#115. Strange Man
Ian left the house, slumped. He opened the fence gate and looked back to see a small house. Small flowers planted in a flower bed, neatly arranged stairs, and a front porch with pretty decorations. This was their comfortable home. Nevertheless, young Ian always felt tense.
The tension of being abandoned one day, the anxiety of unrequited love.
His father was the same. He didn't particularly like Ian either. When he went out, he would come back with a gift, but that was it. Ian also vaguely knew how he was treated.
Ian thought of his mother. When she started teaching art classes at school, she seemed to be smiling brightly at the other kids in the school. She never smiled like that at him.
Just a moment ago, it was like that. Mother stared blankly at the front door where Father had left. Her face looked somewhat lonely.
That's why Ian wanted to comfort his mother. He wanted to tell her that he was there for her and that he loved her.
The words "I love you" were poison.
When he said that, his mother screamed in shock. She was afraid of him as if he were a terrible nightmare. When she saw that face, that face that she could not believe was her child, Ian could not bear it. Tears welled up in Ian's eyes as he fell, pushed by his mother's hand.
His mother's smile was awkward and rare. Ian, who didn't know anything, once laughed out loud when he thought his mother was smiling at him while brushing his teeth. But his mother was suffering because of him. She didn't smile much because she was suffering.
My mother hates me.
My mother hates me.
My mother hates me.
In the evening, when the smell of food filled the streets, all the children who had been walking around were held in their mothers’ warm arms. He also wanted to be held in those arms. However, his mother’s arms were not warm. Ian shed tears at the fact that he had realized.
Where should I go now? I should go to Mr. Ariko at the bookstore.
“Ian!”
Ian turned his head when he heard his name being called. It was Mrs. Milta, who lived in the bakery across the street. She had taken care of Ian since he was little and had also worked as a nanny. Ian held her in his arms with tears in his eyes, like a mother, but not a mother.
“Oh, Ian.”
He could hear her low laughter in his ears.
“It’s going to rain soon. Why are you outside?”
The woman took Ian by the hand and led him into the bakery.
“Would you like some bread? Are you hungry?”
Why didn't his mother say such sweet words to him? Why? Ian couldn't understand.
"Madam."
"Yes."
“Does my mother hate me?”
"What?"
She burst out laughing. It was a thought that any child of that age would have. But it wasn't a wrong thought.
"Why?"
“I suddenly hugged her, and she pushed me. She screamed...”
“...”
Milta's face became serious. You pushed the child? She looked at Ian's body. Fortunately, there were no injuries.
Why did you push him?
She had a guess. Milta thought of Olivia, who had a child. Many of the newcomers here had painful pasts. So she took care of the strange and pretty woman.
That's why Milta was also present at Ian's birth. The newborn baby. Olivia didn't even try to see the baby. It was clear that Olivia had something going on.
Milta learned that the couple was trying to figure out how to get rid of the child. From that, she could guess what was going on. Who would have left that pretty face alone? She must have been raped by a nobleman and run away with her beloved servant...
Given Ian's noble face, it must have been so. Of course, Milta was tight-lipped and didn't tell anyone else about this guess. She just hoped Olivia's pain would disappear as she raised the child. In a way, it would be a tragedy if the child were a boy. But Milta still believed in Olivia. The child was good.
“My dear Ian. Your mother loves you.”
"But..."
“Ian, do you scream when you see a spider? You know, a big spider once climbed on your face.”
“Am I a spider to Mom...”
Ian said gloomily.
“That’s not what I meant. Your mother also had an experience where she would get startled if someone suddenly hugged her from behind. It was like a spider climbing onto her face.”
Ian thought. Had his mother ever been pulled in by a giant spider? If so, it was his fault. But Ian turned his head. No, it was something deeper than that.
“But Mom... hates me.”
“Do you really think so?”
“...”
“I remember when you were a baby.”
“...”
“There was a time when you were young, when you had a serious fever. Your father was away at work, and you, Ian, and your mother were home alone.”
“...”
“What do you think it would have been like? Maybe your mother hated you so much that she just left you alone?”
