I PICKED UP A CHILD IN A DUMPSTER-Chapter 105: Suha wishes.

"...Okay, mister," the boy said quietly. "Ask anything."

Si Hon nodded slowly, his expression softening as he reached out and gently patted the boy’s head. The small gesture seemed to ease him just a little, enough for a faint smile to appear.

"What’s your name?" Si Hon asked. "Same as your twin sister?"

The boy fidgeted with his fingers before looking up at him.

"I’m... Kim Han-Gyeol," he said quietly. "And my sister... Suha Kim."

Si Hon froze for a split second.

(...(￣□￣;)!!! That name... it’s the same as Mimi’s...)

He quickly cleared his throat, pushing the thought aside as his hand moved to gently ruffle both of their heads.

"Those are nice names," he said, his tone warm. "I’m Kim Si Hon."

There was a brief pause before his expression turned a little more serious.

"Now, can I ask something more detailed?" he continued softly. "How did you two end up here?"

The effect was immediate.

Both children stiffened.

Suha instinctively pressed herself closer to him, burying her face against his chest as her small hands clutched his shirt tightly, her body trembling again.

Han sniffed, trying to hold himself together— but a small sob slipped out anyway. He quickly wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, forcing himself to speak.

"It’s... like usual..." he said, his voice shaking. "Me and Suha... we were sleeping in an alley..."

He swallowed hard.

"Then... someone came."

His fingers tightened slightly.

"There was smoke... coming out of his hand..."

Another shaky breath.

"He walked up to us... and then... he pushed all the smoke into our faces..."

His voice faltered.

"At first... nothing happened..." he continued, quieter now. "But then... he said something..."

Han lips trembled.

"Something like... ’Persistent kids...’"

A pause.

"And then... he suddenly punched our stomachs..." His voice broke. "and we lost consciousness. We then woke up in the cell."

Silence settled around them.

Suha’s grip tightened even more, her small body shaking as she hid against Si Hon, while Han did everything he could to keep his tears from falling again— his shoulders trembling despite his effort.

Si Hon didn’t interrupt. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

He just listened.

And slowly—

His jaw tightened.

"I see..." he muttered under his breath.

His hand moved again, gently patting their heads, more carefully this time.

Before he could say anything else—

A shadow approached.

The old man.

"I was just listening..." he said quietly, his brows furrowed with concern. "But to think..."

He let out a long sigh, lowering himself to sit beside them, as if he didn’t even know what the right words were in a situation like this.

And honestly—

There weren’t any.

Si Hon glanced at him briefly, then back at the two children in his arms.

For a moment, he stayed silent.

Then—

He pulled them both closer.

Wrapping his arms around them fully this time.

The reaction was immediate.

The dam broke.

Not loudly—

Not dramatically—

But quietly.

Soft sobs escaped them, muffled against his chest as they tried their best to keep the noise down, as if even crying too loudly might get them in trouble.

Their small hands gripped onto him tighter.

And Si Hon... Just held them there.

After a while, when their sobs had quieted into soft, uneven breaths, Si Hon spoke again— his voice low, careful, like he didn’t want to break the fragile calm that had settled around them.

"Hey," he murmured, glancing down at the two small figures resting against him. "Why were you both sleeping on the streets in the first place?"

There was a small pause.

Suha slowly lifted her head, her teary eyes meeting his. Her lips trembled slightly before she spoke.

"We... we homeless..." she said softly. "We no have food... and..." Her voice cracked again. "Mom... dad... we not know them..."

Silence.

Beside Si Hon, the old man stiffened for a brief moment, his expression tightening before he gently reached out and patted Suha’s head with a quiet sigh.

Si Hon, however, just smiled.

Not a bright smile.

Not a forced one either.

Just... soft.

He pulled the twins a little closer into his arms.

"Homeless... yeah, I figured," he said lightly. "Sorry, that was kind of an obvious question."

He paused.

"Still wanted to hear it from you."

For a moment, he looked down at them, something thoughtful flickering in his eyes. Then, almost awkwardly, he scratched his cheek, his gaze drifting to the side.

"Well... since you two don’t have any guardians or parents..."

A short pause.

Then—

"Do you want me to be your dad?"

The words hung in the air.

Simple.

But heavy.

The old man slowly turned his head toward him. "ಠ_ಠ..." He stared for a second... then, little by little, his expression softened into a small, amused smile.

Meanwhile—

The twins reacted instantly.

Both Han-Gyeol and Suha lifted their heads at the same time, their eyes locking onto Si Hon with surprising intensity.

"Dad?" Han-Gyeol echoed, blinking. "Why? Really?"

Beside him, Suha nodded rapidly, her earlier fear momentarily forgotten.

"Yes! Suha wants! Suha wants Si Hon dad! Me want!"

Si Hon blinked once—

Then chuckled softly.

"Alright then."

He adjusted his hold slightly, making sure both of them were comfortable.

"From now on... I’m your dad," he said. "And you two— are my son and daughter."

With that, he leaned down and gently pressed a kiss on each of their foreheads.

The twins froze for a split second—

Then relaxed completely, leaning into him without hesitation.

(They get attached fast...)

Si Hon’s gaze softened slightly.

(Just like... shit... I forgot Ivy...)

For a brief moment, his thoughts drifted far away.

(I wonder how she’s doing... back in the real world...) Then, quietly— (...Well... they’re homeless... and this might be the first time they’ve felt safe.)

A small exhale escaped him.

Beside him, the old man suddenly let out a light laugh.

"Well," he said, patting Si Hon on the shoulder, "looks like you’re a dad now."

Suha, still nestled comfortably in Si Hon’s arms, suddenly turned her head toward the old man. She raised a small finger and pointed at him.

"Suha wants... uncle," she said, her words stumbling slightly. "Suha wants thish... thids...to be her uncle."

The old man blinked—

Then broke into a warm laugh, stroking his beard.

"Hoho... then I suppose I’m your uncle now," he replied kindly.

The moment felt oddly peaceful.

Warm.

Almost... normal.

And then—

Suha turned again.

This time, pointing somewhere behind them.

Her small voice rang out with innocent certainty.

"Suha wants her... as my mom."

Si Hon froze.

Slowly—

Very slowly—

He turned his head.

Toward the red-haired woman.

Seong-su.

Sitting a short distance away... quietly staring down at the sand, completely unaware of the role she had just been assigned.

"ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ..."