episode_0089

“Oh my, what should I do? The lady didn’t prepare anything.”

“Hey, what preparations did we make between us? We just brought it up so please don’t feel too burdened.”

What I gave to the lady was a bouquet of flowers with lots of candy canes in them. You can see them when you go to school on the day of graduation. The lady put her nose into the bunch of candy as if she was smelling the scent of flowers, and said with a warm smile.

“That’s right. Don’t you want to go out for dinner after a long time? I made spicy stir-fried chicken, but I failed to control the portion size.”

Even if I go home, I’ll end up alone, and I got too much at Hanna Yeon’s house… .

“Is that so? I’m looking forward to the spicy stir-fried chicken, ma’am. Hehe.”

Above all, the spicy stir-fried chicken made by the lady has always guaranteed excellent taste. It is so good that it is embarrassing to compare it to a specialty restaurant.

As I went in with a bright smile, the old man who was watching a variety show on the sofa suddenly got up.

“Wow, it’s Haru.”

“Oh, hello?”

The old man stood still with his eyes wide open, as if he had discovered some strange creature.

The old man, who had been showing a skit that wasn’t really a skit for a while, suddenly opened the door to Seo-hu’s room and shouted loudly.

“Seo-hu, your first love is here and you don’t even say hello?”

First love…?

“No, I said no. Why are you talking about something that happened when you were 5 now?”

“The person who had their first love when they were 5 is at fault.”

“I told you it wasn’t my first love… .”

Seo-hu was dragged out by the old man, muttering in a rude voice.

“Oh, hello?”

“Hello… .”

In the first place, it feels even more awkward to say hello when we just got on the same bus home. It’s even more awkward to say hello to someone after hearing the word “first love.”

“Ma’am, what do you mean by my first love?”

I approached the lady who was finishing up the spicy braised chicken and asked her.

“Haha, Seohoo’s father ignored Seohoo, saying, ‘What would a guy who doesn’t even know love know?’… .”

It happens often. The old man provokes Seo-hu, and Seo-hu gets angry and yells. It’s a kind of friendly display between father and son.

“I got mad and said I loved her, and as we were talking, she said she had been doing it since she was 5, so I had no choice but to sell her name.”

Seo-hu, who came out to drink water, added to the woman’s explanation. Is it something to be ashamed of not having been in love?

Seeing Seo-hu not being able to make eye contact properly, I felt playful and asked while slightly sticking my face under the glass of water.

“So… you really liked it?”

“Not now, absolutely not.”

That means… is it true that I liked it in the past? My life genre almost changed without me knowing it. But when I saw Seo-hoo’s distorted face, I was sure that it would be okay.

“The future is… Oh, no. I see… .”

Just in case, I brought up the future, but I withdrew it as soon as I saw Seo-hu’s face. It was fortunate that I had water in my mouth, if I had been empty, I would not have heard such good things.

How did things get this way between Seo-hoo and Mirae? Is it true that childhood friends lose science?

“It’s done. Eat quickly before it gets cold. Seo-hoo’s dad, come quickly!”

While we were standing there blankly, worrying about such things, the woman called us together.

“Use… .”

The bright red spicy braised chicken was on the table. It was still bubbling, perhaps because it had just been placed there.

The lady, despite her domestic appearance, had no aversion to using seasoning. I don’t know what it would do to her body, but the stimulating smell that seeped into my stomach made my mouth water.

“Haruya, give me the bowl. I’ll serve it to you.”

“Oh, no! I’ll eat it!”

Let’s finish the noodles before the broth gets chewy.

I sat up halfway from my seat and put the noodles in a bowl.

And slurp.

The moderately spicy flavor and chewy noodles create a riot in my mouth. It feels a bit noisy, but yeah, I don’t hate it.

“Okay, eat some potatoes and sweet potatoes too.”

“Thank you. Oh, it’s so delicious! Hehe… .”

When I eat my mother’s food, I can’t help but smile. The food my mother used to make was quite bland, so it must have been completely different, but I somehow felt nostalgic.

I ate the potatoes and sweet potatoes that the lady had prepared for me, and I even ate the chicken that was soaked in seasoning. Finally, I chopped up some seaweed flakes and kimchi and fried some rice.

“It tastes good if you put in a lot of oil.”

