“Are we really going to the movie theater?” Mini-me asked again with a face mixed with joy and suspicion. I could understand the joy, but I didn’t get the suspicion. Mini-me stared intently at my face and then blurted out. “You saw it, didn’t you.” So that was the issue. What? Were you hiding that bucket list? If it was that important, you should’ve hidden it better. Sure, hiding it on a tablet PC has its limits, but then at least you should’ve changed the tablet password. That tablet PC belongs to Hong Seok-young. He never really used it, and I picked it up and gave it to Mini-me. I planned to show some educational programs on it, but Mini-me didn’t respond very well, so it got tossed aside again. Then Han Tae-kyung picked it up and started showing that damned animation with the cat. If I had known Han Tae-kyung would pull that kind of crap, I never would’ve let Mini-me use it in the first place…. Mini-me shouted loudly and kicked my leg. I didn’t do anything, so why does he always resort to violence first? Where did this go wrong? Wasn’t really any spot for it to go wrong, right? It’s probably Han Tae-kyung’s fault, isn’t it? This is why Western animation is a problem! "Then what didn't you see?" “Whatever it is, you’re hiding it. Would hyung look at something without I-rok’s permission?” Mini-me squinted his eyes. He seemed to be debating whether to believe me or not. Better distract him before he starts doubting more. "Isn't it boring staying here? What did you do when you were at the orphanage?" I still don’t understand how they managed to keep people from suspecting anything while keeping him out of school. They used the excuse that he was hospitalized due to health issues, but according to Lee Mi-seon’s investigation, there were no such medical records. I suppose it’s better than being really sick though. The name Mini-me used at the orphanage, Park Jung-min, was officially registered. Father unknown, mother gave birth and disappeared. A disabled grandmother raised the child. Without even a birth certificate. I don’t know if there really was a kid named Park Jung-min, or if it was fabricated by Ark. Maybe it was an incredible coincidence and they borrowed the identity of a child who happened to have the same name as my mother. Or maybe they deliberately created that identity using the name as a label. If there has to be one more missing child, I’d rather it be the latter. Though I’m not sure if Mini-me would agree with that. Mini-me pouted his lips. “I read the books that were there and stuff.” "Really? Have you never been to see movies?" Mini-me glanced up at me. His lips, stuck out like a duck’s beak, made me smile. His cheeks were plump and healthy, maybe because the food here, as lacking as it felt to me, was still better than at the orphanage. …Should I get him to exercise? Mini-me hesitated a lot before speaking. His half-clenched hand twitched. His thumb and pinky touched. He rubbed the tips of his fingers, then opened his hand again. It was a habit I had when I was nervous as a child. Seeing it with my own eyes felt strange. As a kid, I used to think I was hiding my feelings well and always wondered how hyung could tell I was lying. Well, if a much older hyung couldn’t spot a little kid’s lie, he might as well just die. After all, he was a Cleaner of Ark. Just like hyung used to do to me at times , I curled my finger and flicked Mini-me’s forehead. Not hard, just gently pushed it with my finger. “Why are you trying to hide it so much.” “Hyung won't get mad at I-rok.” "That's because you're mean to other kids..." Mini-me wrinkled his nose. His previously fidgety hands came to a stop. "I did watch TV sometimes." “Really? What did you watch?” “…It wasn’t fun. Mostly stuff I’d already seen there.” In the limited space of the research lab, they usually played movies or something similar to keep the children quiet. Fortunately, I liked watching things. There was a world in there that I had never seen before. I keep forgetting that Mini-me’s situation is different from mine. When I was at the orphanage, Ark didn’t have any influence. I went to school normally, and outings to amusement parks or movie theaters were frequent. After my father started visiting, I went with him. But this kid probably barely left that small orphanage. And now we’re asking him to behave quietly here. I’d hate it too if I were him. It's not like it's the entire Pilot High School, and I could protect one child even with just me around. I should have shown him the outside world little by little. This is my oversight. “Then we should go see something I-rok hasn’t watched yet.” I patted Woo I-rok’s head. His soft hair slipped through my fingers. Since it was the vacation season, a few animated films that kids might enjoy were showing at the theaters. I had already informed Hong Seok-young in advance. If there was one more thing I needed… “Ah, I was just looking for you.” I headed to the kitchen with Mini-me. I couldn’t bring myself to take Mini-me inside, so I just waved to call someone out from the kitchen. Ji Yoo-geon staggered toward me with a face that said he wanted to strangle me. Hmm. That’s a familiar expression. When a newcomer made that face, it usually meant they were no longer a rookie. It typically took about three months. Han Tae-kyung managed it in two days. "Your face looks much better." "At least you're not dying." If Ji Yoo-geon had