episode_0012

When asked why he brought Gae Baek-su and Hye-ji to the shelter, the man said this.

“While you go to get medicine with Mr. Cheon Deuk, you need someone to help you.”

When did I ever ask for someone to help me?

I was furious and asked if it made sense to put people I had only known for a day in a shelter, but the old man was unwavering.

Besides, it didn’t seem like Hyeji would be able to lift the sick person properly. In the first place, my arm wasn’t injured badly enough to require me to lift someone else’s hand. If I forced myself to move, I could.

Why are you treating me like I can’t use one arm at all on a day like that?

Ha, I don’t know. I guess I’m just a thoughtless idiot.

“Brother, if you don’t eat properly, you’ll get better late. You have to eat a lot.”

Hyeji shoved a can of beans in front of me. I wonder if it was the kind that went into budaejjigae. Who would eat something like that?

“I won’t eat it. You eat it.”

I was already in a bad mood, to the point where I was debating whether to eat canned fruit or corn, but being forced to eat something like this only made me even more annoyed.

“This is so delicious, if you don’t eat it, I’ll eat it all?”

“I told you to eat it.”

Hyeji started eating the beans, making a rattling sound at my words.

If you keep eating like that, you won’t gain weight.

Every time I slurped, my plump chest jiggled to the point where it felt excessive.

“Hehehe, it’s delicious. You can’t eat it over there every day.”

“Danhwa, didn’t Mr. Cheondeuk say that you should eat well earlier? You should eat without skipping meals. It’s been a while since I’ve set the table.”

Do you think I’m some kind of child? You’re going to treat me like I’m beyond help, unable to take care of myself just because I hurt my arm a little. Is that it?

“Don’t treat me like a brat. If I need to eat something, I’ll take care of it myself.”

“Ugh… That’s not it, Danhwa. If you’re going to eat, you should eat on time… It might be okay right away, but medicine is hard on an empty stomach.”

“If someone saw me, they’d think I was taking some kind of great medicine. If I try, it’s just a pain reliever, isn’t it? It’s not too late to take it when the medicine starts to work a little, so don’t force me to take it. It’s annoying.”

I spoke as if I was pouring out my uncomfortable feelings without hiding them. When I said this to the old man, he also kept his mouth shut.

“Can I eat that…?”

Hyeji, perhaps not understanding the mood, joined in on the conversation without notice. When she asked if she could eat, her mouth was already full of food.

Even a postmortem report like that would be considered disciplinary. Beans, meat, etc… You managed to talk without spilling the contents out.

“I told you to eat earlier. Ha… Get up first. I can’t stay here because I’m so stuffy.”

*

As Danhwa got up from his seat, the two people, except Do-hoon, ate their meals while watching each other closely.

Hyeji, who was excited about the long-awaited dinner and was eating canned food, wondered if she had unknowingly eaten Danhwa’s favorite food, so she stopped eating it and started crunching it.

If it was because he couldn’t eat what he wanted, it seemed like he could revive that hope by slowing down his eating speed.

However, seeing that the shortcake had not come back, he thought that he had already eaten it all, so he increased his eating speed again and made Do-hoon open an additional can of pickled jangjorim.

Meanwhile, Cheon-deuk, who was the one who caused Dan-hwa to feel so bad, was restless, as if he was sitting on a bed of thorns, unlike Hye-ji.

“Is it because of me? I’m really sorry. I asked you to do something so unreasonable…”

“I told you that you don’t have to apologize. And it’s not because of Cheon Deuk. It’s probably more correct to say that he’s upset because he hurt his arm. He’s always followed me no matter what I asked him to do. He’s also good at it, so I’ve been relying on him a lot. Haha.”

Do-hoon felt so bad for Cheon-deuk, who acted as if he had committed a mortal sin, that he said those words to at least ease the burden.

Of course, Do-hoon had a vague idea why Dan-hwa was upset. After all, the two of them had only met and lived together for a day or two.

“Huh, so you’re saying that because Danhwa’s younger sibling is worried about Uncle Dohoon? That’s so sweet. I wish I had someone like that…”

At that moment, Hyeji, who was enjoying her meal at an incredible speed, added support to Dohoon’s words.

If Danhwa had still been there, it would have been an obvious statement that would have caused another outburst, but fortunately, Danhwa had already gone into her room.

