TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 160
Mikhail was a child born in an unplanned moment of time.
Mikhail, conceived by a Mother who was a famous dancer in the Empire and the second son of a Household that strictly adhered to Social Status, was a child born at a time no one wished for.
The Man failed to establish his position in the Household, and the woman, who loved her Job as a dancer, gave birth to a child at such a moment.
Mikhail’s Mother began to struggle with her dancing career due to her swelling belly.
Pregnancy was like poison to a Job that required showcasing beautiful Dance Movements. The woman, who wanted to preserve her Honor as a dancer, chose to retire, and Mikhail’s Father abandoned the dancer and disappeared.
There was nothing a Commoner dancer could do.
Even if she bore an unwanted fruit, the world was not lenient enough to listen to the story of a mere Commoner.
Even though their relationship started with love, the Ending of that story was a bitter Wound filled with Resentment and Hatred. For Mikhail, who had yet to see the light of the world, only Grudge and Hatred awaited.
The woman hated the child in her womb.
She believed that her life was ruined because of this child.
The person she loved ran away.
She lost her Job as a dancer.
Believing that the reason for her miserable and ruined life was the child in her belly, Mikhail’s Mother hated Mikhail even before he was born.
-Wah… Wah…
-Shut up.
-Wah… Wah…
-I said shut up! Stop crying all the time and just shut up…!
When Mikhail’s ears began to open, the first words he heard were his Mother’s harsh curses.
He learned the swear words telling him to keep his mouth shut faster than the word ‘Mother.’
-Daktcho…
-…What?
-Daktcho!
-What did you just say!
Until the age of 2, Mikhail thought his name was ‘Shut up.’
Whenever he called for his Mother because he was hungry, she would always say that.
Still, Mikhail liked his Mother.
Even though she was always angry and irritated, she was the only one in the world who was on his side. He waited for his Mother, who came home after drinking.
Even though he had never stepped out of the tightly locked room, to him, his entire world was his Mother, so Mikhail liked his Mother.
And he liked his Mother when she came home after drinking.
On the days she came back drunk, she would hug him tightly and say, “Mother is sorry.”
And so, four years passed.
Mikhail’s world began to expand more than before.
His Mother started talking to him.
His Mother started holding his hand and taking him on walks.
The Walk Route with his Mother was always the same.
They would buy Candy from a frequently visited Store and stand blankly, looking at an Alleyway where no one passed by.
-Mother, why do you always look here?
-…
-Mother?
His Mother would hold his hand tightly as he ate Candy, sigh deeply, and then return home.
Although it was a repetitive routine, Mikhail enjoyed the moments when he went outside with his Mother.
Truly, he did.
His Mother started working.
Not as a dancer performing in front of High-status People, but as a Waitress serving food at an Adventurer’s Tavern.
She started drinking more often.
There were many days when she didn’t come home because she was drunk.
Whenever she came home and saw him sleeping, she would let out a Deep Sigh.
He could never forget his Mother’s Soliloquy, murmuring, “I need to stop hating him…”
Then, one day.
A stranger came to their house.
The Man, who introduced himself as his Father, appeared to be about five years older than his Mother.
His Mother seemed to be in a good mood as she looked at The Man, who told Mikhail to call him Father.
The Mister bought him toys.
He liked the moments when his Mother laughed and chatted with The Man. Of course, he knew the man wasn’t his real Father.
He immediately realized that this Mister was not his Father.
Call it a Hunch.
He just had a feeling.
And so, three years passed.
By the time the number of Misters who told him to call them Father exceeded ten.
His Mother returned home with a Stern Expression.
-Welcome back, Mother!
-…
-Mother?
-Oh… Yes?
His Mother, who returned home with a deeply troubled look, smiled brightly when she saw him.
Although she used to hate him a lot before, now she only hated him a little.
He smiled along with his Mother’s Smile.
-You’ve worked hard!
-Yes.
His Mother sat across from him without removing her makeup. He wondered why she was being so nice when she didn’t smell of alcohol. Filled with curiosity, he asked her.
-Did you drink a lot?
-No. I didn’t drink.
-Wow…!
His Mother, sitting across from him, stroked his hair and pulled him into her arms. Feeling the warmth of her embrace, he looked at her with wide eyes.
Blink, blink.
As she stroked his hair, his Mother whispered softly.
-My child.
-Yes!
-Do you like Mother?
-Yes!
-I see… Then, would you like Mother to be happy?
-Yes! If Mother is happy, I’m happy too.
-I see…
For the first time, his Mother bought him a doll.
Not a toy brought by the Misters, but a large Teddy Bear she bought while sober.
He liked the Teddy Bear, the first Gift his Mother had ever given him.
-Wowww!
-It’s a Birthday Gift.
-Really?!
-Yes.
