[Non-Couple] On a Night of Thunder

*Fictional depictions of young Chinkale, Basen, and Lily.

*This is an entry for the August "Fanworks of the Month" contest, and it was previously uploaded to "To Be Continued" (since I heard reuploads are allowed……)

- To Be Continued URL: https://tobe.aladin.co.kr/n/244079

A strange house, a strange room, a strange hallway visible the moment she stepped out the door, and thunder rumbling as if it were about to tear the world apart. All of this was enough to plunge a young child into anxiety and terror.

“Um……”

“Mom,” the words faded away helplessly on the tip of my tongue. The moment she uttered the first syllable, the sound of her own voice echoing through the empty hallway was so eerie that Basen didn’t even think to finish her sentence; instead, she gasped for breath and clamped her mouth shut.

There are days like that. Days when the sound of thunder is particularly piercing. Today was exactly one of those days. It had been raining since early evening, and as night fell, the thunder began to roll. It was a deafening roar that made me forget all about acting grown-up and sent me running to find my parents. As if waking from the thunder weren’t enough, when lightning struck a tree in the garden and a clap of thunder boomed right in front of him, Basen finally couldn’t take it anymore and bolted out of the room, rushing to the Duke and Duchess’s bedroom.

But I got lost as soon as I turned the corner about three times.

The house where she began living after her mother’s remarriage was incredibly spacious. Countless rooms. Countless doors. Countless hallways. Even though more than a week had passed since Basen moved in, she still couldn’t seem to memorize the layout of the house. Even though her stepfather had clearly taken her by the hand and personally shown her around the house, all she could remember were his fingertips—slightly tense and cold to the touch—and she couldn’t for the life of her recall where anything was located. If it weren’t for the servant who followed him like a shadow, he might have gotten lost several times a day and wandered the house for hours on end. Even now, I was certain I had retraced my steps exactly as I’d come, yet I ended up in a completely different hallway. To a child, it felt like an eternity as I wandered the hallways, but I couldn’t find my own room, let alone my parents’ bedroom.

Maybe. Maybe this house is pushing me away, and that’s why I can’t find my way. Basen hugged his pillow tightly as he sniffled, lost in these thoughts. It was a ridiculous idea, but to a terrified little child, it seemed quite plausible. This house was filled with traces that even Basen—and perhaps even Violan—didn’t recognize. In particular, traces of the former duchess remained throughout the house, and a stepbrother who looked exactly like her lived there.

Right. Kale Henitus, who doesn’t seem to like Basen all that much.

No, wait. Isn’t “I don’t really like him” a bit too euphemistic? I remember the day we first met—how he reluctantly nodded his head and then turned on his heel and rushed back inside. And before he turned away, I remember the icy glare he shot at me and my mother. The emotion contained in that gaze was clearly one of exclusion and rejection. It was likely a sense of rejection toward me and my child—the ones who had invaded the space that had once belonged to my mother and had ultimately taken our place there. “Since the little master of this house dislikes me so much, perhaps the house itself is rejecting me too,” Basen thought once again.

Whether that thought was true or merely the delusion of a child overcome by anxiety, the fact that Basen was lost remained unchanged. Standing dazed in the dim hallway, where the only light came from flashes of lightning pouring in through the window, Basen finally buried his face in his pillow and curled up when another clap of thunder rang out. From the white lump sitting in the middle of the dark hallway came the sound of muffled sobbing.

“What are you doing?”

“Hic!”

I wonder how long I’d been crying. Startled by the chilling voice piercing the back of my head, Basen looked up. It was too dark to see clearly, but what I’d thought was a wall turned out to be a door. Through the slightly ajar door, a pair of dark brown eyes, filled with bewilderment, were looking down at me. It was Kale.

The blood drained from Basen’s face. Not only had he wailed in front of someone else’s room in the middle of the night and woken the occupant, but that occupant was also his stepbrother—who hated him. Wasn’t this exactly the kind of situation where a barrage of insults and accusations would be entirely expected? Fortunately, there was still no sign of reproach on Kale’s face, but the mere thought of how icy his gaze could become suddenly filled her with fear. Without even wiping away her tears, Basen frantically grabbed her pillow and stood up.

