episode_0026
by admin
#26
“How’s my brother?”
Ji-ah looked at Min-ah’s face, bewildered by her sudden question.
Mina was smiling brightly.
…so much so that it felt a little mischievous.
‘What do you mean, sir?’
Does it simply mean what do you think? Or maybe in a rational sense… .
“Ah… .”
For some reason, Zia felt her face flushing.
She then picked and chose her words, barely able to come up with an appropriate response.
“… Seems kind. Affectionate.”
Well, I didn’t lie. Really.
“Right? Hehe.”
Even though she clearly praised Dohan, Min-ah liked it as if she was the one being praised.
With a smile that made even those who saw it feel good, Jia carefully asked the question she had been curious about.
“That, Sister. Do you like him by any chance?”
“Huh?”
Mina makes a slightly subtle expression at Jia’s question.
After a while, Mina answered as if she still didn’t know.
“Well… Well, I like it. I don’t know for sure. Is it because I like it as a family? Or is it a different kind of like?”
Min-ah then continued speaking with a slightly serious expression.
“When we’re far apart, I miss you, when we’re together, it’s fun, and when we’re sad, we’re sad together. Hmm… I don’t know. Because we’ve been together that long.”
… Jia swallowed the words, “Isn’t that what you like?”
For some reason, I felt my face getting hotter.
“I got into a university a little far from here, so I don’t see you as often as I used to… What should I say? Should I say I miss you more? Ah. This is a secret from you, oppa.”
“Yes… .”
“If my oppa had a girlfriend… hmm. I guess he might not like it.”
My uncle has a girlfriend… .
For some reason, Yunseol and Hwayoung, who had visited the store last time, flashed through Ji-ah’s mind.
Clearly, both are famous heroes in name and reality.
There’s no way I’d ever get to meet an ordinary guy like you… why is that? I felt uneasy.
“Ah. But still, it’s okay if Jia is my brother’s girlfriend.”
“Yes, yes?!”
When Jia, startled by Minah’s sudden words, inadvertently let out a loud noise, the eyes of the surrounding guests gathered in an instant.
Jia became even more embarrassed because of those stares.
“Ma, that’s ridiculous… .”
She answered quietly, lowering her head.
“Hmm.”
Push. Zia’s face was so red that it seemed like steam was coming out.
Min-ah, who was looking at Ji-ah with interest, took a sip of her drink.
It’s clearly an Americano without syrup, but why does it taste strangely sweet?
.
“By the way. Sister Min-ah… said she came from the same orphanage as you, right?”
After that, Jia tries to change the subject a little.
Mina, who was watching that scene with pleasure, decided to let it go for now.
“Yeah. My brother was there first and I came in later.”
“Aha… Then what were you like when you were young?”
“Hmm… At first, I didn’t really get a good impression of him. He was quiet, and I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He didn’t treat me very kindly either.”
Jia also somewhat acknowledged that she didn’t know what Dohan was thinking about on a regular basis.
‘It was like that when I was young too.’
Jia almost laughed as she imagined Dohan as a child.
“Back then, I often ran away from home because the orphanage was so frustrating.”
“Even if I ran away, I had nowhere to go, so I just hid in the warehouse behind the orphanage or somewhere in the orphanage building.”
“Thinking about it now, it’s a bit awkward to call it running away from home,” Min-ah added.
“But then, one day. I was hiding in the warehouse like I always do, but the lock didn’t open because it was broken. I was trapped.”
“… So?”
“What should I do? What should I do? I was just stomping my feet… Then my brother came.”
A smile began to spread across Minah’s face as she recalled that time.
“At first, I thought I was going to get in trouble, but he really hugged me. I was really scared. Like this.”
“… You’re nice.”
“Right? That’s my brother’s charm. So after that, what? I just stuck with him. Brother. With brother.”
As they talked, Mina was feeling a little nostalgic for those times and was lost in her emotions.
‘…hmm?’
Then suddenly he realized that Jia was blankly staring at him.
“Why?”
“… I’m a little jealous. I think they’re really like family.”
Mina roughly figured out what kind of emotion was contained in those words.
She spoke softly to Gia in a gentle voice.
“Jia is our family too. Now.”
“… Yes.”
Min-ah thought as she saw Jia smiling shyly at her words.
“Jia. Why are you so cute… … .”
“Huh?”
This child is probably a bewitching spirit.
Afterwards, Jia and Minah had a late lunch and went for a quick walk around the city.
“Jia, how about this bracelet?”
“I think it’s pretty.”
“Really? Should we match as a couple?”
“This time, I’ll buy it.”
“Hey. Put it in.”
The two buy bracelets at an accessory shop they accidentally found on the street.
“Oh, Jia. You have to look at the camera.”
“Yes, yes?!”
“Phew. Jia, you closed your eyes.”
“Can’t I take it again? Oh. I can choose another photo too… .”
As we were having a great time taking pictures at the Life 4 Cut Instant Photo Studio and doing other things, before we knew it, it was already 5 o’clock.
It’s almost time to wrap up today’s outing.
After going around to various places throughout the day, Jia and Mina moved to a nearby park to take a short break.
“… .”
Jia sits on a bench and stares blankly at the instant photo she just took.
Mina smiled happily at the sight and said quietly.
