episode_0011

As my eyes slowly opened to the bright morning sun, I saw two thin, white fingers holding onto the uncle’s pinky finger.

Whether it was my own will that brought me here last night or not, just seeing our fingers connected made the anxiety from last night disappear, warming my heart.

The uncle, still unaware that I had entered the room, had his eyes closed, breathing softly. But as I continued to gaze at him, my heart inexplicably warmed, and a small smile crept onto my face.

“I’ve never felt like this before…”

I’ve had countless bad dreams, but never have I felt the need to rely on someone like this.

They say everyone relies on family when they’re young, but growing up under parents who only cared for my older brother, even when I was sick, I never paid attention to anyone else and always kept my distance from others, never forming deep relationships.

I wanted to be alone. That was my long-standing wish.

Perhaps that wish has come true now, but the voice of the woman I heard in my dream keeps stirring my heart.

“What did that woman mean… It felt familiar…”

The XX she mentioned… The more I tried to recall it, the more the unease in my heart grew, making my chest feel tight.

“Ugh…”

Clutching my chest in frustration, I squeezed the pinky finger even tighter, causing the uncle to furrow his brow and let out a small groan.

Startled by his reaction, I let go of his hand and quietly watched him lying there with his eyes closed.

Whether stamping on the contract, being surrounded by cats, or coming in after a fight, the uncle, who scolded me for causing trouble but genuinely worried about me, even if he expressed his anger, was always there for me.

I doubted why he was so good to me, but whether the uncle thought well or poorly of me, it didn’t matter to me.

I quietly got up from my spot, leaving the uncle sleeping deeply behind, and left the room.

It was a little past 6 o’clock. Although the day had dawned, it was still dark due to the winter season.

“It seems a bit early, but I should prepare breakfast until the uncle wakes up.”

They say Monday mornings are especially tough for office workers. Although there wasn’t much I could do to make the uncle’s daily struggles easier, I wanted to help in any way I could.

From that day on, I woke up early every morning to prepare the uncle’s meals, saw him off, cleaned the house, did the laundry to prevent it from piling up, did light exercises with a home training app, and maintained a regular routine.

As long as I didn’t cause any accidents, the uncle no longer showed signs of being angry with me, and as we spent more time together, he treated me more comfortably than before.

Our relationship now was almost like close friends, right? Whenever our bodies accidentally touched, the uncle would blush, but I didn’t feel any particular emotions.

Although my face would flush and I would fan myself whenever someone said the uncle was cute or good-looking, it was nothing.

And to that uncle, who was unaware of it, since that day, I often found myself afraid of sleeping alone due to recurring nightmares.

Whenever I was caught up in such anxiety, sneaking into Uncle’s room and holding hands or leaning on his back would calm my heart.

As a month passed like that, my body had gained a bit of weight, and the ribs that were slightly protruding were no longer visible, and I could feel that my abs had developed, realizing that I was healthy. Maybe because I gained weight, my chest also seemed a bit bigger…

On a Friday night like that, kneeling in front of Uncle who was sitting on the living room sofa as usual, I bowed my head deeply, folding my hands on my knees.

“You really need to be careful… Don’t you think so?”

“Sorry!!”

Even though I said sorry, I really didn’t understand why I should be scolded by Uncle. I had only helped Uncle for a month without any progress in our relationship, and yet I was in this situation!

“Ha… I asked you to lend me your wallet for a moment, and you put these things in it… And there are five of them!”

Uncle threw the items I had put in his wallet onto the floor. As they fell with a clatter, I could feel cold sweat running down my back.

‘Uncle has never been this angry before…’

Rather than hitting me like he used to with his ex-wife, he stared at me with a serious look, and when he suddenly scolded me, I felt a sense of terror as if my spine was freezing.

“Uncle… I really didn’t mean to play a prank…”

With a trembling voice, I slowly opened my eyes, revealing the five colorful items Uncle had thrown at me.

Even before becoming Joo Eun-hye, I had never used these items, so being treated so casually was hurtful to me.

