I turned to the little girl facing Seung-hwan, who was no longer speaking.
"I'm Kim Hyun Shin, and the man behind me is Park Seung Hwan."
The little girl, still clutching her teddy bear, said nothing but looked back and forth between me and Seung-hwan with her emotionless face and eyes, and I spoke to her again.
"Now, let's hear your little princess's name, shall we?"
Not sure if it was because I looked scared or because of the shock of what had just happened in front of her, the little girl wordlessly hugged her teddy bear and just looked at me and Seung-hwan with her emotionless face and eyes, so I stroked the head of the teddy bear she was holding and spoke to the little girl again.
"If I asked this little fellow the name of the princess, do you think he would know?"
Soon the girl's gaze landed on my hand stroking the teddy bear, but her face and eyes didn't change much. I stopped stroking the teddy bear's head, smiled softly, and spoke again.
"Can't think of a name? Do you want me to give you a pretty one?"
Did she really not know her name? Instead of answering me, the girl who was looking at me with her emotionless face and eyes just a moment ago, nodded her head and smiled cheerfully. I smiled softly at her as she stared at my face, her eyes full of expectation, and I was deep in thought.
As I pondered what to name the little girl, I soon came up with a name I would have given my granddaughter, and said to the child, who was still looking at me with wide, expectant eyes.
"Aerin, how about Kim Aerin?"
Obviously liking the name I'd given her, the little girl began to squirm in her ice giggled and nodded her head cheerfully, and I gave the name to the excited little girl. I could see in the excited little girl the mother of my daughter, a woman who didn't know whether she was alive or dead. I could see my own daughter's moisture.
I stroked Aerin's hair and watched without speaking until now. I cautiously spoke to Seung-hwan, who had been watching silently.