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Chapter Text  章节正文

From outside his room, Yoo Joonghyuk heard the familiar electronic noises of the keypad over the clashing swords in his computer game. He glanced at the clock, noting that they came back later than they usually did. He returned to his game, though his fingers were mindlessly tapping against the keys. Muffled voices and rustling of paper bags trickled into his room before they soon settled into a silence. He waited a few more minutes before taking off his headset and exiting his room.
从房间外，刘众赫听到了熟悉的电子键盘声，盖过了电脑游戏中剑的碰撞声。他瞥了一眼时钟，注意到他们比平时回来得晚。他回到了游戏中，尽管他的手指在无意识地敲击键盘。模糊的说话声和纸袋的沙沙声传进了他的房间，随后很快安静下来。他又等了几分钟，才摘下耳机，走出房间。

When he arrived in the kitchen, his mother was seated at the island, shuffling through stacks of papers while his dad was lying on the living room couch reading a book. They didn’t make any move to acknowledge their child’s presence, both continuing their activities.
当他走进厨房时，他的母亲正坐在岛台旁，翻看着一堆文件，而他的父亲则躺在客厅的沙发上读着一本书。他们没有任何动作来承认孩子的存在，继续着各自的活动。

The silence was stifling.
沉默令人窒息。

Yoo Joonghyuk swung open the refrigerator door and surveyed their fully stocked inventory. “How was work today?” 
刘众赫拉开冰箱门，扫视着里面满满的存货。“今天工作怎么样？”

He heard his father flip to the next page of his book. His mother scribbled something on the paper before replying, “Good.” She glanced back down, returning to her work.
他听到父亲翻到书的下一页。母亲在纸上匆匆写了些什么，然后回答道：“好。”她低头看了一眼，继续工作。

He grabbed an apple from the drawer and began washing the fruit, watching the water slide off like a waterfall. He pulled a knife from the magnetic strip on the wall and started slicing the apple into equal-sized pieces. The soft thuds of each slice accompanied the repetitive clicking of a pen, something he noticed his mother did when she was stressed.
他从抽屉里拿了一个苹果，开始清洗水果，看着水像瀑布一样滑落。他从墙上的磁性刀架上抽出一把刀，开始将苹果切成大小相等的片。每片苹果的轻柔声响伴随着笔的重复点击声，他注意到母亲在压力大时会这样做。

With the plate of freshly sliced fruit in his hand, Yoo Joonghyuk turned around. She was still clicking her pen. “Do you want some fruit?”
手里端着刚切好的水果盘，刘众赫转过身。她还在点击她的笔。“你要吃点水果吗？”

“No, I’m fine.”  “不，我没事。”

He glanced towards his father, whose legs were now crossed and perched on the arm of the sofa.
他瞥了一眼父亲，父亲的腿现在交叉着，搭在沙发的扶手上。

Yoo Joonghyuk headed towards his room at the end of the hallway and entered it, letting the door close behind him with a soft click.
刘众赫走向走廊尽头的房间，走了进去，门在他身后轻轻关上，发出了一声轻微的咔哒声。

This slowly became a routine for Yoo Joonghyuk. When his parents came home, he waited a few minutes before heading down to the kitchen to get some fruit. As usual, his mother was either on her laptop or filtering through papers while his father was lounging on the couch. He’d ask about their day and offer fruit but just like usual, he received curt responses that eventually petered out to just the clicks of her keypad. 
这逐渐成为了刘众赫的日常。当父母回家时，他会等几分钟，然后下楼去厨房拿些水果。像往常一样，母亲要么在笔记本电脑上工作，要么在翻阅文件，而父亲则懒洋洋地躺在沙发上。他会询问他们的一天，并递上水果，但就像往常一样，他得到的只是简短的回应，最终只剩下她敲击键盘的声音。

He wasn’t sure how long this continued but one night, he changed up the routine.
他不确定这种情况持续了多久，但有一天晚上，他改变了惯例。

Instead of heading for the refrigerator, he meandered his way to the kitchen island and placed a sheet of paper on the counter in front of his mother.
他没有走向冰箱，而是慢悠悠地走到厨房岛台前，把一张纸放在他母亲面前的台面上。

The tapping against the keyboard stopped. She glanced at the form for a brief second before staring at him, meeting his gaze.
键盘的敲击声停止了。她瞥了一眼那张表格，然后盯着他，与他的目光相遇。

“Parent-teacher conferences are next week.”
“家长会下周举行。”

She didn’t say anything, choosing instead to read the form. When she finished, she grabbed her phone from her purse. “So it’s next Wednesday?”
她没有说话，而是选择阅读表格。看完后，她从包里拿出手机。“所以是下周三？”

He nodded.  他点了点头。

She tapped away on her phone.
她在手机上敲敲打打。

Yoo Joonghyuk was surprised. They barely talked at home so he was honestly expecting a flat-out no. As she continued scrolling on her phone, a sense of hope cautiously bubbled to the surface.
刘众赫感到惊讶。他们在家里几乎不怎么说话，所以他原本以为会直接被拒绝。当她继续在手机上滑动时，一丝希望小心翼翼地浮上心头。

She placed her phone down. “I just texted my assistant. He’ll meet you at school after classes are finished.”
她放下手机。“我刚给我的助理发了消息。他会在放学后在学校见你。”

Ah.  啊。

He should’ve known better.
他本该更清楚才对。

“But—”  “但是——”

“Joonghyuk-ah.”  “Joonghyuk-ah。”

The protests died in his throat at her sharp tone.
抗议声在她尖锐的语气中戛然而止。

“Mom’s really busy these days, and I just don’t have the time.”
“妈妈最近真的很忙，我也没有时间。”

She steadied a hand on his shoulder.
她将一只手稳稳地放在他的肩膀上。

“You understand, don’t you?”
“你明白的，对吧？”

Her smile didn’t contain an ounce of apology or warmth.
她的笑容中没有一丝歉意或温暖。

That sense of hope in his chest quickly fizzled out, returning to its murky abyss. It never had a chance from the start.
他胸中的希望感迅速消散，重新沉入那阴暗的深渊。从一开始，它就毫无机会。

He retrieved the form and nodded. “I understand.”
他取回表格并点了点头。“我明白了。”

The next night, Yoo Joonghyuk heard his parents return home at the usual time. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, and he watched his on-screen character get mauled by the onslaught of creatures. The screen dimmed to a new prompt, awaiting his action.
第二天晚上，刘众赫听到父母像往常一样回到家。他的手指悬在键盘上，看着屏幕上的角色被一波又一波的怪物撕碎。屏幕变暗，出现新的提示，等待他的操作。

[Try again? Y/N]    [再试一次？Y/N]

He stared at those words for a while, even when the screen turned off due to inactivity. He removed his headset and walked over to his bed. With his legs dangling off the side of the bed, he laid down with his arms sprawled out. Yoo Joonghyuk closed his eyes, listening to the silence that permeated the room until it smothered his senses—
他盯着那些文字看了一会儿，即使屏幕因不活动而关闭。他摘下耳机，走到床边。双腿悬在床边，他躺下，双臂摊开。刘众赫闭上眼睛，听着房间里弥漫的寂静，直到它淹没了他的感官——

Kim Dokja swung open the glass door and wagged his finger. “Remember to be on your best behavior.”
金独子推开玻璃门，摇了摇手指。“记得要表现得最好。”

“I’m not a dog, Kim Dokja,” Yoo Joonghyuk growled, pushing past Kim Dokja to enter the café.
“我不是狗，金独子。”刘众赫低吼着，推开金独子走进了咖啡馆。

Last weekend, Yoo Joonghyuk was making mini fruit tarts with Yoo Mia after she said she wanted to improve her baking prowess (“When school starts again, I’m going to show that kid who’s better!” is what she declared, though Yoo Joonghyuk had no clue who she was alluding to). Nevertheless, her unyielding determination was adorable. Kim Dokja came over right when Yoo Mia was brushing the fruit with an apricot-based glaze.
上周末，刘众赫正在和刘美雅一起制作迷你水果挞，因为美雅说她想提高自己的烘焙技艺（“等学校开学了，我要让那个家伙看看谁更厉害！”她如此宣布，尽管刘众赫完全不知道她指的是谁）。不过，她那不屈不挠的决心确实很可爱。金独子正好在美雅用杏子酱给水果刷上光泽的时候过来了。

“Ahjussi! Try the fruit tarts we’re making.”
“大叔！尝尝我们做的水果挞。”

“I just got here, and you’re already treating me as your guinea pig?” It wasn’t like he had any choice in the matter, as Yoo Mia was already dragging him from the front door and to the kitchen. For someone who was two heads shorter than him, she had an alarming amount of strength.
“我刚到这儿，你就把我当成你的实验品了？”他其实别无选择，因为刘美雅已经把他从门口拖到了厨房。对于一个比他矮两个头的人来说，她的力气大得惊人。

Yoo Joonghyuk plated one of the fruit tarts and handed it to Kim Dokja. “Eat this.”
刘众赫将一个水果挞装盘，递给金独子。“吃这个。”

“You made all this from scratch?” At his nod, Kim Dokja stared at the pastry in wonder. The shell was perfectly baked to a golden shade, and the assortment of berries was meticulously arranged on top of the custard filling. Damn, why did this jerk have to be good at everything?
“这些都是你从头开始做的？”在他点头后，金独子惊讶地盯着这个糕点。外壳烤得恰到好处，呈现出金黄色，各种浆果在奶油馅料上精心排列。该死，为什么这个混蛋什么都擅长？

“Oppa, why’d you give him the prettiest one?” Yoo Mia pouted. “I wanted to take a picture.”
“欧巴，你为什么把最漂亮的那个给他？”刘美雅撅着嘴。“我想拍照的。”

Kim Dokja froze, his fork already digging into the tart. “…Oops?”
金独子愣住了，他的叉子已经插进了馅饼里。“……哎呀？”

“They’re all the same,” Yoo Joonghyuk said. “You can take a picture of the other ones.”
“它们都一样，”刘众赫说。“你可以拍其他的。”

“No, they’re not,” she huffed, jabbing a finger towards the pastries on the other side of the pan. “Those are uglier.”
“不，它们不是，”她气呼呼地说，用手指指着锅另一边的糕点。“那些更丑。”

“Today was just a practice round,” Yoo Joonghyuk explained, glancing down at his sibling. “Mia, you take charge next time and we can take pictures then.”
“今天只是练习，”刘众赫解释道，低头看着他的妹妹。“米娅，下次你来负责，到时候我们可以拍照。”

Her eyebrows rose in delight. “Okay!”
她高兴地扬起眉毛。“好的！”

“Well?” Yoo Joonghyuk stared at Kim Dokja, who was quietly observing their interaction. “What are you waiting for?”
“怎么样？”刘众赫盯着金独子，后者正静静地观察着他们的互动。“你还在等什么？”

Kim Dokja purposely took his sweet time in gathering a piece of the tart onto his fork, inwardly cheering when Yoo Joonghyuk became increasingly impatient.  
金独子故意慢悠悠地用叉子叉起一块馅饼，内心暗自欢呼，因为刘众赫变得越来越不耐烦。

Yoo Joonghyuk silently watched him take a bite, not breaking his gaze. When Kim Dokja went to scoop another piece onto his utensil, Yoo Joonghyuk smirked.
刘众赫默默地注视着他咬了一口，目光始终没有移开。当金独子准备用勺子再舀一块时，刘众赫露出了得意的笑容。

“Is it tasty, ahjussi?”  “好吃吗，大叔？”

“…Yes,” he reluctantly muttered, “it’s really good.”
“……是的，”他不情愿地嘟囔道，“真的很好。”

Yoo Mia pumped her fists in the air. “Yay! Good job, oppa!”
刘美雅在空中挥舞着拳头。“耶！干得好，哥哥！”

Yoo Joonghyuk smiled. “We make a good team.” As he watched Kim Dokja scarf down the dessert with a smug expression, he began cleaning up the kitchen.
刘众赫笑了笑。“我们合作得很好。”他看着金独子带着得意的表情狼吞虎咽地吃着甜点，开始清理厨房。

Kim Dokja placed the empty plate on the kitchen counter. “This reminds me of fruit tarts I had when I was little." 
金独子将空盘子放在厨房台面上。“这让我想起了小时候吃过的水果挞。”

“Did you have them a lot?” Yoo Mia asked.
“你经常吃吗？”刘美雅问道。

“I guess?” Kim Dokja pondered a bit. “But they were some of the best desserts I’ve ever had.”
“我想是吧？”金独子思考了一下。“但它们是我吃过的最好的甜点之一。”

The clatter of dishes echoed throughout the kitchen, causing both Yoo Mia and Kim Dokja to jump. He looked towards Yoo Joonghyuk, who was glowering at the pile of dishes in the sink.
餐具的碰撞声在厨房里回荡，让刘美雅和金独子都吓了一跳。他看向刘众赫，后者正对着水槽里的一堆餐具皱眉。

“Oppa! Did you hurt yourself?”
“欧巴！你受伤了吗？”

“You okay? Did your hands slip?” Kim Dokja rushed to Yoo Joonghyuk’s side and peered into the sink. After confirming that none of them broke and that there was no blood in sight, he glanced back at Yoo Joonghyuk, wondering what caused his sudden mood change.
“你没事吧？手滑了吗？”金独子冲到刘众赫身边，朝水槽里看了看。确认没有东西摔坏，也没有血迹后，他回头看了看刘众赫，想知道是什么导致了他突然的情绪变化。

“I’m fine,” he responded stiffly, grabbing the rest of the baking tools that needed to be washed.
“我没事，”他僵硬地回答，抓起剩下的需要清洗的烘焙工具。

Although he was still confused, Kim Dokja decided this wasn’t worth pursuing further—the guy had unpredictable mood changes after all—so he settled for helping the Yoo siblings in tidying up the kitchen. A comfortable silence settled, though it didn’t last very long.
尽管仍然感到困惑，金独子决定不再深究此事——毕竟这家伙的情绪变化难以捉摸——于是他转而帮助刘氏兄妹整理厨房。一种舒适的沉默降临，尽管并未持续太久。

“You said you had them a lot when you were little.”
“你说你小时候经常有这些。”

“Huh?” Kim Dokja crumpled the used parchment paper, dumping it in the trash.
“嗯？”金独子把用过的羊皮纸揉成一团，扔进了垃圾桶。

“Fruit tarts.”  “水果挞。”

“Oh.” He tapped the baking pan against the trash can, letting gravity overtake the crumbs. “I went to this café a lot when I was little, and the owners always gave me pastries to try when they were testing new recipes. Everything they made was always good.” 
“哦。”他轻轻敲了敲烤盘，让碎屑掉进垃圾桶里。“我小时候经常去这家咖啡馆，店主们总是在测试新食谱时给我一些糕点尝尝。他们做的每样东西都很好吃。”

Kim Dokja was now carrying a rather fond smile, one that rarely appeared. Yoo Joonghyuk glanced at the rows of freshly baked fruit tarts from this afternoon’s baking session. The glaze over the fruit had hardened by now but its shine seemed even duller than before. “Where is the café?”
金独子现在带着一种罕见的温柔微笑。刘众赫瞥了一眼今天下午烘焙的水果挞。水果上的糖浆已经凝固了，但它的光泽似乎比以前更加暗淡。“那家咖啡馆在哪里？”

“It’s nearby but it’s a bit confusing to get there because of all the alleyways.”
“就在附近，但因为有很多小巷子，所以有点难找。”

“Then take me there.”  “那就带我去那里。”

Kim Dokja closed the lid over a glass container. “What?”
金独子合上了一个玻璃容器的盖子。“什么？”

Yoo Joonghyuk didn’t meet his gaze, deciding to instead glare at the mini fruit tarts. “You speak so highly of the food there so I want to try it myself.”
刘众赫没有与他对视，而是选择瞪着那些迷你水果挞。“你把那里的食物说得那么好，所以我想亲自尝尝。”

Kim Dokja blinked before a sly grin made its way to the surface. “Are you trying to prove yours is better? You can’t be the best in everything, Joonghyuk-ah.”
金独子眨了眨眼，随后露出一抹狡黠的笑容。“你是想证明你的更好吗？你不可能在所有事情上都是最好的，众赫啊。”

“Shut up,” he snarled.  “闭嘴，”他咆哮道。

“I’m right, aren’t I?”  “我是对的，不是吗？”

As they exchanged barbs, Yoo Mia silently watched her brother with a puzzled expression.
在他们互相讥讽时，Yoo Mia 默默地用困惑的表情看着她的哥哥。

However, as promised, Kim Dokja brought Yoo Joonghyuk to the café today.
然而，正如所承诺的那样，金独子今天带刘众赫去了咖啡馆。

Upon entering the store, the first thing he noticed was the unassuming nature of the café. There wasn’t anything in particular that caught his eye but with the small, white wooden round tables with matching chairs, the abundance of plants, and multiple shelves of desserts and baked goods to choose from, they all contributed to the overall cozy ambience.
一进店，他首先注意到的是这家咖啡馆的低调氛围。虽然没有什么特别引人注目的地方，但那些小巧的白色木质圆桌和配套的椅子、大量的植物，以及摆满甜点和烘焙食品的多层货架，都共同营造出了一种温馨舒适的整体氛围。

