episode_0030

In the pitch-black dawn, only the sound of the blanket brushing against the skin quietly resonates in the room where silence has settled.

-Swirl

In the midst of deep sleep, my throat felt dry for some reason as I woke up. It seemed to be due to the indoor air getting dry from leaving the air conditioner on for a long time.

Ignoring my thirst due to overwhelming fatigue, I tried to go back to sleep, but soon enough, the signal came from my bladder, forcing me to get up from bed.

“Ugh….”

Groaning like a zombie, I struggled to get up.

“Ah, it hurts….”

Just as expected, pushing myself too hard with exercise, contrary to what Yeongsoo teacher advised, had left me sore. Slowly getting off the bed, I grabbed my waist and opened the bedroom door to step outside.

The living room and kitchen were shrouded in darkness and silence, creating a solemn atmosphere. On my way to the kitchen, I peeked into Dayoung’s room, but it was already engulfed in darkness, seemingly fast asleep.

Returning to the kitchen, I glanced at the LED clock on the wall, realizing it was around 4 AM, very late indeed. It was no longer a time for anyone to be awake.

Turning on the halogen lights, I waited for my eyes to adjust to the brightness. Then, I grabbed a cup from the dish drying rack, filled it with cold water from the water dispenser, and gulped it down in one go.

“Ugh.”

The sudden intake of cold water made my head throb.

“Ugh~”

After waiting for the pain to subside, I took another sip of cold water, this time more slowly.

-Gulp, gulp.

After drinking two cups of water in place, it seemed like the signal from my bladder was getting stronger. Therefore, I decided to use the bathroom outside instead of the bedroom and quickly sat on the toilet.

-Ahh.

The cathartic relief of emptying my bladder when it was about to burst might be one of the simple pleasures in life that humans can enjoy endlessly. With a peaceful mind, I relieved myself.

-Click!

Suddenly, the bathroom door swung open.

“Eh, eh?!”

An unexpected timing. I was taken aback, mouth agape, as I saw Seungyoon entering.

“Umm….”

Seungyoon, still half-asleep, rubbed his eyes. Perhaps he didn’t expect anyone to be there since it was an outdoor bathroom.

If I made any noise, Dayoung and Dabin would rush out. Seungyoon seemed clueless about the situation, so I planned to inform him quietly and then send him out.

-Swish.

Unexpectedly, Seungyoon lowered his pants, revealing himself. If he went further, it could lead to a truly embarrassing situation for me. Without thinking, I raised my voice and said,

“Stop!”

Startled by the sudden loud noise, Seungyoon looked shocked. He widened his eyes, trying to understand the situation. Clearly flustered, he didn’t know what to do.

“Uh, um, well, that’s…!”

It seemed like panic had set in, so it appeared necessary for me to calm Seungyoon down.

“Alright, Seungyoon. Should we start by pulling up our pants?”

Seeing his open belt and his upright stance, he was so embarrassed and unsure how to react.

I just helped him pull up his pants.

“Sorry!”

Then, Seungyoon quickly ran out of the bathroom.

From my perspective, Dabin’s friend was familiar, having seen him often while going to the bathhouse with Dabin. There was nothing particularly strange about the situation. However, I was more concerned that Seungyoon might be too hurt by this incident.

After quickly finishing up in the bathroom, I stepped out and saw Seungyoon sitting restlessly on the living room sofa, clearly uncomfortable.

“Ah, excuse me. Ma’am, I’m sorry!”

With his head bowed deeply in apology, Seungyoon. I spoke while patting his head.

“Seungyoon, lift your head.”

Carefully, Seungyoon raised his head.

“People make mistakes in life, sometimes it happens unintentionally. Don’t be too flustered. After all, the lady is an adult and also Davin’s mom. You must have seen such things a couple of times. Let’s just consider it a mistake anyone can make and move on. Understand?”

As I winked at him, Seungyoon blinked slowly with a bewildered expression.

“You must have needed the restroom urgently, go take care of that. I’ll go in first to check on the lady.”

“Yes, yes….”

Leaving Seungyoon in the living room, I entered the bedroom first.

And lying down on the bed, covering myself with a blanket.

As I was about to close my eyes.

Suddenly, a fleeting image flashed through my mind.

– Thump thump thump!

“I’m going crazy! This is insane! Why am I thinking about that! Disappear, disappear!”

The image that passed by lingered in my mind, swirling around chaotically. Why is that coming to mind?

No, more importantly.

“How is that the size of a 9th grader?”

Saying this might hurt my pride, but it was larger than when I was a man. Damn it.

