Four Family Members, Two Relationships. (1)

“Dad, what did you like about Mom that made you marry her?”

“Did you have to ask that in front of your mom? And while Dad’s driving?”

“Mom told me to ask!”

In the car, heading out for a cozy trip, Seon-hye asked from behind me.

I glanced at the passenger seat at Seon-hye’s words, and Ji-hye just shrugged.

“…Yah, you.”

I glared at her slightly, and she just smiled and avoided my gaze.

“I didn’t say anything?”

“Do you have to make me say things like that in front of the kids?”

“A woman wants to confirm her love in front of anyone.”

“Does it have to be in front of the kids?”

“Yep.”

She answered so curtly that I was speechless.

I sighed briefly, with no other choice.

“Yeah, I just liked your mom the moment I saw her, so I married her.”

“Ooh…so does that mean Dad fell in love at first sight?”

“It’s not that I fall in love easily, I just liked her and we got along well, so we got married.”

“What’s ‘fell in love at first sight’ to your dad? Show some respect, Seon-hye-ya.”

In the midst of my embarrassment, Ji-ho pinched Seon-hye’s shoulder, cutting her off.

He seems to be managing his younger sister as an older brother in his own way, but you’re only ten years old, do you really need to do that?

He seems to be reacting sensitively, but it’s a normal attitude, so I didn’t say anything.

“Aya!”

“Even if Mom asked you to, is it okay to talk like that?”

“Ah, what! What gives you the right, Oppa? I can say that to Dad!”

“It’s because I’m your Oppa, why. You have to show respect because he’s Dad.”

“Just because you came out a few minutes earlier, you act so high and mighty, seriously.”

“I came out a few minutes earlier than you, so I’m taller, right? You’re short and can’t even talk as well as me, right?”

“You wanna die!”

“You two, don’t fight and be quiet. Did I buy the camper van for nothing? I can’t even stop the kids from fighting.”

Seeing them fighting in the back of the camper van, I regret it a little.

I could have just changed the car and stayed in a hotel, but I can’t stop the kids from fighting in the back.

Anyway, those two. They seemed close around the age of 5, but now they bicker whenever they see each other, just like Ji-hye and I used to.

For 5 years, they didn’t fight at all, they seemed to play well together, so why do they only act like this in front of other people?

Are they afraid people will think it’s weird if they see them getting along?

“I’ll go stop them, so drive for a bit, oh, no, honey.”

“You should tone down the ‘Oppa’ too. People will laugh, thinking you’re an affectionate wife.”

“Is it a crime to call my Oppa, Oppa? Kids, don’t fight and sit quietly.”

“Ah, Mom, Oppa keeps hitting me first!”

“She was being rude to Dad first.”

“To Mom, you’re both the same, so stop it. Do you really have to fight when we’re going on a trip?”

The way she looks in the rearview mirror, Ji-hye is definitely a mom now.

Not just her age, but the way she handles the kids is much more skillful than before.

The problem is that she’s become much more sly than before, so I can never win with words?

‘Don’t look at the rearview mirror like that…’

As if she sensed my gaze in the rearview mirror, she glanced at me and smiled.

“Ji-ho, don’t hit Seon-hye since you’re her Oppa, and Seon-hye, don’t mess with Ji-ho since he’s your Oppa.”

“Ah, Oppa always hits me first!”

“Isn’t that because you do things that deserve to be hit?”

“When do I ever do things that deserve to be hit, what a fuss, what a fuss!!”

“Again, Mom just told you to stop!”

Ttsak-ttsak-

Only after getting hit on the back once each did they start rolling around on the bed.

In the end, the fight ended with one hit on the back each. Only after calming the kids down did Ji-hye return to the passenger seat.

The moment she came back, she naturally tucked her hair behind her ear, which was a bit unsettling.

She opened her mouth in a small voice that the kids couldn’t hear.

“You shouldn’t have hit them.”

“When they start fighting like that, they only calm down when they get hit once each.”

“While I’m working, did they develop a hobby of getting hit? They don’t listen if they don’t get hit?”

“They do nothing but fight all day? I keep hearing fighting sounds from the room, so I go and hit them every day.”

She whined and continued.

“So the kids listen to me, but have you seen them listen to Oppa?”

“Oh…that’s right. Now that I think about it, they don’t listen to me very seriously.”

Now, Ji-hye takes care of the kids most of the time, so I rarely get to see them.

I even opened a second VR room, and since I’m the manager of the second branch, I have even less chance to see them.

But I only work about 5 hours a day, so it’s not like I’m working a lot. Compared to Ji-hye, I don’t see the kids as much, so it’s natural.

“The moment my dignity as a dad falls to the ground.”

“Be good to them when they listen to you. Once they stop listening, there’s no end to it.”

“…I will. But, they fight all day in the room?”

“All day. Before, Oppa went out for a bit, and I went out too, and it was morning, you know?”

“Yeah, so?”