“Kim Dokja!”  “金独子！”

A blonde woman in a black dress suddenly rammed into Kim Dokja and wrapped her arms around his waist, trapping him in an iron grip. Yoo Joonghyuk stood frozen in his spot, wondering where the hell this girl appeared from.
一位穿着黑色连衣裙的金发女子突然撞上了金独子，并用双臂紧紧搂住他的腰，将他困在铁钳般的怀抱中。刘众赫站在原地，愣住了，心想这女孩到底是从哪儿冒出来的。

Kim Dokja weakly patted the back of her head. “Uriel, I can’t breathe.”
金独子虚弱地拍了拍她的后脑勺。“乌列尔，我喘不过气了。”

That statement only encouraged her to hug him tighter. “Then this is your punishment for not visiting sooner. It’s been months!”
这句话反而让她抱得更紧了。“那这就是你不早点来看我的惩罚。已经好几个月了！”

“I thought I told you I got a new job so I wouldn’t have as much time.”
“我以为我告诉过你我找到了一份新工作，所以不会有那么多时间了。”

“And I thought I told you to just work here!” she huffed. Then in a quieter voice, she said, “Hades and Persephone would really love that too, I’m sure.”
“我还以为我告诉过你就在这里工作呢！”她气呼呼地说。然后她用更轻的声音说道，“哈迪斯和珀耳塞福涅肯定也会很喜欢的，我敢肯定。”

Yoo Joonghyuk observed how Kim Dokja smiled at her and said, “I know. But you already know why I chose not to.” She grumbled against his shoulder which made Kim Dokja laugh and stroke her head to placate her.
刘众赫观察到金独子对她微笑，并说道：“我知道。但你已经知道我为什么选择不这样做了。”她靠在他的肩膀上嘟囔着，这让金独子笑了起来，并抚摸她的头安抚她。

Uriel opened her mouth to retort back but paused, suddenly noticing that they were in the company of somebody else. Her emerald eyes scanned Yoo Joonghyuk in curiosity. “Who’s this?”
乌列尔张开嘴想要反驳，但突然注意到他们身边还有别人。她好奇地用翠绿色的眼睛打量着刘众赫。“这是谁？”

“Oh sorry, I didn’t introduce him.” Kim Dokja ignored her whine when he pried her arms off him and walked over to his side. “This is Yoo Joonghyuk.” He grinned and looked at him. “He’s my…”
“哦，抱歉，我还没介绍他。”金独子无视了她的抱怨，把她的手臂从他身上掰开，走到他身边。“这是刘众赫。”他咧嘴一笑，看着他。“他是我的……”

At the sustained pause, Yoo Joonghyuk glanced at Kim Dokja, wondering why he stopped mid-sentence.
在持续的停顿中，刘众赫瞥了金独子一眼，想知道他为什么说到一半就停住了。

Before he could react, Kim Dokja flicked his forehead. Ignoring the menacing glare directed towards him, Kim Dokja brightly remarked, “Why do you always have a scowl on your face? Don’t your facial muscles hurt?”
还没等他反应过来，金独子就弹了一下他的额头。无视对方投来的凶狠目光，金独子愉快地说道：“你为什么总是皱着眉头？你的面部肌肉不疼吗？”

Yoo Joonghyuk was ready to throttle this mouthy bastard. “This is how I always look.”
“刘众赫真想掐死这个多嘴的混蛋。‘我一直都是这样的。’”

“You learn something new every day.” Kim Dokja shook his head and patted Yoo Joonghyuk’s shoulder. “Anyway, he’s my friend. I wanted him to try the food here because this guy needs to humble himself.”
“‘每天都能学到新东西。’金独子摇摇头，拍了拍刘众赫的肩膀。‘不管怎样，他是我的朋友。我想让他尝尝这里的食物，因为这家伙需要谦虚一点。’”

Yoo Joonghyuk smacked his hand away. “Do you have a death wish?”
“刘众赫拍开他的手。‘你是想找死吗？’”

Uriel flickered her gaze between the two, and a sneaky smile crept its way to her lips. “Well, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Uriel.” She stepped closer to Yoo Joonghyuk and leaned forward, observing his features. Clearly uncomfortable with the invasion of his personal space, he took a step back. Undeterred, Uriel tilted her head and asked, “So how did you two meet? And when did you guys become friends?” She suddenly clapped her hands together, her eyes sparkling. “Ah, are you guys classmates?”
乌列尔的目光在两人之间闪烁，一抹狡黠的微笑悄悄爬上她的嘴角。“很高兴见到你们。我是乌列尔。”她走近刘众赫，向前倾身，仔细观察他的面容。显然对个人空间被侵犯感到不适，他后退了一步。乌列尔不为所动，歪着头问道：“那么你们是怎么认识的？你们什么时候成为朋友的？”她突然拍手，眼睛闪闪发光。“啊，你们是同学吗？”

Yoo Joonghyuk felt himself shrink away from the continuous barrage of questions. His eyes darted toward Kim Dokja. Do something, you bastard!
刘众赫感觉自己被一连串的问题逼得退缩。他的目光迅速转向金独子。做点什么，你这混蛋！

Kim Dokja shrugged his shoulders, ignoring his plight with his signature infuriating smile.
金独子耸了耸肩，无视自己的困境，脸上挂着那标志性的令人恼火的微笑。

“And what do we have here?”
“我们这里有什么？”

Another woman appeared from the kitchen, dusting off the flour from her navy apron. Her wavy blonde locks were tied together in a loose side braid. Despite the casual attire she wore, there was almost an ethereal quality to the aura she carried.   
另一个女人从厨房里走了出来，拍打着海军蓝围裙上的面粉。她波浪般的金发松散地编成了一条侧辫。尽管她穿着休闲的服装，但她身上几乎有一种超凡脱俗的气质。

“It’s been a while, love.”
“好久不见了，亲爱的。”

“Hello, Persephone,” Kim Dokja greeted as she embraced him.
“你好，珀耳塞福涅。”金独子在她拥抱他时问候道。

“Why didn’t you stop by sooner? Hades always wonders when you’ll come.”
“你为什么没早点过来？哈迪斯总是想知道你什么时候会来。”

“You’re just saying that.”
“你只是说说而已。”

“I never lie about these things,” she said, the corners of her eyes crinkling. “He’s a bit busy right now but he’ll come running out here as soon as he can. But before that…” She turned her head, her eyes landing on Yoo Joonghyuk. “Who do we have here?”
“我从不在这些事情上撒谎，”她说着，眼角微微皱起。“他现在有点忙，但一有空就会跑出来。不过在那之前……”她转过头，目光落在刘众赫身上。“这位是谁？”

Kim Dokja broke away from her hug and cleared his throat. “This is my friend, Yoo Joonghyuk. Yoo Joonghyuk, this is Persephone. She and her husband Hades run this café together.”
金独子挣脱了她的拥抱，清了清嗓子。“这是我的朋友，刘众赫。刘众赫，这是珀耳塞福涅。她和她的丈夫哈迪斯一起经营这家咖啡馆。”

Yoo Joonghyuk nodded his head, wary of the twinkle in her eyes.
刘众赫点了点头，对她眼中的闪烁光芒保持警惕。

“You know,” Persephone tucked her arms behind her back, “this is the first time you brought over a friend.”
“你知道吗，”珀耳塞福涅将双臂背在身后，“这是你第一次带朋友过来。”

Kim Dokja blinked a few times, seemingly taken aback by her comment. Yoo Joonghyuk briefly locked eyes with Kim Dokja, who quickly turned his head the other way and mumbled, “Only because he wanted to try the food here.” 
金独子眨了眨眼，似乎对她的评论感到意外。刘众赫短暂地与金独子对视了一眼，后者迅速转过头去，低声嘟囔道：“只是因为他想尝尝这里的食物。”

“Is that so,” she mused, though she began reprimanding Kim Dokja for not visiting sooner then.
“是这样吗，”她若有所思地说道，不过随后便开始责备金独子没有早点来拜访。

Yoo Joonghyuk watched Persephone smooth out the wrinkles on his collar and fuss over how Kim Dokja looked thinner than when he last visited. Kim Dokja waved his hand to dismiss her concerns, claiming he had been eating properly. She frowned and tugged his cheek, as if proving to him that his hollow cheeks contradicted his prior statement. He broke away from her hold and rubbed his cheek, complaining about how she still treated him like a child. She pinched his cheeks playfully in retaliation, her laugh filling the air.
刘众赫看着珀耳塞福涅抚平他衣领上的褶皱，并对他比上次来访时看起来更瘦的样子感到担忧。金独子挥了挥手，表示自己一直有好好吃饭。她皱起眉头，捏了捏他的脸颊，仿佛在证明他凹陷的脸颊与他之前的说法相矛盾。他挣脱了她的控制，揉了揉脸颊，抱怨她仍然像对待孩子一样对待他。她顽皮地捏了捏他的脸颊作为报复，笑声在空中回荡。

She asked Kim Dokja how his day had been. Yoo Joonghyuk noted how she listened attentively to his every word, how her warm gaze never once left Kim Dokja—but all Yoo Joonghyuk wanted to do right now was to tear his eyes away, hoping that would quell the tightness in his chest.   
她问金独子今天过得怎么样。刘众赫注意到她如何专注地倾听他的每一句话，她温暖的目光从未离开过金独子——但刘众赫现在只想移开视线，希望这样能缓解胸口的紧绷感。

“Is something wrong?”  “有什么问题吗？”

Yoo Joonghyuk stiffened as he glanced towards his right. Uriel was looking at him with a smile, waiting for his response. He crossed his arms and curtly said, “No.”
刘众赫僵住了，他瞥向右边。乌列尔正微笑着看着他，等待他的回答。他交叉双臂，简短地说：“没有。”

Kim Dokja, who barely squeezed himself from Persephone’s grasp, returned to Yoo Joonghyuk’s side. “We’re going to order some lunch, Persephone.”
金独子好不容易从珀耳塞福涅的怀抱中挣脱出来，回到了刘众赫的身边。“我们要点午餐了，珀耳塞福涅。”

“Of course, love. I have to head back and help Hades but just let Uriel know what you’d like.”
“当然，亲爱的。我得回去帮哈迪斯了，不过你们想吃什么就告诉乌列尔吧。”

Kim Dokja smiled and the warmth in his eyes didn’t go unnoticed by Yoo Joonghyuk.   
金独子笑了笑，眼中的温暖没有逃过刘众赫的眼睛。

Yoo Joonghyuk headed for the counter and grabbed a menu. While the breakfast options consisted of primarily Western dishes, the lunch options had more variety as it also included more traditional Korean dishes. From the descriptions alone, all the options seemed pretty standard and none of them particularly stood out to him.
Yoo Joonghyuk 走向柜台，拿起一份菜单。早餐选项主要是西式菜肴，而午餐选项则更加多样化，还包括更多传统的韩国料理。仅从描述来看，所有选项似乎都很普通，没有哪一个特别吸引他。

“What are you in the mood for?”
“你想吃什么？”

“What do you usually get?” Yoo Joonghyuk asked in response.
“你通常点什么？”刘众赫反问道。

“Depends, though they usually choose for me. But you can’t go wrong with anything here.”
“看情况，不过他们通常会帮我选。但在这里点什么都错不了。”

Yoo Joonghyuk wondered how often Kim Dokja frequented this place and how he even found it in the first place. He glanced at the menu once more, scrutinizing the various options. “I’ll try the dumplings then.” If he was going to evaluate the quality of the food here, what better way than to base it on one of his favorite dishes?
刘众赫想知道金独子多久来一次这个地方，以及他最初是怎么找到这里的。他又瞥了一眼菜单，仔细审视着各种选项。“那我就试试饺子吧。”如果要评价这里的食物质量，还有什么比用他最喜欢的菜之一来评判更好的方法呢？

“You always eat that.”  “你总是吃那个。”

“Is there a problem?”  “有问题吗？”

“You should expand your palate.” He tapped a finger against the laminated menu. “Hm.. maybe I’ll get a sandwich or something.”
“你应该拓展一下你的味蕾。”他用手指敲了敲覆膜的菜单。“嗯……也许我会点个三明治什么的。”

From behind the counter, Uriel chimed in, “Dokja, are you in the mood for some pasta? Hades is adding it to the menu next week.”
“从柜台后面，乌列尔插话道，‘独子，你想吃意大利面吗？哈迪斯下周要把它加到菜单上。’”

Kim Dokja hesitated, his eyes darting between the menu and Uriel. As if contemplating between his choices, he said, “Maybe.”
“金独子犹豫了一下，目光在菜单和乌列尔之间来回游移。仿佛在权衡选择，他说，‘也许吧。’”

“Or were you thinking of something else?”
“‘还是你在想别的什么？’”

“No, it’s not that—”  “不，不是那样的——”

“Does the pasta have tomatoes in it?”
“这意大利面里有番茄吗？”

Kim Dokja and Uriel snapped their heads towards Yoo Joonghyuk.  
金独子和乌列尔猛地将头转向刘众赫。

Yoo Joonghyuk stared back with a frown. “What.”
刘众赫皱着眉头回望。“什么。”

Uriel blinked twice before a wide grin emerged. Yoo Joonghyuk raised an eyebrow, not liking its mischievous undertone. Much like Persephone, he thought they were always up to something given how they react to his interactions with Kim Dokja.
乌列尔眨了两次眼睛，随后露出了灿烂的笑容。刘众赫挑了挑眉，不喜欢那笑容中隐含的调皮意味。就像珀耳塞福涅一样，他觉得她们总是有所图谋，尤其是她们对他和金独子互动的反应。

“If that’s the case then no, it’s tomato-free. He’s been perfecting a basil pesto for this dish.”
“如果是这样的话，那就不含番茄。他一直在为这道菜完善罗勒青酱。”

Kim Dokja nodded. “I’ll try that then.”
金独子点了点头。“那我试试看吧。”

“I see your hatred for tomatoes is still the same,” Uriel commented warmly.
“我看你对番茄的厌恶还是一如既往啊，”乌列尔温和地评论道。

“Some things never change,” Yoo Joonghyuk added.
“有些事情永远不会改变，”刘众赫补充道。

Kim Dokja slammed the menu shut, the tips of his ears bright red.
金独子猛地合上菜单，耳尖通红。

“How often do you come here?”
“你经常来这里吗？”

“This past year or so, I’ve only visited a couple times.” Kim Dokja took a sip from the glass of water. “But before that, I would come at least twice a month.”
“过去这一年左右，我只来过几次。”金独子喝了口水。“但在此之前，我每个月至少会来两次。”

They were sitting at a table by the window waiting for their food. Initially, Kim Dokja offered to help in the meantime but Uriel was having none of that, practically pushing them to their seats. There were only a couple other patrons in the store now that it was past peak lunch hour.
他们坐在窗边的桌子旁等待上菜。起初，金独子提出要帮忙，但乌列尔坚决不同意，几乎是把他们推到了座位上。现在过了午餐高峰期，店里只有几位顾客。

“How do you like it here so far though?”
“你觉得这里怎么样？”

Yoo Joonghyuk studied the constellations painted on the white ceiling, which he thought was odd given that the stars couldn’t shine as much compared to a darker background. But occasionally, if the angle was just right, the sunlight from outside would graze the ceiling and set the stars ablaze until they shimmered.
刘众赫研究着白色天花板上绘制的星座，他觉得这很奇怪，因为与较暗的背景相比，星星无法如此闪耀。但偶尔，如果角度恰到好处，外面的阳光会掠过天花板，使星星燃烧起来，直到它们闪烁。

Yoo Joonghyuk said, “It’s nice.”
刘众赫说：“很好。”

“I agree.” Kim Dokja gazed outside the glass pane, observing two kids playing on the cobblestone path. “I really like it here.”
“我同意。”金独子凝视着玻璃窗外的鹅卵石小径，看着两个孩子在玩耍。“我真的很喜欢这里。”

He shifted his gaze back to Kim Dokja. “How did you find this place?”
他将目光转回金独子。“你是怎么找到这个地方的？”

“By accident.”  “偶然发现的。”

Yoo Joonghyuk took a sip of his water, expecting Kim Dokja to continue but he was met with silence. “What do you mean?”
刘众赫喝了一口水，以为金独子会继续说下去，但他却只得到了沉默。“你是什么意思？”

“I was lost in the city and found this place accidentally. It’s not an interesting story.” Kim Dokja smiled, waving his hand. “Wow, look at the ahjussi who just came in. Do you see his crazy hair?”
“我在城市里迷路了，偶然发现了这个地方。这不是什么有趣的故事。”金独子笑着挥了挥手。“哇，看看刚进来的那位大叔。你看到他那个疯狂的头发了吗？”

“How old were you at the time?” he asked.
“你当时多大？”他问道。

Kim Dokja wiped the condensation on his glass with his finger in deliberate vertical strokes. “I think I was around eight? I don’t remember that much.”
金独子用手指在玻璃杯上沿着垂直方向擦拭着凝结的水珠。“我想我大概八岁？我不太记得了。”