Whether he understood my feelings or not, Uncle’s expression became even more serious as he lost his words, touching his forehead and bowing his head.

I don’t know if this should be taken so seriously. I just bought a small gift from the convenience store for Uncle, who was prolonging our relationship, but…

“Did you not like it? Should I have bought something unscented instead?”

“…Be quiet, okay?”

“Ah~ Don’t be too upset just because I gave you a few condoms~ Safety comes first, you know.”

Yes. What I had given Uncle was nothing other than condoms. When a college student who worked in logistics always carried condoms in his wallet, I questioned it, and he told me that being well-prepared makes you popular with women. He was usually seen as intellectual, and he often gave me advice, so this time, I acted for Uncle. Even though he had never dated a woman for a few years, you know…

“Where did you hear such nonsense… And five different types… How many did you buy?”

Uncle sent me a pathetic look. Isn’t it too much to be so ungrateful for something someone did with care?

“I bought seven types, three of each, so twenty-one in total. Take them out whenever you need them! Oh, should I have put them in your desk drawer?”

“…Fine, put everything back in there. Or throw them away.”

“I spent a lot of money on them, should I throw them away?”

“If you don’t like it, throw them away somewhere! If I see them, I’ll tear them up!!”

With that, Uncle shouted loudly at me and went into his room, taking his wallet with him. It seemed like he was really angry, as I could hear the sound of him locking the door from here.

‘I really wanted to help, but he doesn’t understand my feelings…’

The middle-aged man was somewhat resentful, but the image of him in extreme anger made my body start to tremble. However, on the other hand, I was relieved that his attitude towards me didn’t seem to change even after seeing him angry for the first time in a long time.

I picked up the scattered condoms on the floor and headed back to the room. Honestly, throwing away unused items is unreasonable. I should keep these well and give them back to the middle-aged man when he needs them.

“Wait, could it be that the reason the middle-aged man dislikes them so much is because they don’t fit properly?”

As I neatly arranged items in the drawer next to the bed, I suddenly had that thought. After hearing several stories about how the first experience didn’t fit and became the worst trauma, it was entirely possible.

“Even people in their early twenties struggle with it, so at 27, it could be even worse… This won’t do.”

To solve the middle-aged man’s issue, I took out my smartphone and searched for erectile dysfunction in your twenties.

After looking through numerous blogs and Q&A sites, I concluded that I should start feeding him foods that are good for stamina more often from tomorrow.

The middle-aged man usually liked meat and would serve meat dishes for every meal, but now I need to start thinking about his body in a different way.

After all, he’s like family.

#

Since entrusting Seonwoo with a favor, I couldn’t predict that child’s actions.

Based on the information I’ve received so far, being surrounded by cats, committing violence against the yellow-haired student, revisiting the place where the accident almost happened… I’ve always been afraid of cats, but was it to that extent?

The most concerning issue was the incident where he beat up the yellow-haired student.

Although we resolved the assault issue caused by Seonwoo amicably, it’s not easy to shake off the uncomfortable feeling from the sight of the defiant yellow-haired student.

Just in case, I asked for an investigation into that student, so I should be getting a call soon.

“Indeed, she’s Jiseon’s daughter…”

Watching the video of Eunhye wielding violence, I remembered a past friend. She was a kind friend, but if she judged that someone had harmed her, she would mercilessly punch them… She’s a friend who has now disappeared to a place where I can’t see her, but it’s amazing to see her reflection in her daughter.

“It’s fortunate to see her bright side, but this is too much…”

– Ring ring~

As I watched Eunhye beating people like a punching bag in the video, the phone started ringing again. Not knowing what report might come in, I hurriedly pressed the answer button.

However, the content of the report was not the minor accident I had expected.

“…Understood.”

What I heard was the news of the man who was a victim of the terrible acts committed by Eunhye’s fathers and the man whom Eunhye had begged for so desperately in the past… He had passed away after a long period of being in a coma.