Chapter Text  章节正文

“I’ll take two large fruit tarts as well, please.”
“我还要两个大水果挞，谢谢。”

“Of course, I’ll get that wrapped up for you.” Persephone gingerly slid one fruit tart into one of their custom to-go boxes, careful not to ruin the perfectly arranged assortment of fruit atop the dessert. “Is this for a special occasion? You don’t usually get this much.”
“当然，我这就给您打包。”珀耳塞福涅小心翼翼地将一个水果挞滑入他们定制的打包盒中，生怕破坏了甜点上完美排列的水果。“这是为了什么特别的场合吗？您通常不会买这么多。”

Since opening their shop a year ago, Persephone had gotten to know the locals who frequented her store. This customer was actually one of their earlier patrons, and she had been coming in consistently at least twice a month since the beginning.
自从一年前开店以来，珀耳塞福涅已经认识了那些经常光顾她店铺的当地人。这位顾客实际上是他们早期的常客之一，从一开始她就每月至少来两次。

“Persephone, you know how much my husband loves these fruit tarts. He could probably eat a whole tart by himself in one sitting.”
“珀耳塞福涅，你知道我丈夫有多喜欢这些水果挞。他可能一次就能吃掉一整个。”

She laughed, shaking her head. 
她笑了，摇了摇头。

“But yes, it is for a special occasion. We’re celebrating with the whole family and I wanted to make sure there was enough for all of them,” she answered, lowering her head and rubbing her belly, “including this little one.”
“是的，这是为了一个特别的场合。我们要和全家人一起庆祝，我想确保有足够的食物给他们所有人，”她低下头，揉了揉肚子，“包括这个小家伙。”

Persephone’s eyes widened as she sucked in a quiet breath. “Oh my goodness, congratulations! How far along are you?”
珀耳塞福涅睁大了眼睛，轻轻吸了一口气。“哦，天哪，恭喜你！你怀孕多久了？”

“I’m still in my first trimester so I’ve got a ways to go.”
“我现在还在怀孕初期，所以还有很长的路要走。”

“That’s amazing though, I’m sure everyone is excited.”
“那真是太棒了，我相信大家都很兴奋。”

“My son is probably the most excited. He’s barely three and every morning, he checks my tummy, asking where his younger sibling is.”
“我儿子可能是最兴奋的。他还不到三岁，每天早上都会检查我的肚子，问他的弟弟妹妹在哪里。”

“That’s adorable,” Persephone remarked, smiling softly.
“真可爱，”珀耳塞福涅轻声说道，脸上带着温柔的笑意。

“Do you have any of your own?”
“你有自己的吗？”

“Oh,” Her smile remained steady, “I do not.”
“哦，”她的笑容依然稳定，“我不。”

Persephone handed the boxes of pastries to her, waving goodbye and congratulating her again. When she exited the store, the bright smile on Persephone’s face dimmed. Sighing quietly, she began restocking the empty trays of food on display.
珀耳塞福涅把糕点盒递给她，挥手告别并再次祝贺她。当她离开商店时，珀耳塞福涅脸上的灿烂笑容暗淡了下来。她轻轻叹了口气，开始重新摆放展示柜上空的食品托盘。

For the past two years, Persephone and Hades had been making numerous visits to fertility specialists. She underwent a slew of medical examinations and testing but everything came back ‘normal’—there was no anatomic, hormonal, or genetic explanation for why she was having so much difficulty conceiving. She almost wished they found something wrong with her. That way, every time she watched her cousins play with her nieces and nephews, she could find something to blame rather than letting her self-hatred gnaw away at her mind.
在过去的两年里，珀耳塞福涅和哈迪斯多次拜访了生育专家。她接受了一系列的医学检查和测试，但所有结果都显示“正常”——没有解剖、激素或遗传方面的解释来说明她为什么如此难以怀孕。她几乎希望他们能发现她有什么问题。那样的话，每次她看到表兄弟姐妹们和她的侄女侄子们玩耍时，她就可以找到一些可以责怪的东西，而不是让自我憎恨啃噬她的心灵。

“Persephone?”  “珀耳塞福涅？”

She whirled around, tongs in her hand. Hades was wiping his hands dry on a towel, a stack of clean dishware beside him on the counter.
她转过身，手里拿着夹子。Hades 正用毛巾擦干双手，身旁的台子上放着一摞干净的餐具。

“Do you need any help?”
“你需要帮忙吗？”

She crouched down, rearranging the croissants until they were perfectly aligned on the tray. “No, I’m fine.”
“她蹲下来，重新摆放牛角包，直到它们在托盘上完美对齐。” “不，我没事。”

Hades moved closer, bending down to glimpse at her face. “Everything alright?”
“哈迪斯走近了些，弯下腰去看她的脸。” “一切都好吗？”

She met his gaze. Smiling, she reassured, “Yeah. Everything’s fine.”
“她迎上他的目光，微笑着安慰道：‘是的，一切都很好。’”

The rest of the day passed without event. Because it was the weekend, there was definitely a steadier flow of customers which kept her distracted from her thoughts. Eventually, the last of the customers trickled out the door, and Persephone released a quiet sigh at the mess they left behind.
“这一天剩下的时间平静地过去了。因为是周末，顾客明显更多，这让她暂时忘记了思绪。最终，最后一位顾客也慢慢走出了门，珀耳塞福涅看着他们留下的混乱，轻轻叹了口气。”

“Persephone, do you mind picking up the groceries?” Hades requested, from inside the kitchen. “I just called and they said it’s ready.”
“‘珀耳塞福涅，你能去取一下杂货吗？’哈迪斯在厨房里请求道，‘我刚打电话，他们说已经准备好了。’”

Deciding the cluttered tables would be a later problem, she readily agreed. She darted out the store, too lazy to remove her apron as she took a deep breath of the crisp air. She absolutely loved the smell of freshly-baked bread but it could become stifling after several hours.
她决定稍后再处理那些凌乱的桌子，便欣然同意了。她飞快地冲出店门，懒得脱下围裙，深吸了一口清新的空气。她非常喜欢新鲜出炉的面包香味，但几个小时后，这种味道可能会变得令人窒息。

She retrieved several bags of groceries from the local shop down the street. An elderly couple ran the store for the past forty years, and Hades refused to purchase produce from anywhere else. Persephone could understand why—they had some of the freshest and sweetest strawberries she’d ever tasted, and she was caught quite frequently for pilfering strawberries from the fridge (so much so that Hades always added two extra boxes to his order so that she could eat to her heart’s content).
她从街角的本地商店取了几袋杂货。一对老夫妇经营这家店已有四十年，而哈迪斯拒绝从其他地方购买农产品。珀耳塞福涅能理解为什么——他们有她尝过的最新鲜、最甜的草莓，她经常被抓到从冰箱里偷草莓（以至于哈迪斯总是在订单中多加两盒，让她可以尽情享用）。

Humming softly to herself, Persephone ambled down the walkway back to her bakery. The sun was beginning to set, casting the town in a soft golden glow.
珀耳塞福涅轻声哼着歌，沿着小路慢慢走回她的面包店。太阳开始落山，给小镇披上了一层柔和的金色光辉。

Her footsteps slowed to a stop when she noticed a child staring through the bakery windowfront. He looked to be around six years old, certainly no more than ten. He was a rather thin child, and the white T-shirt and red shorts accentuated this. Night was beginning to settle in, and Persephone wondered where his parents were. This area wasn’t dangerous but some folks liked to stir up trouble late at night.
当她注意到一个孩子透过面包店的橱窗往里看时，她的脚步慢了下来。他看起来大约六岁，肯定不超过十岁。他是个相当瘦弱的孩子，白色的 T 恤和红色的短裤更突显了这一点。夜幕开始降临，珀耳塞福涅想知道他的父母在哪里。这个地区并不危险，但有些人喜欢在深夜惹是生非。

She watched the way his jaw dropped as his wide eyes darted from pastry to pastry, the image akin to a tiny puppy rapidly wagging its tail.
她看着他张大嘴巴，眼睛在糕点之间快速扫视，那样子就像一只小狗在快速摇尾巴。

Amused, she resumed her pace.
她感到有趣，继续往前走。

“Oh?” The boy nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of her voice. “Who do we have here?”
“哦？”男孩听到她的声音，差点跳了起来。“我们这儿有谁啊？”

His eyes flitted everywhere but her face. Fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, he quietly said, “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to just stand here…” He clutched onto his shirt, gazing towards the ground. “I’ll go now.”
“他的目光四处游移，唯独避开了她的脸。他摆弄着衬衫的下摆，轻声说道：‘哦，对不起，我不是故意站在这里的……’他紧紧抓住衬衫，目光投向地面。‘我现在就走。’”

Persephone stepped forward, about to answer when a tiny but sustained growl came from the boy’s stomach. Yelping in embarrassment, he clutched his stomach and Persephone couldn’t help but laugh.
“珀耳塞福涅向前迈了一步，正要回答时，男孩的肚子发出了一声微弱但持续的咕噜声。他尴尬地叫了一声，捂住肚子，珀耳塞福涅忍不住笑了起来。”

He’s absolutely adorable. “Would you like to come inside?” Shifting the weight of the groceries in her arms, she nodded towards the door. “We still have quite a bit of pastries left.”
“他真是太可爱了。‘你想进来吗？’她调整了一下怀里杂货的重量，朝门口点了点头。‘我们还剩下不少糕点。’”

“No, it’s okay,” he hurriedly rejected, waving his hands in front of him. In a quieter voice, he admitted, “I don’t have any money with me right now.”
“不，没关系，”他急忙拒绝，双手在面前挥动。他低声承认道：“我现在身上没带钱。”

Even if he did, she wouldn’t accept it. How could she bear to take his money? “Don’t worry about that love. Come inside.” She pushed open the door, inviting him in.
即使他有，她也不会接受。她怎么能忍心拿他的钱呢？“别担心，亲爱的。进来吧。”她推开门，邀请他进去。

The boy noticeably hesitated before stepping inside the store. He surveyed the store and craned his head back, his eyes slightly widening in wonder. Biting back an amused grin, she walked towards the counter to drop off the bags of groceries. As she unloaded the items onto the table for Hades to inspect later on, she watched him continue to quietly observe the store. Most children would be bolting straight towards the display of sweets, practically drooling all over the glass case. However, this boy was rather timid, keeping his guard up as he cautiously surveyed his surroundings.
男孩明显犹豫了一下，才走进店里。他环顾四周，仰起头，眼睛微微睁大，露出惊讶的神情。她忍住笑意，走向柜台放下购物袋。当她将物品卸到桌上，准备让哈迪斯稍后检查时，她看着他继续安静地观察着店铺。大多数孩子会直奔糖果展示柜，几乎要流口水了。然而，这个男孩相当胆怯，小心翼翼地观察着周围的环境，保持着警惕。

“What would you like?” 
“你想要什么？”

His head snapped towards her. “But I don’t—”
他的头猛地转向她。“但我不——”

“It’s fine.”  “没关系。”

At her insistent tone, he slowly trudged towards the display. His lips parted as he scanned each item. After a while, he raised his arm to point at the pastry he chose. “Um, I’ll pick this one then?”
在她坚持的语气下，他慢慢走向展示柜。他张开嘴唇，仔细查看每一件物品。过了一会儿，他抬起手臂指向他选择的糕点。“嗯，那我就选这个吧？”

Staring at him, a smile bloomed on her features. “You like pomegranate?”
凝视着他，她的脸上绽放出笑容。“你喜欢石榴吗？”

“It looks like it’ll taste good?”
“看起来会很好吃？”

He fidgeted under her gaze, and she had to suppress the urge to tease him further. “I’ll get you a plate of it soon.”
他在她的注视下坐立不安，她不得不忍住进一步戏弄他的冲动。“我很快就给你拿一盘来。”

His eyes darted nervously to the window. In a trembling voice, he practically pleaded, “I really should go home.”
他的眼睛紧张地瞥向窗户，声音颤抖着，几乎是在恳求：“我真的该回家了。”

Persephone’s gaze roamed to the collar of his shirt, completely stretched out from years of use. “I’ll pack it up for you then. Just let me put away these groceries first.” Softly, she continued, “Do you mind waiting over there? I’ll let you know when it’s ready.”
珀耳塞福涅的目光落在他衬衫的领口上，那领口因多年的使用而完全松垮了。“那我给你打包吧。先让我把这些杂货收好。”她轻声继续说道，“你介意在那儿等一下吗？准备好了我会告诉你的。”

A flicker of hesitation crossed his features but when she pretended to sift through the groceries, she saw him head towards the back of the café out of the corner of her eye.
他的脸上闪过一丝犹豫，但当她假装翻看杂货时，她用余光看到他朝咖啡馆后面走去。

“Where are his parents?” Hades appeared, walking towards her. Peering down at the kraft paper pastry box, he continued, “He’s too young to be wandering alone.”
“他的父母在哪里？”哈迪斯出现了，朝她走来。他低头看着牛皮纸糕点盒，继续说道：“他太小了，不能一个人到处走。”

In truth, she noticed him hiding behind the alcove when they walked in, silently eavesdropping on their conversation. He rarely manned the front, opting to bask in solitude in the kitchen rather than chat with strangers.
事实上，她注意到他们进来时他躲在壁龛后面，默默地偷听他们的谈话。他很少在前台露面，宁愿在厨房里享受独处，也不愿与陌生人聊天。

“I’m not sure. If they don’t pick him up though,” she said, sliding the tart into the box, “you should walk him back home.”
“我不确定。如果他们不接他的话，”她一边说，一边把馅饼放进盒子里，“你应该送他回家。”

“Don’t give him that one,” he responded with instead.
“别给他那个，”他反而这样回应道。

“Hm?”  “嗯？”

Shuffling to her other side, he grabbed another pomegranate tart from the tray. “This one has a better crust.”
“他挪到她另一边，从托盘上又拿了一个石榴挞。“这个的酥皮更好。””

She blinked, breaking out into a soft chuckle. “You’re right.”
“她眨了眨眼，轻声笑了起来。“你说得对。””

A week passed uneventfully as Persephone kept herself busy tending to customers. It was nearing the end of August, signaling the conclusion of summer vacation as groups of school-aged children came through the door and lamented how they only had a couple weeks of freedom left.
“一周平静地过去了，珀耳塞福涅忙着照顾顾客。八月底临近，标志着暑假的结束，一群群学龄儿童走进门，哀叹他们只剩下几周的自由时光。”

However, whenever she saw a child come through the door, her shoulders would deflate a bit when she realized it wasn’t the boy she was looking for.
然而，每当她看到一个孩子走进门时，她的肩膀都会稍微塌下来，因为她意识到那不是她在寻找的男孩。

“I’m sure he’ll come back.”
“我相信他会回来的。”

Persephone glanced over her shoulder, eyeing Hades who was piling dirty dishes into the sink. “Is it that obvious?”
珀耳塞福涅回头瞥了一眼，看着正在把脏盘子堆进水槽的哈迪斯。“有那么明显吗？”

“We just need to be patient.”
“我们只需要耐心等待。”

Her eyebrows raised in amusement at his choice of saying ‘we.’ Hades rarely expressed interest in children outwardly though she knew he absolutely adored them deep down. That night, she had asked him what his opinion of the child was and all she received were equivocal answers. But perhaps, the boy left a lasting impression on her husband after all.
她听到他说“我们”时，眉毛因有趣而扬起。哈迪斯很少对外表现出对孩子的兴趣，尽管她知道他内心深处非常喜爱他们。那天晚上，她曾问他如何看待那个孩子，得到的却都是模棱两可的回答。但也许，那个男孩还是给她丈夫留下了深刻的印象。

It was almost closing time when the last customer finally left the store. Exhaling deeply, she massaged her neck muscles. She grabbed the broom and began sluggishly sweeping the floors. This week felt longer than usual, and she couldn’t wait to bury herself under the sheets after taking a long, well-deserved bath tonight.
快到打烊时间时，最后一位顾客终于离开了商店。她深深地呼出一口气，按摩着颈部的肌肉。她拿起扫帚，开始懒洋洋地扫地。这周感觉比平常更漫长，她迫不及待地想今晚泡个长长的、应得的澡后，把自己埋在被子里。

The soft jingle of the bell hanging from the door echoed through the store.
门上悬挂的铃铛发出轻柔的叮当声，在店内回荡。

Glancing at the clock, she noticed it was a few minutes from closing time. Why do people always love to come right when stores were about to close? Inwardly cursing, she forced a smile and spun around to greet her patron.
她瞥了一眼时钟，发现离关门时间只剩几分钟了。为什么人们总喜欢在商店快关门的时候来？她心里暗骂，却还是挤出一丝微笑，转身去迎接顾客。

Persephone froze.  珀耳塞福涅僵住了。

“Oh, um, are you closing already?” The boy from last week nervously stood behind the glass door, one foot barely in the store. His eyes wandered towards the clock and to the empty café. “Sorry, I was gonna come earlier but I got lost but um, I can come another time. I’m really sorry, I’ll just—”
“哦，呃，你们已经要关门了吗？”上周那个男孩紧张地站在玻璃门后，一只脚勉强踏进店里。他的目光游移向时钟和空荡荡的咖啡馆。“抱歉，我本来想早点来的，但我迷路了，呃，我可以改天再来。真的很抱歉，我这就——”

“We’re still open.”  “我们还在营业。”

The boy blinked, inching a bit closer from behind the door.
男孩眨了眨眼，从门后稍微靠近了一点。

With a wide smile, she set aside the broom and ushered him over. “Come in, love.”
她带着灿烂的笑容，把扫帚放在一边，招呼他过来。“进来吧，亲爱的。”

“Oh, okay,” he softly uttered, his tone perking up.
“哦，好的，”他轻声说道，语气变得轻快起来。

“I thought you weren’t gonna come back,” she said, once he approached the front counter, “because you hated the pomegranate tart I gave you.”
“我以为你不会回来了，”当他走近前台时，她说道，“因为你讨厌我给你的石榴挞。”

He emphatically shook his head, his tresses swaying back and forth. “No, it was really, really good!”
他用力地摇了摇头，发丝随之摆动。“不，它真的非常、非常好吃！”

She bit back a smile, feigning a wistful look. “Why didn’t you come back earlier then?”
她忍住笑意，假装出一副惆怅的表情。“那你为什么不早点回来呢？”

He shuffled his feet, avoiding eye contact. “Oh, um, I don’t really have permission to leave the house during the week except for school. So today, I wanted to come and thank you and pay you back but I kept getting lost…”
他拖着脚步，避免眼神接触。“哦，嗯，我平时除了上学之外真的没有允许离开家。所以今天，我想来感谢你并还你钱，但我一直迷路……”

He is seriously too adorable. She had to utilize every ounce of willpower to resist squishing his cheeks and pulling him in for a bone-crushing hug.
他真的太可爱了。她不得不使出全身的意志力来抵抗捏他脸颊并把他拉进一个紧紧的拥抱的冲动。

“Since the tart was really, really good, would you like another one?” She surveyed the remaining pastries with furrowed brows. “Or how about this red velvet croissant? It’s the newest recipe we’ve been toying with.”
“既然这个挞真的非常非常好吃，你想再来一个吗？”她皱着眉头看着剩下的糕点。“或者这个红丝绒牛角包怎么样？这是我们最近在尝试的新配方。”

“Oh, no, it’s okay! I came back to pay you for the tart.” He rummaged through his pockets and fished out a neatly folded 5000-won bill. “I’m not sure how much it was but if it’s not enough, I can come back with the rest.”
“哦，不，没关系的！我回来是为了付你那个馅饼的钱。”他在口袋里翻找，掏出一张整齐折叠的 5000 韩元纸币。“我不确定具体多少钱，但如果不够，我可以回来补上。”

