Woojae was currently on his way home for the first time in about a month and a half. He didn’t have much leisure time with midterms right around the corner, but this Saturday was Nari’s birthday. It was a serious enough reason for money-obsessed Woojae to even skip his weekend part-time job.
Of course, this day was also Woojae’s birthday. It wasn’t common for siblings to be born on the same day, but by coincidence, the two of them shared a birthday. If Jang Yeonju knew, it would be the kind of thing she’d make a risky joke about.
His own birthday wasn’t very important, but he couldn’t let Nari’s birthday pass by. Nari felt the same way, so the siblings joined forces and promised to make time on the weekend. They were each other’s only blood family in the world, so they had to take care of each other.
– I’m going home this week.
Even though it was Friday when all classes had ended, when he notified Minwook who was just lying in the dorm room,
– What? I was planning to eat yachae gopchang with you!
– We’ll eat next time.
He made a disappointed sound, wondering when he’d made such plans behind his back.
– Can’t I come too?
– I’m going to feed my younger sibling a meal for their birthday.
– What if I bring a gift?
– It’s fine. No matter if you’re oppa’s friend, it’ll be burdensome. The kid doesn’t like outside men.
– Okay. Have a safe trip. I’ll guard this room in loneliness…….
He didn’t bother mentioning that tomorrow was also his birthday. Leaving Minwook behind in the dorm, Woojae hurriedly got on the bus. The refrigerator would definitely be empty, so he needed to at least go grocery shopping. Calculating the time to stop by the mart after arriving home, he felt needlessly rushed. Because the neighborhood mart closed early.
It was from the moment he got off the bus, took the subway, and arrived at the mart near his house. He was hurrying with an anxious heart when he felt his phone vibrate.
<Perverted Neighbor> 6 missed calls.
“Crazy bastard……”
As he entered the mart holding a shopping basket in his right hand and checked the missed call records with his left hand, a hollow laugh came out. The first call had come around the time he got on the bus, and after that they’d piled up at 30-minute, 20-minute, 10-minute, and 5-minute intervals. Six missed calls in that short time. No matter that they’d agreed to be friends, this was obsession at this point.
He was already going crazy because that damn dream kept bothering him, but this weekend was like an opportunity. He needed to distance himself from the guy.
“Give me about a geun of beef here. For soup.”
“Should I give you Korean beef?”
“Yes.”
On days like this, he shouldn’t skimp on money. Thinking about setting up a birthday table first thing tomorrow morning, Woojae smiled brightly even with his impoverished wallet. If he stewed it thoroughly in the morning and served it, Nari would like it too. After requesting meat from the butcher counter employee and glancing around the seafood corner, croaker happened to be on sale.
“This and…… what else should I make?”
His phone vibrated in his pocket, but he didn’t pay attention. What was important right now was shopping for Nari’s birthday table. At the vegetable corner, he put in lettuce. Because Nari liked lettuce geotjeori. Only after going around once did he think about making japchae too. He put in glass noodles and went back to the butcher counter to add pork for japchae.
He didn’t like that he’d wasted movement unnecessarily, but all of this was the fault of that damn phone buzzing in his pocket. And he saw fruit that had come out as a clearance sale at closing time. It was cheap, but when he saw soft spots, he felt unnecessarily upset and ignored it, putting in Korean melons that looked relatively fresh instead.
“All bought.”
He needed to hurry home to clean the house and prep the ingredients so he could warmly welcome Nari who would come tomorrow morning. He felt a bit guilty about making her come in the morning instead of letting her insist on coming right after evening self-study ended on Friday night, saying it was dangerous. If he had a car, he would have gone to pick her up.
After finishing shopping and meticulously accumulating points, his pocket rang again. He was in a hurry to death, so why did he keep calling and making a fuss? Irritated, Woojae was packing ingredients in a box when he finally couldn’t stand it and picked up his phone, wedging it between his ear and shoulder.
“Why do you keep calling?”
[Where are you?]
At the simultaneous questions, neither had an answer. Woojae couldn’t answer because he was dumbfounded by Gye Sajun’s extremely angry voice, and Sajun was silent because the answer he wanted wasn’t coming.
[I said where are you.]
He was about to glare at the screen when an irritated voice came through the receiver. Why is he irritated? Of course, it would be irritating to call over 10 times and not get an answer, but there wasn’t necessarily a reason he had to answer the phone. Woojae furrowed his brow at his needlessly twisted feelings and answered.
“What are you going to do if you know where I am?”
[You’re not at the convenience store and you’re not at the library either.]
“I’m not there because I’m not there. Would I have gone to work part-time at this hour?”