“I heard fighting sounds when I left, and I heard fighting sounds when I went back in the afternoon.”

“They fought like that for half a day?”

“Maybe?”

What could they be fighting about to fight for half a day?

Even if they fought over allowance, they wouldn’t fight that much.

…No, is it better for them to fight?

Thinking about Ji-hye and me, is it better to fight and drift apart than to be close and have problems…

No, if they drift apart again, they’ll end up like Ji-hye and me.

No matter what I do, only bad things come to mind, so my head started to throb.

“What’s wrong, Oppa, does your head hurt?”

Ji-hye asked as she touched my forehead and frowned.

“A little…I’m a little worried that the kids might end up like us, so my head hurts a bit.”

“The kids? It won’t be like that, their aunts are always complaining that they fight all day in the room.”

“Who? I have three aunts, I won’t know unless you tell me who it is.”

“Everyone except Se-ah Unnie. Eun-ha especially gets stressed when she hears the kids fighting while she’s on deadline, so she’s been going to the cafe often.”

That’s why I haven’t seen her after work, I wondered why.

“Then what does Ju-a say?”

“She doesn’t get angry much because they’re her nephews and nieces, she just tells me. She whines every morning, asking me to quiet the kids down…”

“…Se-ah doesn’t say anything. I thought she’d be the one to say the most.”

“She’s mostly focused on uploading videos, so she doesn’t say much. She just edits at home and even gives them allowance and tells them to go out and play?”

“Se-ah…? What, why did she grow up? She’s not the Se-ah I know.”

The kids are getting older, so they’ve become mature and even changed.

Seeing Se-ah, who was the most childish, responding in the most mature way, proves that time heals all wounds.

“But since they have three aunts, they don’t say they’re bored.”

“Did…they not ask why we live with three aunts?”

Usually, people don’t live with their aunts, so they might be curious.

I asked cautiously, just in case.

“They never asked. Their room is at the very end, so they see their aunts often, so I guess they don’t think about it.”

“That’s a relief. By the way, the kids are quiet again, are they sleeping?”

I was talking to Ji-hye, so I didn’t hear the kids.

Just in case, I looked in the rearview mirror and saw them sleeping on the bed.

It’s not that big since it’s a bed for one adult, but it’s spacious enough for two kids to lie down.

But why are they sleeping on top of each other? Even if it’s cold in the winter, it’s hot in the car right now.

“Ji-hye-ya.”

“Yeah?”

“Is it hot now? Or is it just me?”

“In the car? It’s hot. Why did you turn on the heater so much? My throat is all dry.”

Yeah, it’s this hot in the car.

It’s not hot, but the heater is on so much that my throat feels dry.

But, is there a reason to be sleeping in a half-embraced state in this hot car?

They were fighting until just now, but they’re sleeping quietly, embraced. In this heat?

They’re wearing wool sweaters and doing that, so I can’t help but be suspicious.

If they say it’s two generations of genes, I have nothing to say, and it’s just suspicion, so I can’t bring myself to say it.

“But why, is Oppa cold?”

“No, I think it’s too hot, so I was going to turn it down a bit.”

“It’ll be too cold if you turn it off, let’s just turn it down a little. It’s too dry, so my throat hurts.”

I nodded and turned down the heater.

“If it’s dry, there’s water in the back. Drink that.”

“We’re almost there anyway, I’ll just wait a bit.”

“Do as you please, we’ll be there soon.”

I talked and looked in the rearview mirror from time to time.

‘Ah, I wish it was just my worries since there’s no evidence of suspicion…’

I want to believe it’s just my worries, but the lack of evidence makes me even more suspicious.

Siblings at the age of 10 get along, but it doesn’t seem like they’re on bad terms enough to fight all the time.

I heard they fight all the time at home, and they were fighting just now, but they’re sleeping peacefully now, so how can I not be suspicious?

‘I can’t tell them not to do it, though.’

I, who married my younger sister, of course, it could be a very big misunderstanding, but what can I say to my son who’s rolling around with his younger sister?

If, really if, they have more than just a sibling-like affection, do I have the right to stop them?

Even if I say it’s not allowed, what should I say if my parents say, “You did it, so why are you doing this to us?”

‘I’m gonna die, seriously.’

“Are you not feeling well today? Your expression has been off since earlier, Oppa.”

I had so many thoughts that my head was pounding.

My expression naturally crumpled, and Ji-hye looked at me with pitiful eyes as I drove.

I appreciate her concern, but it’s a bit ambiguous to talk about this to solve it.

“No, my eyes are just a little sore from driving for so long.”

“If you’re tired, rest for a bit. We have a week off, so it’s okay to go slowly.”

“I’m okay, ah. Then can you get me some water from the back?”

“Okay.”

“While you’re going, just check if the kids are sleeping well.”

Ji-hye nodded and I rubbed my forehead as she got up from her seat.

My head felt like it was about to explode, and I felt suffocated by unnecessary worries.