Chapter 10: Waiting is sometimes fun

Thanks to the persistent older sister who insisted on following me despite my objections, we finally arrived in front of the child who had lost her way.

As we approached, the child, who had been sobbing uncontrollably, glanced at us warily and began to slowly inch backward, clearly startled by the sudden appearance of strangers. I quickly extended a handkerchief toward her.

“Hey there, kiddo. Did you lose your mom and dad?”

“…Uh-huh.”

Speaking as gently as possible, the child looked between me, the older sister, and the handkerchief before nodding and wiping her tears. She seemed to have a rather bold personality for someone her age.

“What’s your name?”

“…Chae-ah, Yoo Chae-ah.”

“Chae-ah, huh? That’s a pretty name. I’m Kang Wooju.”

“Wooju? Pffft….”

As children often do, Chae-ah burst into giggles at the sound of my name.

I didn’t mind though. It was a good thing if a silly little thing like that could put her at ease and stop her tears.

“Do you like chocolate?”

“Choco…?”

“Yeah.”

“I-I like it.”

She shyly nodded at my sudden question, her face lighting up with a cute smile.

Good, she likes it. That’s perfect.

Rustle. Rustle.

I immediately unzipped the sling bag slung over my shoulder and pulled out a few packs of chocolate I had brought along, originally meant for when the wait got long. But they were coming in handy now.

“If you stop crying, how about we go find your parents together, with this nice lady here?”

“…Nice lady?”

As Chae-ah unwrapped the chocolate and popped it into her mouth, I couldn’t help but smile. From behind me, I heard the older sister muttering something, though the noise around us was too loud for me to catch what she was saying.

“Now, so you don’t get lost again, hold hands with the nice lady here.”

“…Nice lady?”

Before we could start searching for Chae-ah’s parents, I thought it would be less intimidating for her to hold the older sister’s hand rather than mine, but instead, Chae-ah shot the older sister a cautious look, much like a stray cat, and backed away.

For some reason, it felt like we had returned to how things were when we first met.

“Oh, it seems she wants to hold Cosmo’s hand instead.”

“Really? Chae-ah, would you like to hold my hand?”

“Hehe… Uh-huh!”

Maybe it was because I was the one who gave her the chocolate? Surprisingly, Chae-ah chose to hold my hand instead of the older sister’s.

As she smiled brightly and grasped my hand with her tiny fingers, I found myself thinking that having a daughter someday would be wonderful. Though, marriage was a whole other question.

“It seems like there’s no lost child center around here. It’s not even mentioned in the pamphlet….”

As the older sister walked a little behind us, I heard her muttering while looking at the map in the pamphlet. Normally, for events like this, they’d have a lost child center, even if just for appearances, but it didn’t seem like they had bothered.

“They probably didn’t think many people would bring children along. Still, they should’ve prepared something….”

Unconsciously, I responded a bit more sharply than intended to her comment. Normally, I wouldn’t have thought much of it, but it had triggered some unpleasant memories.

“Chae-ah, do you happen to know your mom or dad’s phone number?”

“Phone number…? Uh-uh, I don’t know…”

With no lost child center in sight, the fastest way to reunite Chae-ah with her parents would be contacting them directly. I asked, hoping for the best, but didn’t get the answer I was looking for.

In the end, it seemed like we’d have to wander around like searching for a needle in a haystack.

It didn’t matter for me, but I felt bad dragging the older sister into this. I’d have to properly apologize later.

“Excuse me, are you a staff member here?”

As we wandered around for a while, searching for Chae-ah’s parents, the older sister spotted a man passing by and called out to him.

Unlike the other booth staff, this man had a large AGP emblem on his chest, the official event logo, which suggested he was part of the event staff.

“Yes, that’s correct. Is there something I can help you with?”

“Well, we found a lost child. Could you help us find her parents through an announcement?”

“Ah, of course. If you leave her with us, we’ll take care of her in the staff room and broadcast a message to reunite her with her parents.”

Ah, why didn’t I think of that? I must’ve been really out of it. It wasn’t about whether there was a lost child center or not— I should’ve asked a staff member from the beginning.

Anyway, I was glad we wouldn’t have to spend more time on this than necessary.

As the staff member smiled kindly and held out his hand to Chae-ah, I gently pushed her forward, letting go of her hand and assuring her that he would help her find her parents.

“Uuuh…!”

For some reason, Chae-ah clung tightly to my waist, shaking her head vigorously. It seemed that while she had let her guard down with me, she was still scared of getting close to other people. Looking up at me with a face that seemed like she might burst into tears any second, I couldn’t help but smile.

“…It seems that won’t work. I’m sorry, but would it be okay if we accompanied you to the staff room? We’ll leave as soon as her parents arrive.”

“Ah, understood. Please, follow me this way.”

The staff member, a little flustered by the child’s strong wariness, gave us an awkward smile and began to lead the way. I felt a little bad, even though it wasn’t really my fault.

When we finally reached the staff room, reserved only for event personnel, I could see through the glass window that a desk worker was seated in front of a broadcast microphone. They were probably responsible for announcements and other event-related announcements.

