episode_0025

The uncle, who seemed to have a lot of complaints about me, quietly continued his meal without meeting my gaze, quickly preparing to leave after saying he had eaten well.

It seemed too early to go to work, but the uncle must have had his reasons, so it wouldn’t be good to stop him.

“Oh, wait, uncle!”

After finishing my meal, I saw the uncle’s hand and remembered last night’s events, so I called out to him.

The uncle, who had stopped at the door at my call, only turned his head slightly without saying anything. But when I approached, he bowed deeply.

“Before you go, can you lend me your hand for a moment? Oh, not just one hand, both hands!”

Seemingly annoyed, the uncle reluctantly extended one hand, so I grabbed the other hand as well, forcing him to show both palms.

— Click

“What are you doing?”

“This? It’s ointment! I’m sorry for last night… and thank you, uncle!”

Normally, you wouldn’t put ointment on someone’s palm, but I wanted to express my gratitude in some small way. The uncle, looking at the palm with ointment on it, just shook his head without saying anything.

Feeling irritated by his frustrating silence, I lightly tapped his back and crossed my arms, breathing heavily.

“Why are you so listless from the morning! If you’re like this even before going to work, it’s not good, you know? Stand up straight and go energetically! Listen to me, uncle?”

Someone was worried and talking seriously, but the uncle just stood there trembling, with his mouth shut.

“Sigh… Hey, it’s Sunday, why would I go to work? I’m just going out for a bit because I have something to do at my hometown.”

Oh, right, it was Sunday… Now that I think about it, I couldn’t see the bag he usually takes to work… Ugh!!

“Then you should have told me earlier! Oh, forget it! Hurry up and go, you sluggish uncle!”

“Haha, okay. Take care of the house, silly Jueun.”

“Silly… me!? Ugh, seriously! Just fall flat on your face on the way out, you sluggish uncle!”

Trying to push him out forcibly, the uncle teased me, calling me silly. Thanks to him, I got really angry and pushed away his hand that was patting my head, muttering curses as I closed the door.

But that didn’t last long, as I started worrying about the uncle tripping and falling on the street.

“Sorry, uncle! Don’t trip or get hurt!”

Frantically opening the door, I called out to the uncle heading towards the elevator, and only after seeing his okay sign could I finally relax and go back inside.

With a refreshed mind, I started cleaning the house, brushing off the dust from the dress I had left out last night and neatly putting it away in the closet.

It was a day like any other without the uncle, but this peaceful moment didn’t last long.

— Ding Dong~♪

Suddenly, two unexpected visitors arrived.

Sitting at the living room table, I nervously observed the two people in front of me.

“Juminjeong, I told you to put that away, right?”

“Ugh… I got it, mom.”

The middle-aged woman scolding the girl next to her, and the girl putting something in her bag with her tongue out.

These two people, my stepmother and my step-sister who had become my family six years ago, both with the same father… Honestly, just being in the same room with them makes me uncomfortable and anxious.

Having endured difficult times during middle and high school in that household?

Usually, my stepmother seems worried, but suddenly she gets angry and kicks me out, displaying a dual personality. There were a few times when we exchanged greetings, but my stepbrother, who has never shown his face to me since then, doesn’t seem to be welcoming.

Moreover, what she just put in her backpack definitely looked like a monkey wrench… Could it be that she’s trying to handle it without me noticing…?!

“Eunhye.”

“H-huh! Yes, yes!”

Responding to my stepmother’s call with my shoulders involuntarily tensing up, I felt puzzled by her warm demeanor, devoid of hostility, unlike her cold past self.

“Don’t be so scared, it’s okay. I just stopped by because I have something to show you.”

Although my stepmother’s behavior was unfamiliar, for some reason, I didn’t sense even a hint of animosity from her.

If there was animosity, it would be felt from the direction of the younger sibling next to her, but that animosity didn’t seem directed towards me, calming my anxious heart.

