episode_0050

“Ah, good.”

A room filled with warm air.

I was lying on a soft latex bed, covered with a thick blanket, with only my head sticking out.

Moreover, it seemed that the noise Hyeji had been making wasn’t completely in vain, as the heating performance definitely seemed to have improved.

Since the heating was turned on even in the unheated rooms, it would have been normal for the heating efficiency to decrease, but the room is now warmer than before…

Even though Hyeji turns people’s clothes inside out, she’s still useful. If it weren’t for that, I would have just thrown that idiot out or returned him to the Blue House apartment.

Slowly.

I crawled under the covers and poked my head out in a different direction. Beyond the window, I could clearly see the sleet falling heavily from the sky.

“The trash is really pouring down.”

It seemed like it was just blatantly warning me, ‘It’s winter now, no one should go outside.’ Of course, I’m not the type of stupid person to ignore warning signs, so I had no intention of going out.

If I were to evaluate the man who dragged me out in that kind of weather, I would say he is a person whose consideration and tact are close to zero.

Wow, trash.

After looking around like that for a few minutes, I felt a presence at the door, so I went under the covers and put my head back where it was.

My hair got a little messy in the process, but since I have short hair anyway, the damage was significantly less compared to those of idiots with long hair.

“Shorts, is it okay if I come in?”

“Come in.”

I made my eyes look sleepy on purpose. I suppressed my whole body’s feelings, saying, ‘I’m really tired right now, so if this is annoying, put it away and go back.’

“Um… Sorry. Did I wake you up from your sleep?”

The old man was so sorry that he didn’t know what to do.

If I were my usual old man, I would have said something like, “Even if it’s winter, rolling around at this hour is something a person should do,” but right now I’m a patient.

Aren’t you someone who needs the old man’s consideration and service?

In a way, it was like I was helping the old man build up the virtues he lacked, so it was something the old man should be grateful for.

“How’s your back? Are you feeling better?”

“I was sleeping well, but I think I’m a little upset because the old man woke me up.”

I told my uncle that, but my back had been feeling better for about three days, just like when I was strutting around under the blanket earlier.

However, I did not want to easily miss the opportunity to spend the winter comfortably, away from the shelter’s tyrant and often exploitative uncle, so I decided to feign illness.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, well… I guess it’s time to be awake when I look outside. I don’t think there’s any need to feel sorry.”

Moreover, since the old man became a parrot who kept repeating “I’m sorry” after I got hurt, it felt like he was being compensated for the humiliation I had endured.

“Since Mr. Cheon Deuk is young… no, I said he would have resilience because he is young. But it seems like he has a limit to what he can eat.”

The old man blurted out words without even knowing it and then hurriedly picked them back up.

Cheon-deuk, that old man is still treating me like a kid…

I felt like I needed to establish some discipline. I thought about directly reprimanding him, but I was afraid that I would provoke the feelings of the person who was interfering and end up drinking food or drinking beverages with saliva.

If he comes to see me later, I’ll tell him that he’s still in pain. Then, since Cheon-deuk’s skills aren’t fake, I’m sure he’ll treat him even better out of guilt.

“What, are you eating well? Compared to last winter…”

“You weren’t hurt back then. Cheon Deuk said that you should take better care of yourself when you’re hurt. Since you’re not getting better at all, what should I do? Ugh…”

The old man had a look of apology all over his face. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel guilty at all while watching him.

“I’ll bring you something to eat. Wait.”

Then he returned to where he came from and called our shelter’s temporary chef and housekeeper, “Lina!”

“What’s on the menu today?”

When I lived with my uncle, I honestly had no expectations about what to eat, but since Lina’s cooking skills were not bad, I recently felt like I had a little bit of an idea about what a foodie was.

Goodbye to the days of canned fruit and crackers.

*

Lina’s face brightened when she heard Do-hoon’s voice, but then darkened slightly when she thought about the reason.

‘It’s time to prepare the fox’s meal…’

“Yes! Brother!”

Since she couldn’t show her true feelings, Lina put on a bright smile and answered Do-hoon’s call.

“Sorry to disturb you while you’re resting, it hasn’t been that long since I made breakfast…”

Lina was a little touched by Do-hoon’s thoughtful words.

In fact, the consideration shown by Do-hoon was an attitude that should be naturally shown by anyone who had a basic understanding of social life, but for Lina, who had little understanding of social life and basic concepts, it felt sweet.

‘I can’t believe my brother thinks of me this much…’

Moreover, Lina was in such a state that her eyelids were completely covered by the bean pods.

“No! Sister Danhwa is sick, so I have to take good care of her. By the way, isn’t her back not getting better…? Is it hurting more than Mr. Cheondeuk thought…?”

Lina said that outwardly, but inwardly she wished it were so.

Not only did she gobble up the food he prepared for her, but she also monopolized the care of Do-Hoon oppa, who was like the sky to Lina and sweet as honey.

What’s more, Danhwa didn’t stop there. She went one step further and became a bitch who sucked out her brother’s energy.

“That’s right… I’m worried because there’s no sign of it getting better.”

