"That's unfair!" a female voice exclaims from a small building, startling a black cat that had been sleeping inside a cardboard box.
The sudden noise makes the cat accidentally tip the box over and flee with it stuck on its head.
Inside the building, a somewhat messy room holds a small table.
A solitary lamp illuminates only that table and those gathered around it.
"How do you always know what I have?!" Rose asked.
"You're cheating, aren't you?!" she growled, grabbing the collar of the boy sitting beside her.
"Rose…" Kris tried to protest while being shaken, "In poker, your face has to be poker too…!"
"Damn it!" she exclaimed, her green eyes filled with determination.
"Just one more round!" she insisted as she sat back down, slamming her fist on the table.
The boy, still a little dizzy, advised, "Look, Rose… just don't let your hand show, okay?"
"Relax, Rose," Jesse said, trying to calm her down, as he acted as the dealer.
"I'm sure you'll win the next one," he assured her, then muttered while hiding a laugh, "after thirteen losses."
"That's why I hate games of luck!" the girl scoffed.
Father and son merely glanced at her from the side, their eyes half-narrowed.
Luck… they thought in unison.
"Alright," Jesse said as he shuffled the cards.
The deck had a custom design, with green details — Kris's favorite color — on the corners.
It had been a gift for Kris, given by Rose in celebration of his recent fifteenth birthday.
"Done," Jesse said as he finished shuffling, dealing the cards.
Rose, seated to Jesse's right, briefly examined her hand and made an aggressive bet, flashing a mischievous smile at the boy.
Kris studied his cards for a moment before matching the bet.
"Now, discard one card," Jesse said. "Then draw another."
After drawing a new card, the girl's green eyes lit up as if she had just won the lottery.
The boy exchanged only one card, slipping it discreetly into the middle of his hand.
"All in!" Rose exclaimed excitedly, pushing all her chips toward the dealer.
Kris merely watched, letting out a faint sigh as he muttered, "airhead."
He then pushed his own chips forward, challenging the girl.
Rose accepted the challenge without hesitation, smiling as she imagined her victory.
"Now, reveal your hands."
After Jesse said that, the girl turned her hand face up on the table, wearing a confident smile.
"Four of a kind," she declared, fully convinced of her victory.
But Kris, with a slightly mocking smile directed at the girl, said only two words as he revealed his hand.
"Royal flush."
Rose's smile instantly vanished, leaving behind nothing but a stunned expression.
The older man, noticing the girl's expression, merely sighed with a faint smile.
Moments later, he ducked beneath the table, as if a disaster were about to unfold.
Rose was not usually a sore loser. Still, holding back the stress of thirteen defeats was a heavy burden.
Adding one more to the count — along with an all-in and the boy's mocking smile — was too much.
Rose was at her limit.
Kris, noticing the girl's silence, quickly glanced around.
When his eyes landed on a small cuckoo clock, he spoke nervously, "L-look, Rose! It's already four in the afternoon. If it gets too dark, we won't be able to climb the hill!"
The girl, who looked as though she were about to explode, suddenly lit up as she remembered something.
"Oh! The meteor shower! I completely forgot!"
Laughing as she headed for the door, Rose waved goodbye. "Bye, Mr. Jesse! See you later!"
Kris was just about to sigh in relief when he quickly swallowed hard as the girl turned to him, her eyes narrowing like a cat's.
"Don't think we're done here."
"Dang it," the boy muttered. "See you later, Dad." He grumbled, looking downcast.
"See you later, kids!" Jesse said as he crawled out from under the table, once he noticed it was safe.
"Have fun, and be careful!"
"Alright…"
After the two of them left, Jesse simply smiled faintly, the kind of smile belonging to someone who knew more than he let on.
| Some time later |
Kris and Rose stood at the foot of the hill, climbing slowly in a comfortable silence.
"Hey, Rose," Kris suddenly began. "Why have you been so tense lately?"
"Huh?" the girl let out, slightly confused, before giving a somewhat melancholic smile.
"I really can't hide anything from you, huh…"
Kris simply remained silent, giving her space to speak.
"You know," she began hesitantly, looking at Kris with slightly tired eyes.
"My mom has been pushing harder and harder for me to join her circle of rich friends," she said angrily.
"Talking about how much I've already embarrassed her, and how ungrateful I am for not wanting to be her little lap dog."
"And what did you say to her?" Kris asked, his expression gentle and welcoming.
"W-well…" the girl stammered softly. "Nothing. I felt like I should say something, but…"
She paused briefly, her expression turning sad. "In the end, she's still my mother…"
Kris looked toward the trees for a moment, taking in her words.
"You know," he said softly, "I think she's the ungrateful one."
"Huh?"
"If she's incapable of seeing the incredible daughter she has," he finished, meeting her eyes, "then she's the ungrateful one."
Rose looked into his brown eyes for a moment.
Feeling a few tears begin to form, she lightly punched the boy's shoulder as she turned her face away.
"Stop it, idiot, you're going to make me cry."
Kris simply smiled softly, accepting the playful hit.
"Thank you…" she whispered.
Kris, feeling that he should share something as well, asked,
"Have I ever told you about my mother?"
"Your mother?" The girl turned toward him, a little curious.
"You and your dad never really mention her."
"Well," he said, turning his eyes back to the trees, "I never really knew her, even though I'm not particularly curious."
He turned his gaze back to the girl, meeting her eyes, and continued.
"My dad said she was a great singer, with a promising career ahead of her," he paused for a second.
"But when she met my father, she fell deeply in love with him."
"After meeting in secret for a while," he said with a hint of discomfort, "she ended up getting pregnant."
He looked down to the ground, weighing his next words, before continuing.
"Her manager wasn't happy about it at all, obviously, and gave her only three options."
He finished, frowning slightly. "An abortion, abandoning the child, or giving up her career."
And then, with melancholic eyes, he concluded.
"As soon as I was born, she left me at my father's doorstep. Without saying a single last word, the two of them never saw each other again."
Rose, who had listened patiently until the very end, gently nudged Kris's shoulder.
When she saw the boy turn his gaze toward her, she gave him a small, understanding smile — which he answered with a relieved one.
Returning to their comfortable silence, the two of them walked side by side for a few more minutes.
Until they finally reached the top of the hill.
"Huh?!" Rose exclaimed, looking up at the sky. "Did it already start?!"
Grabbing the boy's hand, she quickly ran ahead.
Lying on the ground, the air fell into silence.
The meteor shower streaked across the sky, creating a magnificent display of light.
A beautiful event that happened once every fifty years.
Glancing to the side, Kris found himself gazing at the girl's green eyes, reflecting the lights above.
Before turning his attention back to the sky.
Rose, briefly recalling Kris's story, looked at the boy thoughtfully.
Then, having made up her mind, she spoke.
"Let's make a promise…"
"Hm? A promise?"
Sitting up, the girl said as she blushed slightly, raising her pinky finger toward him.
"Yes! Promise me that fifty years from now, we'll come back here to watch the meteor shower together!"
Kris laughed softly at the sudden request, then sat up and linked his pinky finger with hers.
"Alright. I promise."