The weather in the capital was gradually turning spring-like. The mornings were still cold, and at night, chilly winds would blow, sending shivers down one's spine. Yet, during most of the day, the air was warm, and the trees were bursting with every shade of green, interspersed with the vibrant colors of their scattered fruits. The young girl enjoyed this enchanting view as she swept the dust in front of the tavern's gate, watching the sparrows feed their young and the stray cats licking their fur under the shade of the trees lining the road. These moments were everything to her.
She was the girl with fiery red hair, innocent green eyes, and soft, rosy skin, working day and night at the fat man's tavern for reasons she didn't understand. In truth, she knew nothing about herself or why she existed in this world. She had worked as a servant in the tavern for as long as she could remember, and the fat man always called her "the red-headed bastard's daughter." But she never bothered to think about where she came from or why she had to work for this man in this chaotic tavern, which turned into a mess at night due to drunken men and frightening women with painted faces. How she hated those women who would kick her with their pointed shoes for no reason while laughing mockingly.
Her favorite time was sweeping the tavern's entrance in the morning—her own private moment, one she never imagined losing.
But then came the night. Her cheeks still stung from the fat man's slap. How could he hit her instead of the scary, thin woman who had deliberately tripped her, making her drop the plates? She carried the trash to the dump behind the tavern and raised her eyes to see the never-ending lights of the capital through the narrow alley.
The capital had two faces: a dazzling, radiant one that pleased onlookers in its luxurious streets and buildings, and a dark, cold, gray one in the alleys no one cared about. People were born without the right to choose which face of the capital they would live under.
This isn't fair… the girl thought.
She crouched down, watching the distant bright lights from the corner of her eye. Her head was filled with wishes that would never come true. She forgot about the fat man's slap and the scary woman who had tripped her.
"I wish…" She didn't finish the sentence, burying her face between her knees and closing her eyes silently. She didn't know if saying her wishes out loud would make them come true, so she preferred to keep them locked inside. She didn't want to end up like the tavern women when she grew up—a whore, like her mother, who might be somewhere nearby without her knowing. Not that it mattered; she didn't want someone who didn't want her.
She wished and wished silently, never hearing an echo of her desires in reality. She couldn't cry—if she started now, she wouldn't be able to stop. And that was a problem because she never stopped wishing, day and night.
"I wish… I wish…" she tried again, to no avail. The words wouldn't come out, and she felt suffocated inside and out. But she wouldn't lift her head this time. She would try once more. She raised her head, eyes still closed, and said in a loud, tense voice:
"I wish to live freely."
"Then I'll grant you that wish."
The voice was close—so close that the person was standing right in front of her. Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw a strangely bright, warm smile. A blond boy was looking at her with confidence and silence. It took her a moment to process his presence.
Who is this? He's granting my wish…?
Her face was a mix of confusion and questions as she stared at the boy. Then she realized she had been staring too intensely and quickly looked away, only to notice three other boys standing with him, examining her carefully. They looked nothing alike except for the fact that they were all children like her.
The blond boy stepped forward and stretched out his hand to her.
"I'll grant you that wish. Will you be our sister?"
She was stunned by this strange request. A nameless girl with no past was being asked by four boys to become their sister—just like that, in the middle of her work. Is this a dream?
The boy took a wild berry from his pocket and gently placed it in her palm.
The chestnut-haired boy to his left sighed and said, "Since he gave you the sacred wild berry, nothing will change his mind. So, will you accept being the sister to four boys who don't have a fixed place to sleep or steady work, little lady?" He finished with a quick wink that made her blush.
"Don't worry, we always manage to get by," added the Eastern-looking boy, his face expressionless—but not scary. She could see him trying to smile as he spoke. The fourth boy, with honey-colored eyes, watched them silently from a distance, his brows furrowed. Is he annoyed?
"It's true, just as they said. Despite how we look, we're brothers. And you—you're the final piece to complete the family I've been searching for." His sky-blue eyes sparkled with every word.
