Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Waiting Can Sometimes Be Fun
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Thanks to my sister, who stubbornly followed me despite my assurances that everything was fine, we were able to reach the child who had become lost in the crowd.
A little wary now that strangers had suddenly approached, the child stopped crying pitifully and stared at us blankly while slowly backing away. I promptly held out my handkerchief.
"Hello, little one. Did you lose your mom and dad?"
"...Yeah."
I spoke in the gentlest tone I could muster, and the child alternated glances between me, my sister, and the handkerchief before nodding affirmatively and wiping away her own tears. She seemed like quite the spirited little girl.
"What's your name?"
"...Cha-eun, Yoo Cha-eun."
"Cha-eun, huh? That's a pretty name. I'm Kang Wooju."
"Wooju? Pfft..."
True to her age, she had a pretty low laugh threshold, bursting into giggles at the mere mention of "universe."
I didn't mind at all. If something so trivial could ease her guard and stop her tears, that was a relief.
"Do you like chocolate, by any chance?"
"Choco...?"
"Yeah."
"Ch, yeah, I like it."
Even her shy little nod in response to the out-of-the-blue question was utterly adorable.
Good, she likes it. That's fortunate.
Rustle. Rustle.
I immediately unzipped the sling bag over my shoulder and pulled out a few packs of chocolate I'd brought along.
They were originally meant as a sugar boost in case the wait dragged on, but they seemed like they'd come in handy right now.
"Eat this, stop those tears, and then oppa and this pretty sister here will go find your parents together, okay?"
"Y-yes, pretty sister..."
I was smiling warmly as she tore open the wrapper herself and popped one into her mouth, when I heard my sister muttering something from behind. The surrounding noise made it hard to catch.
"Now, hold this pretty sister's hand so we don't get lost again."
"Pretty sister...?"
Before setting off to find Cha-eun's parents, I figured a woman like my sister might seem less scary than a guy like me, so I suggested she hold my sister's hand. But for some reason, she shot my sister a wary stray-cat glare and backed away further.
I had no idea why, but it felt like we'd reverted right back to that initial standoffishness.
"Ah, looks like she wants to hold Cosmo's hand."
"Is that right? Then how about oppa's hand, Cha-eun?"
"Hehe... Yeah!"
Maybe because I was the one who'd given her the chocolate? Unexpectedly, Cha-eun chose to take my hand over my sister's.
Her beaming smile and that tiny hand grasping mine made me think it'd be nice to have a daughter someday. Whether marriage was on the cards was another matter entirely.
"Doesn't seem to be a lost child center around here. Not listed on the pamphlet either..."
My sister muttered from just ahead, checking the map on her pamphlet. Normally, big events like this would set up at least a nominal lost child station, but apparently they hadn't bothered.
"They must figure not many people bring kids. Tsk, they should've put something together anyway..."
I reacted more sensitively than intended to her words. Normally I'd brush it off, but some bad memories surfaced unbidden.
"Cha-eun, do you know your mom or dad's phone number by any chance?"
"Phone number...? Uh-uh, I don't know..."
With even the lost child center option off the table, contacting her parents directly would be fastest, so I'd asked hopefully. No such luck.
Guess we'd have to wander around like searching for a needle in a haystack.
I didn't mind, but dragging my sister into this made me feel awfully guilty.
I'll have to apologize properly later.
"Excuse me. Are you event staff?"
After wandering and calling out for Cha-eun's parents for quite a while, my sister spotted a man passing by and called out to him.
Unlike the individual booth attendants, he had a huge "AGP" event badge pinned to his chest, so he seemed like official staff.
"Yes, that's right. Is there something I can help with?"
"Actually, we found a lost child. Could you maybe make an announcement over the venue broadcast to find her parents?"
"Ah, of course. Leave her to us—we'll take her to the staff room and bring her parents over via broadcast."
Ah, didn't think of that. Am I really that much of an airhead? It wasn't even about whether a lost child center existed; we should've just asked staff from the start.
Anyway, good thing. Shouldn't take much longer than expected.
The staff member offered his hand to Cha-eun with a kind smile. I let go of hers and gently nudged her along, assuring her he'd take good care of reuniting her with her parents.
"Ugh...!"
For some inexplicable reason, she latched onto my waist and shook her head vigorously.
Aside from me—the one whose initial wariness she'd let down—she was still scared of other people. She looked up at me with an expression on the verge of tears, drawing an involuntary chuckle.
"...This won't work. Sorry, but could we come to the staff room with you? We'll leave once her parents arrive."
"Ah, sure. If you'll follow me this way?"
The staffer seemed a bit hurt by her intense wariness, flashing an awkward expression before forcing a smile and guiding us along.
Didn't feel like my fault at all, but I felt strangely apologetic anyway.