“I’ll pay more attention. Eating is important when you’re sick.”

Lina showed off her fake smile and clenched her fists with the hands holding the cooking utensils. Do-hoon, of course, and Dan-hwa could not help but feel that she was a truly domestic girl.

“I trust Lina, I’ll take good care of her.”

Do-Hoon simply thought of Lina as grateful without knowing her true feelings, and went back to Dan-Hwa’s room, leaving Lina behind as she went into the kitchen and started cooking.

And when Do-hoon disappeared, Lina’s expression became completely rotten.

The bright expression that had been there until just now was only that of Lina, Do-hoon’s lovely younger sister and lover, and not the true Lina who hated Dan-hwa so deeply hidden in her heart.

“What should I do with this vixen-like girl…”

From Lina’s perspective, she wanted to feed him a lot of bad food, but she couldn’t do that because Do-hoon was carrying Dan-hwa’s sick back. It had to look good, but it also had to taste good.

If it didn’t taste good. Danhwa, that annoying vixen, had no qualms about showing it on the outside, so it was obvious that not only would Do-hoon be embarrassed, but he would also end up throwing the sparks at himself, who had worked so hard against his will.

‘Oops.’ Lina bit her nails without realizing it. It had only been a day since she had recovered from the aftereffects of biting them a while ago through painstaking nail care.

“Ah…”

Lina sighed as she saw that her nails, which had finally regained their original pretty appearance, had become somewhat rough. How many days would it take to restore them again?

‘What an annoying bitch.’

Leaving those thoughts aside, Lina started cooking, thinking of Do-hoon, who would always wait for her cooking.

*

“Knock, knock,” came the door.

“Brother, Sister Danhwa. Shall I bring you some food?”

It turned out to be Lina, who had changed her occupation from being a potential criminal and a girl with a fetish for old men to a master chef.

“No, don’t call me…!”

“Hey, come in.”

I stopped the old man who was about to hurriedly head to the door. No, why bother moving when he said he would even serve me?

As the door opened, Lina’s face revealed itself with a bright smile on it.

She looked so bright that I thought, “She’s pretty.” I even thought that maybe it would be better if I didn’t have a body like that.

Judging from the way the eyes are directed at the old man, it’s obvious who it’s directed at.

Oh my, when will that girl’s husks come off? She’s making such a fuss about liking a guy who’s not only older than her but also has a completely different personality and ability.

What else does he have besides being physically fit, strong for a human, and fast? Well, of course, I haven’t checked his abilities in that regard.

From a woman’s perspective, it was unexpected to see that there were people who dated or married just because of that.

Anyway, considering the information given, it seemed more likely that the victim would suffer damage from a fraudulent marriage rather than a happy married life, so to prevent this, they tried to isolate the victim from the man as much as possible, even during meal times.

Moreover, looking at the way he was at the time, it didn’t seem like he would have a good influence on the people in the shelter. His displays of affection were too excessive.

But now that I’m sick, all those safety devices have been dismantled, so I can clearly picture what’s going to happen at every mealtime.

I don’t know, is it my business? It’s Uncle Jirang’s business.

After organizing my thoughts like that, I looked at the breakfast/lunch that Lina had proudly brought on a tray.

Yesterday it was Korean food, but today it was Western food. French toast with dried ham and melted cheese hanging down, hot chocolate that smelled sweet even when you sniffed at it, and even a little fruit to simply cleanse your palate.

I found myself drooling without realizing it. But neither the old man nor Lina caught me.

Lina placed the tray on the table that had already been set, and I was able to enjoy a hot meal with the support of the bed supporting my back.

“Sister, enjoy your meal! They say that sweets are especially good when you’re sick, so make sure to have some hot chocolate too!”

“Lina, thank you every time…”

The old man gave Lina a look that said he couldn’t live without being so grateful.

“Okay, I’ll eat well. Go ahead.”

Aren’t you being too enthusiastic about just serving one meal?

Unlike the busy, arrogant old man, I answered lightly, saying that he had worked hard and that he should go and rest quickly.

I could feel Lina’s gaze a little. Lina glanced at me, and seeing her gaze move from top to bottom, I could tell it was a nod.

Well, you must have grown up without parents, so where did you learn such manners?

I guess he wanted to express his gratitude to me for letting him rest quickly.

“Short story, I’m still grateful, but aren’t you being too cold?”

This old man is making annoying noises.

“Aren’t I grateful? Didn’t I hear what the old man said earlier about how he just finished preparing breakfast? Even if he looked like that, he probably wanted to go and rest quickly. I feel more sorry for holding back on the old man’s words. Anyway, I guess I’m not an old man, I don’t understand children’s feelings.”

Me… aside, the age difference between Lina and the old man was easily the same age.

Even if I try to consider Lina from the perspective of the old man, I’ll only hear the words ‘Sweet 4050’. Just now, the answer is obvious, considering that the gaze was directed at me and not the old man.

“If you understand, why don’t you hurry up and do something?”

I said proudly and opened my mouth. French toast came toward my mouth with a crunching sound.