episode_0074

Why did the old man stay silent, why did he listen to the woman named Hayura, why did he hastily interrupt me when I uttered a single word?

I understood it in my head. I couldn’t help but understand it.

She was a woman who swung a heavy hammer like it was a toy and commanded a fleet of monsters that flew around at the speed of cars.

That the old man did that out of concern for me, that our shelter, and by extension, the people who were friendly with us, the survivor group, chose the option that would allow them to survive.

But I didn’t like it. I wanted to throw away all the requests and just leave this place.

Yeah, honestly, I had a bad personality. But isn’t that something that can’t be helped?

We lived in a tough world from the beginning.

In addition, in a world where it is difficult to survive, let alone make a living, how can I be kind to someone who tries to slander me or my people?

If a woman with a bunch of monsters was telling an old man that she needed his help, it was obvious that it would be a different level of danger than anything he had ever experienced before.

The old man is strong. He will survive no matter what happens, but the person who is by his side still hopes that he will go to a place with even 1% less risk.

I wanted to spill all my words to the woman who was looking at us with a satisfied expression and then turn the table upside down.

Because no matter what I do, the old man will take my side. No matter how deep our relationship was, seeing as how the old man drew the line, that woman was just one of many relationships that passed by.

The story is that if you put me and that woman on a scale, the scale I’m on will go way down.

Dam? It’s a nice place to live, but if the old man doesn’t like it, I don’t need it, and if I can live peacefully without worrying about what other people think, I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea to stay in our shelter.

Although there were a lot of military family members, they were able to share the housework and they weren’t completely useless people.

Honestly, I don’t feel like they’re unwelcome guests like I used to.

Still, I was a little dissatisfied with the fact that I had to open up the space where we were living alone to strangers, but I decided to respect it since it was the man’s choice.

I’m giving in to you so much, but why doesn’t you give in to me? If I think about it, isn’t it you who has a bad personality?

Was it really a situation where I had to let go of her hand just now? Wouldn’t it have been fine if I had just held on? Was I really ashamed like that woman said?

Because I’m a kid much younger than you? Is it awkward to show others that I’m affectionately holding hands with a kid like that and having a kind of rapport with that kid?

Why does the old man compromise on useless things? It seems like he doesn’t have to. Why doesn’t he compromise or yield where necessary? It seems like he had to do it that way.

Last winter was the same, it would have been enough if we had just spent the year using up all the supplies we had worked hard to save.

There was no need to suffer through the cold, leaving the shelter in a way that made my hands and feet feel like they were freezing.

Rather than doing something that doesn’t have to be done, I would rather just spend a brief moment of peaceful daily life in the shelter…

Thanks to that, I heard about the past that the old man had been hiding, and things went well for him, so it wasn’t a complete negative…

“This is the room where Do-hoon will be staying. His godmother said that Do-hoon can think of this place as his home and walk around freely. If you need help at any time, can you press the call button over there?”

Crazy bitch, Joohee’s voice broke my thoughts. The old man and I were standing in front of a well-decorated room.

“I don’t think there will be any need to call it.”

“Still! Just in case, I’ll be ready at any time?”

The thorn in my eye, the woman, smiled faintly and walked away.

When I guided her to the room of the old vixen named Hayura, she had a stiff expression on her face, but now for some reason her face was brightening up, and her already bad mood was starting to fall further and further towards the bottom.

Entering the room, there was a living room, and around that space, there was a room on either side. Judging from the beds placed in each room, it seemed like they had made it so that my uncle and I could have our own room.

I guess you could tell that my uncle and I weren’t on good terms. But he gave me a place with two bedrooms…

The moment when the old man let go of my hand and insisted that I was his partner flashed through my mind. Was it some kind of signal?

“I think you can use the room over there. It looks like there’s a separate bathroom too.”

The old man blurted out something like that. Well, I think there are more important things we should be talking about right now than room assignments…

“First of all, thank you for your hard work. You must not have liked the situation, but you endured it well. If you stay here and get a feel for the atmosphere and situation, and then call that woman Hayura a few times, I think you will be able to get enough information.”

“Yeah.”

The answer came out without me knowing. It may have sounded a little blunt. I couldn’t help it. Again, it was an answer that came out without me knowing.

“Okay, let’s eat dinner first and then take a walk outside.”

“Yeah…”

Something feels off in my body. Why is this?

Clearly, reason was telling him that he had made the right choice, that he had made a rational choice, but his heart felt as if it did not agree with him.

