived, and Sia and I dug in without a second thought.
Even though the portions were huge, we finished everything quickly and the leftovers were all packed to go outside the restaurant.
“Okay! Before we head back, let’s walk outside to help with digestion!”
“Great!”
“I want to too!”
So we got in the car and drove to a nearby park.
As soon as we parked and got out, Sia’s mother approached us and said, “Alright, since you might get sunburned, let’s apply some sunscreen.”
“Yes!”
“Yes.”
She squeezed sunscreen onto both our hands and started rubbing it in.
“Siwoo, this spot is missing.”
Her mom reached over to the spot on my arm, and the moment she touched it, a sharp jolt shot through me.
“Aaaah!”
I couldn’t help letting out a cry without realizing it.
Both Sia and her mother froze at the same time.
“Ah, that’s… I think I strained a muscle. It’s not that painful, just a sudden shock.”
“Oh… I see… Sorry.”
“No, it’s really fine!”
I’d barely recovered when Sia suddenly clung to my arm again and asked, “Did it… hurt a lot?”
“It doesn’t hurt much anymore. Come on, let’s go!”
“Uh… yeah…”
I didn’t want to create any awkward tension, so I took her hand and started leading her along.
It was only around six in the evening, but the park wasn’t very crowded yet.
Since it was still summer and the days were hot, people hadn’t come out much.
So Sia and I ran wildly under the shade of the trees.
Thankfully, the earlier awkwardness had completely vanished.
After a while of chasing each other like tag, I started to feel tired.
I’d eaten a huge meal earlier, and now my stomach was beginning to ache from all the running.
We finally stopped and headed back to where Sia’s mother was waiting.
“Sia! Come quickly! It’s hot!”
Somehow, she’d already settled under a silver blanket with a drink in her hand.
Perfect timing. Sia and I kicked off our shoes and climbed onto the blanket.
As we sat down, she poured the drink into paper cups and handed them to us.
The paper cups held electrolyte drinks.
Taking a sip, the cool liquid instantly refreshed my mouth and throat.
“Kyah~”
“Wow… it’s so cold.”
“Haha… this is my special item.”
“How did you do that?”
“I packed a mini fridge in the car, so it stays cold.”
“Wow…”
“Well? Want more?”
“Yes!”
“Me too!”
“Sure, sure.”
We drank the icy electrolyte drinks until the heat inside me finally faded away.
I wanted to run again, but Sia and I had already played enough, so we just sat on the blanket and stared blankly at the park.
While we were sitting there, I suddenly felt something tickling my back.
“Huh…? What is it…?”
“Let me wipe your sweat, Siwoo. Can you stay still for a second?”
“Yes… yes…”
I leaned my body into Sia’s mom’s hand.
She gently wiped my back with a towel, using almost no pressure at all.
Since I didn’t sweat much in the first place, it wasn’t sticky, but her caring touch made me feel even fresher.
Then she finished by tousling my hair and moved on to wipe Sia’s sweat.
Watching her take care of Sia, a strange feeling stirred in my chest.
“Aah!”
“Hey! Stay still!”
“It hurts!”
Somehow… even if it was just my imagination, Sia’s mom seemed to adore me a lot.
Of course, that didn’t mean she used to scold me, but… she had started caring for me more than before.
And there was a strange prickling sensation in my chest, like something was teasing me from the inside.
Meanwhile, Sia finished getting her hair tousled, put on her shoes, and ran around outside in circles.
“Sia! Put on a hat! Hat!”
“Mommy’s coming!”
“Aish… Siwoo, wait here for me a second.”
“Yes.”
Sia’s mom stood up, picked up a hat, and gently placed it on Sia’s head.
It was a wide-brimmed white hat with a red ribbon, and it looked incredibly cute on her.
Satisfied, Sia twirled around with the hat on.
Sia’s mom smiled as she watched us from the shade of the trees.
“Since you met Siwoo, she’s been laughing a lot more.”
“Really…?”
“Haha, you wouldn’t know, but it’s true.”
“Oh…”
“So, Auntie is really grateful to Siwoo.”
“No, I didn’t do anything special…”
“……”
Sia’s mom muttered something to herself under her breath.
When I asked her to repeat it, she said, “It’s nothing. More importantly, Siwoo, from now on you can call me ‘Auntie’ instead of calling me ‘Sia’s mom’ or ‘Sia’s mother’ every time.”
“What…? But…”
“I’ve been calling you that all this time.”
“Yes…”
“That distance felt weird, so just call me Auntie. I’ve never heard anyone say that, but I’m making an exception for you.”
“Oh… thank you… Auntie…”
Indeed, Sia’s mother… no, Auntie didn’t look that old.
My own mom was quite young too, but Auntie seemed even younger.
“Yeah, yeah, you’re such a good kid. Siwoo, you really know how to behave.”
“Hehe…”
“I hope Sia becomes half as good as Siwoo…”
“Look at that, she was sweating just a moment ago and now she’s running around like that.”
“Haha.”
Then Sia spotted us and shouted, “Let’s play together!”
“It’s hot! Come over here!”
“Aah! We already ate! We should exercise!”
“This… Siwoo, Auntie, are you… gaining weight?”
“No.”
I didn’t need to lie. Auntie was really slim.
“Hurry!”
“Yeah, yeah… Siwoo, take a quick break.”
“Yes.”
Auntie stood up from the blanket.
But at that exact moment, a breeze blew over, and her long hair fluttered in the wind.
The sight made a sudden memory flash through my mind.
The scene and atmosphere from that memory felt incredibly familiar.
“Ah…”
I unconsciously called out to her, but Auntie was already walking toward Sia.
It seemed like something I’d seen somewhere before… but I swallowed it down inside.