CH 6.1

A weekend later, Geon Hyeong shows up at Jung Won’s house carrying a large suitcase bag that both Hee Won and Sung Won are surprised to see. Her younger sister still looks pretty, while her younger brother looks a bit stupid. Then, the little girl who is said to be her younger cousin looks very lively and brave.

Geon Hyeong didn’t greet the three pairs of eyes staring at him at all and immediately looked around the low-ceilinged house while frowning. The living room was very small with a dull blue three-person sofa and a table covered in a light blue, striped tablecloth located inside. One end of the living room was directly connected to the kitchen.

On the inside of the living room, next to the sliding door where the sunlight entered, there were several flower pots that made the room look even more cluttered. On the other side of the wall, hung an old family photo and some frames containing paintings that looked much older. Then, underneath was a round aquarium that made the living room look even more cramped.

“No, no.”

Chi-chi who started shouting loudly at the arrival of the stranger immediately lowered her voice as soon as she met Geon Hyeong and immediately averted her gaze. Meanwhile, Goliath initially sniffed Geon Hyeong’s leg which looked uncomfortable. Then, he rolled his tail on Geon Hyeong’s leg and began to play with him.

“It’s so narrow.”

“Don’t protest so much. You’re the one who wants to live here.”

Jung Won replied to Geon Hyeong’s quiet grumbling with coldness.

“Why did you come here, Ajusshi?”

“Your Unnie didn’t tell you?”

Hee Won, who had calmed herself down at that moment, screamed softly again at the word ‘Unnie’ coming out of the man’s mouth. It was as if the word ‘Unnie’ in that house symbolized a certain law and power.

“No, I told you I don’t want to. I don’t want to anyway. Unnie, I clearly told him that I don’t want to.”

Hee Won who felt guilty was busy reasoning with her sister with a trembling and frightened face. She didn’t understand why that man was in her house right now.

“I know. He didn’t come here because of you.”

Actually, Jung Won wanted to explain this situation to her younger siblings right away, but she knew that making her siblings understand this situation would not be easy.

She herself was constantly thinking about whether her decision was right or not all night long. Even now, it felt like she wanted to forget her agreement with this man. However, she knew that she could do nothing at the moment and had to accept this situation.

“I’m serious.”

“Yes, I know too.”

Even though Jung Won nodded her head a thousand times and said that she knew, it seemed like Hee Won still didn’t understand her words.

“Sorry, I didn’t tell them you were coming.”

Jung Won sighed and apologized in a low voice to Geon Hyeong who just silently watched Jung Won’s younger siblings panic.

“Your house is always crowded like this?”

“Sometimes.”

Geon Hyeong, who had been in the house for a while but had yet to introduce himself, shook his head impatiently.

Sung Won, whose behavior was sometimes just as disrespectful, realized that the man who came to his house was the one who placed the ad in the newspaper that day. The one who messed up his family. Then, why did his Noona bring that dangerous person into the house?

As the oldest man in the house, Sung Won wants to keep the family out of danger like this.

“Are you interested in my second Noona?”

“No.”

Hearing Geon Hyeong’s firm answer, Hee Won and Sung Won looked at each other and nodded with relief on their faces. Now, they felt calmer. However, their suspicions were growing. If so, why was this man in their house?

“So now Ajusshi has finally been completely ruined?”

“Finally?”

Jung Won’s younger brother asked with a serious face to Geon Hyeong who was still standing uncomfortably.

Finally. As if stating the long-awaited result for some reason.

Finally des…troyed?

“Because Unnie once said that people like Ajusshi are bound to fail when doing business.”

The brave So Hee answers Sung Won’s question and explains what the ’cause’ means honestly. Geon Hyeong raised his eyebrows for a moment and then looked at Jung Won who pretended not to hear their conversation.

“So, she has cursed me to be destroyed. No, I’m not destroyed. Just a little troubled at the moment.”

“What problem?”

Hee Won asked curiously. The smart Hee Won couldn’t understand why a Goryo Group heir would come to this small house in the middle of the night. Then, the three siblings put on suspicious expressions as they looked at each other and chuckled as if they had figured it out.