As he placed the money onto the counter, her eyes tracked towards the hole on the hem of his white T-shirt—which was presumably the same shirt he wore last time because she noticed this detail the last time he visited. Taking the money from the counter, she rounded towards the front of the pastry display and squatted in front of him. She took his arm and placed the money onto the palm of his hand.
当他把钱放在柜台上时，她的目光落在他白色 T 恤下摆的破洞上——那大概是他上次穿的那件，因为她上次他来时就注意到了这个细节。她从柜台上拿起钱，绕过糕点展示柜，蹲在他面前。她抓住他的手臂，把钱放在他的手心里。

“Thank you but you don’t need to pay me back.”
“谢谢，但你不必还我钱。”

“But I—”  “可是我——”

“Rather than money, what I value more is what you thought of the dessert.” She folded his fingers over the money. “I’ve been developing some new pastries recently and haven’t received much feedback. So you telling me it tasted really, really good makes me happy.”
“比起钱，我更看重你对甜点的看法。”她把钱塞回他手里。“我最近在开发一些新的糕点，但没收到太多反馈。所以你说它真的很好吃，这让我很开心。”

He tilted his head, his eyes widening. “Really?”
他歪着头，眼睛睁大了。“真的吗？”

She grinned at him, nodding. “Tell me more about what you liked about it.”
她对他咧嘴一笑，点了点头。“告诉我你最喜欢它的哪些地方。”

Perhaps he really did believe her words because he began staring at the floor, deep in thought. “Well, I thought it wasn’t too sweet. The crust was also very nice and buttery and it just melted in my mouth.” His voice trailed off as he shot her a frown. “Sorry, I’m not really good at explaining.”
也许他真的相信了她的话，因为他开始盯着地板，陷入了沉思。“嗯，我觉得它不会太甜。外皮也非常好，黄油味很浓，入口即化。”他的声音渐渐变小，然后对她皱了皱眉。“抱歉，我不太擅长解释。”

She patted his head, smiling softly. “Not at all. Thank you for the feedback. Now I can focus on improving other recipes.”
“她轻轻拍了拍他的头，温柔地笑了笑。“一点也不。谢谢你的反馈。现在我可以专注于改进其他食谱了。””

“You’re welcome.” The boy shyly smiled though it immediately disappeared when his stomach decided this was the perfect time to loudly declare it was famished.
““不客气。”男孩害羞地笑了笑，但当他肚子决定这是大声宣布它饿了的完美时机时，笑容立刻消失了。””

Persephone chuckled. “What do you want to eat? Pick whatever you’d like.” 
“珀耳塞福涅笑了。“你想吃什么？随便挑你喜欢的。””

“No, it’s really okay! I should go home.”
“不，真的没关系！我该回家了。”

Other kids she observed coming into the shop with their parents would be bounding at an opportunity for free pastries. She already gleaned that this boy was certainly shier than most but she was almost taken aback by how excessively polite he was—as if it was an instinctual response originating from fear.
她观察到其他孩子和父母一起进店时，都会迫不及待地抓住免费糕点的机会。她已经察觉到这个男孩比大多数人都要害羞，但他那过分的礼貌几乎让她感到惊讶——仿佛这是一种源自恐惧的本能反应。

Carefully choosing a variation of three items that she thought he would like, she neatly placed them in a box. “In that case, take these to go.”
她精心挑选了三样她认为他会喜欢的糕点，整齐地放进盒子里。“这样的话，就把这些带走吧。”

He frantically waved his hands in front. “Oh no, it’s okay! I don’t have any money either to pay for it…”
他慌忙在面前挥了挥手。“哦不，没关系！我也没有钱付账……”

“It’s on the house.”  “这是免费的。”

“It was free last time too,” he mumbled, shaking his head.
“上次也是免费的，”他嘟囔着，摇了摇头。

The more he resisted, the more she wanted to shower him with all the pastries. She was about to persuade him once again when another idea popped into her mind. Shifting tactics, her lips curled upwards.
他越是抗拒，她就越想用所有的糕点来款待他。她正准备再次说服他时，另一个想法突然出现在她的脑海中。她改变了策略，嘴角微微上扬。

The boy curiously met her gaze, wondering why she abruptly paused.
男孩好奇地与她对视，想知道她为什么突然停了下来。

Tapping a finger against her chin, she said, “Actually, I have a proposition for you.”
她用手指轻轻敲着下巴，说道：“其实，我有个提议要告诉你。”

“A prop…what?”  “提……什么？”

“A proposition. A proposal.” She kneeled back down so that they were eye-level with each other. “My husband is a perfectionist when it comes to developing new recipes and I think he could benefit from getting opinions from someone who’s not familiar with his baking.”
“一个提议。一个建议。”她重新跪下，使两人的视线平齐。“我丈夫在开发新食谱时是个完美主义者，我认为他可以从那些不熟悉他烘焙的人那里获得意见中受益。”

“Someone who doesn’t know his baking…? Who?”
“一个不懂烘焙的人……？谁？”

She tapped his forehead lightly. “You, of course.”
她轻轻点了点他的额头。“当然是你。”

“Me?” he yelped, in disbelief. “I don’t know anything about baking!”
“我？”他难以置信地叫道。“我对烘焙一窍不通！”

“You don’t need to. You already showed you’re capable of giving feedback.” She dangled the box of pastries in front of him. “All you need to do is tell me what you thought of these the next time you come.”
“你不需要。你已经证明你有能力给出反馈了。”她在他面前晃了晃那盒糕点。“你只需要下次来的时候告诉我你对这些的看法。”

“I don’t know…” he murmured, though his eyes remained glued on the box, his stomach growling once again.
“我不知道……”他低声说道，尽管他的眼睛仍然紧盯着那盒糕点，肚子又咕咕叫了起来。

She pushed the box into his hands. “You’d be doing me a huge favor.”
她把盒子塞进他手里。“你这是在帮我一个大忙。”

“Really?”  “真的吗？”

She nodded. “Really.”  她点点头。“真的。”

He stared at the box in his hands, his fingers clutching it close to his chest. “Okay. I’ll come next week then. Thank you, um…”
他盯着手中的盒子，手指紧紧抓住它贴在胸前。“好的。那我下周再来。谢谢，呃……”

“Persephone.”  “珀耳塞福涅。”

“Per…sephone?”  “珀……耳塞福涅？”

She laughed at how he scrunched his nose in confusion. “My parents didn’t want a traditional Korean name. What about you?” She crossed her arms over her knees to maintain her balance. “What’s your name?”
她看着他困惑地皱起鼻子，笑了起来。“我父母不想要一个传统的韩国名字。你呢？”她双臂交叉放在膝盖上以保持平衡。“你叫什么名字？”

“Ah,” he said, standing just a bit straighter. “It’s Kim Dokja.”
“啊，”他说，稍微站直了一点。“是金独子。”

“Kim Dokja,” she mused, “like ‘reader’?”
“金独子，”她沉思道，“像‘读者’一样？”

His eyes widened just a fraction before the most genuine smile bloomed across his face, and Persephone thought how intriguing it was that one expression changed his entire disposition.
他的眼睛微微睁大，随后脸上绽放出最真诚的笑容，珀耳塞福涅心想，一个表情竟能彻底改变他的气质，真是有趣。

“Yeah! My mom gave me that name!”
“是啊！我妈妈给我取的这个名字！”

“Is that so?” She couldn’t help but mirror his contagious smile. “Do you like reading then?”
“是这样吗？”她忍不住也露出了他那富有感染力的笑容。“那你喜欢读书吗？”

He nodded. “I go to the library a lot.”
他点点头。“我经常去图书馆。”

“You remember the back room from last time? You’re welcome to read any of the books in there the next time you come visit.”
“你还记得上次的后屋吗？下次你来的时候，欢迎你阅读那里的任何一本书。”

“Okay,” he agreed, the excitement clearly visible in his bright eyes.
“好的，”他同意了，明亮的眼睛里明显流露出兴奋的神情。

“I’ll see you next week then?”
“那我们下周见？”

He nodded, sending her one last smile.
他点点头，最后给了她一个微笑。

When he exited the store and was no longer in sight, Persephone tiptoed around the corner to the hallway adjacent to the kitchen.
当他离开商店，不再出现在视线中时，珀耳塞福涅踮着脚尖绕过拐角，来到厨房旁边的走廊。

“Were you just standing here the whole time?” Persephone raised an eyebrow at Hades, who was pretending to re-organize the supplies on the shelves. Shortly after Kim Dokja had first entered the store, she saw his head peeking out and was actually waiting for him to make a move. “Why didn’t you join us?”
“你一直站在这里吗？”珀耳塞福涅扬起眉毛看着哈迪斯，他正假装重新整理架子上的物品。在金独子刚进商店不久，她就看到他的头探了出来，实际上一直在等他采取行动。“你为什么不加入我们？”

“I was busy.”  “我很忙。”

“Hn.” She glanced at the tidy arrangement of the supplies, noting it looked no different from a couple hours ago. “So you were just eavesdropping on us.”
“哼。”她瞥了一眼整齐摆放的物资，注意到它和几小时前没什么两样。“所以你刚才只是在偷听我们。”

“I was not.”  “我没有。”

She hummed, tilting her head. “I did a good job though, didn’t I?”
她哼了一声，歪着头。“不过我做得不错，对吧？”

He folded the towel in his hands, setting it aside. “What do you mean?”
“他折好手中的毛巾，放在一边。“你是什么意思？””

“We’ll be seeing him more often,” she responded, twirling around to clean up the countertop, “thanks to me.”
““我们会更常见到他，”她一边回答，一边转身清理柜台，“多亏了我。””

“You shouldn’t pressure him like that.”
““你不该那样逼他。””

“I don’t think that should be considered pressuring?” At his unimpressed look, she released a small laugh. She flipped through the bills in the cashier, tallying up their revenue for the day. “Maybe it’s the way his eyes light up whenever he peruses our pastries,” She shuffled the money back into the cashier, “or maybe it’s the way he’s trying his hardest to be overly polite whenever I offer him something,” She shut the drawer back, powering down the machine, “or maybe it’s because he looks just a little too small for his age or that his clothes are a bit too big for him…”
“我不认为这应该被视为施压吧？”看到他无动于衷的表情，她轻笑了一声。她翻动着收银机里的钞票，计算着当天的收入。“也许是因为他每次浏览我们的糕点时，眼睛都会亮起来，”她把钱重新整理好放回收银机，“或者是因为每当我给他提供什么时，他总是尽力表现得过于礼貌，”她关上抽屉，关掉机器，“又或者是因为他看起来比同龄人小了一点，衣服也稍微大了一些……”

Hades remained silent, observing her still figure.
哈迪斯保持沉默，观察着她静止的身影。

Persephone glanced over her shoulder, a helpless smile taking form, “but I wanted to be of some help to him.”
珀耳塞福涅回头看了一眼，露出一个无奈的笑容，“但我想帮他一点忙。”

“It’s a little too bitter.” Kim Dokja lightly smacked his lips, licking the remnants of the cheesecake. “I think less matcha and more sugar?”
“有点太苦了。”金独子轻轻咂了咂嘴，舔了舔芝士蛋糕的残渣。“我觉得少放点抹茶，多放点糖？”

“Some people like the bitter taste of matcha.”
“有些人喜欢抹茶的苦味。”

“Oh, that’s true,” he immediately agreed, though the small frown remained. “Maybe just more sugar then?”
“哦，那倒是真的，”他立刻表示同意，但眉头依然微微皱着。“那也许就多放点糖吧？”

Persephone hid her smile, maintaining a pensive expression. “I’ll let Hades know.”
珀耳塞福涅藏起微笑，保持着一副沉思的表情。“我会告诉哈迪斯的。”

It had been several months since her ‘proposition’ to him and while it started out as an excuse for Persephone to see the boy, Kim Dokja diligently stuck to his duties. Initially, he was rather vague and cautious to say anything negative but after being coaxed out of his shell (primarily by Hades, to her surprise), he became much more comfortable in freely sharing his opinions.
自从她向他提出‘提议’以来，已经过去了几个月，虽然最初这只是珀耳塞福涅见那个男孩的借口，但金独子却尽职尽责地履行着他的职责。起初，他对任何负面的事情都含糊其辞、小心翼翼，但在被鼓励走出自己的壳后（主要是哈迪斯，这让她感到惊讶），他变得更加自在地分享自己的观点。

Persephone learned that he wasn’t a particularly picky eater but there was one food he oddly had a vendetta against: tomatoes. When she thought back to Hades’ absolutely dejected face when Kim Dokja didn’t finish his food, she couldn’t help but laugh. She also learned that he preferred tarts over cakes, strawberries over blackberries, and hazelnut over milk chocolate.
珀耳塞福涅发现他并不是一个特别挑食的人，但有一种食物他却奇怪地怀有敌意：西红柿。当她回想起金独子没有吃完食物时哈迪斯那绝对沮丧的表情时，她忍不住笑了。她还了解到，比起蛋糕，他更喜欢蛋挞；比起黑莓，他更喜欢草莓；比起牛奶巧克力，他更喜欢榛子巧克力。

But in addition to discovering more about his food preferences, she gradually came to know other tidbits of his personal life. Though still occasional, he began coming over after school on the weekdays. His favorite subject was Korean language arts while his least favorite subject was math. She also learned a little bit about his mother—she worked two jobs, one at the fried chicken shop nearby and the other as a cleaning lady of an apartment complex. However, she knew nearly nothing about his father—he had only mentioned him once in passing when he lost track of time at the café and was scrambling to gather his belongings.
但除了发现更多关于他饮食偏好的信息外，她还逐渐了解到他个人生活的其他细节。虽然仍然偶尔，他开始在工作日的放学后来她家。他最喜欢的科目是韩语文学，而最不喜欢的科目是数学。她还了解到一些关于他母亲的事情——她打两份工，一份在附近的炸鸡店，另一份是公寓楼的清洁工。然而，她对他父亲几乎一无所知——他只提到过一次，当时他在咖啡馆里忘记了时间，匆忙收拾东西时随口提了一句。

“Here, let me help.” Persephone tucked his notebooks and folders in one neat pile. Usually, Kim Dokja was the type of child to refuse any help but he was too distracted this time to deny her good will.
“来，让我帮你。”珀耳塞福涅将他的笔记本和文件夹整齐地叠成一摞。通常，金独子是个拒绝任何帮助的孩子，但这次他太分心了，无法拒绝她的好意。

“He’s going to be mad…” he mumbled, frantically shoving his books into his bag, panic evident on his pale face.
“他会生气的……”他喃喃道，慌乱地将书本塞进包里，苍白的脸上明显流露出恐慌。

Persephone watched him fumble with the strap of his bag. “Do you want us to drop you off?”
珀耳塞福涅看着他笨拙地摆弄着包的带子。“你想让我们送你一程吗？”

He momentarily paused, as if seriously considering her offer. However, he ultimately shook his head, gathering the box of leftovers into his hand. “I’ll just run home.”
他短暂地停顿了一下，似乎在认真考虑她的提议。然而，他最终摇了摇头，将装着剩菜的盒子拿在手里。“我还是跑回家吧。”

“Wait—”  “等等——”

With a quick ‘thank you’ thrown over his shoulder, he was already out the door.
他匆匆丢下一句‘谢谢’，已经冲出门外。

Persephone watched his retreating figure bounding down the road, her eyebrows furrowed.
珀耳塞福涅看着他远去的背影在路上跳跃，眉头紧锁。

“It’s not normal for a child to be reacting that way.”
“一个孩子那样反应是不正常的。”

“What do you mean?” she inquired, though she already knew what he was alluding to.
“你是什么意思？”她问道，尽管她已经知道他在暗示什么。

Hades walked towards the window, gazing out the glass. “Do you think it’s because of his dad?”
哈迪斯走向窗户，透过玻璃向外望去。“你觉得是因为他父亲吗？”

“Hades, it’s not right to speculate like that about someone else’s family,” she chided.
“哈迪斯，这样猜测别人的家庭是不对的，”她责备道。

“I know you’re thinking the same.”
“我知道你在想同样的事情。”

At his piercing gaze, she averted her eyes. In truth, ever since his first visit, she had an inkling that home life for Kim Dokja might not be the most stable. However, every time she broached any topic related to his home life or his family, he evaded the question and pivoted to another topic without fail.
在他锐利的目光下，她移开了视线。事实上，自从他第一次来访以来，她就隐约感觉到金独子的家庭生活可能并不太稳定。然而，每次她提及任何与他的家庭生活或家人相关的话题时，他总是回避问题，并毫不犹豫地转向另一个话题。

She strolled across the café, joining him by his side. “I’m worried too. But we hardly know anything about his family.” She crossed her arms, leaning her head against his shoulder. “I don’t want us to jump to conclusions based solely on gut feelings because that can bring more harm than good.”
她漫步穿过咖啡馆，走到他身边。“我也很担心。但我们对他家人的情况几乎一无所知。”她交叉双臂，把头靠在他的肩膀上。“我不希望我们仅仅凭直觉就下结论，因为这可能会带来更多的伤害而不是好处。”

He sighed, rubbing her shoulder. “That’s a fair point.”
他叹了口气，揉着她的肩膀。“说得有道理。”

She bit her lip, peering out towards the flickering streetlight adjacent to their shop.
她咬着嘴唇，望向店铺旁闪烁的街灯。

It was clear that Kim Dokja was slowly coming out of his shell as he interacted with Persephone and Hades the past year—but somehow, it only took Uriel a week to make the same progress.
很明显，金独子在过去一年里与珀耳塞福涅和哈迪斯的互动中逐渐敞开心扉——但不知为何，乌列尔只用了一周就取得了同样的进展。

“Why are you reading the ending first?” Kim Dokja asked, aghast by her life choices.
“你为什么先看结局？”金独子问道，对她的生活选择感到震惊。

“The real question is, why can’t I?” She made a show of flipping to the last page of the story, her index finger underlining the final sentence on the page. “Whenever I read books, I get too impatient. I wanna know what happens at the end!”
“真正的问题是，为什么我不能？”她夸张地翻到故事的最后一页，食指指着页面上的最后一句话。“每当我读书时，我总是太没耐心。我想知道结局是什么！”

“You can just read faster then,” he grumbled. “Now it won’t be as fun reading because you already know what’s gonna happen.”
“那你可以读得更快一点，”他嘟囔道。“现在读起来就没那么有趣了，因为你已经知道会发生什么了。”

“Oh, Dokja. Dokja, Dokja, Dokja.” She messily ruffled his hair. “What a simple-minded way of thinking.”
“哦，独子。独子，独子，独子。”她胡乱地揉着他的头发。“真是头脑简单的想法。”

He shoved her hand away, smoothing back his hair as he directed the fiercest glare he could muster.
他推开她的手，一边整理头发，一边投去他能做出的最凶狠的瞪视。

She grinned, pinching his cheek and ignoring his annoyed yelp. “Reading the ending first makes it an entirely new experience. You’ll find yourself digging for any clues as you read and sometimes you’re right but sometimes you’re still led astray. I’m still taking the same path with the same twists and turns—the only difference is that I have a different mindset.”
“她咧嘴一笑，捏了捏他的脸颊，无视了他恼怒的叫声。‘先读结局会让整个体验变得完全不同。你会发现自己一边读一边寻找线索，有时你猜对了，但有时你仍然会被误导。我走的还是同一条路，有着同样的曲折——唯一的区别是我有了不同的心态。’”

He became quiet, his head turned towards the side. “That sounds like something my mom would say. She said that even when you reach the end of the book, the story doesn’t end because you can just start from the beginning again and it’ll be a different story.”
“他变得安静了，头转向一边。‘这听起来像是我妈妈会说的话。她说，即使你读到了书的结尾，故事也不会结束，因为你可以从头再读一遍，那就会是一个不同的故事。’”

“Exactly.”  “没错。”

Persephone wiped the countertop, listening in on their conversation. Uriel was the daughter of one of Hades’ friends, and they sometimes asked them to let her hang out at the shop when no one would be home. Kim Dokja was initially wary of her, choosing to stick by Persephone and Hades instead. But their dynamic quickly devolved into one of bickering siblings, largely due to Uriel’s tenacious and bright personality. Though given how reserved he usually was, it was a nice change to see him act more like his age.
珀耳塞福涅擦拭着柜台，一边听着他们的对话。乌列尔是哈迪斯一位朋友的女儿，有时他们会让她在店里待着，当家里没人的时候。金独子起初对她心存戒备，选择待在珀耳塞福涅和哈迪斯身边。但他们的关系很快演变成了争吵不休的兄妹，这主要归功于乌列尔坚韧而开朗的性格。尽管他平时很内向，但看到他表现得更像他这个年纪的样子，确实是个不错的变化。