Ian shook his head as he thought about it. He didn’t know about anything else, but whenever Ian showed signs of illness, his mother would take him to the doctor. Ian grew up without any time to get sick.
“She knocked on my door at dawn because she didn’t know what to do.”
“...”
“She cried and begged me to save you, to save her child. She begged me to save her child. Even though I’m not a member of the National Assembly, that young lady begged me to save her child.”
Ian lowered his head. He didn't remember when he was a baby. But somehow he could imagine his mother crying and hugging him tightly as she went to see Aunt Milta. He thought he could hear her crying.
“Ian, some people are good at being a mom, and some are bad at being a mom.”
“...”
“Your mother is such a clumsy person.”
“...”
“Even though she's so clumsy, her love for you will never change. Please forgive your clumsy mother. Don’t you know how much your mother bragged to me?”
“No? What did she say?”
“Shr said you put your shoes away properly as soon as you got there, and you were quite cute.”
“...”
“She had a lot of worries before because she thought you were too smart. That’s why she sent you to school even though you were still young. You’re more mature and smarter than your older brothers.”
That was right. He thought that sending him to school was because she wanted to be separated from him, but when he thought about it, he was better at memorizing and math than his brothers. He was a good student.
“But she didn’t even compliment me.”
“I’m saying this because I think you’ll overdo it if I just compliment you. I told you not to do that.”
“I want to receive compliments...”
“Let me tell you. I’m on your side.”
Ian nodded with a softened expression. Does Mom love me? Is she proud of me? Ian's eyes lit up.
“Go home, Mom, and whisper ‘I love you’ one more time.”
"Yes."
Ian, whose heart was relieved, nodded immediately. Milta smiled brightly as she watched him.
“Mom never hates you.”
Ian nodded. His heart felt much better, and a bright smile appeared on his face. Yes, Mom is a very shy person. I love Mom, but I don't even tell her that I love her. Next time, I'll have to ask her to compliment me.
When he entered the house with that swollen heart, there was no one there. Ian closed the door and looked around.
"Mom!"
He shouted, but no one answered. Ian walked down the street, his face looking around.
The streets smelled of rain, and the sky was overcast. It might rain. Ian turned his head here and there to look for his mother. For a moment, he had an ominous feeling. He thought that maybe Aunt Milta was lying, and that his mother had left home with his father because she hated him.
“Mom! Mommy!”
Ian ran away, crying in fear.
A rumbling sound was heard, and soon rain began to pour down. Ian's voice was buried and could not be heard. Ian went out to the shopping district to find his mother. He could not see because of the rain, so all he could do was call his mother. The adults who were hurrying because of the rain all ignored Ian.
“Mom, mom.”
Ian shed tears. Oh, what should I do? I can’t live without my mom! No matter how mature and smart he is compared to others, he is still a six-year-old child. In the end, he cried in the rain. At that moment, the rain that was pouring down his face without mercy stopped. He heard the sound of rain hitting the cloth. Ian raised his head. The man wearing a hood was looking at him. Ian raised his gaze a little more and saw that the man was holding an umbrella over him.
“Are you okay?”
It was a very affectionate voice. For some reason, Ian felt comfortable with that voice.
"Yes."
“It’s raining hard. Where is Mom?”
"I don't know."
The man chuckled at those words.
“I know. Are you the kid from the house over there?”
"Yes."
“Yes. The rain is a bit heavy. You might catch a cold, so let’s stay where I’m staying to avoid the rain.”
Even though he had been taught not to follow strangers, Ian was still a child. The boy held the man’s hand and went with him. The simple lodging, the man took off his rain-soaked hood. Ian gasped and held his breath.
“Ian, Ian!”
Olivia regretted it like crazy. She didn't take care of her child because of her own despair. Children are always faster than adults. Their emotions are also delicate, and you never know where they might explode. So, I shouldn't have done that. I should have at least helped him up when he fell. I'm not a good enough mother. Olivia trembled.
What if that's the end of Ian?
“Ian, Ian! Ian, please!”
Olivia walked around screaming, tears in her eyes.
"What's the matter?"
At that moment, while she was screaming like crazy, Derek came back and caught Olivia running around like crazy, soaking wet from the rain.
