Blinking repeatedly, I forced my heavy eyes open and lifted my head.

When did I fall asleep? I looked at the wall clock, and it was already 1 PM.

It seemed I had fallen asleep after getting exhausted from drawing all night.

Fortunately, I had completed the drawing, so I could feel some relief.

Since I had fallen asleep on the desk, my whole body seemed to be crying out in protest.

"Ugh..."

I grimaced and stretched, making a sound that didn’t quite match the body of a four-year-old.

Crack.

After a simple stretch, I stood up and gathered the drawing.

I thought there might be a frame in the storage room. If I put it in there and hung it in the bedroom, it would look nice.

The room used as a storage was near the balcony. Dad always cleaned and took care of it, so it wasn’t very dusty.

"Let’s see."

The frames were in a spot that was easy to spot.

There were various types of frames, likely ones Mom had bought for the firstborn’s photos.

I couldn’t help but feel a bit bitter inside. How happy must Mom have been when she had her first child?

I swallowed a sigh that tried to escape and picked an appropriately sized frame.

It was a frame that was a little longer horizontally, and when I placed the paper in it, it fit perfectly.

Had she just bought this recently? Mom must have gotten it, considering it was the perfect size for the paper.

I opened the back of the frame and placed the drawing inside. Luckily, it had a mechanism that was easy for a child to open.

I took the framed drawing and carried it to the bedroom.

"I hope it cheers her up."

The sense of unease that had been there earlier was gone, and now, all I wished for was the happiness of our family.

I stared blankly at the drawing that was now placed on the bed.

It was a family portrait—four people.

A young couple, a little girl who looked about five or six, and a newly born baby.

"......"

Normally, I would have drawn myself and Ha-eun, but I decided against it.

Wasn’t my place supposed to be where my sister’s should have been?

Maybe I had taken her spot.

It was because of these thoughts that I didn’t draw myself.

Suddenly, I noticed a water stain in the right corner of the frame. It was probably the tear stain from last night.

"It doesn’t matter. It’s not very visible."

Thanks to the frame’s corners, the tear stain wasn’t very noticeable unless you looked closely.

But it still felt kind of dull. Maybe I should add a little surprise to it?

I carefully covered it with a blanket and stepped out of the room.

Grrrrr.

"Ah."

As soon as I stepped out, my stomach growled loudly.

Thinking about it, I had skipped breakfast because I was busy drawing last night, and I hadn’t eaten in the morning either.

Lunch time had long passed.

I headed to the kitchen and opened the fridge, but there wasn’t anything appetizing to eat.

Everything was either a meal kit or something that could only be heated up in the microwave.

Before Dad came back, I’d be stuck starving.

Still, I figured I could manage for one day.

And I had to look after Mom too. It seemed like it would be hard for Dad to come home anytime soon.

But just as I thought about this...

Beep beep beep.

The sound of the front door lock opening.

"Ha-eun!"

Dad rushed in, calling my name.

"...Huh?"

Startled, I headed to the living room, and as soon as Dad saw me, he sighed in relief.

"Haah. Sorry, son. I was so distracted I forgot to check on you."

"It’s... okay. But what about Mom?"

"Mom? Oh, she’s fine. The baby was born without any problems."

Thank goodness. Really.

Dad smiled and gave me a light pat on the shoulder.

"Eun-ah. How do you feel now that you’re a big brother?"

"Big brother? Is it a girl?"

"Yep. A beautiful little girl, just like our son."

Dad’s question made me shrug my shoulders.

"I guess I look just like her. But I don’t feel anything special about being a big brother."

"Really?"

Dad gave me a mysterious smile and headed to the kitchen.

"Our son must be hungry. I’ll make some food for you."

At our house, Mom and Dad take turns cooking. Both of them are pretty good at it.

"Are you going to make food and then go back to Mom?"

"...Yeah."

I asked, but Dad spoke in a lower tone.

"Mom’s really weak right now. I need to stay close to her."

His soft face showed that he was wondering if it would be okay for me to go with him.

I wasn’t exactly the type to cause trouble, but from Dad’s perspective, I was still just a four-year-old.

No matter what kind of unexpected situation occurred, I’d be considered too young to handle it.

But Dad seemed to trust me.

"If you don’t want to stay alone at home, do you want to come with me to see Mom?"

"No, it’s fine."

Even though Dad asked me to come, I declined.

Dad looked at me with wide eyes, wondering why.

"I just... I don’t think I’d be able to do anything. There’s nothing fun to do."

"Why? You can play with me when we get there."

"Dad, you’re not fun."

Dad looked at me with a wounded expression, but I was just being honest.

Dad was like a gentle deer, always calm, not exactly a fun person.

It wasn’t like I could play with Mom, who was sick. Or with the newborn baby.

That would be ridiculous.

Dad made lunch for me and grabbed his coat.

"Well, I’ll be back soon. I’ll come back for dinner."

He gave me a kiss on the forehead and waved goodbye.

I rubbed my forehead and waved back.

Dad smiled and left, and after I ate my lunch, I lay back down in bed, still feeling exhausted.

I shouldn’t fall asleep right after eating.

But the warm blanket wrapped me up, and sleep took over.

***

"Ah."

I woke up and looked at the window right above my bed.

The curtains were drawn, but since I was underneath them, I could still clearly see the outside weather.

The orange-tinted sky indicated that it was already evening.

I sat up and scratched my messy hair.

If only my body had grown bigger, I would be living the life of a lazy bum.

It was even my dream job.

