Chapter 10 – Vienna (2)

 

“Starchis. Wake up.”

 

Someone pinched my cheek. It was stinging quite a bit, but I couldn’t bear to try to stop them with my hands and only raised my eyelids.

 

Beautiful silver eyes stared back at me.

 

“… Vienna?”

 

“You slept enough, fool. We are here.”

 

Vienna was pinching my cheeks.

 

She said we reached..? But where…?

.
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Oh, the orphanage... I was in the carriage.

 

From dawn, we took a carriage to the orphanage, and Vienna said I could sleep for some time, so I fell asleep.

 

I thought I was sleeping in a straight posture, but when I opened my eyes, I was lying down.

 

My head was placed on Vienna’s thighs.

 

I slowly came to my senses and stood up in amazement.

 

I feared that Veinna would curse me.

 

“That… I’m sorry. I thought I was sleeping straight…”

 

“Phew. Is it already over?”

 

Vienna patted her thighs and said.

 

I was a little thankful that she didn’t wake me up until now.

 

It was a moment when Vienna really looked a little like a saintess.

 

But since I slept on the carriage, I felt stiff all over my body.

 

“Let's go now.”

 

Vienna got up from her seat and got out of the carriage.

 

I was still dreamy. I rubbed my eyes.

 

I was asleep, so I couldn’t be sure, but it seemed like we hadn’t arrived just now.

 

The surroundings were not cluttered, and it was very quiet.

 

Neither the neighing of the horses nor the voice of the coachman could be heard.

 

“Vienna, how long has it been since we arrived?”

 

“Just now.”

 

It was probably a lie. She must have said that to be considerate of me.

I was kind of grateful.

 

Children’s laughter could be heard in the distance.

 

I finally felt that we really had come to an orphanage.

 

I got out of the carriage, squinting at the bright sunlight.

 

Vienna was already approaching the orphanage from afar.

 

“Uh…? Vienna Unnie!!!”

 

“Vienna Noona!!!!”

 

And the children, having discovered Vienna, came running towards her.

 

The children threw themselves and attached to her.

 

“Don’t hang on me!”

 

Vienna shouted, but the children didn’t even pretend to hear her.

 

They just hugged Vienna as if they were cicadas.

 

“Ugh..! The clothes are torn!! Away!”

 

“Noona! I missed you!!”

 

“Why did you come now, Unnie!!”

 

Vienna was barraged both verbally and physically.

 

I laughed.

 

Vienna, who always bothered me, couldn’t resist children. I found it funny that she was being bullied, but I knew she was also happy by their gestures.

 

The eyes of the children also moved to me.

 

“Noona. Who is that Oppa?”

 

“Eh. Isn't he sick? His face doesn't look healthy.”

 

“You idiot, he must be Unnie’s boyfriend!”

 

“What…? No! Noona is mine!”

 

Many children spoke freely about their thoughts.

 

Even so, one held onto Vienna tightly.

 

Vienna’s popularity was considerable. It wasn’t my first time seeing her serving in an orphanage, but she was always amazing. I thought it was proof that she put a lot of effort behind the scenes.

 

“What?! Him, why is that idiot my boyfriend? No, he’s not!”

 

“Uh? No?”

 

"Stop it! Away!"

 

When she heard what the children were shouting, she jumped up.

 

She told a girl who looked a bit mature.

 

“Of course!! I’m not such an idiot, I’m going to meet someone much better!!”

 

“…What about me?”

 

Another child intervened in their tumultuous gap.

 

I heard from Lily Noona yesterday that we were not meant to be lovers.

 

Looking at Vienna's reaction, it seemed my self-esteem was being lowered even further.

 

“Hyung!! Whoever you are! Vienna Noona is mine, so if you touch her, you will die!”

 

A little boy who looked to be about 7 years old declared with ambition.

 

He was cute, so I stroked his hair.

 

“I get it. But didn't Vienna say that in order to be her lover, you have to be much cooler than me?”

 

I rolled up one sleeve to show off my biceps.

 

The child giggled and took a step back.

 

Kids loved such simple things.

 

“Wow, that oppa’s muscles are really big..”

 

“I want to play with that Oppa!”

 

A girl clinging to Vienna abandoned her and jumped at me.

