“Ouch!”

The scream was not from Deborah, although she did stagger a bit.

“!”

Jen, in an attempt to catch her, threw the boxes he was carrying on the ground and reached out his hands. But to no avail, as Deborah had already steadied herself very efficiently.

“Are you okay?”

It was Deborah who asked Jen this time, worried that he was startled enough to drop the boxes.

Jen frowned and sighed.

“Worry about yourself first. Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine but…”

Deborah turned around. Jen, with a furrowed brow, also looked behind her. Who on earth bumped into Deborah?

Deborah saw an empty space first. That couldn’t be right. As she lowered her gaze, she saw a small child, about five years old, sitting on the ground.

“Oh, oh…”

The little boy looked petrified at Deborah’s expensive-looking coat and Jen’s intimidating appearance as a gentleman.

‘I didn’t bump into that man though…!’

The boy was certain he hadn’t collided with Jen but was terrified that Jen might blame him for everything.

‘Oh dear.’

Deborah quickly realized the child wasn’t shivering from the cold.

Crouching down, she gently grasped the boy’s arm and asked, “Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself much?”

“No, nooo…”

His voice wavered with a hint of a sob. Deborah smiled gently and said, “Good. I’m glad you’re not hurt.”

Her kind tone had its own strength. It wasn’t anything grand, but enough to give courage to a child.

“I’m, I’m sorry.”

The boy, who kept convincing himself it wasn’t his fault, bravely apologized to Deborah. She patted his head in return.

“It’s okay. Thank you for apologizing. And remember not to run in crowded places, okay? It’s dangerous.”

“Yeess…”

The boy agreed, but his eyes were still fixed on the scattered box of chocolates. Clearly, he was still worried about it.

Deborah awkwardly got up, making sure to grab the snow globe box as well, and went to where the chocolates were scattered.

“What are you doing?”

Jen’s voice boomed above her head, but Deborah ignored it and picked up the boxes.

“Ouch…”

Holding the boxes full of chocolates, Deborah grimaced as she stood up. She then approached the still seated boy.

“Come on, stand up. Don’t you feel cold?”

“Yes? Yees.”

The boy got up, looking at Deborah while his eyes remained on the ground, and his red, frozen fingers twitched pitifully.

Deborah leaned down to show the chocolate boxes to the boy. To his questioning eyes, she crinkled her eyes and said, “Choose one, except for the smallest yellow box. All of these are chocolates.”

“What?”

“Come on, quick!”

Prompted playfully by Deborah, the boy hesitantly picked the box on top. Deborah smiled brightly at the box nestled securely in his arms.

“Great choice! That’s the tastiest one!”

Deborah didn’t actually know which chocolates were inside the box, as she hadn’t tasted all of them from the shop. But she didn’t want to lie, so she silently hoped the chocolates he picked were indeed the tastiest.

“Thank you.”

The boy, now visibly relaxed, looked up at Deborah and spoke.

“Haha. Hear that, Mr. Baker?”

Deborah stood upright, turning to Jen with a big smile. Jen’s eyes, which had briefly captured Deborah, quickly turned away.
Deborah gave a sheepish smile and met the child’s eyes again.

“Where were you headed?”

As Deborah conversed with the child, the night deepened. The cold that Jen hated dominated the world after sunset. But at this moment, Jen was not subject to that cold.

Jen had lived like the winter wind he so despised. He never made mistakes and always acted chillingly rational.

It wasn’t difficult for him to move as precisely as the hands of a clock, and he thought he would live this way until his death. A life without frivolous actions, following profits, not wasting moments.

But in front of her, living that way was of no use. His way of living melted like a snowflake upon touching her warmth.

Even now, with just a glance and a smile, hadn’t he become foolishly smitten in an instant?

The child’s legs were short, but how fast they were! Deborah chuckled quietly as she watched the child’s retreating figure.

‘I just told him not to run, and he’s already forgotten.’

Why are children so much like puppies? Deborah found their innocence endearing and worrisome. Maybe because she hadn’t experienced such carefree childhood herself, she always wished for them to grow up smiling.

“You’re not angry that I gave a gift on my own, are you?”

Deborah cautiously asked Jen.

The handsome man, who seemed to frown as a hobby, replied with an expression full of discomfort.

“It’s your thing. You handle it.”

“I knew you’d say that, but I still wanted to ask.”

“Why ask if you knew?”

“Just in case?”

Deborah gave a slight crinkle of her eyes and smiled. Jen, who had been staring at her, extended his hand towards her.

Deborah’s smile froze. Despite the cold weather, she felt a cold sweat down her spine as Jen’s large hand came closer.

Even in this heart-pounding moment, she tried her best to think realistically.