episode_0030

“Huh, morning…?”

Suddenly coming to my senses, I found myself lying in bed, basking in the warm sunlight.

I had no memory of lying in bed myself, so what on earth had happened?

I tried to recall, but ever since feeling dizzy in the bathroom, I couldn’t remember anything.

No, actually, the only thing I could remember was the strange feeling of my endlessly complicated mind gradually calming down from the moment I ran out of the bathroom. Thanks to that, I don’t feel dizzy or complicated at all right now. Instead, I just feel a sense of emptiness, especially down there… I don’t know.

Hmm… but it feels like I forgot something important…

— Beep~

“…Right! I have to make breakfast for Uncle.”

Reacting reflexively to the alarm clock announcing morning, I jumped out of bed and ran to the living room.

Seeing the house filled with brighter and warmer sunlight than usual, it seemed like I had woken up quite late, and Uncle had already left for work as the house was quiet.

With a small sigh, I entered the bathroom and found my smartphone that I had forgotten to grab yesterday to check the time.

“It’s 10:30 now… I slept in really late. Oh, I hope Uncle had a proper breakfast before leaving. I feel bad just thinking about him having to settle for convenience store sandwiches.”

Even though he’s a picky eater who only looks for meat, I worry if Uncle, who eats every meal I prepare without leaving a single bite, would be satisfied with just convenience store sandwiches.

Will he get hungry before lunchtime because of the hasty breakfast? Imagining Uncle like that, a sense of relief washed over me.

…But my reflection in the mirror looks a bit strange?

My face seems too clean even though I haven’t washed it yet. And why are these clothes so big… There’s no way my clothes are this big.

“These are Uncle’s clothes! Why am I wearing them!? Ugh, why am I not wearing anything underneath…”

No wonder I felt empty down there earlier, I wasn’t wearing any underwear. Still, thankfully, Uncle’s clothes are quite big, covering everything below the waist.

Wait, so I’m wearing Uncle’s clothes right now… Does that mean I secretly stole Uncle’s clothes as soon as I ran out of the bathroom yesterday, didn’t make breakfast, and just kept sleeping?

“Ugh… you idiot!”

Despite repeatedly squeezing my head in embarrassment, there was no way to kill the intense shock. But the faint sweat smell on the T-shirt covering my bare skin somehow calmed me down and made me feel at ease.

“…Uncle’s smell.”

No, not the smell of a widower. The real smell of our Uncle. Kang Sun-woo’s scent permeated the T-shirt.

A hint of lavender scent from Uncle’s room was also mixed in… In fact, there was a hint of the widower’s smell too, but it didn’t bother me at all. Rather, it made me feel good… Like my chest was warming up.

Yeah, I can’t take it anymore.

“Huff—”

Covering my nose with the hem of my shirt, I took a deep breath, feeling the embarrassment and self-loathing dissipating. And the more I smelled Uncle’s scent, the more my head felt fuzzy, and my whole body warmed up.

And I felt incredibly relieved…

Was it because of this that I stole Uncle’s clothes and wore them?

Just a little more… just a little more… Huh—

— Beep, beep beep beep beep. Click!

“Eek!”

I quickly tidied up my clothes and rushed out of the bathroom as I heard the sound of the door lock being pressed and the front door opening.

For a moment, it felt like I saw my flushed face in the mirror, but it must have been a mistake. Who could possibly be visiting on a Monday morning when Mr. Kim must have gone to work?

“Oh, you’re up, Eunhye?”

“…Mr. Kim? You didn’t go to work today?”

“It’s okay, I took a sick day today, so don’t worry about it.”

As I rushed out of the bathroom and met eyes with Mr. Kim, who casually placed a plastic bag on the table, I couldn’t help but wonder why he would take a sick day when he looked perfectly fine… Wait, maybe he’s just pretending to be okay because I’m here?

“Oh, where does it hurt, Mr. Kim? If you’re taking a sick day, it must be serious!?”

I rushed towards Mr. Kim with concern, holding a thermometer, but as I examined his face, he didn’t seem to have a fever or look unwell, so I guessed it wasn’t a serious illness. His face did seem a little flushed, though.

“Could you… give me some space?”

Mr. Kim pushed me away, holding my shoulders. His words and actions stung a little, but maybe he was just trying to be considerate of me.

“Sigh… I didn’t take a sick day because I’m ill, so don’t worry. Just come sit here. I brought you some porridge to eat.”

