“You’re damn lucky to be alive, kid. You were ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) wandering outside all alone.”“You didn’t even know how dangerous it was—just sat there staring at the sky.”Something Boss Gil had let slip long ago stuck in my mind. From what I’d heard, I’d been born and raised on Starlight Avenue, and some great incident happened when I turned five.Why would a child leave the Comfort Zone and end up stranded in the wasteland? Even if it somehow happened, how could it leave zero trace in my father’s records?……Strange as it seemed, I soon concluded it made sense. With a career overseeing an entire organization, he’d been sensitive to the order of things. Anything he deemed unimportant—eating, sleeping—got pushed aside.In short, it wasn’t a priority. Neither a son nor an unexpected accident. He’d always locked himself in his study, scribbling away.Too big a leap? Maybe he simply judged it unworthy of recording. Either way, the five-year-old me roaming outside the city left no mark in his most private notes. The fragmented memories vanished without a trace.Hmm.No dramatic feelings welled up at my conclusion. I’d always been rather deadpan—so long as it wasn’t someone else’s business.Still, a faint disappointment lingered. The taciturn man who’d never spoken to me directly… I’d hoped to find at least one line hinting at unexpressed sentiment toward me.Not even in the documents I’d inherited—despite knowing only his son would pay 204,000 dil to view his records—did he mention me.Any sense of “interest” in his detailed journal had been mere illusion.“Jin Muhae.”A small voice suddenly called my name. I kept my head fixed forward and glanced sideways.Joo-o had climbed down from the sofa and leaned his head on my shoulder.Fluffy and warm. His body heat, faint through his thin T-shirt, felt oddly comforting.“What?”“Just… wanted to call you.”Hearing “Jin Muhae, Jin Muhae” without even the surname felt so familiar I could hear it in my sleep.Yet I still wanted to answer. It was almost laughable.“Jin Muhae.”“Stop calling me.”“Jin Muhae.”Whether Joo-o pretended to be vacant or not, his cuckoo-like calling never stopped. Even when he first tore up my shoes and drooled at my mouth, he’d call me at every chance.Even as he stopped acting strange and ventured outside on his own, even when his red eyes sometimes cleared with intelligence—this alone never changed.I felt another peculiar tug from him. That kid who always trailed me felt like he was somehow standing far ahead, guiding me forward.Every time I faced a world I’d never known, Joo-o watched me quietly.…Weird. Something was rising inside me, so unfamiliar it grated.“Go watch TV.”I set the pad down with a thud. If there was no clue for returning home, digging through old junk wasn’t worth it.I’d always been the type to keep my eyes on what lay directly ahead. I’d never indulge in sentimentality, then or later.“Okay. Fine.”Joo-o brightened and shot to his feet. A gentle breeze stirred, carrying his scent to my nose.Our bizarre standoff continued for four more days.When things didn’t go as planned, irritation clawed at me.Clink. Clack. Clatter.I forced down my frayed nerves as I finished grilling the semi-prepared food. Joo-o sat politely, arranging things on the table.Those damned Tinkle—or was it Tangle?—cereal toys. Colorful odd creatures lined up in a row.Endless plastic bits spilled from his hoodie pocket. The quality wasn’t great, so why he collected them so obsessively was beyond me.“Haven’t you got enough of those?”“Mm-hm.”“Then why keep eating the same cereal?”“Because it’s tasty.”According to him, some toys granted vague wishes, others turned sadness into just another feeling.None would make you sing well, but some would keep you from tiring until you finished the song.All bullshit half-measures. If they could design them however they wanted, why not give them something more definite?When I once teased him about it, Joo-o said:“That's the point. If Tinkle Friends solved everything, the hero wouldn’t have anything to do. That wouldn’t be helping.”“Then let those monsters be the hero.”“They’re not monsters. They’re fairies. And no—you can’t. Tinkle Friends love their friends.”He’d explained so clearly back then; now he slumped around acting regressed.As soon as our eyes met, he flicked one down.Damn. Even drunk I’d know this plan was a bust. He was worse than before.When I’d been on guard, he’d been scarily clever; now, after all that resolve, he was a simpleton.“Clear it. I need room for the food.”His appetite was still intact—he obeyed at once. Once I set the meat in the center, he blinked and stared across.He wanted me to cut it. His hypnotic gaze made me spiteful.“That researcher—you remember?”Given how scattered he was, I tossed a light lure.“The one Olga mentioned.”“Hmm. The one who searched Solar City.”At the name Olga, his unfocused eyes sharpened. I’d expected that. I snorted and cut meat onto his plate.“You think you can find him?”His eyes went wide, as if asking why I’d asked his opinion on returning home.He chewed his lower lip, staring at the meat, then at me. His plastic-clutching hand twitched, eager to jump in.“If you don’t know, fine.”“No. No, that’s not it.”His droopy voice cleared, but I didn’t revisit the topic.He probed a few more times, then seemed to realize I was fishing. He grabbed the swollen knife between his lips.Despite feeling hurt, he bit the meat, gobbling it like he’d starved for days.He looked at me with longing when he finished.“Don’t look so wronged after eating it all.”Was he expecting consolation? My cold warning made his lips droop.While I cleared his plate and stored the leftover bread, he sat with that exhausted expression.Damn it. Joo-o had been wearing that face lately—as if terrified something was horribly wrong.His anxious eyes prickled me. Normally I’d ignore it, but now it grated.“Do just one thing. Only one.”I finally snapped. The barbed tone made him flinch.I shouldn’t push him like this. He’d slump again and sulk until I caved.“Why…?”Unexpectedly, Joo-o frowned. He looked up at me with his lower lip jutting out.“Why only one?”The kid who always tiptoed around my moods dared answer back, eyebrows furrowed.That set me off. Damn. I wasn’t cut out for passive-aggressive battles.“Fine. Do you want me to meddle in everything? With a lanky giant like you?”My patience snapped and I cut off this pointless tug-of-war. My casual retort made his eyes wobble.He opened his mouth, closed it, then bowed his head.He stared blankly at the empty table. An awkward silence fell—a chill of unease.Ironically, in that moment I felt an oppressive tightening around my throat.“Look at me.”……“I’m calling you, damn it.”He stayed silent, but at least he chewed his lip—he wasn’t giving up on finding the right words.His vocabulary was still limited, after all. He often mulled over thoughts to find the perfect expression.“…It’s not meddling.”He muttered after a long moment, drawing a sharp breath as if he’d agonized over it.“It’s caring.”At last, Joo-o fully formed his words and shot to his feet.He stomped down the hall, then SLAM! closed the study door behind him.

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