episode_0084

In the car on the way back home. For some reason, I find myself holding Jinwoo in my arms.

It seems like I’m still feeling a bit hungover from last night, as I was feeling tired and sitting in the back seat, lost in my thoughts.

“Auntie, hold me.”

In the spacious van, I was just lying down in the back seat lost in my thoughts.

Before I knew it, Jinwoo, who had learned to call me auntie instead of uncle, was calling me auntie as he looked towards me. Now that he’s five years old, aside from his slightly hesitant speech, we can have decent conversations and he has developed his own personality, making conversations quite enjoyable.

“Auntie, give me Robocar Poli! Turn it on!”

When I asked Dayoung in front of me what Robocar Poli was, she replied, “Mom, you don’t know Robocar Poli? It’s a children’s animation. If you search for it on YouTube, you’ll find it. If you show him that, he’ll calm down completely.”

When our kids were younger, Pororo and Larva were the most popular animations, but it seems like things have changed a bit now.

Well, it’s been over 10 years already, so if the trends didn’t change, that would be even more strange.

I took out my phone and searched for Robocar Poli on YouTube. As the video started playing, Jinwoo finally quieted down.

Jinwoo, who had been sitting on my lap, started to lean back slowly and get comfortable. As he did so, he naturally leaned his head back, and unfortunately, it was against my chest.

It was incredibly soft, probably due to the volume, but because of its size, it was a bit uncomfortable as his neck started to bend forward slowly.

Eventually, he ended up half-lying down and sitting uncomfortably watching the video.

“Auntie, I want to go to Dayoung.”

Saying that, Jinwoo moved towards Dayoung.

When I was too tired to deal with him, it was annoying, but now that he’s gone to Dayoung, it’s a bit frustrating.

“Oh, Jinwoo’s here.”

Dayoung warmly welcomed Jinwoo as he came to her, sat him on her lap, and started watching the animation together.

Well, since it’s turned out like this, I might as well take a nap as originally planned.

Thinking that, I lay down in the back seat, but my neck was quite uncomfortable.

“Ugh, my neck hurts.”

After searching for something to support my head for a moment, I put my bag on my head, but since it was a clutch bag, it was too low.

I got up from my seat again and looked around, and coincidentally, I met eyes with Davin, who was looking at me.

“Oh, Davin. Want to come over here?”

“Why?”

Saying that, Davin lifted himself from his seat and sat in the back seat.

“Go sit by the window over there.”

Davin obediently took the window seat as I said. I lay down, and Davin’s thigh was against my head.

“Ouch, that’s good. It’s the perfect height.”

“Mom.”

“Sorry. Mom’s a bit tired and trying to rest her eyes, but it’s uncomfortable.”

“Ouch…do you need something else?”

“Even if there is, this is the best option.”

I knew Davin would be uncomfortable, but I was too tired to worry about it, so I just closed my eyes. And before long, I gradually lost consciousness and fell asleep.

How long has it been since then?

I woke up feeling someone shaking me, and when I opened my eyes, Davin was looking down at me.

“Mom, we’ve arrived. Wake up.”

“Ugh…rest area?”

It took about 3 hours from our hometown to our house, so it would take about the same amount of time to go back. Of course, it was natural to make a stop at a rest area halfway through the journey.

“No. We’ve arrived home.”

“…Home?”

I must still be half asleep, as I got up from my seat and looked out the window to see that it was indeed our apartment complex.

“Why?”

“Oh… Jinwoo and Jinseo were knocked out, and the rest didn’t need to use the restroom, so we came straight here. Uncle also said he had urgent business.”

Even so, did I really manage to sleep so soundly for 3 hours in the car?

But more importantly.

“No, Sanggi, aren’t you tired? I suggested we switch at the rest stop.”

Originally, I had planned to drive all the way home, but Sanggi vehemently refused, saying it was unreasonable to do long-distance driving while also having work to do.

“Haha, maybe I hesitated to wake you up because you were sleeping so deeply. And I’m not that tired. We didn’t hit any traffic, so we arrived early.”

Looking at the clock, about 2 hours and 40 minutes had passed.

“I’m really sorry.”

I said that and got up from my seat, opened the car door, and got out. Sanggi tried to help me with the luggage from the trunk, but I firmly stopped him.

“Oh, it’s fine. Really! If you help with this, I’ll feel too guilty.”

“Oh, it’s lighter than when you get out, what’s the big deal.”

“That’s the thing. It’s easier when I do it with the kids, so just take a break.”

