It was not until a long time later that Damien, who was depressed, opened his mouth again.

“Is it a son or a daughter?”

“A son. I think he’s about your age.”

“You put it like you don’t know for sure.”

“Cause I don’t really know.”

With a strange feeling of incompatibility, Damian stared at the man. The other man was definitely an adult, he might be a bit sleepy, but even if he washed both eyes and looked at him again, he would still be an adult, but strangely enough, just at this moment, he felt as if they were of the same age. It was as if a cold, nonchalant boy was sitting there dressed as an adult.

“Are you a father with a son for sure?”

“Yeah.”

Killian, who had been looking into space for a while as if thinking, answered calmly.

“I hate children. They always cry and don’t understand a word I say. When they grow up to a point, they become selfish and troublesome. They are noisy. Uncontrollable. And bothersome .”

The feeling that Killian was just a boy like him seemed a lie, and the man was once again an adult. 

Damian, who blinked blankly for a moment at the stream of evil remarks that followed one after the other, got belatedly furious.

“Then, why did you save me in the park!”

“Just because.”

“Nonsense! You even had your arm injured.”

Damian’s gaze went to the man’s left arm, which had defended him. Killian lifted his right arm to look at it.

“It’s your left arm. It was your left arm.”

“You’re mistaken.”

The way he moved without blinking made it seem like he wasn’t lying somehow. The way he moved and lifted it up looked like he had never been injured. Damian’s expression hardened more and more at the unbelievable sight. Seriously contemplating something, Damian came to a conclusion after a few moments.

“Mister, are you a ghost?”

“…….”

“Then wh-…… you see, my teacher told me that there are ghosts in the world who don’t even know they are dead. They are souls that couldn’t leave because they had some unfinished matters in this world and became a wandering soul.”

He was certain. At that time, he had clearly seen with both eyes that there was a lot of blood flowing from the injury, and now that same man, sitting in front of him again, is just fine? So suddenly and so healthy? It made absolutely no sense to Damian, but again, it’s a ghost, so everything made sense now. Then, Damian, excited by the vivid sight, continued his story.

“You came looking for your son, didn’t you? You died, and you didn’t make it to heaven just so you can see your son. That must be it……”

“So?”

His confident speculation did not last when the man laughed quietly. Damian’s mind went blank the moment he saw the man’s broad smile and heard his laughter instead of the thin smile he had seen before. There was no trace of the stern, cool atmosphere anywhere to be found; it was replaced with a warm, pleasant spring breeze. He felt like his feet were floating, like stepping on clouds. It was a strange feeling, one he had had since the first time he saw this Mister . It was really weird.

“Then…”

Damian, who had coughed nervously when he saw a face that looked exactly like his staring back at him, lowered his eyes.

“Let’s be friends! I’ll help you find your son.”

“Why?”

“Because you saved my life, Mister . Even if you didn’t mean anything by it.”

“It’s not that it didn’t mean anything.”

“What?”

“I told you I don’t like kids; I didn’t say that I don’t like you.”

Damian’s face flushed red with heat at the gentle reply. At the same time, for some reason, tears started to form in his eyes. He felt so sad, so lonely, and at the same time, he was very envious of this man’s son. They look so much alike, and yet he isn’t his father?

“You are …… not my father by any chance, are you?”

****

Well well well