Chapter 227: Chuseok Was So Much Fun!

R̈ëã​d̈ ̀óñ​ ̃K̈​át̂Ŕëàd̈îń​g̈Ĉáf̂​ê​

The next morning, unnie and I finished getting ready to leave the house.

Originally, we had planned to stay just one day, but Auntie was so insistent that we ended up staying another day.

Fortunately, the break lasted until today, so it wasn’t a big deal—though I was a little worried about Tofu, who we’d left at home.

Of course, I’d asked Ra-hee unnie to drop by occasionally and check on Tofu if she wasn’t too busy.

“Uncle, Auntie, thank you so much for having us.”

I bowed deeply toward them as I put on my shoes.

Then, Auntie hugged me warmly.

It reminded me of how CEO Kang’s mother had seen me off during Lunar New Year.

“Don’t mention it. If anything, I’m sorry I couldn’t take better care of you.”

“Be careful on your way back. And try to be understanding, even if my daughter acts up a lot.”

“Hehe, of course.”

Uncle spoke as if he felt a little embarrassed.

In response, I proudly flexed my (nonexistent) muscles, puffing out my arms.

Only then did a smile finally appear on Uncle’s face.

“Hm? Did you forget something?”

Just as we were about to turn away after saying our goodbyes, Auntie’s voice made us pause.

When I looked back, I saw unnie standing frozen at the door.

Had she really forgotten something?

“No, it’s not that…”

Chae-yoon unnie shook her head, her lips twitching uncertainly.

She looked like she had a lot to say but was hesitating.

I’d never seen unnie so hesitant before.

“Um, Mom… You heard yesterday, but… I’m moving soon. I might not be able to visit as often.”

Unnie finally spoke, bringing up what she’d mentioned in yesterday’s broadcast—about moving.

Ah, right.

Once unnie moves into our apartment, she’ll be even farther from her parents’ home.

And with work likely getting busier, she won’t be able to promise when she’ll visit.

She’d mentioned earlier that she was debating whether to come home for Chuseok, but deep down, she must’ve felt guilty about not seeing her parents often.

Seeing unnie like this made my heart ache a little too.

“I know, sweetheart. Don’t worry about it—just go.”

But Auntie acted completely unfazed, waving her hand dismissively as if shooing away an annoying thought.

Her cool attitude left both unnie and me stunned.

“You don’t have to visit often—just focus on work. Eat well, treat your coworkers right, and take care of the members. I can’t come help you with chores since it’s far, but I’ll send you some side dishes by delivery. Share them with your neighbors. And don’t you dare worry about us.”

“……”

Unnie hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

“Don’t worry, Mom. Who do you think your daughter is? I’ve got this.”

“Ugh, ‘got this,’ my foot. All talk, as usual. Lulu, can you please look after this so-called unnie of yours?”

“D-Don’t worry! If anything, I’m the one relying on unnie all the time!”

I bowed along with unnie, and Auntie watched us with warm eyes before finally turning away.

Uncle, who had stayed by the door until the end, spoke one last time.

“She acts tough, but she’ll be lonely. I’ll take care of her, so you two go on ahead.”

“Okay, we’re going. Bye, Dad.”

“Goodbye, Uncle! We’ll visit again!”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Clunk—

With that, we closed the door behind us.

Unnie still seemed a little concerned about Auntie, but she quickly brightened up and slung an arm over my shoulder like usual.

“You have to come to my housewarming next week, got it?”

“Of course! I’ll come with Ra-hee unnie.”

Just as I answered, the elevator doors opened.

For some reason, it felt like a door leading us toward a new path—a strange but exciting feeling.

When I got home after parting ways with unnie, another unnie was waiting for me.

None other than Ra-hee unnie.

She’d promised to watch Tofu while I was away, so she must’ve come for that.

Shaking Tofu’s favorite toy, she locked eyes with me and immediately rushed over, hugging me like she hadn’t seen me in years.

“Da-jeong, you’re back!”

“Mmmf—Unnie… I c-can’t breathe…!”

I knew this was just unnie’s way of showing affection, but…

I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it.

It’s like being smothered by a giant cushion.

Still, back then, I’d blush instantly—but now, not so much.