“Jia. Did you have fun today?”
At her words, Zia nodded with a slightly red face.
For Gia, today was a day she would never forget.
Just go to a cafe, buy clothes, take instant photos.
These were all things that people of Jia’s age would commonly do, but… to her, they felt so distant.
“Yes. Today was so much fun. Thank you… Sister.”
“… .”
I didn’t know the word “sister” could be so sweet.
‘If I keep hugging you, you won’t like it, right? No. Maybe Ji-ah will like it too… .’
As the warm atmosphere between the two spread, Min-ah’s cell phone rang with a ringing sound.
“Hmm.”
The person who sent the text was none other than Mina’s friend.
A friend who heard that Min-ah had come down for the first time in a long time contacted her and asked if they could meet up for a bit.
‘… What should I do?’
The original plan was to go to my brother’s store with Zia.
Minah, who had been thinking for a moment, soon said to Jia with a slightly apologetic look on her face.
“Hmm. Jia. Is it time to go to work at the store? My sister wants to go with me… but I got a call from a friend. Do you want to go first?”
“Yes.”
“Tell Oppa that I’ll stop by the store after meeting a friend. See you later!”
After briefly greeting Jia, Mina gets up from the bench and heads somewhere.
‘As expected, my sister has a lot of friends… .’
Ji-ah, who was blankly staring at Min-ah’s back, also got up from her seat,
I walked towards Dohan’s cocktail bar.
***
“Let’s see… .”
The caramel bread is already fried, and napkins on the table are okay too.
I think the cleaning was done well enough.
The clock is pointing to 6 o’clock, so I think it’s time to start preparing to open.
If there’s a slight problem…
‘… Jia is late.’
Well, I guess Minah isn’t coming either, so she must be having fun.
Anyway, today is Monday so there won’t be as many customers as there were yesterday, so it won’t be a big problem if we’re late.
With that in mind, I changed the sign on the store door from [CLOSED] to [OPEN].
Tiring.
“Welcome.”
After that, customers started coming in one by one.
‘I guess it’s because I’ve been working alone for a long time, I’m a little busy.’
At that moment, when Jia was not there, we were a bit busy welcoming the guests.
“Excuse me, boss. Did something happen to that girl working part-time today?”
‘uh?’
A customer who had recently visited our store several times and was familiar with us said something unexpected.
“… Yes? Are you Jia?”
“Ah… I was passing by the mart around dinner time, and I saw that part-timer arguing with someone. I wondered if the boss knew.”
Jia got into an argument? I don’t think so… but did she fight with Minah?
“Can you elaborate a little more?”
“Oh. And I can’t see that kid? Anyway. So I was wondering if he was fighting with the boss… and they looked similar. Maybe he was the dad? ”
With dad? Wasn’t Jia with Minah?
A situation where the more you listen to the guest, the more questions you have.
Tiring.
In the meantime, the store door opened and Min-ah came inside.
…not coming in with Zia, but alone.
“Oh. The store is nice, isn’t it?”
Mina looked around twice and sat down at the table next to me.
I asked Min-ah about Jia’s whereabouts.
“Jia? You’re not here? We broke up around 5, right?”
“… Where?”
“At the park on the way here. I got a call from a friend and sent Jia first. What? Jia hasn’t come yet?”
Seeing Min-ah speak with a puzzled expression, I felt uneasy and immediately called Ji-ah’s number.
but,
[You can’t take the call right now. After a beep, you will be connected to the voicemail…]
…what came back on the other end was a voice message saying the call could not be answered.
“Sigh… .”
Negative thoughts are creeping into my head.
Is there any chance that he reconciled with his father and went home?
“No way.”
Even if that were the case, there’s no way Gia wouldn’t contact me. She’s not that kind of person.
“Brother. Is something wrong with Jia?”
Min-ah, reading my serious mood, asks me cautiously.
I told Min-ah exactly what I had just heard from the guest… and in an instant, Min-ah’s expression hardened coldly.
“Brother. What should I do? Jia. Did something happen?”
“Okay… .”
Should I report this to the police…?
‘What should I report?’
I was taking in a runaway student, and I think his parents forcibly took him away. You say?
… It is questionable whether the report will be accepted, and even if it is accepted, I don’t think an investigation will begin right away.
Because right now, the only thing that seems to be going wrong is my suspicions.
‘What should I do?’
But I can’t go find the house where Jia used to live. I don’t even know where it is in the first place.
At that moment, I was holding my head like that.
“If you need urgent help, please contact me. Okay?”
… a phrase I had heard a few days ago flashed through my mind.
The last words left by Hwayoung, who visited our store.
It may have been just lip service… but there is no other way.
“Guests. I’m sorry, but due to personal reasons, [Oasis] will have to close for business today. Please understand that we will offer you a free cocktail when you visit us next time!”
Since it was not a situation where I could continue doing business, I took the liberty of asking for the customers’ understanding.
“Looking at the boss’s expression, I wonder what happened… ?”
“Boss! I don’t know what’s going on, but cheer up!”
“Hey. It’s been a while since I’ve been here… .”
There were some guests who seemed slightly dissatisfied, but everyone complied and left.
Afterwards, I changed the sign on the door from [OPEN] to [CLOSED].
“Hoo.”
I called her, holding on to the last remaining rope.
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