episode_0027

“Mr.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s right, short hair.”

The old man seemed to think my voice was like that of an underworld messenger. Seeing this, I couldn’t help but admit that there was some truth in what Lina had said.

Not all, but to some extent.

“Did Mr. Cheon Deuk or Miss Hwaryeon ask for the uncle’s room?”

“No, no! They wouldn’t do that.”

“Then why?”

I asked why. Why was he sleeping out in the cold when I hadn’t even asked him to?

The old man couldn’t answer easily.

“That’s what you asked for, right?”

It wasn’t a question I asked out of suspicion. The old man wouldn’t lie to me in the first place, he would just change the subject or keep his mouth shut.

It was simply because there was no better way to urge the old man to answer. I don’t know why he was so reluctant to lie, but it was really convenient for me to deal with the old man.

“Danhwa, there’s no way I would lie to you, right? What is that? Hwa-ryeon is a girl and Cheon-deuk is her father, but he’s still a guy, right?”

What, if you put them in the same room, you think the father and daughter who loved each other so much would commit incest? Are you trying to say something crazy like that?

“But.”

I really hoped that wasn’t the case. If that was the answer I would have cracked the old man’s head open without hesitation.

That’s not only something that animals wouldn’t do, but it’s also a crazy idea that no normal person could even imagine.

“Even if we’re family, is there something that makes you feel uncomfortable, physiologically or psychologically? For example… Yeah, Danhwa, you and I are family. But imagine me walking around in my underwear in front of you. What do you think?”

I looked at the old man with contempt.

“Are you crazy?”

“Right? It’s a bit like that, but unless you’re in a same-sex relationship, there’s bound to be some kind of uncomfortable feeling between mother and daughter or mother and son that’s hard to put into words.”

The old man seemed to have trouble holding the pint.

“No, why am I your family? And what do you mean you’re going around in your underwear? Did Cheon Deuk really do that?”

The metaphor was strange, and the subject matter was strange. My uncle and I have been living together for over three years, but family?

“No, it’s just an assumption. ”

Sir, you’re really good at declaring that if we get closer, you’ll confidently walk around in only your underwear. I’d rather die than see you do that. Haha.

“But were you really that urgent? You gave me a room without saying anything a week ago and let me sleep in the cold until my mouth fell off? You said Hyeji was fixing it? Couldn’t you have told me to wait a little longer? Didn’t you think I couldn’t wait for that? Sir, I think you’re a little mistaken. Strictly speaking, sir, you’re the landlord. Those people are just people who live off of you.”

This was the most important thing. No, not even receiving money, but if you were to let them stay in such a safe shelter, shouldn’t you have some shame?

It was really difficult to understand the behavior of the man who took care of the luggage while enduring his own discomfort, and the behavior of the luggage who accepted the man’s kindness and favor without rejecting it.

“Danhwa, you’re the landlord… Strictly speaking, this building wasn’t mine originally. I moved into an empty house and remodeled it here and there to call it a shelter, so it’s a bit much to act like a landlord and pretend to be one. Even if it’s my house, it’s rude to do that to people who decided to move in and live there.”

I couldn’t help but feel confused for a moment by what the old man said.

The old man’s words were so absurd that I wondered if I was living in a world without zombies.

“Do you know that only you think that way?”

“Even in this world, we must protect what we must protect.”

What? Guard? Ha, haha.

“Even if the world wasn’t like this, it wouldn’t be something to keep. I’ve never heard of a landlord sleeping outside after giving a tenant a room.”

“Well, Danhwa didn’t know much because he was still young at the time. When I was young, there were a lot of stories like that introduced on TV and YouTube.”

I had a feeling that the old man was secretly treating me like a childish child. It seemed like he was trying to convince me by force because his stubbornness was not working.

“So, I have no intention of getting my room back. Who cares? Even if I die from the cold, I’ll sleep here?”

The old man rolled his eyes. He seemed to be hearing an auditory hallucination of his eyes rolling around.

I wanted to hit the back of his head in anger, but seeing the snot running from his nose made it hard for me to do it.

“I told you it won’t take that long to fix. I’ll just stay here for a while until Hyeji’s work is done. Can you see I’m fine? Don’t worry too much.”

“When did I say I was worried? Besides, if you’re going to say something like that, wipe your nose and then say it. It won’t be convincing at all even if you say it with water running from your nose.”

The old man felt sorry and wiped the snot that was running down his beard with a tissue. Seeing him laugh so pitifully, all I could do was sigh.

