# Chapter 43
“Brother, where are we going?”
Young Jaeyeon asked nervously, rolling her eyes around. Each time the van shook, Jaeyeon would startle and grip my hand tightly. Though I was also quite tense, I tried not to show it as I comforted the anxious Jaeyeon.
“We’re going to the place where we’ll live from now on.”
“So we don’t have to stay at aunt’s house anymore?”
“That’s right.”
Jaeyeon’s face, which had been gloomy, instantly brightened. I thought she’d been fine since she stayed obediently without complaints, but apparently not. Well, it couldn’t have been comfortable for a child her age to live in someone else’s house, watching her every step. I should have just said we’d go to the facility from the beginning. We unnecessarily stayed with relatives we barely knew.
Last weekend, I mustered up the courage to tell my aunt that Jaeyeon and I would enter an orphanage together. We weren’t exactly abused or neglected, but it was crystal clear that my aunt and her husband found us uncomfortable and burdensome.
It would have been better if we had some money, but parents who didn’t even sign up for basic medical insurance wouldn’t have had life insurance either. Moreover, being young and ignorant, I had carelessly settled with the party responsible for the traffic accident, resulting in a woefully inadequate settlement amount. It would have been insufficient for my aunt’s family to raise me and Jaeyeon with that money. So I voluntarily spoke up first, saying I would go to an orphanage.
When I first mentioned it, my aunt looked at me with great pity and said there was no need. But the next day, she carefully suggested that it would be better for us to enter a facility. And so, this morning, we ended up riding in a van sent by the orphanage.
The van stopped in a quiet neighborhood after passing through a forest of buildings.
<Hanmaeum Orphanage>
I stared blankly at the sign attached to the low wall. Only now did it feel real that I had become an orphan. It felt like Jaeyeon and I were dropped alone into an unfamiliar world. All the belongings I had packed from my aunt’s house were in the backpack I carried. Its weight was so light that even my existence felt incredibly light.
When I remained still without getting out of the car, someone came out from inside the building and opened the car door. It was a middle-aged woman with a stern appearance who looked somewhat old-fashioned. I instinctively knew she was the director of this orphanage.
“So you two are the siblings who were supposed to come today. Get out.”
At her firm voice, I got out of the car hesitantly. Jaeyeon, scared of the unfamiliar person, stuck close behind me and looked around nervously. I tried to follow the woman into the building with deliberately brave steps.
Inside the orphanage, there were not only young children Jaeyeon’s age but also newborns. I seemed to be the oldest among them. The children glanced at Jaeyeon and me furtively, then waved at us. They all appeared to have gentle personalities.
Among them, one child caught my eye in particular. It was a boy with hair darker than the others, but strangely, his face looked blurry. I didn’t find this odd.
“Hello?”
The child flinched in surprise as if he hadn’t expected me to approach and greet him.
“Oh, hello…”
The child stammered a response to my greeting. Shyness appeared on his blurry face. Suddenly, I had an urge to see his face properly. Just as I was reaching out to touch the child’s face…
“Huk!”
I suddenly felt a pressure as if my breath was being cut off. When I looked back, the backpack on my back was inflating to an enormous size.
“Aaaaargh!”
The backpack, which had swollen to more than 10 times my body size, crushed me underneath it. I desperately turned my head to look at Jaeyeon for help. Somehow, Jaeyeon, who had been a young child until just now, was wearing a high school uniform with a Hanguk High School 3rd-year badge.
“H-help me!”
“No way. This is punishment for making fun of my forehead.”
Jaeyeon watched me being crushed under the backpack with an indifferent face. It was a similar expression to when she saw the Sea Squirt Man. Breathing became increasingly difficult. I thought I might actually die at this rate. I planted my hands on the floor and used my last bit of strength to lift my upper body.
“Huk!”
My eyes flew open as my blocked airway burst open. I can see a stained ceiling through my blurry vision. A ceiling I’ve seen hundreds of times. Of course. It’s my room. I was dreaming. A bad dream at that. The shock of being crushed by the backpack was so intense that I forgot all the previous content of the dream.
My mouth was completely dry. Thinking I should drink a glass of water, I tried to get up from my bed, but I couldn’t move my body properly.
“Ugh. What’s going on?”
It was difficult to breathe even though there was no backpack on my back. When I reflexively turned over, something held my body tightly. I managed to turn my head to check, and a familiar face filled my view. I belatedly realized that I had let Heerim into my room last night.
“Mmm…”
One of Heerim’s legs had come to rest on my thigh. We were in a somewhat embarrassing position. I tried to escape from Heerim’s embrace, but his arms and legs wouldn’t budge at all. Moreover, every time I moved, the mattress made loud noises, so I couldn’t move freely. I was concerned about Jaeyeon, who might still be at home.
“Heerim?”
