episode_0028

The week of working at the bar ended smoothly. Not having to toil and sweat during the summer days was a relief.

The customers were limited to friends like Lee Soo-bin, who occasionally dropped by with her friend Kim Seol-ha for drinks.

Well, it was just as I predicted, only attracting a few flies.

However, I couldn’t declare victory by saying, “Hey, isn’t this trend garbage?”

“Oh, right! Have you been to Golden Bar?”

“Of course! As soon as it trended on social media, I went there discreetly with my boyfriend! The atmosphere was really authentic! It was amazing!”

That’s how it was. After I quit, Golden Bar was introduced on various social media platforms, YouTube, and blogs, becoming the most famous hotspot in the neighborhood.

According to the rumors floating around, a 3-hour wait was standard, and cafes inspired by various bars were popping up everywhere…

It seemed that Kim Seol-ha had prepared well for the success of her cafe venture.

*Sigh…*

In fact, since she was leading the trend, it was fair to say that my opinion and Kim Seol-ha’s opinion were both somewhat off.

In that sense, I cautiously considered myself to have insights similar to those of a hotspot owner…

Of course, if she heard that, she would probably retort, “Oh, come on, if you’re going to talk nonsense, you might as well bark like a dog!” and slap me, but that’s beside the point.

*Ding-dong, ding-dong*

The bell interrupted my thoughts.

Thud— the front door opened, and the math teacher walked in. His face looked weary, like that of a tired office worker at the end of the day.

“They say it’s going to rain from this afternoon… Oh, my new shoes are pinching me. They’re pinching. I wonder if we’ll be able to catch up with the neighboring class today if we work hard! Well, we’ll get there quickly if we do our best!”

Contrary to my expectations, he was full of enthusiasm…

Hmm? Not just one thing, everything seems wrong. It feels like my intuition has been off lately.

Huh? Instead of fixing even one thing, everything is wrong. Now, I need to equip myself with a rational mindset and become a cool-headed Do Jin-woo, not a man ruled by unstable emotions…

“Jin-woo, open your math textbook.”

“Yes.”

There was no such thing.

I opened the math textbook. Unfamiliar symbols stared back at me. When did I ever attend Arabic classes as a second language…

I stared blankly at the blackboard.

The lesson still didn’t sink in, and the foreign languages on the board transformed into Korean, bringing up concerns.

‘Family.’

It had been a recent topic of contemplation.

It all started when the student council members visited the workplace.

At that moment, looking at each member in turn, a warm feeling arose, and thoughts of family naturally surfaced.

Why is this a concern?

‘I’ve never truly felt what it means to have a family…’

So, the student council atmosphere didn’t convincingly feel like a real family, and I was uncertain about what family even meant in the first place.

‘First, I need to understand the former to judge the latter properly. Then, what exactly is the latter, family?’

Kinship. Is family defined as those connected by blood?

I don’t know…

Naturally, I was aware that this was generally accepted in society. People often shared love without reason when blood ties existed.

However, the parents of the current Do Jin-woo, whom I’ve possessed, abandoned him at the age of 14 despite being blood-related due to financial debts.

Blood ties. Even towards a child they bore themselves. It seemed difficult to call this a type of unconditional love…

For these reasons, blood, which is said to be thicker than water, felt heavier.

I’m not sure if it’s a true testament of family…

‘Next, conventionally, is family… perhaps being part of a specific group?’

Like a cult saying, “Once anyone takes off their outer garments, they become mere humans. Our father raised us equally! We are family!”

Or like Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei forming a brotherhood in a peach garden, saying, “Pikachu, Raichu, Charmander, Squirtle! Though our appearances differ, we are all family!”

A specific group used to refer to each other as family or siblings, forming a sense of solidarity.

In their past lives, the orphanage they lived in was led by Director Kim Chung-jang, who educated us that we all belonged to the same family with the same surname.

In some ways, it was tighter and stickier than blood ties. It had a unity so strong that it could feel dirty.

However, this was more akin to comradeship in the military than the affection shared among family members.

The reason being, they were never marked as targets for ‘bullying’ or ‘rubber band shots’ by the older brothers at the orphanage.

No, maybe this was right.

