Final arrangement, about how I have to give up my freedom in the end.

,We need a meeting about Oppa.”

,Do you have to say something like that while eating breakfast on a Saturday morning?”

Ji-hye and Joo-a were fighting from the morning.

Everyone else was still asleep in their rooms, still deep in their dreams, and it was the first time in a while that only the immediate family was eating together.

Even though she was exhausted from breastfeeding the baby, Ji-hye sharply pointed out Joo-a’s words.

But you have to tell me what the meeting is about to even have a conversation, right?

,Why don’t you listen to what she has to say? The kid says she has something to say, so listen to her.”

,We don’t do meetings at the breakfast table. Talk about it after we eat.”

,No, this is important and short! I have to talk about it now.”

Joo-a put down the chopsticks she was eating with and spoke firmly.

Ji-hye, seeing her serious face and resolute actions, which she never showed, also put down her chopsticks for a moment.

Aish, do they have to be so intense from the morning? Let’s just eat breakfast normally, the baby will be surprised…

She’s not surprised. Why isn’t she surprised? Baby, you should be surprised. You’re supposed to have a feeling of surprise at times like this.

Why aren’t you crying and you’re just sleeping soundly, Ji-ho-ya, Seon-hye-ya… You have to cry at times like this.

That way, I can cut it off and tell them not to do it… Please…

,Give us time to hang out with Oppa too.”

Why are you saying that while we’re eating, Joo-a-ya.

,If you explain why you need to hang out with him reasonably.”

Ji-hye, why are you answering so defensively?

Can’t you two just talk without sparking a fire while we’re eating breakfast?

If Ji-ho and Seon-hye cried, I could cut them off right away, but they’re sleeping so quietly that there’s no room for me to intervene.

,Of course, we can demand our rights as sisters.”

,Then I, as his wife, will refuse that right.”

,…No, you couldn’t even say anything when we talked about it before, so why are you refusing now?”

,Because I have to take care of the kids.”

Ji-hye answered briefly.

,Is that even a reason? Before we had kids, you couldn’t hang out because you had to take care of your wife, and now that we have kids, you can’t hang out because you have to take care of them?”

,Then will you take care of them, Joo-a? I’m all for it. Isn’t it natural for an aunt to take care of her nieces and nephews?”

,Seriously, Unni, you’re being too much. It’s good that you’re paying attention to the kids as a mom, but you’re a full-time housewife, Unni!”

,Don’t housewives get breaks? And the kids’ dad needs to take care of them sometimes too. Isn’t he going to bond with them?”

,No, bonding or whatever!! Then are you saying we can’t hang out?”

,Instead, if you take care of the kids, you’ll have time to hang out. Why, should we give you two some space to hang out with the kids?”

It’s intense. The chilling energy made me feel like the rice I was eating had gone cold.

I could feel goosebumps on my skin, while my two children were sleeping peacefully.

It’s strange. I thought newborns usually cried a lot… It’s very different from what I heard.

So, when are you guys going to be done? The rice is so cold it won’t go down my throat.

,Isn’t it wrong to say you’re tired when you’re just taking care of the kids at home?”

,It’s not just taking care of the kids that’s tiring, but shouldn’t I have some days off too?”

,Isn’t it too much to say that in front of Oppa, who works seven days a week? Oppa is the one who wants to rest, right?”

,I don’t think your dad thinks it’s a rest to hang out with you. Tell me, is it a rest to hang out with Joo-a?”

,Yeah, Oppa, tell us clearly. You need days off too!”

I stopped eating for a moment and looked at them.

Is it possible to drive someone into a corner like this just by looking at them, without even frowning?

The cold gazes of the two of them were pure torture right now. Just making eye contact with one of them was enough to make me feel suffocated.

,Do you have to do this at the dinner table?”

,We have to.”

,We have to.”

They’re only this well-coordinated at times like this.

Do we really have to create this kind of atmosphere when we’ve gathered early in the morning to eat together for the first time in a while?

The chilling energy still lingers, but I have to be bold to break the atmosphere.

,Let’s do that after we eat. The kids are sleeping, so let’s put them in the room and talk about it after we eat.”

,Just answer briefly. Are you on my side or my sister’s side?”

,…?”

,Oh, that’s right, Oppa, you decide whose side you’re on?”

Are they suddenly making me the common enemy at the dinner table?

I just meant to eat quietly in front of the babies and talk in the room?

Why are you making me the common enemy and turning the arrows at me, Ji-hye-ya, Joo-a-ya…?

Their gazes are cold, and I don’t think I can get an answer no matter what I say.

,One is my sister and one is my wife, would you guys be satisfied no matter whose side I take?”

,Yeobo.”

,Oppa.”

