Blink. Blink.
“Seriously, this is insane. They look exactly alike. Wow, Lee Doha, be honest. That’s not your niece—isn’t she actually your daughter?”
“Don’t talk nonsense in front of the kid.”
Blink. Blink.
“No, seriously. It looks like you gave birth to her yourself. Otherwise, how can they look this identical?”
Blink. Blink.
What is this guy even talking about?
...The blinking was the only reaction Yewon could manage after having all her energy drained by an extreme extrovert’s extroverted behavior.
“She’s like a doll. Hey, little one, are you really human? You’re not actually a doll, are you?”
A handsome young man covered in “bad-boy” vibes, complete with ear piercings, poked Yewon’s cheek with his finger.
“...I’m human.”
“Wow. The doll even talks~?”
“......”
Having absolutely no idea how to respond, Yewon simply shut her mouth.
Of course, she knew exactly who the young man was.
Han Wooyeon.
The main dancer and sub-rapper of Glit—though his skills were good enough to be a main rapper in many other groups.
If Doha was the member who attracted people into the fandom, Wooyeon was the member who made them stay.
Just one look was enough to understand why.
Behind his rough mannerisms and carefree attitude, warmth and affection overflowed.
“Hey, little one~ What’s your name?”
That word again.
Little one!
Goosebumps ran down Yewon’s arms.
“...Lee Yewon....”
“Oh, so you’re Yewon~ Then can Uncle call you little one~?”
You’re already doing it.
This guy is enjoying this. He enjoys the fact that I hate being called a little kid.
Yewon narrowed her eyes at him.
Thunk.
Doha immediately smacked Wooyeon on the head.
“!!”
“Ow! What was that for, Lee Doha?!”
“Stop teasing the kid. Act your age.”
“How am I teasing her?! I’m just greeting our little one normally!”
“Do you know you have a specific expression whenever you’re bullying someone? You’ve got that exact look right now.”
“This is slander. Absolute slander.”
“Watch your language in front of the child.”
“......”
Apparently unable to come up with a more refined way of speaking, Wooyeon simply shut his mouth.
...What an impressive person....
Still...
The two of them actually seem to get along better than I expected.
Yewon tilted her head as she watched them bicker.
There wasn’t even the slightest sign of bad blood between them.
Then why had the quest been given?
“I heard the rough details from Youngoh. So are you two living together now?”
At Wooyeon’s question, both Yewon and Wooyeon turned toward Doha.
Exactly.
I’d like to know that too, Uncle.
Are we living together now?
“…What about the other members?”
But Doha wasn’t ready to answer.
He smoothly changed the subject instead.
Wooyeon gave him a suspicious look but answered anyway.
“Ieon’s probably still in England. And Yeonho hyung... who knows. Probably locked himself inside some gym working out.”
“Do they all know?”
Although Doha left it unsaid, everyone knew he meant Yewon.
Wooyeon glanced at her and shook his head.
“Not yet. If everyone finds out, there’ll be total chaos.”
“......”
Both Doha and Yewon looked gloomy.
Chaos sounded bad.
But then—
“They’ll all be fighting to kidnap Yewon, idiot.”
“!”
“With a niece this cute, who wouldn’t want to steal her and claim her as their own?”
The unexpected answer instantly brightened both their faces.
Wooyeon burst out laughing.
“Wow. You really are family. Looking exactly alike and making exactly the same expression at the same time. I almost died laughing.”
“You want to get punched?”
Doha casually raised a fist.
Wooyeon openly sneered.
“Who’s punching who? You? Go build some muscles first.”
At that moment, Yewon puffed out her cheeks and spoke.
“Wooyeon Mister is a bad person.”
“!!!”
Unlike Doha’s threats, which had no effect whatsoever, Yewon’s words hit Wooyeon like a truck.
“H-Hey, Yewon! You misunderstand! Uncle is a good person! And Mister?! I’m the same age as Uncle Doha! Call me Uncle too!”