“Persephone!” Uriel shouted from her seat. “We need your opinion.”
“珀耳塞福涅！”乌列尔从座位上喊道。“我们需要你的意见。”

She sighed, already heading towards the table they were situated at. “Uriel, there’s still customers. You’re disturbing them.”
她叹了口气，已经朝他们所在的桌子走去。“乌列尔，还有顾客在呢。你打扰到他们了。”

“But it’s important,” she said, pouting.
“但这很重要，”她撅着嘴说。

“What’s the question?”  “问题是什么？”

She cleared her throat, nodding her chin towards Kim Dokja.
她清了清嗓子，朝金独子点了点头。

Expectantly, she turned towards him.
她满怀期待地转向他。

He gazed up at her, his eyes bright like the stars Hades just painted on the ceiling. “Do people have one or two butts?”
他抬头看着她，眼睛像哈德斯刚在天花板上画的星星一样明亮。‘人有一个还是两个屁股？’

Though it was moments like this where Persephone wondered what powers Uriel possessed to have Kim Dokja engage in a conversation like this.
尽管在这种时刻，珀耳塞福涅会好奇乌列尔拥有什么力量，能让金独子参与这样的对话。

“I think there’s only one,” Uriel supplied helpfully, when she realized she wasn’t getting an answer.
‘我觉得只有一个，’乌列尔意识到没人回答时，好心地说道。

He glared. “No, it’s two!”
他瞪了一眼。“不，是两个！”

“One!”  “一个！”

“Two!”  “两个！”

Eventually, laughter bubbled out of Persephone at the incredulity of it all.
最终，珀耳塞福涅因这一切的荒谬而笑出了声。

“Should we get Hades' opinion on this?”
“我们应该听听哈迪斯的意见吗？”

“Yes!” they agreed, simultaneously.
“是的！”他们异口同声地同意道。

Hades never understood how anyone could like math. For a subject with discrete arithmetic equations that should theoretically make sense, he could never make sense of the calculations.
哈迪斯一直不明白怎么会有人喜欢数学。对于一个理论上应该讲得通的、有明确算术方程的学科，他却始终无法理解那些计算。

“Um, these are the problems we’re supposed to do. But I’m not sure how to do this one…”
“嗯，这些是我们应该做的题目。但我不太确定这道题该怎么做……”

When Hades spotted the little boy with his head buried in his textbook, with his eyebrows furrowed so deeply, he offered to help with his homework. When he found out it was math that he was struggling with, he refrained from outwardly grimacing. However, the boy was in fourth grade—how hard could these problems be?
当哈迪斯看到那个小男孩埋头在课本里，眉头紧锁时，他主动提出要帮他做作业。当他发现男孩在数学上遇到困难时，他忍住没有露出明显的厌恶表情。不过，男孩才上四年级——这些题目能有多难呢？

Twenty minutes later, Hades and Kim Dokja collectively stared down at the piece of paper in front of them, currently free of any markings. Hades glared at the offensive equations, the numbers blending together in a convoluted mess.
二十分钟后，哈迪斯和金独子一起盯着面前那张空白的纸。哈迪斯怒视着那些令人头疼的方程式，数字混杂在一起，形成了一团混乱的谜题。

Just what on earth are they teaching fourth graders these days?
现在四年级的学生到底在学些什么啊？

Kim Dokja took a peek at Hades before sliding the paper back towards him. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you. I can ask the teacher tomorr—”
金独子偷偷瞥了哈迪斯一眼，然后把纸推回给他。“抱歉，我不是有意打扰你。我可以明天去问老师——”

A large hand intercepted the paper, dragging it back towards the center.
一只大手拦住了纸张，将其拖回中央。

“It’s been a while since I’ve done this so I just needed time to think. For this problem, this is what you have to do…”
“我已经有一段时间没做这个了，所以我需要时间思考。对于这个问题，你需要这样做……”

For the next hour, they pored over the worksheet as Hades clumsily walked him through each problem. Thankfully, some recognition returned to his brain with each subsequent equation but he felt like a fool whenever Kim Dokja hesitantly corrected him in the meekest manner.
接下来的一个小时里，他们仔细研究着练习题，哈迪斯笨拙地引导他解决每一个问题。幸运的是，随着每一道方程的解答，他的大脑逐渐恢复了一些认知，但每当金独子怯生生地以最温和的方式纠正他时，他都觉得自己像个傻瓜。

“Thank you for your help,” he said, after scribbling down the answer for the last problem.
“谢谢你的帮助，”他在写下最后一道题的答案后说道。

Hades observed his shy smile, feeling undeserving of such gratitude. Frowning, he nudged his chin towards his folder. “What’s your teacher going to teach you the rest of the week?”
哈迪斯看着他害羞的微笑，觉得自己不配得到这样的感激。他皱着眉头，用下巴指了指自己的文件夹。“你们老师这周剩下的时间要教你们什么？”

When Persephone and Hades returned home that night, the first thing he did was make a beeline straight for the computer. As he waited for the browser to load, he grabbed notebook paper and a pen and even dug up an obsolete calculator from when he was still in school.
当珀耳塞福涅和哈迪斯那晚回到家时，他做的第一件事就是直奔电脑。在等待浏览器加载时，他抓起笔记本和笔，甚至翻出了他还在上学时用的过时计算器。

“…What are you doing?” Persephone peered at the bright screen, squinting at the phrase ‘fourth grade math tutorial’ in the search bar.
“……你在做什么？”珀耳塞福涅盯着明亮的屏幕，眯着眼睛看着搜索栏里的‘四年级数学教程’。

“Studying.”  “学习。”

“Is that why you were with Dokja for so long today? I was wondering why you left me alone to do all the work.”
“这就是你今天和独子待了那么久的原因吗？我还奇怪你为什么把我一个人丢下做所有的工作。”

“It wasn’t even that busy today.” When she didn’t respond, he tilted his head upward and weakly added, “Or at least I hope it wasn’t?”
“今天其实也没那么忙。”见她没有回应，他抬起头，虚弱地补充道，“至少我希望没有？”

She rolled her eyes, laughing softly. “I’ll get dinner ready while you… study then.”
她翻了个白眼，轻声笑道：“那我去准备晚餐，你……继续学习吧。”

When Kim Dokja returned a few days later, Hades was prepared. He ushered him to one of the tables by the window where it was brightly lit but not glaringly so. Confused, Kim Dokja set his notebooks on the table as instructed while Hades strode over with two plates of pastries and two beverages.
当金独子几天后回来时，哈迪斯已经准备好了。他将他带到窗边的一张桌子旁，那里光线明亮但不刺眼。金独子困惑地按照指示将笔记本放在桌上，而哈迪斯则端着两盘糕点和两杯饮料走了过来。

“I already took a lot of your time when I came here last—”
“上次我来这里已经占用了你很多时间——”

“I admit I was a bit rusty last time,” Hades interrupted, not letting him refuse his unsolicited tutoring services, “but this time it’ll be different.” Pushing his sleeves up to his elbows, he drummed his fingers against the table. “Dokja, we’re going to get you that A+ this time.”
“我承认上次我有点生疏了，”哈迪斯打断了他，不让他拒绝自己主动提供的辅导服务，“但这次会不一样。”他将袖子卷到手肘，手指在桌上轻轻敲击。“独子，这次我们一定要让你拿到 A+。”

Half an hour into the studying session, Hades could already tell they were faring better than the last time, based solely on the number of times Kim Dokja perked up with each epiphany.  
学习进行到半小时时，哈迪斯已经能看出他们比上次进步了不少，这仅仅基于金独子每次顿悟时兴奋的次数。

“I think I finally get it! But for this part, do you mind showing me how you solve it again?”
“我想我终于明白了！不过这部分，你能再给我演示一下你是怎么解的吗？”

Hades sat a bit straighter, ecstatic that his preparation the past few nights were not for naught. “Of course. I can teach you however many times you’d like.”
哈迪斯坐直了一些，欣喜地发现他过去几晚的准备没有白费。“当然可以。你想学多少次我都愿意教你。”

When they finished the last problem on the worksheet, Kim Dokja leaned back, staring at the paper in awe.
当他们完成工作表上的最后一道题时，金独子向后靠去，惊讶地盯着那张纸。

“I wish I was this smart,” he said, frowning slightly as he sighed. “I bet you were number one in your class.”
“我希望我也这么聪明，”他微微皱眉，叹了口气说道。“我打赌你一定是班上的第一名。”

He rubbed his finger under his nose. “I guess you could say that.”
他用手指擦了擦鼻子下方。“你可以这么说吧。”

“Were you now? This is the first time I’m hearing of such a thing.”
“是吗？这可是我第一次听说这种事。”

They both turned towards the new voice—adorning an apron with splatters of coffee stains and flour, Persephone gave them a dazzling smile with her hands resting on her hips.
他们俩都转向了那个新声音——珀耳塞福涅穿着沾满咖啡渍和面粉的围裙，双手叉腰，露出了灿烂的笑容。

“Last I checked, I always scored higher than you.”
“我记得上次检查时，我的分数总是比你高。”

“You’re the smartest person I know,” he announced, jumping up from his seat after picking up on the undercurrent of displeasure in her otherwise sunny disposition. Glimpsing past his unhappy wife, he inwardly winced upon noticing how full the café was now. He was so absorbed in teaching Kim Dokja that he completely didn’t notice how busy it was getting. “Why don’t you take a break? I can handle this.”
“你是我认识的最聪明的人，”他宣布道，从座位上跳了起来，察觉到她原本阳光的态度中隐含的不满。瞥了一眼他不开心的妻子，他内心一阵刺痛，注意到咖啡馆现在有多么拥挤。他太专注于教金独子了，完全没注意到这里变得有多忙。“你为什么不休息一下？我可以处理这些。”

She sighed. “Not with all those cake orders. I’ll take one after I’m done though.”
她叹了口气。“还有那么多蛋糕订单呢。等我做完再休息吧。”

Rubbing the small of her back, he abashedly remarked, “I’ll take care of the rest.”
他揉了揉她的后腰，不好意思地说道：“剩下的我来处理。”

Persephone leaned her head against his shoulder but the moment was short-lived when one of the customers waved their hand, trying to catch her attention. Sighing, she extricated herself from his arms and headed towards the customer.
珀耳塞福涅将头靠在他的肩膀上，但这一刻很短暂，因为一位顾客挥手试图引起她的注意。她叹了口气，从他的怀抱中挣脱出来，朝顾客走去。

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked for help.”
“抱歉，我不该请求帮助的。”

Hades peered down at Kim Dokja—or more precisely, the crown of his head—who was beginning to pack his things away. Kneeling down, he gently took hold of his hands, effectively stopping him from trying to leave.
哈迪斯低头看着金独子——更准确地说，是他的头顶——他正开始收拾东西。哈迪斯跪下来，轻轻握住他的手，有效地阻止了他试图离开的举动。

“I was the one who offered. It was my fault for not realizing how busy it got.” He reached over and dragged the plate of half-eaten cake closer towards him. “Stay here and finish the rest of your food.” Predictably, the boy shuffled in his seat, hesitant to listen likely because he thought he didn’t deserve it.
“是我主动提出的。是我没意识到会这么忙。”他伸手把只吃了一半的蛋糕盘子拉近自己。“留在这儿，把剩下的食物吃完。”不出所料，男孩在座位上挪动了一下，犹豫着是否要听从，很可能是因为他觉得自己不配。”

And every time he acted this way, Hades felt like an ice pick was chipping away at his heart. No child was born to act this way so what was his home environment like for him to behave so timidly and so afraid of potential repercussions?
每次他这样表现时，哈迪斯都感觉像有一把冰镐在凿他的心。没有孩子天生就会这样，那么他的家庭环境是怎样的，才会让他表现得如此胆怯，如此害怕可能的后果？

Hades quietly brought his hand up to his head, slowly patting it. “You did well today. Think of the cake as a reward for all your hard work today. And if you’re still hungry, just let me know. I’ll get you another slice.”
哈迪斯轻轻地将手举到头上，慢慢地拍了拍。‘你今天做得很好。把蛋糕当作你今天辛勤工作的奖励吧。如果你还饿的话，尽管告诉我。我会再给你拿一块。’

Kim Dokja remained still in his seat, his eyes widening at his words.
金独子仍然坐在座位上，听到他的话后眼睛睁大了。

“I should get back though or else Persephone will lock me out of the house tonight.” With one last pat on the head, he stood back up and turned on his heel.
‘我该回去了，不然珀耳塞福涅今晚会把我锁在门外。’最后拍了拍头，他站了起来，转身离开。

A light tug on his shirt stopped him.
轻轻拉了一下他的衬衫，让他停了下来。

“T-Thank you.”  “谢、谢谢你。”

Hades turned back around slowly, watching the tiny hand unfurl itself from the edge of his shirt and grabbing onto the fork from his plate. Smiling, he couldn’t resist patting down the loose strands of hair on the little boy’s head.
哈迪斯慢慢转过身，看着那只小手从他的衬衫边缘松开，抓住了他盘子里的叉子。他微笑着，忍不住拍了拍小男孩头上散乱的发丝。

“You’re very welcome.”  “非常欢迎。”

Sounds of multiple objects clattering onto the floor rang through the apartment. Alarmed, Hades rushed towards the bathroom, swinging the door wide open. Stunned, he observed the bathroom in disarray.
多个物品掉落地板的声音在公寓里回荡。哈迪斯惊慌地冲向浴室，猛地推开门。他震惊地看着一片狼藉的浴室。

“…Persephone?”  “……珀耳塞福涅？”

Several used pregnancy tests were lying around her kneeled figure. Hades didn’t need to look closely to know the results of every single one of them.
几根用过的验孕棒散落在她跪着的身体周围。哈迪斯不需要仔细看就知道每一根的结果。

“The doctor seemed so sure this time that this treatment would work,” The broken whisper echoed through the bathroom, “that even I got my hopes up.”
‘医生这次似乎非常确定这种治疗会有效，’那破碎的低语在浴室里回荡，‘甚至让我也抱起了希望。’

Hades kneeled down to her level, taking her shoulders into his hands. Her golden locks haphazardly framed her face, glued by the streams of silent tears running down her cheeks. She met his gaze, her eyes devoid of any light.
哈迪斯跪到她身边，双手握住她的肩膀。她金色的发丝凌乱地垂在脸上，被无声的泪水粘在脸颊上。她迎上他的目光，眼中没有任何光彩。

“Hades, it’s been years,” she said. “Years, and yet we’re still where we are all those years ago without any progress.” She hung her head, shaking it back and forth slowly. “We still don’t have answers for why I can’t have children.” In a silent whisper, she said, “I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.”
“哈迪斯，已经过去这么多年了，”她说。“这么多年了，可我们仍然停留在多年前的位置，没有任何进展。”她低下头，慢慢地左右摇晃着。“我们仍然没有找到我为什么不能生育的答案。”她低声呢喃道，“对不起。这都是我的错。”

He wove his arms around her thin figure, crushing her to his chest and maneuvering her onto his lap. His hand came up to caress the back of her head. He fervently whispered close to her ear, his chest squeezing tightly. “None of this is your fault. It never was and it never will be.”
他用双臂环绕着她瘦弱的身躯，将她紧紧搂在胸前，并把她移到自己的腿上。他的手抚摸着她的后脑勺。他在她耳边热切地低语，胸口紧紧收缩。“这一切都不是你的错。从来都不是，也永远不会是。”

An anguished sob emerged from deep within her chest. “Why then? Why am I like this?”
一声痛苦的啜泣从她内心深处涌出。“那为什么？为什么我会变成这样？”

“Persephone,” he pleaded, rocking her back and forth.
“珀耳塞福涅，”他恳求道，轻轻地摇晃着她。

Now outright sobbing, her trembling hands gripped his shirt. “Why?” She pounded her fist against his chest with each breath, “Why, why, why?”
她现在已经完全哭了出来，颤抖的双手紧紧抓住他的衬衫。“为什么？”她每呼吸一次，就用拳头捶打他的胸口，“为什么，为什么，为什么？”

Hades accepted each blow, weaving his fingers through her locks. “It’s not your fault,” he repeated into her ear, his arms wounding even tighter. “It’ll be okay, love.”
哈迪斯承受着每一次击打，手指穿过她的发丝。“这不是你的错，”他在她耳边重复着，双臂抱得更紧。“一切都会好起来的，亲爱的。”

When Persephone came to, she realized she was no longer sitting on the bathroom floor.
当珀耳塞福涅醒来时，她意识到自己已经不再坐在浴室的地板上了。

A plush comforter buried her entire figure as she lay in her and Hades’ bed. Slowly, she propped herself up on her elbows as she straightened into a sitting position. Blinking away the grogginess, she glanced at her surroundings and noticed it was still daytime so she must not have fallen asleep for a long time. However, the person she was searching for wasn’t here.
一条柔软的被子将她整个人埋在了她和哈迪斯的床上。她慢慢地用手肘撑起自己，坐直了身子。眨了眨眼睛，驱散了睡意，她环顾四周，发现天还亮着，所以她一定没有睡很久。然而，她寻找的那个人并不在这里。

Grabbing the bathrobe that was tossed aside at the end of the bed, she exited their room and headed towards the kitchen. Sure enough, her husband was sitting at the table with his back facing her. At the light pitter-patter against the wooden floor, he whirled around in his spot and immediately stood up.
她抓起被扔在床尾的浴袍，走出房间，朝厨房走去。果然，她的丈夫正背对着她坐在桌旁。听到木地板上轻轻的脚步声，他立刻转过身来，站了起来。

“Come sit. I’ll make you some tea.”
“过来坐吧。我给你泡点茶。”

Trudging towards the chair opposite to his, she sank down into the chair. Within minutes, a steaming mug of tea was placed in front of her.
她拖着沉重的步伐走向他对面的椅子，坐了下来。几分钟后，一杯冒着热气的茶被放在她面前。

“Thank you.” She gripped the handle tightly, evading his expectant gaze.
“谢谢。”她紧紧握住杯柄，避开了他期待的目光。

“Persephone, I heard from Athena that you’re still undergoing treatment at the clinic.”
“珀耳塞福涅，我从雅典娜那里听说你还在诊所接受治疗。”

Earlier that day, she drove to Artemis’ house to drop off a cake. It was only going to be a brief trip as she had other errands to run but Aphrodite happened to be there as well, beckoning her inside and insisted that she stayed for at least a cup of tea.
那天早些时候，她开车去阿尔忒弥斯家送蛋糕。本来只是短暂的停留，因为她还有其他事情要办，但阿芙洛狄忒碰巧也在那里，招呼她进去，并坚持让她至少喝杯茶再走。

“It’s been a few years, hasn’t it? I can’t even imagine how terrible it must be—to be unable to give birth to your own children.”
“已经过去几年了，不是吗？我简直无法想象那有多糟糕——无法生育自己的孩子。”

Persephone froze, her lips dry as she struggled with a response.
珀耳塞福涅僵住了，嘴唇干涩，努力想出一个回应。  

However, Artemis slammed her mug on the coffee table, answering on her behalf. “Aphrodite, that’s enough. You shouldn’t be commenting about others’ personal matters like that.”
然而，阿尔忒弥斯把她的杯子重重地放在咖啡桌上，替她回答道：“阿芙罗狄忒，够了。你不应该这样评论别人的私事。”  

“Like what?” She twirled a stray lock of hair, her red manicured nail a stark contrast to the blonde tones. “I was only stating the obvious.”
“哪样？”她玩弄着一缕散落的头发，红色的指甲与金色的发丝形成鲜明对比。“我只是在陈述显而易见的事实。”