I knew that I had to follow reason, and I knew deep down that it was my personality that was causing the misunderstanding and that I was the only one digging the ground…

I feel resentful and hateful towards the old man.

I felt like there was a lump in my chest. Something was pressing down on me and squeezing me.

It was hard to breathe. Even if I took a deep breath, it didn’t calm down. I took a shower. The warm water hit my body and soaked it, but instead of feeling cool, all I felt was a stuffy feeling all over my body.

I clutched my chest in frustration. But it didn’t seem to ease. I just crouched down with my back against the bathroom wall.

I looked at the empty bathroom floor. Warm water hit the floor and splashed everywhere. Of course, I was no exception.

The warm water hit the floor and became lukewarm, slowly soaking my body. I thought it was disgusting. What on earth was going on just now that made me feel so cold?

It was really funny to see her acting like some girl who had just been dumped.

It seemed like he had a relationship with his uncle and whispered in his ear a few times that he liked him and loved him, and that his heart had become like that.

My hands felt empty. The warmth that I had felt so strongly had suddenly disappeared, making my heart feel even emptier.

I put my hand between the hot water hitting the floor and wiggled it.

“Huh…”

The old man may have done it without any particular meaning. But I guess I’m the only one who’s taking it so seriously.

It was an action without any meaning… I felt like something was scratching my heart. Letting go of the hand I was holding was an action without any meaning.

“…”

She was like a girl. She was like a brat.

When someone called me that, it was common for me to get scared and return the favor with harsh words, but when I felt it myself, I was overcome with an overwhelming sense of guilt and misery.

I became weak. Maybe it was because I had forgotten the purpose of life. I was sure that at first, I lived with the thought that I would give my life to my benefactor since I was saved anyway.

I felt like I had forgotten my original purpose and become so intoxicated with the sweetness of everyday life that I became a brat who lived up to my appearance.

‘Let’s eat dinner first and then go out for a walk.’

It’s work. When I’m feeling uneasy, when my worries are weighing me down, it’s better in many ways to focus on work.

There was no way the old man’s confession could be false. There was no way the old man’s heart could have changed.

The old man still liked me, he was just too dull and stupid to understand my childish feelings.

The old man is a workaholic. Aren’t you currently carrying out a mission that is so important that it ranks among the most important tasks you’ve ever undertaken?

There would have been no time to look elsewhere. When work was over and they were left alone, they would only be able to focus on each other…

Will it happen?

When I suggested we eat dinner, I didn’t know that the man would already have dinner ready and waiting for me.

Judging by the fact that the water on my head had dried a little, it was clear that quite some time had passed since I started showering.

As I gathered my thoughts and finished my thoughts, the scene before my eyes came back into my mind.

Hands in the warm rain, dull eyes blankly staring at the sight.

“What the hell are you doing, Danhwa?”

“Huh…?”

I heard the body.

My body is wet.

The moisture from my body soaked into the fluffy fabric. From my perspective, it felt like the moisture was being wiped away, but from the old man’s perspective, it must have felt uncomfortable.

“I prepared the meal, but it didn’t come out, so I wondered what was going on. Are you worried about something?”

It was a warm voice. It was a soft voice. It was impossible for the rough voice of an old man to sound like that, but it just tickled my ears. Maybe it was because I was listening while being held.

“Put it down.”

It wasn’t good. If things continued like this, I might end up acting like a brat again after finally pulling myself together.

“Well, if the person you love is crying, that’s not something you should do as a person or a man. Why on earth is our family like this?”

I couldn’t say it was because of the old man even if I died. I have pride too. And the way I spoke made me sound like a girl…

“Put it down because it’s wet. Don’t you think it would be bad if your clothes got all wet?”

“Do you feel bad? It’s actually good.”

At those words, I came to my senses. I was naked now. My breasts and other parts were completely exposed without any barriers…

My face grew hot. All the determination, worry, and depression flew away somewhere in an instant, leaving only shame behind.

“Put me down…”

“I guess I’ll have to postpone dinner and going out for a bit. I haven’t been able to have a good time with Danhwa because I’ve been worried about the Liberator’s mood.”

“…”

I understood what he meant right away. I hated myself for understanding that. My body was heated up and my heart was pounding with anticipation.

Every time the old man moved, a bed covered in pure white sheets came closer to me.

“Actually, I didn’t want to let go of your hand earlier.”

As soon as my body settled onto the bed, a voice pierced my ears. Those words made my head spin.

“Then… catch me now.”

The handcuffs were locked. The hand became warm.