[I knocked on your door but there was no sign, and just in case, I asked the security guard but he said he didn’t see you.]
“So?”
[So where are you.]
He needed both hands to tie the box with packing string. He wished he’d hang up already.
“Hey, hang up for now. I’m busy.”
[Just tell me where you are.]
“Home! Fuck, I came home. Do you think I don’t have a home or something?”
[Home?]
“Yeah. I didn’t drop out, so you should go home too. You said you’re the youngest son, so why don’t you go home? Don’t your family worry?”
[How did you know I’m the youngest?]
“Your family is so famous. Even if I wanted not to know, I hear about it everywhere. You didn’t know? I have ears attached.”
He hung up the phone and made a handle on the box with packing string. Mm, stable. As expected of me. Slightly drunk on self-love, Woojae picked up the box and hurriedly moved his feet.
It was when he’d moved busily and reached the front of his house. Another call came. This time I really should curse him out, he thought, supporting the box with one hand and struggling to free the other to answer the phone.
“Stop calling, you crazy bastard!”
[Oppa?]
Woojae was very flustered. The caller’s identity was Nari. It was a mistake to be certain this call was also from Gye Sajun because of the guy who’d been persistently calling just before.
“Nari! Where are you?”
[Oppa, did you get a prank call? Why are you angry again?]
“No. What’s up?”
Officially they were friends, but because they weren’t simply friends, he didn’t want to be caught by Nari about Gye Sajun for no reason. He was hurriedly changing the subject when.
[No…… Oppa. I’m so sorry, what should I do. There’s a quiz on Monday and I forgot…… I don’t think I can come home this week.]
The voice coming through the receiver was dripping with apology. Even without seeing her face, he could picture her expression.
“Nothing bad happened, right?”
[What would have happened…… Are you worrying again?]
“If nothing happened, oppa is fine.”
He was worried if perhaps something bad had happened. Even though the school Nari attended was different from the one he belonged to, the past month and a half had amplified his anxiety. In case she was being bullied, in case her frail body got scratched, in case she was lying to hide it.
[I’m really fine. I can’t go because I’m bad at studying. I’ll definitely give you your present next time, oppa.]
As if her oppa’s quiet thoughts had been conveyed, Nari repeatedly appealed her safety. Knowing how much pressure studying brought, Woojae was convinced too.
“You don’t have to do that. Use the allowance I gave you to buy something delicious and buy a problem book. Oppa is more worried about you going hungry buying things like that.”
[Oppa, don’t get me a present either. I know without looking. You just bought a ton of groceries, right? Who’s going to eat all that……]
The heavy box asserted its presence in his arms. Just as Nari said, he’d bought groceries in abundance, but it had become meaningless.
“Then let’s just do one summer outfit.”
[Ah, no! A school uniform and gym clothes are enough! Oppa always wears worn-out things, so why are you getting clothes for a student who can’t even earn money?]
“You don’t think about earning money, just study hard. That’s all oppa needs. I need to feed you seaweed soup.”
Wando-produced seaweed caught his eye. His stomach hurt. Even without money, he didn’t want to show it to Nari, but that was too difficult.
[No. I’ll eat it as cup rice. I heard it comes out delicious these days. Oppa, make sure you eat something delicious too. Since you went home, rest well.]
“Don’t worry about oppa. I’ll freeze it, so come home next week and heat it up to eat.”
[Okay. Oppa’s seaweed soup is so delicious. It’ll be good. Anyway, I’m really sorry. It’s oppa’s birthday……]
“I’m upset I can’t celebrate your birthday. Don’t be sorry for no reason. Study hard and call me again.”
The longer the call went on, the more it would only upset Nari. Woojae hurriedly hung up and readjusted the box in his arms. However, when he saw the things he’d excitedly bought too much of, he felt indescribably disappointed.
‘Ah. What should I do, I bought everything.’
Croaker or seaweed soup could be frozen and taken out to eat, but the other side dishes weren’t like that. It was a waste to use all this just for himself to eat, but because he’d told them to throw away the receipt at the checkout counter, a refund was impossible too. Going back to return the things he’d taken from the refrigerator also pricked his conscience.
‘I can’t throw this away either……’
Woojae climbed the stairs with slightly gloomy feelings. It was a noticeably slower pace compared to just before when he’d been almost running.
Being an old building, there was no elevator even though it was the 5th floor. Climbing the cement stairs with cracks here and there, he opened the tightly closed front door and entered to see the familiar, cramped interior of the house. When he confirmed dust piled thickly on the furniture inside the house, he thought it was good he came after all. He should at least clean.