Persephone stood up from the couch. “Artemis, I should get going.”
珀耳塞福涅从沙发上站起来。‘阿尔忒弥斯，我该走了。’

“It really is a pity. You would make a great mother, I’m sure,” she commented, sighing. “Having children is one of the best things that has happened to me, and I wouldn’t give them up for the world.”
‘这真是可惜。我相信你会成为一个好母亲，’她评论道，叹了口气。‘拥有孩子是我经历过的最美好的事情之一，我绝不会为了世界放弃他们。’  

She gripped her keys, their metal teeth digging into the flesh of her palm. “I appreciate your concern, Aphrodite, but if I were you, I would focus more on being a better wife. It won’t be long before Hephaestus knows about you and Ares.” She flashed her a smile, unperturbed. “Though I have an inkling he already knows.”
她紧握着钥匙，金属齿咬进她的掌心。‘阿芙罗狄忒，我感谢你的关心，但如果我是你，我会更专注于成为一个更好的妻子。赫菲斯托斯很快就会知道你与阿瑞斯的事。’她对她露出一个微笑，毫不在意。‘不过我猜他已经知道了。’

Aphrodite rose to her feet, positively fuming. “How dare you accuse me of cheating!”
阿芙罗狄忒站起身来，怒气冲冲。‘你竟敢指责我作弊！’

“Enjoy the rest of your afternoon.” Persephone stepped towards the front door, digging her feet into her shoes.
‘祝你下午愉快。’珀耳塞福涅朝前门走去，把脚伸进鞋子里。

“Persephone, wait.”   “珀耳塞福涅，等等。”  

Persephone never got along with most of her relatives. However, Artemis was an exception and through the years, she became one of her closest confidants. When she first discovered she may be infertile, the first person she told was Artemis. She spent countless nights crying in her arms, and Artemis was like her anchor, keeping her steady amidst the rocky waters.
珀耳塞福涅与大多数亲戚都相处不来。然而，阿尔忒弥斯是个例外，多年来，她成为了她最亲密的知己之一。当她第一次发现自己可能不孕时，第一个告诉的人就是阿尔忒弥斯。她无数次在她的怀里哭泣，而阿尔忒弥斯就像她的锚，在波涛汹涌的水域中让她保持稳定。

“I’m sorry about all this. I’ll talk to her and make sure this never happens again.”
“对于这一切我很抱歉。我会和她谈谈，确保这种事不会再发生。”  

She wasn’t surprised by Aphrodite’s actions—she was narcissistic to the core and relished in inflicting pain through others’ deepest wounds. It hurt, but it was manageable.
她对阿芙罗狄忒的行为并不感到惊讶——她自恋至极，喜欢通过别人最深的伤口来施加痛苦。这很痛苦，但还可以忍受。

“I’m… sorry.”  “我……很抱歉。”

But when her closest friend was looking at her with such pitiful eyes, Persephone thought she might as well have taken a knife and thrusted it into her open wound.
但当她的挚友用如此怜悯的眼神看着她时，珀耳塞福涅觉得她不如拿把刀直接刺进她敞开的伤口。

She rubbed her palms against her eyes.
她用手掌揉了揉眼睛。

Ironically, it was her close friend’s reaction that pushed her over the edge. In a frenzied state, she cleared the grocery story section of pregnancy tests because surely, after years of treatments and doctors’ visits, how could there not even be a slim chance that she could prove everyone wrong?
讽刺的是，正是她挚友的反应将她推向了崩溃的边缘。在一种狂乱的状态下，她清空了超市货架上的验孕棒，因为毕竟，经过多年的治疗和医生的拜访，怎么可能连一丝机会都没有，让她证明所有人都错了呢？

“Hades,” She clenched her hands, pressing them against her eyes still, “I’m—”
“哈迪斯，”她紧握双手，仍然按在眼睛上，“我——”

“Persephone.”  “珀耳塞福涅。”

Warmth encircled her wrists, gently pulling them away from her face.
温暖环绕着她的手腕，轻轻地将它们从她的脸上拉开。

“You don’t have anything to apologize for.” Intertwining hers with his, he gave them a gentle squeeze. “We can always go back to the doctor’s next week to try something else. If they’re out of ideas, we can try another clinic.”
“你没有什么需要道歉的。”他将她的手与自己的交织在一起，轻轻捏了捏。“我们下周可以再去看医生，试试其他方法。如果他们也没有办法，我们可以去另一家诊所。”

“Do you,” Persephone spoke up, the words tumbling out faster than she can process them, “regret being with me?” A draft of cold air seeped through the window near her face, causing her eyes to sting. “You and I both want children, maybe you more than me. After every doctor’s visit, you always stay positive and I appreciate that but I see it in your eyes and I see the way you look at Dokja and I hate that I’m the reason we can’t have any children and—”
“你，”珀耳塞福涅开口了，话语比她思考的速度更快地涌出，“后悔和我在一起吗？”一股冷风从她脸旁的窗户渗入，刺痛了她的眼睛。“你和我都想要孩子，也许你比我更想要。每次看完医生后，你总是保持乐观，我很感激，但我从你的眼神中看到了，我也看到了你看独子的样子，我讨厌我是我们无法拥有孩子的原因，而且——”

Hades abruptly stood up, his chair knocking over and onto the floor with a loud clatter. Without letting go of her hands, he lowered himself to his knees in front of her.
哈迪斯突然站了起来，椅子被撞倒在地，发出响亮的撞击声。他没有松开她的手，跪在了她面前。

“When I first met you, I thought how wonderful it would be if we spent the rest of our lives together in a house of our own, running a business together, and raising a family of our own.” Droplets of water fell onto her hands, and Hades wiped them away, continuously stroking the back of her hands. “But if it’s causing you this much stress, this much anguish, I—I don’t want that. I don’t want you to feel like you need to keep doing this. If you want to stop all this, I am okay with that. If you want to look for other options like adoption, I am okay with that. And if you want to keep continuing, I am okay with that.”
“当我第一次遇见你时，我想如果我们能在一栋属于自己的房子里共度余生，一起经营生意，养育自己的家庭，那该有多美好。”水滴落在她的手上，哈迪斯轻轻擦去，不停地抚摸着她的手背。“但如果这让你感到如此大的压力，如此多的痛苦，我——我不希望那样。我不希望你觉得自己必须继续这样做。如果你想停止这一切，我完全理解。如果你想寻找其他选择，比如领养，我也完全理解。如果你想继续下去，我也完全理解。”

Persephone watched him lift his head, revealing red-rimmed eyes and the same warm smile she fell in love with all those years ago.
珀耳塞福涅看着他抬起头，露出红肿的眼睛和多年前她爱上的那个温暖笑容。

“As long as you are happy,” he said, wiping away the rivulets of tears on her cheeks, “that is all I wish for.”
“只要你开心，”他说，擦去她脸颊上的泪痕，“这就是我唯一的愿望。”

It was Valentine’s Day, arguably one of the busiest days of the year for their bakery. Persephone and Hades arrived to work extra early to finish all the pre-orders which helped mitigate their busy morning thus far but it was starting to ramp up again. Thankfully, Uriel was there to assist, and the number of impatient customers was kept to a minimum.
情人节到了，这可以说是他们面包店一年中最忙碌的日子之一。珀耳塞福涅和哈迪斯早早地来到店里，完成了所有的预订单，这帮助他们缓解了早上的繁忙，但现在又开始忙碌起来了。幸运的是，乌列尔在那里帮忙，不耐烦的顾客数量被控制在了最低限度。

As the steady flow of orders came through, Persephone noticed Kim Dokja walk in through the door, his cheeks flushed pink from the wintry air. She greeted him with a wave and was about to tell Hades to unlock the library door when she saw him plop down at an empty table. Whenever it was busy, he usually headed straight for the library because it was much quieter there. She watched as he sat there, hugging his bookbag to his chest.
随着订单的不断涌入，珀耳塞福涅注意到金独子从门口走了进来，他的脸颊因冬日的寒风而泛着粉红色。她向他挥手打招呼，正准备告诉哈迪斯去打开图书馆的门时，却看到他坐在了一张空桌子旁。每当店里忙碌时，他通常会直接去图书馆，因为那里安静得多。她看着他坐在那里，紧紧抱着他的书包。

“Persephone, here’s a fresh batch of red velvet cookies.”
“珀耳塞福涅，这是新出炉的红丝绒饼干。”

“Oh,” she responded, tearing her eyes away and accepting the tray from Hades, “thank you.”
“哦，”她回应道，将目光移开，从哈迪斯手中接过托盘，“谢谢。”

A couple hours later, the crowd finally died down. Uriel flung a dirty towel at the sink, squatting down on the floor with a tired groan. Chuckling, Persephone urged her to take a short break. However, Uriel shook her head, insisting that she be the one to rest instead.
几个小时后，人群终于散去。乌列尔将一条脏毛巾扔进水槽，疲惫地蹲在地上呻吟了一声。珀耳塞福涅笑着劝她休息一会儿。然而，乌列尔摇了摇头，坚持让她去休息。

“You’ve been up since four in the morning,” she reasoned, pushing her away from the counter. “There’s no line anymore so you should take a quick break while you can.”
“你从凌晨四点就开始忙了，”她理智地说，把她从柜台旁推开。“现在没有排队了，你应该趁这个机会休息一下。”

“But—”  “但是——”

“In the meantime, I’ll see if Hades needs help taste-testing in the back.”
“与此同时，我去看看哈迪斯是否需要帮忙在后厨试吃。”

Persephone shook her head as she realized her ulterior motives but it was too late to comment further as Uriel was already skipping her way to the kitchen.
珀耳塞福涅摇了摇头，意识到自己的别有用心，但已经来不及再说什么了，因为乌列尔已经蹦蹦跳跳地朝厨房走去。

“Um.”  “呃。”

She spun around, her eyebrows raised in surprise. “Dokja?” Since he got here, he didn’t leave his table and Persephone felt terrible that she wasn’t able to give him something to eat. “Are you hungry? Did you want something to drink too?”
她转过身来，惊讶地挑起眉毛。“Dokja？”自从他来到这里，他就没离开过桌子，Persephone 感到非常难过，因为她没能给他一些吃的。“你饿了吗？你想喝点什么吗？”

He shook his head.  他摇了摇头。

She crouched down to his eye level, noticing that he was avoiding eye contact. “Were you busy doing homework? Did you need help with it?”
她蹲下来与他平视，注意到他避开了眼神接触。‘你在忙着做作业吗？需要帮忙吗？’

He mumbled something but it was too soft for her ears to pick up.
他咕哝了几句，但声音太轻，她听不清楚。

“What was that?”  ‘你说什么？’

Squeezing his eyes shut, he asked in a much louder voice, “I want to show you something.”
“我想给你看样东西。”他紧闭双眼，用更大的声音说道。

That declaration certainly piqued her interest. “What do you want to show me?”
这句话无疑引起了她的兴趣。“你想给我看什么？”

He turned his head, as if surveying how many people were left in the café and gauging how long they would stay there.
他转过头，仿佛在打量咖啡馆里还剩下多少人，并估算他们会在那里待多久。

“How about we go to the back?” she suggested. “You haven’t eaten yet, right? I’ll grab us some food and I’ll meet you there, okay?”
“我们去后面怎么样？”她提议道。“你还没吃东西吧？我去拿点吃的，我们在那儿见，好吗？”

He nodded in agreement before scurrying down the hallway.
他点头表示同意，然后匆匆跑向走廊。

Puzzled but thoroughly intrigued, she gathered some refreshments onto a tray before making her way towards the back library. She found him sitting on the two-seater, clutching his backpack on his lap. She set the tray onto the table, taking the seat beside him.
她感到困惑但非常好奇，于是拿了一些点心放在托盘上，然后朝后面的图书馆走去。她发现他坐在双人沙发上，怀里紧紧抱着他的背包。她把托盘放在桌子上，坐在他旁边。

“What did you want to show me?”
“你想给我看什么？”

He glanced down at his backpack. Mumbling inaudibly, he said, “It’s… nothing special. I just thought it’d—actually never mind, you’re just going to think it’s stupid.”
他低头看了看自己的背包，含糊不清地嘟囔道：“这……没什么特别的。我只是觉得它——其实算了，你肯定会觉得这很蠢。”

“Why would I think something like that?”
“我为什么会这么想？”

“Because it is,” he muttered.
“因为它就是很蠢，”他低声说道。

“You could show me a rock and I still wouldn’t call it stupid,” she replied, thinking back to her middle school days when her friend made it a habit to flaunt her updated rock collection daily.
“就算你给我看一块石头，我也不会说它蠢，”她回答道，回想起中学时她的朋友每天炫耀她新收集的石头的情景。

He laughed, his shoulders shaking.
他笑了起来，肩膀抖动着。

“Is it something you made at school?” She vaguely recalled him working on a new watercolor project at school. The last time she checked in about it, he proudly boasted that his art teacher said he had a knack for the arts.
“这是你在学校做的东西吗？”她隐约记得他在学校正在做一个新的水彩项目。上次她问起时，他自豪地夸耀说他的美术老师认为他有艺术天赋。

He slowly dragged the zipper to the opposite side of the bag. “Today, my teacher brought in all these boxes of chocolates and showed us how to decorate them.”
“他慢慢地把拉链拉到包的另一边。‘今天，我的老师带来了几盒巧克力，教我们如何装饰它们。’”

She blinked, mildly surprised at his words. She never had these opportunities during school so she thought it was nice that his teacher organized something like this for her students.
“她眨了眨眼，对他的话感到有些惊讶。她在上学时从未有过这样的机会，所以她觉得老师为学生们组织这样的活动很好。”

“The teacher said we could take some home and give it to whoever we wanted to.”
“‘老师说我们可以带一些回家，送给任何我们想送的人。’”

Persephone watched as Kim Dokja pulled out a red box with golden ribbon tied neatly around it from his bag. His tiny fingers were clamped around the small box, nearly crinkling the edges.
珀耳塞福涅看着金独子从他的包里拿出一个用金色丝带整齐系着的红色盒子。他的小手指紧紧抓住那个小盒子，几乎把边缘都捏皱了。

“I made some for my mom. But I asked the teacher if I could take some extras because, um,” He ducked his head, the tips of his ears flushed a deep shade of pink, “I wanted to give some to you too and also Hades and Uriel.” He toyed with the loose thread hanging from the ribbon. “But then I realized you and Hades probably make better chocolates so this was a stupid idea.”
“我给我妈妈做了一些。但我问老师能不能多带一些，因为，嗯，”他低下头，耳尖泛起了深粉色，“我也想给你、哈迪斯和乌列尔一些。”他摆弄着丝带上松散的线头。“但后来我意识到你和哈迪斯可能做得更好，所以这是个愚蠢的想法。”

“Can I see them?”  “我能看看它们吗？”

Kim Dokja stared at her outstretched hand for a moment before finally relenting, reluctantly placing the box in the middle of her palm.
金独子盯着她伸出的手看了一会儿，最终勉强让步，不情愿地将盒子放在她的手掌中央。

Persephone gazed at the box before slowly unraveling the gold ribbon. She removed the lid, revealing six dome-shaped chocolates that were decorated with sprinkles and drizzles of pink- and white-colored chocolate.
珀耳塞福涅凝视着盒子，慢慢解开金色的丝带。她取下盖子，露出六颗圆顶形状的巧克力，上面装饰着糖屑和粉白相间的巧克力淋面。

Kim Dokja fidgeted in his seat. “The teacher said Valentine’s isn’t only for couples but can be for families too. So I just, um, wanted to…”
金独子在他的座位上不安地动来动去。“老师说情人节不只是情侣的节日，也可以是家人的节日。所以我就，嗯，想……”

Persephone took one of the chocolates from the box and placed it into her mouth. The chocolate melted upon contact, its raspberry flavor instantly coating her taste buds.
珀耳塞福涅从盒子里拿出一颗巧克力，放入口中。巧克力一接触就融化了，覆盆子的味道立刻覆盖了她的味蕾。

“Does it… taste okay?”  “它……味道还好吗？”

Upon seeing the apprehensive expression across his entire face, she gave him the biggest smile she could muster. In a thick voice, she answered, “It’s delicious.”
看到他满脸的忧虑表情，她尽力露出了最灿烂的笑容。她用沙哑的声音回答道：“很好吃。”

His eyes brightened almost instantaneously. “Really?”
“他的眼睛几乎瞬间亮了起来。“真的吗？””

She set the box aside on the table. Inching closer, she wrapped her arms around him, holding him close in her embrace. “Thank you, love.” She stroked the back of his head repeatedly. In a choked whisper, she said, “Really. Thank you.”
“她把盒子放在桌子上。她慢慢靠近，用双臂环抱住他，将他紧紧拥入怀中。“谢谢你，亲爱的。”她反复抚摸着他的后脑勺。她用哽咽的声音低声说道，“真的。谢谢你。””

In reply, she felt a small hand timidly pat her back.
作为回应，她感到一只小手怯生生地拍了拍她的背。

“Well, that could’ve gone worse.”
“嗯，情况本来可能会更糟。”

Monsoon season was in full swing, and it must’ve started pouring some time after they entered the building. Persephone’s shoes were nearly soaked from walking through puddle-ridden sidewalks to the nearest awning.
雨季正盛，他们进入大楼后不久，外面一定开始下起了倾盆大雨。珀耳塞福涅的鞋子几乎被水坑遍布的人行道浸湿，她不得不走到最近的遮雨棚下。

“It also could’ve gone better.”
“本来也可以更好的。”

“I’m not surprised though. It’s no wonder people don’t readily adopt.”
“不过我并不感到意外。难怪人们不愿意轻易领养。”

A few weeks ago, Persephone disclosed to Hades that she wanted to try adopting.
几周前，珀耳塞福涅向哈迪斯透露，她想尝试领养。

During the prior few months, they found another fertility clinic and unsurprisingly, they weren’t able to provide any more options than the last clinic. Perhaps she was used to the endless slew of failures because she didn’t react as poorly as she thought she would. In fact, it only reaffirmed her desires to try starting a family through adoption instead.
在过去的几个月里，他们找到了另一家生育诊所，不出所料，这家诊所也无法提供比上一家更多的选择。也许她已经习惯了接二连三的失败，因为她并没有像自己想象的那样反应激烈。事实上，这反而坚定了她通过领养来组建家庭的愿望。

“Persephone, are you sure about this?”
“珀耳塞福涅，你确定要这样做吗？”

That night, Persephone had placed one hand over her stomach, accompanied by a small smile on her face. “You told me that when you met me, you wanted to grow old together with me and our family. I feel the same way. So that’s why, because it’s hard for me to give birth myself,” Releasing a shaky breath, she continued with a smile, “I want to try adopting if that’s okay with you.”
那天晚上，珀耳塞福涅将一只手放在肚子上，脸上带着一丝微笑。‘你告诉我，当你遇见我时，你想和我以及我们的家人一起慢慢变老。我也有同样的感觉。所以，这就是为什么，因为我自己生孩子很困难，’她颤抖着呼出一口气，继续微笑着说道，‘如果可以的话，我想尝试领养。’

She thought making the decision was half the battle. After speaking with the first adoption agency, she realized it was a steep uphill battle from here. The representative at this agency thought they were a foreign couple but when they corrected him, he quickly changed tones from one of enthusiasm to one of poorly-disguised judgment. At his offhanded comment of why such a young-looking couple would not choose the easier route of ‘just giving birth,’ Persephone had to actively stop her husband from mauling the man.
她以为做出决定就已经成功了一半。在与第一家领养机构交谈后，她意识到从这里开始将是一场艰难的上坡战。这家机构的代表以为他们是一对外国夫妇，但当他们纠正他时，他的语气迅速从热情转变为难以掩饰的评判。当他随口评论为什么这么年轻的夫妇不选择‘直接生孩子’这条更简单的路时，珀耳塞福涅不得不主动阻止她的丈夫对那个男人动手。

