episode_0091

The work was over. My uncle and I left Hayura’s shelter without any regrets. We needed a guide on the way back, but we didn’t need one on the way back, so we spent some cozy time alone with my uncle.

I didn’t know if the carnivores guarding the shelter would be waiting for me and the old man, or if they would be playing around, scrounging for supplies, but even if I hurried, I would only be able to shorten the time by one or two days, and the fact that the old man and I had been away from the shelter for almost a month would not change, so I decided to enjoy the time I had now.

Also, I was able to pick up a lot of nice clothes from the warehouse I stopped by on my way back. I guess it’s on a whole different level from the clothes you pick up at places like rest stops.

The design and fabric were different. No matter how bad the world has become, food, clothing, and shelter must be provided to some extent.

I didn’t really like the idea of having to take care of the carnivores’ belongings though.

“It’s nice and soft. The one you brought me before had a completely bad lining.”

“When did you say it was good…?”

“That’s what I said so that the person who worked hard to get it wouldn’t be discouraged. If I had asked why he picked something like that, he would have been upset.”

“No, I shouldn’t be upset about something like that… Not even you, Danhwa…”

I felt like something strange was coming into my ears. The old man seemed to have no idea what he was saying, and he was busy walking without thinking.

“Well, really? I’m a bit narrow-minded. If that old man had done that to me, I probably wouldn’t have spoken to him for a week.”

“Uh…”

It seems like I realized it too late, but it was too late. Even my uncle said that my stomach was narrower than a bandeng, so I was going to show him how narrow my stomach was.

“Danhwa, that’s not what I just said.”

“Huh? No. I know that too, sir. It’s true that I scratch you a lot, right?”

“I made a mistake. You know me well. I often blurt things out without thinking.”

“Well, really? It’s been a while since I’ve seen you guys, so I don’t really care anymore, to be hurt by words that I blurt out without thinking.”

I made a sullen expression and diligently looked at the scenery across the highway.

The trees, towering as if they were going to reach the very top of the sky, dyed the blue sky green here and there.

“Ah, the view is nice. I don’t want to bother going back, so I’ll just stay here.”

“That…”

“Huh? Why me? ”

I turned my head back to face the old man with the same expression I had on my face. The old man was busy opening and closing his mouth with a blank expression on his face.

He had to somehow gather his words, but he seemed to have no idea what to say. Can a person be this clueless and stupid?

In times like this, it’s better to just keep your mouth shut and show some self-reflection.

“Sigh.”

I sighed and glanced at the old man briefly before taking in the scenery again. It was much better this way than seeing that stupid face.

Let’s just keep doing this for about three hours before talking to him. If we drag it out any longer, he’ll just get antsy.

“It’s not bad since you’ve made him wear new clothes.”

I don’t know how much time had passed, but I said that because I felt like the old man was reaching his limit.

“Ah! I was already impressed. As expected, Danhwa, you have a good eye for detail, so you can tell what suits you just by looking at it.”

You’re trying really hard to get your points back.

This was the thought that came to my mind as soon as I heard the old man’s words. It meant that the destructive power of my silent protest was that strong.

Seeing him come out lying flat like that, I thought he must have reflected on his actions enough, so I decided to continue the conversation.

“Well, the old man has good hangers. Even if it weren’t for me, whatever he wore would look good.”

“The shoes you chose are like this. If I had chosen them, I would have looked really old.”

Maybe it was because he dressed her a little casually, but she definitely looked much younger than her age. But she is aware that she dresses in an old-fashioned way.

“Well, that’s fine. What are you going to do when you get back to the shelter? I’m not really worried. It just seems like you’ve been gone too long.”

“Well, that’s true. First… I guess I should start by cleaning up around the shelter. I’ll have to resupply some supplies. I’ll have to stop by the Pureundae apartments and finish up the dam request.”

I couldn’t help but sigh as I watched the old man pour out a list of things to do. Anyway, I guess he’s a workaholic.

I had some hope that they might talk about taking a break, but it seems it was just an empty hope.

“I made a mistake. Why is there so much work to do?”

“What, it’s happening. It happens just by breathing.”

My head was spinning at the old man’s words. This damn idiot doesn’t know what I’m thinking. I quickened my pace. It was because I thought that I had so much work to do that I had to hurry up.

“Huh?”