We finally arrived at the staff-only room, and through the glass window, I spotted a desk worker seated at the broadcast mic. Probably handling event announcements from there.
"Please find our baby, miss...!"
"Ah, just calm down first, ma'am..."
Outside, a couple who looked like they might be her parents were pleading desperately with another staff member—their conversation sounding far from ordinary.
Could it be?
"Mom! Dad!"
"Cha, Cha-eun!?"
I brought her closer on a hunch, and still clinging to my hand, she waved happily at them.
The startled mother confirmed her daughter was safe and burst into tears, rushing over with her husband.
Sure enough, Cha-eun's parents. Glad we found them so quickly.
"Cha-eun! Mommy told you to hold on tight!"
"Honey, don't scold her too much. It's not like she wanted to get lost."
Unlike the mother, who immediately scolded her upon reunion, the father approached us with relief, thanking our good fortune.
"Thank you so much for finding our Cha-eun."
"Ah, no, we just did what anyone would."
It felt awkward having someone older bow so readily, so I gave an embarrassed smile. My sister, who'd been watching me, mirrored it with one of her own.
Don't just stand there—help me out.
"We're truly grateful...! How can we ever repay this debt...!"
"Ah, no, I didn't do anything. It was all thanks to her."
I shot my sister a glance laced with playful resentment, but in the meantime, the mother had approached her, seizing both hands and expressing fervent thanks.
Sister looked just as flustered as I had, bowing in tandem.
Won't help when I'm the one in a bind, huh.
"Cha-eun, from now on, you have to hold mom and dad's hands tight when we're out, got it?"
"Yeah, got it!"
"That's my girl."
I gave her one last piece of parting advice in hopes nothing like this would happen again, and she responded by snapping her hand up smartly.
"Cool oppa! Pretty sister! Thank you!"
As we turned to head back to the event proper, her final words rang out from behind.
She'd been pretty wary of my sister at first, but in the end, it seemed she'd warmed to her after seeing all her efforts to reunite her with her parents.
Impressive.
"You should wave back, sis."
"R-right, yeah..."
I raised my hand high and waved as if to demonstrate, and she awkwardly lifted hers in clumsy imitation, greeting Cha-eun back.
Only after parting with her family did we finally set off toward our original destination: the Last Destiny booth.
"Sorry for dragging you into that."
"N-no, it's fine. I actually felt pretty proud."
Offering my belated apology, she shook her head so vigorously it nearly snapped her neck. Fast enough to feel the breeze for a second.
I gave a wry smile at the sight and started walking, only for words to tumble out unbidden—despite not being one to casually share my past.
"Truth is, I went through the exact same thing at an amusement park when I was a kid."
"You too, Cosmo?"
She responded with evident surprise at my sudden revelation of that minor trauma.
It felt a bit embarrassing to have shared something so personal, but I pressed on with a casual expression.
"Yeah, around seven years old, I think... Didn't even know lost child centers existed back then, so I just plopped down on the street and bawled my eyes out. It was terrifying."
"That's natural at that age... Scary just imagining it."
Seemed she’d never been through anything like it. Good for her. Not exactly a fond memory.
"Then some young couple took me to the center and stayed by my side until my parents arrived. Looking back now, I'm really grateful to them."
At that, her eyes went wide as she looked up at me—like a detective spotting a crucial clue glossed over in a mystery novel.
"So that's why you didn't leave Cha-eun with the staff earlier too...?"
"Yeah. Partly because she was so wary of him, but mostly that memory made it hard to walk away."
In a way, my own bad trauma had ended up troubling my sister too.
I apologized again for it, but she shook her head as if it were nothing, meeting my eyes instead with a warm smile.
"I'm glad, actually. You can't hear stories like this on your streams, right?"
"Ah, well, when you put it that way."
"Exactly. As a fan, getting to know more about my favorite celeb is plenty joyful."
I'd never shared it because it wasn't exactly uplifting, but she interpreted it positively and flashed a radiant smile.
A beauty like her beaming with genuine warmth was hard to meet head-on, so I involuntarily averted my gaze. My face felt a little hot.
"Still, making you wait even longer is something I am sorry for. At least let me apologize for that."
"Nuh-uh... Don't wanna."
"...Huh?"
To what I thought was a fair compromise, she shot back firmly, then spun away with her hands clasped behind her back.
The gesture somehow felt like she was hiding her expression from me.
"That's not something to feel sorry about at all. I won't accept an apology for it."
"...?"
Making her wait in that endless line twice wasn't worth an apology? I couldn't help tilting my head in confusion.
If there'd been a mirror right then, I'm sure my dumbfounded face would be staring right back.
"Come on, let's go. I'll wait with you as long as it takes today."
She must've caught my look, because she poked fun with a giggle before taking my fingertips—just barely brushing them—and leading me along.
That's not fair play, that kind of confession.