Of course, calling the police was impossible.

Looking at the father and daughter, no one could bring themselves to do such a thing.

"Ai-yo... what kind of child is this... where did the mother disappear to?"

Tesetan was a strange and pitiful-looking young man.

He did not answer a single question about himself or about the child’s mother.

But he gave the girl’s name without any resistance.

"Astie."

"What? As...tie? What kind of name is that?"

She gradually grew closer to them.

And the closer she became, the more she began to vaguely understand their situation.

"Ai-yo, it’s nothing! Is there anyone in this world without their share of sorrow? Even the heavens and Buddha have it."

Later, she deliberately stopped asking anything.

Even when the neighbors pried, she stood as a shield in front of them.

It was she who found Tesetan a job.

And it was she who helped them get the room in 106 that had just become vacant.

Why did she do it, when she herself barely had enough to live?

The reason, of course...

Chae Boksu’s expression grew complicated as she looked at Tesetan.

"...He’s trying too hard."

It was painful to watch him struggle so desperately to live with his young daughter.

He was the kind of person whose effort made everyone who saw it feel a tightness in their chest.

And so her heart was drawn to him.

As the child grew, Boksu became attached to Tesetan almost as much as she was to Tie.

He quite literally worked day and night.

If a job was dangerous but paid well, he was the first to step forward.

And he always woke earlier than even the elderly, who barely slept to begin with.

He should have been exhausted, worn down.

But in front of his child, he always smiled.

However, time was not so generous.

And so it kept bringing new trials again and again.

As Tie grew older, the young father faced more and more real problems.

Even when people, trying to help, asked about his situation—he said nothing in return.

In the end, only Boksu and one neighbor upstairs kept worrying over it.

"Sister, maybe we should try contacting the embassy? The house is registered under your name now."

"If the man himself keeps silent, what can we do?"

"But still..."

"I don’t think he intends to settle in Korea."

"..."

"It seems like there’s a place he can return to with the child... but no one knows where it is."

In the end, they had no choice but to bury all their questions.

And yet, there was only one reason they could endure.

If they pushed reality aside even for a moment, the child’s pure face would come to mind.

Just as her father wished, Tie grew up bright and cheerful.

And then one day—

"......."

Boksu’s face darkened.

She remembered the notice that had arrived at the house where Tie had been alone.

It said that the ashes of an unclaimed deceased needed to be collected.

Not even news of death—just a notice to pick up the ashes.

She could not even remember how much she had cried that day, walking back in the rain.

It was heartbreaking that such a young life had so easily turned into a star.

But even more painful was the thought of Tie being left alone.

"It would have been better... better if I..."

As she thought that, Chae Boksu suddenly tensed—her body seized up sharply.

"Ukh!"

Unable to hold it in, she coughed, and Astie looked at her in alarm.

"Grandma!"

"Cough—cough! Cough—cough!"

She struggled to breathe.

Boksu wiped her mouth with her sleeve and hurriedly smiled at Tie.

"I-it’s fine. I just choked, that’s all."

The child’s eyes widened.

Boksu quickly stood up.

"Tell me, little one, aren’t you hungry?"

She bustled into the kitchen and began rummaging through an empty pot.

"And of course there’s nothing suitable... maybe I’ll make you an egg with soybean paste?"

Before she could finish, a rumble came from the girl’s stomach.

Tie looked down at her belly in confusion.

‘My stomach is making noise!’

Actually, asking Grandma for food right away felt a bit rude.

But soybean soup and a fried egg!

Glancing at Boksu, the girl answered:

"Then... just a little...!"

A smile immediately appeared on Boksu’s lips.

"Alright, alright."

Tie watched her grandmother’s busy back.

Then she quietly walked over and sat beside her father.

"......."

Aside from the clinking of dishes, the room was quiet.

Neither Tie nor her father spoke.

Tie thought to herself.

‘Maybe Papa was a little surprised too?’

After all, he had suddenly heard from Grandma in 107 that Tie was his daughter.

Tie fiddled with her fingers.

‘But it’s okay, even if Papa doesn’t believe it.’

In the end, she had expected that reaction from the beginning.

‘Even if he keeps insisting to the end that he’s not my Papa—it’s still fine.’

If he remembered everything himself because of magic, that would be different.

But just from hearing someone else’s words, he wouldn’t be able to become who he was again.

‘But still...’

The child’s face flushed pink.

‘I like it.’

Just calling him Papa—right in front of him—made her heart pound so hard.

As if her frozen heart was thawing on a warm floor.

"Little one, should I make one egg or two?"

At the question, Tie immediately raised her hand.

"Two!"

"That’s better."

Meanwhile, Tesetan quietly watched the crown of the laughing girl’s head.

And at that moment, another illusion overlapped in his vision.

"Papa will live with Tie for a long, long time."

A room softly lit by moonlight.

He lay under the same blanket with Tie, gently stroking her hair.

It was dark outside, but the child’s eyes shone.

"One day, we’ll definitely go back home, and I’ll make it so our Tie can smile in a big, clean house."

"I like our home now."

"...There’s a ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ better place. You’ll be able to run as much as you want, there’ll be lots of toys, and a big bookshelf—you could put a hundred sticker books there... no, a thousand."

Piiii— a ringing filled his ears, and his eyes stung.

"We’ll go together with Papa?"

"Hm?"

"If not with Papa, Tie doesn’t want to."

The child’s eyes slowly lowered.

Her thick lashes trembled, and she shifted, pressing closer to him.

"Because Tie loves Papa the most."

"......"

"I love Papa more than anyone in the world, so."

A restrained breath escaped from Tesetan’s chest.

Tie turned her head.

Tesetan quickly looked away, avoiding her gaze.

He did not want her to see the tears that had formed on their own.

"Little one, are you comfortable?"

At Grandma’s question, Tie immediately shook her head.

"Very comfortable! It’s so, so warm!"

Grandma gave a faint smile.

Tie pulled the blanket up to her chin and looked first to the left—at Grandma, then to the right—at Papa.

‘This is nice.’

Like before sometimes—they were lying together, the three of them!

A smile naturally rose to her lips.

But suddenly, the girl’s eyes widened in surprise.

"Huh?"

It was already time to sleep, but Grandma was still wearing a hat.

"Grandma, do you sleep in a hat?"

Grandma hesitated.

"Ah, that’s..."

She trailed off, then stroked Tie’s head.

"Grandma’s head gets cold. It’s warmer this way."

"Ah!"

Tie giggled and snuggled a little closer to her father.

All this time, her father lay with his eyes closed, facing the ceiling.

"Ah, it’s so hard..."

From the other side, Grandma murmured quietly.

After a while, her breathing became even.

Tie was still staring at the dark lamp in the center of the ceiling.

‘What should I do tomorrow?’

She needed to return to her world with Papa as soon as possible.

But at the same time, she liked this moment—lying next to Grandma.

‘Tomorrow, I should go say hello to 203 first!’

Having roughly decided, the girl was about to close her eyes.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, a white dot flickered at the center of the lamp.

Tie tilted her head.

At first, she wasn’t sure.

But the dot gradually grew larger.

‘What is that?’

Sensing something strange, Tie lifted herself—

[......Hey!]

A familiar voice came from beyond the dot.

Tie’s eyes flew wide open.

Through the tiny hole, now the size of a pea, an amber eye flashed—then pulled back.

Another one appeared in its place.

[Hey, brat! Can you hear us?! Huh?!]

Tie flinched and opened her mouth wide.

"Bale?!"