 

However, with the sound of 'kek', she was held in place.

 

Vienna was holding her through her clothes.

 

“No. You play with me. That fool is going to play with the boys.”

 

“What?? I want to play with that oppa too!”

 

Then Vienna’s expression hardened.

 

“Listen.”

 

The atmosphere cooled down.

 

The young girl was started by the sudden change in Vienna's mood.

 

One shouldn’t think of Vienna as an ordinary saintess.

 

She was different from ordinary saintesses who were benevolent, patient, pure, and had great empathy.

 

She used to be like that too.

 

In the past, she, like other saintesses, used honorifics for everyone and prayed in front of those who were struggling.

 

But the longer I bonded with her, the more I learned that it wasn’t her nature.

 

She was reluctant to shake hands with people who had strange things on their hands, and when she heard harsh words, she had a hard time holding back.

 

She got bored of listening to subjects she wasn’t interested in.

 

Being an orphan, it was inevitable for Vienna, who grew up in the church, to become a saintess, but living as a saintess did not suit her nature.

 

When was the last time she changed into who she was now?

 

…Was it after we first drank together?

 

She was a saintess, but I was surprised that she could drink.

 

We drank so much then that I couldn’t remember what she said.

 

In any case, it was not unusual for Vienna to be serious about children in this way.

 

If she didn’t like something, she became more severe than one could imagine.

 

“If you don’t listen to me like this, I won’t come often in the future.”

 

“Ah! Okay!! Okay! I won’t play with that Oppa!”

 

Vienna was really good at intimidating kids.

 

Of course, I didn't speak my thoughts outside.

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The children’s stamina was terrifying.

 

We played continuously without a break.

 

Maybe it was because they were boys, but if one took their eyes off them for a while, they were seen doing something dangerous.

 

If one didn’t immediately mediate among them, quarrels would occur, and that’s how I spent my time.

 

I wondered if this was why Vienna didn’t disturb my sleep in the carriage.

 

“Sigh… I want to rest.”

 

A few boys, who made mistakes while playing games and were eliminated, were sitting down with me.

 

-Tap

 

Someone touched me.

 

Looking back, it was Vienna.

 

“Are you enjoying it?”

 

Looking at her face, my displeasure jumped out.

 

Leaving all the boys who were hard to manage for me, she dared to ask that?

 

“Vienna, it’s too much, really.”

 

“What is too much?”

 

Vieena sat down beside me.

 

The sun was setting.

 

And what I felt while walking around with the children was that it was a beautiful place.

 

The high mountains in the distance, the stream that came out a short walk away, and the surrounding grasses were all beautiful.

 

I wondered if it would have been a good resort if it weren’t for taking care of children.

 

“Leaving all the boys to me? I didn’t expect it to be so tiring.”

 

“Huh. Did you think it would be comfortable to come to the service?”

 

I never thought of wanting to serve.

 

Of course, that didn’t mean it was not rewarding. However, after excluding the joy of playing with children, the devastated body remained.

 

“Eh. Okay. But in that case, because of the wish ticket, will we be here until tomorrow?”

 

Vienna, who was sitting next to me, looked at me curiously.

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“…Yes?”

 

Did Vienna forget about the wish ticket?

 

So what was I doing now?

 

Anxiety crept in.

 

I explained to her.

 

“Didn’t I decide to give you guys a wish ticket to make you let go of your anger last time?”

 

“I know that...”

 

Know? But what is this reaction?

 

"..."

 

“But my wish is not to stay until tomorrow! I told you my wish was to stay up all night!”

 

“… What?”

 

I knew that the first wish was to stay up all night together.

 

But now that we’ve come this far, I thought the plan might have changed.

 

Wasn’t it her wish for me to help her here?

 

“No, we have something to do when the kids sleep, we'll stay up the whole night here.”

 

"Whole night? No, then why am I here?"

 

“Because you said you’d grant me a wish, you’d have to do it in the night.”

 

“But you said you didn't use the wish ticket to bring me here…?”

 

“How can that be a wish, of course, you have to come with me!”

 

Vienna shot back.

 

“No, why is that obvious, Vienna…”

 

“It’s time to spend with me. Then, whatever you do during that time, that is not a wish!”

 

It was too forced.

 

It was not like I was a slave for the time we spent together.

