Episode 2
909 Words
I noticed a little girl standing a few steps away. She looked about four or five years old, tiny and delicate — almost like a doll. She was holding my puppy carefully in her arms, gently patting him with wide, adoring eyes.
“Mommy, can we keep this puppy?” she asked hopefully.
Her mother smiled and bent down to her level. “No, baby. He belongs to someone else. It’s not right to keep him, okay?”
I cleared my throat and stepped forward. “Excuse me… someone else?” I said. “I’m his parent. Why don’t you believe me?”
The little girl suddenly looked at me closely. Her eyes widened.
“Mummy… it’s him. We saw him on TV the other day, remember?”
My heart skipped.
How did this little human recognize me? I was fully covered — cap, mask, everything. Instinctively, I lowered my head a little more.
Her mother slowly straightened up and looked directly into my eyes. For a few seconds, she didn’t say anything. That silence made me nervous.
I should leave. Right now.
“That’s Choi Joon—”
“Sshhh!” I interrupted quickly. “Please… just give me my puppy.”
“Okay, okay… Nila baby, give him his puppy.”
“No,” Nila said stubbornly, hugging him tighter.
Mother and daughter began speaking in a language I didn’t recognize. I couldn’t understand the words, but I could read their expressions clearly. The mother was insisting. The little girl refused.
Then Nila looked up at me with round, pleading eyes.
“Ajusshi… can I keep him for some time?” she asked softly.
Her mother quickly said in Korean, “I’m sorry, Mr. Choi Joon. She’s still learning Korean, that’s why she said ajusshi.”
I blinked. “Oh… you speak Korean very well. I didn’t expect that.”
I knelt down in front of Nila so we were eye level.
“What’s your name?” I asked gently.
She smiled sweetly. “My name is Nila.”
“Well, Nila… do you really like my puppy?”
She nodded eagerly.
“Sometimes you miss your mommy when you go to daycare, right?” I asked.
She nodded again.
“Just like that, my puppy will miss me too. So can you give him back so he won’t feel lonely?”
Her lips trembled slightly. “But… today is my birthday,” she said in a small voice. “Can I play with him until we reach home?”
Her mother’s tone hardened a little. “Nila, that’s enough. Give Mr. Choi his puppy back.”
I looked at her face — those eyes were already filling with tears.
I sighed.
“Alright,” I said softly. “You can pet him until we reach your home.”
Her face lit up instantly. “Yay! Our house is that way! We’ll walk so I can play with him!”
Her mother was about to object, but I shook my head.
“It’s okay,” I said in Korean. “It’s her birthday, right? Let this be my birthday present to her.”
She bowed slightly. “I’m sorry, Mr. Choi. You must be busy. Thank you… I’ll make sure to return this kindness someday.”
We began walking toward Nila’s apartment. She walked ahead happily, talking nonstop to the puppy. Her laughter echoed in the quiet evening.
Her mother and I followed slowly behind her.
There was an awkward silence between us. The only sound filling the space was Nila’s excited chatter.
“Ajusshi! This is our house!” she said proudly.
I looked up at the building — and froze.
“You… live here?” I asked.
Her mother looked confused. “Yes. We live in this apartment. Why?”
“I live here too.”
She blinked in surprise. “Ah… I heard that from the tenth floor to the twentieth floor, there are only three apartments per floor. So it must be… rich people,” she said awkwardly. “And we really do live here. Please don’t think I’m some kind of sasaeng fan.”
I almost laughed. “I didn’t.”
“Nila, give him his puppy now,” she said firmly. “But he also lives here!” Nila protested.
“Let her play until you reach your floor,” I said.
“We live on the tenth floor!” Nila announced happily. She grabbed my hand without hesitation. “Come, ajusshi! Let’s take the lift!”
Her tiny hand in mine felt unexpectedly warm.
We reached the tenth floor. The lift doors opened. Reluctantly, Nila handed my puppy back to me and gestured for me to bend down.
“Bye, puppy. We’ll meet again,” she said seriously, then looked at me. “Thank you, ajusshi.”
I smiled. “Happy birthday, Nila.”
I gently patted her head. She suddenly leaned forward and gave me a small sniff kiss on my cheek. It caught me completely off guard.
And somehow… the exhaustion I had been carrying all day quietly disappeared.
Her mother bowed slightly. “Thank you. And I’m sorry for today.”
They stepped out of the lift.
Just before the doors closed, I held them open.
“I never got your name,” I said softly in Korean.
She hesitated for a second.
“My name is Shree.”
And then the lift doors slowly slid shut.
- Writer
