try begging

"under...."

And, bringing you here. As if boasting about the fruits of a passionate love.

This child is not that sweet boy's child. The boy from Abington Beach is long dead. So Daisy should be dead too. She's back where it all began, not even Grace Riddle.

No. They'll kill me. They'll abandon me and leave me.

Grace muttered as she held the sleepy child in her arms.

If you just let me go, I'll leave.

º º º

Even though it was November, the border between fall and winter, the south was so warm that a trench coat felt thick. As I opened the window, cool, humid air poured into the taxi along with the smell of the sea.

Taxis started racing down the road that separated the shopping district and the beach from the train station. During the peak season, this bustling downtown area was bustling past midnight, but now, during the off-season, it was eerie.

Leon, who had been staring out the window with sunken eyes, raised his head as the entrance to the carnival passed before his eyes. Soon, a Ferris wheel towering over the black sky came into view.

You're still there.

The sight of the lights going out and the place standing still seemed as if time had stopped forever. At that moment, at that time.

Maybe that's what memories are like. They're like a closed carnival, with the lights off and sleeping, but the moment you look for memories, the lights come on and they come alive again.

That was the moment when the switch of memories clicked.

The boy who was kissing the girl sitting on top of the Ferris wheel suddenly turned his head towards him and glared at him with resentful eyes. A silent cry soon reached his ears.

A fool.

I told you to tell me what you don't know.

As he leaned his arm against the window and buried his face in his hands, the taxi stopped in front of a white brick building after going over a couple of hills. Leon put on the sunglasses he had kept in the front pocket of his suit jacket.

"You stay here."

He left Pierce in the cab and headed to the entrance of the building with Campbell. As soon as Campbell rang the front doorbell, the door opened and a middle-aged man smiled nervously at the two.

"Mr. Hopper?"

"Yes, that's right. Please come in."

The real estate agent guided the two to the third floor, repeatedly wiping his sweaty forehead with a handkerchief.

"I had no idea that the gold was wanted...."

"I'm not involved in any crime, so don't worry."

Hopper finally let out a deep sigh of relief at the words of the young man in the officer's uniform. He had sold the gold bars he had received as rent from the tenant last spring and the two he had bought in the summer to the bank a week ago, and had been daydreaming all day long since he received a call from the military today.

He stopped in front of room 303 and took the key out of his pocket. Soon the door slowly opened, and a neatly arranged interior with furniture and fixtures came into view. There was no trace of human presence or warmth.

"You said you left two months ago?"

The man, who had been keeping his mouth shut until now, strode inside and asked in a commanding tone.

"yes."

The young man, who seemed to be at best his nephew, acted arrogantly, but Hopper had no choice but to respond politely. He was wearing civilian clothes, so his status or position was unknown, but judging from the intimidating aura and attitude he exuded, he seemed to be a high-ranking military officer.

"why?"

"Actually, Mrs. Baker... ."

The moment I tried to explain, the man snorted.

"Did that woman say my name was Mary Baker?"

"Yes, that's right."

Leon took a deep breath and suppressed his pent-up anger. The woman had left him a friendly, mocking message, as if she had expected him to track her down.

"Keep going."

"Yes, actually, my wife wanted to extend the contract for another month or two, but the landlord refused, saying that such a short contract was only possible during the summer."

Since then, the apartment has been vacant as no contract has been signed.

Leon had to swallow his anger once again. If only the contract had been extended, he would have gotten Grace and the child back by now, ending the hunt that had been going on for nearly a year.

But it wasn't all hopeless. The suffering of half a year was over. Grace and the child were alive. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that I had spent the past half year just figuring out that one thing.

"Did the woman live alone?"

"As far as I know, yes."

"You must have taken the child with you when you moved out, right?"

The broker nodded, his eyes looking as if he had no idea why he was asking such an obvious question.

"under...."

I found out another thing. Grace didn't abandon his child. That's why I laughed when I narrowly missed her again.

After all, that lonely woman can't abandon her child, who is no different from her. Even if she runs away from him, she will drag the chain of her child along the floor, and as time passes, the chain becomes heavier. Eventually, she will be caught.

Leon saw hope in despair.

"I don't know where it went."

"I don't know. I offered to show her another house nearby, but Mrs. Baker changed her mind."

Where did it go?

I know the final destination. I will go to my aunt in Columbia. I have been checking the immigration offices at all ports regularly, but there have been no reports of the wanted woman.

When on earth was that woman planning to leave the country? Leon thought back to what the doctor had said when he came to the annex for a checkup around Christmas last year. At six months old, she was old enough to take a long-distance trip by boat.

Is it getting close to the time when that woman will enter the trap?

He asked a few more questions, but the broker knew little. He had only seen him a few times for contracts and bullion purchases, so it made sense. Leon sent the broker away and gave Campbell an order.

"Go and ask your neighbors."