Whenever she saw him happy, his Mother would give a Bitter Smile. At the time, he didn’t understand his Mother’s Smile.
The deeply troubled thoughts within his Mother’s heart.
When night came, he would fall asleep hugging the Teddy Bear tightly. The Perfume Scent lingering on the Teddy Bear made it feel like his Mother was hugging him.
One day.
Two days.
A week passed.
His Mother took his hand and went for a walk.
Farther than usual.
As if heading to a place from which they could never return, she simply stroked his head and smiled silently.
-Mother. Where are we going?
-…
-We’re going on a trip.
-Really?
-Wowwww. Are we going to see the ocean?
-The ocean… Yes.
Mother silently stroked my hair, and the carriage continued rolling its wheels without stopping as it traveled a long distance.
As we got closer to our destination, I became excited, snorting with anticipation. My heart pounded at the thought of seeing the Blue Ocean I had only read about in books.
-Mother, have you ever been to the ocean?
-No.
-Oh…
Mother’s expression grew stiffer as we approached the ocean.
-Screech.
The carriage stopped at a place I had never seen before. The Blue Ocean from the Fairy Tales was nowhere to be found.
There was only a bridge with sewage flowing beneath it, and beyond the bridge, a cluster of Shaky Houses that seemed ready to collapse at any moment.
Holding the Teddy Bear tightly, I looked at Mother.
I was scared.
I was frightened by the stares of Little Kids glancing at me from across the bridge, and I was scared of the Mice scurrying by.
And with a foreboding feeling that I might not see Mother again, I clung to the Teddy Bear even tighter.
Mother crouched down and looked at me.
She gently stroked my tear-streaked cheek with a Gentle Smile and spoke.
-My child, Mother has some errands to run, so could you wait here for a moment?
I shook my head.
Without even wiping my Runny Nose, I just shook my head vigorously and clung to Mother, refusing to let go.
Mother held my hand tightly and said.
-Mother will definitely come back.
-…
-I promise, really.
-Promise?
-Yes.
-You’ll come back after thirteen?
-Yes. Mother will bring your real Father, so just wait here for a little while.
I held out my pinky finger to Mother.
-Promise…!
Mother hooked her finger with mine and smiled.
-I promise.
I ran after Mother as she walked away. There was one last thing I wanted to ask.
-Motherrrrr!
Because I was running with my short legs, I tripped and ended up with a nosebleed, but I brushed it off bravely because Mother didn’t like it when I cried.
Since she promised, since she said she would come back, I didn’t even wipe the blood from my nose and grabbed the hem of Mother’s clothes.
-Mother.
When Mother turned around, she was crying.
For the first time, she shed tears in front of me.
I looked at Mother and said.
-Why are you crying? You said you wouldn’t give me a Gift if you cried.
-No, Mother isn’t crying. But why did my child come looking for Mother? Mother said she’d be back soon.
-Well…!
Fidgeting with my fingers, I looked at Mother and asked.
-What’s my name?
-…
-What if you forget my name when you call me?
Mother bit her lip and lowered her head.
-Come to think of it, I never gave you a name….
Mother paused for a moment and then spoke in a voice tinged with moisture.
-Misa.
-…Huh?
-Misa. That’s your name.
-Misa!
-Yes. Misa.
Hearing my name, I smiled and let go of the hem of Mother’s clothes.
I waved my hand enthusiastically.
-Come back soon!
-…
-Mother! Come back soon!
-…
Mother never came back.
I waited for Mother.
Counting on my fingers, “One day, two days, three days,” I endured the ongoing Nightmare.
Underneath the Bridge where I had promised Mother, I perked up my ears and waited endlessly for her, but she never came.
Strangers reached out their hands, saying they wanted to help, but I bit their hands hard and kept running away to hide.
One day passed.
Two days passed.
By the third day, when the dark thoughts in my heart turned into certainty.
I cried myself to sleep.
Thinking, “When I wake up, Mother will be here.”
That day, the rain poured exceptionally hard.
It was cold.
It was dark.
I hated that the Teddy Bear was soaked with rain.
Though my body felt cold, my forehead was burning as I slowly began to open my heavy eyelids.
“Mother…”
“…”
“Mother…”
“I’m not Mother.”
In front of me stood a Little Kid holding a Cardboard Box.
The Little Kid, with a scruffy face, poked my cheek and said.
“It’s real….”
“…”
“This must be a Fortuitous Encounter, right?”
“…Mother?”
“I’m not Mother, nor am I Father…. Hmm.”
The Little Kid smiled and said.
“Then, am I your brother?”
The raindrops falling from the Red Hair of the Little Kid trickled down with his smile and hit the ground.
“Nice to meet you.”
“…”
“I’m Lee Minhyuk.”
That was the first meeting between Mikhail and the Red-Haired Boy.