The other issue was finances—adoption costed millions of won. Unfortunately, they had poured a substantial chunk of their savings into renovating their café recently, and it would take at least a few years to recover that investment as revenue. On top of all that, the adoption process could take several months to years, the latter of which though would potentially work in their favor in terms of spacing out their payments.
另一个问题是财务——领养需要花费数百万韩元。不幸的是，他们最近将大部分积蓄投入了咖啡馆的翻新，至少需要几年时间才能通过收入收回这笔投资。除此之外，领养过程可能需要几个月到几年的时间，后者可能对他们有利，因为可以分散支付费用。

Persephone heaved a long sigh, already wearied from just the initial visit to the adoption agency.    
珀耳塞福涅长叹一声，仅仅初次拜访领养机构就已经让她感到疲惫不堪。

Hades suddenly tugged on her hand, propelling them back into the downpour as he quickened his pace down the road.
哈迪斯突然拉住她的手，加快步伐，带着她重新冲进了倾盆大雨中。

She nearly tripped over herself as she struggled to keep up. “Where are you going?”
她差点绊倒自己，努力跟上他的步伐。“你要去哪儿？”

“I think we need some samgyetang,” he yelled over his shoulder, over the pouring rain. “And then afterwards, we’ll go shopping.”
“我觉得我们需要一些参鸡汤，”他在倾盆大雨中回头喊道。“然后之后，我们去购物。”

“Shopping?” Water continuously drenched her sandals with each step. “What for?”
“购物？”每走一步，水都不断浸湿她的凉鞋。“买什么？”

“Paint. Our spare room looks so dull with that off-white color. Our new baby’s going to judge us if we don’t repaint it at some point.”
“油漆。我们的备用房间那种米白色看起来太单调了。如果我们不重新粉刷一下，我们的新宝宝将来会评判我们的。”

Persephone wiped the excess water from her eyes, peering up at the carefree grin on her husband’s face.
“珀耳塞福涅擦去眼角的泪水，抬头看着她丈夫脸上那无忧无虑的笑容。”

“Should we paint it sage green? Uriel told me that’s the trend these days.”
“我们应该把它刷成鼠尾草绿吗？乌列尔告诉我这是现在的潮流。”

Excitement bubbled from within after registering his words, reigniting past emotions that were buried by years of disappointment after disappointment. She was always so focused on her inability to give birth that she never partook in the joys associated with childbirth. But now, things were different.
听到他的话后，内心的兴奋涌上心头，重新点燃了那些被年复一年的失望所掩埋的过去情感。她总是过于专注于自己无法生育的事实，以至于从未体验过与生育相关的喜悦。但现在，情况不同了。

The sky was gray, pedestrians took cover under their respective umbrellas, and the cars skidded along the roads in disarray as the traffic worsened with each passing minute.
天空灰蒙蒙的，行人各自躲在伞下，汽车在混乱的道路上打滑，交通状况每分钟都在恶化。

To others, this would be the farthest thing from a perfect day.
对其他人来说，这远非完美的一天。

“Sage green sounds perfect.”
“鼠尾草绿听起来很完美。”

To Persephone, the day couldn’t be any more perfect.
对珀耳塞福涅来说，这一天再完美不过了。

Persephone noticed Kim Dokja was sleeping more than usual.
珀耳塞福涅注意到金独子比平时睡得更多了。

Initially, she chalked it up to him staying up to read his webnovels again. She remembered he once stayed up for two days straight because he could not resist the temptation of each subsequent cliffhanger. He received a rather stern lecture from Hades, and he weakly promised it wouldn’t happen again. (It happened the next week.) Or maybe, it was because he started eighth grade a couple months ago—middle school was already hard enough when she was younger so she couldn’t imagine how rigorous it was these days.
起初，她把这归因于他又熬夜看网络小说了。她记得他曾经因为无法抗拒每个后续的悬念而连续熬夜两天。哈迪斯为此严厉地训斥了他，他虚弱地保证不会再发生这种情况。（结果下一周又发生了。）或者，也许是因为他几个月前开始上八年级——她年轻时的中学已经够难了，所以她无法想象现在会有多严格。

But these days, the darkened rim beneath his eyes became more apparent as he spent more time napping in the back of their store.
但这些日子，他眼睛下方的黑眼圈变得更加明显，因为他在店铺后面打盹的时间越来越多。

Persephone quietly entered the library in the back of the coffee shop, setting down a new cake that she had been trialing the past few weeks.
珀耳塞福涅悄悄地走进咖啡店后面的图书馆，放下她过去几周一直在试验的新蛋糕。

Kim Dokja was curled on his side on the sofa, his knees tucked closer to his chest now that he was beginning to outgrow the length of the sofa. His lips parted slightly as quiet breaths escaped.
金独子蜷缩在沙发上，膝盖更靠近胸口，因为他开始超出沙发的长度。他的嘴唇微微张开，轻轻地呼吸着。

Persephone tiptoed around him towards the basket in the corner. Grabbing a white fluffy blanket from the pile, she gingerly placed it over his sleeping form, careful not to wake him. His nose wrinkled as he buried his face into the blanket. Pursing her lips to suppress a quiet giggle, she gently tucked the blanket in so that it sat snug against his frame.
珀耳塞福涅蹑手蹑脚地绕过他，走向角落里的篮子。她从一堆东西中抓起一条白色蓬松的毯子，小心翼翼地盖在他熟睡的身体上，生怕吵醒他。他的鼻子皱了皱，把脸埋进了毯子里。她抿着嘴忍住轻笑，轻轻地把毯子掖好，让它紧贴着他的身体。

She paused when she saw his arm sticking out of the blanket. The sleeve was hiked up close to his elbow, revealing a healing bruise to his forearm.
她看到他的一只胳膊从毯子里伸出来时，停了下来。袖子被卷到了接近肘部的位置，露出了前臂上一块正在愈合的淤青。

“Your mother works very hard.”
“你妈妈工作非常努力。”

Kim Dokja nodded, sipping on his orange juice. “But that’s why I don’t get to see her a lot. When she is home, I don’t want to bother her because she’s probably really tired.”
金独子点点头，啜饮着他的橙汁。“但这就是为什么我很少见到她。当她在家的时候，我不想打扰她，因为她可能真的很累。”

Persephone narrowed her eyes when something else caught her attention. Her hand reached over, trembling slightly as she brushed his hair back. There was a sizeable scrape on his temple that couldn’t have been more than a day old.
珀耳塞福涅眯起眼睛，突然注意到别的东西。她的手伸过去，微微颤抖着拨开他的头发。他的太阳穴上有一道不小的擦伤，看起来不超过一天。

“What about your dad? Does he also work a lot?”
“那你爸爸呢？他也经常工作吗？”

Her fingers delicately grazed over the cut.
她的手指轻轻拂过那道伤口。

Kim Dokja wordlessly drank the rest of his juice, his eyes averted the other way.
金独子默默地喝完了剩下的果汁，目光转向了另一边。

His hand grabbed onto the edge of the blanket, snuggling it closer to his chin.
他的手抓住了毯子的边缘，将它拉得更靠近下巴。

“He does,” he finally answered, “but he’s at home a lot more than Mom.”
“他是这样，”他终于回答，“但他在家的时间比妈妈多。”

“It’s good that you’re not alone then.”
“那你不孤单真是太好了。”

“Is it?”  “是吗？”

She turned off the faucet and glanced over her shoulder. “What was that?”
她关掉水龙头，回头瞥了一眼。“那是什么？”

“It is.” He smiled brightly. “Good, I mean.”  
“是的。”他灿烂地笑了。“我是说，很好。”

Persephone didn’t confront him immediately about his wounds. For someone like Kim Dokja, straightforward tactics like that would just cause the opposite effect, only sending him further into his shell. But when she spotted new bruises peeking through his clothes throughout the week, she put her foot down.
珀耳塞福涅没有立即就他的伤口质问他。对于像金独子这样的人，直截了当的策略只会适得其反，只会让他更加封闭自己。但当她在这一周里发现他衣服下新添的瘀伤时，她决定不再容忍了。

“Dokja,” She handed him a wet plate, already scrubbing the next dishware, “how did you get that bruise?”
“独子，”她递给他一个湿漉漉的盘子，已经开始刷洗下一个餐具，“你手臂上的淤青是怎么弄的？”

Kim Dokja stilled, the now damp towel wrapped around the plate. However, that lasted only a moment as he resumed wiping down the plate. “What bruise?”
金独子愣了一下，湿毛巾还裹在盘子上。不过，那只是一瞬间的事，他继续擦拭着盘子。“什么淤青？”

She pumped more soap onto the dirty plate she was holding. “The one on your arm.”
她往手中的脏盘子上挤了更多的洗洁精。“你手臂上的那个。”

“Oh.” He retrieved the wet bowl from the edge of the sink. “I tripped at school the other day.”
“哦。”他从水槽边缘拿起了湿碗。“前几天我在学校摔了一跤。”

“You tripped,” she repeated.
“你摔了一跤，”她重复道。

He stacked the dried bowl on top of the others. “I couldn’t catch myself in time and I banged my arm against a desk on my way down.”
他把擦干的碗叠在其他碗上。“我没能及时稳住自己，摔倒时手臂撞到了桌子上。”

Warm water washed over her hands as she peered over at his hands, pale and unmarred.
温暖的水流过她的双手，她瞥了一眼他的手，苍白而无瑕。

When he was still in elementary school, she remembered packing him extra pastries so that he could bring them for lunch to school. When he returned to the café that week, she asked how he liked them. He fumbled through his words and fabricated inconsistent excuses before finally admitting that his classmates stole them during lunchtime.
当他还在上小学时，她记得给他多带了一些糕点，让他可以带到学校当午餐。那周他回到咖啡馆时，她问他喜不喜欢那些糕点。他支支吾吾地编造了前后矛盾的借口，最后才承认他的同学在午餐时间偷走了它们。

“You should be more careful, Dokja.”
“你应该更小心点，独子。”

“I will,” he answered, giving her a reassuring smile.
“我会的，”他回答道，给了她一个安心的微笑。

She struggled to return one, wondering when this boy learned to deftly lie through his lips.
她努力回以一个微笑，心里疑惑这个男孩是什么时候学会如此熟练地撒谎的。

But throughout the next few months, the bruises seemed like it was permanently etched into his skin, the greens, purples, and blues blooming across more uncharted area. Kim Dokja became increasingly despondent, spending all his time in the back until closing time. But with each noncommittal response she received, feelings of helplessness gradually morphed into those of frustration—until one day, it simply overflowed.
但在接下来的几个月里，那些淤青似乎永久地刻在了他的皮肤上，绿色、紫色和蓝色在更多未探索的区域绽放。金独子变得越来越沮丧，整天待在后面直到打烊。但随着她每次得到的模棱两可的回应，无助感逐渐转变为挫败感——直到有一天，这种情绪终于爆发了。

Without knocking, Persephone shoved the door open. Kim Dokja didn’t even flinch at her abrupt entrance. With her hands balled into fists, she cemented her wavering resolve and marched forward until she towered over him.
珀耳塞福涅没有敲门，直接推开了门。金独子对她的突然闯入甚至没有一丝反应。她双手紧握成拳，坚定了动摇的决心，大步向前，直到居高临下地站在他面前。

He didn’t lift his head to greet her like he usually would.
他没有像往常那样抬起头来迎接她。

Persephone sucked in a quiet breath before saying, “Did your dad do this to you?”
珀耳塞福涅轻轻吸了一口气，然后说道：“是你爸爸对你做的吗？”

She might regret her words later on—because this wasn’t any of her business and she was prying into matters that she knew Kim Dokja wanted to keep private. But seeing him continue to have these bruises, she felt like she would only regret it more if she didn’t speak up.
她可能会在以后后悔自己说的话——因为这根本不关她的事，而且她在打探金独子想要保密的事情。但看到他身上继续出现这些淤青，她觉得如果不说出来，自己会更后悔。

He snapped his head back, his eyes wide in disbelief.
他猛地转过头，眼睛睁得大大的，难以置信。

“What?”  “什么？”

“Is he the one,” She bit her lip, almost wondering if she could somehow take back her words, “who caused all those bruises?”
“是他吗，”她咬着嘴唇，几乎想知道自己是否能收回刚才的话，“造成了那些淤青？”

He reflexively hid his arms, pulling his sleeves downward. “What are you talking about? I told you I fell.”
他下意识地藏起手臂，把袖子往下拉。“你在说什么？我告诉过你我是摔的。”

“Then what about the cuts on your arm and on your face? How does a simple fall explain all that?”
“那你手臂上和脸上的伤口呢？简单的摔倒怎么解释得了这些？”

He opened his mouth but decided to keep it shut. Persephone was a bit taken aback by the defiance shining through his stare—but just as quickly as it appeared, it fizzled out, back to that unremitting despondent look.
他张了张嘴，但决定还是闭上。珀耳塞福涅被他眼神中闪过的反抗吓了一跳——但那种反抗很快就消失了，又回到了那种无休止的沮丧表情。

“Why does it matter?”  “这有什么关系？”

“Why wouldn’t it? Dokja, you’re hurt. And you continue getting hurt. If you don’t think Hades or I can help, we can get someone who can. If you need to, we can go to the poli—”
“怎么会没关系？独子，你受伤了。而且你还在继续受伤。如果你觉得哈迪斯或我帮不上忙，我们可以找能帮忙的人。如果你需要，我们可以去警——”

“We don’t need to call the police,” he cut in, emphatic. “They would just make everything worse.”
“我们不需要报警，”他打断道，语气坚决。“他们只会让一切变得更糟。”

“Make what worse exactly?”
“到底会让什么变得更糟？”

“They’d—” He grit his teeth, shaking his head. “Never mind.” He stood up, his shoulder knocking into hers as he pushed past. “I have to go.”
“他们会——”他咬紧牙关，摇了摇头。“算了。”他站起来，肩膀撞到了她的肩膀，然后挤了过去。“我得走了。”

“You’re just going to let it be?” She whirled around, grasping onto his arm.
“你就打算这样算了？”她转过身，抓住了他的手臂。

“Why do you keep saying that?” He drew his arm back, breaking free from her hold. “I told you there’s nothing going on.”
“你为什么一直这么说？”他抽回手臂，挣脱了她的抓握。“我告诉过你，没什么事。”

Her hand fell to her side, its nails nearly tearing through the skin of her palm. “Because I know it’s not an accident.” With a quivering arm, she pointed towards his abdomen. “How do you explain the bruise you have there then?”
她的手垂到身侧，指甲几乎要刺破掌心的皮肤。“因为我知道这不是意外。”她用颤抖的手臂指向他的腹部。“那你如何解释你那里的淤青？”

The first crack in his confidence appeared. “How do you know about that?”
“他自信的第一道裂缝出现了。‘你怎么知道那件事的？’”

Actually, she didn’t know. But earlier this week, when Uriel was trying to play a prank on him to get his spirits up, she accidentally elbowed him in the stomach, eliciting an abnormally strong reaction from him. He coughed it up to being caught off guard but then Persephone saw him still clutching his stomach several minutes later. She knew something was off and his reaction only confirmed that.
“实际上，她并不知道。但本周早些时候，当乌列尔试图恶作剧让他振作起来时，她不小心用手肘撞到了他的肚子，引发了他异常强烈的反应。他解释说是因为措手不及，但几分钟后，珀耳塞福涅看到他仍然捂着肚子。她知道有些不对劲，而他的反应只是证实了这一点。”

“Dokja, I—” Her arm was suspended in mid-air, anxious to reach out but afraid of pushing him farther away. “I’m just worried about you. If you tell me what’s going on, I can maybe help and I won’t involve the police if you don’t want me to and—”
“‘独子，我——’她的手臂悬在半空中，既渴望伸出又害怕把他推得更远。‘我只是担心你。如果你告诉我发生了什么，也许我能帮忙，如果你不想让我报警，我也不会——’”

“It’s not him.”  “不是他。”

He avoided her eyes. Unable to resist, she probed further. “Then who?”
他避开了她的目光。她忍不住继续追问：“那是谁？”

Sighing quietly, he finally answered, “My classmates.”
他轻轻叹了口气，终于回答：“我的同学们。”

“For how long?”  “多久了？”

“…A while.”  “…一会儿。”

Even when Persephone was younger, school violence had always been an issue—young teenagers felt no remorse inflicting such terrible wounds on their peers—and she was disappointed to see it was still the same today.
即使珀耳塞福涅年轻时，校园暴力也一直是个问题——年轻的青少年对给同龄人造成如此严重的伤害毫无悔意——她失望地发现今天依然如此。

“Do the teachers know?”  “老师们知道吗？”

The corner of his lips lifted, producing a sardonic smile. “It wouldn’t change anything even if they did.”
他的嘴角微微上扬，露出一抹讽刺的笑容。“即使他们知道了，也不会改变什么。”

The image of Kim Dokja, the same child who walked into her bakery all those years ago, being ganged up against by his classmates and beaten up black and blue made her heart feel like it was being wrung dry. Feeling powerless, she proposed, “If the school gets involved, they may be able to do something about it. No one wants their child to have a permanent disciplinary action on their record.”
金独子，那个多年前走进她面包店的孩子，如今被同学们围攻、打得遍体鳞伤的画面，让她的心仿佛被拧干了一般。感到无能为力，她提议道：“如果学校介入，他们或许能做点什么。没有人希望自己的孩子档案上有永久性的纪律处分。”

A dry laugh left his lips. “You think they’d care about their record?”
他发出一声干笑。“你觉得他们会在乎自己的档案吗？”

She hung her head, focusing her gaze on a loose thread in the rug. “It doesn’t hurt to try. I could come with you and talk to the school—”
“她低下头，目光聚焦在地毯上的一根松线。‘试试也无妨。我可以和你一起去学校谈谈——’”

“Why would you?”  “你为什么要这么做？”

She raised her head at his skeptical tone. Now fully facing her, he was watching her with his eyebrows knitted together in confusion and with a blank stare that held hints of suspicion.
“她抬起头，听到他怀疑的语气。现在他完全面对着她，眉头紧锁，带着困惑和一丝怀疑的茫然目光注视着她。”

“Because I…” Because what exactly? He was right—why would she go? If everything he mentioned was true, he had two parents to advocate for him at school if he chose to go down that route. Why would he ask her, a random woman he first met at a bakery all those years ago, to act as his guardian?
“因为我……”因为什么呢？他说得对——她为什么要去？如果他提到的一切都是真的，他有两个父母可以在学校为他辩护，如果他选择走那条路的话。他为什么要请她，一个多年前在面包店初次见面的陌生女人，来当他的监护人呢？

Her gaze lowered toward his arms, and she noticed that some time during the conversation, he had pulled his sleeves down as far as possible, practically to his fingertips. Maintaining her gaze there, she said, “Never mind. You can forget what I said. I was just… worried about the bruises I saw.”
“她的目光落向他的手臂，注意到在谈话的某个时刻，他已经把袖子拉到了尽可能低的位置，几乎到了指尖。她继续盯着那里，说道：‘没关系。你可以忘了我刚才说的话。我只是……担心我看到的那些淤青。’”

He didn’t answer, and she didn’t dare make eye contact, afraid of what his expression was like. Moments later, a pair of soiled, battered sneakers came into view.
“他没有回答，她也不敢直视他的眼睛，害怕看到他的表情。片刻之后，一双脏兮兮、破旧的运动鞋进入了她的视线。”

“I get why you’re worried and,” He shuffled his right shoe against the rug, “I appreciate it. But I promise I’m okay.”
“‘我明白你为什么担心，而且，’他用右脚在地毯上蹭了蹭，‘我很感激。但我保证我没事。’”

She gradually lifted her head and when she saw a tiny smile on his face, she felt some of the tension from her shoulders release. “Okay. But just know that Hades and I are here if you ever need anything.”
“她慢慢抬起头，看到他脸上露出一丝微笑，肩上的紧张感也随之减轻了一些。‘好吧。但你要知道，哈迪斯和我随时都在，如果你需要什么的话。’”