“Whoa, I didn’t realize this was your room, bro. Sorry for waking you up. I’ll head back to my room.”

“Do you know the way? You weren’t just standing there because you couldn’t find your way, were you?”

A voice, once again tinged with bewilderment, followed the apologies that had poured out even faster than the wizard’s casting announcement. The way there? Of course he didn’t know. He had nothing to say. Kale sighed as he looked at Basen, who had his head bowed low, and Basen’s ears, which had turned bright red.

“Don’t expect me to take you there.”

“Yes, yes.”

“So just come in, then.”

“Huh?”

What did my older brother just say? It sounded like he told me to come in. Basen looked up, doubting his own ears. Kale had already gone inside. Just as I thought. There’s no way my older brother would let me into his room. He’s the kind of person who would slam the door shut as if annoyed if he so much as caught Basen’s eye through the crack. There was no way he’d let me in just because of a little thunder. Basen shook his head once and started to step away from the door.

But the door was still open, and Kale, visible through the crack, was lying not in the middle of the bed but quite far to one side.

After hesitating for quite a while, Basen stepped into the room. His cautious, slow footsteps crossed the room. Even after taking five steps, or even ten, no one shouted at him, “Who do you think you are, barging in here?”

“So I really did get permission.”

As soon as that conviction struck him, Basen dashed over and climbed onto the bed, as if afraid he might be yelled at to “get out” for acting so frustratingly slow. As he pulled the blanket—which was long enough to cover Kale and still have half left over—over himself, his body, frozen solid from the cold of a rainy day and the tension, slowly began to thaw.

Kale simply lay there with his back turned, saying nothing to Bassen. As he grew accustomed to that indifferent silence and his tension began to ease, the sound of thunder finally started to reach his ears again. Since she had even let me into her room, I had to be quiet. I made that resolution, but it was a sound I could hardly shake off even when my mother held me in her arms and patted my back. A mere resolution wasn’t enough to stop my body from flinching every time the thunder roared.

It was the fifth time the thunder had rolled, and the fifth time Basen had shuddered. Tsk. Kale, clicking his tongue in disapproval, stood up from his seat.

“I suppose you’re going to call a servant to take me away.”

Although he thought so, Kale didn’t head for the door or the bell used to summon a servant, but rather for a box in the corner of the room. There was a click as the latch was released. After rummaging through the box for a moment, Kale returned with something tucked under his arm.

“Whoops.”

The object Kale had brought flew straight toward Basen’s face. Something soft and fluffy touched his face before plopping down onto his lap. It was a teddy bear with cream-colored fur. Although the red ribbon tied around its neck was slightly frayed and stained with the touch of human hands, the still-soft and adorable teddy bear lay on his lap, gazing up at Basen with clear, innocent eyes.

“Since my mind is all over the place, I’ll just hold onto that.”

“T-this?”

If it had just been a doll, I wouldn’t have been this surprised. Or, at least, if it had been a doll taken from somewhere other than that box. Basen knows all about that box—carved from sturdy, beautiful reddish-brown wood, gilded, and exquisitely crafted. Kale always keeps the key to that box, and he, Dert, and Ron are the only ones in this house allowed to touch it. I recalled seeing a new maid who, while cleaning, had unwittingly touched it, only to be scolded and reduced to tears.

You’re telling me you gave me what was in that box? Even though it was obvious at a glance that you’d cherished it dearly? Startled, I looked at Kale, but he had already turned his back on me and lay down again. It was clear he wasn’t going to say it twice.

It must be something very precious to you—are you sure it’s okay to give it to me, even though I don’t like things like that?

……Maybe they don’t hate me as much as I think they do.

Even if he asked himself that question inwardly, there was no way he’d get an answer. Instead of asking a question that no one else would hear, Basen carefully hugged the doll so as not to damage it. Its soft fur tickled his chin.

The thunder was still roaring, and there was neither a hand to hold him close and stroke his back nor warm milk mixed with honey. However, the warmth radiating from the teddy bear in his arms was so comforting that Basen forgot even the thunder and drifted off to sleep.