The old man looked at me like that and reacted with a puzzled expression. What are you doing? You said you were busy, so why are you acting so sullen?

“You have a lot of work to do, so hurry up and go so you can finish quickly and rest.”

“Ah, ah! That’s right.”

The old man belatedly picked up his pace to catch up with me. He had fallen behind me for a moment, but in an instant, he came running right next to me.

“Hoo…”

I took a breath. I thought that if I kept going at this pace, I could probably distribute my stamina evenly.

Then, an inexplicable sense of floating enveloped me, and when I came to my senses, I was being carried on the old man’s back. No, why am I doing something unnecessary again…

I stared at the old man without hiding my discontent.

“It’s okay even if it’s not like this. Did I ask you to carry me?”

“That’s what I want to do. I want to finish quickly and rest. I like resting too.”

The nuance of the words was a bit strange. It seemed that the old man had taken my words about taking a break in a different way.

Well, it’s not that I didn’t like it, but I felt the need to correct it a little since that’s not what I meant.

“That’s not it, you’ve worked hard, so I hope you can rest comfortably in the shelter…”

“I’ll tell you when I get there. Keep your eyes closed.”

“If you can fall asleep on Mr. Oh’s back, you’re not human, right?”

There’s no way anyone could fall asleep when the shock is transmitted at every moment and the pounding heart is screaming right in front of them.

*

Do-hoon moved his body diligently while carrying Dan-hwa. He almost got into trouble because he made a slip of the tongue, but when he saw Dan-hwa’s reaction, it seemed like he had almost let go.

‘Bam.’

Something lightly hit my back.

“Ugh…”

Judging from the sound he heard, it was definitely the head of the shoe that had touched it. Do-Hoon smiled without realizing it.

“You said you couldn’t sleep. Anyway.”

There was no particular reason for carrying the shoes. Based on Do-Hoon’s experience of seeing the shoes for a long time, he could immediately tell that they were tired.

It’s quite difficult to detect such signs because the short story is always hidden inside without showing it on the outside, but this time, it was relatively easy to notice since he said he wanted to rest.

I glanced up and saw the sign I had seen when I was driving up the highway.

“Almost there.”

Do-Hoon decided to speed things up a bit. He decided to stay overnight and move once he got to the shelter.

*

“Ugh…”

I tossed and turned, enjoying the soft, fluffy feeling. It felt like the soft mattress was embracing my body.

Was the tent this soft? I don’t think so.

As I thought about that, sleep began to slowly disappear. My eyes slowly opened, and as expected, a familiar ceiling greeted me. It was definitely the ceiling of our shelter, which was a former officetel.

What, when did you arrive?

I raised my upper body and looked around, and the whole room came into view. There was the old man sleeping on the floor with his head buried in the pillow.

I tried to recall my last memory. I saw the old man’s back. Naturally, the thought came to me that I had fallen asleep while being carried by the old man.

I scratched my head in embarrassment. I guess I’m not that bad. I blurted out those words and fell asleep.

I got out of bed, walked over to the old man, and patted his butt with my foot.

“Get up and get out of bed. Don’t do that. Is your mouth turning?”

“Ugh…”

The old man’s butt wiggled with a sound similar to a groan. Something felt off, so I pulled my foot away from the old man’s butt. With my eyes narrowed, I took off the tights that had been touching the old man’s butt and threw them at his face.

Since the weight itself was not that much, it was no different from a piece of clothing just falling down.

“Hehehe…”

“Ugh…”

I don’t know what the old man was dreaming about, but he laughed sinisterly. I couldn’t help but make a disgusted expression on my face.

I’ll go to sleep now. I guess I’ll have to go see the shelter insectivores.

“Short story!! You’re up already!?”

A voice full of excitement struck my ears. I covered my ears without realizing it.

“Don’t speak loudly. There’s an old man sleeping inside.”

“Hey, you know Do-hoon doesn’t wake up easily, but you’re still doing that. Or are you worried? Wow… Did you two get to that point while I wasn’t seeing you?”

My head was pounding. It wasn’t that bad, but it was hard to endure it when those words came out of Hyeji’s mouth.

“Please shut up.”

“I’m embarrassed…! Anyway, you must have had a hard time coming! Do you want to eat first? Lina prepared a lot.”

A delicious smell certainly tickled my nose. I nodded slightly.

“Yeah.”