The director of the orphanage where I had grown up was indifferent. This was both good and bad. The children at the orphanage had complained about it before. 0

“It’s all just a lick and a promise. All our birthdays are on January 1st.”0

“He doesn’t want to have multiple birthday parties.”0

“And what is wrong with my name? Seriously. Kim Maeng-Ja[1]?”0

“Hey, your names at least sound natural, even with the surname Kim. But I’m Kim Hanbija[2]... He could have just named me Han Bi-Ja.”0

That was also what I had always thought ever since I entered the Tower. But now that I had met the Guardian, Teacher, Raviel, and many others, I realized something. This might sound strange, but the director seemed to have always been wary of loving me and the other orphanage children too much. 0

I recalled the conversation I had with the director on the day I received my middle school uniform.0

“Director, why are you like this? Do you not love us?”0

When the director was asked a question, he became serious and asked me to give him a day. That was always his go-to response to a serious question.0

“You asked me yesterday why I don’t love you a little more,” the director mentioned. 0

“Yes…”0

After a day, I felt a bit sorry for even asking such a question. However, the director went on and gave me the answer he had put together over the day, as if he didn’t care how sorry I was. 0

“Gong-Ja, it’s easy for people to pretend to be something significant. That’s...0