The clock on the wall showed it was around 6 PM. Which meant…

Knock knock.

"Dad’s home."

The sound of knocking meant Dad had come back.

I quickly got off the bed and walked out. Dad was waiting at the door, smiling, and I returned a faint smile as I sat down at the dining table.

Dad would probably go back to the hospital. He might sleep there.

He knew that I could sleep alone since I was already sleeping separately from my parents.

It didn’t matter, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of loneliness.

"Is it good?"

Dad asked as he watched me eat. I nodded and answered.

"Yeah. So, do I have to stay home alone again today?"

"Well... if you’re scared, I can stay home and not go."

I knew he was saying that for my sake, so I shook my head.

"It’s fine. It’s the same as sleeping alone in my room."

Dad made a subtle expression and sighed.

"I know how mature you are, son. But to your mom and me, you’re still a four-year-old baby."

"Hmm..."

It wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have while eating.

"...Actually, I asked Auntie to help take care of you."

"Huh? Oh... that’s fine."

"I already talked to her, and she said she was happy to help. And So-yul is coming too."

"So-yul? Why is she coming?"

"I don’t know. She said she wanted to come with Auntie."

I snapped out of my daze and thought for a moment.

Well, she’s just a kid who probably wants to be with her mom. It made sense.

Dad said that when Auntie came, he would leave me with her.

Not long after, Auntie and So-yul arrived at our house.

Since we lived in an apartment complex, it wasn’t too far. Maybe just a different building, a few floors away?

Dad told the two women to take care of me as he left.

"Ha-eun, hello~."

"Hello, Auntie."

"Hi."

After they entered the house, they greeted me and looked around.

Now that I think about it, this was probably the first time they had been inside.

We always just met at the playground or on the street.

Auntie looked around the house before stepping out to take a call on the balcony.

Her expression seemed a little serious, so it must have been an important call.

Leaving us two kids behind.

"Hey, Ha-eun."

...Is she always this friendly?

I thought she was usually a quiet, reserved kid.

"Can you show me around the house?"

?? Well, sure.

Even if it was the same apartment complex, the layout might be different.

I motioned for her to follow, and So-yul grabbed my hand tightly.

"Huh? Wasn’t I supposed to grab it?"

She looked at me with a slightly dazed expression as she tilted her head and asked.

"No, that’s not it. Um, it’s fine. Let’s just go."

This was the first time in my life I had held a girl’s hand, other than Mom’s.

Of course, I could get in trouble for saying that since I’m only four, but...

Who cares? I’m four too.

Later, I’ll probably look back and think, "What was I thinking? How could I hold her hand?"

Laughing at the funny thought, I showed her around the house.

However, I didn’t take her to the master bedroom because there was a drawing I had made, and it felt a little awkward.

Instead, So-yul narrowed her eyes and looked at the door to the bedroom.

"Why aren’t we going in there?"

"It’s Mom and Dad’s room. I’m not allowed to go in there either."

I avoided the question by lying halfway.

I could go in there anytime, but there was a drawing in there, damn it.

"Huh? Auntie said it was okay to go anywhere, though?"

Auntie must’ve finished her call by then, and she came back, laughing and pointing her finger.

"Heh. I’m sure I said it as a way of being considerate, but this auntie already asked for permission."

Sometimes, I wonder what’s going on in that woman's head. Where does she even get that way of speaking?

Reluctantly, I led both of them into the bedroom.

Oh right. Just a minute ago, Auntie cheered when she saw So-yul and me holding hands.

Once we entered the bedroom, the normal furniture and the bed with a mix of white and navy colors caught their eyes.

The shape of the bed stood out, clearly suggesting that there was something important there.

Auntie didn’t seem interested in lifting the bedding, so she left that alone. So-yul, however, was on the verge of exploding with curiosity.

"Is it a treasure?"

"Daughter, other people’s things aren’t treasures."

Auntie patted So-yul’s head before turning to ask me.

"But I’m curious too. What’s that?"

"...It’s a drawing."

"A drawing?"

"Yeah, well..."

I ended up answering because I had no choice. Well, it didn’t matter. There was no reason to hide it from them.

"Want to see it?"

"Oh? Is that okay?"

"I want to see it too!"

At their request, I pulled out the framed picture from under the blanket.

"Wow, wow, wow, wow. This? You drew this with just colored pencils?"

"Wow..."

Auntie was full of admiration, and So-yul looked like she was lost in space again, staring blankly.

I felt a bit embarrassed and cleared my throat. Auntie snapped back to reality and handed the frame back.

"Wow. Ha-eun, you’re going to be an amazing artist when you grow up."

"Heh. I’ll think about it."

I didn’t say I’d do it, just that I’d think about it.

Just then, Auntie suddenly asked.

"By the way, I’m curious. The adults here, are they your mom and dad?"

Yeah. I drew my mom and dad, and under them...

"Who’s the little girl between them? She doesn’t look like Ha-eun at all."

Auntie’s question was a bit intrusive. But she didn’t know our family’s situation.

However, I couldn’t give her an answer.

"It’s a mistake. But I didn’t want to just throw it away."

"...I see?"

Auntie accepted my explanation and nodded, and we left the bedroom and went back to the living room.

There wasn’t much to do. What should we do?

"Auntie brought a board game. Want to play?"

Auntie had brought a board game called Burmabu.

We nodded and sat down around it.

The game board quickly turned into something that resembled a gambling house.

And the loser was...

"No way. I lost to these little kids?"

Auntie was relentless.