The house was filled with the smell of oil because the old man had put two rounds of sesame oil on the rice. It was a savory smell that was secretly addictive. Even though my stomach was already full, my appetite was revived.

“Hey, how’s the future at school? We don’t talk about school much at home.”

“Our mom is all grown up. Seo-hoo doesn’t talk about school at all. Mom worries every day whether her son is doing well.”

While waiting for the fried rice to turn golden brown, we made small talk.

But the small talk that I had thought was trivial turned out to be filled with doubts about the future.

“Don’t worry, I’m doing well. Even in the future… I’m doing pretty well.”

Seo-hu’s answer was indeed appropriate. It just failed to scratch the itch.

“That… that girl with pink hair… Do you know what kind of friend she is?”

In the end, I openly showed my interest in the pink-haired girl I had met a while ago. It’s not strange for a mother to ask about her daughter’s friend, right? No one actually looked at me strangely, but I felt a prickle in my chest for no reason.

“Pink hair… Oh, God, Shin Ji-yeon? Something happened a while ago, but it was resolved well. It’s not a big deal to worry about.”

What happened a while ago?

I swallowed the desire to ask. Am I being too cautious? Isn’t this something a mother can ask normally? Suddenly, a dull thirst was felt in my throat.

“Hello! It’s a delivery! Aren’t you here?”

Fortunately, the delivery man’s voice could be heard from the house next door, just beyond the front door.

Since our house was the only house next door to the old lady, it was a chance to escape from the unresolved frustration.

“I ate well. I’ll go get that package!”

“Haruyah fried rice!”

“Sorry, I’m so full. Next time, I’ll treat you at my house!”

* * *

[Sister, I will keep the heart-shaped candy box you gave me for the rest of my life…]

“Oh, no. If you’ve eaten all the candy, throw it away.”

I am now facing another me.

Until I met Tachibana in front of the guild in the morning and gave him candy, Tachibana didn’t say anything to me.

So I never imagined that such a huge gift would come to me.

“So…what is this?”

[It’s a White Day gift! It’s nothing compared to the heart-shaped candy that Unnie Haru gave me.]

The package that arrived at my house was none other than a candy that looked like it had shrunk me to half my size.

By the way, the gift I gave was a candy set that you can buy at a convenience store for 15,000 won.

No matter how I looked at it, it wasn’t ‘nothing special’.

“Is this handmade…?”

[Of course! There’s no way I could entrust Haru’s body to someone else, right?]

They say it’s not even custom-made.

“I, thank you for that, but… .”

I’m practically naked, barely covered by a piece of cloth made of candy.

Because of this, the overall body shape was clearly revealed, and the proportions were so similar that it was scary even when looking at them in the mirror.

Mainly the parts where there is almost no sense of volume.

I’m glad I have this body type. I guess I could save on the sugar that goes into making candy.

[This was my first time and I failed, but next year I will definitely make it in a 1:1 ratio. No, right now, as chocolate for Valentine’s Day… ]

“Never do that. I won’t send anything on Valentine’s Day. If you do… it will be returned.”

With this much sincerity, it’s burdensome to even eat.

Even more than gratitude, I felt embarrassed and had a hard time reacting.

[Maybe… I was being too harsh?]

Tachibana’s momentum was dampened as if he had sensed my subtle reaction.

“No. That… I’m happy. But I guess just talking to Tachibana like this is enough… I can’t eat it because it would be a waste to send something like this.”

No matter how the recipient feels, there is no reason for the gift giver to hear criticism.

A gift is something to be appreciated in itself.

I chose my words as carefully as possible so as not to hurt Tachibana, but also so that he would understand that I was in trouble.

[Oh, what should I do…]

Did it get across properly? No, if it did, there wouldn’t be such a reaction.

Tachibana suddenly started to tremble in his voice as if he was anxious.

“Why…?”

[I want to get Haru-unnie pregnant right now… . According to what I found out, the pregnancy rate goes up on anniversaries like this… In order to increase the credibility of the statistics, we should do our part… .]

“Cut it off. I’ll enjoy the candy.”

I was the only one who got hurt by being so concerned. In the end, I guess he just lightened the mood so that I wouldn’t feel sorry.

“Heavy… .”

After hanging up Tachibana’s phone, he laid the half-sized Iharu candy statue on the table. It seemed like he would need to take the candy apart to store it.

In this way, I break my body into pieces, one by one, carefully.

