Every time her hand moved, buildings emerged. Pillars, followed by delicate doors and windows, were drawn, and on top of them, pointed roofs were added.

Maya watched in fascination as Bonita drew patterns on the roof.

Even the children who had been making noise gradually gathered around to witness the spectacle.
The children exclaimed one by one. However, once Bonita became completely absorbed in drawing, there was complete silence.

The living elements in the empty spaces of the building were filled.

There was a kind aunt holding hands with a child, walking home. A middle-aged man, tired from manual labor, bent over with a crooked back, shuffling along.

On the wall, there was a cat looking down below, and underneath, there was a dark, large dog. Two slightly older boys were pointing at that dog, apparently trying to get it to come this way.

But the most attention-grabbing character for the children was the person Bonita drew last.

The glamorous woman with wavy hair and bright eyes, wearing ordinary and worn-out clothes, remained beautiful.

She wore a white-brimmed hat and carried a delicately woven basket, walking towards the narrator of the painting.

At that moment, the children realized that the painting depicted the scenery outside through the window.

The woman’s eyes were looking forward.

Eyes met.

That’s what it felt like.

As the children, who had been marveling at the extraordinary painting, poured out various excited words, Bonita quickly moved on from the experience much faster than when she was drawing alone.

“How did you do that?!”

“Amazing!”

“Teach me too!”

“Can I have this?”

Initially, the children, who used to do their own things regardless of who came in, rushed towards Bonita. Much smaller than her peers, Bonita was soon overwhelmed by the children and almost disappeared from view.

Alan, who had still been turning his head, twitched. He was still wavering between curiosity and pride.

At that moment, Alan’s ear caught an indifferent remark.

“If you’re so curious, why don’t you go take a look for yourself.”

It was Cassis.

Having escaped from the endless block-stacking thanks to Bonita, he nonchalantly spoke.

“Properly apologize. Honestly, you were trying to let it slide in the beginning.”

“No, even though I said it was a mistake, you kept blaming me, so I felt unfair…”

“So, was it right to do that?”

To Cassis’s sharp question, Alan closed his mouth like a clam.

The little head rolled around in plain sight. Cassis internally shook his head at his peculiar brother.

‘Well, he’ll probably apologize.’

Alan, despite being a bit foolish and impulsive, doing things on his own and occasionally lying down on the floor throwing tantrums.

Stealing other people’s snacks in secret every time, causing trouble for the maids by sneaking out through the dog hole, and insisting on playing rock-paper-scissors again if he lost.

Nevertheless…

‘…Huh?’

Cassis, who was trying to find Alan’s merits, blinked his eyes.
Come to think of it, isn’t there really one?

Because Alan hyung is an obstinate fool.

Whenever Alan hears, he thinks about making a fuss again. Fortunately, Alan couldn’t read Cassis’s mind.

Alan clenched and unclenched his fist, repeating the motion. He scratched the back of his head. It was a habit of the Afterimage brothers when they felt awkward or embarrassed.

“Hey!”

Suddenly, Alan turned his body abruptly, as if starting a race. Squeezing between the crowded children, he shouted.

“I want to see too!”

“Whoa!”

“Don’t push!”

“What’s going on?”

When the taller Alan began to push through, the displaced children began to complain.

If one person was pushed, the person next to them was pushed, and that person pushed the next person, and so on.

It was endless. The voices of the children arguing were loud.

Alan ignored all the complaints of those children and finally extended his head towards where Bonita was.

Soon, Alan’s gaze fell on the picture Bonita had drawn.

That was the moment.