a knife in his hand, he might have stabbed me. A loud noise came from the inner kitchen, followed by Han Tae-kyung’s laughter. I don’t know what he did, but flour burst out like mist. I gently pushed it away with mana. “I’ll help you escape from Teacher Han.” “Wait, wasn’t it you, Teacher Woo, who offered me up as a sacrifice?” “Don’t dwell on the past.” “Anyway, do you need help?” Ji Yoo-geon looked unsure whether to trust me. “Huh? Uh? Why is this happening?” But then Han Tae-kyung’s ominous voice came from the kitchen. “Hunter Ji! Hunter Ji Yoo-geon! Chef!” At Han Tae-kyung’s urgent cry, Ji Yoo-geon’s hesitation ended. “Perfect. Then get changed and bring the car keys.” I pointed at Mini-me. “We’re going to the movies, and it’d be a bit awkward to call a taxi… You know?” Ji Yoo-geon once again wore that look like he wanted to strangle me. Woo I-rok sipped the rest of his drink with a sulky face. The drink slid up the straw with a slurp, and the ice clattered noisily. “You didn’t like it?” A voice as tiny as a mouse squeaked out of Mini-me’s mouth. Pretending like that when he was bouncing with excitement the whole time. No matter how big the TV, it couldn’t compare to a movie theater screen. As soon as we entered the theater, Mini-me couldn’t take his eyes off the screen. When the screen lit up, he jumped to his feet in his seat. He even watched the pre-movie commercials like he was mesmerized. If I poked him a few more times, he’d probably squeal that it was fun. But since I went out of my way to make him feel good, there was no need to make him cranky now. "Hyung found it fun. Should we come again next time?" "If hyung wants to..." “If I-rok didn’t enjoy it, I’ll just go by myself next time.” His shoulders flinched. So easy to read, it’s nice. At first, he opened his mouth cautiously, but once the floodgates opened, Mini-me quickly began chattering away. “The screen is really huge! It didn’t look that big when I watched it on TV. And watching it with the lights off made it easier to focus.” “It’s fine to do that in the theater, but don’t watch with the lights off when you’re using the tablet.” “It could hurt your eyes.” Though if he’s anything like me, I doubt his eyesight would go bad that easily, but better to be safe. Environment plays a big role in a person’s growth. And showing too much animation isn’t good either. There are already enough cats. For some reason, even in the Daseon car Ji Yoo-geon was driving, that pink cat was there. Ji Yoo-geon didn’t know why it was there either. Since we were already out, maybe we should grab a meal before heading back. That was one of the things on Mini-me’s bucket list. Number 20 or 21, maybe. There wasn’t a single thing on that list I couldn’t do. In a normal environment, he’d have already experienced all of them. “Wait a second, I-rok.” I adjusted the cap Mini-me was wearing. A hyung and younger brother with almost a twenty-year age difference. I wonder if to other people we look more like father and son. Leaving aside the complicated emotion that he is me, I could understand why hyung treated me so carefully. Even without that, any decent person wouldn’t treat a child who barely reached their waist roughly. Especially not a real sibling. Mini-me pulled his cap down tightly. “You know… the place we’re staying at now.” I was a little surprised by the unexpected word. “You said the research lab wasn’t a home.” “Then what about that place? Is it our home?” His unexpected question made me miss my chance to answer right away. Just then, it seemed another movie had ended in a nearby theater, and lots of people were coming out. Worried he might get swept up in the crowd, I grabbed Mini-me’s hand. He gripped my hand tightly in return. The answer was already decided. "No. That's not home." The rightful source is NoveI[F]ire.net “Then? Aren’t we living there? You said a home is where you live.” What would hyung have said? He had never had a home either. Even the things hyung used to say when describing a home were all abstract. A place where your family is. Warm. A place where you can eat whatever you want. A place where you can rest comfortably… A place you can always return to. I didn’t know his exact age. He was probably a few years younger than I am now. He lived his whole life in a research lab until that point. You’d think he would’ve given up, but he kept trying until the end to get out. “is just somewhere we’re staying temporarily.” “Then where’s our home?” Such a short word, yet it landed with surprising weight. I don’t have a home right now. The place Hong Seok-young arranged near Pilot High School or Lee Mi-seon’s villa is just a temporary spot. I guess I’ll need a home. To raise a child, a stable living space is essential. I looked at Mini-me, who was waiting for my answer. I held his hand and slowly walked toward the theater exit. “We don’t have one yet, but hyung will find one soon.” That I’m only now able to give him the dream hyung so desperately wanted to achieve… Life is truly strange that way. Mini-me’s eyes sparkled at my words. A face full of anticipation. It didn’t feel bad. Not at all. “Yeah. Soon we’ll have our own home.” For more chapters, you can check out my here --> https://.com/SHWTL If you enjoy this novel, please review and rate it at Novelupdates. Thanks! 😊 To receive the latest update notifications or report mistakes, join our Discord server linked below.