Yoo Joonghyuk said, “You were alone?”
Yoo Joonghyuk 说：“你是一个人吗？”

“Mm.” Kim Dokja meticulously dried his finger with his shirt, not lifting his head. “I think so.”
“嗯。”金独子仔细地用衬衫擦干手指，没有抬头。“我想是的。”

Yoo Joonghyuk maintained his gaze despite Kim Dokja purposely avoiding it. “You weren’t with your family?”
刘众赫保持着目光，尽管金独子故意避开。“你没有和家人在一起吗？”

“No. I wasn’t.” Kim Dokja looked out the window and said, “I preferred to be alone.”
“没有。我没有。”金独子望向窗外，说道：“我更喜欢一个人待着。”

“Even now?”  “即使是现在？”

Kim Dokja finally met his gaze, his pupils trembling at the question.
金独子终于与他对视，瞳孔因这个问题而颤抖。

A boisterous laugh echoed from the opposite end of the store and there was a child crying to their mother but the chatter did nothing to break Yoo Joonghyuk’s attention away. Compared to when they first met, Kim Dokja exuded a more confident manner when conversing with him and was more comfortable about voicing his opinions. But that only applied to superficial topics. Whenever Yoo Joonghyuk tried to inquire further, Kim Dokja would strengthen his walls in retaliation almost imperceptibly. 
店铺的另一端传来一阵喧闹的笑声，还有一个孩子在向母亲哭泣，但这些嘈杂声都无法分散刘众赫的注意力。与初次见面时相比，金独子在与他交谈时显得更加自信，也更愿意表达自己的观点。但这仅限于表面话题。每当刘众赫试图进一步询问时，金独子几乎难以察觉地加强了自己的防御。

And that was something Yoo Joonghyuk grew to hate the more he got to know Kim Dokja.
而这是刘众赫越了解金独子就越讨厌的事情。

Kim Dokja parted his lips but before he could utter a word, a deep voice interrupted their conversation.
金独子张开了嘴，但在他能说出一个字之前，一个低沉的声音打断了他们的对话。

“Dokja.”  “Dokja。”

Yoo Joonghyuk turned to his right, irritated. He peered up at the man looming over their table and took note of the two steaming dishes in his hand. Despite calling for Kim Dokja’s name, the man was staring back at Yoo Joonghyuk.
刘众赫转向右边，感到烦躁。他抬头看着那个站在他们桌旁的男人，注意到他手里端着两盘冒着热气的菜。尽管他喊的是金独子的名字，但那个男人却盯着刘众赫。

“Hades, it’s been a while.”
“哈迪斯，好久不见。”

The man—Hades—set the food onto the table, the wisps of steam billowing from the bowls. “It has.”
那个男人——哈迪斯——将食物放在桌上，碗里冒出的热气袅袅上升。“确实。”

“It seems even busier compared to when I last came here.”
“看起来比我上次来的时候还要忙。”

He answered with a curt nod before looking at Yoo Joonghyuk. “So this is the friend you brought over?”
他简短地点了点头，然后看向刘众赫。“这就是你带来的朋友吗？”

“Yes, that’s right. Yoo Joonghyuk, this is Hades. He’s the one in charge of the menu here.”
“是的，没错。刘众赫，这是哈迪斯。他是这里负责菜单的人。”

Hades was a rather tall man whose shoulder-length hair was in a half ponytail. The piercing gaze from those obsidian orbs only served to increase the prickling sensation on the back of Yoo Joonghyuk’s neck.
哈迪斯是个相当高大的男人，肩长的头发扎成半马尾。那双黑曜石般的眼睛中透出的锐利目光，只会让刘众赫后颈的刺痛感更加强烈。

“How long have you two known each other?”
“你们俩认识多久了？”

“We met at school this year,” Yoo Joonghyuk responded before Kim Dokja could answer himself. He sat a little straighter and glowered, not wanting to feel intimidated by his presence.
“我们今年在学校认识的，”刘众赫在金独子自己回答之前就回应道。他坐得更直了一些，皱着眉头，不想因为他的存在而感到不安。

“So what you’re saying is that you’ve only known Dokja for a short time.”
“所以你的意思是，你认识独子的时间并不长。”

Yoo Joonghyuk was outright glaring at this point. Bristling at the barely concealed animosity, he countered, "Why does that matter?"
刘众赫此时已经毫不掩饰地怒视着对方。他对那几乎不加掩饰的敌意感到愤怒，反驳道：“这有什么关系？”

Kim Dokja looked between the two and released a nervous laugh. “So Uriel was telling me that this is a new recipe you were trying?”
金独子看了看两人，发出一声紧张的笑声。“所以乌列尔告诉我这是你在尝试的新食谱？”

“It is,” he answered, continuing the spontaneous staring contest with Yoo Joonghyuk.
“是的，”他回答道，继续与刘众赫进行着即兴的瞪眼比赛。

“Oh. Uh, let me try it then.” Kim Dokja wasn’t sure why Hades was acting this way but one thing he knew for sure was that he didn’t appreciate being stuck in the middle of this mental crossfire. He hurriedly twirled some pasta around his fork and took a bite. It was a perfect blend of fresh herbs with just the right amount of seasoning thrown in, and Kim Dokja had to stop himself from inhaling the rest of the food.
“哦。呃，那让我尝尝吧。”金独子不确定哈迪斯为什么会这样，但他知道一件事，那就是他不喜欢被夹在这场精神交火中间。他匆忙地用叉子卷起一些意大利面，咬了一口。新鲜的香草与恰到好处的调味完美融合，金独子不得不克制自己不要一口气把剩下的食物吃完。

“It’s really tasty,” he stated. “Thank you.”
“真的很好吃，”他说道。“谢谢你。”

It seemed this was enough to attract Hades’ attention. “I’m glad you like it.” He stroked the back of Kim Dokja’s head. “Let me know if you want more.”
这似乎足以引起哈迪斯的注意。“我很高兴你喜欢。”他抚摸着金独子的后脑勺。“如果你还想要，就告诉我。”

“Okay,” Kim Dokja responded quietly.
“好的，”金独子轻声回应道。

Hades’ hand lingered for a few moments before he walked away but not before giving Yoo Joonghyuk another quick glance. When he returned inside the kitchen, Yoo Joonghyuk spoke.
哈迪斯的手停留了片刻才走开，但在离开前又快速瞥了刘众赫一眼。当他回到厨房时，刘众赫开口说话了。

“I don’t like him.”  “我不喜欢他。”

“He’s not usually like that.” Kim Dokja nudged the plate closer to Yoo Joonghyuk. “Try the dumplings at least. That’s what you came for.”
“他平时不是那样的。”金独子把盘子往刘众赫那边推了推。“至少尝尝饺子吧。你来不就是为了这个。”

Yoo Joonghyuk frowned but used his chopsticks to pick up a dumpling. It was folded almost perfectly as the ridges were equidistant to one another. He took a tentative bite and chewed slowly, allowing the contents to fully saturate his taste buds.
刘众赫皱了皱眉，但还是用筷子夹起了一个饺子。饺子几乎完美地折叠着，褶皱之间的距离相等。他小心翼翼地咬了一口，慢慢地咀嚼，让馅料充分浸润他的味蕾。

“So? What do you think?”
“所以？你怎么看？”

Yoo Joonghyuk frowned. “…It’s okay.”
刘众赫皱起眉头。“……没关系。”

It was a different taste than he was used to but, although he didn’t want to admit it, the dumplings were, without a doubt, quite delicious. Hades certainly had the cooking skills albeit his attitude from earlier was terrible. Yoo Joonghyuk was in the middle of inspecting the filling, trying to pinpoint what ingredients he use, when he heard something that sounded like a mix between a cough and a snicker.
这味道与他习惯的不同，但尽管他不想承认，这些饺子无疑非常美味。哈迪斯确实有烹饪技巧，尽管他之前的态度很糟糕。刘众赫正在检查馅料，试图找出他用了什么食材，这时他听到了一种介于咳嗽和窃笑之间的声音。

“What.”  “什么。”

“Nothing.” Kim Dokja cleared his throat and bit his lip in a poor attempt to hide his grin. “I was just thinking how serious you’re being while holding this half-bitten dumpling.”
“没什么。”金独子清了清嗓子，咬住嘴唇，试图掩饰他的笑容，但效果不佳。“我只是在想，你拿着这个咬了一半的饺子时有多认真。”

Yoo Joonghyuk felt the base of his neck redden. “Kim Dokja, you—”
Yoo Joonghyuk 感到脖子根都红了。“Kim Dokja，你——”

“I would like a full review of this dumpling, please,” he cut in, grinning widely.
“我想请你全面评价一下这个饺子，”他插话道，咧嘴一笑。

“Go to hell.”  “去死吧。”

Kim Dokja laughed as Yoo Joonghyuk shoved the rest of the dumpling into his mouth.
金独子笑着看着刘众赫把剩下的饺子塞进嘴里。

After they finished eating, they retreated back to the front of the store where the desserts were displayed. They were in the middle of choosing a pastry for the each of them when they overheard Persephone speaking with Uriel in a mildly distressed tone.
吃完饭后，他们退回到商店前面，那里陈列着甜点。他们正在为各自挑选糕点时，无意中听到珀耳塞福涅用略带焦虑的语气与乌列尔交谈。

“Uriel, do you mind going out to the market for a bit? I forgot to buy a few things this morning.” She handed over some bills before scanning the room, locating her target. “And why don’t you bring Dokja with you to help carry the bags?”
“乌列尔，你介意去市场一趟吗？我今天早上忘记买一些东西了。”她递过一些钞票，然后扫视了一下房间，找到了她的目标。“为什么不带上独子一起去帮忙提袋子呢？”

“Huh? Why me?” He stared at Persephone but already found himself caving upon noting her knitted eyebrows and subtle frown. He bit his lip, glancing over at Yoo Joonghyuk. “But then—”
“嗯？为什么是我？”他盯着珀耳塞福涅，但一看到她皱起的眉头和微微的皱眉，就已经开始动摇了。他咬了咬嘴唇，瞥了一眼刘众赫。“但是——”

“Come on, Dokja!” Uriel linked her arm around his, hugging it tightly to her chest. “Let’s go on a date!” She lunged forward as Kim Dokja stumbled and struggled to keep up with her enthusiasm.
“来吧，独子！”乌列尔挽住他的手臂，紧紧抱在胸前。“我们去约会吧！”她向前冲去，金独子踉跄了一下，努力跟上她的热情。

“Wait, but then Yoo Joonghyuk—”
“等等，那刘众赫——”

“Joonghyuk, do you mind helping me out in the meantime?” Without waiting for an answer, Persephone turned towards the other two and said, “Thank you both for your help.”
“Joonghyuk，你介意在这期间帮我一下吗？”不等回答，Persephone 转向另外两人说道：“谢谢你们的帮助。”

“We’ll be back soon, Persephone!”
“我们很快就回来，Persephone！”

Kim Dokja threw Yoo Joonghyuk one last apologetic look before he disappeared from view.
金独子最后向刘众赫投去一个歉意的眼神，然后消失在视线中。

Yoo Joonghyuk watched them go with a mildly baffled expression, wondering what had just transpired. But one thing he noticed was that Kim Dokja barely reacted when she linked their arms together.
刘众赫带着些许困惑的表情看着他们离开，想知道刚刚发生了什么。但他注意到的是，当她把他们的手臂挽在一起时，金独子几乎没有反应。

“Joonghyuk.”  “Joonghyuk。”

He turned around and saw Persephone watching him. She was sporting an enigmatic smile, her previous worried expression completely wiped off.
他转过身，看到珀耳塞福涅正注视着他。她脸上带着神秘的微笑，之前的担忧表情完全消失了。

“Did you perhaps wanted to go in Uriel’s stead?”
“你是不是想代替乌列尔去？”

Yoo Joonghyuk’s eyebrow twitched. He curtly stated, “Why would I? I don’t work here.” Though he belatedly remembered that Persephone mentioned needing help with something. Given their hospitality and Kim Dokja’s affection for this place, it wouldn’t be right to refuse. With a sigh, he said, “What did you need help with though?”
刘众赫的眉毛抽动了一下。他简短地说道：“我为什么要去？我又不在这里工作。”尽管他后来想起珀耳塞福涅提到需要帮忙的事情。考虑到他们的热情款待和金独子对这个地方的喜爱，拒绝似乎不太合适。他叹了口气，问道：“你需要我帮什么忙？”

“Ah, that.” Her eyes crinkled into gentle crescents. “I can manage on my own but thank you for offering.”
“啊，那个。”她的眼睛弯成了温柔的月牙形。“我自己能应付，不过还是谢谢你的好意。”

Yoo Joonghyuk narrowed his eyes, his eyebrows scrunching together.
刘众赫眯起眼睛，眉头紧锁。

“How about you wait for them in the back?” As she walked past him, the scent of flowers wafted through the air. “Follow me.”
“要不你在后面等他们？”她从他身边走过时，花香飘散在空气中。“跟我来。”

Yoo Joonghyuk frowned but listened anyway, cautiously tailing behind her. Through the white archway, she unlocked a wooden door and pushed it open. They entered a small but cozy room that was dimly lit by the chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling. Beyond the light fixture were constellations upon constellations painted across a midnight blue ceiling. There were a couple armchairs behind a long coffee table, and a few bookshelves stood against the back wall.
刘众赫皱了皱眉，但还是听从了，小心翼翼地跟在她身后。穿过白色的拱门，她打开了一扇木门并推开。他们进入了一个小而舒适的房间，房间中央悬挂的枝形吊灯发出昏暗的光。灯光之外，天花板上绘满了深蓝色的星空，星座层层叠叠。长咖啡桌后面有几把扶手椅，后墙边立着几个书架。

“Feel free to take a seat.”
“请随意坐。”

Instead, Yoo Joonghyuk walked over to the bookshelves and stared at the assortment of objects on display on each shelf. “What is this place?”
“相反，刘众赫走到书架前，盯着每层架子上陈列的各种物品。‘这是什么地方？’”

“When my husband and I first opened our café, we weren’t sure what to do with this space since it was tucked away from the rest of the shop. So we turned it into this cozy nook for our customers but even then, most people stayed up front since it's a bit cramped in here.
“我和我丈夫第一次开这家咖啡馆时，我们不知道该怎么处理这个空间，因为它被藏在店铺的角落里。所以我们把它变成了这个舒适的角落，供顾客使用，但即便如此，大多数人还是待在前厅，因为这里有点挤。”

“But then Dokja came along.” Her fingers glided across the book spines, arranged neatly in alphabetical order. Upon reaching a certain book, she removed it from the shelf. “He came all the time and spent hours reading here. This place slowly became his own little hideout, all to himself, and we’ve kept it that way,” She turned her head towards him, “because we wanted him to know that he always had a place to return to.”
“但后来独子来了。”她的手指滑过按字母顺序整齐排列的书脊。当到达某本书时，她把它从书架上拿了下来。“他经常来，花几个小时在这里阅读。这个地方慢慢变成了他自己的小天地，我们一直保持这样，”她转过头看向他，“因为我们想让他知道，他总有一个可以回来的地方。”

Yoo Joonghyuk watched her thumb through the book with a rather fond expression on her features. His shoes left subtle imprints in the plush carpet besides a stack of pillows and blankets. He retrieved one of the trinkets from the ledge, turning it over in his hands. “We have something similar at school.”
刘众赫看着她翻动书页，脸上带着一种相当温柔的表情。他的鞋子在柔软的地毯上留下了细微的印痕，旁边堆着一摞枕头和毯子。他从壁架上取下一件小饰品，在手中翻转着。“我们学校也有类似的东西。”

The crisp turning of pages paused.
翻动书页的清脆声音停了下来。

“There’s a small room in the back of the library,” he continued, “and the way he decorated the place resembles this room.” He held up the tiny snow globe in his hands. “This came in a set, right? We have one exactly like this at school.”
“图书馆后面有一个小房间，”他继续说道，“他装饰那个地方的方式和这个房间很像。”他举起手中的小雪花球。“这是一套的吧？我们学校也有一个一模一样的。”

Persephone quietly regarded Yoo Joonghyuk before carefully returning the book she was holding to its original place. “Hm, is that so?” She tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear. “Do you two stay there often?”
珀耳塞福涅静静地注视着刘众赫，然后小心翼翼地将手中的书放回原位。“嗯，是这样吗？”她将一缕散落的头发别到耳后。“你们俩经常待在那里吗？”

He nodded, setting the snow globe back on the shelf. “When classes are done for the day.”
他点点头，将雪球放回架子上。“当一天的课程结束后。”

She hummed and turned to face him fully. With a smile, she quietly said, “I’m glad he has someone to talk to at school. Today was the first time I’ve ever seen him this lively.”
她轻声哼着，完全转过身来面对他。她微笑着，轻声说道：“我很高兴他在学校有人可以聊天。今天是我第一次看到他这么活泼。”

Yoo Joonghyuk turned away, sitting down on one of the armchairs. “He seems the same to me.”
刘众赫转过身去，坐在其中一张扶手椅上。“他对我来说没什么变化。”

