“Hey.”

Rutger’s previously stern lips twisted into a smirk.

“Do you know what the best part of not having proper parents is?”

Trey shook his head, slowly retreating backward.

“You don’t get in trouble for beating up someone you don’t like.”

With that, Rutger’s fist flew toward Trey’s face.

He succeeded in flattening Trey’s already low nose, but unfortunately, he didn’t notice the shadow looming over him.

***

You must be proud to have such wonderful parents.

That’s what people always said. But his selfless doctor father had passed away long ago, and his renowned scholar mother, highly respected in academic circles, was rarely home due to her work.

The only family member Rutger saw daily was his stepfather, who had wasted his life on alcohol and cigarettes, with no savings to his name.

Despite marrying his wealthy mother for her looks, the man had long since let himself go. Rutger secretly wished that his stepfather would completely fall apart. If that happened, maybe he could convince his mother to divorce him.

“What’s the point of making brats write reflection papers? They just pretend to reflect and forget about it later.”

Heindel, oblivious to the thoughts swirling in his stepson’s head, placed another book on Rutger’s already burdened hands.

Rutger wasn’t weak by any means. He was always a head taller than kids his age, and he had never lost a fight. But the weight of the books Heindel dumped on him was too much for even him to handle. Heindel, ignoring Rutger’s struggle under the weight, sank deeper into his chair and lit a pipe.

“Sometimes, only real hardship can teach them to repent, don’t you think?”

Rutger, glaring at his stepfather with eyes full of hostility, shouted in frustration.

“Don’t you have anything better to do?”

“I’m certainly busier than you, whose whole life revolves around beating up your friends.”

“I told you, they’re not my friends!”

“Kids grow closer by fighting.”

Heindel Baylan replied calmly, taking a deep drag of his cigarette.

“And smoking in front of a kid is okay?”

Heindel waved his hand dismissively, as if he couldn’t be bothered.

“Just make sure to hold that posture. If you collapse, you’ll stay like that all night. I can’t figure out who you take after to be so hopeless.”

“…”

“Oh, but at least it’s not my responsibility.”

“Good for you. If I were your son, I’d be even more hopeless than I am now.”

Rutger had no intention of treating Heindel as his father. Their relationship was nothing more than two people living under the same roof, nothing less, nothing more. Even so, he tried to hold his tongue, deciding it wasn’t worth provoking him.

But Rutger, naturally rebellious by nature, couldn’t help but make a snide remark.

One of Heindel’s eyebrows shot up at his words.

Bang!

Rutger slammed the door shut with an irritated expression. He had always known that his stepfather, Heindel, was an odd man, but he hadn’t realized the man would go so far as to try to hit his stepson.

Running his hand through his hair in frustration, Rutger suddenly spotted a familiar figure.

Anita Rodel.

She seemed to have been sitting against a tree, reading a book. An awkward silence lingered between them. It was only then that Rutger noticed something strange. He narrowed his eyes.

The Anita Rodel he knew would’ve already rushed over to ask what was wrong. But her actions now were completely unexpected. When their eyes met, she offered an awkward smile and lowered her gaze to the book resting on her lap.

Could she still be upset because he pushed her away so harshly that time when she fell on him?

It didn’t seem entirely impossible.

After a moment of deliberation, Rutger approached the fence. He leaned on it, resting his chin on his hand, and stared at her intently. Her reaction came quickly. Anita, who had been hiding her face in her book, glanced in his direction. Their eyes met again. This time, she deliberately turned her head away with an obvious gesture, like a guilty thief caught red-handed.

“What’s up with you lately?”

“Huh?”

“You….”

Rutger’s words trailed off as he met Anita’s confused gaze. What was he even trying to say? Was he really about to ask why she wasn’t rushing over to him like she used to?

Just a few days ago, he had wished Anita Rodel would stop caring about him altogether. Hadn’t he been annoyed when she dragged him along to show him the treehouse he didn’t even care about?

If Anita Rodel was now going out of her way to avoid him, it should’ve been a welcome relief.

“Never mind.”

Rutger turned and started walking down the gravel path. Anita’s eyes widened as she realized he was heading out of the garden toward the street. She hesitated for a moment, then seemed to make up her mind, quickly closing the book on her lap and standing up.

“W-Wait a second. It’s almost sunset. Where are you going?”

Rutger paused just as he reached the gate, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

“Anywhere.”

“What are you talking about? Where else would you go at this time besides home?”

“I’d rather die than go back there.”

Home? More like a smoking room filled with Heindel’s awful cigarette smoke. It would be more fitting to call it that. Rutger was about to say that he’d rather lay down some newspaper on the street or sleep under a bridge than go back to that house. But the words lingered in his mouth and disappeared before he could speak them.

Instead, Rutger turned to look at Anita. Her innocent, wide-eyed expression blinked back at him as if she had no idea, and her white dress, without a single wrinkle, looked pristine. Nothing about her or the world she lived in fit with the harsh reality he was about to reveal.

To her, things like abuse or losing a parent were just events that happened in books, a plot device to give the protagonist a backstory and make the story more interesting.