episode_0056

I ate breakfast as usual and lay down on the sofa with a blanket wrapped around me.

There is a saying that if you lie down right after eating, you will gain weight, but that only applies to people like Hyeji and Hwa-ryeon, and it doesn’t apply to me because I am very active and don’t eat that much, so I didn’t really need to worry about it.

If I had to find something to be concerned about here, it would be supplies.

Because we had been living in a shelter for almost three months, we were running low on food and fuel.

Oil is now slowly reducing its heating and there is nowhere else to go except to heat the bath water, so although there is no immediate problem, food is a real pain.

It was only natural that there were more mouths to eat, and that Lina had been cooking and using up all the groceries. But above all, it was impossible to reduce the amount of food we ate just because it was spring.

Of course, that doesn’t mean Lina did anything wrong. She ate well during the winter, and more than anything, she experienced for the first time the concept of delicious food while living with her uncle.

Now it is time for the grasshopper to wake up and work like an ant or a dog to prepare for the coming winter.

As I searched my memory, thinking, “Isn’t there something I should do?”, I remembered that the old man had said something had come up one day.

“Lina, did you have a good breakfast?”

“Yes, oppa. You don’t have to bring the dishes. Just leave them there.”

“I’m sorry.”

“From the perspective of someone who is dependent on others, I should do something like this.”

I glanced at the old man and saw that he had stayed at the table until the end, eating all the food he had left and inhaling the biscuits and coffee that Lina had prepared for dessert.

Although he kept saying he was sorry with his mouth, his actions seemed to be far removed from his feelings.

In contrast, Lina’s words, which fully captured the tenant’s mindset, resonated well.

Yeah, that’s what happens when you cling to someone. It’s all thanks to you and me that I can sleep soundly and warmly.

“Oh, sir. Didn’t you say you had something to do last time since it’s getting warmer? Is it okay for me to stay like this? Wasn’t it urgent?”

“Huh…? Work?”

The old man opened his eyes wide as if he had never heard of me before. But his hand still did not stop reaching for the bowl of snacks. It seemed as if the old man had suddenly become very greedy.

I narrowed my eyes. There’s nothing else this old man would forget…

“I think something came from the dam and they were saying they were going to escort us or something, right?”

“Ah…!”

No, how could I forget this? The old man wasn’t like this before…?

“Are you busy these days, thinking about other things? You’ve even forgotten the requests you received.”

“It’s not that I’m busy thinking about something else…”

The old man strode toward me, telling a lie that would make no sense.

“Are you a short-sleeved shirt?”

The old man’s huge shadow fell over me as I was covered with a blanket. I felt the fluff stand on end.

Damn, it had to be because of what happened last time. I was getting an education down to my peripheral nerves as to why the old man was standing in front of me like that, why he was calling my name just now.

I didn’t want to give in, but I had no choice. I needed to give him some leeway until I could figure out a way to counter his new attack.

I hugged the blanket and moved towards the sub, which was too small to fit my body in. It was a little uncomfortable to lie down, so I just pulled my legs close to my body and leaned back.

The softness itself wasn’t much different from the main part, so it wasn’t unpleasant, but I felt a little bit of deprivation.

I’m not a shrimp…

“Trash.”

The old man didn’t even listen. He just leaned back on the sofa and started drinking coffee.

This is my seat…

“If I go out this time, I’ll have to pick up another sofa on the way back.”

“Nowhere to put it.”

The old man suddenly said that, as if his conscience was a little pricked. Did he think of bringing it up before he caused such a fuss in the first place? After trampling on so many people…

I ended up blurting out the words in a natural, blunt voice. And what I said was not forced or a complaint, but the exact truth.

Another sofa like that here? Unless you plan on having a shootout in the living room, it might be overkill.

“Just take that out and make some room.”

“Do as you wish.”

I suggested it because I thought the living room would become a mess, but the old man seemed determined. Since I wasn’t going to pick it up or carry it anyway, I decided to just leave it.

Let’s talk about work. The problem is making a living, not the sofa.

I glanced at where the old man was sitting and asked him a question in an indifferent voice.

“So what exactly is your job?”

“He said he was planning to transport some supplies with a few mercenaries and would like you to take care of the escort.”

“I guess they built a new shelter somewhere?”

“I don’t know. Those people are from a different world than us. They might have built a new shelter like you said.”

Well, I don’t belong to that group, so I don’t need to know the details. Anyway, since the Dam guys are a large group, the compensation will definitely be solid.

“When are you going?”

“Today or tomorrow?”

“What?”

“Shall we go today?”

“What?! Huh!”

I jumped up without even realizing that I had my feet on the sofa, but then I lost my balance due to the sofa’s springiness and ended up falling on my butt on the sofa.

“Phew… Short shoes, are you okay?”

“Ugh…”

There was no way I could take comfort in the fact that I hadn’t fallen over behind the sofa.

Even if your tailbone is creaking, it seems that even a soft sofa doesn’t reduce the shock to 0.