“Perhaps.” She sat down in the other armchair and laced her fingers over her crossed legs. “But nonetheless, thank you for being there for him.”
“也许吧。”她坐在另一张扶手椅上，双手交叉放在翘起的腿上。“不过，还是谢谢你陪在他身边。”

The warmth radiating from her smile enveloped the room, and it embodied the affection she held for Kim Dokja—as if she regarded him as her own son.
她微笑中散发出的温暖笼罩了整个房间，这温暖体现了她对金独子的感情——仿佛她把他当作自己的儿子。

“Joonghyuk-ah.” She was smiling at him before saying, “I don’t have time for this.”
“中赫啊。”她微笑着对他说，“我没时间做这个。”

As Yoo Joonghyuk stared back at her brilliant smile, he felt a tightness threaten to seize his breathing, crushing his lungs and everything within.
当刘众赫凝视着她灿烂的笑容时，他感到一阵窒息般的紧绷感，仿佛要压碎他的肺和体内的一切。

Persephone hoisted herself up from the cushioned seat, letting out a relaxed sigh as she stretched her arms. “I should head back to the front. While you wait for him to come back, would you like to read?” She handed him a book from a side table. “This was one of Dokja’s favorites.”
珀耳塞福涅从软垫座椅上起身，伸了个懒腰，发出一声放松的叹息。“我该回前面去了。你等他回来的时候，要不要看看书？”她从边桌上拿起一本书递给他。“这是独子最喜欢的书之一。”

Yoo Joonghyuk stared blankly at the book, which was placed onto his lap. Etched on the front in a simple cursive font was ‘a story that can’t be shared’.
刘众赫茫然地盯着放在他腿上的书。封面上用简单的草书字体刻着‘无法分享的故事’。

“Peculiar title, isn’t it? Maybe that’s what drew him to it in the first place.” She maneuvered her way around the table and towards the hallway. “I’ll bring you a pastry while you wait. Any requests?”
“奇怪的书名，不是吗？也许正是这一点最初吸引了他。”她绕过桌子，朝走廊走去。“你等的时候我给你带个糕点来。有什么特别想吃的吗？”

“I’ll wait until Kim Dokja comes back.”
“我会等到金独子回来。”

“Alright then. Let me know if you need anything.” She gave him another smile before exiting the room.
“那好吧。如果你需要什么，尽管告诉我。”她再次对他微笑，然后离开了房间。

Yoo Joonghyuk glanced down at the book on his lap. The pads of his fingertips brushed across the letters, their edges lightly scraping against his fingers.
刘众赫低头看了一眼膝上的书。他的指尖轻轻拂过书页上的字母，边缘微微刮擦着他的手指。

The image of Persephone’s smile was a stark contrast to the emotionless and calculating smile that occasionally plagued his memories. Yoo Joonghyuk took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, his fingers curling over the spine of the book in a firm grasp as he sealed away that memory to the deepest abyss of his heart.
珀耳塞福涅的笑容与他记忆中偶尔浮现的无情而算计的微笑形成了鲜明的对比。刘众赫深吸一口气，缓缓呼出，手指紧紧握住书脊，将那段记忆封存在心底最深处。

It was about half an hour later when the wooden door creaked open once more. Kim Dokja emerged from behind the door and walked over to the coffee table, setting down two plates of fruit tarts on the table.
大约半小时后，木门再次吱呀一声打开。金独子从门后走出，走到咖啡桌前，将两盘水果挞放在桌上。

“Yoo Joonghyuk, I’m back.” With a tired sigh, Kim Dokja collapsed into the armchair. “Sorry, I didn’t think it’d take that long.” He gestured towards the desserts he just delivered. “But I come bearing gifts.”
“刘众赫，我回来了。”金独子疲惫地叹了口气，瘫倒在扶手椅上。“抱歉，没想到会花这么长时间。”他指了指刚送来的甜点。“但我带了礼物。”

“Sit up straight, you’re going to ruin your back.”
“坐直了，你会把背弄坏的。”

“How is it that you always have something to say about everything,” Kim Dokja mumbled, slouching even further in his chair. He took a quick peek at the book in Yoo Joonghyuk’s lap and raised an eyebrow. “What were you up to while I was gone?”
“你怎么总是对每件事都有话说，”金独子嘟囔着，在椅子上更加懒散地瘫着。他瞥了一眼刘众赫膝上的书，挑了挑眉。“我不在的时候你在干什么？”

“Nothing.”  “没什么。”

“Were you reading?”  “你在看书吗？”

“No.”  “不。”

“But it looks like you were just reading that book?”
“但你看起来刚才在看书？”

“I wasn’t.”  “我没有。”

Kim Dokja frowned. “Stubborn as always.” He reached over and handed Yoo Joonghyuk a plate. “Here, as promised, the fruit tart you’ve been dying to try.”
金独子皱起眉头。“还是一如既往的固执。”他伸手递给刘众赫一个盘子。“给，如约而至，你一直渴望尝试的水果挞。”

“Stop being dramatic.” Yoo Joonghyuk examined the dessert, skeptical at its unassuming appearance. He broke off a small piece with his fork and took a hesitant bite. He chewed slowly and found himself taking another bite. The cream nor the glaze were sickeningly sweet and it nicely contrasted the slightly tart flavor of the assortment of fruits. The tart itself was baked to a perfect golden brown and its buttery crumbled shell melted in your mouth.
“别那么夸张。”刘众赫审视着甜点，对其朴素的外表持怀疑态度。他用叉子掰下一小块，犹豫地咬了一口。他慢慢咀嚼，发现自己又咬了一口。奶油和糖衣都不甜得发腻，与各种水果的微酸味道形成了很好的对比。馅饼本身烤得恰到好处的金黄色，黄油酥皮在口中融化。

Kim Dokja sent him a triumphant smirk. “Isn’t it really good?”
金独子朝他露出了一个得意的笑容。“是不是真的很棒？”

“…It’s okay.”  “……还行吧。”

“Based on what you said about the dumpling, I’d say that’s a glowing review.” Kim Dokja took a bite as well, relishing in its delicious flavor. “Does this mean you admit your defeat?”
“根据你对饺子的评价，我觉得这是个极高的赞誉。”金独子也咬了一口，享受着它美味的味道。“这是不是意味着你承认自己输了？”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“我不知道你在说什么。”

Kim Dokja laughed at the petulant tone before finishing the rest of the fruit tart. He fiddled with a wooden ornament nearby, twirling it in his fingers. He murmured, “I don’t remember seeing this from last time.” He set it aside and faced Yoo Joonghyuk. “It’s a shame more people don’t come back here.”
金独子听到那任性的语气笑了起来，然后吃完了剩下的水果挞。他摆弄着附近的一个木制装饰品，用手指转动着它。他低声说道：“我不记得上次见过这个。”他把它放在一边，面对着刘众赫。“真可惜没有更多人回到这里。”

“What do you mean?”  “你是什么意思？”

“I’ve been coming here for years but I’ve never seen another customer in this room.” Kim Dokja grabbed a pillow from the stack beside him and placed it on his lap. “I wonder if it’s because of that wooden door? If I didn’t know any better, I would think it’s employee-only since it’s far back in the store but the door is always unlocked for people to enter.”
“我来这里已经很多年了，但从未在这个房间里见过其他顾客。”金独子从身旁的枕头堆里抓了一个枕头，放在自己的腿上。“我在想是不是因为那扇木门？如果我不知道的话，我会以为那是员工专用的，因为它位于商店的深处，但那扇门总是开着，让人们可以进来。”

Yoo Joonghyuk thought of how Persephone unlocked the door to let him into this room.
刘众赫想起了珀耳塞福涅是如何打开门让他进入这个房间的。

“It’s a bit selfish of me to think but I kind of prefer it that way.” Kim Dokja grasped his hands together, placing it in the center of the pillow. “Because I really like this room.”
“虽然这样想有点自私，但我其实更喜欢这样。”金独子双手握在一起，放在枕头的中央。“因为我真的很喜欢这个房间。”

“You seem close with them.”
“你似乎和他们很亲近。”

Kim Dokja turned his head and the smile he gave Yoo Joonghyuk was almost wistful. “They’re just very kind people. The reason why people keep coming back to this café is due to this very reason.”
金独子转过头，对刘众赫露出的微笑几乎带着一丝怀念。‘他们只是非常善良的人。人们不断回到这家咖啡馆的原因正是如此。’

“They wouldn’t be this nice to everyone.”
‘他们不会对每个人都这么好。’

Kim Dokja chuckled, shaking his head. “Yoo Joonghyuk, you haven’t even known them a day. If you came more often, you would know what I mean.”
金独子轻笑了一声，摇了摇头。‘刘众赫，你甚至还不认识他们一天。如果你来得更频繁，你就会明白我的意思。’

Yoo Joonghyuk remembered the way Hades immediately softened his gaze when talking to Kim Dokja and how Persephone would stroke his hair as she chided him for not eating enough food.
刘众赫记得哈迪斯在谈到金独子时立刻柔和下来的目光，以及珀耳塞福涅一边责备他吃得不够多，一边抚摸他的头发的样子。

“Kim Dokja.”  “金独子。”

“What?”  “什么？”

They treat you like their son. Perhaps it was because he knew this wasn’t his place to say anything or because that familiar tightening sensation was gripping his chest once more but as he stared at Kim Dokja’s clueless expression, Yoo Joonghyuk chose not to voice his thoughts out loud.
他们把你当作他们的儿子。也许是因为他知道这不是他该说的话，或者是因为那种熟悉的紧绷感再次抓住了他的胸口，但当他盯着金独子那茫然的表情时，刘众赫选择不把心中的想法说出来。

“We’ll be leaving now.”  “我们现在要走了。”

“No, stay longer!” Uriel whined, tugging Kim Dokja away from the door.
“不，再待一会儿！”Uriel 抱怨道，拉着金独子不让他离开门口。

Yoo Joonghyuk let the two be as he neared the front counter. He brought out his wallet and was about to leave a 20,000 won bill on the counter when a hand suddenly grabbed onto his elbow.
刘众赫让那两人继续，自己则走近前台。他拿出钱包，正准备在柜台上留下 2 万韩元时，一只手突然抓住了他的肘部。

“Keep it.” Persephone folded his fingers over the money, her two hands now encasing his fist. “It’s on us.”
“收下吧。”珀耳塞福涅将他的手指合拢在钱上，她的双手现在包裹着他的拳头。“我们请客。”

“I can pay for it.” Yoo Joonghyuk hated being in the debt of others.
“我可以付钱。”刘众赫讨厌欠别人人情。

She shook her head. “Why are children so stubborn these days?”
“她摇了摇头。‘为什么现在的孩子都这么固执？’”

Yoo Joonghyuk frowned, extracting his hand from her warm touch. “I’m not a child.”
“刘众赫皱起眉头，从她温暖的触摸中抽出手。‘我不是孩子。’”

He attempted to drop the money once more onto the table but she halted his movements with a gentle grasp. She raised her hand and placed it over the side of his head, lightly caressing it. “Come back soon, love.”
“他再次试图把钱放在桌上，但她轻轻抓住他的手，阻止了他的动作。她抬起手，放在他的头侧，轻轻抚摸。‘早点回来，亲爱的。’”

As he left the store with Kim Dokja, Yoo Joonghyuk looked over his shoulder and spotted Persephone chatting with two customers. She was nodding along to their complaints and wore a sympathetic smile as she attentively listened. She raised her head slightly and caught Yoo Joonghyuk looking at her. Her face seemed to perk up as she waved at him, a bright smile on her lips.
当他与金独子离开商店时，刘众赫回头看了一眼，发现珀耳塞福涅正在与两位顾客聊天。她点头附和着他们的抱怨，脸上带着同情的微笑，专注地倾听着。她微微抬起头，发现刘众赫在看她。她的脸上似乎露出了喜悦的表情，向他挥手，嘴角挂着灿烂的笑容。

“Did you forget something in there?” Kim Dokja asked, still holding the door open.
“你忘了什么东西在里面吗？”金独子问道，仍然扶着门。

Yoo Joonghyuk turned away as he stepped off the ledge and onto the sidewalk. “No. Let’s go.”
刘众赫转身走下台阶，踏上人行道。“没有。我们走吧。”

Though Yoo Joonghyuk was a precocious child with a stoic countenance, even he couldn’t resist the excitement bubbling within his chest as he skipped down the stairs the morning of his sixth birthday. It was quite early in the day and around this time, he knew his mother would be making coffee. As he expected, she was standing in the kitchen with a mug in her hand. Upon his arrival, she retrieved a wrapped box from the counter.
虽然刘众赫是个早熟且面容冷峻的孩子，但在他六岁生日那天早晨，当他蹦蹦跳跳地下楼时，连他也无法抑制胸中涌动的兴奋。那天还很早，他知道这个时候母亲通常会在煮咖啡。正如他所料，她正站在厨房里，手里拿着一个杯子。他一到，她便从柜台上取出了一个包装好的盒子。

“Happy birthday.”    “生日快乐。”

Yoo Joonghyuk couldn’t help but tear apart the wrapping paper right then and there, revealing the newest sports game that he had been wanting to add to his gaming collection. He picked up the plastic box with his tiny hands and looked up at her in awe. “Thank you!”
刘众赫忍不住当场撕开了包装纸，露出了他一直在想添加到游戏收藏中的最新体育游戏。他用小手拿起塑料盒，惊讶地抬头看着她。“谢谢！”

His mother nodded before picking up her briefcase. “Your nanny will be coming soon.”
他的母亲点了点头，然后拿起了她的公文包。“你的保姆很快就会来。”

His smile faltered. This wasn’t something he expected. “I thought you had a day off?”
他的笑容消失了。这不是他预料中的事情。“我以为你今天休息？”

“I never said that.” She glanced at her wristwatch. “I have some meetings I need to go to.”
“我从来没说过这话。”她瞥了一眼手表。“我还有些会议要参加。”

“But—”  “但是——”

“Joonghyuk-ah.”  “Joonghyuk-ah。”

At school, when Yoo Joonghyuk watched his classmates being dropped off at school, he would often hear their parents attach this to the end of their names as a show of endearment. He thought it was the same in every household, including his.
在学校里，当刘众赫看着同学们被送到学校时，他经常听到他们的父母在名字后面加上这个，以示亲昵。他以为每个家庭都是这样，包括他自己的。

But he slowly realized that that wasn’t always the case.
但他慢慢意识到，情况并非总是如此。

“We can celebrate this weekend, okay?”
“我们可以这周末庆祝，好吗？”

“Joonghyuk-ah.”  “Joonghyuk-ah。”

“Joonghyuk-ah?”  “中赫啊？”

“Joong—”  “中—”

Yoo Joonghyuk’s eyes flew open, the bright sunlight from the balcony assaulting his vision right upon awakening from his slumber. He was sprawled across the couch with an open book lying face down on his stomach. He rarely took naps which may explain why he dreamt, something he also rarely experienced.
刘众赫猛地睁开眼睛，刚从睡梦中醒来，阳台刺眼的阳光便直射进他的视线。他四肢摊开躺在沙发上，一本打开的书倒扣在他的肚子上。他很少午睡，这或许解释了他为何会做梦——这也是他极少经历的事情。

He raked a hand through his tousled hair and massaged his temple. He thought naps were supposed to make you feel refreshed afterwards but that dream had the opposite effect, putting him in an even worse mood. He hated that kind of dream the most and having it on this particular day left an extra bitter taste in his mouth.
他用手梳理了一下凌乱的头发，揉了揉太阳穴。他以为小憩之后会让人精神焕发，但那个梦却起了反效果，让他的心情更加糟糕。他最讨厌那种梦了，尤其是在今天这个特别的日子做这样的梦，更让他感到格外苦涩。

“Oppa!”  “Oppa！”

His younger sister had just sprinted into the living room and barreled into him while he was still lying flat on the couch. She wrapped her arms around his torso and rubbed her cheek in the groove between his shoulder and neck.
他的妹妹刚刚冲进客厅，撞上了他，而他正平躺在沙发上。她用手臂环抱住他的躯干，脸颊在他肩膀和脖子之间的凹陷处蹭来蹭去。

“How was your nap?”  “你睡得怎么样？”

“Fine.”  “好吧。”

“Oppa, what are you up to today?”
“欧巴，你今天在忙什么？”

He glanced at the clock, noting that it was almost three in the afternoon. “I need to pick up some groceries, make dinner, then—”
他瞥了一眼时钟，注意到已经快下午三点了。“我得去买些杂货，做晚饭，然后——”

“No, not that!” she scolded, squeezing harder. “I mean for your birthday!”
“不，不是那个！”她责备道，捏得更用力了。“我是说你的生日！”

“Mia.”  “米娅。”

“Oppa. I already know what you’re going to say.” She cleared her throat and adjusted her voice to the lowest tone she could muster. “’It’s just like any other day.’”
“欧巴。我已经知道你要说什么了。”她清了清嗓子，把声音调整到最低。“‘这就像平常的任何一天。’”

He cracked a smile, his hands ruffling her hair. “I don’t sound like that.”
他笑了笑，用手揉了揉她的头发。“我才不是那样说话的。”

