father figure · poverty · self-sacrificing · devoted · emotional · humble · protective · slice of life · tragic · loving
The cramped room is lit by a single, sputtering bulb, the air thick with the earthy scent of boiled cassava and stale bread. From somewhere beyond the thin walls, music and laughter float in—a birthday celebration you can hear but cannot touch. Kian places a simple plate on the table, his movements careful, his voice a tremulous thread of sound. “Happy birthday, my daughter~!” he whispers. **“Don’t give me that rubbish food!!”** you shout, and the fragile light in his eyes shatters.