Chapter 46
Cha Yoon checked the watch on his wrist. 10:40 AM. It was about time to leave.
He would have preferred to leave after Ki Seo-jung woke up, but he couldn’t wake someone who was sleeping so well. After taking one last look at Seo-jung, Cha Yoon carefully left the room.
The first floor was silent as if no one was there. Everyone seemed to have gone out for their dates. As Cha Yoon was about to join that line, his eyes caught the kitchen.
He turned and headed towards the kitchen. As he approached a corner, he saw the porridge bowl he had hidden, sitting quietly where he had left it.
Cha Yoon carefully picked it up and moved it to a visible spot on the dining table. Looking at the lone porridge bowl, he felt somewhat doubtful.
Ki Seo-jung pathologically hated being indebted to others. With that personality, would he eat this if left like this?
Hmm. Rubbing his chin, Cha Yoon pondered for a moment before seeming to have a good idea and moving away.
A moment later, what Cha Yoon brought back was a pen and a post-it note. He bent over and scribbled for a while.
“I made too much of this and had leftovers. If anyone’s hungry and hasn’t had breakfast, please eat it.
Those who’ve already eaten shouldn’t. Let’s be conscientious.”
Only after putting a period at the end of the last sentence did he straighten up. Cha Yoon stuck the yellow post-it note with the white lie on the lid.
This should do it. While he was at it, Cha Yoon put a spoon and chopsticks on the table and nodded.
As Cha Yoon, having finished his task, came out into the hallway with a brighter expression, he ran into Song Joo-ah, who was just leaving her room. Joo-ah, dressed in home wear, raised her eyebrows and greeted him.
“Oh, you’re dressed really nicely.”
“……”
Despite her playful tone, Cha Yoon didn’t respond. He had remembered a fact he had forgotten.
Today was the day all contestants were going out on dates. Ki Seo-jung and Song Joo-ah had already been on their date, so they would be excluded.
That meant the two of them would inevitably be left alone in this house. Just the ‘two’ of them.
Cha Yoon frowned reflexively. He imagined the two of them staying behind cozily for an unofficial date. Of all people, it had to be Song Joo-ah staying with Ki Seo-jung. He felt irritated.
“I complimented you, why do you look like you’ve eaten something sour?”
I’m hurt, really. Song Joo-ah pretended to pout, not sounding hurt at all.
Cha Yoon was lost in his own thoughts, as if none of this mattered to him.
He hated the idea of Song Joo-ah and Ki Seo-jung being together, but what if Song Joo-ah left? Ki Seo-jung would be left all alone in the house. Cha Yoon unwittingly imagined Seo-jung waking up after everyone had left the dorm. His already furrowed face turned even more grim.
He disliked the idea of Ki Seo-jung and Song Joo-ah being alone together, but it was still better than Seo-jung being completely alone.
Right, I’ll endure it. If asked what he was enduring, he wouldn’t have an answer, but that’s what Cha Yoon thought. He let out a sigh-like breath and opened his mouth.
“Guard the house well.”
“What?”
“Don’t do anything stupid, just guard it well.”
He meant for her to stay put in the house and not do anything foolish with Ki Seo-jung. Having said what he wanted to say, Cha Yoon brushed past Joo-ah. Song Joo-ah shrugged her shoulders, thinking “What’s he on about?”, and returned to her room.
After putting on his shoes, Cha Yoon gave one last glance at the stairs leading to the second floor before leaving.
A while later, Song Joo-ah came out of the room with a serious expression.
“I’ll go to the company first, so Team Leader Min should just stall for time.”
Okay, I’ll be there soon. Song Joo-ah hurried towards the entrance. Soon, the door opened and closed. With a thud, a quiet stillness settled in.
***
Ki Seo-jung opened his eyes silently. Slowly blinking away the drowsiness, Seo-jung got up. Perhaps because he had slept deeply until midday, his condition was much better than in the morning.
Seo-jung picked up his phone. What caught his eye as he was about to check the time were messages from his colleagues.
“……”
Sentences filled with concern for him. Seo-jung unknowingly gripped his phone tightly. He couldn’t take his eyes off the screen. He read and reread the messages for a long time.
