episode_0026

The cold grew stronger as time went on. It got so bad that I had to scrape off the frost to look out the window.

Of course, even though I went through all that trouble to look outside, I only had a snowy skin applied to the scenery I always saw, so I didn’t really want to take action.

Judging by the darkness outside, it didn’t seem like it would be too long before the sun rose.

Oh, waking up at dawn.

Certainly, the quality of sleep seemed to have worsened. This was probably due to the large number of unfamiliar people entering the shelter.

Moreover, the noise was rising again recently, as if the fact that Hyeji had been kicked out of the basement was meaningless. When I asked if they could be quiet for a while, they said they were fixing the water and heating facilities.

To be honest, it was a bit difficult to say anything because it is true that winters are very cold and freezing happens often.

If only I could give myself a little more time to sleep and make my winter life a little better…

As I left the room, which was a little stuffy, the air that made my nose sting a little hit me. It couldn’t be helped since I didn’t have the means to turn on the heating in such a large space.

A delicious smell wafted through the cold air. I turned my head toward the kitchen to see what it was, and sure enough, Lina was there.

“Hey.”

“Why?”

Lina’s words seemed to have a slight edge to them. Or maybe it was just me who was losing sleep and my nerves were on edge.

“No, I was wondering what you were doing at dawn.”

“Don’t you know? I’m preparing breakfast.”

No, it’s true that the weather is still warm. Why are you so angry in the morning, or rather, at dawn?

Are you that upset that I dropped you from your uncle? That it still hasn’t been resolved…? So that’s why you don’t do good deeds for others.

But there was nothing I could do. I would rather this than see the old man giggling while fondling a middle school girl’s breasts.

I looked at Lina, feeling that there was nothing wrong with the adults’ adages.

Ingredients that looked unappetizing when preserved or canned looked delicious after being processed like this.

Was that the original color?

The rattling sound of the cooking utensils that came with it wasn’t bad. It was almost rude compared to the sound of Hyeji’s tools.

It’s ASMR. ASMR.

I just blankly watched and then headed to the living room. I didn’t want to listen to it while getting into a fight with someone who said no.

The moment I approached the sofa to sit down, I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

Why is this old man here?

I opened my eyes wide, wondering if I was seeing things wrong, but it was still a familiar-looking man, wearing thick clothes and hugging a blanket.

An explanation was needed. Why was this human sleeping here like this? And if today wasn’t the first time, then when?

Since I always wake up later than my uncle, I never imagined that this kind of situation would unfold, which made the situation even more disconcerting.

“Hey!”

“Sister, I’m not Ye-na. I’m Irina.”

“Since when has this person been like this?”

“My brother is not this human, he is Kwon Do-hoon.”

I almost got angry at the way he talked back, but I was able to calm down by using my adult composure.

“Lina, I asked you how long you’ve been doing this.”

“You’re so close with oppa, but you don’t know about this? It’s been a week.”

Lina smiled faintly. And as always, she walked over to the sofa where the old man was lying and put down a cup of sweet-smelling hot chocolate.

It’s been a week. This guy kept it from me without saying a word? And his arm isn’t even healthy yet?

“Ugh… It’s cold…”

The old man was snoring. If you’re cold, why don’t you go inside and sleep? Why did you leave the room…

After thinking about it that far, I headed to the old man’s room without hesitation. As expected, someone other than the old man was fast asleep in the old man’s bed.

It was a lotus.

I looked around to see if Mr. Cheon Deuk was there too, but I couldn’t see him. When I went to the room that was first assigned to Mr. Cheon Deuk and Hwa Ryun, Mr. Cheon Deuk was asleep there.

There’s no way there won’t be a shortage of rooms…

Since it was an entire floor of an officetel that had been renovated, there were plenty of rooms. There were two empty rooms that caught my eye right away.

‘I asked Hyeji to take a look at the heating and plumbing for a bit. We need to prepare well so that we don’t freeze this winter.’

As soon as the old man’s words came to mind, I headed to the empty room. I tried manipulating the thermostat on the wall, but the room didn’t heat up even after 10 or 20 minutes.

You were sleeping in the living room while giving Hwa-ryeon a room?

