episode_0098

I sat at the table by the window, resting my chin on my hand, and took in the scenery outside the window. I saw a mixture of green and concrete, something that had seemed strange in the past but now seemed so familiar.

There were no monsters in the alley leading to our shelter. It was hard to imagine that the alley was a place where there were rotten bloodstains and pieces of flesh that crows enjoyed eating.

A man was walking through the neat alleys. The backpack on his back was so full that it was barely enough to fit his large frame and protruded above his head.

The man raised his hand and waved it around as if in greeting.

“That’s stupid.”

A smile formed on my face without me knowing. I moved the hand that was resting my chin and shook it gently. The man’s footsteps quickened.

I didn’t mean to tell you to come quickly.

The man disappeared from my sight in an instant. And the sound of the shelter’s iron door opening echoed through the building, faintly reaching my room.

There was a heavy sound of something being thrown outside the door. There was also a murmur of voices. It was the voices of the shelter family.

The door opened wide. Then a friendly, warm voice knocked on my ear.

“I’m back. A little later than you thought, right?”

“Can’t you hurry up and go faster?”

I said that, but it wasn’t what I really meant. Whenever I talk to the old man, I just end up saying things like that without realizing it.

That’s why they say habits are scary. Well, it’s hard to see it as a bad habit in the sense that it can tightly control a wayward old man.

“Sorry, something’s a little messed up in the neighborhood…”

“Just kidding. I guess I’m early.”

“I’m really sorry. Should we go eat something delicious?”

The old man seemed unsure whether I was joking or not. Did I tease him too much? He just doesn’t believe me.

“Yeah, I want to eat. The kids are hungry too.”

“Huh… You weren’t angry, were you?”

“Do you think I’m the kind of person who gets angry at the slightest thing? I told you it was a joke. You don’t believe me anymore?”

“No, of course I will! If I don’t believe what Danhwa says, who will?”

I was about to shoot her a look asking if she was serious, but I stopped myself. I had no intention of picking a fight, and my mind was full of thoughts about going out for a delicious dinner.

I had no intention of kicking away the opportunity to eat something delicious. I carefully patted my stomach. I could feel the children moving inside me.

“The kids must be hungry. Should we hurry up and go?”

The old man said with a playful expression. Then he moved his hand to gently wrap mine around his, and together we rubbed our stomachs.

It was time to get up. I wasn’t sure where to go for food, but it didn’t seem like a bad idea wherever I went.

I got up from my chair, holding my belly that was so big that it was difficult to move, even though I wasn’t yet full-term. The man helped me by supporting my waist with his skillful hands.

“Hey, Do-hoon, I’m hungry too?”

“When the kids are hungry, it means you are hungry, and when Danhwa is hungry, it means the kids are hungry. I meant it in the same way.”

I stuck out my lips. When I listen to the old man, I can’t help but think that way.

To put it bluntly, I feel like the love and attention that was being poured out toward me has decreased. And I feel like that decreased love and attention has gone to the children growing in my stomach.

Well, as parents, it’s not strange and rather natural to give love and attention to your children, but I also thought that it might be a bit odd for a couple to become distant from each other because they have children.

“There’s no way I wouldn’t think of you.”

The old man hugged me from behind and rubbed his face against mine. His rough beard tangled around my cheeks.

“It’s hot! It’s hot!”

“Keep going!”

I stopped the violent display of affection by pulling the old man’s earlobe. Well, it’s true that I was craving this kind of expression of affection, but I guess I could do it after shaving my beard.

Even if your love is unchanging, I don’t think that means you can rub a cactus on your cheek.

Suddenly I sighed. It was because I had just had that thought about work.

He was just a regular old man who still loved me and cared for me. I think he felt jealous that other people were enjoying the same benefits as me.

As a mother, I feel jealous of the love that a father gives to his children… You crazy bitch, there’s a limit to this. This is completely disqualifying as a mother.

Gulp.

A signal sounded on the ship. The children seemed to move a little too.

I’m hungry. I want to eat quickly.

“What are you going to eat?”

“Ugh… I was thinking of going to eat meat, but is there anything else that comes to mind?”

“Meat?”