Seriously, what a fucking idiot…

“Do whatever you want, sir. Give me a room or a toilet. In return, I will do whatever I want.”

“Then! Everyone has the right to do what they want to do. Furthermore, Danhwa, you are not just qualified. I have no intention of saying anything about what you do, right?”

The old man’s words sounded like this to my ears.

‘I won’t say anything if you do whatever you want, so I hope you’ll turn a blind eye to it to some extent.’

“Okay, I guess we can talk about it when everyone gathers. What should I do?”

“Okay! Let’s do that.”

He answered so readily… The old man acted as if he wanted anything to get out of this situation where he was being pressured by me.

It annoyed me to see that kind of behavior. Do you think I’m some kind of nagging wife?

It seemed as if I was thinking that whatever I did wouldn’t matter, and that the important thing was to just get through this moment.

We need to talk about this attitude too…

Well, there’s plenty of time, so there’s no need to rush.

*

My uncle and I, as well as all the luggage from our shelter, gathered around the table.

Hyeji, who was repairing the shelter’s pipes, Cheondeuk, who shared a room with his daughter, and Lina, who prepared breakfast for the day, all sat at the head of the table and looked at each other.

I called them all together. I knew that telling the old man would only lead to more frustrating things.

“I’ll start by eating first, then I’ll talk. Everyone, listen up.”

As soon as I gave permission, everyone started moving the dishes busily.

The old man was sitting quietly away from me again, and it just so happened that it was the seat next to Lina.

That human…

“Do-hoon oppa, try the meat stew first. I cooked it carefully and it suited my taste, but I’m not sure if it suits your taste…”

Lina took a piece of meat out of a pot that contained something that was either a meat stew or a meat broth, cut it into bite-size pieces, and offered it to the man.

The old man was busy serving her with words like, “Thank you,” “I’ll enjoy the meal,” and “It seems like your cooking skills are getting better by the day.”

As each compliment continued, Lina would giggle and tremble with happiness. If she left it that way, it seemed like a criminal would be born not long after the meal was over.

I did that so I wouldn’t have to see that.

The seat next to me was empty. It was meant to be a seat reserved for a man, but I didn’t think it would matter if anyone else sat there instead of the man…

Even though the meal was in full swing, it was still empty. It seemed like other people didn’t want to sit next to me.

“Do you have any other favorite foods, oppa? Or should I make something good for your joints?”

“Is that even possible? Are our ingredients sufficient?”

I looked at the old man. He was just so excited. It almost made me wonder what I had done wrong, having not been able to enjoy food for so long.

I don’t know if he noticed my gaze as he was looking at me like that, but the old man moved his gaze for a moment and stole a glance at me.

The old man flinched and trembled. Then he looked at Lina.

“Cooking, I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“Huh? Where are you going, oppa?”

“Hahaha…”

The man got up from his seat and slowly came over to the seat next to me.

“Hoo…”

Mr. Cheon Deuk exhaled heavily, as if he had eaten too quickly. It seemed as if something was stuck in his throat.

Get rid of those bad habits from your old days. Someone might come after you with a knife.

I wanted to say something like that, but I thought it was a problem that would be solved with time, so I stopped myself. Instead, I blurted out a word to the man sitting next to me.

“I guess that kid is really good. You potential criminal, mister.”

The old man looked at the situation. It seemed like he didn’t know what to say. Well, if you’ve heard what he’s saying, just give a vague answer. Is it really worth it to be so concerned about the situation?

“No, well… Lina is good at cooking, right? I thought I might be able to eat the food I wanted to eat after a long time…”

I didn’t ask him to explain it to me at all, but the old man started explaining the whole story, like a soldier who had received orders.

“So, why did you come back here? Why didn’t you just go and tell me what you wanted to eat? Who’s stopping you? Oh, if you wanted to ask me to eat something, I’m satisfied with just canned fruit. Don’t worry about it. I don’t really like eating anyway.”

To be honest, I didn’t even want to have a big fight with Lina. In my mind, Lina was a crazy woman with a twisted mind.

If I had mixed words like I did at dawn, I might have slapped myself in the face without realizing it.

*

“Thank you for the delicious meal, Miss Lina!”

“Lina, it was delicious today too.”

Everyone except me greeted Lina like that. It meant that the meal was over.

Even though the meal was over, people didn’t leave their seats and kept their eyes on me.

“From today, uncle will sleep in my room.”

“Huh?”

I’ll get to the conclusion first. It’s up to each person to decide how to take it.