Bowing repeatedly in gratitude, Lee Jeong forced his reluctant feet to move and went outside. As he trudged to the bus stop, both his heart and steps felt as heavy as if weighted down with lead.
What it means to make a living, really, what a child means…
There were times when life felt suffocatingly heavy. Today was one of those days.
Sitting in a corner seat on the bus, Lee Jeong let out a small sigh. He felt like a great sinner toward both Yoonkyung and Dokyung. Along with the endlessly escaping sighs, Lee Jeong leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes.
*
Perhaps it was because he’d gotten a good night’s sleep for just one day over the weekend, but his work efficiency was high. As he sat in the office concentrating on his work, he didn’t even notice it had grown dark.
—Executive Director.
“Come in.”
At Minho’s voice knocking from beyond the door, Wookyung answered indifferently without even raising his head.
“The auction matter you mentioned earlier has been handled well, I just received word.”
“Good.”
“And….”
When Minho hesitated without leaving even after finishing his report, Wookyung raised his head a beat late.
“Is something wrong?”
“No. It’s just that today you seem to be… doing nothing but work without moving at all. Aren’t you leaving work?”
“Ah… leaving work.”
Only then did Wookyung turn his chair slightly with a spin. His large hand set down the fountain pen on the documents as he rubbed his tired eyes thoroughly.
“I should.”
“You haven’t even had dinner yet.”
“I’ll eat something on the way. Go home.”
“Are you… planning to drive yourself?”
“Yeah. Secretary Kim worked hard today too, so leave early.”
“Then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Watching Minho leave, Wookyung leaned his neck back against the chair with a sigh. Come to think of it, he did feel a bit hungry. What should he eat for dinner? He didn’t have much of an appetite, but should he eat something before going home? As he was pondering, last weekend suddenly came to mind. That somewhat special weekend spent with Yoonkyung and an unfamiliar baby.
‘Appa. Appappa.’
The face of the baby babbling and smiling innocently kept coming to mind.
‘Did I like babies that much?’
It was puzzling, why he was being like this. He hadn’t particularly liked babies before. Even when passing babies on the street, he’d just pass by indifferently. Even when seeing a baby approach him smiling, he’d just think they were cute, that was all. But it was strange that this particular baby kept coming to mind so often.
Was there something special about that baby? He was really cute, but at the end of the day, he was someone else’s baby. If he’d at least been Yoonkyung’s child, he could chalk it up to uncle’s love, but it wasn’t even that. He was puzzled himself as to why that baby kept coming to mind so much.
I want to see that baby again.
At the thought that came without him realizing, Wookyung chuckled and picked up his phone. Ring ring ring, ring ring ring, after a few rings, Yoonkyung answered the phone.
—Yeah.
“Why does your voice sound like that?”
Her voice was much lower and raspy than usual. Wookyung furrowed his brow without realizing it.
—I caught a cold.
“Oh no… Did you catch it from that guy? The baby’s dad?”
—Yeah.
Cough cough, cough cough. Her throat was completely hoarse as she coughed.
“…Are you okay? Your voice is completely shot.”
—I just have a pretty bad cough, but the baby is the problem.
“The baby’s sick too?”
Wookyung raised his voice slightly without realizing it and asked again.
“Does he have a cold too?”
—Yeah. I don’t know where he caught something so bad… The baby’s dad, I can see why he collapsed.
“How can you watch the baby when you’re sick too?”
—I have to, what choice do I have? Lee Jeong-ssi said he can’t take time off.
“The baby’s sick and he still went to work?”
—You know. He works nights. Those kinds of establishments don’t care about such circumstances. We should just be grateful they’re not making him come in on the weekend.
“…Haa.”
Wookyung roughly ran his hand through his hair. Without realizing it, his body was already half-rising from the chair. Grabbing his car keys and jacket, he spoke into the phone.
“I’ll come over.”
—What? It’s nighttime now? What are you going to do by coming, oppa?
“What if either of you gets a raging fever and needs to go to the emergency room?”
—…That’s true. Well… I’d be grateful if you came, but I feel bad making you do this, oppa.
“Forget it. I’m coming now, so wait. Dinner?”