“Ian left home. He’s gone, he’s gone!”
She screamed. She should have gone straight to the bakery as soon as she got out. She went to the bookstore on the opposite side. She heard that he was close to the bookstore owner. When she thought of the bakery and went, she said that he had disappeared.
It's my fault, it's my fault. Why do I always do this?
When Olivia showed signs of remorse, Derek put a hand on her shoulder. He too started to scream and look for Ian. But Ian, Olivia's beloved little boy, did not come home until the rain stopped.
Olivia sobbed.
“He must be avoiding the rain.”
Derek reassured Olivia.
Olivia, drenched in rain, was sobbing sadly. Everything was too much. She felt sorry for Ian, who was born to her unworthiness. Ian, Ian, please. As Olivia walked away, calling out to Ian again, looking like a wet rat, the dark clouds cleared and the sun rose.
That was when.
“Mom! Mom!”
Olivia looked up at the sound of her name. Her eyes quivered with joy. Ian, it was Ian! Ian was holding the hand of a hooded man. Olivia, who was about to run to the child, stopped. The man was very large. Like Asherad.
What is it? Why did this guy come here?
Run away? Run away? Leave the child? No, I have to take Ian. That man will kill Ian.
Her heart pounded for a moment. She looked at the face, hoping it was an illusion, but she couldn't see the face of the hooded man.
“This man gave me shelter from the rain for a moment and came here to pick me up.”
'Here', does that mean you know where Olivia lives? Olivia bit her lip. How, how could she escape? When she hesitated, Derek stepped forward.
“Who are you to take someone else’s child without permission?”
Derek grabbed the handle of the sword at his waist as he looked at the suspicious hooded man. The hooded man did not respond.
In that tense atmosphere, a voice was heard.
“It’s been a while.”
The man took off his hood. A hard face appeared, a familiar one. Brown hair, brown eyes, a distinctive angular face, and a blunt expression. The man was definitely someone Olivia knew.
The only difference was that one side of the man's face was covered by a black blindfold. Olivia spoke in a trembling voice to the man who had lost one eye.
“...Ioannis.”
Ian left the house, slumped. He opened the fence gate and looked back to see a small house. Small flowers planted in a flower bed, neatly arranged stairs, and a front porch with pretty decorations. This was their comfortable home. Nevertheless, young Ian always felt tense.
The tension of being abandoned one day, the anxiety of unrequited love.
His father was the same. He didn't particularly like Ian either. When he went out, he would come back with a gift, but that was it. Ian also vaguely knew how he was treated.
Ian thought of his mother. When she started teaching art classes at school, she seemed to be smiling brightly at the other kids in the school. She never smiled like that at him.
Just a moment ago, it was like that. Mother stared blankly at the front door where Father had left. Her face looked somewhat lonely.
That's why Ian wanted to comfort his mother. He wanted to tell her that he was there for her and that he loved her.
The words "I love you" were poison.
When he said that, his mother screamed in shock. She was afraid of him as if he were a terrible nightmare. When she saw that face, that face that she could not believe was her child, Ian could not bear it. Tears welled up in Ian's eyes as he fell, pushed by his mother's hand.
His mother's smile was awkward and rare. Ian, who didn't know anything, once laughed out loud when he thought his mother was smiling at him while brushing his teeth. But his mother was suffering because of him. She didn't smile much because she was suffering.
My mother hates me.
My mother hates me.
My mother hates me.
In the evening, when the smell of food filled the streets, all the children who had been walking around were held in their mothers’ warm arms. He also wanted to be held in those arms. However, his mother’s arms were not warm. Ian shed tears at the fact that he had realized.
Where should I go now? I should go to Mr. Ariko at the bookstore.
“Ian!”
Ian turned his head when he heard his name being called. It was Mrs. Milta, who lived in the bakery across the street. She had taken care of Ian since he was little and had also worked as a nanny. Ian held her in his arms with tears in his eyes, like a mother, but not a mother.
“Oh, Ian.”
He could hear her low laughter in his ears.
“It’s going to rain soon. Why are you outside?”
The woman took Ian by the hand and led him into the bakery.
“Would you like some bread? Are you hungry?”
