episode_0024
by admin#24
When I was wondering how to explain this to Mina.
Jia suddenly opened her mouth.
“Oh, sir, it’s not your fault. I, I was having a hard time because I had no place to go, so you helped me.”
“What? Did you run away from home?”
Jia answers weakly, her head bowed as if she had lost her mind.
“… Yes.”
I don’t know if it was because he felt weak when he saw that sight, or because it reminded him of his childhood.
Mina spoke in a very soft tone.
“… I see. I’m sorry. My sister spoke a little harshly.”
“Oh, no.”
“Brother. This kid, his name is… ”
“Jia.”
“Yeah. Jia. Do you know why Jia ran away?”
Why did Jia run away?
“… I don’t know.”
Mina continued speaking as if she knew I would say that.
“Phew. Well, my brother is kind. He couldn’t pretend not to see the kid in trouble. But you should know the reason, right? Right?”
“… .”
I couldn’t answer Minah’s question. In fact, what Minah said was right.
But as I told Jia on my way here, I had no intention of asking her anything first.
“Don’t even think about preaching. I’ll never, ever go back to that house… .”
It’s only been a little over a week since we last met.
“How did I run away from home? Isn’t it strange? To treat a girl like this without even knowing why she ran away from home… .”
Because I could tell that Zia didn’t leave home for some trivial reason like fighting with her parents.
That’s why,
“Hey, Min-ah, if… ”
At the moment when he was about to tell Mina that if any problem arises, he would take responsibility.
“Mister, it’s okay. I’ll tell you. … why I left home.”
Gia interrupted me.
“… .”
And then, as if she had made up her mind about something, Jia took a deep breath.
“Probably, it was when Mom left home that Dad started to get weird.”
After a while, Jia slowly explained the circumstances of her leaving home.
When she was young, Ji-ah’s mother left home, and after that, her father’s alcoholism worsened, to the point where he would sometimes hit Ji-ah.
“Thankfully, school lunches are free… .”
He said that he lived mostly by eating at school and working various part-time jobs.
And the day before we met in the alley. He even tried to do something terrible to Jia.
“… So, when I was sitting in the alley, the old man spoke to me.”
Although Jia paused from time to time as if she was overcome with emotion, she continued to speak slowly.
““… .””
When Zia’s story finally ended, a heavy silence descended on the space we were in.
‘
As I listened to Gia’s story, my fists started to go numb.
If only I had my way, I would have beaten up that author, the father.
When I was overcome with anger after hearing about Jia’s circumstances, Mina, who was next to me…
“Huh, huff… Jia… Mani must have had a hard time… .”
I slowly approached Zia, my face completely soaked in tears.
“in… .”
Ji-ah trembles slightly, seeming slightly flustered by Min-ah’s actions.
Whatever. Mina hugged Jia as if she was holding a doll and cried.
“Let’s live together with my sister… Hehe… I’ll do well for you… .”
“Huh?!”
Minah is often misunderstood as scary because she has piercings and sharp eyes, but she is actually a more affectionate person than anyone else.
…Besides, since I have had similar experiences to Jia, I guess it feels even more different from other people’s stories.
“Oh, sis… I can’t breathe… .”
“Oh, oppa. Did you hear?! It’s your sister! Jia, can I raise you?”
Gia is not a pet… .
*
There was a brief commotion, but somehow the room regained its peace.
“… .”
Mina said, placing Jia on her lap and stroking her head like a doll.
◦ I want to help you.
“… Really?”
Jia looks at me as if surprised by Minah’s words.
Well, up until now, the conversations that Zia and I have had have not included anything about each other.
Today, Jia will be hearing for the first time that I am from an orphanage and that I am a former police officer.
I said to Zia, who was looking at me with wide eyes.
“Uh. It wasn’t that long ago.”
“… Wow.”
It’s a little burdensome.
Oh, wait. You really think I was just unemployed before I opened my cocktail bar…?
“I thought you were unemployed before you opened the cocktail bar… .”
It was true. I felt a little sad.
anyway.
“Jia. What do you want to do?”
“… What?”
“Your father. Honestly, I’d like to let him rot in prison for the rest of his life… but realistically, that’s difficult. But at least a restraining order might be possible.”
Although things have improved recently, our country still has relatively weak punishments for domestic violence.
At best, they only impose a ban or a fine. In most cases, they only require the victim to complete counseling related to domestic violence.
“… .”
After hearing what I said, Zia looked thoughtful for a moment, but soon shook her head.
“It’s okay. To be honest, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to report it… .”
“More than that, I don’t want to get involved with that person anymore. I’ll be an adult next year anyway.”
… I can understand Gia’s feelings to some extent. She probably doesn’t want to be associated with that author anymore.
‘It’s a little bit uneasy, though.’
