Chapter 51
*
As he pulled back the curtains, Hyeon-woo squinted at the sunlight pouring in, his eyes swollen from crying for no reason in his sleep.
It was strange. Recently, his emotions had been swinging between extremes for reasons he couldn’t understand. He would cry all day out of resentment towards Taegun, only to feel happy again when he saw the blue sky outside the window. He would feel melancholic thinking about his parents, but the sound of leaves rustling in the wind would quickly bring him peace. The erratic ups and downs of his emotions were becoming a source of concern for him.
After vacuuming and finishing the dishes, Hyeon-woo sat down on the living room sofa to rest. He had been helping the lady who worked at the restaurant with some household chores.
A family photo on the side table caught Hyeon-woo’s attention. Behind his brothers, who were sitting in neat shirts, stood the lady with a bright smile and a kind-looking man. His crescent-shaped smile was just like Yejun’s.
Hyeon-woo felt proud of Yejun, who was bravely trying to overcome the sadness of losing his family. The sense of responsibility and mission to protect their mother, who was left alone, seemed to be helping the child grow. In that, Hyeon-woo glimpsed a different way of overcoming despair.
Both the lady and Yejun treated Hyeon-woo as if he were family. They never pried into his circumstances. They simply made sure to keep the first aid kit stocked with disinfectants, ointments, and bandages so that he wouldn’t run out.
Within the consideration of those two, Hyeon-woo’s wounds began to heal little by little. The area stained with blood on the bandages noticeably decreased day by day.
*
On a weekend afternoon, after helping Yejun with his studies, Hyeon-woo noticed the snacks the lady had prepared in the living room.
Perhaps due to his recently weakened appetite, he had developed a strong preference for certain foods and even started to pick at his meals. But the chocolate pie and milk he discovered strongly stimulated his appetite. Unable to resist the sweet treat, Hyeon-woo sat down at the table and began to eat.
“Isn’t it frustrating just staying at home?”
As the lady refilled his empty cup with milk, she asked, and Hyeon-woo, who had been eating well, paused. The lady waved her hand dismissively.
“I’m not trying to pressure you, so don’t misunderstand. Just finish eating quickly.”
“…….”
“I wanted to introduce you to a simple job. One of my friends runs a tutoring center after completely renovating a house. I think you’d be a good fit for teaching Yejun, and the work shouldn’t be too hard. Plus, it’s a nice distance to walk to get some fresh air. What do you think?”
Hyeon-woo, who had been listening to the conversation, fell deep in thought. He had been gradually considering job opportunities anyway. He couldn’t keep relying on others forever. It was true that he felt increasingly uneasy about just consuming the kindness of those who fed and sheltered him without being able to repay them.
Still, he found it hard to take the plunge. The moment his name was registered for the four major insurances, Taegun would find out. He was in a position where he couldn’t even open a bank account carelessly, and figuring out how to earn money was complicated. Just then, the lady had brought up a job opportunity.
Hyeon-woo immediately got to the point.
“Is it possible to receive payment as a daily worker without insurance? I’m interested, but….”
Understanding Hyeon-woo’s hesitation, the lady nodded enthusiastically.
“That’s great to hear! I’ll ask about it!”
She quickly picked up her phone and made a call, continuing the conversation. With a bright smile, she showed him an ‘okay’ sign with her thumb and index finger. Hyeon-woo expressed his gratitude to her. An interview with the director was arranged, and he started his first day of work the following Monday.
*
“Dad!”
After finishing her class, Jiwoo, who had been staring out the window, finally packed her bag. It seemed she had spotted her dad who had come to pick her up.
“Teacher, goodbye!”
Jiwoo bowed and thanked Hyeon-woo, whose scarf was dragging on the ground.
“Jiwoo, wait a moment.”
Hyeon-woo picked up the fallen scarf and dusted it off. As he carefully wrapped it around Jiwoo’s neck, she hugged him tightly.
“Teacher, I love you so much!”
With a smile spreading across his face, Hyeon-woo embraced Jiwoo.
“I love you too, Jiwoo. Be careful going home, and see you tomorrow.”
“Yes! Teacher!”
