episode_0298

***

“It’s dark.”

As daylight saving time ended, the moon that delayed going to work began to rise again.

As I moved around to avoid the rushing police and paramedics, it was already night.

“Sure.”

A man was walking down the street carrying a woman on his back.

People’s attention was focused on a young man carrying a student wearing a school uniform.

“Is it heavy?”

The woman asked, sniffling. Perhaps because I was crying for the world to go away, my voice was very quiet.

“It’s heavy.”

The man answered, bouncing her back as she slowly fell down.

“Seeing-”

As if the man’s answer was not correct, the woman kicked his side with her leg, even though her eyes were red and swollen.

Of course, it didn’t really shock me because I wasn’t in the right posture.

A man walking down the street came to a fork in the road and turned to take the relatively narrow path.

As he turned, a familiar alley appeared, and he stopped for a moment to take in the alley.

‘It’s been a few days since you left, does it feel like a long time?’

He sighed and barely managed to prevent a laugh from escaping.

He started walking again, lifting the woman who was going down.

The familiar surroundings caught the woman’s eyes. The woman buried her face in the crook of his neck.

I could smell dirt, sweat, and the faint smell of blood.

“Uncle.”

The man felt hot breath.

“Why.”

At the blunt man’s words, the woman pulled the arm around her neck a little harder.

“Thank you.”

“What.”

“Just… everything.”

“Is that so.”

The man continued to walk looking ahead.

Kim Seong-ah rubbed her face at that indifferent response.

“It’s true.”

“Yes, yes.”

So silence again. The man shuffled through the alley.

A few passers-by looked at them strangely, but after seeing their scruffy facial features and tattered clothes, they convinced themselves and passed by.

“Uncle.”

Seongah Kim called him again.

“Why again.”

He said as he watched her house getting closer and closer.

“Are you going home?”

“Then where are you going?”

“Are you going home too?”

“…….”

“Are you coming home too?”

Kim Seong-ah’s arms gained strength.

“Right?”

Kim Seong-ah’s voice is powerful, as if confirming or inquiring.

Meanwhile, the man’s steps stopped in front of the gate.

He tapped her thigh twice with his hand. It was a signal to get off.

Seongah Kim carefully placed her feet on the ground. Although the body of a magical girl was more durable than that of an ordinary person, the aftereffects of being hit directly by the Four Heavenly Kings’ attack still remained.

As soon as the soles of my feet touched the ground, a tingling sensation flowed all the way to the top of my head.

“ugh….”

“Are you okay?”

“It’s okay. I can walk.”

I moved my feet carefully and opened the door. The door opened and there was a sound of old hinges.

Kim Seong-ah entered the gate and put her feet into the yard.

“Uncle… Please come in.”

With the gate between them, the two face off.

“…Ugh.”

Seeing her bright eyes, he let out a self-deprecating sigh and followed her into the house.

When Kang In-ho came in, Kim Seong-ah smiled without realizing it.

As he walked home, Kang In-ho saw the weeds that had grown thick during his short absence.

‘Have you been busy? ‘It’s not maintained at all.’

***

Upon entering the house, he realized that he was wrong.

“Wow… I need some cleaning…”

He covered his eyes with his palms as the living room and kitchen became a mess.

“Oh, I’m a bit busy…”

Kim Seong-ah, who had been concentrating on bringing him into the house, looked at his shocked face and came up with an absurd excuse.

“I’m busy, hey…”

He went to the kitchen and frowned when he saw the sink.

“Ah, there! Wow!”

When Kim Seong-ah tried to enter the kitchen with a yelp, Kang In-ho picked her up.

“Ah, man…”

Kang In-ho lifted her up in a princess hug and walked to the second floor.

bang!

“Uncle, please drop me off. A little disorganized…”

Despite Kim Seong-ah’s pleas, Kang In-ho kicked the door open, and her room opened.

“Look at this. Are you a human or an animal?”

Clothes scattered here and there, panties and bras hanging on the chair like a work by Salvador Dali were clearly displayed.

“Ah, uncle!!!”

Seongah Kim struggled in his arms, but he did not let her go.

“Why is my life worse than before I came? What should I do?”

As his somewhat angry voice fell from above, Kim Seong-ah turned her gaze to his chest.

Just as she was about to bury her face in his chest, Kang In-ho dropped her to the floor.

As I was rubbing my numb buttocks, Kang In-ho turned around.

“Clean up your room, wash up, and come down. …Let’s talk about it then.”

“Ah, okay.”

Kang In-ho, who came back down to the first floor, put on an apron and rubber gloves.

He began to thoroughly clean the area with detergent.

Remove rotten food that was not properly filtered and old dirt stuck to the edges.

As I spray water on the area that had been scrubbed with detergent, the sink gradually returns to its former appearance.

Separate recycling is also done at this time. Garbage was mixed in haphazardly without proper separation.

“Ugh… I went crazy.”

He belatedly blamed his actions for saving her, but he thought he would have done the same thing if he could go back in time.

‘Because my body moves as it pleases.’

I don’t know if it was out of responsibility as an adult or pity for Kim Seong-ah, but before I knew it, I was blocking Tols’ attack.

“Because of this guy’s foolishness.”

[You’re all good, but there are just two problems.]

[Being angry out of anger or being rude.]

The words of a senior at the company played in my ears.

With a wry smile, he continued cleaning, and after about an hour, he succeeded in restoring it to its original appearance.

“It’s hard.”

As I sat down on the dining table and wiped off the sweat with the back of my hand, I heard someone coming down the stairs.

“I cleaned everything up.”

Kim Seong-ah, who had suddenly become fluffy, was looking at him with a wary face, wearing a thin T-shirt.