She didn't know how to respond. She wanted to ask why her of all people. What about the fat man who owned the tavern? Could she even escape him? He would come looking for her if she took too long. She had to decide now!
The blond boy grabbed her hands firmly in the midst of her panic.
"Don't worry… we're free."
"O-okay," she stammered.
He pulled her up, and they ran as fast as they could, leaving the tavern behind and heading toward the forest.
-
The five of them sat by the river, panting from exhaustion. They had run as if the tavern owner were chasing them, even though he hadn't left the tavern. The four boys got up and picked broad green leaves from the ground, filling them with river water.
The chestnut-haired boy handed her a natural leaf-cup of water.
"Ladies first," he said with another sudden wink. But this time, she didn't blush—she laughed.
The boy who had granted her wish spoke up.
"First, we should introduce ourselves. I'm Mateo."
"Colin. You can call me 'big brother' if you want." She laughed again.
"Say. You can call me whatever you like."
"Dai."
"Mateo, Colin, Say, Dai," she repeated, pointing at each of them one by one. Then Mateo interrupted her with the question they should have asked from the beginning:
"What's your name?"
She stopped smiling and looked down.
"I don't know. The tavern owner calls me 'the red-headed bastard's daughter.'"
Mateo's voice sharpened.
"That fat man has no sense of boundaries. For a whole week, he only fed you scraps and forced you to work from dawn till midnight. Does he have any mercy in his heart?"
She looked up, confused.
"How do you know that?"
Colin answered, "We've been watching you for a week before Mateo gave us the green light to talk to you."
Say added, his face still blank, "Don't worry. We would've talked to you eventually."
"Th-thank you," she said, her face turning slightly red as she played with a strand of her hair. "But as you can see, I don't have a name."
"It's fine. Your big brother Mateo will give you a beautiful one. Let's see… we'll call you…"
"What kind of beautiful name can you come up with? The only names you know are ours, right, Say? Dai?" Colin teased. Say nodded in agreement, while Dai remained unusually silent, staring at the ground.
"Ah! I remember… we'll call you Rin!"
"Rin?" She tilted her head in confusion.
Mateo continued, "When we worked for the old man at the dusty library cleaning it, a book fell open while I was dusting. It was full of pictures, and the page showed small birds with short wings. I asked the old man about them, and he said their name was Rin—birds that love singing freely outside cages, happily. Just like you, wishing to stay free."
"Free…" Rin felt the happiness swelling in her chest as the boys debated how Mateo even knew that fact.
Rin. She loved how the name echoed in her mind, and a wobbly smile spread across her face as tears streamed down. It was okay to cry now. She was free, and Mateo was her gateway to freedom—the wish she had waited for so long. And now, her new family, with three more brothers.
Soon, she added a small detail to her previous wish:
I wish to stay with this family forever… and become an herbalist Dai can be proud of.
-
A week passed for the small family. During that time, Rin got to know her new brothers' personalities. They took on various odd jobs to make a living—cleaning stables, carrying crates at the docks, painting garden fences, and more. Of course, there were days when no one would hire them because they were just stray kids.
Mateo hated that phrase. They weren't strays—they were a family.
Most nights, they slept in the forest without blankets or pillows. Rin quickly got used to it, even finding the green grass comfortable. They had a constant source of clean water—the river—for drinking, bathing, washing wounds, swimming, and playing. The river was the balm of their lives.
The boys saved up money and bought Rin a short green dress that reached her knees and brown mahogany-colored shoes. Their little sister couldn't keep wearing her tattered gray dress and barely-there shoes. Rin was overjoyed—it was the first gift she'd ever received.
She tried helping them with work, but they refused, saying it was too hard for her. But she proved them wrong—she had worked twice as long at the tavern. She wasn't used to being pampered, so they reluctantly let her help, though they still tried to lighten her load.
Rin was amazed by how close they were despite not being real brothers. This must be what real siblings are like.