Jiwoo dashed out the gate with energy. Not far away, a guardian who had come to pick up Jiwoo was waiting. It was a single, unmarried omega raising Jiwoo alone. It seemed she always came to pick Jiwoo up at this time after finishing work. After exchanging brief glances with her, Hyeon-woo returned inside the tutoring center. He only began to clean up after Jiwoo had left.
There were a total of five children in the tutoring center. They were all young elementary school students. Being around the clean and bright children made Hyeon-woo feel as if his worries and dark thoughts were melting away like snow on a spring day.
The tutoring center was a lovely two-story house with a lawn. The director, who had accumulated a lot of wealth while working as a financial asset manager in her youth, had become infertile after an accident during pregnancy and faced difficulties in her marriage, eventually leading to a divorce. As time passed, her longing for a child deepened, but she felt it was too late to adopt, so she found this tutoring center as an alternative.
The director, whose hobby was enjoying tea time, would make sandwiches and croquettes to share with the children. Hyeon-woo helped her with that. On sunny days, they would set up a mat and a transparent windbreak in the yard and have an impromptu picnic. Bright laughter and chattering voices filled the lawn.
Hyeon-woo fully enjoyed the fresh, vibrant energy radiating from the children. His body and mind felt invigorated with life. Perhaps because of that, his habit of scratching his arms noticeably improved. Although scars would remain, he felt that by next summer, he could wear short-sleeved shirts without worry.
After returning from the tutoring center, Hyeon-woo took a short nap and then rubbed his eyes as he headed to the refrigerator. He took out the vegetables he had bought earlier and washed them clean. Ferns, bellflowers, and spinach, all in vibrant colors, were placed on the cutting board. He planned to prepare dinner for the lady, who loved seasoned vegetables.
He checked the clock on the wall. There was plenty of time before the lady returned home. Following the recipe in the cookbook, he blanched the vegetables, seasoning them with salt, pepper, and soy sauce. Just as he was about to open the lid of the sesame oil bottle for the final step, it happened.
“Ugh!”
Suddenly feeling nauseous, he hurried to the bathroom. The smell of oil overwhelmed him, making his stomach churn. As he clutched the toilet, the red veins around his eyes became prominent.
It was strange. The frequency of his nausea was increasing.
That wasn’t all. Every morning, he woke up with a slight fever and headache, making it hard to get out of bed. The fatigue draining from his body felt different from the usual signs of a heat cycle.
After barely managing to calm his churning stomach, Hyeon-woo returned to the counter. Holding his nose, he carefully drizzled the sesame oil and sprinkled sesame seeds to finish the dish.
“I’m home~ Oh my, it smells delicious!”
The lady returned just as he was preparing dinner. Yejun was out playing in the city with friends and would be back late, so it was just the lady and Hyeon-woo for dinner.
“Why did you prepare all this? I told you to rest.”
Though she scolded him with her words, the joy on her face was evident as Hyeon-woo proudly picked up his chopsticks. However, he couldn’t hold back the sharp smell that pierced his nose and rushed to the bathroom again.
“Ugh…!”
As Hyeon-woo clutched the toilet and retched, the lady’s worried eyes reflected a glimmer of suspicion.
*
Rubbing his eyes as he woke up, Hyeon-woo found it dark outside. It was already midnight. He had wasted his rare day off sleeping. His increasing desire to sleep had begun to interfere with his daily life.
“Teacher, are you sleepy?”
He had been teased for dozing off during the brief moments when the children were solving math problems. Having finally slept all day, he thought tomorrow would be better. As he stood up, he suddenly felt dizzy and furrowed his brow. When he touched his forehead, he felt a slight fever.
The headache that had persisted for days was particularly severe today. He had brushed it off until now, but it was becoming unbearable. In a hurry to shake it off, Hyeon-woo went to the living room to find the lady.
“Um, do you happen to have any cold medicine at home?”
The lady, who had been sitting at the dining table writing in her ledger, looked up and stared at Hyeon-woo blankly. She seemed to have something to say, her lips moving but unable to find the words. Hyeon-woo, puzzled, waited patiently for her to respond.