So I pushed Sanggi back into the driver’s seat and helped Daeyeong and Dabin unload the luggage from the trunk.

After unloading all the luggage, I greeted Suyeon, who was visible through the open window in the back seat.

“Be careful going in, and maybe next week or so, I’ll come visit.”

“Okay. You be careful going in too. Or should I start calling you ‘unni’ now?”

“Well, in the long run, that might be better, but do whatever you prefer.”

“Um… I’ll gradually get used to it.”

“Okay.”

After saying goodbye to Suyeon, Sanggi, who was sitting in the driver’s seat, turned to me and greeted me.

“Well then, we’ll be on our way.”

“Yeah, thanks for driving, and take care of your work.”

“Okay. Daeyeong, Dabin, let’s go in.”

“Yes, Uncle. We’ll see you again next time.”

“Take care, Uncle. Oh, Jinwoo and Jinseo are in dreamland. They won’t be able to sleep tonight at this rate.”

“Haha, I’ll wake them up soon. Anyway, goodbye. We’re off.”

After the farewell and the van departed, we each picked up the luggage on the floor and headed home.

“Wow! We’re home!”

As soon as we entered the house, Daeyeong shouted in excitement.

“Yeah, home is the most comfortable place.”

Well, it’s a given, but there’s a strange sense of peace that comes over you when you come back home after being out. It was the same last week.

As soon as I entered the house, I changed into more comfortable clothes. I had been wearing the same clothes I wore to the alumni gathering yesterday, so I changed into something more comfortable. These days, a casual look felt the most comfortable.

“What’s with that outfit again?”

When I went to the living room, Daeyeong frowned at my attire. But what can I do? It’s comfortable.

“It’s kind of like a mom look. Haha.”

Afterwards, the kids went to their rooms, and I went to the kitchen to start organizing the side dishes my mom had prepared.

“Ugh, why are there so many?”

From various side dishes to doraji, minari, and other mountain vegetables, there was a lot.

I called to thank her for bringing them up, and she said she had put them in the kitchen while I was helping my father with his shoulder.

“Anyway, I’ll eat well. Mom.”

“Okay. Have a good day at work tomorrow. Take care of your diet.”

“Oh, okay. Stop nagging.”

“Nagging? I’m just wishing you well.”

“Yes, yes. Anyway, I’m hanging up now.”

After ending the call, I finished organizing the remaining side dishes.

After that, I cleaned the house, which I hadn’t been able to do for two days.

– Wheeing!

I started vacuuming slowly from the living room to the bedroom.

– Knock knock!

“Dayoung, I’m cleaning right now. Can I come in?”

Back when he was a man, he had a habit of opening doors without knocking, which led to some conflicts. Now, knocking had become a habit.

“Yeah, it’s fine.”

Upon opening the door and entering, he saw Dayoung rolling around on the bed, talking on the phone with a friend.

Seeing her unpacked luggage still lying around without being organized, he felt the urge to nag at her, but seeing that she was on the phone, he held back.

Instead, he took out a notebook from Dayoung’s shelf, tore a page, and wrote a message with a pen.

‘Clean up your clothes and luggage as soon as you finish the call. Or else, Mom will get mad.’

Upon seeing the note, Dayoung widened her eyes, nodded without saying a word, and continued her call.

After roughly cleaning Dayoung’s room, he moved on to Davin’s room this time.

-Knock knock

After knocking on the door, he asked Davin if he could enter, to which a flustered voice replied, “Just a moment. I’ll clean up first.”

Well, Davin was usually tidy, so he trusted her and agreed, but as he was about to leave, he tried to turn the doorknob slightly, only to find it locked.

Something was locked inside.

Maybe she was talking to her girlfriend? But she said she didn’t have a girlfriend last time…

Anyway, after vacuuming the whole house, he started mopping the floor. After cleaning the entire house, preparing his work clothes for tomorrow, he realized it was already 5 o’clock.

Feeling a bit tired, he quickly prepared a simple dinner of soup and rolled omelet, setting out the side dishes his mother had prepared. Dinner was ready in no time.

“Kids, come eat.”

As he set the finished soup on the table, the kids came out of their rooms one by one and sat down.

“Dayoung, did you finish organizing your stuff?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah.”

Feeling a bit uneasy about her vague answer, he turned his head.

“Huh? Davin, why do you look so tired all of a sudden?”

Indeed, Davin’s face looked exhausted.

“Oh… I guess I’m just tired.”

Seeing Davin wave his hand as if to say not to worry, he decided to let it go.

Teenagers are complicated, after all.