Read Even Then , I'll See you Again :: Chapter 14 – Memory, Part Two: First Meeting

✍🏻 Story by: Seraph
𓂃🖊 Edited by: Violet

Walter hurried down the hall, his steps echoing sharply against the polished floor.

When he spotted one of the maids passing by, he called out, “Layla, wait.”

She turned with a faint smile. “Oh, Mr. Walter!”

“Do you know where Kevin is?”

“I think he’s in the garden behind the house.”

“Thank you.”

Despite his age, Walter moved with surprising speed.

Daiki followed close behind, his quiet stride matching the older man’s urgency.

The humid air wrapped around them as they stepped into the garden, where Kevin was bent over a patch of herbs.

“Kevin,” Walter called out, his tone brisk.

Kevin straightened, wiping his hands on his apron. “Yes, sir?”

“You’re Japanese, right?”

Kevin blinked, startled. “Chinese, actually. Why?”

“But you can speak Japanese?”

“Ah… to some degree, yes.” Kevin’s gaze drifted toward Daiki, who stood silently behind Walter.

“That’ll do,” Walter said, grabbing Kevin’s arm. “Come with me.”

“Wait—Mr. Walter, what’s going on?”

Walter didn’t answer.

He led them both quickly through the hallways and up the stairs until they reached the door at the far end of the second floor.

He cleared his throat, straightened his jacket, and knocked.

Kevin recognized whose room it was, but Daiki stood there tense and uncertain, still lost in the language barrier.

“Young master, are you there?” Walter called gently.

No reply.

He knocked again, a touch louder. “Dean, I’m coming in.”

Still nothing.

A flicker of fear crossed Walter’s face before he pushed the door open.

The room was startlingly bare — a simple bed, a desk, a small storage box in the corner.

It looked more like a servant’s quarters than a young master’s room.

“Dean! Dean! Dean!” Walter called again and again, his voice rising each time.

No answer.

Walter’s chest tightened as his eyes landed on the open window.
In this heat, leaving it open made no sense.

Something was wrong.

He turned sharply to Kevin. “You were near this side of the house, weren’t you? Did you see him?”

Kevin blinked, startled. “No—no, sir, I didn’t—”

But Walter barely heard him.

His voice grew sharper, the worry in it barely masked. “His window doesn’t open by itself! Think—did you see anyone pass by?”

While Walter’s words clashed against Kevin’s stammered replies, Daiki’s attention fixed on the same window.

The curtain stirred faintly in the breeze — and beyond it, movement.

He stepped closer, leaned out — and froze.

A small figure was sprinting across the yard.

A boy.

“Walter—” he started, but Walter was still too busy questioning Kevin in a rush of English Daiki couldn’t follow.

The boy’s figure was already growing smaller in the distance.

Daiki’s pulse quickened.

He didn’t need to understand the words to grasp what was happening.

Every instinct screamed to act before it was too late.

Without another thought, he gripped the frame and jumped.

“Wait—what are you—!” Walter’s shout broke off as Daiki landed on both feet, rolling lightly before breaking into a run.

From above, Walter gasped.
“Oh my…” Then urgency snapped into his voice. “Come on, Kevin! We have to catch him!"

Daiki rounded the corner of the house — and stopped.

The boy had vanished.

Then, a flicker of movement above: the boy had climbed a tall tree, half-hidden among its dense leaves.

Daiki approached slowly, scanning upward.

Even through the shade, he could see the boy’s small body trembling, fingers clenched around the bark.

Was it fear… or something else? And why?

Moments later, Walter and Kevin arrived, slightly out of breath.

Daiki simply pointed up into the branches.

Walter took one look and understood.

“Don’t be afraid,” he said softly, his tone gentle. “Come down, Dean. I brought you some chocolate.”

A small head peeked through the leaves.

“It’s in your room,” Walter continued, smiling as he extended his hand. “The one you like.”

Dean hesitated.

He wanted to believe him — wanted the chocolate, his stomach growling quietly — but then his eyes darted toward Daiki, who stood silent and unreadable nearby.

The stranger’s stillness made him uneasy.

Walter gestured for Daiki to step back.

Daiki understood and quietly moved away, disappearing from Dean’s sight.

“Come on now,” Walter coaxed again.

Dean shook his head, voice trembling. “No! Leave me alone!”

Walter’s patience thinned, though his voice remained calm.

“Listen, boy — either you come down now, or I’ll have Kevin chop this tree down. It’s your choice.”

Dean froze.

His eyes flicked toward the small hole in the trunk — the squirrel’s nest he’d found days ago.

The thought of the tiny creatures losing their home made his chest ache.

He couldn’t let that happen.

“Okay…” he mumbled. “I’m coming down. But don’t let the scary man come again.”

Even as he climbed down, his hands shook. When his feet touched the ground, Walter exhaled softly.

“Good,” he said. Then, turning to Kevin: “Bring Mr. Daiki to Dean’s room in ten minutes.”

Dean took Walter’s hand, walking beside him with a small, relieved smile.

His thoughts were already on the chocolate waiting for him — and the warmth of something sweet after the fear.

He didn’t know what truly awaited him.

The soft click of a door echoed through the quiet corridor.

In his room, Dean sat cross-legged on the bed, happily nibbling at the chocolate Walter had promised him — unaware of the footsteps drawing closer to his door, and of what would come next.

Then the door creaked open.

Kevin peeked in first, eyes flicking to Walter as if asking permission.

Walter stood by the window, ensuring there was no escape, and Dean looked at him, puzzled at why he was standing there.

And then Daiki stepped through the doorway.

Dean froze mid-bite.

His shoulders stiffened. His fingers tightened around the half-eaten bar as realization sank in.

He’d been tricked.

The chocolate was bait.

And now, he was trapped.

Daiki’s eyes widened in shock as he took in Dean’s small, trembling form.

The fear etched into the boy’s face was raw, undeniable.

He didn’t know what to do.