Why didn't his mother say such sweet words to him? Why? Ian couldn't understand.
"Madam."
"Yes."
“Does my mother hate me?”
"What?"
She burst out laughing. It was a thought that any child of that age would have. But it wasn't a wrong thought.
"Why?"
“I suddenly hugged her, and she pushed me. She screamed...”
“...”
Milta's face became serious. You pushed the child? She looked at Ian's body. Fortunately, there were no injuries.
Why did you push him?
She had a guess. Milta thought of Olivia, who had a child. Many of the newcomers here had painful pasts. So she took care of the strange and pretty woman.
That's why Milta was also present at Ian's birth. The newborn baby. Olivia didn't even try to see the baby. It was clear that Olivia had something going on.
Milta learned that the couple was trying to figure out how to get rid of the child. From that, she could guess what was going on. Who would have left that pretty face alone? She must have been raped by a nobleman and run away with her beloved servant...
Given Ian's noble face, it must have been so. Of course, Milta was tight-lipped and didn't tell anyone else about this guess. She just hoped Olivia's pain would disappear as she raised the child. In a way, it would be a tragedy if the child were a boy. But Milta still believed in Olivia. The child was good.
“My dear Ian. Your mother loves you.”
"But..."
“Ian, do you scream when you see a spider? You know, a big spider once climbed on your face.”
“Am I a spider to Mom...”
Ian said gloomily.
“That’s not what I meant. Your mother also had an experience where she would get startled if someone suddenly hugged her from behind. It was like a spider climbing onto her face.”
Ian thought. Had his mother ever been pulled in by a giant spider? If so, it was his fault. But Ian turned his head. No, it was something deeper than that.
“But Mom... hates me.”
“Do you really think so?”
“...”
“I remember when you were a baby.”
“...”
“There was a time when you were young, when you had a serious fever. Your father was away at work, and you, Ian, and your mother were home alone.”
“...”
“What do you think it would have been like? Maybe your mother hated you so much that she just left you alone?”
Ian shook his head as he thought about it. He didn’t know about anything else, but whenever Ian showed signs of illness, his mother would take him to the doctor. Ian grew up without any time to get sick.
“She knocked on my door at dawn because she didn’t know what to do.”
“...”
“She cried and begged me to save you, to save her child. She begged me to save her child. Even though I’m not a member of the National Assembly, that young lady begged me to save her child.”
Ian lowered his head. He didn't remember when he was a baby. But somehow he could imagine his mother crying and hugging him tightly as she went to see Aunt Milta. He thought he could hear her crying.
“Ian, some people are good at being a mom, and some are bad at being a mom.”
“...”
“Your mother is such a clumsy person.”
“...”
“Even though she's so clumsy, her love for you will never change. Please forgive your clumsy mother. Don’t you know how much your mother bragged to me?”
“No? What did she say?”
“Shr said you put your shoes away properly as soon as you got there, and you were quite cute.”
“...”
“She had a lot of worries before because she thought you were too smart. That’s why she sent you to school even though you were still young. You’re more mature and smarter than your older brothers.”
That was right. He thought that sending him to school was because she wanted to be separated from him, but when he thought about it, he was better at memorizing and math than his brothers. He was a good student.
“But she didn’t even compliment me.”
“I’m saying this because I think you’ll overdo it if I just compliment you. I told you not to do that.”
“I want to receive compliments...”
“Let me tell you. I’m on your side.”
Ian nodded with a softened expression. Does Mom love me? Is she proud of me? Ian's eyes lit up.
“Go home, Mom, and whisper ‘I love you’ one more time.”
"Yes."
Ian, whose heart was relieved, nodded immediately. Milta smiled brightly as she watched him.
“Mom never hates you.”
Ian nodded. His heart felt much better, and a bright smile appeared on his face. Yes, Mom is a very shy person. I love Mom, but I don't even tell her that I love her. Next time, I'll have to ask her to compliment me.
When he entered the house with that swollen heart, there was no one there. Ian closed the door and looked around.
"Mom!"
He shouted, but no one answered. Ian walked down the street, his face looking around.