Well, there will be an opportunity someday.
From what I’ve heard, it doesn’t seem like he’s a proper human being, so you might as well go through it on your own before that.
I wish it were like that.
“It’s a little hot over there… .”
“What should I do? Oppa. You smell good to Jia.”
“… .”
Anyway, I’m glad that Min-ah seems to like Jia.
Actually, since it’s my house, I can ignore whatever Mina says… but then I feel uncomfortable.
And then some time passed.
“Haam… Ah.”
Ji-ah covered her mouth with her hand, perhaps out of embarrassment, while yawning. Looking at it now, her eyes were half-closed.
Mina, who was smiling happily at the sight of Ji-ah like that, said.
“Brother. Is Jia using my room?”
“That’s not your room.”
It was ironic when I started losing some of my ownership of my home.
“Anyway, sleep with me. Jia.”
“Yes?”
Mina, who lightly brushed aside my small rebellion.
“Jia. If you don’t want to sleep with Minah, you can just use my room. I’ll sleep on the sofa.”
“Okay, it’s okay. We can sleep together… .”
What happened if Jia is okay?
“Hehehe. Just hold hands and sleep well.”
“Eek.”
… Will it be okay?
***
“Hoo.”
Ji-ah, who had just barely escaped Min-ah’s embrace and was washing up before going to bed, thought.
Today feels particularly long.
Swish.
As she listened to the sound of water filling the sink, Jia thought of Minah and Dohan, who had listened to her story and mourned over her as if it were their own.
“Huh, huff… Jia… Mani must have had a hard time… .”
“Your father. Honestly, I want to let him rot in prison for the rest of his life… ”
“… .”
A feeling I’ve never felt before.
Jia smiled involuntarily at the unfamiliar, ticklish feeling somewhere in her chest, but one that she didn’t dislike.
And what came to mind was my first meeting with Mina.
‘Unnie Min-ah. She was a good person… .’
Jia’s first impression of Minah was, frankly, not a good one.
“Hey, who are you?”
Slightly sharp eyes. Lilac hair. And even multiple ear piercings.
When Jia first saw Minah, she thought she was a very pretty person, but at the same time, she was a little intimidated by her appearance.
… But after hearing his story and seeing Min-ah in tears, his thoughts completely changed.
“… .”
Minah was a more sensitive person than she thought, and Ji-ah felt a warm and cozy feeling from Minah that was unfamiliar to her.
It made me think, “If I had an older sister, wouldn’t I have done this?”
After finishing washing up, Jia went into her room.
Then,
“Let’s sleep together today, sister. Jia.”
Knock, knock. First, I noticed Mina lying on the mat and tapping the seat next to her.
“Okay, it’s okay.”
“Hey. Don’t worry. Oh, can you turn off the lights?”
“Yes… .”
In the end, Ji-ah and Min-ah ended up lying in the same bed.
“… Ugh.”
Zia had never slept with anyone else except for when she was little, when she slept with her mother, so this situation felt a little strange to her.
But regardless of whether Jia is embarrassed or not, Minah smiles as if she is really happy with the current situation.
Seeing that sight, Jia lost her mind for a moment and thought.
‘…pretty.’
Light purple hair reminiscent of morning glory.
The faint smile that spread across his face was enough to make even Jia, a fellow woman, feel her heart flutter for a moment.
Minah was still smiling, not knowing that Jia was thinking that way.
“… .”
Then suddenly, a thought crossed Jia’s mind.
‘You seemed really close with the old man… .’
Why is it? I feel a little depressed. Is it envy? Or jealousy?
‘No way.’
While Jia was feeling uneasy and uneasy about not knowing what was going on.
Mina spoke to Jia, still with a faint smile on her face.
“Haha. Actually, I wanted a younger sister like Jia.”
“Ah… .”
“Don’t we look like real sisters? Even our names are similar. Minah, Jia.”
Then, Min-ah hugs Jia tightly as if she can’t stand it anymore.
“Ah… .”
I was a little taken aback by this, but soon I felt a warm and cozy feeling.
‘… What should I do? I feel like crying.’
Without realizing it, Jia dug into Minah’s arms.
“Oh my.”
Min-ah groaned in surprise at Ji-ah’s actions.
“… .”
But soon, he felt Jia’s body in his arms tremble as if sobbing.
“Thank you for your hard work, Jia.”
He said, quietly stroking Zia’s head.
***
And the next morning.
“… Why is this guy here again.”
Dohan found a black cat… no, Jia, curled up in a corner of his room, quietly sleeping.
“Hey, sis… Where are you touching… .”
He heard Zia’s sleep talk, and somehow he knew what had happened during the night.
“Sigh.”
After quietly covering Jia with the blanket he was covering herself with, he quietly headed to the kitchen.
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