“…”
“Hey. I know you’re not sleeping.”
I called out to Heerim just in case, but he was still in dreamland. I swallowed a small sigh and used my left arm, which I could barely move, to fumble around the bed for my phone. I needed to check what time it was first.
I managed to pick up the phone precariously placed at the edge of the bed and lit up the screen. It was 9 AM, so fortunately, Jaeyeon would be at school.
“So much for nine-to-six today.”
Although there were no fixed working hours, I had been arriving and leaving early until now, so I felt like I was playing hooky for no reason. I needed to get ready for work quickly. But first, I had to get Heerim off me…
I was in the middle of twisting my body to escape from Heerim when suddenly the phone in my hand vibrated softly. It was a call from the Director.
“Hello?”
“Is Heerim with you right now?”
“Huh? Oh, yes. He’s at my place.”
A sigh of relief was heard from the other end of the speaker.
“Should I put him on?”
“No. It’s fine. You can come to work later, so I’ll see you then.”
“Okay.”
After ending the call, I tried to twist my body again, and Heerim’s pointed chin fell onto my shoulder.
“Was that Hanyoung noona?”
“Oh, when did you wake up?”
“I woke up at the sound of you answering the phone.”
Heerim’s voice, having just awakened from sleep, was deeply lowered and cracked. For a moment, I found that voice sexy. Having just woken up myself, my instincts seemed to stimulate my brain more than reason. Moreover, Heerim’s body, pressed tightly against mine, felt newly firm and hot, making my heart race.
“You’re heavy. Move your arms and legs.”
“Ah…”
I deliberately spoke gruffly to hide my true feelings. Heerim, with a drowsy expression, slowly raised his body. At last, I could escape from him.
Creak.
As I got up, an unpleasant spring sound stabbed my ears. I frowned at the sound, and Heerim lightly shifted his body.
Creeeak.
The sound of a spring bouncing was heard once more. It was embarrassing. I should have replaced the mattress with a new one.
Heerim found the part making the sound and gently brushed it with his palm.
“Fixed it.”
“What?”
“The bent spring. I fixed it.”
Heerim moved his waist. Surprisingly, the mattress that had been making that unpleasant sound was now fine.
“No, you didn’t have to…”
I trailed off in embarrassment as I pulled down the wrinkled hem of my shirt. Only awkwardness filled my room, which was slightly larger than the office pantry.
I mentally selected what to say. After a moment of silence, I came up with something that wasn’t too lengthy but could still reprimand Heerim for his behavior that had crossed the line.
“Do you remember what happened yesterday? It was quite troublesome. I hope something like this doesn’t happen again.”
This should be enough for him to understand, right?
“Jaeo hyung.”
“Heerim…”
Heerim and I spoke almost simultaneously. I closed my mouth and gave Heerim the opportunity to speak first.
“I’m hungry.”
***
The gaze fixed on my back was extremely burdensome, but I pretended not to notice as I placed a pot on the gas stove.
“Can you handle spicy food?”
“Yes.”
Heerim, sitting at the folding table, nodded. It was a table I used in place of a dining table, as I didn’t have one. I took out red pepper powder from the refrigerator. I thought something spicy would be good for a hangover ramen.
My plan to send Heerim away as soon as morning came had gloriously failed. I couldn’t bring myself to chase away the guy who looked like a puppy that hadn’t eaten for days. Due to my thin sympathy and affection, I ended up making hangover ramen that I hadn’t even thought of.
As usual, I quickly cooked a packet of ramen and placed it in front of Heerim. Heerim looked puzzled at the pot placed only in front of him.
“Aren’t you eating, hyung?”
“I don’t usually have breakfast.”
“I’m sorry for the trouble…”
“It’s fine, don’t worry about it and just eat.”
Heerim hesitantly picked up his chopsticks. The springy, well-cooked noodles went into Heerim’s mouth.
“Kuh, kuhup!”
“What’s wrong? Did it go down the wrong pipe? Here’s some water.”
“Ah, thank, kelock.”
Heerim, with tears at the corners of his eyes, hurriedly drank the water. Even after finishing the water, Heerim made sounds like “Ssup. Ssuup” with his mouth.
“Can’t handle spicy food?”
I asked as I refilled his empty cup with water. Heerim, who was lifting noodles from the pot, flinched and then slowly nodded.
“…Yes. But I don’t dislike it! I just can’t handle it well. No, I like it! Spicy food!”
Heerim fidgeted and rambled nonsensically.
“Could it be he pretended to handle it well to look good to me?”
“Pfft.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at his childlike behavior. Heerim also smiled slightly at my laughter.
“Ah, I need to maintain boundaries.”
But that’s too difficult.
And so, once again, I found myself both troubled and delighted by Heerim, who had suddenly barged into my daily life.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
