Chapter 13
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Doha fired back, his voice thick with feeling.
Imagine keeping her close instead of pushing her out.
Park met his gaze without flinching.
Handle the fallout if you take on her upbringing alone? Reporters would descend like vultures, shredding poor Yewon in moments. Deep down, you grasp that truth.
Doha refused to back down.
Paths forward exist—we just need to uncover them. Forge new ones with funding or decades of savvy. Your battles won’t rage without our full support.
A faint grin touched Park’s features.
Leave our resources out of it, Lee Doha. Focus on your choice. Guard your blood ties instead of fretting over us.
Any path you pick, we’ll back it fully, no exceptions.
Doha mulled over whether Park truly wished to exile Yewon to some distant place.
The startling words from CEO Park left the quartet drained in spirit and flesh as they trudged back to their quarters.
Exhaustion clung to Doha hardest of all.
Yewon caught the turmoil etching his face. Guilt tugged at her young heart. She tugged softly at his sleeve.
Blame doesn’t land on you. Let the worry fade.
Tears welled in her eyes just then. Weon wedged himself in fast.
Exactly, Yewon. Zero fault on your side. This mess stems purely from that sorry excuse Lee Doha—mmfph!
Even oblivious Yeongeo sensed the danger. He clapped a hand over Weon’s mouth.
Off you both go to recharge! Dinner’s on me and Weon!
Yewon lifted her palm to join in. Yeongeo hardened his stance, a rare sight.
Nonsense, Yewon. Kids belong tumbling on couches, lost in storybooks alongside Uncle Doha.
She glanced up at Doha, expression twisted in discomfort.
Odd as it felt, this could draw her nearer to him. She vowed to embrace it.
Bit by bit, lingering nearby might carve a space in his guarded soul. Enough to make banishment unthinkable.
Yeongeo rummaged through Yewon’s things. He shoved a picture book into Doha’s grip.
March to her room now, Doha. Dive into a bedtime tale!
Doha stared at the volume now clutched in his fist. Its cover title leaped out.
Storytime ranked low amid his churning thoughts.
He moved to delay. Fabric tugged at his side. He pivoted.
Yewon peered upward, gaze brimming with hope.
Resignation settled over him. Only a monster could deny such a plea.
The space once his own had morphed into Yewon’s domain.
He tucked a cover around her small form. Pages parted beneath his fingers.
Long ago in a hidden woodland hut dwelt a lumberjack bear alongside a tiny cub.
Irritation stirred in Doha at the tale’s vague bonds.
Authors owed readers clear ties from page one, he reflected, fighting an impulse to confront the writer.
He pressed on regardless.
Mutual care defined them, yet stiffness and fumbling marked their days.
Honey dripped during the big bear’s hunts. Leafy beds gaped with gaps under his care.
The cub observed in silence.
Solitude gnaws at me, yet the lumberjack must ache worse in his isolation.
Baffled by the sudden leap, Doha broke stride aloud.
Yewon cut in sharply.
Uncle, fairy tales bend reason. Pure whimsy rules here.
Her logic struck him silent, cheeks warming.
He buried the flush and resumed the words.
Aurora’s glow spilled across the treetops one evening.
Blues swirled with violets, golds weaving through the heavens.
Creatures murmured low.
Spot that light, and deepest longings bloom true.
From high meadows came Bunnykin’s chime.
Eh, Uncle. Wrong tone entirely.
Doha blinked, retracing his delivery.
Yewon piped up bright.
Catch the aurora—you know! Wishes turn real!
Her voice rang like the tale’s own creature sprung alive. Doha jerked toward her in shock.
Deliver it with true spark, like so.
Yet her face smoothed back to cool detachment.
Memories surfaced for Doha.
Yeongeo had shared her fresh start in acting. One brief extra role in a series.
Acting clearly captivated her.
Talent coursed through her veins, mirroring his own—blood’s unerring call.
He had doubted then. How could a single background spot scream lineage?
Siblings like him and his sister drew eyes young. Offers flooded their paths.
Yewon echoed their features perfectly. Scouts must have swarmed her too.
Unlike Doha, who shrugged off the spotlight, his sister had recoiled from it.
Irrelevant now. He banished the haze of yesteryear and plunged back in.
Rumor reached the cub. Eyes agleam, she urged.
Lumberjack kin, chase that glow with me. Let’s forge our true bond!
Family ties proved absent until then, Doha noted wryly.
He wrapped the ending, tone uneasy.
Nope. Try once more.
Yewon huffed softly. Throat cleared.
Straight into his eyes she beamed.
Eyes like a forsaken cub’s gleamed pure.
Fingers laced tight echoed the critter’s plea.
No fluke marked her shift.
Raw skill, astonishing after one tiny part.
Her grin coaxed a nod from him before thought caught up.
True, child star whispers reached me. But this… you’ll top charts, drawing millions.
His own shock bloomed wide.
Acting fires your ambitions?
She paused, then rushed on.
Uncle dazzles screens—I crave that glow too!
Echoes of his boyhood self flickered. Doha averted his gaze.
A torrent of early days surged, unbidden and fierce.