—Not yet.
“Then I’ll buy something hot and bring it. Don’t eat dinner, wait for me. I haven’t eaten yet either.”
—Okay.
Driving the car, Wookyung headed toward Yoonkyung’s house. Thinking that even though they’d been so busy with their own lives that they couldn’t see each other’s faces for months, somehow they’d been seeing each other frequently lately.
He briefly parked the car near Yoonkyung’s house and got hot samgyetang packed to go. Just in case, he also got one more order of chicken porridge packed. The baby can eat this. It was a bit amusing that he was already naturally taking care of food for the baby too. On the way to Yoonkyung’s house, carrying the warm foods heavily in both hands, his heart felt reassured.
He was about to just go into the house but stopped by a nearby pharmacy just in case. He pleaded with the pharmacy owner who was about to close and bought one bottle of fever reducer for babies and one for adults, as well as cough cold medicine. He could already hear Yoonkyung’s nagging in his ears saying why did he buy useless things when they already have medicine, but it was better to buy and get scolded than to not have it and struggle.
“What? You came early, considering?”
Yoonkyung, coughing as she opened the door, looked considerably exhausted.
“Is the baby sleeping?”
“Yeah. He was crying, cough, until just now and just fell asleep.”
“Haa… Really, you’ve had it rough.”
“Come in quickly, I’m hungry. What’s that?”
“Samgyetang. Hot food and meat to get your strength back.”
Handing over the samgyetang, chicken porridge, and emergency fever reducer, Wookyung went into the bathroom to wash his hands. Watching Wookyung come out of the bathroom, Yoonkyung gave unexpected praise.
“Oh, you even thought to buy fever reducer? You’re thoughtful, oppa.”
“…What’s gotten into you? I thought you’d scold me for buying it.”
“Do I always just scold you?”
“You didn’t?”
“Don’t pick a fight and sit down. Let’s eat first, before the baby wakes up.”
The two sat side by side and opened the samgyetang. Steam was still rising from the hot chicken and milky white broth with scallions sprinkled generously on top. With dipping salt placed in the middle, the two silently tore into the chicken for a moment.
“It’s nice seeing you often, oppa.”
Whether Yoonkyung had the same thought Wookyung had earlier, she chuckled while tearing into a chicken leg.
“Right. Seeing your face all at once when we couldn’t see each other for months.”
“Let’s see each other often, it’s nice seeing each other like this continuously.”
“Alright.”
The two again silently spooned the hot broth. As the properly seasoned samgyetang broth went down his stomach, it felt like his insides, which hadn’t been properly fed while concentrating on work all day, were being soothed. Yoonkyung also ate the chicken deliciously next to him while sniffling.
“Wow, it’s delicious. Thanks to you I got some nourishment, oppa. Thank you.”
“Yeah. This is chicken porridge, so when the baby wakes up later….”
Just then, a sound of ‘waaah’ came from inside the room. Just from hearing the crying, it was clearly different from the sounds the baby made over the weekend.
“Huh? He must have woken up. I need to hold him. Oppa, clean up the table.”
“Okay. Go to the baby.”
Wookyung busily cleaned up the table. He collected the chicken bones and put them in a trash bag, pulled out a wet wipe and wiped the table clean. After soaking the utensils they’d used in the sink and finishing cleaning the table, Wookyung discovered a note placed on the dining table.
[Yoonkyung-ssi, I’m sorry and grateful every time. You are my lifelong benefactor. This isn’t much, but I saw you enjoyed the apples last time so I bought some.]
Was it a note written by that baby’s dad? As if torn from a notebook, the note had traces of being torn from a spiral binding. The crooked handwriting looked just like a child’s writing, but sincerity was embedded in each firmly pressed letter.
Lifelong benefactor. Seeing those words, his heart inexplicably swelled. My younger sister is really living well, he thought. Until just moments ago, he’d felt a bit resentful of the baby’s dad for leaving the sick baby with his sick younger sister and going to work. But seeing this note, he felt he understood his heart a little and felt sorry for him too. How must the baby’s dad’s heart feel, going to work leaving the sick baby behind?