“Please, help us find our child, miss…!”

“Alright, ma’am, I understand, but please calm down first…”

Outside the room, a couple, who appeared to be parents, were pleading with another staff member, their conversation carrying a tense tone.

Could it be…?

“Mom! Dad!”

The moment I brought Chae-ah closer, she happily waved her hand at the couple while still holding onto mine.

As soon as the woman heard her daughter’s voice, she spotted Chae-ah, safe and sound, and began to cry tears of relief. Together with her husband, they hurried over to us.

So, they were Chae-ah’s parents after all. I’m glad we found them sooner rather than later.

“Chae-ah! How many times have I told you to hold onto Mom’s hand tightly?!”

“Don’t scold her too much, honey. Do you think she wanted to get lost?”

While the mother scolded Chae-ah, the father approached us, grateful that his daughter was safe.

“Thank you so much for finding our Chae-ah.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. We just did what anyone would do.”

Feeling a bit awkward as someone older than me bowed, I let out an embarrassed laugh. The older sister beside me smiled as well.

Why didn’t she help me out a little sooner?

“Thank you so much…! I don’t know how we’ll ever repay you…!”

“Oh, no, I didn’t do much. It was all thanks to her.”

I shot the older sister a pointed look, but the mother had already moved beside her, holding both her hands tightly and expressing her heartfelt thanks.

Just like me a moment ago, the older sister looked flustered and bowed awkwardly.

She didn’t help me when I was in trouble, but now she’s all caught up in this.

“Chae-ah, from now on, make sure to hold onto your mom and dad’s hands tightly, okay?”

“Yeah, I will!”

“Good girl.”

Before we parted ways, I gave Chae-ah one last piece of advice, and she raised her hand energetically in response.

“Cool big brother! Pretty big sister! Thank you!”

As we turned to head back to the event, Chae-ah’s voice rang out behind us.

Although she had been wary of the older sister at first, it seemed she had opened her heart after seeing how much effort she put into finding her parents. How admirable.

“You should wave, too, sis.”

“Oh, right…”

I nudged the older sister, who awkwardly raised her hand and waved back at Chae-ah.

After parting ways with Chae-ah and her family, we finally headed toward the Last Destiny booth, our original destination.

“I’m really sorry for getting you caught up in that because of me.”

“No, no, it’s fine. I actually felt pretty good about it.”

When I belatedly offered a sincere apology, the older sister shook her head so quickly it was almost dizzying, like I could feel the breeze from it.

As I smiled wryly at her response and continued walking, I found myself naturally starting to speak, though no one had asked me to. I don’t usually open up about my past like this, but…

“To be honest, I went through the same thing as Chae-ah when I was a kid at an amusement park.”

“Did you too?” Cosmo chimed in, sounding surprised at my unexpected confession of a minor childhood trauma.

Feeling a little embarrassed for bringing up something like that, I continued, trying to act like it was no big deal.

“Yeah, I think I was about seven years old at the time… I didn’t even know what a lost children’s center was, so I just sat on the ground and cried my eyes out. It was really scary.”

“At that age, of course it would be… It sounds terrifying just imagining it.”

It seemed like the older sister had never experienced something like that herself, which was probably a good thing. It’s not exactly a fond memory.

“Then, a young couple passing by took me to the lost children’s center and stayed with me until my parents came. When I think about it now, I’m really grateful to them.”

When I said that, the older sister looked up at me with wide eyes, like a detective who had just stumbled upon a crucial clue in a mystery novel.

“So, the reason you didn’t leave Chae-ah with the staff earlier…?”

“That’s right. Partly because Chae-ah was wary of the staff member, but also because it reminded me of that time, and I just couldn’t walk away.”

In a way, my past trauma had caused me to inconvenience the older sister as well. Feeling bad about it, I apologized again, but she shook her head with a warm smile as if to say she didn’t mind at all.

“I’m glad. You wouldn’t share this story on stream, would you?”

“Is that so?”

“As a fan, learning more about a celebrity like you is always exciting, you know?”

It wasn’t like it was some great story worth sharing, so I had never mentioned it, but she took it positively and smiled brightly. That kind of genuine smile from such a beautiful person was rare, and I couldn’t help but avert my gaze. For some reason, I felt my face getting a little hot.

“Still, I feel bad for making you wait in line longer than necessary. At least let me apologize for that.”

“Nuh-uh… I don’t want that.”

“…Huh?”

I thought I was making a reasonable compromise, but she flatly refused in a surprisingly firm tone, turning her back on me and folding her arms.

That gesture felt like she was trying to hide her expression from me.

“That wasn’t something worth apologizing for at all. I can’t accept an apology for something like that.”

“…?”

Not feeling bad about making her wait in line twice? I couldn’t quite understand, so I tilted my head in confusion.

If there were a mirror in front of me, I’d probably see myself with a completely baffled look on my face.

“Come on, let’s go. I don’t mind waiting with you today, no matter how long it takes.”

The older sister chuckled softly, then gently reached out, almost touching my hand, and started leading me forward.

Such a line feels like a confession. That’s against the rules.