Ch.110Chapter 110. Helicopter Parents (1)

“Hard to see your face? Too busy being the hero of Saint Catalina?”

“Shut up, asshole.”

Like he wasn’t the cause of that incident.

I took off my sunglasses as Bob approached, gave him a hug and patted his back.

But this guy seems to be getting more massive by the day.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he suddenly dropped dead from a heart attack one day.

“Lose some weight, man. You’re gonna drop dead.”

“I know, I know I should… But it’s not easy.”

“Just close your eyes and go back to prison one more time. You’ll come out skinny.”

“If I did that, I might come out with my masculinity castrated too…”

Oh right.

This guy almost became a prison bitch from his few months in the labor camp.

Definitely not a method I could recommend.

“Oh. Long time no see. Be… Be…”

“Bella.”

“Right. Bella. I knew that.”

“…”

Coincidentally, today was also the last day of school before vacation for the cyberpunk girl.

So the fathers whose kids got out of school early gathered to have lunch with their children.

“So what should we eat?”

“Not sure.”

“I want a Big Mac!”

“Come on… What Big Mac?”

Are we supposed to drive all the way to the station for that?

Can’t we just go to some random soup place nearby?

“Cuss likes hamburgers, huh?”

“It’s not just liking. She’s absolutely crazy about them.”

“How about gourmet burgers then?”

“I’m fine with that. What about you, Bella?”

“I’m okay with that too.”

“Gourmet burgers…? What’s that?”

“It’s a thing.”

Gourmet burgers sound good.

Honestly, anything nearby would be fine.

“Then it’s decided. It’s right across the street.”

The menu was decided efficiently.

We immediately crossed the street and entered a restaurant with flickering neon signs.

The bright red leather seats and chaotic checkered floor brought back memories.

It was the style of restaurant that used to be common back in the day but is rarely seen nowadays.

“What do you want to eat?”

“Big Mac.”

“They don’t have that here.”

“Then what do they have?”

“Look at the menu.”

“There’s too many options…”

“Just close your eyes and pick one.”

“Hmm…”

I didn’t think she’d actually close her eyes and pick.

Cuss put her index finger on the menu and then opened her eyes wide.

“Kimchi burger?”

“What the fuck? Why is that even a thing?”

It really existed.

Kimchi burger.

Why does such a thing even exist?

I felt like I was glimpsing a fragment of madness in this immigrant country’s hodgepodge food culture.

“I’ll have a cheeseburger.”

I just chose something ordinary.

I didn’t want to try anything weird even in a place like this.

“I need a deluxe burger or I won’t feel full. What about my daughter?”

“I’ll have a sushi burger.”

“…?”

What the hell is a sushi burger?

It seems there have been significant changes to the paradox during the 10 years I was in prison.

I can’t keep up. It’s making my head spin.

“So Cuss will be in 7th grade next semester, right?”

“That’s right!”

“Wow, really? In the 12-grade system, I’m… um… in 8th grade. Just one year above you!”

“I can catch up quickly.”

“You’re going to skip another grade? But from 7th grade on, it might be a bit harder. Middle school is a different level from elementary school.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

The girl who usually talks back to Juliane was quietly listening to the cyberpunk girl’s story.

Is she treating her like an older sister?

It wasn’t hard to understand.

If I had someone with all kinds of cool gaming consoles, I’d probably treat them with respect too.

“Your food is here.”

Soon the dishes were served.

Burgers, cola, and thick cajun fries.

A classic set menu composition.

“Woooow…”

When the plate was placed in front of her, Cuss was drooling and couldn’t contain herself.

She seemed amazed by the impressive size of the gourmet burger.

Just as I was about to tell her to cut it with a knife…

“Aaahm…! Mmm!”

She picked it up with both hands and took a huge bite.

Well, I guess it doesn’t matter how she eats it…

She can wash her hands later.

I shook my head and picked up my knife and fork.

“Mmm! It’s delicious! Jinsoo, you should try it too!”

“A burger is a burger, nothing special…”

Cuss held out her burger to me with great admiration.

At first I was horrified at the thought of kimchi in a burger, but thinking about it, it might actually go well together.

They must be selling it as a menu item because it works.

I reluctantly took a bite of the burger.

“Hmm?”

“It’s good, right? Isn’t it?”

“It’s good, but… fuck, this isn’t kimchi.”

It was too sweet to be kimchi.

It wasn’t even similar to stir-fried kimchi.

It was more like cabbage mixed with a ton of sugar—definitely not something that could be called kimchi.

It’s exactly the kind of taste Americans would love…

But I really wanted to protest the name “kimchi burger.”

Of course, I decided to keep quiet since I’d obviously be labeled an ugly Korean if I complained.

“This is a sushi burger, want to try it?”

“Yeah! I want to try!”

Even while stuffing food into their mouths, Cuss and the cyberpunk girl’s conversation never stopped.

One moment they were talking about their schools, the next about games, and then when I looked back after being distracted, they were discussing their favorite foods.

“Seems like they have something in common.”

“Yeah, I just hope Cuss doesn’t start asking for tattoos and piercings…”

“Hahaha! That’s personal freedom, man!”

“…”

If that’s personal freedom, then I’m going to suppress that freedom.

Fuck, I can’t bear to see Cuss sticking needles into that pretty skin.

Then I suddenly glanced at Cuss’s ear.

“Hmm? What is it, Jinsoo?”

“Nothing.”

I touched Cuss’s earlobe and then let go.

I was debating whether I should allow earrings or not.

Maybe that much would be okay…?

Damn, my head hurts.

“People call guys like you helicopter parents, you know?”