I tried to change the subject, but I was firmly ignored. Just the two of them looking at me quietly makes me feel like the saliva I was trying to swallow is coming back up.

Please don’t call me by different names, save me.

Why do I have to be tormented without even being able to eat? Please don’t do that, you two.

,…”

,Why can’t you answer? Can’t you even agree with your wife?”

,Why can’t you answer, Oppa? Can’t you even agree with your sister?”

,Both of you, stop it. Let’s eat and talk. You’re acting like a mom and an aunt, what a mess! Other people would think it’s great to see. Huh?”

I had to raise my voice and put pressure on them face-to-face for both of them to start eating again.

I breathed a sigh of relief for a moment, but then I realized that Joo-a is our children’s aunt.

Then Eun-ha, Se-a, and Hyeon-ji are all aunts too. But, my parents are siblings.

In the end, Eun-ha, Se-a, and Hyeon-ji are all related on the paternal side, and there’s no one on the maternal side?

I understood why my parents said they fought with the maternal side and it was awkward. Maybe they just didn’t get along.

I suddenly had that thought after saying the word “aunt” and whispered to Ji-hye.

,…Come to think of it, our parents were siblings, right?”

,Yeah. Why?”

She’s already cold just because I didn’t take her side a moment ago.

,Don’t get mad, but then that means we don’t have a maternal side and all our cousins are on the paternal side?”

,That’s right. Why is that?”

,Think about it, then that means all the kids are paternal cousins?”

,…Huh?”

,What, what are you two talking about? Don’t talk without me.”

I gestured to Joo-a, and she came over.

I told her what I had told Ji-hye, and she looked dazed for a moment.

It was natural for her to make that expression. We were dumbfounded when we first heard it too.

,Did you tell your sisters about that?”

,Of course not.”

,If you tell them that, it’ll be a disaster, right? Dating won’t be the only problem anymore?”

,No matter what, dating is out of the question. Don’t try to gloss over it.”

Ji-hye cut her off firmly, and Joo-a let out a frustrated sigh.

,Ah, Unni, seriously! Why do you keep ruining the mood?”

,Both of you, stop it, huh? If that’s the case, why don’t you three go on the weekend!”

In an atmosphere where they were about to fight again, I made a clean decision.

First, I should tell Eun-ha and Se-a about our parents’ situation first.

I just don’t know what kind of expressions they’ll make after hearing it.

The three of us roughly finished the already cold rice and sat at the table for a while to talk.

Because there was a more important story than that damn date.

–

When I told Eun-ha and Se-a, who woke up late, they just repeated that it was nonsense and told me not to lie.

They only understood after hearing it directly and after Ji-hye told them too.

It was a situation where they could immediately understand why the adults had good and bad relationships.

Adults who accepted the marriage between siblings and adults who didn’t.

I could immediately understand why my parents had bad relationships with their cousins.

Of course they would hate it. Even if it’s allowed by law now, the social perception isn’t good, so the opposition must have been even more severe back then.

I had nothing to say to those who maintained good relationships despite those gazes other than thank you.

Since they maintained good relationships despite those gazes… I should pay them a separate visit later.

After talking, the conclusion we came to was that’s that, and we’re us.

So what about the date?

The clean conclusion was a condition that everyone could surprisingly agree on.

,Since you have to take care of the kids, I’ll let you hang out with the kids’ dad as much as you take care of them.”

I sometimes take care of the kids when Ji-hye takes a short break, and that time is quite long.

These days, VR rooms are surprisingly profitable, so they’re making a profit even after hiring part-timers.

So I film the video source in the morning, come home for lunch, and then work as Eun-ha’s editor in the afternoon.

Ji-hye sometimes takes a short nap in between, and the time I spend taking care of the kids is quite long.

In fact, she finishes all the housework by late afternoon and then tries to sleep before dinner, and I take care of the kids during that time.

Everyone agreed to the condition that if the other kids took care of the kids during this time, I would get to hang out with them during that time.

Considering that Ji-hye’s main job is taking care of the kids, it was almost like a forced condition.

But everyone knew that childcare stress was significant, so they agreed to the condition that if they took care of the kids during that time, they would let me hang out with them, and everyone approved.

It’s just taking care of the baby, but it means that if they take care of them for that short time, they can hang out until night, so there was no loss at all.

Babies usually fall asleep and wake up during that time, so it’s just a matter of changing their diapers, so it’s not difficult at all.

,But who’s going to make time for my free time?”

I sat at the VR room counter and sighed.

I’m going to be tormented without any free time, so how can I not sigh?

Of course, Se-a says “karma” every time and chugs her cola, so I just accept it without saying anything.

Yeah… It’s my fault for messing with all my younger sisters, it’s my karma.

I have a date scheduled with Se-a to film video source all night tonight, so I can only sigh.