Ch#2
“Oh dear—why’s the weather so hot like this.”
That day.
Astie, no, Tiye was lying flat on the floor, basking in the fan breeze from 107-room Grandmother.
While crossing her eyes to watch her bangs fluttering, 203-room Auntie opened the front door and came in.
“Hey, unnie. Looks like something big happened……”
Auntie, who would normally scoop her up cooing over how pretty Tiye was.
Auntie quickly looked away from her, so Tiye tilted her head.
“What’s wrong? Did someone get into an accident or something?”
“It’s not that……”
Again. Auntie glanced at Tiye and averted her eyes.
Tiye’s gaze naturally shifted to the bag Auntie was holding.
203-room Auntie clutched the crumpled paper bag like it was a dog leash she couldn’t drop.
“You and your dramatics every time, always scaring the kid……”
But when the bag opened, 107-room Grandmother went quiet.
Tiye’s forehead beaded with sweat without the fanning.
Silence stretched through the single room, broken only by cicada cries.
“……What do we do.”
The seated Grandmother suddenly yanked Tiye into her arms.
“What do we do! He was such a good man!”
Then she burst into sobs.
Tiye blinked in Grandmother’s embrace.
203-room Auntie was sniffling too.
Though bewildered, Tiye quickly sensed something was wrong.
[Pursuant to Article 12, Paragraph 1 of the Funeral Services Act, the remains of the unclaimed deceased have been processed and are hereby notified as follows. Relatives are requested to claim the enshrined ashes.]
It was the tenth day since Dad hadn’t come home.
* * *
“Funeral……?”
What’s that?
With Grandmother and Auntie rushing out, Tiye stared at the paper again and again.
It was full of hard words.
Even so, there was one word Tiye knew.
“……Deceased means a dead person.”
Suddenly frightened, Tiye let the paper slip away.
As she fidgeted with her fingers, the Tani Pang Sticker Book from Sulli at kindergarten caught her eye.
Sulli had used nearly every sticker, but Tiye’s favorite Ttona Pang Sticker remained.
“Show me the emptying magic~ Catch catch……”
Tiye hummed the Tani Pang theme song as she carefully peeled off the Ttona Pang Sticker.
She slipped out of 107-room, entered 106-room, and fetched the flyers Dad had collected.
Tiye boldly wrote on the blank back with a marker.
[Please bring Dad home.]
No one in Quail Class could write as well as Tiye.
She firmly pressed the Ttona Pang Sticker after the period.
“Dad……”
Dad, who always told weird stories.
Dad believed he came from Talochium Empire, and that it was Tiye’s hometown too.
Dad said he’d been an incredibly powerful Holy Knight there.
Beating bad monsters and villains every day, the strongest hero everyone admired.
Tiye shook her head side to side.
Of course, Tiye had believed it until she was three.
Dad was so cool her heart thumped, and she’d stayed up past bedtime sometimes.
But Tiye was four now.
She knew everything—a real grown-up.
‘The strongest Holy Knight everyone loves would surely be rich.’
But Tiye and Dad weren’t rich.
Quite the opposite—poor.
Kindergarten friends went on summer vacations, but Tiye and Dad never had.
Dad had almost no days off.
Weekends, Children’s Day, Hangul Day, Christmas—he worked.
When Tiye asked why Dad worked so much, the Gold Apartment Complex adults said it was because his job ‘didn’t pay enough for the effort.’
Tough words, but Tiye vaguely got it.
No matter how hard Dad worked, he couldn’t earn enough for a new Tani Pang Sticker Book for Tiye.
Of course, Tiye was fine with that.
Dad was a hundred—no, a thousand times more precious than any Tani Pang Sticker Book.
Tiye always thought her hardworking Dad was cool and grateful.
‘There’s a story behind it.’
‘That’s why—look at 106-room. A young guy with that handsome face, why live so poor? It’s for the kid, scared of losing her.’
‘But it’s weird. Illegal resident or whatever, just get a visa, right? Tiye’s four now—time for birth registration…….’
‘Can’t even register Tiye’s birth? Try registering now—think city hall’ll sit still? Illegal resident, huh? Fine’s huge the second they catch him. And Tiye could get deported home. 106-room does time here. What kinda separation is that?’
‘Anyway, saw the kindergarten director downstairs again. Lucky she’s nice—if she’d refused Tiye outright, kid’d be doomed in a heartbeat.’
‘Tiye’s sharp as a tack, she’d be fine. Never seen a kid like her. Learned letters mostly on her own! Heard 106-room still won’t say where he’s from?’
She’d overheard the neighbors’ gossip half-asleep and learned a lot, but Tiye was happy living with Dad.
“……Sniff.”
Snot dripped onto the back, and Tiye held her breath.
Tears were trickling out unnoticed.
“Sniffle.”
Droopy Tiye buried her face in her hands.
Dad had to come home soon.
“Daaaad……”
The word “deceased” kept drifting in her mind.
Tiye curled into a ball and squeezed her eyes shut.
No, it couldn’t be—deceased didn’t mean Dad—she repeated to herself.
She must have dozed off.
When she woke, it was pitch dark.
107-room Grandmother returned late that evening, drenched in rain.
In her hands was a water-stained paper box.
Tiye opened it and gaped blankly.
‘Dad’ll live with Tiye forever. Someday we’ll go home—to a much bigger, cleaner house—and I’ll make Tiye smile.’
‘Even used a Ttona Pang Sticker.’
What arrived wasn’t Dad.
Tiye stared at the words “Relics Box” for a long time.
She knew what they meant.
She’d heard it in a drama once.
So…… he hadn’t lived long, hadn’t returned home, hadn’t made Tiye smile.
Dad had left Tiye behind.
In the end.
* * *
Late into the night.
Slipping past 107-room Grandmother’s snores, Tiye left the room.
She sneaked into 106-room, just two steps away—their home with Dad.
Atop the deepest drawer sat the Relics Box Grandmother had placed.
Tiye climbed up and pried open the lid.
“……”
Inside lay Dad’s everyday hat, a few keys, and his wallet—lonely.
Tilting it for a closer look, something clattered out.
At the bottom: a necklace with a broken chain.
‘Dad’s……’
Tiye grabbed it without thinking.
The necklace Dad always kept in his inner pocket—she’d never seen it.
Pulling off the snapped chain, she clutched the central stone. Her throat tightened.
It felt like Dad’s warmth lingered in the stone.
The moment tears welled in Tiye’s eyes—
Thud—
The ceiling shook out of nowhere.
Startled, she looked up—then the floor thrummed vividly.
Thud—!
Stumbling back, blinding light flooded her vision.
[Why are you crying?]
Tiye blinked, mouth agape.
The stone slipped from her hand, floating midair.
Beaming light from its edges.
“The, the stone’s talking……”
Then—poof—something sprouted above the stone.
A head the size of an adult’s fist, pitch-black.
Tiye gawked, wide-mouthed, as ruby eyes, nose, mouth, and ears formed on the stone.
[Why’re you crying?]
By the second question, she snapped to.
After wary hesitation, she mustered courage.
“T-Tiye’s Dad……”
[Got it.]
The stone—now with arms, legs, tail, and wings—cut her off.
It licked its tiny paws and spoke.
[That man died, huh?]
Tiye’s pupils trembled.
“……D-Dad……”
[Want me to bring him back?]
Before the next words landed.
The stone, staring at Tiye, shook its head with a shiver, then spoke again.
[Your dad—he asked if you’d stop crying if I revived him.]