“I know.” His smile widened, reminiscent of the one he would give her whenever she packed him food before he headed home.
“‘我知道。’他的笑容扩大了，就像每次她在他回家前为他打包食物时他给她的那种笑容。”

Though despite his reassurance, the uncertainty in her gut persisted.
“尽管他给了她安慰，但她心中的不安依然挥之不去。”

Perhaps Kim Dokja noticed as well because he then promised, “I’ll let my teachers know about this. If it continues, I’ll talk to my parents. If need be, I’ll talk to you and Hades as well. Or maybe I should just leave it to Uriel—she can honestly be one of the scariest people once you get her angry enough.”
“也许金独子也注意到了，因为他随后承诺道：‘我会让我的老师们知道这件事。如果情况继续下去，我会和我的父母谈谈。如果有必要，我也会和你以及哈迪斯谈谈。或者也许我应该直接交给乌列尔——一旦你把她惹得足够生气，她真的可以成为最可怕的人之一。’”

She chuckled, her uneasiness dissipating at his comforting words. “Don’t let her catch you saying that.”
“她轻笑了一声，不安的情绪在他的安慰话语中消散了。‘别让她听到你这么说。’”

He stepped towards her and pressed his hand against the small of her back, guiding her towards the door. “Let’s go back to the front. Hades must be wondering where you are.”
“他走向她，将手轻轻放在她的后腰上，引导她走向门口。‘我们回前面去吧。哈迪斯一定在想知道你在哪里。’”

“He’s probably too busy in the kitchen to even notice.”
“他可能在厨房里忙得都没注意到。”

As they walked through the hallway, her eyes trailed towards the side of his face, specifically the cut that was partially masked by his hair. She was still concerned about his well-being but she decided to trust his words—by the end of the conversation, he had changed his attitude and was amenable to reaching out for help. As she already promised him, she and Hades would be here to help in any way they can.
当他们走过走廊时，她的目光落在他侧脸上，尤其是被头发部分遮住的伤口。她仍然担心他的健康状况，但她决定相信他的话——在谈话结束时，他改变了态度，愿意寻求帮助。正如她向他承诺的那样，她和哈迪斯会尽一切可能提供帮助。

Tearing her gaze away from his wounds, she continued walking beside him, staring straight ahead.
她将目光从他的伤口上移开，继续走在他身旁，直视前方。

Thinking back to that shy, awkward smile on his face, she thought, Let’s trust Dokja on this.
回想起他脸上那害羞而尴尬的微笑，她想，这次就相信独子吧。

Months later, Persephone would come to regret listening to Kim Dokja.
几个月后，珀耳塞福涅会后悔听了金独子的话。

Kim Dokja eventually stopped coming to the bakery altogether.
金独子最终再也没有来过面包店。

Persephone strode up the sidewalk, halting in front of the placard that had his middle school’s name inscribed on it. She clutched the handle of her purse, surveying the sea of students in front of her.
珀耳塞福涅大步走上人行道，停在一块刻有他初中名字的标牌前。她紧握着钱包的把手，审视着面前的学生海洋。

Whenever Kim Dokja would be absent for a while, he usually let her and Hades know ahead of time. However, it’d been months since he last came. She kept replaying their last conversation over and over again, hoping it would provide insight into what could be happening but all she received was this unsettling feeling deep within her gut that gnawed away at her conscience. But when he continued to not appear at the bakery, she quickly recognized that the only way to assuage her concerns was to find him herself. Having seen his schoolwork multiple times, she easily remembered the name of his school. So without telling Hades, this was how she ended up here.
每当金独子会缺席一段时间时，他通常会提前告诉她与哈迪斯。然而，自从他上次来已经过去几个月了。她不断回放他们最后的对话，希望能从中找到一些线索，但得到的只是内心深处那种不安的感觉，不断啃噬着她的良心。但当他继续没有出现在面包店时，她很快意识到，唯一能缓解她担忧的方法就是亲自找到他。由于多次看过他的学校作业，她很容易就记住了他学校的名字。于是，在没有告诉哈迪斯的情况下，她就这样来到了这里。

A horde of students trickled past the school gates, signaling the end of classes. She situated herself right at the entrance, her eyes sifting through the crowd in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the person she’d been searching for this whole day. But after twenty minutes, over half the students had already left, leaving behind clusters of students chatting outside the school but none of them were Kim Dokja.
一群学生从校门口鱼贯而出，标志着课程的结束。她站在入口处，目光在人群中搜寻，希望能瞥见那个她今天一直在寻找的人。但二十分钟后，超过一半的学生已经离开，只剩下几群学生在校外聊天，但其中没有金独子。

There was a group of four girls just several meters from her, their chatter and laughter catching her attention. This seemed like a relatively large school so it was unlikely they knew Kim Dokja but Persephone figured it was worth a shot.
离她几米远的地方有一群四个女孩，她们的谈笑声引起了她的注意。这所学校似乎规模较大，所以她们不太可能认识金独子，但珀耳塞福涅觉得值得一试。

“Excuse me.” The girls whipped their heads towards her, throwing her a mix of curious and wary gazes. “I’m trying to look for someone at this school. He’s the son of a family friend of mine. I was wondering if you all could help me?”
“打扰一下。”女孩们迅速转过头来，投来好奇而警惕的目光。“我在找这所学校的一个人。他是我家朋友的儿子。我想知道你们能不能帮我？”

They exchanged glances amongst themselves before one of them spoke up. “What’s his name?”
他们互相交换了一下眼神，然后其中一个人开口问道：“他叫什么名字？”

“His name is Kim Dokja. He should be in his third year.” When she was met with complete silence, her confidence deflated. Perhaps this was a foolish endeavor. But when she noticed these girls were simply downright avoiding her gaze, she knew something was off.
“他叫金独子，应该是三年级的学生。”当她面对完全的沉默时，她的信心一下子泄了气。也许这是个愚蠢的尝试。但当她注意到这些女孩们完全避开了她的目光时，她知道事情有些不对劲。

One of them nudged her friend, murmuring that someone should answer her. The friend bit her lip, her gaze complicated. “Are you really looking for Kim Dokja?”
其中一个人轻轻推了推她的朋友，低声说应该有人回答她。那个朋友咬了咬嘴唇，眼神复杂。“你真的在找金独子吗？”

Something was wrong, her gut whispered. “Yes.”
“有什么不对劲，”她的直觉低语道。“是的。”

“Didn’t you hear about what happened?”
“你没听说发生了什么吗？”

“No?” The uneasiness in her stomach grew. “What happened?”
“没有？”她胃里的不安感越来越强烈。“发生了什么？”

“He’s,” She shifted her eyes, “in the hospital right now.”
“他，”她移开视线，“现在在医院里。”

“Hospital? Why?”  “医院？为什么？”

She hesitated, biting her lip.
她犹豫了一下，咬着嘴唇。

“Why are you acting so scared? It’s all over the news so it’s not like we’re doing anything wrong by saying it, right?”
“你为什么表现得这么害怕？新闻上到处都是，所以我们说出来也没什么不对，对吧？”

“Yeah, but it’s just—”  “是啊，但这只是——”

“Ahjumma, he’s in the hospital,” the one from before answered, “because he tried to kill himself.”
“阿姨，他在医院，”之前的那个人回答，“因为他试图自杀。”

“I’m looking for a patient named Kim Dokja.”
“我在找一位名叫金独子的病人。”

“Please wait a moment.” The nurse typed in the name, tapping her fingers against the table as she presumably waited for the screen to load. A furrow appeared between her brows as she glanced back up at Persephone. “What’s your relationship with the patient?”
“请稍等。”护士输入了名字，手指在桌子上轻轻敲击，似乎在等待屏幕加载。她眉头微皱，抬头看向珀耳塞福涅。“您和病人是什么关系？”

“Ah,” she said, with a smile, “I’m his aunt.”
“啊，”她微笑着说道，“我是他的姑姑。”

“His aunt?” Her eyes momentarily flitted towards the screen. “Unfortunately, only approved visitors are allowed to this patient’s room.”
“他的姑姑？”她的目光短暂地扫向屏幕。“很抱歉，只有经过批准的访客才能进入这位病人的房间。”

“Family isn’t allowed?” she pressed.
“家属也不行吗？”她追问道。

“I’m sorry, but you are not allowed to visit the patient at this moment.”
“很抱歉，您现在不能探望病人。”

“…I understand. Thank you.”
“……我明白了。谢谢。”

Sighing, Persephone walked away from the front desk. Considering the circumstances surrounding his hospitalization, it was natural they would have a heightened sense of security towards any unwarranted visitors. However, based on the nurse’s response, at least she now knew that Kim Dokja was somewhere on this floor; the other staff she questioned on other floors were not aware of a patient with that name.
珀耳塞福涅叹了口气，从前台走开。考虑到他住院的情况，医院对任何未经许可的访客加强安保是理所当然的。不过，根据护士的回答，至少她现在知道金独子就在这一层；她在其他楼层询问的工作人员并不知道有这个名字的病人。

Persephone walked past ceiling-high windows, revealing all of Seoul.
珀耳塞福涅走过高耸至天花板的窗户，窗外是首尔的景色。

Several months ago, she remembered reading on the news of how a woman murdered her husband in self-defense after years of domestic abuse. Though she was opposed to violence of any sort, she couldn’t help but sympathize with the woman. When she released the now bestselling memoir, Persephone remembered reading it late into the night, her heart aching as she read through her gruesome account of the abuse she and her son suffered. During the incident and when the book was released, there was some media attention regarding the son as people were eager to uncover further information from his perspective. Luckily, his identity was never released, and Persephone had only hoped that the boy was holding up with some sort of support system nearby.
几个月前，她记得在新闻上读到一位妇女在多年遭受家庭暴力后自卫杀害了丈夫。尽管她反对任何形式的暴力，但她不禁对那位妇女产生了同情。当那位妇女发布了如今畅销的回忆录时，珀耳塞福涅记得她熬夜读到深夜，心随着她和她儿子所遭受的可怕虐待的描述而疼痛。在事件发生和书籍发布期间，媒体对那位儿子有一些关注，因为人们渴望从他的角度获取更多信息。幸运的是，他的身份从未被公开，珀耳塞福涅只希望那个男孩能在附近的支持系统中坚持下去。

Persephone weaved through the corridor, past the white walls.
珀耳塞福涅穿过走廊，经过白色的墙壁。

“Dokja, are you sure you don’t want to take it home? You ate so little.”
“独子，你确定不把它带回家吗？你吃得这么少。”

“No, it’s okay.” He smiled at her, his cheeks appearing gaunter with each visit. “I’m not that hungry.”
“不，没关系。”他朝她笑了笑，脸颊随着每次来访显得更加消瘦。“我不太饿。”

Persephone opened her mouth but refrained from saying anything further. She’d wait until he was ready to open up to her, just as she had done all these years since their first meeting.
珀耳塞福涅张了张嘴，但最终没有再多说什么。她会等到他准备好向她敞开心扉，就像自从他们第一次见面以来她一直做的那样。

Persephone slowed to a stop, the distant sound of beeping monitors echoing from adjacent patient rooms.
珀耳塞福涅慢慢停下脚步，远处监护仪的嘟嘟声从相邻的病房中传来。

What am I even doing? A dry laugh escaped her lips, her hands clenched in tight fists.
我到底在做什么？她发出一声干笑，双手紧握成拳。

Kim Dokja just so happened to pass by her store one day, and she happened to bump into him outside her store. He would visit her store often, and she would give him all the food he wanted. But that was that—it wasn’t like they ever met outside the store. She didn’t even know much about his family as he never felt comfortable enough to share.
金独子有一天碰巧经过她的店，而她碰巧在店外撞见了他。他会经常光顾她的店，而她也会给他所有他想要的食物。但仅此而已——他们从未在店外见过面。她甚至对他的家庭知之甚少，因为他从未感到足够自在去分享这些。

She hung her head, focusing her gaze on a loose thread in the rug. “It doesn’t hurt to try. I could come with you and talk to the school—”
“她低下头，目光聚焦在地毯上的一根松线。‘试试也无妨。我可以和你一起去学校谈谈——’”  

“Why would you?”  “‘你为什么要这么做？’”

But here she was, running around the city in order to search for this boy, a boy who wasn’t even her son.
“但她现在却在城里跑来跑去，寻找这个男孩，一个甚至不是她儿子的男孩。”

Persephone glanced down at her feet.
珀耳塞福涅低头看了看自己的脚。

Right. He’s not even my actual son.
对。他甚至不是我亲生的儿子。

Persephone turned on her heel, briefly pausing for another few moments before beginning to return the way she came from.
珀耳塞福涅转过身，又短暂地停顿了一会儿，然后开始沿着来时的路返回。

The sound of a door being slammed shut startled her.
门被猛地关上的声音吓了她一跳。

Down the hall, a couple stormed out of the room, loudly arguing about something. They started making their way down the hall in her direction, their voices growing more prominent with each step. She frowned, thinking of how their disregard of their surroundings was disturbing these patients’ rest.
走廊尽头，一对夫妇从房间里冲了出来，大声争吵着什么。他们开始朝她的方向走来，每走一步，他们的声音就变得更加响亮。她皱起眉头，想着他们不顾周围环境的行为正在打扰这些病人的休息。

“—telling you, I won’t be paying for that brat’s hospital fees!”
“——我告诉你，我不会为那个小鬼的住院费付钱的！”

“Honey, can you please keep it down?”
“亲爱的，你能小声点吗？”

“The reason my brother is dead,” Persephone watched as she marched past her, “is because his mother killed him.”
“我哥哥之所以死了，”珀耳塞福涅看着她从自己身边走过，“是因为他的母亲杀了他。”

The man slapped a hand over her mouth, muttering quick apologies to those within his vicinity. He hurriedly dragged her away, her muffled shouts growing quieter.
男人迅速用手捂住她的嘴，向周围的人低声道歉。他匆忙把她拖走，她含糊的喊叫声渐渐变小。

Before she could even think about it, Persephone followed them.
还没等她多想，珀耳塞福涅就跟了上去。

He brought them to an area that experienced much less foot traffic so there was less risk of prying eyes and ears.
他带他们去了一个人流量较少的区域，这样被窥探的风险就小了很多。

“You can’t just shout all that with everyone around!”
“你不能在这么多人面前大喊大叫！”

She yanked her arm free, glaring at him. “So what, it’s not like everyone doesn’t know about that brat Kim Dokja. He’s been here so long, he practically lives here.” Sighing irritably, she massaged her temples. “Which is another problem because who’s going to pay the hospital bill? Sure as hell better not be us.”
她猛地抽回手臂，瞪着他。“那又怎样，又不是所有人都不知道那个小鬼金独子。他在这里待了这么久，简直就像住在这里一样。”她烦躁地叹了口气，揉了揉太阳穴。“这又是另一个问题，因为谁来付医院的账单？肯定不能是我们。”

The man threw his head back, squeezing his eyes shut and breathing deeply through his nostrils. “For fuck’s sake, I already said we can pay it now and let that kid pay us back later!”
那男人仰起头，紧闭双眼，深深地吸了一口气。“该死的，我已经说了我们可以先付，然后让那孩子以后再还给我们！”

“And what makes you think he actually will? Lee Sookyung was a piece of work, I’m sure her son’s the same. I bet he’ll try to disappear the first chance he gets.”
“你凭什么认为他真的会还？李淑京就是个麻烦，我敢肯定她儿子也一样。我打赌他一有机会就会消失得无影无踪。”

“We can just get a loan under his name then.”
“我们可以用他的名字贷款。”

She rolled her eyes at the idea. “He’s not even of age so how are we supposed to do that?”
她对这个想法翻了个白眼。“他甚至还没成年，我们怎么可能这么做？”

“I didn’t say legally,” he responded, shrugging. “There are other ways to get loans.”
“我没说合法的方式，”他耸耸肩回答道。“还有其他办法可以贷款。”

She opened her mouth to refute his plan when her eyes lit up in understanding. “I think my friend might know someone who can help.”
“她张开嘴想要反驳他的计划，突然眼中闪过一丝理解的光芒。‘我想我朋友可能认识一个能帮忙的人。’”

Their voices faded as they left the area, ironing out the details of their plan. Persephone carded her fingers through her locks, reeling at what she just witnessed.
“他们的声音随着离开而渐渐消失，详细讨论着他们的计划。珀耳塞福涅用手指梳理着自己的头发，对刚刚目睹的一切感到震惊。”

“Dokja, what are you doing?”
“Dokja，你在做什么？”

“Huh?” Kim Dokja hid the washcloth behind his back. “I just… thought I’d help out.”
“嗯？”金独子把毛巾藏在背后。“我只是……想帮个忙。”

Persephone’s eyes softened, reaching forward to grab the towel. “I appreciate it, dear, but you don’t have to do that.”
“珀耳塞福涅的眼神变得柔和，伸手去拿毛巾。‘我很感激，亲爱的，但你不用这么做。’”

Persephone gripped the strap of her handbag and began walking, retracing her steps.
珀耳塞福涅紧紧抓住手提包的带子，开始往回走，沿着来时的路。

Kim Dokja fervently shook his head, backing away and clutching onto the washcloth. “No! I… I want to!” In a quieter voice, he said, “You and Hades always give me so much food for free so this is the least I can do.”
金独子拼命摇头，后退几步，紧紧抓住手中的毛巾。“不！我……我想这么做！”他用更轻的声音说道，“你和哈迪斯总是免费给我这么多食物，这是我至少能做的。”  

Persephone crouched down, balancing on the balls of her feet. “That’s because we want to though. We don’t do it expecting anything in return.”
珀耳塞福涅蹲下来，用脚尖保持平衡。“那是因为我们愿意这么做。我们并不期待任何回报。”

She picked up the pace, her breathing growing more labored as she sped through the corridors, ignoring the curious glances from onlookers.
她加快了步伐，呼吸变得更加急促，迅速穿过走廊，无视旁观者好奇的目光。 

Kim Dokja glanced down at her smiling face, his resolve noticeably cracking under her gaze. “But, um, I still want to help with something…”
金独子低头看着她微笑的脸，在她的注视下，他的决心明显动摇了。“但是，嗯，我还是想帮忙做点什么……”

“How about this,” she said, peeling the damp towel away from his grasp. “Hades is decorating some cookies in the back and he might need some help.”
“这样吧，”她说着，从他手中拿开湿毛巾。“哈迪斯在后面装饰一些饼干，他可能需要一些帮助。”

His demeanor immediately brightened. “I can help!” Before she could response, he was already dashing towards the kitchen.
“他的神情立刻变得明亮起来。“我可以帮忙！”她还没来得及回应，他已经冲向厨房了。”

Standing back up, she turned and observed Hades regard the excited little boy with a flustered expression. He sent her a troubled look, and she merely laughed in response as she watched her husband guide him into the kitchen. 
“她站起身来，转身看到哈迪斯带着慌乱的表情看着那个兴奋的小男孩。他向她投来一个困扰的眼神，而她只是笑着回应，看着她的丈夫把他带进厨房。”

Her footsteps slowed to a stop in front of the room the couple emerged from. A placard with the number ‘9158’ was drilled to the wall.
“她的脚步在夫妻俩走出的房间前停了下来。墙上钉着一个标有‘9158’号码的牌子。”

Kim Dokja was not her son. She was simply the owner of the café he just so happened to visit regularly. She wasn’t acquainted with his family nor did she know the details of his past. She realized she may be crossing the line when this wasn’t her business to begin with.
金独子不是她的儿子。她只是他经常光顾的咖啡馆的老板。她不认识他的家人，也不知道他过去的细节。她意识到自己可能越界了，因为这本来就不关她的事。

Taking a deep breath, her fingers gripped the door handle, unmoving.
深吸一口气，她的手指紧紧握住门把手，一动不动。

Like a mantra, she repeated to herself, This isn’t any of my business.
她像念咒语一样反复对自己说，这不关我的事。

She slid the door to the side and entered the room, shutting it behind her.
她将门滑向一侧，走进房间，随后关上了门。