Fortunately, the inside was completely empty, so it didn’t take too long to disassemble. I couldn’t help but feel complicated when I saw myself with my limbs cut off.

“Haa… slurp slurp… .”

I bit the part of my hand that I felt less uncomfortable with and laid down on the sofa.

On the desk is a basket of candies that Hannayeon and Narin gave me. In my mouth is the hand that Tachibana made for me. In my palm is a hot pack that the chairman gave me.

But I was so lonely.

Tick, tick.

The ticking of the clock echoes through the silence, adding to the loneliness.

“Even on a day like this… .”

I have received and have been receiving so many things.

That’s why sudden absences hit harder.

“Even on a day like this, I have to play with my friends… ?”

Because the future has always been by my side.

Because you kept giving me warmth so I wouldn’t be lonely.

There was no gift from the future by my side, but paradoxically, I wanted the gift of the future more than anything else.

It doesn’t have to be candy.

No, I hope it’s not candy.

With what I usually give… .

Just like you always gave me… .

Clank─

“I’m back… .”

“Hmph… .”

As I looked at Mirae taking off her shoes and greeting me at the entrance, my vision suddenly became blurry.

“Mom, why are you crying…?”

“You… Hehe… It’s time… .”

I clench my lips and hold back my tears. What a mother who cries because her daughter won’t come home. If I were the future, I might have left the house in disgust.

“Because of me… ?”

Mirae’s expression hardened. Mirae was thinking deeply about something. A luxurious black box wrapped in a ribbon was seen in her drooping hands.

“What is that… .”

“Oh, it’s chocolate… . Because it’s White Day… .”

A look of bewilderment spread across Future’s face, as if to say, ‘This isn’t it.’

No way… you’re giving it to me…?

“Because of that… Hehe… Did you go meet your friend yesterday and today?”

When I asked while blowing hard through the thin snot, Mirae nodded as if she was in a daze.

No need.

I’m happy, but I don’t need it right now.

“You didn’t usually take care of it… Anyway, put it down and come to work.”

As I tapped my thigh with my palm, Mirae put the box on the table and came towards me.

It was a gift I had prepared with great care, but I felt a little sorry because I couldn’t be happy about it right away.

But there was something I needed more desperately than candy right now.

“Mom likes this the best.”

As I opened my arms wide and looked up at the future, the future hesitated and hugged me, unable to shake off its doubts.

“… Were you lonely?”

“Wow… .”

“It’s not even 10 o’clock yet?”

When I get home from work, it’s just past 6 o’clock, which means only 4 hours have passed since I was separated from the future.

No, because we were apart the whole time we were in the guild. In fact, you could say it was the whole day.

“I don’t know… It’s because I’ve been alone for a long time… .”

“Baby, baby.”

At the sound of the deflated laughter that erupted from above my head, I slightly raised my face and glared at the future.

Even if you leave me alone for a moment, I would cry and make a fuss. When I meet someone, the first thing I do is smell them.

“Muup… .”

As I thought about it, I felt resentful of being treated like a child, so I tried to say something, but my face was buried in Mirae’s chest.

Thud, thud.

A heartbeat that I don’t know whose it is tickles my ears. When I see it getting smaller every time Mirae strokes my hair… Is this the sound coming from my heart?

“Want a kiss?”

Thud, thud, thud, thud.

I was sure of it. It was the sound of my heart.

My heartbeat, which had been gradually calming down at the future’s mischievous question, began to beat faster again, and perhaps because of that, an unexpected and strange answer came out of my mouth.

“I want to… … .”

Since Mirae would have to bend down a lot to kiss me while I was sitting, I put my arms under her armpits and closed my eyes in a half-hanging position.

side.

A short, caressing kiss.

Chook─

And then a long kiss followed, as if he was pressing down hard and conveying all his body temperature.

“Ugh, ummm… .”

What I wanted wasn’t a kiss.

But what I wanted was in that kiss with the future.

“Um… Haa… .”

Chook.

“…?!”

Today, I wanted it so desperately that before I could even catch my breath, I pressed my lips against the future’s lips once again.

Is this the magic of White Day?

We kissed fourteen times before we fell asleep.

“Um… .”

“Are you up?”

“Wow…?!”

Side─

And when I woke up from a half-asleep state while being kissed, I vowed never to celebrate White Day again.