***

A soft, light knock sounded. Oh no. Is it the butler? Basen frantically threw the blanket over his magic lantern. It was already way past bedtime. He had been reading all night and dozing off during the day, so it hadn’t been long since he’d been warned, “If you stay up late just one more time, I’ll take away all the lamps in your room every night.” He had to be careful. Basen slipped his hand under the blanket to turn off the lamp switch, holding his breath.

“Big brother, are you asleep?”

A faint voice drifted in through the crack in the door. It must be Lily. A sigh of relief escaped me. As I hurriedly opened the door, a pair of ash-green eyes looked up at Basen.

“What’s going on?”

“The thunder was so loud that….”

Seeing her cover her mouth with a pillow and stammer made him laugh. No matter how spirited she was—and how fifty times braver than he had been at her age—Lily was still just a child at heart. With her parents away from the mansion, she must have come to Basen in search of someone to rely on. Still, she was better than me in that she found her way here on the first try. With that thought in mind, Basen gladly let Lily into the room.

I’d long since outgrown my fear of thunder, and since I’d been so engrossed in reading, I hadn’t even noticed—but the thunder sounded particularly loud today, as if a typhoon were on its way. Lily burrowed into Basen’s arms and trembled slightly, even with her face pressed tightly against him. No matter how much he stroked her back, her body would jerk so violently every time the thunder clapped that even Basen would startle along with her. What should I do? Should I send someone to fetch earplugs? As Basen pondered this, his eyes fell on a chair sitting in the corner of the room.

“Lily, wait a second.”

Basen, having gotten out of bed, brought over a stuffed animal that had been sitting on a chair. He handed Lily the teddy bear with cream-colored fur and a brown ribbon tied around it.

“A doll? Is it yours, big brother?”

“Strictly speaking, it belonged to my older brother. But well, since he told me to take it, I guess I can consider it mine.”

That day I fell asleep in Kale’s room, I held onto that teddy bear all night long. When morning came and I was practically kicked out of the room—and came to my senses—I was still clutching that teddy bear. Holding the teddy bear, which I had carefully dusted off, and a new ribbon to tie around its neck, I went to find Kale, but he wouldn’t take it. To be precise, after taking the teddy bear and ribbon Basen offered, she twitched her cheeks with an inscrutable expression, then untied the old ribbon, held only that ribbon in her hand, shoved the teddy bear and the ribbon back into Basen’s arms, and spoke curtly.

“You can take it. Just don’t even think about coming back to me.”

How many thunderous nights had I spent with this doll I’d received? Kale was still curt toward Basen, and Lily acted as if she had nothing to do with him either, but this doll he’d given me was soothing Lily just as it had soothed Basen. It was a strange feeling.

Lily, who had been rubbing her cheek against the cream-colored fur, asked,

“……Is my oldest brother afraid of thunder, too?”

“Well….”

It might not be the case now, but it probably was back then. The teddy bear was just the right size for a young child to cuddle while falling asleep; it faintly smelled of kale, and the scent pouch inside emitted a fragrance said to promote restful sleep. On top of that, the fact that he immediately handed the teddy bear to the shivering Basen suggests he did so because he thought it would be effective. Since it was merely a guess, he couldn’t voice it, but that’s just what came to mind.

“It would be nice if my oldest brother slept here with us, too.”

Lily muttered. Her voice, which had stopped trembling before she realized it, was now filled with regret.

“You too, bro?”

“Yes. My brother is probably alone right now, and it’s less scary when we’re all together, isn’t it?”

That’s true. Though I’m not sure if you’d agree, big brother. Basen gave a brief chuckle, stood up, and took Lily’s hand.

“Well then, I guess I’ll go see my older brother.”

“Won’t you get angry?”

“Hmm… I don’t think they’ll release it.”

Kale might find the two of them annoying, but he wouldn’t get angry. It’s silly to jump to conclusions based on just one experience, but I felt certain of it.

And now, even as Kale acted as if he found her a nuisance, he knew that if he saw Lily flinching every time thunder rumbled, he would have no choice but to give her a spot on the bed.

That night, the three siblings of the Henitus family fell asleep tangled together in one bed.