Chapter 57 : What is family

“My Mura .”

“I’ve already eaten a lot.”

“Eat more.”

“I’m really full now, ma’am.”

I really couldn’t eat anymore, so I refused, but So-eun’s mother grabbed my arm, rubbed it, and said,

“You’re so skinny, even for a girl. Are you trying to look good for the boys?”

I’m definitely not trying to lose weight to look good for men.

Would she be shocked if I told her I’ve actually gained some weight compared to a month ago?

“If you’re weak, you can’t give birth to healthy babies, you know? A girl of marriageable age should take good care of her health, right?”

I have absolutely no intention of having babies, you know?

I couldn’t bring myself to say that, so I just nodded.

The focus was a little off, and if you ask me if it was uncomfortable, it was.

But her caring and concern for me warmed my heart.

At the same time, I understood why So-eun grew up to be such a caring and affectionate person. It made me a little happy, a little joyful, and a little envious.

Why were you born with all the things I don’t have?

A lot of money, a harmonious family, and the talent for drawing that could make you famous…

‘Ah, I’m so pathetic.’

Let’s not be jealous.

There’s nothing more pathetic than being jealous of your benefactor.

Jean Valjean stole the silver candlesticks again, betraying the trust of his benefactor, but I didn’t want to hurt So-eun like that.

Yes, right now, I’m as happy as cheese submerged in fondue, getting a taste of a harmonious family, and I’m really sad that it’s not really mine.

I wish I had a cheese pot like that.

One that I could be submerged in anytime.

‘Can So-eun and I be considered family?’

Does it have to be blood-related?

Nowadays, there’s common-law marriage, isn’t there?

Is that not recognized for women?

Can’t you be a family just by living together?

Isn’t everyone who lives in the same house a family?

So-eun’s mother’s advice crosses my mind.

She said that with such a thin body, I wouldn’t be able to give birth properly.

But there’s a much bigger problem than that.

If I don’t love a man, I can’t give birth to anything.

Then do I have to be alone forever?

Won’t So-eun eventually get married to someone?

How long can this cohabitation last?

How and when will it end?

What is family?

How do you get one?

The reality that I had forgotten about for so long and hadn’t paid attention to was suddenly thrust in front of me, and it was harsh.

Of course, So-eun’s mother is very affectionate and kind to me, but even that kindness and affection stabs me like a blade of deficiency.

‘Ah, I want some soju.’

Come to think of it, the last time I got drunk, there was also a event that made me feel sentimental.

I wonder if he’s doing well.

I hope he’s not too heartbroken.

It’s not that you were a bad person.

It’s just that I was a very unique person.

Someone in a situation so unique that no one in the world could understand.

If this is the role of a protagonist, I’d rather be an ordinary, unremarkable supporting character.

But being ordinary is actually a high hurdle, and maybe there aren’t many people in this world who live ordinarily.

Growing up in an ordinary, harmonious family, having an ordinary job, and starting an ordinary new family.

The life that all humans who have left descendants have taken for granted, why is it so difficult and unfamiliar to me?

Why couldn’t I do that obvious thing?

Why can’t I do what even my father’s father’s father’s father’s primitive ancestor, who ran around with a stone in the Stone Age, could do?

I was lost in such thoughts when So-eun’s mother scolded me for not listening to her.

She acts like I’m really her daughter, making my heart ache.

It makes me think how great it would be if I were really So-eun’s sister.

“You girls can’t even chop vegetables properly? What man would want to take you in like this?”

“Stop it, I’ll earn money myself and tell my husband to cook. Do you even know how much I earn a month?”

So-eun and I were scolded by So-eun’s mother while we cooked side dishes and made kimchi stew in the kitchen.

So-eun talked back, but that’s not really important.

Rolled omelet, seasoned bean sprouts, stir-fried eggplant, and sweet and salty braised black beans.

Simple side dishes that are the very essence of home cooking.

The side dishes that So-eun’s parents brought were long-lasting ones like braised meat, salted fish, and pickles.

They said that these dishes are best eaten fresh, so they went to the supermarket to buy ingredients and started preparing dinner early, and I got dragged along.

It would be hard labor to make this many side dishes every mealtime.