Despite pretending to be calm and mature, eventually, after struggling with that image for over an hour, I finally fell asleep exhausted.

The next morning. Perhaps due to staying up late for various reasons, both Seungyoon and I faced the breakfast table with a slightly tired look under our eyes.

“Yawn~ Ahem. Kids, let’s eat.”

As I yawned loudly and sat down at the completed breakfast table, Dayoung started nagging.

“Mom, we have guests, and you’re yawning at the table. If I did that, you would’ve scolded me.”

“Sorry, maybe I’m still tired from yesterday’s exhaustion.”

It wasn’t the real reason, but I said so somehow. And as our eyes met briefly with Seungyoon during that short time, the atmosphere became even more awkward.

“You pretended to exercise alone at the gym. Mom, you’re secretly weak too.”

Saying this, Dayoung started eating.

“Did Seungyoon sleep well? It seemed like he was talking with Davin until late into the night.”

Did she come to my room after I fell asleep, or did she just pass by, Dayoung asked.

“Don’t say anything, sis. Saying you’re talking with me, then turning on your broadcast and not responding to any questions. If that’s the case, just livestream it, and if you do, the overly involved fans will go crazy… Ugh.”

“What, what? Cough, cough!”

Dayoung choked on her soup, coughing before finishing a mouthful.

I quickly patted her back to calm her down and asked Seungyoon.

“Did you watch my broadcast yesterday?”

Feeling like he did something wrong, Seungyoon shrunk and cautiously nodded his head.

“Yes…. I usually catch most of the live broadcasts….”

“Hey, even if that’s the case, why are you watching it in another room at the host’s house? Didn’t you hear about what you talked about on the broadcast yesterday?”

Dayoung explained that a friend of their sibling mentioned on her broadcast that Seungyoon was their fan. She even mentioned that he was hanging out in their sibling’s room right now.

“Oh, no. Just mentioning it on the broadcast already sets the chat on fire, but appearing there…. Wouldn’t it have exploded? Even adding a controversy line on the Tree Wiki wouldn’t be surprising.”

“Well, that’s true. Anyway, you’re quite something. Well, thank you for liking me that much. Um… No. Thank you?”

Da-yeong pretends to be cool as she greets. But the truly cool thing is her red ears. Both Da-bin and I noticed it and smirked inwardly, but Seung-yoon, seemingly unaware, greeted with a surprised expression.

“Oh, no. I’m truly grateful for the fun broadcast. Thank you for mentioning me. I was so happy.”

Continuing the meal in a friendly atmosphere, suddenly Da-yeong asked me,

“So, what happened yesterday morning? I heard a loud noise while sleeping, opened the door, and saw Mom and Seung-yoon talking about something.”

-Poof!!

Upon hearing that, both Seung-yoon and I were startled, spitting out the food in our mouths. Fortunately, I quickly covered my mouth with my hand, and Seung-yoon prevented food remnants from splattering by holding his bowl near his mouth.

“Why are you so surprised? Suspicious.”

Da-yeong looked intrigued as if she had caught on to something, alternately glancing at me and Seung-yoon. Da-bin, with her sharp eyes, glared at Seung-yoon after asking him in a low voice, “What happened yesterday?”

Seung-yoon hesitated without being able to answer.

Oh, do I have to take the blame again?

After a moment of contemplation, I quickly made a judgment and spoke up to offer an excuse.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Mom woke up thirsty yesterday, went to drink water, and entered the bathroom where Seung-yoon was peeing. It was my fault for not checking, really. I was just surprised and screamed a bit… I thought they didn’t hear, but seems like they did. Haha. Then I just apologized to the lady and that was it. Yeah, that’s all.”

To which Da-yeong responded,

“Bo-ring.”

as if disappointed, resumed eating with her chopsticks. Da-bin, breathing a sigh of relief, patted Seung-yoon’s back lightly.

“You must have been very embarrassed. Well, when guests are over, knocking is essential, right?”

I felt a bit unjust towards Da-bin for scolding me, but having already decided to take the blame, I simply apologized briefly and ended it.

However, Seung-yoon seemed extremely uncomfortable in this situation, unable to compose himself. When our eyes met, he winked, locked his lips, and slightly nodded his head with a stiff face.

After finishing breakfast, our family and Seung-yoon prepared to leave the house.

Before departing, Seung-yoon called his father, received instructions from him, and then we saw off Seung-yoon as he left the house, marking the end of Da-bin’s eventful visit with her friend.

Sigh, I’m tired already.

But today’s schedule was just beginning.