“That’s not the point.” She folded her arms over his chest and rested her head on top. “What about ahjussi? Did he not say anything?”  
“这不是重点。”她把双臂交叉放在他的胸前，头靠在上面。“那大叔呢？他什么都没说吗？”

Yoo Joonghyuk frowned, thinking back to the text conversation he was having with Kim Dokja earlier in the afternoon:
刘众赫皱起眉头，回想起下午早些时候与金独子的短信对话：

 Are you coming over today <<
你今天过来吗 <<

>> I didn’t realize you miss me already, Joonghyuk-ah.
>> 我没意识到你已经想我了，Joonghyuk-ah。

>> We just saw each other a few days ago at the café.
>> 我们几天前才在咖啡馆见过面。

I’m blocking you <<  我屏蔽了你 <<

What he received in response was a ‘smirking’ emoji.  
他收到的回复是一个‘坏笑’的表情。

>> I have a longer shift than usual today.
>> 我今天的工作时间比平时长。

>> But I can stop by tomorrow?
>> 但我明天可以过来？

Okay <<  好的 <<

>> Stay out of trouble until tomorrow then.
>> 那明天之前别惹麻烦。

Shut up <<  闭嘴 <<

Though it wasn’t like Yoo Joonghyuk had anything particular in mind even if Kim Dokja came over. He was content with treating this day as any other but his sister was evidently not satisfied with his blasé disposition.
虽然即使金独子来了，刘众赫也没有什么特别的打算。他满足于把这一天当作平常日子对待，但他的妹妹显然对他这种无所谓的态度不满意。

“Fine, if ahjussi can’t come then we can do something together instead!”
“好吧，如果大叔不能来，那我们可以一起做点什么！”

“Mia, it’s fine.” He sat up, gently wrapping his arms around her to ensure that she wouldn’t fall. This action only made her hug him tightly. “We can celebrate over dinner.”
“米娅，没事的。”他坐起身，轻轻环抱住她，确保她不会摔倒。这个动作反而让她更紧地抱住了他。“我们可以晚餐时庆祝。”

“Oppa, that’s not celebrating; that’s just having dinner.”
“Oppa，那不算庆祝；那只是吃顿饭而已。”

Yoo Joonghyuk stifled his laugh—it seemed recently, she was developing a bit of a rebellious streak and had a rebuttal to everything. Most people may find that annoying but he thought it just made her more adorable.
刘众赫忍住了笑声——最近，她似乎有点叛逆的倾向，对每件事都有反驳。大多数人可能会觉得这很烦人，但他认为这只会让她更可爱。

“What do you have in mind then?”
“那你有什么想法？”

“Hm, the park? But that’s also not anything special since we go there all the time…”
“嗯，公园？但那也没什么特别的，因为我们经常去那里……”

“Anywhere is fine with Mia.”
“米娅去哪里都可以。”

She pulled back and made a face. “Oppa, you shouldn’t say such cheesy things like that.”
她退后一步，做了个鬼脸。“欧巴，你不该说这么肉麻的话。”

He chuckled and patted her head. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
他笑了笑，拍了拍她的头。“我会记住的。”

She pondered in silence before her face suddenly lit up. “Let’s go to an arcade!”
她沉默地思考了一会儿，突然脸上露出了笑容。‘我们去游戏厅吧！’

“An arcade?” Despite his penchant for video games, he had never been to an arcade. He avoided overcrowded, noisy, or cramped environments, and the arcade fit those qualities to a tee. In short, he had no desire to go. “Let’s pick someplace else.”
‘游戏厅？’尽管他喜欢电子游戏，但他从未去过游戏厅。他避免拥挤、嘈杂或狭窄的环境，而游戏厅正好符合这些特点。简而言之，他一点也不想去。‘我们换个地方吧。’

“But you just said any place was fine,” she pointed out. “What other place are you thinking of then?” At his silent response, she hopped off the couch. “It’ll be fun! And this would be our first time going together!” She raced towards her room, announcing that she would be ready in five minutes.
‘但你刚才说任何地方都可以，’她指出。‘那你想到什么其他地方了吗？’见他沉默不语，她从沙发上跳了下来。‘会很有趣的！而且这是我们第一次一起去！’她冲向自己的房间，宣布她五分钟内就能准备好。

A tiny smile formed as Yoo Joonghyuk knew he could never win against her.
刘众赫的嘴角微微上扬，他知道自己永远无法战胜她。

But with that being said, Yoo Joonghyuk wondered if he should’ve put up a better fight against her. He was standing past the entrance of the arcade amongst children chasing each other and adults spilling drinks and food all over the floor as they tried to juggle parenting responsibilities.
但话虽如此，刘众赫不禁怀疑自己是否应该在与她的对抗中表现得更好一些。他站在游戏厅的入口处，周围是追逐打闹的孩子们，以及试图兼顾育儿责任却把饮料和食物洒得到处都是的成年人。

“I already love it here,” Yoo Mia said in awe, as she observed all the different games at their disposal.
“我已经爱上这里了，”刘美雅惊叹道，她观察着眼前各种可供选择的游戏。

He sighed and took her hand. “What do you want to play first?”
他叹了口气，握住她的手。“你想先玩什么？”

“That one!”  “那个！”

For the next 90 minutes, Yoo Mia dragged her brother from game to game, her energy seemingly endless. The moment he finished the first game, he wanted to leave but after playing a few more games with her, he found that he didn’t mind it as much as he grew accustomed to his surroundings. It was almost addicting for certain games where there was a scoreboard since he chased after the top rank and only stopped when his sister persuaded him to try another game.
接下来的 90 分钟里，Yoo Mia 拉着她的哥哥从一个游戏玩到另一个游戏，她的精力似乎无穷无尽。他刚玩完第一个游戏时就想离开，但和她一起玩了几个游戏后，他发现自己并没有那么介意，反而逐渐适应了周围的环境。有些游戏有排行榜，几乎让人上瘾，因为他追求最高排名，只有在妹妹劝他尝试另一个游戏时才停下来。

While he overall had a good time with his sister, his social battery was in the gutter and he was ready to go home. He was waiting outside the bathroom for his sister to finish when he suddenly heard a voice in front of him.
虽然他和妹妹总体上玩得很开心，但他的社交能量已经耗尽，准备回家了。他在洗手间外等妹妹出来时，突然听到面前传来一个声音。

“Excuse me.”  “打扰一下。”

He looked up and saw a young girl peering up at him with wide eyes. Her long hair was tied up in a ponytail, its ends just barely touching the gray sweatshirt she adorned.
他抬起头，看见一个年轻女孩睁大眼睛盯着他。她的长发扎成一个马尾辫，发梢刚好碰到她穿着的灰色运动衫。

“Are you YJH?”  “你是 YJH 吗？”

Perplexed at the mention of his online handle, he slowly nodded.
听到自己的网名被提及，他困惑地慢慢点了点头。

“Me and my friend watch your streams every week!” she squealed loudly, startling Yoo Joonghyuk. Despite the chaotic chatter and bustling environment of the arcade, her voice was somehow able to project over all the noise. “Hey, Kim Namwoon! Get your butt over here!”
“我和我朋友每周都看你的直播！”她尖声叫道，把 Yoo Joonghyuk 吓了一跳。尽管游戏厅里人声鼎沸、环境嘈杂，她的声音却不知怎的盖过了所有噪音。“嘿，Kim Namwoon！快过来！”

“I’m in the middle of something!” someone shouted back.
“我正在忙呢！”有人大声回应道。

“You’re going to regret it if you don’t come right now,” she yelled, and Yoo Joonghyuk couldn’t help but wonder how such a tiny person could be this loud. “I’m here with YJH!”
“如果你现在不来，你会后悔的，”她喊道，刘众赫不禁好奇，这么小的一个人怎么能这么大声。“我和 YJH 在一起！”

“What?!” A boy with bleached white hair bolted out of his seat and practically sprinted the short distance towards Yoo Joonghyuk. The boy was about the same height as his friend, and they were now collectively looking up at Yoo Joonghyuk with literal stars in their eyes.
“什么？！”一个头发漂白的男孩从座位上跳了起来，几乎是小跑着冲向刘众赫。男孩和他的朋友差不多高，现在他们一起抬头看着刘众赫，眼睛里闪烁着星星般的光芒。

Now Yoo Joonghyuk really regretted coming here.
现在刘众赫真的后悔来这里了。

“YJH-nim?” the white-haired boy spluttered. “Are you really YJH-nim?”
“YJH 前辈？”白发男孩结结巴巴地说。“你真的是 YJH 前辈吗？”

“You stupid—obviously it’s him! How do you not know what he looks like when you’ve watched all his streams?”
“你这个笨蛋——当然是他！你都看了他所有的直播，怎么会不知道他长什么样？”

“Shut up, Lee Jihye! I was just making sure, okay?!”
“闭嘴，李智慧！我只是确认一下，好吗？！”

Yoo Joonghyuk raised an eyebrow. “You’ve watched all my streams?” He didn’t think anyone other than Kim Dokja actually attended all his streams.
刘众赫挑了挑眉。“你看了我所有的直播？”他没想到除了金独子之外，真的有人会参加他所有的直播。

The boy, Kim Namwoon, fervently nodded his head. “Every Saturday at 8pm! I-I always make sure to watch it!”
那个男孩，金南云，热切地点了点头。“每周六晚上 8 点！我、我一定会看的！”

“And he’s always spamming the chat,” she said, rolling her eyes. “You probably know his handle, it’s—”
“而且他总是在聊天室里刷屏，”她翻了个白眼说道。“你大概知道他的 ID，就是——”

A hand clamped over her mouth before she could reveal anything further. A high-pitched, nervous laughter accompanied his frantic tone as he said, “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
“一只手在她能进一步透露任何信息之前捂住了她的嘴。伴随着他慌乱的声音，一阵高亢而紧张的轻笑响起，‘她不知道自己在说什么。’”

She shoved him aside and crossed her arms. “Whatever. I’ll help you this once, Kim Namwoon.” Lee Jihye jabbed a thumb in his direction as she faced Yoo Joonghyuk. “And I started watching recently because this guy made me watch you play a couple weeks ago. Turns out you’re really good! Like really, really good!”
“她把他推到一边，双臂交叉。‘随便吧。我就帮你这一次，金南云。’李智慧用拇指指向他，面对刘众赫说道，‘我最近开始看是因为这家伙几周前让我看你打游戏。结果你真的很厉害！真的，真的非常厉害！’”

They both somehow invaded his personal space but Yoo Joonghyuk couldn’t find it in him to reject their enthusiasm. These two couldn’t have been more than twelve years old, just a few years older than his own sister. Yoo Joonghyuk cleared his throat and managed an awkward, “Thank you.”
“他们俩不知怎么地侵入了他的个人空间，但刘众赫发现自己无法拒绝他们的热情。这两个孩子最多不过十二岁，只比他自己的妹妹大几岁。刘众赫清了清嗓子，勉强挤出一句尴尬的‘谢谢。’”

“Are you busy? Wanna play with us for the rest of the day? I wanna watch you play!”
“你忙吗？今天剩下的时间想和我们一起玩吗？我想看你玩！”

“Lee Jihye!”  “李知惠！”

“What?” she growled, annoyed at her friend’s incredulous tone. “It’s not like you weren’t thinking the same thing.”
“什么？”她咆哮道，对朋友那难以置信的语气感到恼火。“你又不是没在想同样的事。”

“I was actually going to leave soon.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he almost regretted it when he saw how their cheerful expressions quickly morphed into disappointment.
“我其实很快就要走了。” 话一出口，他几乎立刻就后悔了，因为他看到他们原本欢快的表情迅速变成了失望。

“Oppa, I’m done!” Yoo Mia emerged from the bathroom and skipped towards her brother. Upon noticing that he wasn’t alone, she skidded to a halt and clung to his side. “Who are these people?”
“欧巴，我好了！” 柳美雅从浴室里出来，蹦蹦跳跳地走向她的哥哥。注意到他身边还有其他人，她猛地停下脚步，紧紧抓住他的胳膊。“这些人是谁？”

“We didn’t know you were here with someone else,” Lee Jihye said, recovering faster than her friend who resembled a child whose Christmas presents were all taken away. “It was great meeting you though! We’ll be continuing to watch your streams!” She elbowed her friend’s side when he didn’t follow up her response.
“我们不知道你还有别人在，” 李知惠说道，比她的朋友恢复得更快，后者看起来像是一个圣诞节礼物全被拿走的孩子。“不过很高兴见到你！我们会继续看你的直播的！” 当她的朋友没有跟上她的回应时，她用手肘捅了捅他的侧边。

He wasn’t used to having ‘fans’—the word alone made him want to cringe—but as he continued observing the forlorn smile on his face and remembered how this boy diligently watched all his streams, Yoo Joonghyuk felt a slight twinge in his chest.
他并不习惯有‘粉丝’——光是这个词就让他想退缩——但当他继续观察着男孩脸上那抹落寞的微笑，并想起这个男孩是如何认真地观看他所有的直播时，刘众赫感到胸口有一丝轻微的刺痛。

He glanced at his phone before looking at his sister. “Mia, do you want to stay a bit longer?”
他瞥了一眼手机，然后看向妹妹。‘米娅，你想再待一会儿吗？’

She tilted her head. “I thought oppa wanted to go home?”
她歪着头。“我以为 oppa 想回家？”

“Yes, but we can go in another half hour.”
“是的，但我们可以再过半小时再走。”

“Are you staying to play with us?” Lee Jihye asked, with a bit of hope in her tone.
“你要留下来和我们一起玩吗？”李知惠问道，语气中带着一丝希望。

Yoo Joonghyuk glanced over at her before shifting his gaze to Kim Namwoon, whose eyebrows were raised towards the roof, before nodding.
刘众赫瞥了她一眼，然后将目光转向金南云，后者的眉毛已经扬到了屋顶，随后点了点头。

“Holy crap, let’s go then!” she cheered, racing to the nearest machine. Yoo Mia followed suit, her giggling growing distant as she followed her.
“天哪，那我们走吧！”她欢呼着，冲向最近的机器。刘美雅紧随其后，她的笑声随着她的跟随渐渐远去。

Yoo Joonghyuk moved towards the boy, who was still frozen to the same spot. “Your name is Kim Namwoon, right?”
刘众赫走向那个男孩，他仍然僵在原地。“你的名字是金南云，对吧？”

“Huh?” Kim Namwoon glanced up, his mouth agape. “I—I, well, yes. Yes, I’m Kim Namwoon!”
“啊？”金南云抬起头，嘴巴张得大大的。“我——我，嗯，是的。是的，我是金南云！”

He nodded. “Let’s go then so we don’t lose them.”
他点点头。“那我们走吧，免得跟丢了他们。”

“O-Okay!”  “好、好的！”

The first game involved shooting zombies, and Yoo Joonghyuk was quickly realizing what kind of player Lee Jihye was.
第一场游戏是射击僵尸，刘众赫很快就意识到李智慧是什么样的玩家了。

“Die, you stupid zombies! Haha, can’t get me—wait, hold on, no, oh my god, die—!!”
“去死吧，你们这些愚蠢的僵尸！哈哈，抓不到我——等等，不，哦天哪，去死——！！”

The splatter of blood filled the screen followed by the words Game Over. She stood there with widened eyes and a slack jaw.
屏幕上溅满了血迹，随后出现了“游戏结束”的字样。她站在那里，瞪大了眼睛，张大了嘴巴。

“Unni, you lost.”  “欧尼，你输了。”

“I know I did!” she huffed as she inserted a few more coins. “That was just practice though. Hey, Kim Namwoon, do two-player mode with me!”
“我知道我做到了！”她一边嘟囔着，一边又投了几枚硬币。“不过那只是练习而已。嘿，金南云，跟我一起玩双人模式吧！”

“I’ll sit this one out.” Kim Namwoon was standing beside Yoo Joonghyuk with an almost sheepish expression.  
“这次我就不玩了。”金南云站在刘众赫旁边，脸上带着一丝尴尬的表情。

She whipped her head around and asked incredulously, “What do you mean by that? You never pass up this game! Look, if it’s because your idol is here—”
她猛地转过头，难以置信地问道：“你这是什么意思？你从来不会错过这个游戏的！听着，如果是因为你的偶像在这里——”

“That’s not why!” he growled, roughly inputting some coins into the machine adjacent to hers and situating himself on the seat. A cascade of bullets accompanied their battle cries as they advanced through the game.
“不是因为这个！”他咆哮着，粗暴地将一些硬币投入她旁边的机器，然后坐到了座位上。随着他们的战斗呐喊，一连串子弹在游戏中倾泻而出。

Though he didn’t mean to, Yoo Joonghyuk ended up analyzing their tactics and comparing the two. Kim Namwoon prioritized offense and brute strength as he tried to terrorize the scene as quickly as possible while Lee Jihye balanced her offense with more defensive tactics, particularly in the beginning as she assessed the premises. But he thought they held up pretty well and it was obvious that they were familiar with gaming.
尽管他并非有意，但刘众赫最终还是分析了他们的战术并进行了比较。金南云优先考虑进攻和蛮力，试图尽快恐吓场景，而李智慧则在进攻中平衡了更多的防御战术，尤其是在她评估场地时。但他认为他们表现得相当不错，显然他们对游戏很熟悉。

