Chapter 5
Half-asleep, Ivan reached beside him—and suddenly jolted upright.
The woman was gone.
She said she wouldn’t leave. She said she’d make him good food again.
“What the hell…?”
She even told him to sleep early because they’d go wash up tomorrow.
“Why would you lie?!”
He shouldn’t have trusted that crazy woman.
Even when his real mother came home drunk with some idiot man and kicked him out…
Even when people cursed him, saying he was the child of a bar woman whose father they didn’t even know…
Even when something went wrong in the village and he was blamed unfairly and beaten…
He had never felt this irritated.
It felt like something was crawling and twisting inside his stomach.
He should’ve scared her properly so she wouldn’t run away.
He had been careless—and now this happened.
“Why did you leave without saying anything?! I didn’t even tell you to go yet!”
Stamping his feet in anger, Ivan suddenly froze.
The sky outside the window was still dim.
It was early dawn—before sunrise.
No carriages would be running yet. She couldn’t have gone far.
And she didn’t know the layout of this town…
If he took a shortcut, he could catch her.
Bang!
Ivan flung the door open and rushed outside.
If he caught her, this time he’d make sure she couldn’t run away again—
“Ivan?”
A surprised voice stopped him as he rushed down the stairs.
“Ivan.”
The woman stood there holding a large basin, looking around in confusion.
“Where are you going at this hour?”
Her gaze slowly moved… up toward the house he had just run out of.
“Why are you already—…did you cry?”
The woman rushed toward him, her expression full of concern.
The basin in her hands was filled with dishes.
“Why? What’s wrong?”
Her hand, red and cold like ice, wiped at his eyes.
“Does something hurt?”
“I thought you left.”
He thought she had abandoned him after making all those promises.
“…What are you talking about?”
Her face showed confusion—and then, as always, pity.
Concern. Sympathy.
She frowned as if he were something fragile.
“Why would Mom go anywhere?”
“…Really?”
“Of course. More importantly, let’s go inside. Why did you come out without even putting on a coat?”
Ivan followed as she gently pushed him back inside.
At least… it didn’t seem like she was lying about not going anywhere.
So for now, she didn’t plan to leave.
Strangely, along with relief, a creeping irritation rose inside him.
“See? Mom just went to wash the dishes. I fell asleep before doing them yesterday. That way, I can make something tasty for you this morning too.”
Ivan locked the door tightly and looked at her as she smiled awkwardly, as if watching his reaction.
“You were sleeping so well, I went out quietly. You must’ve been surprised when I wasn’t there. I’m sorry.”
So Ivan held back the anger and frustration that wanted to burst out.
Because the way she watched him carefully reminded him of that crazy woman with the green roof—who avoided the older boys out of fear.
Instead, like how that crazy woman’s older sister used to do, Ivan grabbed her hand firmly and spoke in a low voice:
“Don’t go out alone. This place is dangerous.”
He was worried she might get caught by drunk men…
Or follow strangers like she followed him.
“Once it gets dark, don’t ever leave this house.”
“After it gets dark?”
“Yeah. Drunk people are all bad. If you follow them, they’ll beat you up. A few days ago, a woman nearby was strangled to death.”
The woman’s gaze, which had been focused on him, began to shake.
“…Someone died nearby?”
She repeated his words quietly, as if shocked.
“You don’t like getting hurt, right?”
Ivan shook her hand again to make her look at him.
“So… if you go somewhere, you have to tell me first.”
Her large green eyes still trembled with fear.
She really wasn’t used to violence.
“But if you stay here, you’ll be safe.”
“Ah…”
“Because I’m here.”
“…Okay. I’ll tell you before I go anywhere. I’m sorry, Ivan.”
As she hugged him tightly, trembling slightly, Ivan gave a small smile.
She was definitely scared now.
“If someone asks you to go with them, don’t follow. If they grab your wrist, shout for help. Everyone except me is a bad person.”
“Okay. I will.”
“Then I’ll come save you. But you have to shout loudly so I can hear you. Got it?”
Just like she had done for him the night before, Ivan gently patted her back.
Holding her, whose warmth had been taken by the cold air, he continued to pat her.
Then—
“…Ivan, should we move?”
“What?”
He lifted his head in surprise.
All he could see was her clothes at first, but as he shifted, she loosened her hold.
“Should we move somewhere safer? Somewhere without drunk people?”
“…”
“…I think this neighborhood is dangerous for you. You’re still young… it might be better to move somewhere with more kids. What do you think?”
If they moved… would they keep living together?
If they went somewhere no one knew them…
Somewhere no one could expose his lie…
Could they stay together?
Then what about his real mother?
If she came back—
“I’m sleepy.”
Ivan lowered his gaze and took a deep breath.
“Oh… right. You woke up too early. If you’re tired, go back to sleep.”
“…Okay.”
“I’ll wake you when breakfast is ready.”
The foolish woman seemed to forget her own question and changed the subject.
Back in his bedding, Ivan fiddled with his pillow and spoke quietly:
“Mom.”
“Yeah?”
“Continue the story from yesterday. The one about when tigers smoked… the turtle and the rabbit.”
The woman, who had been busy preparing the fire, suddenly smiled at him.
She came closer, adjusted his blanket, and softly continued the story.
* * *
“And then?”
Sitting quietly at the table, Ivan urged her again as she stirred the pot with a wooden spatula.
“She was on her way home when—ROAR! ‘Give me a bun and I won’t eat you!’”
As the woman suddenly leaned in close, Ivan let out a startled yelp—then burst into laughter.
“And then the tiger appeared again. The lady sighed deeply, with only a little bread left, and handed it over with trembling hands.”
“So? Did it leave?”
“Yeah. But she still had a long way to go. She was worried the tiger would come back, so she started running.”
“That pig bastard will come back again anyway. How many buns is he going to eat?”
As if truly being chased, the woman spoke urgently, making Ivan hunch his shoulders as he complained.
“…Ivan, ‘pig bastard’ is a bad word. You shouldn’t say things like that.”
The woman blinked in surprise, then frowned slightly as she corrected him.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The thin wooden door shook violently under heavy knocking.
“Ivan! Are you home?!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
At the familiar voice, Ivan’s tense face twisted.
“Who is it?”
The woman looked confused and started walking toward the door.
Ivan quickly jumped down from the table and grabbed her clothes.
“The jam will burn. I’ll go. They’re my friends.”
“Your friends?”
“Yeah, my friends.”
“Should I give them something to eat too?”
“No. They’re going to the forest today. They’re busy.”
As the knocking continued, Ivan muttered curses under his breath—words that would shock her if she heard.
He tugged her skirt again.
“We made that jam together. What if it burns? If you go, I’ll watch the jam.”
“No, I told you fire is dangerous. Are you sure you don’t want to invite your friends in?”
Bang bang, bang!
“Ivan!”
Her gaze kept drifting toward the door.
“I said it’s fine. They’ve already eaten. They don’t need food. I’ll be right back. Don’t burn the jam!”
Making sure to hold her attention one last time, Ivan opened the door just a crack—
And quickly slipped outside.
