episode_0083

Rustle.

Sihyuk felt the corner of the paper.

The color was not that good, and the texture of the paper at my fingertips was not that good either.

A cheap material that tears easily even if you erase it wrong. Is it something like gangji?

“… … .”

An old and shabby house, a narrow, small window, and a musty smell coming from a poorly ventilated house. Wallpaper with torn parts patched up with character stickers. Clothes piled up in the corner of the living room. Stretched knitwear and children’s pajamas hanging on a clothesline. A bedroom with only a blanket and pillows, without a folding mattress. Black mold growing on the ceiling. The only home appliances, aside from the refrigerator, are electric fans. And even then, the old fan makes a swooshing sound. And, and.

…it wasn’t entirely unexpected.

The child’s clothing, the father’s equipment. There was no need to say anything about the father’s side since it was visible through the craftsman’s eyes, and the child also looked ordinary on the outside, but if you looked closely, there were many strange aspects.

From the cheap hair tie that looked like it was bought at a discount store to the split ends of her hair. Her clothes were clean, but wrinkled from not having been ironed, and the sleeves and hems were a little frayed.

First of all, the sneakers that the child is wearing.

Shoes are a part of a person that is rarely seen by people, but they say that they tell a lot about the person who wears them.

The originally white sneakers were stained a deep beige color with a lot of dirt on them.

The heels that were visible when the child was jumping around were worn down, and the front of the shoe, which was slightly open, was not very sturdy.

That’s what poverty is like.

No matter how much you try to hide it, or how much you don’t confess it or show it openly, it will come out in various forms.

So, this was the result I had already guessed before entering the villa… .

The reality that I actually encountered was more bitter and bitter than I expected.

“Is it a good drawing? Hanbyeol drew it!”

The child standing next to him put his hand on his waist and grumbled.

Shihyuk, who hid his bitterness and smiled, answered while putting [Superman] back on the empty space on the wall.

“Yeah. You have talent.”

“Hehehe! Right?”

The child burst into laughter at his praise and began to search the small room, searching for things as if he was looking for them.

Then, out of the blue, he took out a large bag from under the blanket, put his arms inside, and started to struggle.

After struggling for a while, the child finally hands Si-hyuk what he was holding in his hand.

“Okay! Hanbyeol is saving it! I’ll give it to you, uncle! Muger!”

What was placed on the small palm was a single green candy wrapped in a bag.

Children always have a firm belief that what they like will be liked by others. And if they see a friend they like, they are willing to give them a toy or a snack to make that friend like them too.

The same was true for the child.

“Thank you, but I haven’t eaten yet. I’ll take it and eat it later.”

“Ouch! Dude, then read Hanbyeol a picture book!”

As he picked it up and put it in his pocket, the child ran off somewhere and sat on Si-hyuk’s leg with a book. As is typical of young children, his behavior was wild and unpredictable.

The one who stopped it was my father, Park Gwang-deok, who cleverly brought a silver pot with one hand.

“This guy, you shouldn’t be making a fuss when there are guests. Stop playing around and come eat. Teacher, you’ve kept me waiting for a long time. Have a bite.”

Shihyuk tried to help, but he stubbornly stopped him. He went back and forth between the kitchen and the living room, bringing out the plates one by one.

Ramen topped with a lot of bean sprouts, pickled radish, and six or seven slices of smoked ham cut into thick slices of bacon.

As the name suggests, there wasn’t much on the table, but the narrow, low table was quickly filled with only two side dishes, excluding the ramen, and empty bowls for eating.

“Wow, there’s so much ham!”

The child’s eyes sparkled.

It was a cheap ham with much more chicken and corn starch than pork, but he seemed very excited, as if he had eaten it as a treat.

“Well, I don’t eat home-cooked meals much these days, but I do make this often, although the portions are smaller. Don’t get me wrong, teacher.”

“If you come every day, you’ll be hungry! Then I’ll eat ham every day!”