“Oppa, want to team up with me?” Yoo Mia tugged on his sleeve and pointed to the other pair of kiosks that was running the same game.
“哥哥，想和我组队吗？”刘美雅拉了拉他的袖子，指着另一对正在运行同一款游戏的机台。

“Sure.” He sat down at the machine next to Kim Namwoon, who was too engrossed in his own game to notice.
“好啊。”他在金南云旁边的机器上坐下，金南云正全神贯注于自己的游戏，没有注意到他。

“Let’s win this, oppa.” She held up a fist.
“让我们赢下这个，欧巴。”她举起拳头。

He gave her a fist bump. “Naturally.”
他和她碰了碰拳头。“当然。”

As the game was loading, he heard Lee Jihye slam the buttons in frustration as her on-screen character just died. “Dammit! We were so close!” She stood up from her chair and noticed what was happening on the other side of Kim Namwoon. “Whoa, I want to watch you play!” She rushed to the back of Yoo Joonghyuk’s chair and peered over his shoulder while Kim Namwoon remained in his chair and stared at the screen in awe.
游戏加载时，他听到李智慧愤怒地拍打按钮，因为她的屏幕角色刚刚死了。“该死！我们差点就赢了！”她从椅子上站起来，注意到金南云那边的情况。“哇，我想看你们玩！”她冲到刘众赫的椅子后面，从他的肩膀上窥视，而金南云则坐在椅子上，盯着屏幕，一脸惊叹。

“Wow, it’s kind of weird seeing you watch in real life…”
“哇，在现实生活中看到你观看感觉有点奇怪……”

Kim Namwoon remained silent, captivated by the precision and accuracy of his attacks.
金南云保持沉默，被他攻击的精准和准确所吸引。

“Hey, you’re pretty good too, kid.”
“嘿，你也不错嘛，小子。”

“I learned from oppa,” she said, her hands jamming the keys as she assisted in destroying the zombies on the periphery.
“我是跟欧巴学的，”她一边说，一边用力敲击键盘，协助消灭外围的僵尸。

After finishing off the last wave of zombies, the Yoo siblings finished the game with a nearly perfect score.
在消灭了最后一波僵尸后，刘氏兄妹以近乎完美的分数结束了游戏。

“Nice job, oppa!” She held up a hand for a high-five, which she received.
“干得好，欧巴！”她举起手想要击掌，他也回应了她。

“Wow, how did you do that?” Lee Jihye exclaimed, glancing between the screen and him. “I didn’t even know you could do half those combos! Can I call you Master from now on?”
“哇，你是怎么做到的？”李智慧惊呼道，目光在屏幕和他之间来回扫视。“我甚至不知道你能打出这么多连招！我以后可以叫你大师吗？”

Yoo Joonghyuk answered with a grunt. Yoo Mia took a quick glimpse of his face and giggled.
刘众赫哼了一声作为回应。刘美雅瞥了一眼他的脸，咯咯笑了起来。

“C-Can you show us again how you did all that?” Kim Namwoon blurted out, drawing the attention of the other three in his group. As if embarrassed by his own words, his face flushed a bright pink.
“你、你能再给我们演示一遍你是怎么做到的吗？”金南云脱口而出，吸引了小组里其他三个人的注意。似乎对自己的话感到尴尬，他的脸瞬间涨得通红。

Yoo Joonghyuk reached into his pocket for more loose change. “Do you want to team up with me this time then?”
刘众赫伸手从口袋里掏出更多的零钱。“那这次你想和我组队吗？”

Kim Namwoon fervently nodded with a determined glint in his eye. “Yes!”
金南云热切地点了点头，眼中闪烁着坚定的光芒。“好！”

“Don’t lose within the first ten seconds.”
“别在头十秒内就输了。”

“Lee Jihye, shut up!”
“李知惠，闭嘴！”

Another hour past before Yoo Joonghyuk decided enough was enough and that he was going home. Though Yoo Mia furiously shook her head, claiming that there was one more she wanted to try before she left the arcade.
又过了一个小时，刘众赫决定够了，他要回家了。尽管刘美雅拼命摇头，声称在离开游戏厅之前还想再试一次。

“Oppa, can we please play this? Pleeeease?”
“哥哥，我们可以玩这个吗？求求你了？”

“Mia.” Yoo Joonghyuk sighed as he stared at the claw machine in front of them. “It’d be easier and cheaper if I just bought the toy.”
“美雅。”刘众赫叹了口气，盯着他们面前的抓娃娃机。“如果我直接买这个玩具，会更容易也更便宜。”

“Oppa,” she whined, “that’s not the point though! It’s about the satisfaction.”
“Oppa，”她撒娇道，“这不是重点啦！重要的是满足感。”

Yoo Joonghyuk raised an eyebrow. “Who taught you that word?”
刘众赫挑了挑眉。“谁教你那个词的？”

“Ahjussi did.”  “大叔教的。”

Since when were they on such friendly terms? Yoo Joonghyuk crossed his arms and glared at the assortment of stuffed animals in the machine. “Fine. Which one?”
“他们什么时候变得这么友好了？”刘众赫交叉双臂，瞪着机器里的一堆毛绒玩具。“好吧，哪个？”

“That one!” She pointed at the white bunny buried below a few other toys.
“那个！”她指着被其他玩具埋在下方的白色兔子。

“Oh, I want to try!” Lee Jihye whipped out a few coins and inserted them into the coin slot. “I’m good at this.”
“哦，我想试试！”李智慧掏出几枚硬币，塞进了投币口。“我很擅长这个。”

“Since when?” Kim Namwoon sneered. “I’ve never seen you win anything.”
“从什么时候开始？”金南云冷笑道。“我从来没见你赢过什么。”

Ignoring his taunt, she slowly maneuvered the joystick and smashed the button when she was satisfied with its position. The claw began its descent and only grazed the bunny ears before returning to its original spot.
她无视他的嘲讽，慢慢操纵着摇杆，当她对位置满意时，猛地按下了按钮。爪子开始下降，但只是擦过了兔子的耳朵，然后回到了原位。

“Ha! Told you!”  “哈！我说了吧！”

“You try then!”  “那你来试试！”

“Watch and learn,” he cackled. However, Kim Namwoon didn’t do anything drastically different and in the end, he was also unable to obtain the stuffed rabbit.
“看好了，”他咯咯笑道。然而，金南云并没有做出什么特别不同的举动，最终他也未能得到那只毛绒兔子。

“Oppa, your turn.”  “欧巴，轮到你了。”

Yoo Joonghyuk frowned as he gauged the situation at hand. Perhaps it was better to target at least one other animal in order to make the bunny more accessible to the mechanical arm. With his eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration, Yoo Joonghyuk guided the claw until it hovered above one of the other stuffed animals in the pile. With a firm push of the button, the claw lowered and successfully captured an octopus plush before delivering it to the chute.
刘众赫皱着眉头，评估着眼前的情况。也许最好先抓取至少一个其他动物，以便让机械臂更容易接近那只兔子。他眉头紧锁，全神贯注地操控着爪子，直到它悬停在一堆毛绒玩具中的另一个动物上方。他坚定地按下按钮，爪子下降并成功抓住了一只章鱼玩偶，然后将其送到了出口。

Yoo Mia grabbed the blue octopus plush and looked at it for a bit before announcing, “This looks kinda ugly.”
刘美雅抓起那只蓝色的章鱼玩偶，看了看，然后宣布道：“这个看起来有点丑。”

The bunny was now easily visible, lying at the top of the pile now. He pushed the red button and the claws wrapped around its body. Just when it the doll was midway in the air, the machine suddenly dropped the bunny back to its original spot. 
现在兔子很容易就能看到了，它躺在玩具堆的顶部。他按下红色按钮，爪子抓住了兔子的身体。就在玩偶悬在半空时，机器突然将兔子掉回了原来的位置。

“This machine is stupid,” Kim Namwoon grumbled.
“这台机器真蠢，”金南云抱怨道。

Yoo Joonghyuk tried again. And again. And once more. He was now almost 10,000 won poorer and the bunny was still mocking him from the top of its plushy hill beyond the glass box.  
刘众赫又试了一次。再一次。又一次。他现在几乎少了 10,000 韩元，而那只兔子仍然在玻璃箱外的毛绒山顶上嘲笑着他。

“Oppa, it’s okay.”  “Oppa，没关系的。”

“No.”  “不。”

He rammed in another coin, waiting for the machine to whir to life again. He carefully positioned the mechanical claw over the bunny before firmly pressing the button. The rest of them waited with bated breath as the bunny was lifted into the air. When the claw dropped it into the chute, they erupted into cheers.
他又塞了一枚硬币，等待机器再次嗡嗡作响。他小心翼翼地将机械爪对准兔子，然后坚定地按下按钮。其他人屏住呼吸，看着兔子被吊到空中。当爪子将兔子放入滑槽时，他们爆发出欢呼声。

“Thank you, oppa!”  “谢谢你，欧巴！”

He gently patted her head as she hugged his waist.
他轻轻拍了拍她的头，她则紧紧搂住他的腰。

When they exited the arcade, it was time for the group to part ways.
当他们离开游戏厅时，是时候分道扬镳了。

“I had a lot of fun! Thanks for teaching us, Master!” She started leaving but stopped when she noticed her friend wasn’t doing the same. “Kim Namwoon, aren’t you going?”
“我玩得很开心！谢谢你教我们，师父！”她开始离开，但注意到她的朋友没有跟上。“金南云，你不走吗？”

“Uh, yeah, you go ahead first.”
“呃，是啊，你先走吧。”

“Okay? I’m gonna go to the convenience store first and then we can head home.” After giving them another wave, she disappeared into the crowd.
“好吧？我先去趟便利店，然后我们就可以回家了。”她又挥了挥手，随后消失在人群中。

“I had a lot of fun today,” Kim Namwoon stammered, unable to lift up his head.
“我今天玩得很开心，”金南云结结巴巴地说，头都抬不起来。

Yoo Joonghyuk nodded as Yoo Mia said, “Bye!”
Yoo Joonghyuk 点了点头，Yoo Mia 说道：“再见！”

When they turned around to leave, Kim Namwoon mustered up his last ounce of courage to yell one more thing. “Wait! Can I—um—” He cleared his throat and balled his hands into fists. “Can I call you hyung?”
当他们转身离开时，金南云鼓起最后的勇气又喊了一声。“等等！我可以——呃——”他清了清嗓子，握紧了拳头。“我可以叫你哥吗？”

Yoo Joonghyuk wasn’t expecting that. He stared back at Kim Namwoon and nodded. “Sure.” He doubted they would cross paths again so it didn’t really matter.
刘众赫没想到会这样。他回头看着金南云，点了点头。“当然。”他怀疑他们不会再见面了，所以这并不重要。

Kim Namwoon broke out into a wide grin. “Okay, hyung!”
金南云露出了灿烂的笑容。“好的，哥！”

When they were out of earshot, Yoo Mia embraced the stuffed animals and remarked, “That was a lot of fun! Did you have fun, oppa?”
“当他们走远后，刘美雅抱紧了毛绒玩具，说道：‘那真是太有趣了！欧巴，你玩得开心吗？’”

A golden blanket was beginning to spread across the sky as they walked home together. Yoo Joonghyuk gave her hand a light squeeze and answered, “I did.”
“金色的晚霞开始在天边蔓延，他们一起走回家。刘众赫轻轻握了握她的手，回答道：‘我很开心。’”

The rest of the night passed uneventfully. At Yoo Mia’s insistence, they ate on the balcony since the weather wasn’t too humid nor hot that evening. It was a simple dinner, comprised of some of their favorite dishes. As for dessert, when Yoo Joonghyuk revealed that he didn’t get a cake (because he frankly didn’t feel the need to), his sister was on the verge of tears so he promised that he’d get one this weekend. With a pout, she agreed but that didn’t stop her from loudly singing ‘Happy Birthday’ on the balcony, much to his amusement.
接下来的夜晚平静无事。在 Yoo Mia 的坚持下，他们在阳台上吃了晚餐，因为那晚的天气既不潮湿也不炎热。晚餐很简单，由他们最喜欢的几道菜组成。至于甜点，当 Yoo Joonghyuk 透露他没有买蛋糕（因为他觉得没必要）时，他的妹妹几乎要哭了，于是他承诺这个周末会买一个。她撅着嘴同意了，但这并没有阻止她在阳台上大声唱‘生日快乐’，这让他感到很有趣。

Yoo Joonghyuk just finished taking a shower, and it was nearing ten o’clock. He threw on a fresh set of pajamas before plopping on the bed. He turned on his side and was faced with the blue octopus plush from the arcade, which was situated on the nightstand. Yoo Mia had commented on its ugly appearance back at the arcade and wasn’t too keen on keeping it in her room.  
Yoo Joonghyuk 刚洗完澡，时间快接近十点了。他穿上了一套新的睡衣，然后倒在床上。他侧过身，面对着床头柜上从游戏厅赢来的蓝色章鱼玩偶。Yoo Mia 在游戏厅时曾评论过它的丑陋外观，并不太愿意把它放在自己的房间里。

“Though it kind of reminds me of ahjussi,” she had said, giving its head a light poke. “Should we give it to him?”
“虽然它让我想起了大叔，”她说着，轻轻戳了戳它的头。“我们要不要把它送给他？”

Yoo Joonghyuk grabbed the doll from the nightstand and stared at its black eyes. It did somewhat resemble the squid drawing he drew on Kim Dokja’s omurice now that he had a good look at it. He pinched one of its legs. It was designed weirdly but the more he looked at it, the more it was growing on him.
刘众赫从床头柜上抓起那个玩偶，盯着它黑色的眼睛。现在仔细一看，它确实有点像他在金独子的蛋包饭上画的鱿鱼图案。他捏了捏它的一条腿。虽然设计得有点奇怪，但越看越觉得它挺讨人喜欢的。

The sound of the keypad jingle suddenly reached his ears.
突然，键盘的叮当声传入了他的耳朵。

“Mia?” He set aside the plush and stood up.
“米娅？”他把玩偶放到一边，站了起来。

“It’s nothing, oppa!” came a distant shout. “I was just taking out the trash!”
“没事的，欧巴！”远处传来一声喊叫。“我只是在倒垃圾！”

Yoo Joonghyuk frowned. She never took out the trash this late at night. But then again, they were away the entire evening but she could’ve easily done this tomorrow morning. When he heard more noise outside his bedroom, he walked towards the door.
刘众赫皱了皱眉。她从来没有这么晚倒垃圾。不过话说回来，他们整个晚上都不在家，但她完全可以明天早上再做这件事。当他听到卧室外有更多的噪音时，他朝门口走去。

“Mia, did something happen?” The first thing he noticed was that the kitchen lights were off. A bit more alert, he headed down the hallway, wondering what his sister was up to. When he reached the kitchen, his eyes widened when he noticed someone else in the room besides his sister.
“米娅，发生什么事了吗？”他首先注意到的是厨房的灯是关着的。他更加警觉地走向走廊，想知道他妹妹在做什么。当他到达厨房时，他惊讶地发现除了他妹妹之外，房间里还有另一个人。

“Surprise!” Kim Dokja and Yoo Mia were standing behind the island, and Yoo Joonghyuk zeroed in on the cake on top of the table. The flames of the three candles illuminated the kitchen in a soft, intimate glow.
“惊喜！” 金独子和刘美雅站在岛台后面，刘众赫的目光立刻锁定在桌上的蛋糕上。三根蜡烛的火焰在厨房中散发出柔和而温馨的光芒。

“But,” Yoo Joonghyuk said, walking closer with a dazed expression, “I thought you couldn’t come over today?”
“但是，” 刘众赫带着恍惚的表情走近说道，“我以为你今天不能过来？”

“I lied.” Kim Dokja gestured towards the cake. “We wanted to surprise you.” He extended his hand for a high five, which Yoo Mia gladly reciprocated. “Good job, Mia.”
“我骗你的。” 金独子指着蛋糕说。“我们想给你一个惊喜。” 他伸出手想要击掌，刘美雅高兴地回应了。“干得好，美雅。”

“At least you did one thing right, Ahjussi.”
“至少你做对了一件事，大叔。”

On the surface of the cake, the words “Happy Birthday Yoo Joonghyuk” were sloppily written with a sunfish right next to it in dark blue icing.
蛋糕的表面，用深蓝色的糖霜潦草地写着‘生日快乐，刘众赫’，旁边还画了一条太阳鱼。

“I decorated this myself,” he declared proudly, making sure to emphasize the aquatic animal by pointing directly at it.
‘这是我亲自装饰的，’他自豪地宣布，特意指着那条水生动物强调了一下。

“I can tell,” Yoo Joonghyuk said. “It’s crooked here.”
‘我看得出来，’刘众赫说，‘这里歪了。’

Kim Dokja punched his arm. “Just be grateful, you jerk.”
金独子捶了一下他的手臂。“你就知足吧，混蛋。”

“I am,” Yoo Joonghyuk said, his thoughts spilling over and tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them. 
“我知道，”刘众赫说道，他的思绪不受控制地涌出，脱口而出。

Kim Dokja ducked his head and resumed the task of putting more candles on the cake. “It was nothing. This was all Mia’s idea.”