Apparently being demoted from “Uncle” to “Mister” hurt him tremendously.
“Mister is a bad person.”
“Gaaah!”
Clutching his chest dramatically, Wooyeon collapsed in despair.
Hmph.
Ignoring him completely, Yewon turned her head away.
Do you know how startled I was earlier?
“Did Park Youngoh tell you today?”
“Yeah. This morning. He suddenly called and said, ‘Hey, Wooyeon. I need you to do something important for me...’”
“What important thing?”
“He told me to play with Yewon. Said Lee Doha wouldn’t know how to play with kids.”
“......”
Unable to deny it, Doha fell silent.
Then he tried to fight back.
“And you do?”
“I have three younger siblings. Two little brothers and one much younger sister.”
“......”
“They all live in America now, but I practically raised them myself. Changed diapers, fed them, everything. Surely I know more than you.”
“......”
“Right, Yewon? Uncle’s right, isn’t he?”
Wooyeon looked to her for support.
“Mister.”
“Guuuuuuh!”
The damage was critical.
While Wooyeon suffered, Yewon turned back toward Doha.
“But why is Uncle Ieon in England?”
She’d been wondering that ever since he mentioned it.
Was it a business trip? An overseas schedule?
“......”
Both Doha and Wooyeon exchanged glances.
Neither seemed eager to answer.
What’s going on?
“W-Well... Yewon, you see...”
“He ran away.”
“!”
Before Wooyeon could finish stammering, Doha answered first.
“Ran away...?”
Did he commit a crime or something?
Just as Yewon’s expression became serious, Wooyeon jabbed Doha in the side.
“Seriously? Why do you always choose words like that? You can’t say he ran away.”
“He did run away.”
“Say he avoided it! Avoided it! You make it sound terrible! He left because he didn’t want to see your face!”
Doha immediately turned his head away in annoyance.
That explanation eased Yewon’s worries a little.
Ah.
Avoidance.
“Why doesn’t Uncle Ieon want to see Uncle Doha?”
“They fought.”
Wooyeon answered casually.
“Why?”
“Because they really, really don’t get along.”
“Why?”
“Well~ There was a very bad person. Uncle Ieon thought everyone should know all the bad things that person did. Uncle Doha thought it should stay secret. So Uncle Ieon got hurt and went back to his own home.”
This time Yewon turned toward Doha.
“Why did you keep it a secret?”
“…Because sometimes the truth hurts people.”
Doha sighed heavily.
“It would hurt the people... who cared about that bad person.”
Then he added,
“Han Wooyeon. You’re teaching weird things to a child. Why did you make me explain this?”
“You know seven-year-olds understand more than you think. Don’t underestimate them. Kids notice everything. If you hide things carelessly, they’ll know.”
“That’s right. You shouldn’t hide things. We know everything.”
With Wooyeon and Yewon joining forces against him, Doha let out a disbelieving laugh.
“You two are surprisingly in sync.”
“I knew we’d get along the moment I met Yewon. Right, Yewon~?”
“......”
“Why won’t you answer me?!”
I don’t think we’re that close yet.
Ignoring Wooyeon’s despair, Yewon quietly moved closer to Doha.
“Uncle Doha.”
“Yeah?”
“…You were hurt too, weren’t you?”
“!”
Doha’s eyes widened slightly.
“It wasn’t just Uncle Ieon who was hurting. You were hurting too.”
As if saying I know that too, Yewon firmly grabbed his hand.
She still remembered.
The filming set where they had first met.
How lonely he had looked sitting there by himself.
And even years later—far in the future—his phone wallpaper had still been a group photo of Glit.
Even though by then Glit had already disbanded.
“…Yeah.”
Doha answered with a smile.
But despite the smile, deep sadness flickered in his eyes.
For some reason—
Yewon wanted to replace that sadness with happiness.
With a longing so strong it almost made her think:
Maybe this is what family really means.