The child’s clumsy excuses had no effect. Park Gwang-deok scratched his head in embarrassment.

“This guy. Ahem, anyway, I don’t have anything to eat, but please eat a lot.”

“I will eat well.”

As soon as Shihyuk took a sip of the soup, the woman started to eat the side dishes.

During the meal, none of the three said much.

As they filled their hungry bellies, the only sounds that filled the room were the sounds of something chewing and the occasional clinking of utensils.

Despite his large size, Sihyuk took a few spoonfuls of soup and two chopsticks of ramen before leaving.

Park Gwang-deok, who was barely able to suck up the noodles with his clumsy chopsticks, asked him bashfully, watching his reaction.

“I’m sorry, sir. Didn’t it suit your taste?”

“No. I tried to eat a little bit as a courtesy to you, but I don’t have an appetite, maybe because I’m tired from walking around. Don’t worry about it and eat.”

As if trying to reassure him, Shihyuk smiled rarely and shook his head. It was half true that he had no appetite.

Park Gwang-deok blew on the hot noodles and fed them to the child. Sometimes he would offer a slice of ham or put a piece of radish on the child’s plate.

The sight of a harmonious family may make my stomach empty, but my heart feels strong.

The short meal was over, and Park Gwang-deok returned to the kitchen to wash the dishes.

While Si-hyuk tilted the water cup slightly, soaked a tissue, and wiped the table with it.

Oh my. The cutely trimmed child patted his plump belly and laughed heartily.

“It’s delicious! Right, sir?”

“Yeah. Dad is good at it.”

“Hehehe, oh, that’s right! Just wait a minute!”

What is so good about it? The child who had been laughing out loud ran into the living room as if he remembered something.

Hearing the rustling sound and his father’s nagging not to bother the guests too much, the child came dragging a cardboard box as big as his torso.

“Ta-da!”

“What is that?”

“Hanbyeol’s treasure chest!!”

“Come to think of it, I decided to show you something.”

“Open it quickly! Quickly!”

Unable to resist the child’s temptation, he opened the box and inside it were various low-grade magic stones.

“… … .”

Some are star-shaped, some are heart-shaped. The magic stones, each no bigger than a child’s fist, are dyed in a rainbow of colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, and sprinkled with glitter.

“Isn’t it pretty? It’s a jewel that Appa brought back every time he defeated bad monsters! Hanbyeol’s treasure!”

“… I see.”

“The red heart is [Love], and Hanbyeol’s favorite blue star is [Courage]! The yellow heart is [Hope], and the green star is [Friendship]! And… .”

“… … .”

He remained silent as he watched the child babble about, describing the jewels he had named.

What’s the use of saying that? Even Shihyuk had known about those precious treasures long ago.

[Rare Grade Amulet]. Its true identity was a child’s toy.

If you think about it, it was a simple story.

There are no toys for children anywhere in this house. We can’t afford or afford to buy them.

Well then, let’s make it. That must have been the idea.

The low-grade magic stones are of low value. Their original price is around 1,000 won. If they are released in large quantities on the market, their price will drop to below 700 won.

Even if you sell them, it’s hard to buy one triangle kimbap at a convenience store, and since even that can’t be used by anyone but the Awakened, demand is far lower than supply. There are many people selling them, but no one buying them.

Even if it is not a gated area, it is difficult to find someone to buy it. As a joke, even candy vendors only accept scrap metal and waste materials, not low-grade magic stones.

Only those in the production line or those in countries or large corporations purchase it in bulk for energy conversion purposes, and only purchase it when it runs out.

It’s cheap, readily available, non-toxic unless broken to the core, and it’s also tough enough to break without using mana.

So, Park Gwang-deok cleaned the magic stone, sprinkled some dye on it, decorated it like a jewel, and gave it to the child as a gift.

Because they’re cheap. Because they don’t break. … Because I can’t afford to buy toys.

And the child treasured it.

Because it was my first toy. Because it was the first thing that sparkled. … Because it was a gift from my father.