Ki Seo-jung was abandoned in a box in front of an orphanage when he was less than a month old. Were they afraid of getting attached if they named him? There was no note in the box, just a newborn baby wrapped in a bundle cloth.
‘From now on, you’re Seo-jung. … Yes, let’s call you Ki Seo-jung.’
Found by someone working at the orphanage, he was given the name Ki Seo-jung, taking the surname of the orphanage director. It was the moment when Seo-jung, who had come into the world but had no meaning, could fully exist for the first time.
Time passed, and Seo-jung had just turned six.
‘I know my mom’s face. So if she comes to find me, I can recognize her right away.’
‘I know my dad’s face too, you know?’
‘Hey, I lived with my mom and dad until I was four.’
‘I’ve been to an amusement park with all my family members, you know?’
Amidst friends bickering with raised voices, Seo-jung couldn’t say anything. He was someone who had no memories of his parents.
In the hours when everyone was asleep, Seo-jung tossed and turned all night, lost in his own thoughts.
Why did mom and dad leave me here? If possible, he wanted to ask. If he could just know the reason, he would never be abandoned again. But he couldn’t. Even if they passed right by him, he wouldn’t recognize them.
Shaking off the helplessness that came over him, Seo-jung racked his brain. Every night, he struggled to solve a problem with no answer.
Then one day, another nameless child arrived at the orphanage.
It had been a very long time since a newborn baby who couldn’t even speak had entered the orphanage. Even though it was a baby he had never seen before, his eyes were drawn to it, and he cared about it. Seo-jung went to the baby’s room every day because he wanted to see the newborn.
That day was no different. Seo-jung ran to the baby’s room after finishing cleaning. And just as he was about to reach through the open door.
‘Oh my, it’s so tiring.’
‘Goodness, have you been holding the baby all day?’
‘Yes. It cries if I put it down.’
‘It needs a lot of attention because it’s young, right?’
‘Definitely. It’s certainly easier to take care of the older kids.’
The teachers’ conversation continued. Seo-jung turned right around and went back to his room. He felt like he had finally found the answer.
Seo-jung curled up on his bed. Was I too much of a bother? Because babies need a lot of attention. Because they are beings that crave attention and need care to the point of exhaustion. Yes, maybe that’s why they found me annoying and disliked me. To the point where they didn’t want to see me anymore.
It was from then on. Seo-jung pathologically tried not to be indebted to others. If even his blood parents couldn’t stand him, how much worse would it be for strangers with no blood ties?
The result of the first request Seo-jung had ever made was in his hands. Words so warm they made his heart swell.
Seo-jung felt as if a huge wall that had been confining him had crumbled. It was like being able to see something that had been invisible before.
Seo-jung moved his hand. Only after sincerely replying to his colleagues did he get up.
Seo-jung opened the door and came out. The X House, which was usually filled with constant chatter, was unusually quiet today. He slowly went down the stairs. The situation on the first floor was no different from the second. It was as silent as if the sound had been muted.
“Ah, today…”
Only then did he realize it was the weekend. It was only natural for the X House to be quiet. All the contestants would have gone out of the dorm for their dates.
At the same time, Cha Yoon came to mind. More precisely, Cha Yoon’s face as he carefully chose a card.
By now, Cha Yoon would also be on a date with someone. It was only natural given that he was on this program. After all, he had also gone on a date with Song Joo-ah. He already knew all this, but why was he feeling this way?
Was it because they had been together at the hospital all that time? Even though he didn’t want to, his thoughts kept drifting to Cha Yoon. Seo-jung shook his head as if trying to shake off these thoughts.
He moved his eyes to look around. The empty house with no one in it looked almost desolate. Somehow, he felt strangely empty inside. He didn’t feel like eating, but he felt like he needed to put something in his mouth. To quell this inexplicable hunger.
It was as he was walking towards the kitchen. A bowl on the dining table caught Seo-jung’s eye. He slowly approached it.
A bright yellow post-it note that seemed out of place caught his attention.
“I made too much of this and had leftovers. If anyone’s hungry and hasn’t had breakfast, please eat it.
Those who’ve already eaten shouldn’t. Let’s be conscientious.”
After reading the memo written on the paper, Seo-jung’s expression froze.
“……Cha Yoon.”