My body suddenly started shivering. Even though I was wearing slippers, I felt the chill because my feet were bare. When I touched it with my hand, the skin felt cold as if it wasn’t my own.

I wanted to wake him up by hitting his back or head and yelling something at him, but I couldn’t do that as I watched him curled up on the sofa, sniffling.

“Hey, why didn’t you tell me sooner? Are you crazy?”

“Because my brother told me not to tell you. He told me not to tell Danhwa Unnie, so why am I telling you? I don’t want you to be shivering in the cold either, so I come out at dawn and cook to help you out a little. How much did my sister usually nag you… Can’t you even consult me about this?”

“…”

I’ve never been so sweet. I’ve just complained a little.

I never refused to give advice. You just never asked me.

First of all, this happened because of you guys in the first place. If it weren’t for you guys, this wouldn’t have happened. Why are you arguing with me?

“I…”

I almost yelled at him to get out. Fortunately, I was able to hold it in. The old man wanted to leave me in the shelter even though he was sleeping so badly, so I couldn’t give up on his decision.

“Now that you know, shut your mouth. I’ll take care of it.”

“Ugh, isn’t it your sister who’s solving it? Hyeji is solving it. You didn’t even know that the plumbing and heating were being fixed because of this? I heard what Hyeji said about it yesterday. I feel really bad for you too. You met someone like your sister who has no consideration at all. Well, it’s good that you have Dohoon bro who can keep someone like that by your side.”

“What did you say…?”

It felt like my body was on fire. A heat surged from my chest and then shot up to my head. My hand went out without me realizing it.

The destination was right before my eyes. Lina’s cheek was in front of my hand.

If I hit it with all my might, it felt like the fire in my chest would go out in an instant. My chest was so suffocated that such a desire surged up.

Just before my hand was about to slap Lina, I noticed Lina’s expression. Lina was smiling and sticking her cheek out as if to tell me to hit her as much as I could.

My senses quickly returned to me at that sight. Just before our hands and cheeks met, my hands stopped.

Lina’s smile turned into regret for a moment, then quickly disappeared. Lina returned to the kitchen as if nothing had happened.

“Sister Danhwa, do you know that?”

He stared blankly at Lina, wondering what the hell she was talking about.

“Men like good women.”

But what? What do you want me to do? What does it matter to me whether men like that kind of woman or not?

Are you saying that you and I have something like that relationship right now?

“That’s just it.”

Lina smiled and resumed cooking. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

You vixen, if it weren’t for the old man, I would’ve kicked you out right away.

The cooking utensils in Lina’s hands began to rattle again. Unlike before, it wasn’t a very pleasant sound to hear. Rather, it seemed to irritate people.

I sat on the sofa with my legs crossed. I felt a little warmer because our skin was touching each other.

I slept in a place like this for a week, but I didn’t catch a cold.

Wow, that body is really strong. I couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

As I thought about the old man, the person who had just annoyed me disappeared from my mind.

“Hmm…?”

I don’t know how much time had passed, but the old man opened his eyes. He seemed to wonder what was happening when he saw me in front of him.

“I don’t know if you slept well in the living room. I think you said it was cold.”

I blurted out the words. The old man flinched at my words.

“Haha, the room is a bit hot! Is it because I’ve been eating well from Danhwa lately? Or did I take the wrong medicine? Anyway, I couldn’t sleep well because of the heat, so I ended up sleeping on the living room sofa. But why am I up so early…?”

As he said that, the old man reached for the hot chocolate Lina had made as if it were a routine. As soon as he removed the lid, steam rose up along with the sweet smell of hot chocolate.

Seeing him lie so shamelessly, I felt angry but also had mixed feelings about what kind of person he was.

“You must have been suffering from the heat all week? Unlike you, Miss Hwaryeon seems to be very sensitive to the cold.”

“Coolook! Cackle! Cackle!”

The old man was sipping his hot chocolate and started making a fuss as if he heard something.

“Who, who?”

“The old man’s sasaeng fan said it all. I think it’s the price of the hot chocolate. And can we talk about this situation?”

The old man’s pupils shook. His Adam’s apple also moved up and down once.

Why are you nervous? I just wanted to talk. Who killed him?