“Is that so…?”

Although it was vague, Do-hoon’s words were truly a great help to Cheon-deuk.

It was because it eased Cheon-deuk’s mind a little, as he was not sure whether he was chewing sand or rice.

“Yes. So don’t be too uncomfortable and eat comfortably. I’ll go and try to appease Danhwa. He’s a shy guy, so it’s hard to appease him when Cheon Deuk and Hye Ji are around.”

Do-Hoon got up from his seat and followed Dan-Hwa only after confirming that Cheon-Deuk was eating rice and wine.

*

“Danhwaya, is it okay if I come in?”

Do you think I’m being a bitchy girl? You even stopped eating to come after me just to appease me? I can’t believe it…

“It’s not okay. Get out. Go eat the food you were looking for.”

“Okay, I’ll go in.”

The door that had been tightly shut was opened wide to a point where it felt like nothing happened. I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

What are you taking me for? If you’re the owner of a house, you can just barge into someone else’s room without permission. Is that it?

“I thought I told you not to come in.”

I growled in anger. If I keep getting swayed by such trivial matters, my authority will eventually diminish.

I needed to make it clear that he was wrong by giving him a strong warning that he had invaded my personal space.

“First of all, sorry. But I have to go out tomorrow, and I don’t want to leave with a bad feeling.”

“Then you don’t have to go. Don’t you know why I’m upset?”

A request that is not even worth half a penny, without proper compensation or guarantee.

Who wouldn’t be upset about going on a mission full of risks with someone they can’t even trust?

Are you Superman? What the hell kind of messiah would give you one of the two powers to save all the weak in this fucking world? It’s not like you have a duty to go. Why on earth?

“You said it was the last time, but then you said you were leaving, so that’s why you’re doing that.”

“Ha…”

I don’t know. This little punk didn’t even realize what kind of risk he was taking.

I could clearly see the mindset of, ‘I’ll just go get a drink. It’s not like it’s dangerous, so why worry so much?’

“Because you act like that in everything…!”

“I’ll be careful and come back safe. If it seems dangerous, I’ll put my request, my goal, and my body first. Okay?”

The old man thumped his chest and smiled in an unusual way.

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud when I saw him give a thumbs up with a forced smile, as if he had seen a Michelin tire commercial.

“Hey, you finally laughed. It’s hard to see you laugh these days.”

“Do I look like I’m laughing because I’m funny? Did you get some canned food today that’s past its expiration date?”

I had a feeling that it might not have been a banquet, but rather a struggle to get rid of bad inventory.

Then maybe I can understand, just a little bit, why I let people I’m seeing for the first time into my precious shelter.

“No, it’s just nice to see Danhwa just laughing. Is it because the original is pretty?”

“Idiot.”

I sneered at the sight of him flattering her without even licking his lips. That idiot is like that.

“Then I’ll be back.”

“…”

“I think I’ll leave early in the morning like usual. I’ll definitely be back before sunset. Take care of Hyeji. Danhwa, I called you here to help me, but looking at your condition earlier, I think you should take care of me instead. Sorry about that too. Haha.”

The old man started talking about his schedule for tomorrow and then started slyly confessing his mistakes.

“I told you not to bring it in.”

You call me an idiot because you only realize it after you hear it. Please, develop the ability to judge people at least half as much as you did when you were half my age.

“I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”

“Come back.”

“Huh?”

“Go away. Stop talking nonsense. What do you mean, I’m your mother? As if you wouldn’t leave without my permission. You’ve never done that, have you?”

“Haha, that’s true…?”

“Be sure to follow what I said earlier. One last thing.”

“If you ask me, I will value it as gold and jade. Danhwa!”

While I was taking a deep breath, the old man showed an exaggerated reaction.

You crazy bastard… Have you ever read a martial arts novel?

“If you saved someone who was going to die, take full responsibility for them. If you keep living like that and get killed, the person left behind will feel like a beggar.”

It seems like the atmosphere is getting heavy, so I think they’re trying to vent a bit, but that’s just not possible. If you were born a man, you should be a little more serious.

“I will be careful, Danhwa.”

“Get out. Get out. Just go and get lost.”

It was my fault for having even the slightest expectation. There’s no way that person would change.