“Hey, don’t laugh. It’s because of you.”

I fell over because of someone who suddenly blurted out crazy things like they were leaving today or tomorrow, but I couldn’t help but laugh…

No matter how hard I tried to look worried and ask if she was okay, the laughter that had burst out didn’t go away.

“In the first place, preparation is necessary. Today? Tomorrow? Ugh…ah… Even if you’re not prepared, you should be somewhat unprepared…”

“No, you’ve been saving up your stamina all winter long, right? And aren’t you planning on going out soon? Last time I saw you, you finished taking care of your weapons, too? ”

“You didn’t do it, mister.”

I wanted to point it out again because I saw that he was trying to avoid the point by subtly mentioning me.

“Huh?”

“You forgot until I brought it up. Also, did you pack emergency food? Or is there anything to eat in the first place? Where’s the whetstone, sir? When was the last time you sharpened it? You said you were escorting me? Did you wash the tent? It looks like you’re going to sleep in the open or in an abandoned building, but I didn’t see you prepare the tent.”

As I pointed out the shortcomings like a machine gun, the old man began to sweat profusely. Judging from the way his gaze could not remain still, it was clear that he had been rambling without thinking.

“In no time! When I was in the unit, it took less than 5 minutes to pack all my gear and go out?”

“Oh, really?”

“I’m an Army sergeant… Danhwa, why are you coming at me all of a sudden?”

“No, I was wondering if you knew where the tent was.”

The tent was in the junk room on the roof of the shelter. It had been used only briefly last spring and summer, so it was probably covered in dust and bugs and mold.

“I wrote it last time and put it in the basement. I dried it in the sun neatly like I used to, folded it up, and put it in the tent pocket…”

“Yeah, that’s spring.”

“That, was that so?”

I was holding a filial piety hand. I don’t use it much these days, but I heard that it was a favorite item of mine and was carved by Park Seung-ho, the leader of the Pureun Apartment.

I think the old man was talking about how it was carved from some kind of tree and how it was really effective, but since it wasn’t something I was interested in, I couldn’t remember what kind of tree it was.

What was important was that this filial son gave me the impression that it was made very sturdily, both in feel and appearance when I held it.

Exactly!

“Kkwah!”

He hit the old man’s head right in the face. The old man rubbed the area that Hyojason had hit with both hands. He didn’t hit that hard, but he was being sarcastic.

“Why the sudden violence…!”

“The old man needs to be hit. The tent that the old man said he packed well is, as far as I know, left on the rooftop.”

“Ah! Please forgive me then, it must have rained so hard. You and I both came back soaking wet and were busy cleaning up. Huh? Then the boiler broke down again and I was so busy giving you a warm bath… Kaaaak!!”

He turned the filial son over and attacked the part of his back that the old man’s hand couldn’t cover. Since all the power was concentrated on one point, the destructive power became stronger.

“Where is the whetstone?”

“Wait a minute… Are you feeling a little sore right now? Danhwa, you keep hitting my head, so my head is dizzy and I can’t remember…”

It was a lie. If you don’t remember getting hit on the head by a filial son, then all the people who hit their heads on doors or ceilings while doing other things must have become idiots.

It was necessary to keep pushing the old man who was trying to muddle through and somehow get out of the current situation.

The way I see it, the current uncle is a man without any military discipline. He talks about being a soldier or a former non-commissioned officer, but when you consider his appearance and actions, the result is that he is just a jobless old man.

He hit the old man on the head again with his filial grandson to make him come to his senses. But the old man’s urgent hand stopped the filial grandson.

“Stop! Stop…! I said I’ll get ready right away? Danhwa, huh?”

It’s not a matter of preparation or anything, but the problem is that he suddenly asked me to go out when I hadn’t prepared at all. This man has no grasp of the situation at all.

If you suddenly blurt out to your best friend or long-time lover, “Let’s go on a trip abroad today! I’ve already bought the tickets!”, they will likely give you a serious look.

Moreover, a request is something that you put your life on the line for. Isn’t this a bit much?

“Why are you stopping it? You don’t have the right to stop it. Wouldn’t it be better for you to solve it with your filial son?”

When Hyeji pretended to take a hammer out of the toolbox she had brought over last time, saying she needed to hammer in some nails, the old man looked startled and put the filial piety hand in my hand again.

“No, no! Hey! Danhwa! I’m just worried that Hyojason might break? My head must be so strong, right? Huh? It’s wood, so it breaks easily, and wood can break into pieces when it breaks. I was worried that Danhwa’s face might get scarred, so what would I do? Huh? ”

“I see. So when are you going?”

“Tomorrow?”

This human.

Without hesitation, he struck the filial grandson with all his might, in response to the old man’s words.

‘Crack!’

“Kkaaah!”

“Oh, it’s broken. Well, I’ve been using it for a long time anyway.”

The filial son that that man, Park Seung-ho, had given to the old man was torn in half and rolling around on the floor.