“Thanks to Uncle Seongjo…… I’ve been eating a lot of delicious food lately, so I’m happy.”
The menu Yeongeun chose was meat. Last time, even when he asked what she wanted to eat, she’d answered anything was fine, but it seemed she’d become a bit more comfortable with Seongjo in the meantime. Or maybe she really wanted to eat meat badly.
Grilling the meat was Yujeong’s job. This was because Seongjo was someone who had only eaten meat grilled by others his entire life. Of course, if Seongjo hadn’t taken the lead, there would have been no occasion to come eat, but hearing such words while someone was laboring made him feel uncharacteristically embarrassed for no reason.
Yujeong himself grilled the meat without saying anything. He didn’t burn it or produce much smoke, and the way he cut it into bite-sized pieces and neatly arranged them looked quite skilled, making him curious whether he had much experience with this.
“Thank you…… Teacher, please eat too.”
Yeongeun, who had been receiving the meat Yujeong placed on her plate like a baby bird, spoke hesitantly. Yujeong answered ‘Okay,’ but didn’t seem to have any intention of actually putting anything in his mouth. Watching that scene somehow made him feel amused.
Thinking about it, it was quite a strange combination. A middle schooler, her brother’s estranged friend pretending to be an ex-boyfriend, and a school math teacher. But he could glimpse quite a familial aspect from the two of them. Enough to feel like a family meal he didn’t even have often with his real family.
Seongjo took the opportunity to pick up a lettuce leaf and took out new chopsticks to gather meat, ssamjang, garlic, and king oyster mushroom all together. Then he bundled up the wrap and held it out to Yujeong, who had been watching absentmindedly.
“What is this……”
“Say ‘ah.'”
“I have hands too.”
“I’m grateful you saved me today.”
The sound of Yujeong letting out a sigh could be heard clearly. But perhaps his heart really did soften at the words about being grateful, because he eventually reluctantly opened his mouth and accepted the wrap.
Thinking about it, he’d never done the act of making and feeding wraps even to Yeongbeom.
While Seongjo was having such trivial thoughts, Yujeong finally began eating food little by little with his own hands. He seemed to be on guard in case Seongjo tried to feed him another wrap. Even that felt amusing, so it didn’t bother him.
After finishing the meal, Seongjo naturally stood in front of the register. However, Yujeong had absolutely no intention of letting Seongjo pay, holding onto the bill without handing it over. Something about how if you became a teacher and got meals from parents, you’d get caught. Seongjo wasn’t even a parent, but he couldn’t break Yujeong’s will. Should this be called being upright as bamboo?
Not content with just that, Yujeong even refused to get in Seongjo’s car again.
“The station is right in front. I can just take the subway back.”
“It’s rush hour, so why don’t you just get in? Where’s your home?”
“It’s far.”
Quite a bit of time had passed during the meal, so if he took the subway now, he’d have to entrust his body to the packed rush hour commute. Did he think that was better than getting in the car Seongjo was driving? Watching Yujeong assert it was far without saying where, Seongjo also persistently asked.
“How far is it?”
“Extremely far.”
When the two people’s meaningless quarrel was continuing, Yeongeun, who had been watching the scene helplessly, moved her lips.
“Um……”
“Hm?”
“Is, is my house very far? Then I can just take the bus too……”
“……”
Yujeong’s expression crumbled slightly upon hearing those words. Though he couldn’t know the detailed situation, Seongjo immediately intuited that the situation was turning in his favor.
“Teacher lives in the same complex as me……”
Seongjo turned his head so Yeongeun couldn’t see, then smiled slightly toward Yujeong. It was childish, but it was a smile of victory. He could see that Yujeong also turned his head like him and let out a small sigh.
It must have been an excuse he’d made because he didn’t want to mooch a ride in Seongjo’s car anymore, but now even Yeongeun, who lived in the same complex as Yujeong, had become someone he needed to be considerate of. For him, it would be awkward.
Watching Yeongeun, who was gripping the door handle as if she might get out of the car immediately, Yujeong finally opened his mouth.
“Now that I think about it, I don’t want to take the subway during rush hour. I’ll be indebted to you.”
* * *
“Thank you so, so much today……”
Yeongeun bowed her head in front of the apartment building entrance. Seongjo waved his hand lightly and answered.
“Yeah, go in. And when your mom gets home today, tell her to contact me.”