One brother tying up his younger sibling to a tree, shooting rubber bands until bruises formed on their side, and then making them chant, ‘Brother’s rubber band shots hurt the most’…

Hmm…

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) emerged after the trauma.

Wiping the goosebumps off his raised arm, he decided.

Indeed, labeling a specific group as a family was ambiguous.

But if you decide like this, even the student council was a group. Calling them family also became ambiguous…

‘It’s complicated…’

Family was too difficult.

Especially because in this life and the last, he was no different from a thousand-year-old orphan. The fact hit him painfully hard.

*Sigh*

Exhaling, he scribbled on his textbook.

Swoosh-! The sound of rain hitting my ears. Judging by the rough sound of the raindrops falling, it wasn’t going to stop anytime soon.

I absentmindedly observed the scenery outside the window.

For some reason, I felt the urge to go home early today.

Someone’s worries flowed away with the rain, while someone else got lost in new worries because of the rain.

***

Swoosh-!

The sound of rain caught Soo-bin’s ears as she left the classroom.

Although she had heard forecasts about the rainy season approaching, she felt uneasy when the rain actually started falling.

Pursing her lips, Soo-bin entered the student council group chat where notifications were buzzing.

Han Hyo-jin – They predict heavy rain and strong winds in the afternoon, so the student council is closed for safety today. Everyone, please head straight home.

“Ah.”

Soo-bin sighed.

The student council was perfect for rainy or quiet days…

Not being able to attend the student council today… was her greatest trial in life.

“Ugh…”

Overcoming the trial in a minute, Soo-bin sighed and typed in the group chat.

♥Soo-bin♥ – I was looking forward to it… (●᷄ ̯●᷅)

Han Hyo-jin – You should go home too.

♥Soo-bin♥ – I guess I will… (●ฅ́дฅ̀●)

Putting her phone away, Soo-bin walked down the corridor.

The damp air felt refreshing, and rainwater seeped in through an open window somewhere, making the floor damp.

Drip-drop, drip-drop-

As she approached the first floor, the stairs were darkened by muddy water. She belatedly realized she was wearing white shoes.

“Oh no… What bad luck…”

It’s always like this when it rains…

Muttering to herself, she arrived at the main entrance.

“Hey, friend. Want to share my umbrella?”

“Sorry, but Sang-jin has already agreed to go with me. Senior, wear the umbrella that fell over there. It suits your attitude.”

“Isn’t it more fitting for you, who rolls around in strange places, to use the fallen umbrella rather than me? How presumptuous.”

“Haha. Don’t fight, everyone.”

Who are these lovebirds taking selfies here?

Glancing at their faces, she realized they were a group of freshmen who seemed to be quite popular lately. Competing for one guy…

These days, it seems like two or three girls compete for one guy as a norm. They should help each other, compromise, and live together…

Tsk tsk. Clicking her tongue, she turned her gaze away.

“Shouldn’t Dad come pick us up on his way? Didn’t you bring the umbrella? Huh? Mom told you to take it, but you forgot, didn’t you? Oh, you’ll come get us? Then it’s okay for my friend to come along, right…?”

“Hello. Dad? Are you coming to pick us up?”

“Dad…”

Today, the sound of “Dad” seemed particularly loud.

‘I really don’t like it…’

On the day Dad passed away due to an accident, the word “Dad” always resonates. Is it the torment of the sky or punishment for my increasing lies these days? Uncertain.

Unlike usual, she, who was thinking pessimistically, reached for an umbrella from her bag…

An umbrella…

“It’s not here?”

Ah…

She had carelessly forgotten it on the table…

She used to tease Doji Sunbae as a ‘fool’ all the time…

The real fool was herself.

Helplessly, she stood at the central entrance, watching the raindrops falling. After 5 minutes, 10 minutes passed, and all the nearby students had disappeared.

She was left alone.

“Now, even if I ask a friend for help…”

…they would obviously not be at school.

“Sigh.”

She sighed. She had to run home…

As Soo Bin was making a decision, a sturdy man approached her. She raised her head, drawn by his familiar scent.

“Doji Sunbae?”

“Huh…? Oh? Soo Bin.”

He stupidly replied.

He seemed even more foolish than usual.

