Ch#46
* * *
Meanwhile, inside the carriage.
“Kim Youngsu? You’re saying there’s a Holy Knight by that name in the Capital?”
Tiye nodded hard.
But Raoul and Enzo furrowed their brows.
“Never heard of a name like that.”
“Right. Completely unfamiliar.”
Basto, Veil, and Nordix quietly watched Tiye’s face.
Worried she might be disappointed.
But Tiye was calm.
“Eung.”
Instead, she pursed her lips as if onto something and muttered.
“Tiye thought about it already.”
“……Thought about it?”
“Dad didn’t tell Tiye his real name, probably.”
Everyone’s eyes widened.
But Tiye continued matter-of-factly.
“Tiye Dad’s name is really Kim, Young letter, Su letter. But no such name in Holy Knight Order, so high chance Dad’s name is fake!”
It wasn’t a perfectly coherent sentence, but everyone understood.
“Honestly, it’s a pretty unusual name.”
Veil nodded.
When he’d first heard it, he’d been confused whether ‘Kim Youngsu’ or ‘Kim Youngjasuja’ was the real one.
Still, a few days ago, Veil had learned ‘Kim Youngsu’ was the real one.
After Tiye’s long, long explanation of ‘politely calling adults by name.’
“Your dad definitely said that, right? That his name is Kim Youngsu.”
Tiye nodded at Basto’s question too.
When was it, that day.
It felt like winter, thinking how cold it had been…….
“Ah.”
A short sound slipped from Tiye’s mouth.
The child turned to her members right away, drooping her brows.
“At Tiye kindergarten, drawing contest day.”
* * *
“Okay, Quail Class friends, everyone got your crayons?”
“Yes!”
“Got your paper too?”
“Yes!”
Tiye gripped her crayons tight like the other kids and answered.
The teacher before her smiled brightly.
Written on the blackboard was ‘Draw Our Family.’
Tiye looked down at her drawing paper with a pounding heart.
Dad and Tiye holding hands tight, playing in the park, drawn in crayon.
“Tiye’s is an earthworm.”
Then a same-class friend started teasing Tiye’s drawing from the side.
Tiye’s face turned red as she yelled.
“No it’s not! This is Dad and me!”
“Tiye’s dad is an earthworm! Minjun! Yeoreum! Look! Tiye’s dad is an earthworm! Wahahaha!”
“Okay okay, everyone stop! You can’t tease friends’ drawings.”
At that moment, the teacher appeared like a savior and looked at Tiye’s drawing, saying,
“Our Tiye drew it so well! How’d you draw such a pretty picture? Amazing!”
The kid next to her finally quieted down.
Tiye snorted with an hng and focused on the teacher again.
But the teacher’s next words left Tiye flustered.
“Okay then, shall we write names now? You all showed the note in your communicator notebook to your parents yesterday, right?”
“Yes!”
Among the answering kids, only Tiye was quiet.
After kindergarten yesterday, Tiye had been at 107-room the whole time.
Dad came home super late, and Grandmother said it was because of overtime.
“Did Tiye show the note to Dad too?”
The teacher came over and asked.
Tiye fidgeted and looked down.
“Tiye……”
She should’ve asked Dad to check the communicator notebook.
But Dad’s face looked so tired she forgot to ask in the morning…….
“Aigoo, it’s okay, it’s okay. Tiye, just wait a bit?”
The teacher patted Tiye’s head and went to the other kids.
“All Quail Class parents should’ve written names in the communicator notebooks. Right?”
“Yes!”
“Then now we’ll write family names one by one on the drawing paper. You can do it, right?”
“Yesss!”
Tiye watched blankly as the kid next to her wrote on the drawing paper.
The handwriting wasn’t that pretty, and there were lots of wrong letters, but.
‘……Lots.’
The kid next to her had tons of names to write.
Really tons.
“Hey! Don’t look at mine!”
The friend glared at Tiye, so Tiye whipped her head away.
“Wasn’t looking!”
But her eyes drifted back anyway.
Mom, Dad, big brother, big sister…….
As the kid next to her wrote four names, the teacher came over.
“Tiye. Do you know Dad’s name?”
Tiye couldn’t answer.
“Don’t know……”
She’d always just called him Dad.
The Gold Villa folks called Dad the 106-room bachelor.
“Should’ve asked……”
As Tiye muttered with teary eyes, the teacher looked surprised.
The teacher came right up to Tiye’s desk.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Let’s go look together with teacher.”
Tiye stared at the teacher in surprise.
“Dad’s name in kindergarten?”
“Of course~ Remember the paper where Dad wrote his name when you registered for kindergarten?”
Her sad heart lightened like it’d fly away.
Tiye gripped her crayons and drawing paper tight and followed the teacher.
The place they arrived was the staff room, normally off-limits to kids.
The teacher checked that the kids were focused on writing names, then took Tiye to the lockers.
And opened the drawer labeled <Quail Class>.
After rummaging inside for a while, the teacher pulled out a sheet of paper.
“Let’s see. Tiye can read it, right? Here’s Dad’s name.”
Tiye’s focused lips parted slightly.
Tiye slowly read the writing in the small box.
“Kim…… Youngsu?”
“Right.”
Kim Youngsu, Kim Youngsu.
Tiye felt her heart pounding as she repeated the name.
“Tiye Dad’s name is Kim Young letter, Su letter? Now back to class and write it?”
“Yes!”
Her steps back to class were lighter than ever.
Tiye wrote Dad’s name and her own side by side on the paper.
That day, unlike the day before, Dad came home early.
Tiye excitedly told Dad, who showered her with kisses the moment he saw her.
“Dad! Tiye learned Dad’s name today!”
“Huh? Learned what?”
“Drew picture at kindergarten but Dada!”
Dad looked at the paper Tiye held out and fell silent.
“Teacher told Tiye Dad’s name. Dad’s name Kim, Young letter, Su letter!”
“……”
“Tiye knows Dad’s name now! Our Dad is Kim, Young letter, Su letter!”
Dad said nothing for a while.
Just chuckled and brushed Tiye’s hair behind her ear.
“Right, my princess. Dad’s name is Kim Youngsu.”
“Yeah!”
“If anyone asks Dad’s name anywhere, say that. Got it?”
“Eung! But Tiye’s name Kim Astie too? Today Tiye just wrote Tiye and teacher said write Kim Astie……”
“Ah, that.”
Dad thought briefly, then said,
“For now, write it like that.”
“Huh?”
“Kim Astie is Tiye’s name in Korea, got it?”
“Tiye has another name too?”
“Not another name, but back home there’s a different family name.”
Tiye blinked without thinking.
She had a different family name.
“Tiye maybe not Kim but Park……?”
Dad burst out laughing.
“Not that.”
Tiye was puzzled but couldn’t ask more.
Because Dad hugged her tight again and showered more kisses.
The child giggled and hugged Dad back.
* * *
“……Should’ve asked then.”
Recalling Korea, Tiye’s shoulders slumped.
“Should’ve asked what hometown family name then……”
The child clenched her fist tight and blinked.
Soon the carriage fell quiet.
Because everyone knew.
That Tiye was barely holding back tears right now.