Taking a seat next to Mr. Kim with a smile, I started my late morning meal.

“It’s a bit cold, but does it taste okay?”

“It’s delicious! This abalone porridge is amazing, Mr. Kim!”

Although it had cooled down a bit, the unique taste of abalone porridge was a pleasant surprise for me.

Come to think of it, Mr. Kim is the only one who has treated me warmly… The people I thought were my family never took me to the hospital or even gave me a single meal when I was sick or injured…

Thinking about how my left shoulder was slightly deformed from a past injury, I felt a surge of anger for no reason. But getting angry like this is pointless… Huh?

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Oh, I thought you were feeling better now.”

“Why all of a sudden? I’m perfectly fine!”

“Do you not remember what happened yesterday? You ran towards me and… no, it seems like you don’t remember.”

What does he mean I ran towards him? I can’t remember that at all.

Hmm… I really can’t remember anything. So, I don’t know!

But why does Mr. Kim keep looking at me? Why is he staring at me without even making eye contact… Oh! Is it because I’m wearing his clothes?

“Right, these clothes are yours, right, Mr. Kim? I’m sorry for wearing them without permission! I’ll return them right away… Uh, wait a moment—”

“Hey! Stop that motion, don’t take it off! Don’t take it off!!”

Mr. Kim grabbed my hand, which was trying to take off the clothes, and shouted at me.

Why is he making such a fuss about me taking off just one piece of clothing? I’ve already taken off half of it, can’t I just leave it like that? He’s really acting weird.

#

Feeling bewildered as I exposed my chest while taking off the clothes, Mr. Kim couldn’t help but spit out the contents of his mouth in shock.

Is this kid completely shameless? I don’t think she has any idea how much I suffered to hold her hand and lower her skirt against her will.

And now she’s acting sorry for assuming she could just steal my clothes and wear them as she pleased.

It seems like she doesn’t remember anything that happened yesterday.

All night long, she clung to me and rambled on about losing something… asking me what to do now. And then she had the nerve to run into me without even wearing clothes. Does she have any idea how difficult that was for me? Even after I put my t-shirt on her to calm her down, she still went a bit overboard…

“But why do you keep staring at me?”

…Damn it, after seeing her like that yesterday, my eyes unconsciously drift to her collarbone.

“It’s nothing!”

How did we end up in this situation? Ever since Joo Eun-hye came back home yesterday, everything has been a mess.

And that scene in the bathroom… what could she have lost to cry like that? Come to think of it, I remember my grandfather mentioning that Joo Eun-hye was bullied in middle and high school.

Could it be related to that incident… I might need to look into it a bit.

“Well then, I’ll take care of that~ But why aren’t you eating, sir? This is so delicious… Here, try it.”

Joo Eun-hye, oblivious to my feelings, offers me a spoonful of abalone porridge.

“I’m telling you again, I didn’t do all this just so you could relax on your own.”

Suddenly, I remembered what my father said on the phone earlier.

I never dreamed that because of Joo Eun-hye, I would have to call my father directly and take a sick leave.

At first, I thought it was just a ploy, but when she didn’t buy it, I brought up Joo Eun-hye’s story and she responded so generously…

Right, Joo Eun-hye’s mother was a benefactor to my father, who passed away in an accident six years ago.

Oh? So it wasn’t Joo Eun-hye’s mother who asked about Eun-hye’s well-being every week… come to think of it, I haven’t even met Eun-hye’s father, let alone seen his face.

I realize I don’t know anything about this woman named Joo Eun-hye.

…Well, I can start getting to know her little by little from now on, right? Yes, very slowly… getting to know this woman named Joo Eun-hye—

“My hand is slipping, sir. Hurry up, do it!”

“Ah… okay, okay, I’ll do it—”

What am I thinking right now? Even though Joo Eun-hye is my wife in name only, we’re just contractually married.

In other words, this guy and I are fake spouses? But if this continues, I might actually…

“Oh, is it not tasty? Why is your face like that?”

“…It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

There’s no way I could like this guy for no reason… I’m just worried about living together. Yeah, that’s it. I can’t possibly like this mischievous guy… after all, I prefer older women—

“Oh, I spilled it all. What a waste…”

…!!

Suddenly, when I turned my head, her porcelain-like white thigh caught my eye. The soft, plump thigh that I accidentally touched when moving her to bed last night…

…I need to be careful to make sure this doesn’t happen again.