Guess I’ve adapted a little.

It’s way too late to suddenly remember I used to be a guy, but… well, in moments like this, I really do feel like a full-fledged girl.

“Oh, right—did you hear the news? Chae-yoon’s moving too, right?”

“Yeah, apparently. Unnie said it was decided a while ago, but she kept it a secret to surprise us.”

“Why surprise us instead of the Black Moon Squad…?”

“Y-Yeah, good question.”

Maybe she thought we’d be more shocked than the fans?

…Yeah, that’s probably not wrong.

I did fall out of my chair yesterday.

“By the way, unnie, did you have a good Chuseok?”

“It was fine. Mostly just streaming, eating alone, and playing with Tofu for a bit.”

Ra-hee unnie shrugged, saying, “First time I’ve had such a quiet holiday.”

Ah, now that I think about it, unnie used to travel abroad a lot during holidays.

So this Chuseok must’ve felt unusually plain for her.

Ironically, that made it an unusual Chuseok for her.

“Was Tofu well-behaved? Sh-She didn’t scratch you or anything…?”

“Yeah, she was good. Actually, she came up to me first.”

“Really?”

I widened my eyes in surprise.

Sure, Tofu’s always been friendly, but… I didn’t think she’d just approach anyone like that.

Then again, Ra-hee unnie isn’t just anyone and she’s been to our place often enough.

Tofu probably didn’t feel the need to be wary.

Maybe asking unnie to watch her was the right choice.

“But you know, Tofu’s kinda sneaky in her own way…”

“Huh? W-Wait, sneaky?!”

I nodded to myself, muttering “Nice choice…” under my breath, but then unnie narrowed her eyes and gave me a strange smirk.

What did she mean by Tofu being sneaky?

“Yeah, she climbed onto my lap and kept booping me here.”

“WH-WHAT?!”

I tilted my head, staring at unnie in confusion, demanding an explanation.

In response, unnie mimed Tofu’s paw movements by lightly tapping her own chest with a closed fist.

A near-screaming gasp burst from my mouth.

“My Tofu pulled a bad touch?!”

Did she—did she try to get from Ra-hee unnie what she couldn’t get from me?!

No way! That’s not allowed!

“T-Tofu! Where did you learn such bad behavior?!”

“Meow?”

“What do you mean, ‘Meow?’ Stand right there!”

“Meeeow…”

I tried to scold her, but Tofu just tilted her head like, “What did I do?”

Then she had the audacity to yawn and look at me like I was overreacting.

“Y-You…! Jeong Tofu! How dare you act like that when your mom is talking to you?! Do you want to be punished?!”

“It’s fine, Da-jeong. She’s just a cat—it’s not like she’s a person.”

“Ugh, but still…!”

I glared at Tofu, and unnie patted my head, telling me to calm down.

Sure, I know she’s a cat, but…

I can’t just let it slide that she pulled a bad touch on one of our members!

I kept grumbling, shooting Tofu angry looks.

Noticing this, Ra-hee unnie—who had been staring at me—suddenly spoke up.

“If you’re that mad, why don’t you touch unnie’s chest to calm down?”

“I-I’M NOT TOUCHING IT! And that wouldn’t make me less mad anyway!”

“Really? I heard this is how girlfriends calm their boyfriends down.”

“I’M NOT A BOYFRIEND!”

“Huh? But Chae-yoon’s always trying to grope me when she gets the chance.”

“THAT’S BECAUSE IT’S CHAE-YOON UNNIE!”

More importantly, what the heck has Chae-yoon unnie been doing behind my back?!

How many times has she done it for Ra-hee unnie to just casually bring it up like this?!

At this point, she should be reported to CEO Kang for workplace harassment!

“Meow!”

Boing—

“Huh?”

Just then, Tofu let out a small cry and suddenly jumped from under the couch.

At the same time, Ra-hee unnie made a slightly surprised noise.

I turned my head—only to see Tofu landing right on her lap and…

Boop boop—

“Wow, Tofu really likes me, huh?”

“TOFUUUUUUUU!”

She was doing exactly what unnie had described earlier.

A lion-like roar exploded from my mouth.

And as punishment, I banned Tofu from getting churu treats for three days.