Cold air lingered between them.

Tie looked at the face that was far too familiar and dear to her.

White, graying hair.

A wrinkled face and drooping eyelids.

And yet—the most beloved face in the world.

"Grandma!"

Chae Boksu flinched.

But Tie, fidgeting, quickly put on her shoes and, as if nothing had happened, ran up to her.

Standing three steps higher, Tie met her grandmother at eye level.

"It's Tie."

Tie curled her fingers as if counting days.

"Maybe the day after tomorrow... or the day after that... Tie will /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ go home with Papa."

Chae Boksu’s eyes widened.

Jeong Myeongcha also covered her mouth, unable to look away from Tie.

Tie broke into a wide smile.

"So... Tie wants meat! With Grandma, meat!"

Chae Boksu drew a short breath.

She pressed her lips tightly together, folds forming at her chin, her eyelids trembling.

After a long moment, a quiet voice slipped out.

"Oh... my..."

She abruptly turned away and hurriedly wiped her eyes.

When she looked back at Tie, her eyes were red.

"Fine. Let’s eat meat."

Chae Boksu slipped a hand into her pocket and called out:

"Myeongcha, go over there to the market and buy some pork." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Jeong Myeongcha approached hesitantly.

Chae Boksu pulled out four crumpled fifty-thousand-won bills and pressed them into her hand.

"Buy plenty. Drinks and sweets too—whatever the child likes!"

"Yay!"

Tie jumped in place.

"And that Tanifang notebook or whatever it was she was singing about—get that too. They say Daiso has everything."

Jeong Myeongcha nodded.

Sniffling quickly, she smiled at Tie.

"Tie, say thank you to Grandma."

"Thank you, Grandma!"

Jeong Myeongcha smiled.

"Then I’ll go quickly and come back?"

"Go on, go."

When she went downstairs, only the three of them remained at the second-floor landing.

Chae Boksu awkwardly opened her mouth.

"Let’s go down."

At that moment, Tie tightly grabbed her hand.

"Grandma! Let’s go together with Tie!"

Seeing the small, warm hand wrap around her rough palm, Chae Boksu turned her head away.

"Oh, really... we’re just going downstairs, and you’re grabbing hands..."

But despite her words, she clasped the child’s hand tightly, as if afraid to let go.

"His memory really came back... he even smiles when he looks at Tie now. Tie, ah—open your mouth."

Jeong Myeongcha brought a wrapped bite to the child’s lips.

Tie opened her mouth wide and carefully ate it.

"Is it good? Not too hot?"

Tie shook her head.

Watching her with fondness, Jeong Myeongcha immediately began wrapping the next piece.

Then she held it out to Tesetan, who was turning the meat.

"Thank you."

Unlike yesterday, Tesetan showed no awkwardness with her.

Watching father and daughter, Jeong Myeongcha’s eyes filled with tears again.

"Ah, I’m starting again..."

"If you know you are, then stop already."

Chae Boksu muttered.

Jeong Myeongcha smiled and wiped the corners of her eyes.

Then she tore the pre-washed kimchi into small pieces.

"Little one, eat rice too. Have some rice."

She placed kimchi on the rice, and Tie scooped it up with a spoon and put it in her mouth.

Her cheeks moved as she chewed, and the three adults watched her warmly.

"Is it good? Tie’s Papa has always been great at grilling meat. Auntie sometimes burns it."

Tie stopped chewing and raised her hand.

"Auntie, do you know why?"

Jeong Myeongcha tilted her head.

"Why?"

"Because in Tallocium, Papa grills whole pigs with fire like this!"

Tesetan let out a quiet laugh.

"And when did you ever see that?"

During magic crystal sieges, they often had to spend nights outdoors.

Usually they ate provisions, but sometimes, if they managed to hunt an animal, everything changed.

"Like this! Like this!"

Tie waved her hand holding the fork, mimicking how her father butchered a wild boar.

It looked nothing like it.

"And then they cook it over the fire."

She swallowed her food and continued:

"So grilling samgyeopsal on a pan is super easy!"

Jeong Myeongcha laughed.

"Is that so? Tie liked it when Papa cooked like that, didn’t she?"

"Yesss! And also! Tie ate venison!"

"Wow, even venison?!"

"Yes! And when we go back to base, Lady Marshal cooks delicious food! Bale oppa and Uncle Basto drink alcohol, and Tie drinks strawberry juice! With wild strawberries, like—vrrr—and everything mixed together!"

Jeong Myeongcha stopped wrapping the meat and looked at Tie.

There was a smile on her lips, but her gaze turned soft and sorrowful.

"Little one, do the uncles and older brothers treat you well there?"

Tie lifted her head, her spoon halfway to her mouth.

With a bright smile, she answered:

"Yes! The kindest in the whole world."

"...Kind?"

"When Tie can’t sleep, they sing lullabies. If her legs hurt, they carry her on their shoulders. If Tie gets hurt, they cry themselves."

"Sounds like our Tie is a real princess over there."

"Not really, but they treat me like one!"

Tesetan froze.

But soon he began turning the meat again.

Jeong Myeongcha murmured quietly:

"That’s good... really good..."

"Yesss."

"When we first heard about it, we didn’t even know such places existed. We were so worried."

"You don’t have to worry!"

"Really? If we don’t worry, Tie will be able to return calmly too, right?"

Jeong Myeongcha gently wiped the child’s lips with her hand.

And then—

"Eat."

Tesetan placed a well-grilled piece of meat onto the empty plate in front of Chae Boksu.

She, who had been staring at the newspaper spread on the floor, flinched and raised her head.

She looked at Tie, then frowned at Tesetan.

"...What meat. No, I can’t."

Strange.

She had just told him about her illness yesterday.

And he, attentive and perceptive as he was, knew it perfectly well—yet still offered her meat.

But Tesetan calmly placed a leaf of marinated greens beside it.

"Just try it."

Chae Boksu let out a dry laugh.

"You..."

For a long time, she had been unable to eat fatty, heavy food like pork.

Especially now, when the coughing up blood had only worsened.

'I can barely swallow even thin porridge.'

The doctors had warned her again and again.

Her stomach was severely damaged; she needed to avoid heavy food.

And the bleeding was another problem.

If she irritated her stomach, it would only get worse.

"What are you... why..."

She was about to ask why he insisted, but suddenly froze.

A thought struck her.

'Wait. I slept yesterday...'

She had completely forgotten.

Last night, for the first time in a long while, she had slept deeply.

From the side came Tie’s voice:

"So Tie has two powers! One is summoning bone friends, and the other is healing people!"

"Really? Healing?"

"Yes! Auntie Ribia was sick, and Tie prayed—and she got better! Maybe the bone friends’ power can heal too?"

Confusion spread across Chae Boksu’s face.

She looked at Tesetan again.

For some reason, he was looking at her as well.

"Try it."

He repeated.

Definitely.

Something was off.

'The pain... it was bad.'

Even the smell of food used to make her nauseous.

After the treatment, she could barely live a normal life.

She looked down at her chest.

"How..."

The pain was gone.

The smell of grilled meat filling the room suddenly seemed appetizing.

With every breath, air filled her lungs deeply and freely.

There was no nausea.

The smell of medicine and the taste of blood had disappeared.

"..."

Chae Boksu slowly turned her head.

Beside her, Tie was happily chewing a wrapped bite.

It wasn’t entirely clear.

But at the same time—it was perfectly clear.

Was there anything more honest than the signals of one’s own body?

'If this is real... if it’s really what I think...'

It all began last night.

From the moment Tie ran up and hugged her.

"Ha... this..."

Her face twisted, and she bit her lip hard.