“Ahjussi, what are you talking about?” She raised an eyebrow, and Kim Dokja couldn’t help but think she was truly becoming the spitting image of Yoo Joonghyuk in regards to both appearance and personality quirks. “Oppa, I told him to come over after work but he said we should surprise you with a cake instead.” She crossed her arms with a pout. “Ahjussi, you shouldn’t lie. Lying is bad.”
“大叔，你在说什么呢？”她挑起眉毛，金独子不禁觉得她无论是外貌还是性格都越来越像刘众赫了。“哥哥，我让他下班后过来，但他说我们应该给你一个惊喜，带个蛋糕来。”她撅着嘴，双臂交叉。“大叔，你不该撒谎。撒谎是不对的。”

Yoo Joonghyuk noticed the tips of Kim Dokja’s ears were flushed and half his face was buried in his palm.
刘众赫注意到金独子的耳尖泛红，半边脸埋在手心里。

“But it was so hard keeping it to myself all day!” she complained. “Did it work, oppa? Did we surprise you?”
“但一整天都憋着不说真是太难了！”她抱怨道。“成功了吗，欧巴？我们让你惊喜了吗？”

“I really didn’t expect this at all.” Yoo Joonghyuk patted her shoulder. “Thank you, Mia.”
“我真的完全没想到会这样。”刘众赫拍了拍她的肩膀。“谢谢你，米娅。”

Kim Dokja was initially reluctant but at Yoo Mia’s prodding, they both began singing ‘Happy Birthday’ in an off-beat, off-pitch manner that made Yoo Joonghyuk’s mouth twitch.
金独子一开始有些犹豫，但在刘米娅的催促下，他们俩开始用跑调、走音的方式唱起了《生日快乐》，这让刘众赫的嘴角微微抽搐。

“Oppa, make a wish!” She nudged him forward.
“Oppa，许个愿吧！”她轻轻推了他一下。

“You can make the wish for me.”
“你可以替我许愿。”

She frowned. “That’s not how wishes work.”
她皱起眉头。“愿望不是这样实现的。”

“You should listen to your sister.” The shadows followed the course of the flames, masking half his face in darkness.  “It’s not every day that you can make wishes.”
“你应该听你姐姐的话。”阴影随着火焰的轨迹移动，将他的半边脸隐藏在黑暗中。“不是每天都能许愿的。”

“It’s childish.”  “这很幼稚。”

“We’re going to be eating wax at this rate.” Kim Dokja leaned over the table and jerked his chin towards the birthday cake. “Come on, we’re waiting.”
“照这样下去，我们就要吃蜡了。”金独子俯身靠在桌子上，朝生日蛋糕扬了扬下巴。“快点，我们等着呢。”

He stared at the dark blue sunfish before closing his eyes, if only to just humor his sister. After a few silent moments, his eyelids rose and a puff of air extinguished the flames, the warmth from earlier now lingering in the darkness.   
他盯着那条深蓝色的翻车鱼，然后闭上了眼睛，只是为了迎合他妹妹的玩笑。片刻的沉默后，他睁开了眼睛，一股气流熄灭了火焰，先前的温暖现在在黑暗中徘徊。

“What did you wish for?” Kim Dokja questioned as he flipped the kitchen light switch on.
“你许了什么愿？”金独子一边打开厨房的灯，一边问道。

“I thought it won’t come true if I say it out loud?”
“我以为说出来就不会实现了？”

“This is coming from someone who said this was childish a minute ago.”
“这话可是从一分钟前还说这很幼稚的人嘴里说出来的。”

“Oppa, let’s cut the cake,” Yoo Mia whined. “I really want to try it!”
“欧巴，我们来切蛋糕吧，”柳美雅撒娇道。“我真的很想尝尝！”

“And I want exactly a one-ninth slice please.”
“而且我要的正好是九分之一块。”

Yoo Joonghyuk looked at him.
Yoo Joonghyuk 看着他。

“What? I said ‘please’, didn’t I?”
“什么？我说了‘请’，不是吗？”

He ignored him and proceeded to divide the cake into twelve even pieces.
他无视了他，继续将蛋糕均匀地分成十二块。

“Mia’s fast asleep?”  “米娅已经睡熟了吗？”

Yoo Joonghyuk nodded.  Yoo Joonghyuk 点了点头。

“That was quick. And here I thought this cake would give her a sugar rush and keep you up all night.”
“真快啊。我还以为这蛋糕会让她兴奋得让你整晚都睡不着呢。”

“I would make you stay up with me then, you bastard.”
“那我就让你也陪我熬夜，你这个混蛋。”

Kim Dokja suppressed a yawn. “I should probably head out now. It’s getting late.”
金独子忍住了一个哈欠。“我该走了，天已经晚了。”

After retrieving his phone, they walked to the front door of the apartment. It was nearing midnight, and their footsteps echoed through the hallway.
拿回手机后，他们走向公寓的前门。快到午夜了，他们的脚步声在走廊里回荡。

Kim Dokja bent down to retie his shoelaces, the keys in his pocket clinking against each other. After he finished, he straightened his spine and grabbed his backpack. With a smile, he said, “Happy birthday, Yoo Joonghyuk. I hope it was a good one.” He turned on his heel and placed his hand on the door handle. 
金独子弯下腰重新系好鞋带，口袋里的钥匙相互碰撞发出叮当声。系好后，他直起身子，抓起背包。他微笑着说道：“生日快乐，刘众赫。希望今天过得不错。”他转身把手放在门把手上。

“Kim Dokja.” Yoo Joonghyuk gripped his forearm, which forced Kim Dokja to turn and meet his stare.
“金独子。”刘众赫抓住他的前臂，迫使金独子转身与他对视。

“What is it?”  “这是什么？”

“Thank you.”  “谢谢。”

His eyes widened, not expecting to hear these words. “It’s nothing,” he stuttered, squirming under his unrelenting gaze.
他的眼睛睁大了，没想到会听到这些话。“没什么，”他结结巴巴地说，在他那毫不松懈的目光下不安地扭动着。

But it’s not, Kim Dokja. As a child, Yoo Joonghyuk knew better than to expect anything different on his birthday. His parents initially bought presents and a cake but would soon forgo these plans, and he always spent the day alone. It wasn’t until Yoo Mia grew old enough to understand the concept of birthdays and nagged him about it that he started formally celebrating his birthdays with her. But even then, he treated it like a normal day.
但事实并非如此，金独子。小时候，刘众赫就知道不要对自己的生日抱有任何不同的期望。他的父母最初会买礼物和蛋糕，但很快就会放弃这些计划，他总是独自度过这一天。直到刘美雅长大到能理解生日的概念并缠着他时，他才开始正式和她一起庆祝生日。但即便如此，他也把它当作平常的一天。

After Kim Dokja left his apartment, Yoo Joonghyuk returned to his bedroom and slipped under the covers. He laid on his side, staring at the plush whose permanent residence was now his nightstand. The clock that laid beside it just struck midnight, indicating the start of a new day.
金独子离开公寓后，刘众赫回到卧室，钻进被窝。他侧身躺着，凝视着那个现在永久驻扎在他床头柜上的毛绒玩具。旁边的时钟刚敲过午夜，标志着新一天的开始。

And for the very first time, Yoo Joonghyuk found himself looking forward to his next birthday.
这是第一次，刘众赫发现自己开始期待下一个生日。

- bonus scene -
- 额外场景 -

That Saturday, Kim Dokja decided to take a small detour on his way home.
那个星期六，金独子决定在回家的路上绕个小道。

His mother was working overtime, and he certainly wasn’t in a hurry to return home when it was just his father there. So he found himself walking off the main road and through the narrower winding streets that were lined by boutiques, cafes, and other family-owned businesses. He watched this one boy whine to his father about wanting ice cream, and it seemed he eventually caved in because he started reaching into his pocket for his wallet. The boy hungrily devoured his chocolate-dipped ice cream cone while his dad chided him for eating too many sweets these days. However, Kim Dokja also didn’t miss the warm smile on his face as he patted his son’s head before ruffling his hair, which made the son duck his head in annoyance. The dad chuckled before grasping his son’s hand, leading him across the street.
他的母亲在加班，而他当然也不急着回家，因为家里只有父亲在。于是他离开了主路，走进了狭窄蜿蜒的街道，两旁是精品店、咖啡馆和其他家庭经营的店铺。他看到一个男孩向父亲抱怨想要吃冰淇淋，最终父亲似乎妥协了，开始从口袋里掏钱包。男孩贪婪地吃着巧克力蘸冰淇淋甜筒，而父亲则责备他最近吃了太多甜食。然而，金独子也没有错过父亲脸上温暖的笑容，他拍了拍儿子的头，然后揉了揉他的头发，这让儿子恼火地低下了头。父亲笑了笑，随后抓住儿子的手，带他穿过马路。

Kim Dokja turned his head and began walking in the other direction. It was about time he headed home anyways—the shops were awashed in a golden river and the lampposts were beginning to flicker to life.
金独子转过头，开始朝另一个方向走去。反正也是时候回家了——商店沐浴在金色的河流中，路灯开始闪烁起来。

But when he turned another corner, he didn’t recognize the stores on this street. He could’ve sworn he made a left… He backtracked and took a right instead but this also wasn’t one of the alleyways he traveled through. His eyes suddenly lit up—all he needed to do was to get to the main road so if he walked through streets with more and more people, he should be able to get there. With a determined expression, he walked straight.
但当他转过另一个拐角时，他不认识这条街上的商店。他明明记得自己向左转了……他退回去，改向右转，但这也不是他常走的小巷。他的眼睛突然亮了起来——他只需要走到主路上，所以如果他沿着人越来越多的街道走，应该就能到达那里。带着坚定的表情，他径直向前走去。

Ten minutes later, he realized that, in theory, his plan might have helped but he truly underestimated how directionally challenged he was. The crowds had also dwindled to just a few couples strolling under the warm blanket of the sun. 
十分钟后，他意识到，理论上他的计划可能有用，但他真的低估了自己在方向感上的挑战。人群也减少到只有几对情侣在温暖的阳光下漫步。

His stomach suddenly growled, signaling how he definitely should have been home by now for dinner. He should’ve known better when he decided to take a detour. He sighed and was about to try another strategy when his nose caught a whiff of a delicious aroma wafting from the alleyway he just crossed. 
他的肚子突然咕咕叫了起来，提醒他早就该回家吃晚饭了。他决定绕道时就应该想到这一点。他叹了口气，正准备尝试另一种策略时，鼻子突然闻到了一股从刚刚经过的小巷里飘来的美味香气。

The gentle evening breeze was lightly nudging him forward in that direction, but he didn’t need to be told twice as he allowed his nose to lead the way. He was soon in front of a well-lit café tucked away in this narrow street, accompanied by only a few other boutiques. He walked to the window and was entranced by the rows of pastries and cakes on display. His eyes zeroed in on the fruit tarts clothed in a sugary glaze, his mouth visibly watering.
轻柔的晚风轻轻推着他朝那个方向走去，但他不需要再被提醒，便任由鼻子带路。很快，他来到了一家灯火通明的咖啡馆前，这家咖啡馆藏在这条狭窄的街道上，周围只有几家小店。他走到窗前，被展示柜里一排排的糕点和蛋糕迷住了。他的目光锁定在那些裹着糖衣的水果挞上，口水明显流了出来。

“Oh? Who do we have here?”
“哦？我们这是有谁来了？”

Kim Dokja flinched in surprise, not expecting anyone since this was a rather secluded road. A young woman was carrying paper bags of what he presumed was groceries. The fading remnants of the sun illuminated her blonde wavy locks and accentuated her bright eyes. Judging by her apron and how she was about to head inside, he gathered that she likely worked here.
金独子惊讶地愣了一下，没想到会有人出现在这条偏僻的路上。一个年轻女子正提着几个纸袋，他猜测里面装的是杂货。夕阳的余晖照亮了她金色的波浪卷发，衬托出她明亮的眼睛。从她的围裙和她正要进屋的举动来看，他推测她可能在这里工作。

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to just stand here… I’ll go now.” His mouth was saying one thing but his stomach another as a low rumble echoed. He blushed and was about to scurry away when he heard her laugh. It was musical almost, and her entire demeanor was calming.
“哦，对不起，我不是故意站在这里的……我这就走。”他的嘴上是这么说的，但肚子却不争气地发出了一声低沉的咕噜声。他脸红了，正要匆匆离开时，听到了她的笑声。那笑声几乎像音乐一样，她的整个举止都让人感到平静。

“Would you like to come inside? We still have quite a bit of pastries left.”
“你想进来吗？我们还有很多糕点剩下。”

He wanted to give an emphatic yes but he was also painfully aware of his empty pockets and how he still didn’t know his way home. “No, it’s okay. I don’t have any money with me right now.”
他本想坚定地说“好”，但他也痛苦地意识到自己口袋里空空如也，而且他还不知道怎么回家。“不，没关系。我现在身上没钱。”

“Don’t worry about that, love.” She gestured towards the door. “Come inside.”
“别担心，亲爱的。”她朝门的方向示意了一下。“进来吧。”

The door was pushed open, and the aroma that enticed him earlier was even stronger now. His will eventually crumbled—not that it was that strong to begin with—and he obediently followed the woman inside the store. His shoes shuffled their way across the polished wooden floors toward the front counter, where the main display of pastries was located. A few potted plants were scattered throughout the store, complementing the white and gold theme of the store.
门被推开了，之前吸引他的香气现在更加浓郁了。他的意志最终崩溃了——其实一开始也没那么坚定——他顺从地跟着女人走进了店里。他的鞋子在抛光的木地板上拖曳着，走向前台的糕点展示柜。店里散落着几盆植物，与店铺的白金主题相得益彰。

“What would you like?”  “你想要点什么？”

“But I don’t—”  “但是我不——”

She smiled. “It’s fine.”  她笑了。“没关系。”

He fidgeted under her gaze before relenting and observing the options before him. Naturally, his eyes wandered to the fruit tarts he saw earlier from outside. He wasn't sure what half of them tasted like, and he hesitated once again when he noticed how most of them were so lavishly decorated. Hence, he settled for a more modest-looking tart with scant toppings over a scarlet base. “Um, I’ll pick this one then?”
他在她的注视下坐立不安，最终屈服并观察起面前的选项。自然，他的目光落在了他早些时候从外面看到的水果挞上。他不确定其中一半的味道如何，当他注意到大多数挞都装饰得如此奢华时，他又一次犹豫了。因此，他选择了一个看起来更朴素、配料较少的红色基底挞。“嗯，那我就选这个吧？”

She glanced at what he picked and gave him an enigmatic smile. “You like pomegranate?”
她瞥了一眼他挑选的东西，给了他一个神秘的微笑。“你喜欢石榴？”

No, he had never tasted it, much less knew what it was in the first place. He fumbled with his words, “It looks like it’ll taste good?”
“不，他从未尝过，更不用说一开始就知道它是什么了。他结结巴巴地说，‘看起来会很好吃？’”

She hummed in response before walking behind the counter. “I’ll get you a plate of it soon.”
“她哼了一声作为回应，然后走到柜台后面。‘我很快就给你端一盘来。’”

At this point, the dim sunlight barely peeked past the horizon. He noted the time on the wall clock and knew he really, really should be getting home now or else his father would become irritated. “I really should go home.”
“此时，微弱的阳光几乎刚刚露出地平线。他注意到墙上的时钟，知道自己真的、真的该回家了，否则父亲会生气的。‘我真的该回家了。’”

She stared silently for a few moments before the smile returned. “I’ll pack it up for you then. Just let me put away these groceries first. Do you mind waiting over there?” She pointed towards a hallway that led to the back of the café. “I’ll let you know when it’s ready.”
“她默默地凝视了一会儿，然后笑容重新浮现。‘那我帮你打包吧。先让我把这些杂货放好。你介意在那边等一下吗？’她指向一条通往咖啡馆后面的走廊。‘准备好了我会告诉你的。’”

He was about politely decline but she was already humming and shelving the items into the refrigerator. But based on their brief interaction thus far, it didn’t seem like she’d be satisfied with that answer anyway so Kim Dokja started walking through the hallway past the archway.
“他本想礼貌地拒绝，但她已经开始哼着歌，把物品放进冰箱里。但根据他们到目前为止的短暂互动，似乎她对这个答案也不会满意，所以金独子开始穿过走廊，走过拱门。”

His eyes widened.  他的眼睛瞪大了。

It was like he entered a new world. The walls were lined with bookshelves, the floor was covered with a rug, the space was occupied by a small sofa with a set of pillows—it was every bit like a personal library that he always dreamed of.  
仿佛他进入了一个全新的世界。墙壁上排列着书架，地板上铺着地毯，空间里摆放着一张带有几个靠垫的小沙发——这完全是他一直梦想中的私人图书馆。