“Oh! Look at me, guests have arrived, and I haven’t even offered them anything… Please wait a moment.”

Even though there were only bad memories in the past, they are still family, so it’s only right to offer them at least minimal hospitality.

Oh, come to think of it, compared to the elders in that house, the two of them have been kind to me, so there’s no need to be so guarded, right?

Alright, then I should reciprocate as a member of the family, right?

Let’s see… there are still some cookies left from the last time I made for the uncle, and there’s also chamomile herbal tea, so that should be enough, right? No, maybe coffee would be better? Hm~ I should ask directly.

“Mom. Between chamomile tea and coffee, which one do you prefer?”

“Mom prefers coffee…?!”

“Coffee it is. And you, Minjeong?”

“Uh…? I-I also prefer coffee…”

Although their voices sounded a bit perplexed, they didn’t say no, so I opened the lid of the coffee jar.

By the way, this coffee is definitely not cheap, right? It was the most expensive one even at the big supermarket, and it was the one that was advertised on TV… I bought it to give to the uncle, but it unexpectedly became a guest treat.

“I’m not sure if it suits your taste, but I also brought some cookies… Why are you both looking at me like that?”

As I walked out to the living room with a tray, I saw the two of them staring at me with wide eyes. Did something get on my face?

*

The three of us gathered around a table for the first time and opened up about our inner thoughts.

The reason was probably because of my changed attitude from the past.

I admit that. Back then, everything in that house was scary to me.

I couldn’t even speak properly to the servants, trembling in fear…

“Yeah, at first, I sent you here under the guise of protecting you… but it seems like it turned out well in the end.”

Apologizing for being cold towards me all this time, my stepmother, who made me uncomfortable by bowing her head, showed a kind smile, looking more at ease.

“Yeah, there are really good things here, right? The uncle is a good person, and the money…”

“Money?”

Right. Being the decorative wife in the contract was a secret between the uncle and me.

“Oh, it’s nothing! Hehe…”

Seeing me fumble with my words, my stepmother smiled, showing a relaxed expression. I never imagined this person would be so easygoing, but people shouldn’t be judged by appearances.

“But, sis, where’s Kang Sunwoo?”

Approaching me with excitement, Minjeong, who was happily eating cookies, looked around and asked about the uncle’s whereabouts.

“The uncle said he had to go to the main house earlier.”

“I can’t believe he actually left… that lucky bastard…”

“What did you just say?”

“Oh, nothing~”

Although it seemed like I saw the face of the usually fierce Minjeong, seeing her now with such a bright expression, I must have been mistaken, right?

“Oh, Mom. Didn’t you say you had something to tell me? It didn’t seem like you just came to see my face.”

“Oh! Get a hold of yourself…”

With the mention of having something to discuss, my mother snapped back to attention and picked up the bag placed next to her with a more serious demeanor. Curiosity began to creep in as to what could be so important that she had come all the way here herself.

As she brushed Minjeong’s hair off her arm, my mother took out a photo from the bag and placed it on the table.

The photo showed a boy who looked like a middle school student, with half-closed eyes, carrying a large box.

Could this be a delivery job? How can such a young kid do such a tough job?

But this boy seems familiar… No, not just from seeing him with my eyes.

“This student… He’s the one you asked me to look out for before, remember?”

Upon my mother’s words, as I took in the image of the boy in the photo, I felt a great shock hitting my head.

— No…

A voice of a woman echoed in my mind. I’ve heard it many times before, even in my dreams, but with my attention focused on the photo in front of me, I couldn’t pay attention to that voice.

“Actually, this student was recently hospitalized due to an accident—”

I definitely know this man in the photo.

Why he has been doing such hard work from a young age, what kind of life he has lived, I know it all better than anyone else.

— No…!!

“His name is Haneunseok… and he recently…”

Haneunseok… That man’s name is Haneunseok…

But that name, Haneunseok…

— No, don’t remember… I don’t want to… I don’t want to…!!

It’s my name…