But for the past seven years, little by little, Persephone came to learn more about Kim Dokja. She learned that he had a strong dislike for tomatoes; she learned that, even though he complained about cliché endings, he would reread those very same stories; she learned that he liked drawing stars on the coffee cups for her customers. The various memories they now shared were a primary reason why she looked forward to opening her shop, in the hopes that he would come and visit with his usual shy but bright smile.
但在过去的七年里，珀耳塞福涅逐渐了解了金独子。她了解到他非常讨厌西红柿；她了解到，尽管他抱怨那些陈词滥调的结局，但他还是会重读那些故事；她了解到他喜欢在顾客的咖啡杯上画星星。他们现在共同拥有的各种记忆是她期待开店的主要原因，希望他会带着他惯常的害羞但明亮的笑容来拜访。

So how could she not interfere when this boy somehow crept into her heart, clenching it with his tiny hands, making a home for himself there?
所以，当这个男孩以某种方式悄悄进入她的心，用他小小的手紧紧抓住它，并在那里安家时，她怎么能不干涉呢？

Persephone quietly stepped forward, staring at the foot of the bed peeking out from behind the curtain.
珀耳塞福涅静静地向前迈了一步，凝视着从窗帘后露出的床脚。

She quietly gasped upon seeing the patient lying on the hospital bed.
她看到躺在病床上的病人时，轻轻地倒吸了一口气。

Kim Dokja donned a cast on his right leg and left arm, a soft cervical collar around his neck, and bandages around his head, covering most of his hair. Beside him on the table was his lunch, barely touched.
金独子右腿和左臂都打着石膏，脖子上戴着柔软的颈托，头上缠着绷带，遮住了大部分头发。他旁边的桌子上放着午餐，几乎没动过。

Persephone sank into the chair beside his bed.
珀耳塞福涅在他床边的椅子上坐下。

The cardiac monitor maintained a steady string of beeping, oddly comforting her that this child was indeed still alive despite his sickly appearance.
心脏监护仪持续发出稳定的哔哔声，奇怪地安慰着她，尽管这个孩子看起来病恹恹的，但他确实还活着。

“Oh, Dokja,” she murmured, brushing his hair back in such a gentle manner as if even the slightest touch would break him, “how did this happen?”
“哦，独子，”她低声说道，轻轻地将他的头发拨到后面，动作如此温柔，仿佛哪怕是最轻微的触碰都会让他破碎，“怎么会这样？”

His chest barely rose as tiny breaths escaped his cracked lips, seemingly in deep slumber.
他的胸膛几乎不动，微弱的呼吸从他干裂的嘴唇中逸出，仿佛陷入了深深的沉睡。

She grasped his cold, clammy hand, squeezing it tightly.
她握住了他冰冷潮湿的手，紧紧地捏着。

“Hang in there, love,” she murmured, blinking past the tears that formed. “You’re going to be okay.”
“坚持住，亲爱的，”她低声说道，眨去眼中涌出的泪水。“你会没事的。”

When Persephone left the hospital, she walked to a nearby park that was thankfully empty. With trembling hands, she dialed the phone number for child protective services. She didn’t have high expectations but it had gone poorer than she anticipated. The representative was polite and took down all the information, informing her that a case worker will look into this as soon as they could.
珀尔塞福涅离开医院后，走向附近一个幸好空无一人的公园。她用颤抖的手拨打了儿童保护服务的电话号码。她并没有抱太大期望，但结果比她预想的还要糟糕。接电话的代表很有礼貌，记下了所有信息，并告诉她会有社工尽快调查此事。

“How long will that be?”
“那要多久？”

“It depends on their caseload but it might take a few weeks.”
“这取决于他们的案件量，但可能需要几周时间。”

“A few weeks? That’s much too long.”
“几周？那太久了。”

“I can tell them the urgency of the situation but unfortunately, other cases may preclude Kim Dokja’s case, particularly since he will be monitored in a hospital and not at his home.”
“我可以告诉他们情况的紧迫性，但不幸的是，其他案件可能会优先于金独子的案件，特别是因为他将在医院而不是家中接受监控。”

She opened her mouth but closed it, deciding it was futile to argue further. “I understand. Thank you.”
她张了张嘴，但又闭上了，决定继续争论是徒劳的。“我明白了。谢谢。”

She flicked her thumb against her forefinger, evaluating her other options. The police was another option but ironically the least desirable at the moment given Kim Dokja’s history of explicit refusal to involve the police and also the high probability that the police wouldn’t do anything without concrete evidence.
她用拇指弹了弹食指，评估着其他选择。警察是另一个选择，但讽刺的是，目前最不可取的，因为金独子明确拒绝让警察介入的历史，而且警察在没有确凿证据的情况下很可能不会采取任何行动。

But when she thought of him lying there on the hospital bed with an ashen face surrounded by various medical devices, she rose to her feet and began making her way to the police station.
但当她想到他躺在医院病床上，脸色苍白，周围环绕着各种医疗设备时，她站起身来，开始前往警察局。

Unfortunately, after waiting for an hour to speak with a police officer, she realized her concerns weren’t unwarranted. The officer she spoke to was incredibly useless and less receptive than the child protective services agent.
不幸的是，在等待了一个小时与警察交谈后，她意识到自己的担忧并非毫无根据。她与之交谈的那位警察极其无用，比儿童保护服务机构的代理人还要不配合。

“So you’re telling me his relatives plan to take a loan out in his name because they refuse to pay his hospital fees themselves?”
“所以你是说他的亲戚计划以他的名义贷款，因为他们自己拒绝支付他的医院费用？”

“That’s correct.”  “没错。”

He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “How old is this kid again?”
他靠在椅背上，双臂交叉。“这孩子多大了来着？”

“Around fifteen.”  “大约十五岁。”

He scoffed. “So he’s basically an adult.”
他嗤之以鼻。“所以他基本上是个成年人了。”

She glared at him. “He’s still a child under the care of his relatives. Isn’t it illegal to take a loan out under someone else’s name, much less a minor?”
她瞪着他。“他还是个由亲戚照顾的孩子。以他人名义贷款，更何况是未成年人，难道不违法吗？”

“It was his own fault that he ended up at the hospital, no? In which case he should be responsible for paying for his own mess.”
“他进医院是他自己的错，不是吗？既然如此，他应该为自己的烂摊子负责。”

She slammed her hand on the table, unable to maintain her composure at his asinine statements. “Shouldn’t you be also looking into that? I’ve known him for years, and he already admitted to me that his classmates were bullying—”
“她猛地拍了一下桌子，无法再对他的愚蠢言论保持冷静。‘你不也应该调查一下吗？我认识他好几年了，他已经向我承认他的同学在欺负——’”

“Listen, ahjumma.” He let out a loud yawn, right in her direction. “It was deemed an attempted suicide. There was no evidence of foul play. And about his relatives—do you even have evidence they said that? If we interrogate them without proof, what sane person would admit to saying all that?”
“‘听着，阿姨。’他朝她打了个大大的哈欠。‘这被判定为自杀未遂。没有证据表明有犯罪行为。至于他的亲戚——你甚至有没有证据证明他们说过那些话？如果我们没有证据就去审问他们，哪个正常人会承认说了那些话？’”

Her jaw tightened as fury and frustration raged within.
“她的下巴紧绷，愤怒和挫败感在她心中翻腾。”

“Ahjumma, you’re not even related to this kid. Why are you sticking your nose in other people’s business?” He stood up, massaging the back of his neck. He rounded the corner of his desk and stopped right beside her. He clapped her shoulder twice and said, “It’s cute that you’re trying to be a good Samaritan. But unless you have concrete evidence, don’t bother coming back.”
“阿姨，你跟这孩子一点关系都没有。为什么要多管闲事？”他站起来，揉了揉后颈。他绕过办公桌，停在她旁边。他拍了拍她的肩膀两次，说道：“你想当个好撒玛利亚人，这很可爱。但除非你有确凿的证据，否则别费心再来了。”

He strode past her, not noticing the trickle of blood originating from her clenched fists.
他从她身边大步走过，没有注意到她紧握的拳头中渗出的血迹。

When she returned home from the police station, she bolted straight for the bedroom.
当她从警察局回到家时，她径直冲进了卧室。

She knelt down onto the floor and yanked the bottom drawer of the dresser open, clawing through her clothes.
她跪在地板上，猛地拉开梳妆台最下面的抽屉，在衣服里翻找着。

“Persephone?”  “珀耳塞福涅？”

She found what she was looking for buried in the back of the drawer.
她在抽屉的深处找到了她一直在寻找的东西。

“Is something wrong?”  “有什么问题吗？”

Persephone flipped through the ledger in her hands, scanning through the deposits she and Hades had made to their joint savings account for over a decade. Particularly in the past three years, they had been pouring most of their money into their savings ever since they became committed to the idea of adoption.
珀耳塞福涅翻看着手中的账本，浏览着她和哈迪斯十多年来存入他们共同储蓄账户的存款。特别是在过去的三年里，自从他们决定领养孩子以来，他们几乎把大部分钱都存入了储蓄账户。

“Hades.”  “Hades。”

He knelt beside her, concern evident in his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
他跪在她身旁，眼中满是关切。“怎么了？”

So many people failed Kim Dokja, even since the beginning of his childhood. His father failed to raise him in a loving environment, instead physically and verbally abusing him for years. His school failed to protect him from obvious mistreatment from his peers, instead turning a blind eye to the bullying until it was much too late. The police failed to do their job in investigating the incident and sheltering him from further abuse, instead letting this endless cycle perpetuate.
从金独子童年开始，就有太多人辜负了他。他的父亲未能在一个充满爱的环境中抚养他，反而多年来对他进行身体和言语上的虐待。他的学校未能保护他免受同龄人的明显虐待，反而对欺凌行为视而不见，直到为时已晚。警方未能履行职责，调查事件并保护他免受进一步的虐待，反而让这个无尽的循环持续下去。

Persephone refused to be the same.
珀耳塞福涅拒绝成为那样的人。

She glanced down at the total sum of money in their account but again, all she could see right now was a young boy lying on a hospital bed with nothing but white walls as his company.
她低头看了看他们账户上的总金额，但此刻她眼中所见的，只有一个躺在医院病床上的小男孩，陪伴他的只有白色的墙壁。

“Hades, I—” She clutched the book in her hands, peering up at him with a helpless smile, “I think we’ll have to postpone our plans for adoption.”
“哈迪斯，我——”她紧紧抓住手中的书，抬头看着他，露出一个无助的微笑，“我想我们得推迟领养计划了。”

Kim Dokja didn’t return to the café for another six months.
金独子又过了六个月才回到那家咖啡馆。

Due to the severity of his injuries and prolonged hospitalization, he was transferred to an acute rehabilitation facility in order to regain his physical strength as quickly as possible. Persephone would visit whenever she had free time but she always ensured she remained out of sight. While she already committed to financially cover his hospital and rehab fees, she was afraid how he might react if he saw her there. He never told her about what happened to his parents, the publication of his mother’s memoir, and the aftermath; she felt like if she explained everything she had been doing behind his back, he would be shocked, confused, and upset.
由于伤势严重且住院时间较长，他被转至一家急性康复机构，以便尽快恢复体力。珀耳塞福涅一有空就会去探望，但她总是确保自己不被发现。虽然她已经承诺承担他的住院和康复费用，但她担心如果他在那里看到她，会作何反应。他从未告诉过她关于他父母的事、他母亲回忆录的出版以及后续情况；她觉得如果解释她在他背后所做的一切，他会感到震惊、困惑和不安。

To Persephone, all that mattered was this child’s happiness and she would continue doing whatever it took to preserve that smile.
对珀耳塞福涅来说，最重要的是这个孩子的幸福，她会继续尽一切努力来保护那个笑容。

It was a breezy spring day when Kim Dokja finally stopped by. Without wires attached to his body or casts covering his arm and leg, he walked through that door sporting a casual set of clothes instead of a hospital gown. Her eyes nearly watered at the sight.
那是一个微风拂面的春日，金独子终于来了。他身上没有电线，手臂和腿上也没有石膏，穿着一身休闲装而不是病号服，走进了那扇门。看到这一幕，她的眼睛几乎湿润了。

“Dokja! Where’ve you been all this time?? I missed you so much!” Uriel nearly toppled him over, and Persephone had to bite back her warning to not send him back to the hospital.
“独子！你这么久都去哪儿了？？我好想你！”乌列尔几乎要把他扑倒，珀耳塞福涅不得不忍住警告，以免让他再次回到医院。

“Sorry,” Kim Dokja replied, patting her back, “I was… busy with school.”
“抱歉，”金独子拍了拍她的背回答道，“我……忙着学校的事。”

“Then I should have a talk with your teachers because what kind of school makes middle schoolers this busy?” Uriel huffed in exasperation.
“那我得和你的老师们谈谈了，什么样的学校会让初中生这么忙？”乌列尔恼怒地叹了口气。

Kim Dokja’s laugh was cut short when his eyes landed on the person standing behind Uriel. With that same smile that Persephone adored, he waved and said, “Hi, Persephone.”
金独子的笑声戛然而止，当他的目光落在乌列尔身后的人身上时。带着珀耳塞福涅喜爱的那个微笑，他挥了挥手，说道：“嗨，珀耳塞福涅。”

She blinked back her tears, sending him a smile of her own. “It’s been a while, love.”
她眨了眨眼，忍住泪水，回以微笑。“好久不见了，亲爱的。”

Persephone softly hummed, carrying a tray of pastries and freshly-squeezed orange juice to the back room. Kim Dokja may have insisted that they didn’t need any but Persephone loved spoiling him (and now Yoo Joonghyuk) too much. As she approached the door, she noticed it was slightly ajar. 
珀耳塞福涅轻声哼着歌，端着一盘糕点和新鲜榨好的橙汁走向后屋。金独子可能坚持说他们不需要这些，但珀耳塞福涅太喜欢宠他了（现在还有刘众赫）。当她走近门时，她注意到门微微开着。

“…clean up after yourself. You always leave these books lying everywhere.”
“……收拾好你自己。你总是把这些书到处乱放。”

“It makes it easier for me to pick up where I left off when I come back.”
“这样我回来时更容易接着看。”

She heard Yoo Joonghyuk click his tongue accompanied by the soft laughter of Kim Dokja.
她听到刘众赫咂舌的声音，伴随着金独子轻柔的笑声。

“It’s not good to be so serious all the time, Joonghyuk-ah.”
“总是这么严肃可不好，Joonghyuk-ah。”

When he first brought Yoo Joonghyuk over, she realized it was the first time he had ever brought a friend with him. She was curious to figure out what type of person he was and how he got through the nearly impenetrable wall that Kim Dokja fortified through the years. After watching their dynamic briefly, she could understand why they became friends.
当他第一次带 Yoo Joonghyuk 过来时，她意识到这是他第一次带朋友来。她很好奇想知道他是什么样的人，以及他是如何突破 Kim Dokja 多年来筑起的几乎坚不可摧的墙的。在短暂观察了他们的互动后，她明白了他们为什么会成为朋友。

An unadulterated laugh echoed from inside the library accompanied by a low snarl.   
一阵纯净的笑声从图书馆内传出，伴随着低沉的咆哮。

More importantly, ever since becoming friends with Yoo Joonghyuk, Persephone noticed Kim Dokja laughed a lot more, bickered a lot more, and acted a lot more like people his age. It was heartwarming to see, and a stark difference from how he acted when he was younger.
更重要的是，自从和柳尚赫成为朋友后，珀耳塞福涅注意到金独子笑得更多了，争吵得更多了，行为也更像他这个年纪的人了。看到这些变化让人感到温暖，与他小时候的行为形成了鲜明的对比。

Snapping out of her reverie, she realized she nearly forgot why she came to the back in the first place. While shifting the tray to one hand, she noticed it was suddenly silent from the other side of the door. Paying it little mind, she raised her other hand to knock on the door.
她从沉思中回过神来，意识到自己差点忘了最初来后面的原因。当她把托盘换到一只手上时，她注意到门另一侧突然变得安静了。她没太在意，抬起另一只手敲了敲门。

“A few years ago, there was a time I was in the hospital for a while.”
“几年前，有一段时间我住院了。”

Persephone stilled, her wrist flexed in mid-air.
珀耳塞福涅僵住了，她的手腕在半空中弯曲。

“My relatives weren’t the greatest. They never visited which was honestly for the best but sometimes, it was a bit isolating by myself in that same hospital room for days on end.”
“我的亲戚们并不怎么样。他们从不来探望，这其实是最好的，但有时候，我一个人在那间医院病房里待上好几天，确实有点孤独。”

She peered through the crevice, wondering if she could catch a glimpse of either of them, curious as to why they were talking about this now.
她从缝隙中窥视，想知道是否能瞥见他们中的任何一个，好奇为什么他们现在会谈论这个话题。

“But then one day, Persephone came to visit me.”
“但有一天，珀耳塞福涅来看我了。”

Persephone held her breath as she took a step back away from the sliver of the door, afraid that she would be caught eavesdropping.
珀耳塞福涅屏住呼吸，从门缝后退了一步，生怕自己偷听被发现。

“I thought I was hallucinating at first because when I came to again, she wasn’t there. But how could she have been there? I didn’t tell her I was hospitalized. I didn’t want her to see me in such a pathetic state.” There was a short pause. “But when I saw random food and books pop up on my table, I knew it was from her. From then on, it didn’t feel as lonely anymore.”
“起初我以为自己在幻觉中，因为当我再次醒来时，她并不在那里。但她怎么可能在那里呢？我没有告诉她我住院了。我不想让她看到我如此可怜的样子。”短暂的停顿后，“但当我看到桌上突然出现的食物和书时，我知道那是她送的。从那时起，感觉不再那么孤单了。”

She remembered. The hospital food was subpar at best so how was he supposed to get the nutrients he needed when he rarely finished more than half his tray? She began bringing all sorts of fruits and his favorite snacks, instructing the nurses to say it was from them if he ever asked.
她记得。医院的伙食充其量只能算一般，而他很少能吃完半盘食物，又该如何获取所需的营养呢？于是她开始带来各种水果和他最爱的零食，并嘱咐护士们，如果他问起，就说是他们准备的。

“Did she visit often?”  “她经常来吗？”

“She must’ve. I didn’t physically see her until I was transferred to the rehab center. The nurse had taken me outside for a walk one day, and I caught her hiding behind one of the large trees in the backyard.”
“她一定经常来。直到我被转到康复中心，我才真正见到她。有一天护士带我出去散步，我发现她躲在后院的一棵大树后面。”

“Did you not go up to her?”
“你没有上前找她吗？”

“No. There must’ve been a reason she didn’t appear in front of me, and I was afraid she wouldn’t come back if she found out that I knew. So I didn’t say anything to them.”
“不。她一定是有原因才没有出现在我面前，我担心如果她知道我知道了，她就不会再回来了。所以我什么都没对他们说。”

All this time, Dokja knew. Persephone was reeling from this new piece of information. This whole time, both her and Hades tried to be stealthy about their visitations as they didn’t want to disrupt his recovery.   
一直以来，独子都知道。珀耳塞福涅被这个新信息震惊了。一直以来，她和哈迪斯都试图隐秘地探望他，因为他们不想打扰他的康复。

“Do they know about this?”
“他们知道这件事吗？”

“No.”  “不。”

“I’m sure they would be happy if they knew though.”
“我相信如果他们知道的话，他们会很高兴的。”

Silence filled the air for a few moments.
沉默在空气中持续了几秒钟。

“When I was little, they took care of me when I wasn’t at home. They helped me with my homework, they made sure I was well-fed, and they often walked me back to my neighborhood when it was late at night. They’ve done so much for me that I…”
“当我还是个孩子的时候，他们在我不在家的时候照顾我。他们帮我做作业，确保我吃饱，还经常在深夜陪我走回我的社区。他们为我做了这么多，以至于我……”

A muted scoff followed.  一声压抑的嗤笑随之而来。

“That you what?” came Yoo Joonghyuk’s voice, his tone delicate.
“你什么？”传来了刘众赫的声音，他的语气微妙。