It was too late to knock on someone's door, but the moment they saw the officer's uniform, their frowning faces cleared and they answered the questions obediently.

"She lived alone and rarely spoke to him. I've seen her go out with a child sometimes, but I don't know her gender or name. The woman who lives in the house across the street said that a maid came and went every day, so maybe she knows."

"You stay here and find the maid. Another thing, when the sun rises, go to the registry office and check to see if there have been any children registered with the name Baker since last May."

However, it is possible that the woman did not give the child the surname she used in a mocking tone.

"Let's also find out if there is a girl registered in another castle with the name Angela."

If it was Grace, I guessed she would have named the girl after my mother, whom she admired. However, I had no idea what she would have named the boy. It was certainly quite a touching thing that she would have named her first son after him, as was the custom of long ago, but I couldn't even imagine it.

On the one hand, there is a possibility that the birth was not reported, but there was no harm in investigating.

After completing his instructions, Leon slowly looked around the empty house where his child and the woman had lived. There was no trace of the woman in the space that had been thoroughly cleaned to welcome new residents.

His lips, which had been stiff the whole time, softened the moment he opened the bedroom door.

There were two beds in the small bedroom. A double bed, and a baby's crib with a railing. The moment I opened the door, I wasn't mistaken when I smelled a faint baby scent.

Leon's lips slowly curved upward as he approached the crib. He looked down at the empty mattress, caressing the crib railing with his bare hands as if it were his child.

My child was here.

He suddenly turned around and looked at the bed.

And that's where my child was born.

Leon sat on the bed, which looked extremely shabby. He stroked the dusty mattress, thinking of moments he didn't know, and felt a warmth that couldn't possibly remain.

An unfamiliar feeling welled up in my chest. What had been a tingling thrill soon turned into a whip that roughly struck my heart.

"under...."

The emotions were wrapping around my heart and squeezing it, squeezing it so much that it hurt. It should have hurt, but I just kept bursting out in laughter. It wasn't bad.

Leon closed his eyes and imagined.

What will my and Grace's child look like?

It's nice for a child to resemble the woman he loves, but Leon pictured a child who resembled him. Grace is leaning against this bed. In her arms, a child who has inherited his appearance is fast asleep.

I felt a strange sense of joy.

How could she not let go of such a being? Perhaps Grace's heart would grow in love for the child and sow the seed of love for him. I felt a cowardly hope sprout.

Leon, who had been immersed in a sweet yet bitter sleep of imagination, opened his eyes with a start at the faint sound he heard.

************************************************** ***

"under...."

And, bringing you here. As if boasting about the fruits of a passionate love.

This child is not that sweet boy's child. The boy from Abington Beach is long dead. So Daisy should be dead too. She's back where it all began, not even Grace Riddle.

No. They'll kill me. They'll abandon me and leave me.

Grace muttered as she held the sleepy child in her arms.

If you just let me go, I'll leave.

º º º

Even though it was November, the border between fall and winter, the south was so warm that a trench coat felt thick. As I opened the window, cool, humid air poured into the taxi along with the smell of the sea.

Taxis started racing down the road that separated the shopping district and the beach from the train station. During the peak season, this bustling downtown area was bustling past midnight, but now, during the off-season, it was eerie.

Leon, who had been staring out the window with sunken eyes, raised his head as the entrance to the carnival passed before his eyes. Soon, a Ferris wheel towering over the black sky came into view.

You're still there.

The sight of the lights going out and the place standing still seemed as if time had stopped forever. At that moment, at that time.

Maybe that's what memories are like. They're like a closed carnival, with the lights off and sleeping, but the moment you look for memories, the lights come on and they come alive again.

That was the moment when the switch of memories clicked.

The boy who was kissing the girl sitting on top of the Ferris wheel suddenly turned his head towards him and glared at him with resentful eyes. A silent cry soon reached his ears.

A fool.

I told you to tell me what you don't know.

As he leaned his arm against the window and buried his face in his hands, the taxi stopped in front of a white brick building after going over a couple of hills. Leon put on the sunglasses he had kept in the front pocket of his suit jacket.

"You stay here."

He left Pierce in the cab and headed to the entrance of the building with Campbell. As soon as Campbell rang the front doorbell, the door opened and a middle-aged man smiled nervously at the two.

"Mr. Hopper?"

"Yes, that's right. Please come in."

The real estate agent guided the two to the third floor, repeatedly wiping his sweaty forehead with a handkerchief.

"I had no idea that the gold was wanted...."

"I'm not involved in any crime, so don't worry."

Hopper finally let out a deep sigh of relief at the words of the young man in the officer's uniform. He had sold the gold bars he had received as rent from the tenant last spring and the two he had bought in the summer to the bank a week ago, and had been daydreaming all day long since he received a call from the military today.

He stopped in front of room 303 and took the key out of his pocket. Soon the door slowly opened, and a neatly arranged interior with furniture and fixtures came into view. There was no trace of human presence or warmth.