“Oh, you know Majangsan? I heard that at the beginning of the year, they caught animals that were wandering around nearby and set up a ranch.”

I thought about that for a moment. Is that possible? It’s been a few years since the accident, so they’re actually former livestock, not wild animals.

“Ha Yu-ra said they connected us with some experts. Are there still some good ranches in places with small populations like mountain villages?”

Well, to begin with, there was chaos among people about infections and such, but it was much less severe among animals. It may not have had much of an impact on places like mountain villages.

“Is beef okay?”

“Yeah, totally.”

I had no curiosity or interest in the whole story of how I came to set up a ranch just because of the word beef.

The important thing was that my uncle and I could go eat some delicious beef now.

*

We arrived at a cabin with a sign that said ‘Majang Garden’. The way to get there wasn’t that difficult.

This was because when Hanmaum Church was absorbed into Purundul Apartments, transportation connecting the two was established.

Tables made of wood were placed all over the yard, and a familiar man was waiting for us at one of the tables.

It was Park Seung-ho from the Blue Hills Apartment.

“Oh, Do-hoon!”

“It’s been a while.”

“How long? I saw you a month ago. I didn’t see our cute girl then, so I wondered where she went…”

Park Seung-ho’s gaze lingered on me for quite some time.

“Um… If that girl were my daughter, you’d be dead.”

“If Mr. Park were my father, I would have run away from home in the evening.”

The thought of having a family member with that intermittent explosive disorder was horrifying.

“Hahaha, just kidding. I thought you two were a good match, but I never imagined you’d speed things up like this. Are you having a baby soon?”

“It’s still 7 months.”

“Huh?”

“They’re twins.”

I added an explanation to Seungho Park, who was puzzled. The important thing that Cheon Deuk had said was that we were going to set up some medical facilities in our shelter.

We were able to successfully set up the facility with the help of Hyeji and Hayura, as well as several other medical devices, including an ultrasound machine, that we imported from the hospital.

I was the first to benefit from its fruits.

“Huh… This won’t be easy. There’s someone who used to work at an OB/GYN clinic in our apartment. Can you put me in touch with them?”

“If you can do that, I’d be grateful. But shouldn’t I ask the person involved for their opinion?”

“Oh, it’s so frustrating. Who am I? I’m Park Seung-ho. If it were up to me, the people in our apartment would die.”

“Thank you.”

To be honest, even though I had Mr. Cheon Deuk, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to give birth to twins safely.

Mr. Cheon Deuk also didn’t originally major in this field. He was determined to do his best and read through his major books, but he had no field experience.

My evaluation of Park Seung-ho as a person has not been very good in my mind, but I think it is necessary to slightly revise that evaluation.

“No, what! Do-hoon is my wife and kids, so of course I should take care of them. It’s not like I didn’t receive anything this time. Thanks to that, I was able to recycle all the oil that was difficult to dispose of. The faces of the people who manage the supplies have brightened up these days.”

“That’s good. By the way, is there any meat yet?”

“Oh, I forgot. Hey! Kim Dal-seok! Are we still far away?!”

“Ah! Wait a minute! It’s almost done!”

A reply came from inside the cabin. The owner of the garden seemed to be a member of the Blue Hills apartment complex.

“Do-hoon received the radio message earlier and told the owner. It looks like he’s still working on it. Understand, the owner here wasn’t originally good with knives. To be exact, he was a butcher, but he doesn’t know much about slaughtering. Still, his skills aren’t that bad, so you can look forward to it.”

As Park Seung-ho finished speaking, a person came running out of the hut at a brisk pace, as if biting his own tail.

“Sorry! Sorry! Here, the Korean beef platter is here. Here are some mushrooms too. If you need any side dishes, just let me know!”

The meat on the plate was a bit different from what I had imagined. It didn’t have the marbling that comes to mind when you think of Korean beef.

Park Seung-ho added, noticing my gaze and that of the old man.

“The cows were raised just like they were grazing. Maybe that’s why they have less fat. But the meaty flavor and texture are real, so let’s eat them quickly.”

The marbling was precious beef anyway, and it was a feast for us who were used to eating canned meat.