Chapter 56 : sudden mood meeting

Accidents happen suddenly.

Predictable events are not called accidents.

So, it was an accident.

When the doorbell rang with a ‘ding-dong’, I picked up the intercom, assuming it was a delivery as usual, but I saw a man and a woman I had never seen before on the shared entrance camera.

They were middle-aged, probably a couple.

“Who is it?”

<Isn’t this So-eun’s place? The voice doesn’t sound like So-eun’s.>

It sounded almost like “So-eun” to me, but they must be looking for So-eun, right?

Since this is her house.

It seemed like they were So-eun’s parents, judging from how familiarly they called her name.

Parents can, of course, visit their daughter who lives alone, but shouldn’t they at least notify her a few days in advance if they’re actually coming?

If they had told her, I would have slipped out and come back after they left.

I wasn’t mentally prepared at all!

So I was a bit flustered.

“Uh, just a moment!”

I carefully put down the intercom and, thinking I shouldn’t keep them waiting, ran to So-eun’s room and delivered the news like I was shouting.

“So-eun! Someone’s here for you! Maybe? I think it’s your parents? Two of them?”

“What? Mom and Dad? Suddenly?”

Even So-eun seemed surprised, as if she hadn’t heard anything either.

I followed her to the living room, bewildered, and overheard their conversation. It seemed like the visitors were indeed So-eun’s parents.

Since outsiders can’t operate the elevator without a card key, So-eun had to go down to the first floor to meet them. I had a serious internal conflict but decided to go with her.

If I had to meet them anyway, I thought it would be better to go down with her and make an impression rather than awkwardly staying in the house and making a bad impression.

“Mom, why did you come suddenly without calling? What if I wasn’t home?”

‘By the way, So-eun uses a dialect.’

As soon as So-eun came out to the shared entrance on the first floor and met her parents, she skillfully used a very unfamiliar dialect.

That was quite a new side of her.

So-eun, who said she came from the southern region, usually spoke standard Korean perfectly, so I never expected her to be familiar with a dialect.

I stared at the unfamiliar So-eun, and when our eyes met, she seemed to have forgotten about my existence due to her parents’ sudden visit. She blushed, realizing belatedly that she had shown me her dialect.

“Oh, unnie, I mean. Pfft!”

So cute.

Seeing So-eun embarrassed made the corners of my mouth twitch slightly.

“So who is this? Is she a foreigner?”

So-eun’s mother asked, looking at me.

I couldn’t ignore it, so I answered.

“Hello, haha. I may look like this, but I’m Korean.”

Every time I meet someone new, they’re surprised by my hair and eye color, and I’m at a loss for words to explain.

I’m starting to consider pretending to be a foreigner and just naming a random country.

But I can’t speak any foreign languages.

“You speak Korean very well?”

Well, that’s because I’m a native Korean.

Although I understand that it’s hard to believe.

“My name is Eugene Ah, and I’m staying at your daughter’s place. Nice to meet you, ma’am, sir.”

“You live together? With her? You’re not just visiting?”

Her mother looked quite flustered.

Hey, So-eun.

Didn’t you tell your parents that you’re living with me?

I don’t think that’s a good idea either.

I’m not in a position to lecture, since I’ve been estranged from my parents for a long time.

It’s understandable to be flustered if your daughter is living with a girl you’ve never seen before without a word.

“It’s my house, so.”

“Your house, my ss, you little brt. How much money did I put into this place? Do you have no shame? Are you crazy?

So-eun got smacked on the back by her mother for her sassy remark!

Not just one, but multiple hits!

It was super effective!

“Ow! Stop it! Stop it!”

As you can tell from So-eun’s height of nearly 170 cm, both of her parents were tall.

Especially her mother, despite being from a previous generation, was as tall as today’s kids and had long arms and a strong hand.

‘That must hurt.’

“What are you doing making a scene outside! If you’re going to do it, do it inside!”

Embarrassed by the stares of the security guards in the lobby, So-eun led her family to the elevator.

The four of us awkwardly rode the elevator, and So-eun kept glancing at me, seemingly very concerned about me.

I smiled and gave her a thumbs-up to tell her not to worry.

