* * *
After what felt like forever, Remy finally arrived at his destination—a shabby tent at the edge of a rundown encampment.
As though expecting him, the children sitting at a makeshift table nearby jumped up with delight.
“Remy hyung!”
The kids ran up to him, their faces beaming with joy.
Seeing their genuine smiles made Rex hesitate.
‘So it’s true…? Georgia wasn’t lying?’
If the people Remy was meeting were adults, Rex might have suspected some sort of act.
But these were children—innocent, incapable of deceit.
“Hyung! Did you bring lots of yummy food again today?”
One of the kids clung to Remi’s thigh, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
“Of course. I even brought your favorite roast chicken today, Aiden.”
“Wow, hyung, you’re the best!”
Another child latched onto Remy’s other thigh.
“What about me? I want sausages!”
“Don’t worry. I brought sausages too.”
“Yay!”
Remy gently patted the heads of the two children clinging to him, his gaze filled with affection.
After a while, they let go and returned to the table.
As soon as Remy began unpacking the food from the basket, the kids pounced, devouring it in no time.
Watching them eat, Remy sat with a fatherly smile on his face.
‘Ah…’
Rex, watching from a distance, found himself at a loss for words.
The scene unfolding before him was so unexpected, so overwhelming, that his mind went blank.
“Hyung, you’re here?”
The oldest of the three children finally approached Remi.
“Hello, Oliver.”
Unlike his younger siblings, Oliver was calm and well-composed.
His curly brown hair and large, expressive eyes gave him an air of quiet charm.
He sat next to Remy, carefully preparing food for him as Remy focused on the others.
“Hyung, eat this.”
“Ah, thanks, Oliver.”
Oliver handed Remy a sandwich, neatly layered with lettuce, tomato, ham, and crispy bacon.
Only then did Remy start eating.
“Aiden, eat slowly.”
“But I was so hungry!”
“Even so, eating too quickly might upset your stomach. Here, drink some juice too.”
“I don’t like juice.”
“You have to. It’s full of nutrients that are good for you.”
As the four of them sat together, chatting and eating, Rex found himself watching them in a daze.
Remy’s constant care for the children left a strong impression on him, stirring something deep within his heart.
‘Mom used to be like this…’
Though Rex hadn’t realized it as a child, he’d come to understand after she was gone: his mother had rarely eaten properly herself.
She had been too busy ensuring her children were fed, avoiding any potential harm or discomfort for them.
For the first time in years, Rex felt a pang of longing for his mother.
He thought he’d grown numb to such feelings, but seeing Remy with the children brought them rushing back.
“Ah, I’m full. Thanks for the meal!”
The kids quickly finished eating and ran off to play, leaving Remy and Oliver to tidy up the table together.
Though they spoke in hushed tones, too soft for Rex to hear, their expressions made it clear they were enjoying their time together.
Even with such simple food and a makeshift table, their faces radiated happiness.
“Hyung! Come play with us!”
“Hyung, let’s play soccer!”
The younger kids tugged on Remi’s hand, their excitement infectious.
Despite his protests about cleaning up first, he couldn’t help but smile as he gave in.
“Oliver, you too!”
Dragged along by the others, Oliver joined in, and the four of them began playing soccer.
Their laughter echoed as they ran around, kicking a makeshift ball made from inflated animal intestines.
“Hyung, pass it here!”
“No way! Block them, Remy hyung, Oliver hyung!”
Rex continued watching, frozen in place.
Memories of his own childhood, playing with his siblings under his mother’s watchful eye, flooded his mind.
‘Ah…’
Unknowingly, a sigh escaped his lips.
To his shock, he felt tears welling up in his eyes.
‘Tears? Me?’
He hadn’t cried since losing his mother.
Known for his cold demeanor, Rex was stunned by the emotions overtaking him.
‘What’s happening to me?’
Wiping his damp eyes, Rex turned to leave.
He couldn’t stay any longer.
The emotions swirling inside him felt too overwhelming.
But just as he was about to leave—
“Aiden!”
A child’s cry of pain and Remy’s urgent voice stopped him in his tracks.
Turning, Rex saw Aiden on the ground, crying loudly.
Remy rushed to him, kneeling down to lift the child into his arms.
Tears streamed down Aiden’s face as he clung to Remy, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Hyung…”
“Are you okay, Aiden? Does it hurt a lot?”
“Ugh, it hurts. It really hurts.”
“Let me see. I’ll take a look.”
Remy calmly examined the child’s knee.
It was slightly scraped and bleeding, but it didn’t seem to be a serious injury.
Remaining composed, Remy began to soothe the child in his arms.
His gentle pats on the back were practiced and comforting.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s just a little scrape. You must’ve been so scared, huh, Aiden?”
“Ugh… Hyung…”
“Let’s clean it up and put some ointment on it. The ointment will help it heal quickly, so don’t cry, okay?”
“Hic… Hic…”
As Remy comforted him, the boy soon stopped crying.
He still sniffled and his shoulders trembled a bit, but he looked every inch a little child.
Remy carried the boy to the table.
Using water he had prepared for cooking, he cleaned the wound, then rummaged through a basket to find some ointment, which he carefully applied to Aiden’s knee.
He had brought it along just in case, remembering how the kids sometimes tripped while playing tag.
“Ow…”
Aiden winced and sniffled as Remy cleaned and treated the wound, clearly feeling some pain.
“All done! Our brave Aiden did such a good job enduring the pain!”
But when Remy praised him, Aiden’s face lit up with a bright, cheerful smile, as if he’d forgotten all about the pain.
Watching this, Rex couldn’t bring himself to leave.
He stood there, captivated, unable to tear his eyes away from the familial scene.
“Hyung, it doesn’t hurt at all now! I’m fine!”
“That’s great. Our Aiden is so strong.”
“Let’s play soccer again! Soccer!”
“Hold on. We need to cover this with a cloth so it doesn’t get worse. Then we can keep playing, okay?”
“Okay! Sounds good, Hyung!”
And so, their playtime resumed.
Aiden ran around energetically, as if the scrape on his knee had already been forgotten.
Rex couldn’t join their play, but his heart felt transported back to his own childhood.
It was as if he were there with them, kicking the ball, running around the open field.
Watching them, his chest swelled with an almost overwhelming sense of nostalgia—like being with a long-lost family, like being with his mother again.
“Mom…”
Rex stayed in that spot until the sun began to set.
He only left when Remy gently pried himself away from the reluctant children, promising to return as he walk away from the tent.
The next day, and the day after that, Rex continued to follow Remy.
By now, it wasn’t just following—it looked more like accompanying him.
Remy was so unguarded that he never noticed Rex trailing close behind, so Rex didn’t need to hide at a distance.
Up close, Remy seemed even more beautiful than usual.
Rex couldn’t understand how he hadn’t noticed it before.
His admiration only grew as he recalled how effortlessly Remy interacted with the children.
Without realizing it, Rex was drawn to the very image of the ideal omega—a kind, nurturing presence like his mother.
And Remy embodied that perfectly.
* * *
Lol
Srsly? 😂
Oh yes!! Finally.. Rex is in the game of tag now.. 🤭🤭🤭
Lmao.