 

I didn’t have an opinion on why or how to spend my time.

 

Vienna sometimes had a habit of looking at me too much like an object, like a possession.

 

Today was exhaustingly difficult, but this wasn’t even a wish or anything.

 

Did I really have to stay up all night?

 

Fatigue crept in.

 

However, since this was not a wish, I could throw it away and go to rest.

 

“Hyung!! It’s over! Come back!!”

 

Children's shout was heard in the distance.

 

Children who smiled brightly at me.

 

I couldn’t just throw these kids away because I was having a hard time.

 

Judging from Vienna’s tone, it seemed like talking to her wouldn’t change anything.

 

This wasn’t the first time I’d had a conversation like this.

 

I didn’t want to get more tired of arguing in a state where I was already exhausted.

 

“… Okay, Vienna. Okay, so don’t be angry. Yes. Certainly, you never changed your wish.”

 

Looking back, my fault was bigger.

 

I should have checked it from the start.

 

I was a fool for thinking that this was a wish just based on a guess that it would be difficult doing it if it weren't a wish.

 

“…Then you’ll stay up all night with me?”

 

“Yes. Let’s do it.”

 

“Hehe.”

 

She was impatient, got angry quickly, and quickly cooled down if the reason for her anger disappeared.

 

If I didn't want to fight with Vienna, it was better to just listen.

 

As a result, I always seemed to listen to Vienna’s words.

 

I brushed my butt and stood up.

 

“Vienna, then I’ll play with the kids a little longer and come back.”

 

“Yes. Okay. Oh, Starchis?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“You know, it’s time for dinner in a little while.”

 

“Okay.”

 

After that, I went to the children.

 

In order to play with the children, I loosened my expression a little and forcibly put a smile on my lips.

 

But in reality... My eyes were heavy, my legs were heavy, and I just wanted to sleep.

 

****

 

“Hey, guys!! Slowly!! Stop running and stand in line!”

 

I didn't remember how many times I had said this, but again, I made a loud noise to break through the noisy children’s voices.

 

But the kids were kids, and they didn’t even pretend to hear it.

 

They shoved each other, splashed water on each other, played, and noisily received food.

 

“Tell me. Can I imitate Hyung well?”

 

“Try it!”

 

“Kids!! Please!! Don’t run!!”

 

I heard the voices of children making fun of me.

 

I burst out laughing, but my strength was also limited.

 

Vienna said she had some business with the director of the orphanage, so she wasn’t here.

 

Maybe she ran away for a while? I thought about this too.

 

“There!! Don’t steal your friends’ food!”

 

“But that’s not enough!”

 

“Friends are equally lacking. Let’s be patient.”

 

The food served was bread. Not too big, not too soft. Not too much in quantity.

 

It was bread prepared just for the number of people.

 

-"Hey, let’s go and fill it up with water."

 

-"Yeah, I was hungry yesterday too…"

 

As I was handing the pieces of bread, I heard a little heartbreaking voice from behind.

 

“I’ll share them slowly, one by one.”

 

I told the children.

 

“Thank you.”

 

Some children patted their stomachs and received it, and some children broke their own bread to give to a child who seemed to be their younger siblings.

 

The amount of food was small and the distribution was over quickly.

 

The food of both Vienna and the director, who were not present, was also set aside.

 

And just as I was about to pick up my dinner, the last little piece of bread left, a boy came up to me.

 

It was the boy who had earlier declared Vienna to be his.

 

I was able to infer the reason why he came while watching him.

 

“Oh, the future husband of Vienne. What’s up?”

 

“…”

 

But he did not open his mouth easily.

 

Well, he felt a rivalry with me, so it wouldn’t be easy to ask for help.

 

After hesitating for a while, he asked in a crawling voice.

 

“Hyung… I don’t have any more…?”

 

I expected it, but it felt saltier than I thought.

 

There was something heartbreaking about children doing this.

 

It reminded me of my childhood.

 

I think one of the things I said the most to my older brother was ‘Hyung, I’m hungry’.

 

Then my brother would get food from somewhere and feed me.

 

How hard Hyung must have tried to get that little food?

 

Did hyung feel this feeling when he saw me at that time?

 

“You're hungry?”

 

-Nod Nod

 

Then he glanced at my face once and glanced at my arm.

