“Hmm, what is it? Aren’t you the son of a devil? Have you been hiding in this place?”
After a while, the voice of a boy of the same age was heard. Apparently, the children who turned their heads this way were approaching Theo.
“This place suits someone as ominous as you.”
When I listened closely, it was a voice I knew.
‘William? Is that William?’
William, who I knew, was a rather timid and shy child.
I remember having a few conversations because I met him sometimes.
But in front of Theo, he was even smiling while saying this casually.
‘That double-faced guy…’
No matter how young a child is, I couldn’t let go of such vicious harassment.
But…
What did they even know?
Theo, who blocked my view, held one hand back.
I could tell without having to think about it. That means to stay still.
“Turn around before I rip that unlucky face off.”
Soon after, Theo’s threatening voice was heard. It was a quiet and low voice, but it felt more brutal.
“Why should I be scared by such words? You dirty devil!”
Led by William’s cry, several children began to curse Theo at once.
I covered my mouth with both hands and held my breath.
The moment I actually saw the scene I imagined, the shock felt bigger than I expected.
At a young age, he would have had to listen to such harsh words countless times.
“So, you’re going to come at me?”
“…”
As Theo took a step forward, the children’s mouths shut up.
As he approached a little closer, I heard the sound of footsteps stepping back.
The children who were scared and stepped back looked the same as I did just earlier.
I felt my head go blank.
It was because my appearance overlapped with the children who bullied Theo.
‘I was judging Theo on my own too.’
For Theo, the threat was as a means of survival.
But I was frightened by the defensive posture and treated him like a murderer.
Theo hasn’t done anything yet.
My heart was troubled by guilt.
Even though I knew he was still a child, I was implicitly afraid of him and thinking of him as a monster, just like those who despised him.
‘What makes me different from those kids now?’
I bit my lip and apologized to Theo inwardly. And decided.
I want to see Theo as he is.
No matter what the future holds, I will face the Theo of the present.
Theo smiled as he saw me step back.
He must have been hurt once more when he saw me frightened.
But he nevertheless hid me from children’s eyes…
‘Because you don’t know what you’re going to hear when you’re with them.’
I shut my eyes tight.
I wanted to repay Theo for trying to protect me despite my rude attitude.
And I couldn’t pretend to be ignorant of what made Theo a real demon in front of my eyes.
Because I was supposed to save Theo.
“Hey! William!”
Eventually, I pushed Theo out and stood in front of him. William and the children looked at me with their eyes wide open.
“Oh, Iris? Why are you…”
“You coward! Are you only good at talking badly in front of other people, but also abusing Theo?”
It was surprising that I suddenly appeared on the side of Theo.
William gasped his mouth, unable to answer my words.
“Iris. Do you know who he is?”
Then one of the children by William’s side pointed a finger at Theo.
‘Is he really…?’
I strode forward in front of him and bent his finger as hard as I could.
“Ahhh! what’s the matter?!”
“Why are you pointing? And I know Theo well. He’s my best friend!”
…That was a lie
“Nonsense! Iris is like an angel…”
I snorted.
The nickname “angel” was a bit embarrassing for me because I had unusually bright blonde hair and was kind to everyone.
Maybe it’s because they’re still young, so they don’t know, but they would often follow me, calling me an angel.
Until yesterday, I too had been really kind to such children like an angel.
But now it’s different. As I recalled my past life, I no longer am an ordinary child, and I saw the other side of the children I thought were good friends.
There will no longer be an angel who was kind to everyone.
“You know what? Angels are kind to people. Only to those who do a lot of good things.”