Chapter 227.1

Chapter 227.1

As she moved across the white snowy field, each step sank deeply into the snow, up to her knees.

Sonya held onto someone’s rough hand and crossed the vast hill. Every time she did, the warmth of their grasp wiggled, and a clumsy whistle tickled the back of her head.

She wanted to look back, but the heaviness in her head made it hard to turn. Instead, she felt around for the hard headpiece. It was still cold and heavy, and the child sighed in resignation.

Then, the weight pressing against her forehead suddenly began to shake with a clunking sound.

“Ah!”

She stopped and looked down at the ground. A crude screw had fallen onto the clean snow.

As soon as she realized it was the screw from her headpiece, the pieces of metal began to fall out like grains of rice. The screw fragments, once slightly askew, soon shattered completely.

“—!”

Sonya’s eyes grew wide. As the metal that had been pressing against her face and head suddenly disappeared, the clear blue sky, without a cloud in sight, came into view.

Wow! Sonya threw her head back and looked around the pristine white hill like a picture. Her mouth hung open, and her dry eyes sparkled in an instant.

Her head felt light! This can’t be! The child jumped in place, breathing in the fresh air that filled her nostrils. It felt as though cool stream water was rushing into every vein in her body.

Sonya shook her head lightly and touched her bare face. Instead of the hard metal, her skin was rough but soft to the touch. Surprised and delighted, she broke into a big smile.

Oh my god! It’s not a dream!

An indescribable sense of liberation washed over her. However, when her face, still full of joy, turned around, her smile slowly faded.

“Kia, why?”

The brother, who had been trailing behind her, was still wearing the headpiece that covered his entire head and face.

Even without any personal feelings, the small body and heavy mask looked truly bizarre and strange.

“Kia, take that off! If you shake it a little, the screws will fall out!”

The moment Sonya reached out, Kia stepped back.

“I don’t want to take it off.”

“Huh?”

“I can’t take it off. I like this.”

“Why?”

Sonya furrowed her brows and asked again. It was an incomprehensible answer. Then, Kia’s dark eyes, visible through the mask, curved into a mischievous grin. His voice, from behind the mask, was playful.

Sonya stared at the child in front of her and then pulled her hand again. His shabby clothes, one shoulder exposed, the heavy mask, and his red, cold, bare feet and hands.

She couldn’t help but feel concerned about the brother, who seemed colder than her. But Kia stood still, picking up the screw that had fallen from Sonya’s headpiece, without moving at all.

“Kia, what are you doing! Let’s go already!”

“No, I want to pick this up.”

“What?”

“I’ll take this, so you go to your brother.”

“Brother? What brother?”

“Oh, that brother. The one with gray eyes, the one you always bragged about!”

“…”

Sonya’s face flushed with red. Kia burst into laughter again. Feeling teased, Sonya grabbed Kia’s arm, as if she were pulling out a root from the ground.

But even as she pulled, he didn’t move, so she finally whistled sharply. It was an order to follow. Normally, such a clear sound would have come out.

But no matter how much she pursed her lips and blew air, the whistle didn’t come.

‘This is strange… There’s no way I can’t whistle…’

Only an empty breeze passed between her round lips, and it felt like she had become disconnected from Kia. The silence settled on her lips, as if she could no longer call for her partner, move, or ask for anything.

Kia smiled as he watched Sonya, who could no longer whistle. Then, he picked up the broken mask Sonya had worn and gathered it into his arms.

“The pursuit ends now. Just this is enough for me.”

Suddenly, Kia’s shadow grew long enough to cover young Sonya. The brother, still a small child in front of her, now had a shadow as large as an adult’s, which was a bit frightening and strange.

“Still, Sonya, we had fun, right?”

It was the first time she had seen a smile with eyes squinted to the point where the pupils were completely hidden. Just as Sonya was about to respond, Kia, who had been smiling brightly, vanished with the sudden storm of snow.

The confused child blinked, looking around the snowfield, but there were only the footprints leading to where she had walked. There was no trace of Kia, no screw, no metal fragments, nothing.

Only the words “Sonya, we had fun, right?” echoed in her ears like a haunting echo. Sonya shook her head in disbelief.