The streets smelled of rain, and the sky was overcast. It might rain. Ian turned his head here and there to look for his mother. For a moment, he had an ominous feeling. He thought that maybe Aunt Milta was lying, and that his mother had left home with his father because she hated him.
“Mom! Mommy!”
Ian ran away, crying in fear.
A rumbling sound was heard, and soon rain began to pour down. Ian's voice was buried and could not be heard. Ian went out to the shopping district to find his mother. He could not see because of the rain, so all he could do was call his mother. The adults who were hurrying because of the rain all ignored Ian.
“Mom, mom.”
Ian shed tears. Oh, what should I do? I can’t live without my mom! No matter how mature and smart he is compared to others, he is still a six-year-old child. In the end, he cried in the rain. At that moment, the rain that was pouring down his face without mercy stopped. He heard the sound of rain hitting the cloth. Ian raised his head. The man wearing a hood was looking at him. Ian raised his gaze a little more and saw that the man was holding an umbrella over him.
“Are you okay?”
It was a very affectionate voice. For some reason, Ian felt comfortable with that voice.
"Yes."
“It’s raining hard. Where is Mom?”
"I don't know."
The man chuckled at those words.
“I know. Are you the kid from the house over there?”
"Yes."
“Yes. The rain is a bit heavy. You might catch a cold, so let’s stay where I’m staying to avoid the rain.”
Even though he had been taught not to follow strangers, Ian was still a child. The boy held the man’s hand and went with him. The simple lodging, the man took off his rain-soaked hood. Ian gasped and held his breath.
***
“Ian, Ian!”
Olivia regretted it like crazy. She didn't take care of her child because of her own despair. Children are always faster than adults. Their emotions are also delicate, and you never know where they might explode. So, I shouldn't have done that. I should have at least helped him up when he fell. I'm not a good enough mother. Olivia trembled.
What if that's the end of Ian?
“Ian, Ian! Ian, please!”
Olivia walked around screaming, tears in her eyes.
"What's the matter?"
At that moment, while she was screaming like crazy, Derek came back and caught Olivia running around like crazy, soaking wet from the rain.
“Ian left home. He’s gone, he’s gone!”
She screamed. She should have gone straight to the bakery as soon as she got out. She went to the bookstore on the opposite side. She heard that he was close to the bookstore owner. When she thought of the bakery and went, she said that he had disappeared.
It's my fault, it's my fault. Why do I always do this?
When Olivia showed signs of remorse, Derek put a hand on her shoulder. He too started to scream and look for Ian. But Ian, Olivia's beloved little boy, did not come home until the rain stopped.
Olivia sobbed.
“He must be avoiding the rain.”
Derek reassured Olivia.
Olivia, drenched in rain, was sobbing sadly. Everything was too much. She felt sorry for Ian, who was born to her unworthiness. Ian, Ian, please. As Olivia walked away, calling out to Ian again, looking like a wet rat, the dark clouds cleared and the sun rose.
That was when.
“Mom! Mom!”
Olivia looked up at the sound of her name. Her eyes quivered with joy. Ian, it was Ian! Ian was holding the hand of a hooded man. Olivia, who was about to run to the child, stopped. The man was very large. Like Asherad.
What is it? Why did this guy come here?
Run away? Run away? Leave the child? No, I have to take Ian. That man will kill Ian.
Her heart pounded for a moment. She looked at the face, hoping it was an illusion, but she couldn't see the face of the hooded man.
“This man gave me shelter from the rain for a moment and came here to pick me up.”
'Here', does that mean you know where Olivia lives? Olivia bit her lip. How, how could she escape? When she hesitated, Derek stepped forward.
“Who are you to take someone else’s child without permission?”
Derek grabbed the handle of the sword at his waist as he looked at the suspicious hooded man. The hooded man did not respond.
In that tense atmosphere, a voice was heard.
“It’s been a while.”
The man took off his hood. A hard face appeared, a familiar one. Brown hair, brown eyes, a distinctive angular face, and a blunt expression. The man was definitely someone Olivia knew.
The only difference was that one side of the man's face was covered by a black blindfold. Olivia spoke in a trembling voice to the man who had lost one eye.
“...Ioannis.”
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