episode_0165

Time flew by quickly, and finally, the Korean traditional holiday of Chuseok arrived. The season of high skies and fat horses.

Autumn, a time when all the grains and animals on earth fatten up, known as the season of harvest for humans.

Although modern times always provided abundance in all four seasons, the traditional holiday of Chuseok, passed down from ancestors, still held its significance. The tradition of exchanging gifts, gathering with family, and sharing abundant food continued to be a cultural practice.

Following this cultural norm, I had to head to my hometown this afternoon and had instructed my children to pack their bags yesterday.

I hurriedly gathered car washing supplies from the house and loaded them into the trunk before leaving for the car wash.

Before setting off for the car wash, I made a phone call.

-Ring. Ring. Click.

“Hello.”

-“Yes, are you ready, Chief?”

“Yes, I’m about to leave.”

-“I’m ready too, so just give me a call when you’re here.”

“Alright, I’ll call you when I arrive.”

After ending the call, I immediately took the wheel and started driving towards Kim Taehyun’s house.

Five minutes later, I arrived at Kim Taehyun’s house, called him, and within two minutes, he came down to meet me.

-Click.

“Good morning, Chief.”

“Yes, Taehyun, you too.”

As I glanced at his outfit when he entered the passenger seat, he was dressed in a black tracksuit with a white t-shirt underneath.

A perfect outfit for work.

“Chief! Your outfit…”

Before Kim Taehyun could sit down, he quickly covered his face and turned away after seeing my outfit.

“Why? I just wore something simple, knowing it might get wet while washing the car.”

Today, I was dressed simply in a white t-shirt, denim shorts, and a red checkered shirt on top. I had brought a change of clothes, expecting to get wet while washing the car, so this simple outfit seemed appropriate. But was it too much for him?

“Oh, come on. Why are you so surprised by this? It’s not like I came in my pajamas. Is it really that weird?”

“Oh, no, it’s not weird, it’s just… there’s nowhere to look.”

“Haha! Just look. Even students dress like this these days. Is it strange for a 39-year-old to dress like this?”

It could be. Even if I were originally a woman, would someone wear shorts at 39? Besides, I have a look comparable to a celebrity. I thought it suited me.

“Well, I’m tired of pointing out the problem to you, Chief, so I’ll just have to get used to it.”

“Then it feels like I’m the weird one.”

As I said this, I could hear Dayoung’s voice in my ear, “That’s weird! I can’t figure out how Mom’s ambiguous attitude is so confusing!” But let’s just move on.

“Anyway, let’s get going.”

After Kim Taehyun sighed and sat in the passenger seat, I started the car as he suggested.

There were many self-car wash facilities these days, and being in the city center, there were even more facilities used by young people. So, I quickly chose a suitable car wash nearby and entered it into the navigation. However, considering my current outfit, Kim Taehyun suggested that a more secluded place on the outskirts would be better, so I immediately agreed with his opinion.

Arriving at the outskirts of the city, I found a deserted car wash. Only middle-aged men were visible, all meticulously cleaning cars with various equipment, giving off a somewhat manic vibe that I found appealing.

Stepping out of the car, I stretched and took in a deep breath of the fresh air.

“Ah~ the air is so refreshing. It’s a downside that there’s not much around in the new city, but the air quality is definitely a plus once you step out a bit, right?”

“Indeed. It was a good idea to come out to the outskirts, wasn’t it?”

“I didn’t really plan it that way.”

“Haha, good things are good, right?”

Seeing Kim Taehyun smile, I couldn’t help but smile too. Lately, I had been worried about his well-being, but seeing him smile so brightly made a weight in my heart disappear.

“Right. Anyway! Let’s give the car a wash now.”

With that, I opened the trunk and took out the car washing tools one by one. Well, I say one by one, but they were all neatly packed in two buckets, so all I had to do was take out the buckets.

I took out the items and arranged them on a small shelf next to me in order. First, the wash mitt. Simply put, it’s a soft brush for cars. I brought two types, one with a long handle like a mop and the other, a hand mitt for cleaning hard-to-reach areas.

Next, the car shampoo. While there are machines at the car wash that dispense foam, hand washing ensures a more thorough clean. So, first rinse with foam, then wash meticulously with car wash.

Then, the wheel brush and wheel cleaner. As the names suggest, these are for cleaning the wheels.

Lastly, the drying towel. Once all the washing is done, use this to remove any remaining moisture.

I explained the purpose and usage of each item to Kim Taehyun, drawing on our experience working together on projects to help him understand as best as possible.

“Do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand.”

I heard that saying ‘yes’ actually means ‘I don’t understand’. Anyway, if he doesn’t understand, I can explain as we go along.

Since it was our first time at this car wash, the first thing to do was to get a cash card that could only be used at the car wash.

“I’ll load money onto the card, so could you tidy up the car a bit and put the trash in that bag over there while you wait?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

With that, I left Kim Taehyun to clean up the trash and headed to where the card issuing machine was supposed to be. I looked around the building where the customer lounge was located, but strangely, I couldn’t find the machine.

“Excuse me, can I help you find something?”

A middle-aged man approached me.

“Yes, please?”

Oh no, I get flustered when someone suddenly talks to me.

“I noticed you’ve been looking for something, what are you looking for?”

“Oh, I’m looking for the card issuing machine. It’s my first time here…”

“Oh, that’s inside the customer lounge. Usually, they’re placed outside, but here they’re inside the lounge. It’s a bit unusual, but since it’s a remote location, they don’t operate in the early morning and even lock up the lounge.”

Ah, that’s why I couldn’t find it no matter how hard I looked.

“Ah…haha. I see. Anyway, thank you!”

I nodded and entered the customer lounge to get the card issued and loaded with about 20,000 won.

“Do you know how to wash a car? Self-car wash is more difficult than you think. It’s not easy for a woman to do it alone, shall I help?”

Wash a car? Back in the days when I was a man, I used to wash my car with my own hands at least once a month. How dare you speak to me in such a disrespectful manner!!

“Haha, yes… I know how to do it. I’ll gratefully accept your offer in spirit.”

“Oh, come on, at least let me lend you a hand.”

At this point, the intention is too obvious, so I become wary. At first, I thought it was a gesture of kindness and accepted it, but it’s clear that he’s trying to win me over with his sweet demeanor… No, this expression is too sugar-coated.

It’s a bit annoying to see his obvious intention of wanting to continue the relationship by showing me kindness.

He repeatedly offered to help, but I continued to politely decline and walked away, feeling a bit annoyed.

“Oh, well… I really like that side of you, so after the car wash, how about a drink…”

He blatantly tried to show his interest in me. No, he… I may be pretty and likeable, but he should understand by now after all these rejections!

Feeling irritated, I try to explode that emotion.

“Sis, why are you so late?”

Kim Taehyun approaches us at that moment. He must have noticed the current situation, as he usually insists on calling me ‘sis’ even if I reject the title.

“Oh, sorry. This person here had something to ask.”

“Oh, really? What is it? Ask me.”

His voice, filled with resentment, was so threatening that even I, who was used to seeing him, felt a bit intimidated.

“Oh, no. It’s just… haha! Are you, by any chance, his younger sibling?”

In response to his question, I gently looped my arm through Kim Taehyun’s.

“Sweetheart, this person is done with their business, so let’s go.”

As expected, the most efficient way to get rid of such a person in this situation was only one.

That is.

“I have a partner, so please look for someone else.”

I have a partner, operation.

-Bang!

And I ended up exploding something other than emotions.