 

“…And I have to eat a lot to get more muscles than Hyung.”

 

I laughed out loud.

 

Yes, there was a reason for that.

 

It was so cute that I touched his head.

 

I was going to give my share anyway, but I wanted to give it more willingly.

 

I glanced around at the other kids and whispered to him.

 

“Okay. Eat this. There was one piece of bread left. But will you keep it a secret from the other friends?”

 

The child took the bread with both hands, widening his eyes.

 

“Thank you, Hyung!!”

 

“Shh. It’s a secret. You have to be quiet.”

 

“Yes!!”

 

“Come on, hide somewhere and eat.”

 

-Nod Nod

 

He nodded vigorously, grabbed the bread under his clothes, and ran off somewhere.

 

I couldn’t eat dinner, but it warmed my heart.

 

And if I ate something when I was sleepy like this, I would be even more sleepy.

 

At that moment, I saw Vienna walking with the director from afar.

 

“Vienna. Director. Hurry.”

 

The director was an old woman with a warm smile.

 

Hearing my words, Vienna jumped first.

 

“Starchis, did you wait?”

 

“Nope. I ate first.”

 

She pouted at my answer.

 

“Did you eat it alone because you couldn’t wait? Are you a pig?”

 

Originally, I was going to wait and eat together, but it turned out like this.

 

I handed her bread that was kept aside for her and decided to ignore her words. I knew she didn't mean those words anyway.

 

“Did you talk to the director?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“What were you talking about?”

 

“You will find out soon.”

 

Then she took a bite.

 

The director came soon after.

 

She was giving me an apologetic look.

 

“I am really sorry that I couldn’t even serve dinner properly to the person who worked hard all day.”

 

“No. It was nothing.”

 

“Right! We are fine!”

 

“Oh… I feel so bad that I can’t help you even though you have such a tired face.”

 

The older director stretched her hand toward my face.

 

But it was not really the director’s fault that my face was like this, instead, it was of the saintess next to her.

 

-Pluc!

 

Vienna held the director’s hand in the middle.

 

Of course, the director and I were slightly surprised, and even Vienna looked surprised.

 

“Uh… That, so. Starchis’s face is messy, so it’s better not to touch it. You are going to eat now, so can you make your hands dirty?”

 

“… Vienna, Starchis ssi's feelings will be hurt. Let’s just say pretty things to each other.”

 

Vienna put bread in her mouth, evading the next words.

 

She then hesitated and let go of the director’s hand.

 

The director turned her gaze back to me.

 

“And I made this mistake again… I almost put my hand on Starchis ssi's face without thinking about how would you feel. I apologize.”

 

“No. It’s okay. I don’t care.”

 

At my words, the director smiled benevolently.

 

“You really have a big heart. I have seen many people who have come to volunteer, but it has been a long time since I have seen anyone who has cared for children as diligently as Starchis ssi.”

 

“Ahaha… The kids are cute.”

 

“Right, Starchis? Aren’t the kids cute?”

 

Vienna stayed still only for a little while. But again, she was back to usual.

 

She had her arms crossed triumphantly.

 

It seemed that the bread had already been eaten.

 

“That’s why I asked you to come.”

 

That was the reason she brought me here.

 

The kids were cute, so she wanted to show them to me too.

 

I knew her intentions were good, but…

 

Actually, kids were the cutest when watched from afar.

 

Taking care of them… Honestly, it was hard.

 

But I just left her be and didn't say such thoughts.

 

“Even if kids are cute, difficult things are difficult. Thank you for your hard work, both of you.”

 

Did the director know how to read minds?

 

She seemed to know how to put people at ease.

 

It reminded me of the saying, “Pretty words were for your own dignity, not for others.”

 

The more she spoke, the more a halo behind her seemed to shine.

 

“Starchis ssi, all I can do is… I know a very pretty place that no one else knows. I’ll tell you where it is, so go and have a good time with Vienna. From now on, I will take care of the children. I am sorry that I can only do this.”

 

Vienna nodded and looked at me.

 

She seemed to be asking, ‘Is it good?’

 

Judging by the calm expression on her face, it seemed that everything had already been decided.

 

How were we going to stay up all night?

 

That question seemed to have found its answer now.

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