After leaving those words, he sent Yeongeun in. Until now he’d looked after Yeongeun without directly contacting Yeongbeom’s mother, but it seemed the time had come to have a conversation. Even after Yeongeun went in, Seongjo didn’t take his eyes off that direction for a moment. Then Yujeong, who had been standing silently, threw out a question.
“Why are you holding onto me?”
“I have something to ask you.”
He answered without letting go of the hand that was holding his arm. Yujeong silently looked down at his captured arm. It probably meant to let go quickly, but Seongjo pretended not to notice that sign and continued speaking.
“How is this neighborhood?”
When he asked that and turned his head, Yujeong looked back at Seongjo as if he didn’t understand. It made sense that he’d think it strange since he’d suddenly asked what the neighborhood was like. Seongjo smiled a bit awkwardly and added.
“Yeongeun seems to have some problems at school. With those kids she fought with last time.”
At those words, Yujeong readily nodded.
“That’s probably true. I’m not her homeroom teacher either…… I only see her occasionally so I don’t know exactly. But what does that have to do with what this neighborhood environment is like? Are you curious about public safety?”
“Mm, I’m thinking of moving here.”
“……Moving here?”
“I’m thinking about it positively.”
At Seongjo’s leisurely answer, Yujeong’s expression worsened again. Why would he make such an expression? Was becoming neighbors that displeasing? But no matter how much Yujeong showed his dislike, it felt uncomfortable to accept that reaction at face value. So he didn’t add more words and kept his mouth shut.
Yujeong opened his mouth after a short silence.
“Moving houses because Student Yeongeun might be bullied…… is strange. You’re not even her real uncle, are you?”
“Does it show? Because we don’t look alike?”
For Yeongeun, who had desperately held back from letting ‘Oppa Seongjo’ slip out today and called him uncle instead, it was unfortunate. Since he hadn’t hoped she’d believe he was a real uncle anyway, it didn’t matter either way.
Yujeong didn’t bother to answer.
Seongjo smiled faintly and took out a cigarette pack from his pocket. Yujeong silently watched Seongjo light his cigarette with a black Zippo lighter.
“Do you smoke?”
“I don’t. I hate it.”
For someone like that, the answer was immediate. Seongjo looked at Yujeong, who had an uncomfortable face that seemed genuine this time, and smiled slightly again.
“You look it.”
He turned his head to the side so the cigarette smoke wouldn’t reach him as much as possible. If he wanted to be a bit friendlier, he would have put it out altogether, but it seemed like even such kindness wasn’t something Yujeong would want.
While Seongjo took a few puffs, Yujeong only quietly watched the end of that cigarette. It wouldn’t have been strange if he’d tried to leave with words like he’d be going if there was no more business, so it was unexpected. Seongjo opened his mouth again, feeling that psychological sense of deviation, like his lungs were filled with bad air.
“It’s not that I’m moving because of that. I just happened to leave home.”
“What did you say?”
“I said I left home.”
“……Did you run away from home at that age?”
Yujeong asked as if dumbfounded. It didn’t seem like a joke, but it was just funny. Seongjo, who deeply inhaled the cigarette smoke once more, laughed while letting that smoke flow out.
“Right? That’s what happened. Anyway, that’s why I said it. Teacher, what do you think about me coming here?”
“Why are you asking me that?”
It was still a prim answer. Seongjo struck back with a voice that wasn’t affected at all.
“In case you’d be disgusted again if I just moved here without telling you first. You did that last time too. When I asked if we’d seen each other somewhere before, you looked at me like I was some punk making moves.”
“I didn’t particularly think that. There’s no reason you’d make moves on me in the first place……”
Yujeong answered in an especially calm and slow voice compared to his other words. His next words naturally continued as he turned his head.
“The neighborhood is decent to live in. If you ran away from home and have nowhere to go and you’re worried about Yeongeun, it wouldn’t be bad to move here.”
“It wasn’t completely nonexistent though.”
Seongjo said, as if tossing it out. A slight crack appeared in Yujeong’s calm face.
This time too, it was a half-impulsive remark. However, it wasn’t a lie thrown out for no reason.
“I mean my intention to make moves wasn’t completely nonexistent.”
Because if he’d had absolutely no such intention, he wouldn’t even be here. Seongjo smiled slightly. It was a smile that seemed playful yet mixed with awkwardness somewhere.
“Will you give me your number?”