“It was refreshing. Your dialect was cute.”

“No!”

I’m usually the one being teased and saying, “No, no, no!”

But today, being the teaser was quite enjoyable.

So this is why people tease others.

Is it human nature?

And because So-eun had just been using her dialect, even her “No!” had a Busan dialect intonation, which was also fun.

On the other hand, So-eun’s father didn’t say a word, like a stone statue. Is he shy like me?

Or is the saying that men from Gyeongsang-do are taciturn true?

Thinking about my former junior from the military, it seemed like it could be true, or maybe not.

Anyway, when we got home, her mother started putting the side dishes she brought into the refrigerator.

We watched So-eun get scolded for not cooking and always eating instant food or delivery. Then we all sat at the table, and the interrogation about me began in earnest.

“Are you a student?”

“I’m an adult, but I don’t go to university.”

“Then do you work?”

I was at a loss for words for a moment.

If someone asks, “What’s your job?” I’m in a difficult position to say, “I’m a streamer.”

If they ask, “What kind of broadcast do you do?” I can’t say, “I shake my b**bs in front of a camera” or “I trash-talk in the Rift.”

There’s also the option of “I do a duet with a screaming ghost.”

Lately, videos like “Tsundere Mad Movie” have been uploaded on YouTube. I can’t bring myself to watch them, so I asked So-eun if they were okay. She said I was so cute and pinched my cheeks, so I couldn’t get mad but just whined and got petted for a while.

The YouTube channel Yoobin manages is doing well, but I, the person involved, can’t watch it.

If I watch it, I feel like I’ll die from a psychosomatic illness caused by shame.

As someone much older than both So-eun and Yoobin, I want to maintain my dignity as an elder, but it’s really hard.

Anyway, that wasn’t the problem right now.

If not only So-eun but also her parents saw those broadcasts and videos, I might really kill myself out of shame.

It’s not something I can show to people around me.

“I’m preparing for employment.”

For that reason, let’s hide the fact that I’m broadcasting.

Parents of that age probably won’t come across my broadcast by chance.

“What kind of work are you planning to do?”

Good question.

“Mom, why are you interrogating unnie like this? Is she a criminal?”

“It’s natural to be curious when a girl you’ve never seen before is living with your daughter! Is my question too much of a burden for you, young lady?”

“No. It’s natural for you to be curious. Haha.”

But it’s too hard for me to make up excuses on the spot.

Can you please stop asking?

Fortunately, thanks to So-eun’s shield, the questions about my job stopped there.

Thank you, homeowner.

Thank you so much for saving me.

“But why do you call her unnie? How old is she?”

“……I’m twenty-eight years old.”

“Don’t joke with an adult.”

“……I’m serious.”

I showed my ID card and my birth year to her mother, who couldn’t tell if I was joking or serious.

“Is this for real? I thought for sure you were younger than So-eun.”

“It just turned out that way.”

I’m also curious about this mismatch between my face and age.

How did I become so young-looking?

If I’m going to look young, why not just reduce my age too and rejuvenate me?

Anyway, that’s how it is.

Then, suddenly, So-eun’s mother started making seafood pancakes, saying that I looked too thin and pitiful.

It’s delicious, but I really can’t follow your train of thought, ma’am.

Surprisingly, So-eun’s father still hadn’t said a word.

But So-eun seemed used to her father’s stone-like demeanor and didn’t seem to mind at all.

I’m very bothered, though.

Does he have aphasia?

But I’m not the type of person who can just start a conversation out of nowhere, so I quietly ate the seafood pancake.

I’m craving makgeolli.

But I can’t bring myself to drink in front of these adults.

I’ll just endure it.

‘It’s almost time for my broadcast.’

I couldn’t reveal that I was a streamer, and I couldn’t show myself broadcasting at home, so I was forced to take a break.

So I quickly posted a notice on the Streamer’s Gathering.

[Author: Ruffian]

[Title: Sudden break today]

[Content: Due to the homeowner’s parents’ sudden real-life gank, I’m taking a break today. I really didn’t expect them to come. Sorry.]

It sounds like a hastily made excuse, now that I’ve written it.

But what can I do when it’s the truth?