“What helicopter parent?”

“Well, I understand. I think it’s reasonable for you, Jinsoo. Trauma isn’t something you can easily forget.”

“Come on. What are you talking about?”

It’s not because of what happened in the past, what’s he saying?

That’s the problem.

The person involved is living just fine, but everyone around them makes a fuss.

“Hah… It reminds me of the old days.”

“What memories?”

“Your first day in prison. The guys beat you up badly. I threw a few punches too. Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine.”

A weird-looking Asian gentleman coming in on charges of raping and murdering a mother and daughter?

I would have beaten him to death too if I were them.

I couldn’t blame Bob for that.

“I thought you were a pushover back then. You just took the beating without fighting back. I figured you’d get thoroughly used by the prison bitches that night…”

“I couldn’t give my virginity to a man.”

“Actually, I was sure you were innocent then. Fighting back normally but just taking it when they beat you over your charges—that’s a characteristic of falsely accused people. I know from my many trips in and out of prison.”

“I see.”

Seems like an expert’s eye could see it all.

So that’s why he was especially nice to me.

The harassment decreased a lot after the LA cartel boss became friendly with me.

Looking back, he was a really grateful guy.

“Ah, remember that? After those experiments where they fried your brain, you’d come back talking nonsense. That was fucking hilarious.”

“Did I do that?”

“Yeah. I thought you’d really lost it.”

“Speaking of that, I remember the nurse standing next to me during the daily strip search. When she made me spread to check my asshole, I got really turned on.”

“Jinsoo… is that your thing?”

“…”

Why are you suddenly getting serious, fuck.

Didn’t you enjoy it?

Was I the only one?

This is ridiculous.

The anus is an erogenous zone that provides primal pleasure regardless of age or gender.

It’s definitely not a minor preference.

Although I didn’t do it often, after giving in when Ann requested pegging, I opened my eyes to that pleasure.

“It’s strange, isn’t it? Back then it was absolutely terrible, but looking back now, it seems like it wasn’t so bad.”

“How could that be bearable? Even my brief ten-day stay was fucking awful.”

“Try living there for 10 years. Prison becomes home sweet home.”

“…”

When you live somewhere for over 10 years, it becomes your home.

Brooks didn’t hang himself for nothing.

I was lucky to meet such a helpful benefactor, otherwise I might have hanged myself too.

By the way, I wonder how that old man is doing now.

“But the space station. That I really couldn’t endure.”

“Was it that hard?”

“Why do you think I was the only one who survived?”

“Ah…”

In space, they killed inmates as if the concept of human rights didn’t exist.

If I could meet my comrades from back then now, we could probably stay up all night drinking and reminiscing.

Ann, little Tom, and that ex-trainer gay guy Jameson or John…

Their faces are still clearly etched in my memory.

I miss them, but if someone asked if I’d go back, I’d immediately shake my head.

Because I’m much happier now.

“Well, this got gloomy. Let’s stop talking about the past. Cuss, what’s your dream?”

“Dream?”

“Yeah. Like what you want to be when you grow up. What do you want to become in the future?”

Bob suddenly changed the subject and addressed Cuss.

I was secretly curious too.

I wondered if that seemingly thoughtless girl actually thought about her future.

“Hmm…”

“This might take a while. Be… Be…”

“Bella.”

“Right. Bella. What’s your dream?”

“A scientist!”

“Oh, really?”

“Why? What did you think?”

“…”

I couldn’t bring myself to say I’d imagined drug lord or brothel district ace.

“Cuss, what do you want to be?”

“I think I want to be a doctor!”

“…?”

But her answer was even more surprising.

I expected her to say she wanted a future where she could eat Big Macs for every meal.

I wonder if she even knows what doctors do.

“You? A doctor? Do you think you can do it?”

“I will.”

“Huh. Why do you suddenly want to be a doctor?”

“I want to become a doctor so I can remove all of Jinsoo’s scars.”

“Ah…”

“They look so painful…”

As Cuss caressed my cheek while saying this, I felt like I couldn’t breathe for a moment.

I felt a slight tingling sensation as her soft touch met the long scar.

I was planning to mock and laugh at her.

But suddenly my throat tightened and my vocal cords wouldn’t cooperate.

“Hey, is this guy crying? He’s crying! Hahaha!”

“Who’s crying, fuck.”

Something just got in my eye, that’s all.

I wiped away the tear that had escaped and pulled out a napkin to wipe Cuss’s mouth.

Messy girl.

Talking about becoming a doctor when she doesn’t even realize her own mouth is dirty.

Does she have any idea how difficult it is?

She’s saying such things because she doesn’t know.

“Becoming a doctor is incredibly difficult, you know?”

“I know I need to go to medical school first. Tom told me.”

“That little kid you used to hang out with?”

“No, a different Tom.”

Objectively speaking, this stubborn girl was clearly not cut out to be a doctor.

I should teach her about reality.

I should tell her that someone like her won’t make it, so she should give up early.

“Give it a try. It’s good if you succeed, and it’s just unfortunate if you don’t.”

“Yeah. I got it. I’ll definitely become a doctor.”

“…”

Cuss grinned and rubbed her head against my shoulder.

There’s no way she’d understand how difficult it is to get into medical school when I only graduated high school.

I decided to just let her face reality on her own.

I decided not to have any expectations.

It’s not going to happen anyway.

“Mister. Aren’t you going to ask me?”

“What?”

“Why I want to be a scientist.”

“Why do you want to be one?”

“I want to study the human nervous system and chemistry to create new types of drugs!”

“…”

Fuck.

So she really does dream of becoming a drug lord.