He peeped behind his shoulder, wondering if anyone would be coming back soon. Though if she sent him to wait here, then that probably meant he was free to read these books…?
他回头瞥了一眼，想知道是否有人会很快回来。不过，如果她让他在这里等待，那可能意味着他可以自由阅读这些书……？

He sank into the sofa after grabbing one of the first books he saw, which was titled ‘a story that can’t be shared’. He opened it to the first page and lost himself between the pages.
他抓起第一眼看到的书，书名为《一个无法分享的故事》，然后陷进了沙发里。他翻开第一页，沉浸在了书页之间。

Kim Dokja was so engrossed in his book that he didn’t even notice someone enter the room until a pair of boots entered his peripheral vision. He glanced up and reflexively flinched in fear when he met the intimidating gaze of a dark-haired man. Kim Dokja quickly closed the book and scrambled to his feet.
金独子全神贯注地看书，直到一双靴子进入他的视线边缘，他才注意到有人进了房间。他抬头一看，与一个黑发男子那令人畏惧的目光相遇时，他本能地因恐惧而退缩。金独子迅速合上书，慌忙站了起来。

“I’m sorry, I just saw these books here and thought…” he trailed off, averting his gaze to his tattered shoes and loose shoelaces.
“对不起，我只是看到这些书在这里，所以想……”他的声音逐渐消失，目光转向自己破旧的鞋子和松开的鞋带。

“Persephone told me this was for you.”
“珀耳塞福涅告诉我这是给你的。”

Kim Dokja looked up and saw a box in his hands. He realized that Persephone must have been the name of the woman he met, and this man probably worked at this café too. Kim Dokja shuffled forward and took the box, surprised by its weight. Did fruit tarts usually weigh this much?
金独子抬起头，看到自己手中有一个盒子。他意识到珀耳塞福涅一定是他遇到的那个女人的名字，而这个男人可能也在这家咖啡馆工作。金独子向前挪动脚步，接过盒子，对它的重量感到惊讶。水果挞通常有这么重吗？

“Thank you,” he murmured.
“谢谢，”他低声说道。

The man silently nodded and exited the room. Kim Dokja followed shortly after but not before giving the room one last glance. He wished he could come back—this haven was the perfect place for a reader like him.
男人默默地点了点头，离开了房间。金独子紧随其后，但在离开前最后看了一眼房间。他希望自己能回来——这个避风港对于像他这样的读者来说是个完美的地方。

When he entered the main area of the café, he saw the woman—Persephone—wiping the counter. She was smiling at him.
当他走进咖啡馆的主区域时，他看到了那个女人——珀耳塞福涅——正在擦拭柜台。她正对着他微笑。

“Heading off now?”  “现在要走了吗？”

He nodded and shyly said, “Thank you for the food.”
他点点头，害羞地说：“谢谢你的食物。”

“Anytime.” She looked out the window with a pondering expression. “It’s getting dark outside. Maybe your parents should come pick you up?”
“随时欢迎。”她若有所思地看着窗外。“外面天快黑了。也许你父母该来接你了？”

“No, that’s okay,” Kim Dokja said, rather quickly. “I can get back on my own.”
“不，没关系，”金独子很快说道。“我可以自己回去。”

She frowned and dusted off her apron. “That won’t do. I can’t let a little boy like you walk home by yourself.”
“她皱了皱眉，拍了拍围裙上的灰尘。‘这可不行。我不能让你这样的小男孩自己走回家。’”

At this remark, Kim Dokja couldn’t resist letting out a tiny huff. “I’m not little…”
“听到这话，金独子忍不住轻轻哼了一声。‘我不小了……’”

Her eyes twinkled. “Oh? Then how old are you?”
“她的眼睛闪烁着。‘哦？那你多大了？’”

“Eight.” He straightened his shoulders and said, “I know my way home.”
“八。”他挺直肩膀说道，“我知道回家的路。”

She hummed in amusement and asked, “Alright then, can you point to me which direction would take you to the main street?”
她饶有兴趣地哼了一声，问道：“好吧，那你能指给我看哪条路能带你到主街吗？”

“Um…” He glanced out the floor-high windows. It was a 50-50 chance so the odds should be good enough. He pointed to the right with a false air of confidence. “There.”
“嗯……”他瞥了一眼落地窗。这是个五五开的机会，所以胜算应该足够大。他带着虚假的自信指向右边。“那边。”

Persephone blinked a few times and let out a melodic laugh. She called out towards the kitchen. “Hades, will you come here for a second?”
珀耳塞福涅眨了眨眼睛，发出一阵悦耳的笑声。她朝厨房喊道：“哈迪斯，你能过来一下吗？”

The same man from earlier popped into view, heading towards Persephone.
刚才那个男人突然出现在视线中，朝珀耳塞福涅走去。

“Do you mind walking him home? I don’t want him getting lost. I would go, but I have to finish preparing an order for a customer.”
“你介意送他回家吗？我不想他迷路。我本来想去的，但我得完成一个客户的订单。”

Kim Dokja felt his cheeks burn and the tips of his ears grow hot. He had hoped he guessed correctly earlier but luck was never on his side it seemed. “No, no, it’s really okay! I’ll get going now, thankyouandbyebye!” He rushed to the door.
金独子感觉脸颊发烫，耳朵尖也变得火热。他之前希望自己猜对了，但运气似乎从未站在他这边。“不，不，真的没关系！我现在就走，谢谢再见！”他冲向门口。

But Persephone was quicker and blocked his path. She knelt down and said, “He might seem like a scary guy but he’s really sweet.”
但珀耳塞福涅更快一步，挡住了他的去路。她跪下来，说道：“他可能看起来像个可怕的人，但他真的很温柔。”

Kim Dokja wanted to shake his head—he really didn’t want to be more of a burden than he already was. He could manage just fine on his own like usual, and didn’t his parents also warn him not to be so friendly with strangers? If his father saw him coming home with a stranger, he would be a Bad Kid and he would get into a lot of trouble…
金独子想摇头——他真的不想再给自己增加负担了。像往常一样，他自己一个人也能应付得很好，而且他父母不是也警告过他不要对陌生人太友好吗？如果父亲看到他带着一个陌生人回家，他会变成一个坏孩子，还会惹上很多麻烦……

As if sensing the turmoil in his brain, she asked, “Then would you be more comfortable if a police officer came and drove—”
“仿佛察觉到他脑中的混乱，她问道：‘那么，如果让一位警察来开车送你，你会觉得更安心吗？’”

“No!” he immediately exclaimed, all color leaving his face. If his parents saw the police car outside, his mom would be extremely worried while his dad, his dad would—
“‘不！’他立刻喊道，脸色瞬间变得苍白。如果他的父母看到外面的警车，妈妈会非常担心，而爸爸，爸爸会——”

Persephone grabbed hold of his trembling hands. In a softer tone, she said, “Okay, no police. Then would it be okay if my husband walks you to just the main road?” She brushed his bangs, and Kim Dokja inadvertently leaned into her touch and her gentle presence. “We just want to make sure you return home safely. I’d be heartbroken if anything happened to you.”
“珀耳塞福涅抓住他颤抖的手，用更柔和的语气说：‘好吧，不叫警察。那让我丈夫陪你走到大路上可以吗？’她轻轻拨开他的刘海，金独子不自觉地靠向她的触碰和她温柔的存在。‘我们只是希望确保你安全回家。如果你出了什么事，我会心碎的。’”

Kim Dokja bit his lip, his resolve already crumbling. Rather than getting lost again and staying out even longer, maybe this was the best-case scenario. “Only to the main road then.”
金独子咬紧嘴唇，他的决心已经开始动摇。与其再次迷路并在外面待得更久，也许这是最好的情况。“那就只到主路吧。”

She reiterated, “Only to the main road.”
她重申道：“只到主路。”

He nodded in assent.  他点头表示同意。

“Hades is ready to go if you are.” She ruffled his hair and teasingly pinched his cheek. “Come back and visit anytime, love.”
“哈迪斯已经准备好了，如果你也是的话。”她揉了揉他的头发，调皮地捏了捏他的脸颊。“随时回来看看，亲爱的。”

Kim Dokja didn’t have the heart to tell her that this would probably be the first and last time he came. He stumbled upon this place accidentally and wouldn’t know how to return; plus, he didn’t need another reason to bother his parents.
金独子不忍心告诉她，这可能是他第一次也是最后一次来这里。他是偶然发现这个地方的，也不知道怎么回来；而且，他不想再给父母添麻烦了。

He gripped the box in his hands. “I’m ready to go.” Before he could take another step, a large hand halted him in his tracks.
他紧紧抓住手中的盒子。“我准备好了。”在他迈出下一步之前，一只大手拦住了他。

“Wait.”  “等等。”

Kim Dokja tilted his head to the side, wondering what seemed to be the issue.
金独子歪着头，想知道到底出了什么问题。

Wordlessly, Hades knelt down and began tying the shoelaces on Kim Dokja’s sneakers. He hadn’t even noticed they were undone. Hades stood back up, his height towering over Kim Dokja. He swung open the door and said, “Let’s go.”
哈迪斯一言不发地跪下来，开始系金独子运动鞋的鞋带。他甚至没注意到鞋带松了。哈迪斯站起身来，他的身高远远超过了金独子。他推开门，说道：“走吧。”

An unfamiliar sensation welled up within his chest, leaving behind a dull ache that made him want to break out into tears.
一种陌生的感觉在他胸口涌起，留下一种钝痛，让他想要哭出来。

When they were outside the storefront, Hades made a right turn.
当他们走出店外时，Hades 向右转去。

“I thought it was the left?”
“我以为是在左边？”

He raised an eyebrow. “No, the main street is this way.”
他挑起眉毛。“不，主街是这边。”

Kim Dokja belatedly realized that he was deceived by Persephone. Mildly embarrassed by the turn of events, he obediently followed Hades, staying a few steps behind him. He hadn’t spoken another word since leaving the café, and Kim Dokja wondered what he was thinking about. Though maybe it was because he was a naturally quiet person and didn’t feel the need to speak up unless addressed to.
金独子这才意识到自己被珀耳塞福涅骗了。对事情的转折感到些许尴尬，他顺从地跟在哈迪斯身后，保持几步的距离。自从离开咖啡馆后，他就再没说过一句话，金独子不禁好奇他在想什么。不过，也许他只是天生安静，除非被问到，否则不会主动开口。

His father was almost the complete opposite. He was an opinionated man who didn’t hesitate to berate Kim Dokja for almost every single action, often calling him useless. As Kim Dokja stared at his neatly tied shoelaces, he wondered if Hades thought this way about him as well.
他的父亲几乎完全相反。他是一个固执己见的人，几乎对金独子的每一个行为都会毫不犹豫地责骂，经常称他无用。金独子盯着自己整齐系好的鞋带，心想哈迪斯是否也这样看待他。

A group of drunken men suddenly bumped into Kim Dokja, who wasn’t quick enough to catch his balance. Thankfully, he didn’t injury himself and only dirtied his hands when landing on the concrete.
一群醉汉突然撞上了金独子，他没能及时稳住身体。幸运的是，他没有受伤，只是手在落地时弄脏了。

“Watch where you’re going, you runt!” one of them shouted.
“看着点路，小矮子！”其中一个人喊道。

“Stupid kid…” another added as they continued on their way.
“愚蠢的孩子……”另一个人补充道，他们继续前行。

“Are you alright?”  “你还好吗？”

Kim Dokja peered up at Hades, who was extending his hand. He took his hand and wobbled as he stood back up. “Thank you.”
金独子抬头看向哈迪斯，后者正伸出一只手。他握住他的手，摇摇晃晃地站了起来。“谢谢。”

The night life was slowly revving up as more groups of people were filling up the streets. Kim Dokja jolted when a car nearby suddenly honked its horn, followed by an angry shout.
夜生活渐渐热闹起来，越来越多的人群涌上街头。附近一辆汽车突然鸣笛，紧接着传来一声愤怒的喊叫，金独子被吓了一跳。

“Is your neighborhood close by?” Hades asked. “I can walk you there, if you’d like.”  
“你家附近吗？”哈迪斯问道。“如果你愿意，我可以陪你走回去。”

Kim Dokja weakly nodded. He had been on this street multiple times, both alone and with his mother. But for some reason, it was almost unrecognizable at nighttime, and having someone else with him in this unfamiliar setting was comforting.
金独子虚弱地点了点头。他曾多次走过这条街，无论是独自一人还是和母亲一起。但不知为何，夜晚的街道几乎认不出来，而在这个陌生的环境中有人陪伴让他感到安心。

They reached his neighborhood fifteen minutes later, and it was time to part ways.
十五分钟后，他们到达了他的社区，是时候分别了。

“Um… thank you for walking me here,” Kim Dokja murmured, unable to directly look at Hades but still sensing his gaze. When he didn’t hear a response, he wondered if he was mad because he took up more time than he thought he would to walk him home.  “And s-sorry for troubling you… I—I don’t usually, um, get this lost, I just walked somewhere different today.” Whenever his father got mad, Kim Dokja learned that apologizing from the start helped the most.
“嗯……谢谢你送我到这里，”金独子低声说道，无法直视哈迪斯，但仍能感觉到他的目光。当他没有听到回应时，他怀疑对方是否生气了，因为他花了比预期更多的时间送他回家。“还有，对……对不起，麻烦你了……我——我通常不会这么迷路的，只是今天走了不同的路。”每当父亲生气时，金独子发现从一开始就道歉最有效。

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hades lift his hand which made him automatically flinch. But contrary to his fears, Kim Dokja felt something warm on top of his head.
他用余光看到哈迪斯抬起手，这让他不由自主地退缩了一下。但与他的恐惧相反，金独子感到头顶上传来一阵温暖。

“It happens.” Hades patted his head once, followed by another. “You don’t have to be sorry.”
“这很正常。”哈迪斯拍了拍他的头，接着又拍了一下。“你不必道歉。”

Kim Dokja lifted his head and saw a hint of a smile on Hades’ face.
金独子抬起头，看到哈迪斯脸上露出一丝微笑。

The dull ache from before returned, this time a little stronger. Kim Dokja was glad that they were hidden in the shadows outside the street lights because he wasn’t sure what kind of expression he was making at this moment.
之前的钝痛再次袭来，这次稍微强烈了一些。金独子很高兴他们躲在路灯外的阴影里，因为他不确定自己此刻脸上是什么表情。

Kim Dokja opened his front door and steeled himself before heading in. The lights were off in the living room but he could just make out his father on the couch, passed out next to the various green bottles on the table. He quietly took off his shoes and tiptoed his way to his bedroom. When the bedroom door closed with a soft click, he let out the breath he had been holding.
金独子打开前门，深吸一口气，做好了心理准备才走进去。客厅的灯关着，但他能隐约看到父亲躺在沙发上，在桌上散落的绿色酒瓶旁昏睡过去。他轻轻脱下鞋子，蹑手蹑脚地走向自己的卧室。当卧室门轻轻咔哒一声关上时，他才终于呼出了憋着的那口气。

He sat down on a chair and carefully placed the pastry box on his desk. He neatly spread the handles apart and folded back the flaps of the box with a tiny gasp. He marveled at the pretty dessert in front of him and made a mental note to eat it after dinner.
他坐在椅子上，小心翼翼地将糕点盒放在桌上。他整齐地分开把手，轻轻折回盒子的盖子，发出一声轻微的惊叹。他惊叹于眼前漂亮的甜点，并暗自决定在晚餐后享用。

Kim Dokja suddenly noticed something underneath the tart, below the wax paper. He gingerly lifted the wax paper and set it aside. He reached for the item that was sitting at the bottom of the box.
金独子突然注意到馅饼下面，蜡纸下面有什么东西。他小心翼翼地抬起蜡纸，放在一旁。他伸手去拿盒子底部的物品。

It was a book.  那是一本书。

White engravings of a pair of wings were etched on its matte black surface. He squinted at the calligraphy written between the wings.
哑光黑的表面上刻着一对白色的翅膀图案。他眯起眼睛看着翅膀之间的书法文字。

“Sal…vation?”  “救…赎？”

Kim Dokja furrowed his eyebrows, confused at what that word meant. He opened the book, and something fluttered onto the desk. He picked up the business card and saw ‘The Darkest Night’ printed in the center along with its address. He flipped it over and discovered someone’s handwriting scrawled across the back.
金独子皱起眉头，对那个词的含义感到困惑。他打开书，有什么东西飘到了桌子上。他捡起名片，看到中间印着‘最黑暗的夜晚’及其地址。他翻到背面，发现有人潦草地写了一些字。

You’re always welcome here.
随时欢迎你来这里。

- Persephone    - 珀耳塞福涅

In the darkness of his room, he held the business card with his shaky hands. The dull ache that plagued him since earlier this evening was now pounding against his chest, and Kim Dokja desperately tried to suppress the sobs that threatened to crumble his walls.
在房间的黑暗中，他用颤抖的手握着那张名片。从今晚早些时候开始困扰他的钝痛现在正猛烈地撞击着他的胸口，金独子拼命地试图压制住那些威胁要摧毁他防线的抽泣。