“…that I sometimes wished they were my actual parents.”
“……有时候我希望他们是我的亲生父母。”

Persephone clutched the tray in her hand, inching forward once more to peer through the crack. She managed to glimpse at his side profile, perceiving the wry smile on his face.
珀耳塞福涅紧握着手中的托盘，再次向前挪动，透过缝隙窥视。她勉强看到了他的侧脸，察觉到他脸上那抹苦笑。

“If they knew, I’m sure they’d be taken aback—or maybe even disgusted that someone like me harbored these thoughts.”
“如果他们知道了，我敢肯定他们会大吃一惊——甚至可能会对我这样的人怀有这些想法感到厌恶。”

“That’s not for you to decide, Kim Dokja.”
“这不是由你来决定的，金独子。”

A dry laugh interjected his words.
一声干笑打断了他的话。

“Persephone and Hades… they’re not the kind of people who would think that.”
“珀耳塞福涅和哈迪斯……他们不是那种会这么想的人。”

“Perhaps.” He leaned his head back, gazing towards the ceiling. “But I’m fine with the way things are now.”
“也许吧。”他仰起头，望向天花板。“但我对现在的状况很满意。”

That night, Persephone opened up a folder she had tucked away at the bottom drawer of her desk. It was a drawing of a couple—a woman with long blonde hair and a man who towered over his counterpart decked out in dark clothing—in a field of flowers. Kim Dokja had given it to her when he was in fifth grade.
那天晚上，珀耳塞福涅打开了藏在书桌最底层抽屉里的一个文件夹。那是一幅画，画中是一对夫妇——一位有着金色长发的女子和一位身着深色衣服、比女子高出许多的男子——站在一片花海中。这是金独子在五年级时送给她的。

She spread her fingers across the drawing, the paper crinkling under her touch.
她将手指摊开在画作上，纸张在她的触碰下发出轻微的沙沙声。

When she received this gift, Persephone was over the moon. She wanted to hang it up, showcasing it to everyone who visited that someone precious to her drew her and Hades in such a beautiful scenery.
当她收到这份礼物时，珀耳塞福涅欣喜若狂。她想要把它挂起来，向所有来访的人展示，某个对她来说珍贵的人将她与哈迪斯画在了如此美丽的景色中。

However, she ultimately decided against it because she wondered if she was putting too much meaning into a single drawing—that maybe Kim Dokja was just bored in class and drew this because he had extra free time.
然而，她最终决定不这么做，因为她怀疑自己是否对一幅画赋予了过多的意义——也许金独子只是在课堂上无聊，因为有额外的空闲时间才画了这幅画。

“They’ve done so much for me that I…”
“他们为我做了这么多，以至于我……”

A stray tear landed on her thigh. Before long, multiple droplets decorated her thighs as she struggled to breathe, her sobs wracking her body.
一滴泪水落在她的大腿上。不久之后，她的腿上布满了泪珠，她挣扎着呼吸，抽泣使她的身体颤抖不已。

“…that I sometimes wished they were my actual parents.”
“……以至于我有时希望他们是我的亲生父母。”

Persephone was always envious whenever she saw mothers freely embrace their children with pure joy on their expressions. With her fate, she thought she would never be able to experience the same.
每当珀耳塞福涅看到母亲们自由地拥抱自己的孩子，脸上洋溢着纯粹的喜悦时，她总是感到嫉妒。她认为，以她的命运，她永远无法体验到同样的感受。

Kim Dokja squealed as he hid behind her legs, currently being chased by an Uriel covered in cake batter.
金独子尖叫着躲在她腿后，正被一个浑身沾满蛋糕面糊的乌列尔追赶。

“Hey, stop hiding behind her, that’s cheating!”
“嘿，别躲在她后面，这是作弊！”  

He squeezed his arms tightly around her hips. “You never said I couldn’t!”
他紧紧搂住她的腰。“你从没说过我不可以！”

She took the drawing into her hands once more. How foolish of her. All this time, she didn’t realize fate had other plans in store for her—that there was no need for her to be envious of others and that she didn’t need to run far to achieve her dreams.
她再次将画作拿在手中。她多么愚蠢啊。一直以来，她都没有意识到命运为她安排了其他计划——她不需要嫉妒别人，也不需要跑很远去实现自己的梦想。

“Does it taste good, Dokja?”
“好吃吗，独子？”

He gave her a wide grin. “Yeah!”
他朝她咧嘴一笑。“是啊！”

Because all this time, she already had the family she always wished for and more.  
因为一直以来，她已经拥有了她一直渴望的家庭，甚至更多。

“Persephone, it’s so nice to see you!”
“珀耳塞福涅，见到你真高兴！”

“Likewise,” she greeted back, smiling. “It’s been a while since you last came. Would you like the usual?”
“彼此彼此，”她微笑着回应道。“你上次来已经有一段时间了。还是老样子吗？”

It was one of their regular customers, the woman who had been visiting at least monthly since they first opened.
这是他们的常客之一，自从他们开业以来，这位女士至少每月都会来一次。

“Yes, but two orders of everything since I’ll be giving half to a family friend.”
“是的，但每样都要两份，因为我要分一半给一位家庭朋友。”

“Coming right up.” Grabbing the tongs from the side, she said, “What’ve you been up to?”
“马上就来。”她拿起旁边的夹子，问道：“你最近在忙什么？”

She sighed, shaking her head. “The new one is more of a troublemaker than the last. He keeps me up all night so I haven’t had much time to sleep sadly.”
她叹了口气，摇摇头。“新来的那个比上一个更麻烦。他整晚都让我睡不着，所以我最近都没怎么休息。”

“Is he your fifth?”  “他是你的第五个吗？”

“Yes, and he’ll definitely be the last. I’m ready to kick my husband out of the bedroom if this continues.”
“是的，他绝对是最后一个。如果这种情况继续下去，我准备把我丈夫赶出卧室了。”

Persephone laughed, already finished stuffing one box full of bread. “You should bring him next time.”
珀耳塞福涅笑了，已经把一个盒子装满了面包。“你下次应该带他来。”

“He’ll annoy all the customers away with his crying.”
“他会用他的哭声把所有的顾客都烦走的。”

“Don’t worry, my daughter is a natural at dealing with crying babies.”
“别担心，我女儿天生就擅长应付哭闹的婴儿。”

The woman gasped, her eyes glowing. “Daughter? Since when?”
那女人倒吸一口气，眼睛发亮。“女儿？什么时候的事？”

She neatly stacked the boxes in a large plastic bag. “It’s been little over a year since we adopted her.”
她利落地把盒子叠好放进一个大塑料袋里。“我们收养她已经一年多了。”

“Oh, how lovely! I’m guessing that since you and Hades are here, she’s with a babysitter right now?”
“哦，真可爱！我猜既然你和哈迪斯都在这里，她现在应该和保姆在一起吧？”

“Mn,” she said, waiting for the credit card machine to process her payment, “you could say that.”
“嗯，”她一边等待信用卡机处理她的付款，一边说道，“你可以这么说。”

An hour later, Persephone told Hades she was going to take a quick break. Removing her apron and setting it aside, she walked towards the back library. As she approached the door, the sound of two familiar voices seeped through the slightly ajar door.
一小时后，珀耳塞福涅告诉哈迪斯她要休息一下。她脱下围裙放在一边，朝后面的图书馆走去。当她走近门时，从微微敞开的门缝中传来了两个熟悉的声音。

“I thought she was supposed to be interested in stuff that humans did.”
“我以为她应该对人类做的事情感兴趣。”

“That’s correct.”  “没错。”

“But now, everything she’s doing is because of this prince.”
“但现在，她所做的一切都是因为这个王子。”

“That is also correct.”  “那也是正确的。”

“Why?”  “为什么？”

“Because fairytales apparently need romance.”
“因为童话显然需要浪漫。”

“Does she even like him? It sounds like she’s just using him.”
“她真的喜欢他吗？听起来她只是在利用他。”

Persephone pried open the door further, raising a brow at the brief snippet she heard from outside. “…Dokja, what on earth are you teaching her?”
珀耳塞福涅把门推得更开了一些，听到外面传来的片段，她挑了挑眉。“……独子，你到底在教她什么？”

A little girl bounced off the sofa, bounding towards Persephone. “Mom, you’re back!”
一个小女孩从沙发上跳下来，蹦蹦跳跳地朝珀耳塞福涅跑去。“妈妈，你回来了！”

Persephone nearly lost her balance as she laughed, picking up the girl into her arms. “Hi, Biyoo. What were you reading?”
珀耳塞福涅大笑着，差点失去平衡，她将女孩抱了起来。“嗨，比优。你在读什么？”

“The Little Mermaid.”  “小美人鱼。”

Kim Dokja rose from his spot on the sofa, straightening his wrinkled tie. “She was questioning everything Ariel was doing.”
金独子从沙发上站起来，整理了一下皱巴巴的领带。“她对爱丽儿所做的一切都提出了质疑。”

“Because she was confusing me!”
“因为她让我感到困惑！”

“We can read it together with Dad tonight,” she offered.
“我们可以今晚和爸爸一起读，”她提议道。

Biyoo cheered, wrapping her small arms around her neck. Chuckling at her antics, Persephone pressed a quick kiss on her cheek.
Biyoo 欢呼着，用她的小手臂搂住了她的脖子。Persephone 对她的滑稽行为笑了笑，迅速在她的脸颊上亲了一下。

“Biyoo, I told you there are other interesting books you can read.”
“Biyoo，我告诉过你还有其他有趣的书可以读。”

She grimaced. “The last one was boring.”
她做了个鬼脸。“上一本太无聊了。”

“Biyoo, behave.” Rocking her in her arms, she turned her attention back to Kim Dokja. “Are you heading out already?”
“Biyoo，乖一点。”她一边轻轻摇晃着怀中的 Biyoo，一边将注意力转回金独子身上。“你这就准备出门了吗？”

“Yeah, I promised Yoo Joonghyuk I’d be home before six.”
“嗯，我答应刘众赫六点前回家。”

“Tell Joonghyuk-oppa I said hi!”
“告诉众赫欧巴我向他问好！”

This time, it was Kim Dokja’s expression that soured. “Why are you always nicer to that jerk?”
这次，轮到金独子的表情变得难看了。“你为什么总是对那个混蛋更好？”

“Because Joonghyuk-oppa is good-looking.”
“因为 Joonghyuk-oppa 很帅。”

“…I can’t argue with that.”
“……我无法反驳。”

Persephone pressed her lips together to stop herself from bursting out into laughter. When she and Hades first met Biyoo, she reminded them a lot of Kim Dokja. They shared the same chocolate brown eyes, and she was also rather polite and reserved for a four-year-old. When she moved in with them though, she gradually shed that shy exterior and it was uncanny how her wit reminded Persephone of the man standing in front of her right now.
珀耳塞福涅抿紧嘴唇，以免自己突然笑出声来。她和哈迪斯第一次见到比优时，她让他们想起了金独子。他们有着相同的巧克力棕色眼睛，而且作为一个四岁的孩子，她也相当礼貌和内向。然而，当她搬来和他们一起住后，她逐渐褪去了那层害羞的外表，她的机智让珀耳塞福涅想起了此刻站在她面前的那个男人，这简直不可思议。

“When am I going to see you again, oppa?”
“我什么时候才能再见到你，欧巴？”

“I’m not sure. But you’re always welcome to come over if you want to play.”
“我不确定。但如果你想玩的话，随时欢迎过来。”

She flung her head back towards her mother, her eyes sparkling with interest. “Can I?”
她把头转向母亲，眼中闪烁着兴趣的光芒。“我可以吗？”

“We’ll have to ask Dad first.” Yoo Joonghyuk spoiled her even more than Kim Dokja did, never failing to give her a present whenever he stopped by to visit. Hades would have an aneurysm if Biyoo continued to be swayed by Yoo Joonghyuk’s generosity.
“我们得先问问爸爸。”刘众赫比金独子还要宠她，每次来访都会给她带礼物。如果比尤继续被刘众赫的慷慨所动摇，哈迪斯会气得发疯的。

“I’m gonna head out now.” Kim Dokja ruffled her hair. “Be good, Biyoo.”
“我现在要走了。”金独子揉了揉她的头发。“要乖哦，比尤。”

Pouting, she vigorously smoothed out her hair. “Oppa, I told you last time I don’t like it when you mess up my hair.”
“撅着嘴，她用力地抚平自己的头发。‘欧巴，我上次告诉过你，我不喜欢你弄乱我的头发。’”

Kim Dokja chuckled. Waving in Persephone’s direction, he said, “I’ll be off now.”
“金独子笑了笑，朝珀耳塞福涅的方向挥了挥手，说道：‘我现在要走了。’”

Smiling, she waved back. “Take care, love.”
“她微笑着挥手回应。‘保重，亲爱的。’”

“…and today, we spent the whole time during recess playing tag so it was a lot of fun.”
“……今天我们在课间休息时一直在玩捉人游戏，所以非常有趣。”

“I’m glad you had fun today.”
“我很高兴你今天玩得开心。”

Biyoo was positioned on top of Hades’ lap as he diligently brushed each strand of hair. “Yeah! He asked if we could play again tomorrow and I said yes.”
比优坐在哈迪斯的腿上，他认真地梳理着每一缕头发。“是的！他问我们明天能不能再一起玩，我说可以。”

The brush halted in its track. “Did you say ‘he’?”
梳子突然停了下来。“你说‘他’？”

“Yeah, he actually kinda reminds me of Joonghyuk-oppa a little bit. Oh yeah, Dad! Dokja-oppa invited me over to his house today. Can I go this weekend?”
“是的，他其实有点让我想起了俊赫哥哥。哦对了，爸爸！独子哥哥今天邀请我去他家。这个周末我能去吗？”

“…Will Yoo Joonghyuk be there too?”
“……刘众赫也会在那里吗？”

Biyoo scrunched her face, deep in thought. “I think so. But I hope he’s there because I want to say thank you for the game he got me last month!”
“Biyoo 皱起脸，陷入了沉思。‘我想是的。但我希望他在那里，因为我想感谢他上个月给我买的游戏！’”

“Biyoo, it’s time to brush your teeth,” Persephone said, entering their bedroom.
“Biyoo，该刷牙了，”珀耳塞福涅走进他们的卧室说道。

“Okay!” Hopping off his lap, she darted past her mother.
“好的！”她从他的腿上跳下来，飞快地从母亲身边跑过。

“Oh, our sweet Biyoo…”  “哦，我们亲爱的 Biyoo…”

Sinking into the mattress, Persephone raised an eyebrow at her husband’s miserable disposition, as if he had just heard the most terrible thing in his life. “What are you mumbling about?”
珀耳塞福涅陷在床垫里，挑起眉毛看着丈夫那副悲惨的表情，仿佛他刚刚听到了这辈子最糟糕的事情。“你在嘀咕什么呢？”

“Persephone, our Biyoo hung out with a male classmate today.”
“珀耳塞福涅，我们的比优今天和一个男同学一起玩了。”

“Okay?”  “好吗？”

“And this is already the fourth time she’s mentioned Yoo Joonghyuk to me today.”
“这已经是她今天第四次跟我提到刘众赫了。”

Faking nonchalance, she replied, “They do get along quite well.”
她假装若无其事地回答：“他们确实相处得不错。”

“Persephone,” he said, growling, “they’ve bewitched our sweet Biyoo. The male species can’t be trusted.”
“珀耳塞福涅，”他咆哮道，“他们迷惑了我们可爱的比尤。雄性生物不可信。”

She rolled her eyes. “Honey, can you not be so dramatic? Let Biyoo hang out with whoever she wants to.”
“她翻了个白眼。‘亲爱的，你能不能别这么夸张？让 Biyoo 和谁玩都行。’”

He covered his face with his hands, groaning into his palms. “She’s growing up so fast.”
“他用手捂住脸，在掌心里呻吟道。‘她长得太快了。’”

“…Hades, she’s only five.”
“‘……哈迪斯，她才五岁。’”

Persephone always knew that Hades would be an equally doting parent but it’d been quite endearing to experience this change in character. Her once stoic husband now spent every waking minute showering their daughter with affection, both in private and public.
珀耳塞福涅一直知道哈迪斯会是个同样溺爱的父亲，但亲身体验他性格上的这种变化还是相当令人感动的。她曾经不苟言笑的丈夫现在每时每刻都在私下和公开场合对女儿倾注爱意。

It seemed like he was too preoccupied plotting something against the entire male population so she decided her time would be better spent checking in on Biyoo.
他似乎正忙于策划针对全体男性的阴谋，于是她决定把时间花在查看 Biyoo 的情况上会更有意义。

“Biyoo, did you wash your face too?”
“Biyoo，你也洗脸了吗？”

She hopped off the small step stool that was reserved for her in the bathroom. “Yup!”
她从浴室里为她准备的小脚凳上跳了下来。“是的！”

“Shall we go to bed then?”
“那我们去睡觉吧？”

“Okay!”  “好的！”

After preparing the bed and turning off the lights, Persephone dipped under the covers on her side of the bed. Biyoo jumped onto the mattress, snuggling in between them and burying herself under the comforter with a content sigh.
铺好床并关灯后，珀耳塞福涅钻进了她那侧的被子。Biyoo 跳上床垫，挤在他们中间，心满意足地叹了口气，把自己埋进了羽绒被里。

“It’s so warm.”  “好暖和啊。”

“Tomorrow’s even colder so don’t forget to wear your scarf.”
“明天会更冷，别忘了戴围巾。”

Yawning, she answered, “Okay, Dad.”
她打着哈欠回答：“好的，爸爸。”

Persephone smiled, softly patting the duvet over her small frame in an attempt to lull her to sleep. She heard Hades whisper from his side, “Good night, Biyoo.”
珀耳塞福涅微笑着，轻轻拍打着盖在她娇小身躯上的羽绒被，试图哄她入睡。她听到哈迪斯在他那边轻声说道：“晚安，Biyoo。”

When she didn’t respond, she assumed she had already fallen asleep. Closing her eyes, she exhaled deeply, letting herself succumb to sleep.
当她没有回应时，她以为她已经睡着了。她闭上眼睛，深深地呼出一口气，让自己沉入梦乡。

“Mom, Dad?”  “妈妈，爸爸？”

She opened her eyes once more, staring down at Biyoo. Moonlight streamed in as the clouds parted in the sky, basking the room in its subdued glow. Her eyes were still closed with her hair sprawled around her head.
她再次睁开眼睛，低头看着 Biyoo。月光从天空中散开的云层中流泻而入，为房间披上一层柔和的光辉。她的眼睛仍然闭着，头发散乱地铺在头周围。

“What is it, Biyoo?” Hades asked, also still awake.
“怎么了，比优？”哈迪斯问道，他也还醒着。

Her eyelids fluttered open, revealing orbs that contained the myriad of constellations that call the night sky their home.
她的眼睑轻轻颤动，睁开的双眸中仿佛蕴含着夜空中无数星辰的家园。

Smiling, she murmured, “Thank you for being my mom and dad.”
她微笑着轻声说道：“谢谢你们成为我的爸爸妈妈。”

Persephone caught Hades’ glance.
珀耳塞福涅捕捉到了哈迪斯的目光。

“When I first met you, I thought how wonderful it would be if we spent the rest of our lives together in a house of our own, running a business together, and raising a family of our own.”
“当我第一次遇见你时，我就在想，如果我们能在一栋属于自己的房子里共度余生，一起经营生意，养育我们自己的家庭，那该有多好。”

Hades craned his neck, kissing Biyoo on her forehead.
哈迪斯伸长脖子，在比尤的额头上亲了一下。

“Thank you for being our daughter.”
“谢谢你成为我们的女儿。”

Persephone reached her hand up to cradle the side of her face. She leaned into her touch, a smile still apparent on her features as she dozed off.
珀耳塞福涅伸手抚摸着她的脸颊。她依偎在她的触摸中，脸上依然带着微笑，渐渐入睡。

“Sweet dreams, our lovely Biyoo.”
“做个好梦，我们可爱的 Biyoo。”