Nowadays, there are many single-person households, so they can’t eat all these side dishes.

That’s why it’s the trend to buy small portions from side dish shops. I wanted to lecture them that this is an outdated way, but I struggled to hold back.

If I did, I probably wouldn’t be able to avoid getting smacked on the back myself…

I don’t really agree with the old-fashioned idea that women must be good at cooking, and it’s quite annoying that So-eun’s father is just sitting on the living room sofa and watching TV without doing anything.

Anyway, cooking with So-eun and her mother was fun, like being in a cooking class.

Rather than treating me like a guest and a nuisance, they made me work together like family, which kind of fulfilled my longing for family.

I can flip a frying pan without dropping it now, you know?

I probably wouldn’t have been able to do that before I started exercising.

For that reason, I felt quite proud.

“It’s all done now, so set the table and tell your father to come and eat.”

The living room is right next to the kitchen and dining room, so why is she so formal about it, telling us to go and call him?

Maybe it’s a sign of respect for her husband?

I don’t think I can understand the mind of a middle-aged woman with a grown child.

Anyway, her mother was finishing up the cooking, and So-eun was putting unnecessary effort into arranging the side dishes beautifully, so I ended up setting the table and going to call So-eun’s father.

But I found So-eun’s father watching YouTube on his smartphone, not watching TV as I had thought.

And what he was watching…

“Huh? Uh?”

<Uuuuung! Uuuuung! Ung!>

Why is that here?

Why is RuffiTube’s Tsundere Mad Movie [Uuuuung! Highlight Compilation] here?

“Hngk?”

So-eun’s father’s gaze shifted from his phone to me, and then his mouth, which had never opened before, uttered a very short sentence.

“Is it you?”

How did he find that?

Why is he watching it?

Of course he knows it’s me, right?

I feel like I’m going crazy.

I think I’m going to lose my mind.

Ahhhhh!

“I need to go to the bathroom!”

I shouted and hid in the bathroom for now.

But I can’t stay there forever, and it doesn’t make sense to hide there until So-eun’s parents leave.

I feel like I’m going crazy, seriously.

‘Did YouTube’s algorithm do it again?’

No, there’s no way.

What would a middle-aged man like him have to watch for my video to be recommended to him?

Then I thought of a possibility.

What if his father actually knows what kind of drawings So-eun does?

Lately, as I’ve become popular, the thumbnails have also become hot and famous.

The skills of the famous game illustrator Casill are also being highly praised.

Therefore, if So-eun’s father knows his daughter’s nickname ‘Casill’, it wouldn’t be that difficult for him to come across my video.

‘Please tell me he didn’t watch the live stream. Please tell me he didn’t watch the live stream. Please tell me he didn’t watch the live stream. Please tell me he didn’t watch the live stream. Please tell me he didn’t watch the live stream.’

Yeah.

Even if he happened to find the YouTube video, he probably didn’t watch the Switch broadcast.

Then it’s okay somehow, I thought, calming myself down and barely managing to escape the bathroom.

After eating in a harmonious atmosphere, So-eun was very sad when her parents, who had come so suddenly, said they were leaving just as suddenly.

“Why aren’t you staying the night?”

“We came up for a bit because we had something to do with your aunt. Your father has to go to work tomorrow too.”

It seems they took the high-speed train in the morning, took care of their business, and are going back down on the high-speed train again.

Could it be that they’re forcing themselves to go back because they’re uncomfortable and worried about me being here?

Thinking about it made me feel a bit burdened and sorry.

After the two women exchanged their goodbyes, I bowed deeply.

“Goodbye.”

Then So-eun’s father said this.

“Work hard. And cut down on the swearing.”

“Why are you saying she swore? She’s a very gentle and kind kid.”

“That’s enough. Let’s go.”

With that, her father cut off her mother’s question, and the two of them disappeared outside the house.

Most of the severe swearing is usually cut or edited out of the YouTube videos, so they probably haven’t seen much of it.

0……?

Could it be…?

Can anyone tell me it’s not true?

‘Ahhhhhhhhhhh!’

I screamed a terrible scream inside.

I feel like I’m going crazy, I think I’m going to lose my mind!