“… … .”

It was a painful story.

Shihyuk bit his lip. Then the child stopped chattering beside him. He tilted his head and asked.

“Are you crying, uncle? Are you mad because of Hanbyeol?”

“… No.”

“Don’t cry. Okay?”

“Don’t cry. You have the same face as always.”

“But… . Dude, you look sad. Cheer up, okay?”

Children are sensitive to the emotional changes of adults.

Perhaps sensing Si-hyuk’s agitation that he had not been able to hide, the child put down the toys he had been showing off one by one and rubbed his cheek with the palm of his clean hand.

“Hanbyeol, I’ll give you a treasure. Okay? Look at this, it’s the prettiest blue star. [Courage]. So cheer up, mister. It’s Hanbyeol’s most precious thing, so I’ll give it to you. So don’t cry.”

And children are easily influenced by other people’s emotions.

The child who placed the blue star-shaped magic stone on Shihyuk’s lap began to cry with red eyes.

“I told you not to cry, mister.”

He hugged the child who was clinging to him and patted his small back gently.

“So Hanbyeol, don’t cry either.”

I consoled a good child who could cry for his friend and willingly give him the treasure he held most special.

=====

He took a moment to pat the baby softly in time with his heartbeat.

The child closed his eyes and soon fell asleep, snorting.

He was at an age where he needed to sleep a lot, and he must have been tired from the many things he had done today. Sihyuk spread out the bedding and gently laid the child down.

“… Did Hanbyeol fall asleep?”

Park Gwang-deok, who had already finished washing the dishes, was watching the scene. He nodded cautiously, worried that the child might wake up.

He began to speak softly to Shihyuk with a complicated expression on his face.

“Teacher, I said earlier that I had something to tell you.”

“… … .”

“As Hanbyeol showed me, you must know… . [Rare Grade Amulet] is a lie. It’s a toy I carved. … Really, I’ve committed a terrible sin against you, teacher. ”

The shameless father, confessing his sins, knelt before his benefactor. He continued to speak, trembling with the pain of his pricked conscience.

“I am trash. I was afraid of punishment in front of the police. I was afraid of disappointment in front of my child. I couldn’t tell the teacher even though I did something wrong.”

“Stand up.”

“… That’s not all. If you know about my difficult situation, wouldn’t you consider it… . Wouldn’t you feel sorry for me and forgive me… . I feel ashamed of myself for not being able to confess my wrongdoings to the person who protected my daughter and then admit that I never had such wicked thoughts. ”

“… Stand up.”

Si-hyuk hummed softly as he watched Park Gwang-deok bow his head and lean on the ground with one arm.

“Don’t bow your head in front of your child. Parents should always be confident in front of their children.”

“But if you did something wrong, you should apologize and ask for forgiveness. I don’t want to be a shameless and proud father.”

“… … .”

“Just a little bit… , If you give me just a little bit of time, I will definitely pay you back. If you want, I will gladly take the punishment just to see my child enter school. Teacher. So, so… .”

Sihyuk closed his eyes tightly.

Deficiency breeds poverty. And poverty makes people lose their leisure. People who lose their leisure are oozing poverty in their way of thinking and behavior.

It is said that poverty is not a sin. But sometimes, poverty drives people. It makes them commit sins.

Park Gwang-deok was not a villain. He never became a villain until the end.

He was just a father suffering from the injustice he committed to protect his precious family.

… he was just a poor father.

“… Stand up.”

“I am-”

“It’s okay, stand up.”

Shihyuk sighed deeply. A fast-paced idiot, a foolish and lacking frustration.

“Because I forgave you.”

But what can I do?

-My dad is Superman. He always comes running when Hanbyeol calls him.

A person who appears blunt but is actually very affectionate.

“You don’t have to pay it back. Instead, please use the money only for Hanbyeol. Buy her nice toys, feed her delicious food. That’s enough.”

Lee Si-hyuk is that kind of person.