From his face and expression, it felt like he was caught up in some worry. Intrigued, Soo Bin asked.

“What were you thinking that you didn’t recognize me?”

“What is family?”

Soo Bin blinked at the question returned with a question.

It was quite out of the blue.

She pursed her lips and then spoke.

“What is family…?”

“Yeah. What exactly is family? How can it be defined? That’s my current concern. Soo Bin, don’t you know anything about it?”

She blinked again at his voice.

Then she earnestly pondered about family.

Family? Family…? Are our family members really family?

Certainly, it was a difficult dilemma.

Her thoughts continued. Unable to provide an answer, she evasively said,

“I also come from a less-than-perfect household… My dad is absent. So, when Sunbae talks about a normal family, it’s like…”

While speaking, Soo Bin realized it was unnecessary information, an unconvincing, gloomy, and melancholic sound.

She momentarily closed her mouth. But most of the words had already escaped her.

Words once spoken cannot be taken back. So, Soo Bin wondered if this slip of the tongue might distance her from someone.

“…”

With dilated pupils, she awkwardly waited for him to say something like, “Ah… I see… Sorry, I didn’t know…” But Do Jin Woo surpassed her imagination.

“It’s okay. I don’t have parents either.”

“Huh?”

“Oh? Indeed, where are families supposed to be broken?”

“No! No! A family should have a mom and a dad to be considered intact! Don’t develop strange prejudices!”

Do Jin Woo tilted his head.

“I haven’t met anyone with a normal family today. Let’s just consider ourselves normal. Agreed?”

“No way… How can we consider that normal?”

As she trailed off, Do Jin Woo chuckled and spoke.

“Why were you standing here like a statue?”

“You’re asking me that now? Fool. Fool?”

“Right. If you knew, you’d tell me, right?”

“Nyah! I couldn’t go home because I didn’t have an umbrella! How’s that? A pitiful and sad story, right…?”

“You were the fool…”

Do Jin Woo sighed and pulled out an umbrella from his bag.

“What’s this…? Are you teasing me and mocking me for being a fool by taking out an umbrella? That could be quite annoying…”

“Is that so…?”

He flicked Soo Bin’s forehead with his finger.

“Ouch…”

“I hit you because it hurts.”

Saying so, Do Jin Woo handed her the umbrella.

Soo Bin alternated between looking at him and the umbrella.

“What… What’s this? Are you trying to impress me with that? Sorry, but I’m not a pitiful woman like the chairman or A Young Sunbae. I politely decline!”

“Who said I’m giving it to you?”

“Then why did you hand it to me?”

“Well, since I’m not giving it to you, look how your eyes instantly moisten. Shouldn’t you try acting or something?”

Saying that, Do Jin Woo handed the umbrella to Soo Bin.

“Ugh, finish that and go back. I have a shower at work anyway, so once I wash up, it’s all good.”

“…”

“And I was thinking just now. Family, well, they make you want to help… your heart warms up, something like that, right? Just like now.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“I wonder?”

Lee Soo-bin looked into Do Jin-woo’s eyes.

The black color was far from bleak and distant. Surprisingly warm, one might say…

As their eyes met,

He flashed an attractive smile. Playful, like a fox. She couldn’t escape from him again.

Ah.

Only then did Lee Soo-bin

Understand.

Why.

Han Hyo-jin and Park A-yeong fell for him….

She could now comprehend.

Because she had become like them too.

Staring blankly with her mouth slightly open, Do Jin-woo shut those lips for her.

“You’ll catch flies.”

“…”

“That’s enough. Be careful on your way.”

With these final words, Do Jin-woo dashed off into the rain.

His back was sturdy. Embarrassing yet also cool.

“Sigh…. They say when your heart warms up, that’s family….”

Lee Soo-bin felt her heart and chest warming with excitement.

She thought her nose was properly pinched.

***

“You ran all the way here without an umbrella?”

“Yes, bro.”

“Damn. Are you crazy!? It’s nearly an hour away from school!? If you catch a cold, our store is doomed! You are our ray of hope!”

“Oh, come on, how strong do you think I am? Catch a cold… nonsense!”

The older brother furrowed his brow.

“Are you an idiot…?”

“…”

That’s a bit harsh, isn’t it…