"You said you left two months ago?"

The man, who had been keeping his mouth shut until now, strode inside and asked in a commanding tone.

"yes."

The young man, who seemed to be at best his nephew, acted arrogantly, but Hopper had no choice but to respond politely. He was wearing civilian clothes, so his status or position was unknown, but judging from the intimidating aura and attitude he exuded, he seemed to be a high-ranking military officer.

"why?"

"Actually, Mrs. Baker... ."

The moment I tried to explain, the man snorted.

"Did that woman say my name was Mary Baker?"

"Yes, that's right."

Leon took a deep breath and suppressed his pent-up anger. The woman had left him a friendly, mocking message, as if she had expected him to track her down.

"Keep going."

"Yes, actually, my wife wanted to extend the contract for another month or two, but the landlord refused, saying that such a short contract was only possible during the summer."

Since then, the apartment has been vacant as no contract has been signed.

Leon had to swallow his anger once again. If only the contract had been extended, he would have gotten Grace and the child back by now, ending the hunt that had been going on for nearly a year.

But it wasn't all hopeless. The suffering of half a year was over. Grace and the child were alive. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that I had spent the past half year just figuring out that one thing.

"Did the woman live alone?"

"As far as I know, yes."

"You must have taken the child with you when you moved out, right?"

The broker nodded, his eyes looking as if he had no idea why he was asking such an obvious question.

"under...."

I found out another thing. Grace didn't abandon his child. That's why I laughed when I narrowly missed her again.

After all, that lonely woman can't abandon her child, who is no different from her. Even if she runs away from him, she will drag the chain of her child along the floor, and as time passes, the chain becomes heavier. Eventually, she will be caught.

Leon saw hope in despair.

"I don't know where it went."

"I don't know. I offered to show her another house nearby, but Mrs. Baker changed her mind."

Where did it go?

I know the final destination. I will go to my aunt in Columbia. I have been checking the immigration offices at all ports regularly, but there have been no reports of the wanted woman.

When on earth was that woman planning to leave the country? Leon thought back to what the doctor had said when he came to the annex for a checkup around Christmas last year. At six months old, she was old enough to take a long-distance trip by boat.

Is it getting close to the time when that woman will enter the trap?

He asked a few more questions, but the broker knew little. He had only seen him a few times for contracts and bullion purchases, so it made sense. Leon sent the broker away and gave Campbell an order.

"Go and ask your neighbors."

It was too late to knock on someone's door, but the moment they saw the officer's uniform, their frowning faces cleared and they answered the questions obediently.

"She lived alone and rarely spoke to him. I've seen her go out with a child sometimes, but I don't know her gender or name. The woman who lives in the house across the street said that a maid came and went every day, so maybe she knows."

"You stay here and find the maid. Another thing, when the sun rises, go to the registry office and check to see if there have been any children registered with the name Baker since last May."

However, it is possible that the woman did not give the child the surname she used in a mocking tone.

"Let's also find out if there is a girl registered in another castle with the name Angela."

If it was Grace, I guessed she would have named the girl after my mother, whom she admired. However, I had no idea what she would have named the boy. It was certainly quite a touching thing that she would have named her first son after him, as was the custom of long ago, but I couldn't even imagine it.

On the one hand, there is a possibility that the birth was not reported, but there was no harm in investigating.

After completing his instructions, Leon slowly looked around the empty house where his child and the woman had lived. There was no trace of the woman in the space that had been thoroughly cleaned to welcome new residents.

His lips, which had been stiff the whole time, softened the moment he opened the bedroom door.

There were two beds in the small bedroom. A double bed, and a baby's crib with a railing. The moment I opened the door, I wasn't mistaken when I smelled a faint baby scent.

Leon's lips slowly curved upward as he approached the crib. He looked down at the empty mattress, caressing the crib railing with his bare hands as if it were his child.

My child was here.

He suddenly turned around and looked at the bed.

And that's where my child was born.

Leon sat on the bed, which looked extremely shabby. He stroked the dusty mattress, thinking of moments he didn't know, and felt a warmth that couldn't possibly remain.

An unfamiliar feeling welled up in my chest. What had been a tingling thrill soon turned into a whip that roughly struck my heart.

"under...."

The emotions were wrapping around my heart and squeezing it, squeezing it so much that it hurt. It should have hurt, but I just kept bursting out in laughter. It wasn't bad.

Leon closed his eyes and imagined.

What will my and Grace's child look like?

It's nice for a child to resemble the woman he loves, but Leon pictured a child who resembled him. Grace is leaning against this bed. In her arms, a child who has inherited his appearance is fast asleep.

I felt a strange sense of joy.

How could she not let go of such a being? Perhaps Grace's heart would grow in love for the child and sow the seed of love for him. I felt a cowardly hope sprout.

Leon, who had been immersed in a sweet yet bitter sleep of imagination, opened his eyes with a start at the faint sound he heard.

************************************************** ***