*** Arte’s POV ***

‘I worried Unnie a lot too.’

She looked pained the more I cried. Honestly, I wanted to cry a bit more, but I also know that Unnie is busy with work. So I tried to hold myself back and told her I’m okay now. She seemed to worry even then. But I tried my best and I did stop crying in the end. It was only after I agreed to see Unnie again before I slept that she finally walked away.

‘I’m sorry to Unnie, but I want to be alone for now.’

I hid behind the tree, hugging my knees. This tree was big so I should be able to hide here until night. It was also close to the gate, so maybe, just maybe, I could see Oppa again if he decided to come back or pass by the orphanage.

‘Oppa...’

I tried to think back to everything that happened between us. Who knows, maybe I can find a clue on how to get Oppa to come back. First, let’s think about why Oppa left me.

‘Was it because of something I did?’

When I voiced that question back then, Unnie refuted it. She refuted all of my assumptions, actually, and even told me Oppa’s reason for leaving.

Despite what Unnie said, I couldn’t help feeling Oppa left because of something I’d done. After all, I did a lot of things that must have annoyed Oppa.

‘Have I ever done anything else besides that?’

I don’t think I have done anything good for Oppa either. The more I think about it, the more certain I become that I was the ultimate cause.

‘Oppa...’

I was wrong. Please forgive me. If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn’t be as selfish until now. Instead of just leaving everything up to Oppa, I would help with other things too. I will do everything better next time, so... could you please come back for me?

However, was the world originally this cruel? Even if I waited and continued to wish for him to come back, Oppa never came back, even after the sun had set. It was soon time for dinner. This means that it was also time for me to leave this place and turn away from Oppa.

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But what if Oppa came back during that time? Furthermore, even if Oppa chooses to abandon me, can I do the same and abandon him?

‘No... if both of us turn away from each other, then everything is gonna be over.’

I don’t want that. I don’t want my relationship with Oppa to end like this. So what should I do if I don’t want our relationship to end? The answer is obvious.

‘If Oppa is not going to come and find me, then I just have to come and find Oppa.’

I wiped my watery eyes with the sleeve of my new dress, grabbed my magic staff tightly, and walked toward the gate. But how am I going to find him?

‘His smell... No, he must be quite far, so I can’t tell... What about magic?’

Is there any magic that I can use for the search? Even if there’s none, I can probably make it somehow.

I raised my head and gazed upon the world. Then, as always, I arrived at the correct answer.

Wow, there really are many things in the world that I can use for searching for someone. But amongst the many choices, I decided to use the wind as a base.

“Right... right! If it’s the wind, I can use it for many things too! For example, I can ask the wind to bring back the voices of people talking from afar! Or even to bring Oppa’s sweet smell to me so I can find him!”

I talked cheerfully and tried to forget the sad feelings for now. After all, before I do anything else, I should do something about these painful feelings first!

‘Pain, pain, go away!’

[Wind], [Disperse]

I blew the wind as if blowing my sadness and frustration away.

‘Much better!’

Now, it was time to give it my all to find Oppa!

[Wind]

I asked the wind to bring Oppa’s smell to me in a trailing path so I can follow. It only took one try for me to do that.

I caught hints of Oppa’s sweet scent mixed with hints of grass and dirt from the road. The problem is, I find not only one trail, but several trails that point in different directions!

‘Too many! Just tell me where the strongest smell is!’

The strongest one must also be the most recent one. So I ignored everything else and narrowed the choice to one.

‘Oppa is outside of town! And he is running pretty fast too!’

I felt hurt to know Oppa wanted to leave me behind by running so fast, but I will catch up to him! I wouldn’t be defeated by such a feeling!

I clenched my fists and started chasing after Oppa. Riding a solidified wind at times and pulling my body with threads at other times.

‘Wait for me, Oppa! Because I will catch up to you one day!’

No matter how far he runs, I will chase Oppa to the ends of the world and apologize! Nothing can stop me from being at his side again.

With a strong hope for the future, my heart grows lighter with every second that passes. I move towards him with everything I have, looking forward to the day we meet again.

***