Mateo had brought them together, as Colin explained. None of them had families or spoke about their pasts. Rin respected that—everyone had secrets.
Mateo was always bright and optimistic, constantly checking on everyone. He loved wild berries and often argued with Colin. Say took everything Mateo said seriously, while Dai mocked how animals were drawn to him—sometimes useful, sometimes annoying, like when a noblewoman's cat jumped into his lap and they were accused of stealing it.
Colin knew how to talk to people politely and always treated Rin like a noble lady, making her laugh. Mateo often consulted him before choosing work—he was like his right-hand man.
Say was the kindest, in Rin's opinion. He tried to speak as much as possible and always reassured her that they'd earn enough. He was precise and fast in his work. Dai loved teasing him by asking if all Easterners were acrobatic monkeys like him.
Dai—the boy with golden honey eyes. They shimmered under the sunlight like two jewels carved into his face. She loved staring at them and decided his eye color was her favorite. He mocked everyone and sometimes teamed up with Colin to annoy Mateo.
He was also the family's doctor, knowing a lot about medicinal herbs. He treated their wounds and gave them pain-relieving herbs. He was Mateo's cooking teacher—every night, they'd sit by the fire as Dai gave detailed lessons on measurements and cooking times while Mateo memorized every step (and sometimes added his own twists).
But Dai treated Rin coldly for reasons she didn't understand. He ignored her, avoided her. She started keeping her distance to make it easier for him, though it saddened her. She wanted to ask why but didn't know him well enough yet. She didn't want to accidentally touch a nerve.
-
"Today is our lucky day!" Mateo shouted excitedly, holding a bulging bag of coins in the middle of the forest.
A stroke of luck had spared them from working the entire day—maybe even the whole week. They had been heading to the docks for work when they heard a noblewoman screaming. Curious, they rushed over with the crowd.
The woman was on her knees, staring fearfully at a storm drain—her small Chihuahua had slipped inside and was now stuck. Guards in black uniforms gathered around, removing the drain cover to rescue the dog.
Five minutes passed with no success. The noblewoman was crying.
Colin placed his hands on Mateo's shoulders to leave, but Mateo didn't move, watching the guards' failed attempts with a serious expression.
"We'll save the dog."
The four boys moved toward the guards. Rin followed nervously, afraid they'd be scolded.
Colin spoke politely to a guard, "Sir, we can help—"
"You can save my dog!" The noblewoman cut in desperately, forcing the guards to let them try.
The drain opening was big enough for them to fit through, so they formed a human chain—Mateo at the end to grab the dog. The drain was deep, requiring all four of them.
Mateo held on to Say, who held on to Colin, who was held by Dai with the guards supporting him. Rin sat beside Dai anxiously.
The human chain descended. Mateo could see the dog curled up, trembling. He whistled.
"Little Toby, come here."
The dog looked up at Mateo's outstretched hands. He had to jump—Mateo couldn't reach him.
"Don't be afraid. I'll take you home. Come here, Toby."
The dog stood.
Outside, the noblewoman was crying, bombarding Dai with endless questions about the dog. Rin noticed his irritation and took the woman's hand.
"Don't worry. Mateo is great with animals. He'll bring your dog back."
The woman wiped her tears and nodded.
"Pull us up fast!" Colin shouted from inside.
Dai and the guards yanked them out in one motion. The dog was licking Mateo's face as he laughed.
The noblewoman snatched the dog, hugging it tightly, then stood up proudly and handed them a bag with twenty silver coins as a reward.
The five were stunned—this was an unimaginable amount. They usually earned fifty pennies a day.
As the crowd dispersed, the noblewoman stopped Rin, fastening something shiny in her hair—a golden butterfly hairpin.
"I-I didn't do anything to deserve this…"
"A beautiful girl like you doesn't need a reason to shine."
Rin blushed and thanked her warmly while the boys praised her, making her scold them to change the subject. She wasn't used to compliments.
In that moment, she felt Dai's eyes on her. She didn't look—she must have imagined it. He can't stand me.