“Didn’t Unnie pick you up?”

“What?”

Geon Hyeong again asked Hee Won who grumbled with an impatient face. Picked up? Who? Me?

“You see, people usually throw things they no longer like to Unnie. Dogs, cats, cockatoos, turtles. Even flowers that are about to wilt.”

“As for Duldul, he was an abandoned dog that Unnie bought for a lot of money that summer. As for Romeo and Goliath, they’re just ordinary stray cats.”

“As for Dodo, he was abandoned by the kid next door for a month. As for Chi-chi, she was dumped by someone who moved out.”

Sung Won continued Hee Won’s words while pointing at the turtle in the aquarium and the cockatoo in the iron cage. Geon Hyeong followed the direction of Sung Won’s hand and looked at the two animals. Apparently, this woman does have a weak heart and listens to people more easily than he thought.

“No, no.”

The cockatoo named Chi-chi looked at Geon Hyeong with annoyance and started making strange noises. Perhaps this was not a cockatoo, but a parrot? Whatever it was, Geon Hyeong really disliked the noisy bird that was always flapping its wings.

“Chi-chi, I don’t like it either. The Noona has to ‘pick up’ people too now. There are no empty rooms anymore.”

“Noona, please, don’t randomly pick up things. This ajusshi is too big anyway.”

Jung Won glared at her rude younger siblings who continued to complain that Geon Hyeong’s arrival made their house full.

“Pick up? Who told you to use that word for humans?”

“I was picked up too. My mother and father took me and left me here.”

“Kang So Hee, no one dumped you and no one picked you up. They must have their own reasons. I already explained it to you.”

“Unnie thinks I’m stupid like Unnie? How can an adult survive if her mind is that innocent.”

The 6 year old child advised Jung Won with an impatient face. Come to think of it, it seems like the only stupid person in this house is Kang Jung Won.

“At least you’re still our sister. As for that ajusshi, he’s not a brother and he has a lot of money. Why do you keep picking it up?”

“No one is picking up people. Are you going to keep saying that?”

“Isn’t it like that?”

“No.”

Geon Hyeong who had been watching their argument finally answered the question ahead of Jung Won. Immediately, silence fell over the house and three pairs of eyes fell on him.

“That’s right, it looks like this person is too big for Unnie to pick up. Then, why did you come here?”

Hee Won, who was surprised by the man who suddenly seemed to rule the room, asked him.

Geon Hyeong just silently watched Jung Won respond to Hee Won’s question. It was as if the answer was in that woman.

Okay. This woman said she doesn’t like to lie, right? Even though Geon Hyeong knows there are family rules in the house, every single thing that troubles him seems to be thrown at Jung Won. Jung Won, who was furious at his attitude, tried to remain patient. If it continues like this, Jung Won will almost go crazy.

“To stay overnight.”

“Stay? Why does it have to be at this house?”

That was the question Jung Won also wanted to ask. Of all the places to stay in this country, why did he have to come and stay at this house? Jung Won’s gaze went to Geon Hyeong. This time it was his turn to answer this question.

However, this man is not someone who will tell the truth honestly, politely, and subtly.

“No way. Ajusshi, is there anything you want from our house?”

“Or, has anyone threatened Ajusshi?”

“Never mind, don’t ask too many questions.”

There would be no suitable answer to those questions coming out of that man’s mouth.

Moreover, Hee Won and Sung Won’s curiosity was endless. If it continued like this, they would probably keep pushing and whining to find out the secret of Geon Hyeong’s arrival all night long.

“The house is being repaired. And we need money, so he’s staying here. Any objections?”

“I don’t mind, it’s just very suspicious.”

“There’s nothing suspicious. There’s a rule that says we should help people who are in trouble…”

“Rule number 15; if someone is in trouble and needs help, then we must not ignore them and must help wholeheartedly.”

“Right, that’s what I meant.”

Maybe Jung Won could reason with her younger siblings using her family rules, but Geon Hyeong was going to have to think twice about living in a small, dirty house like this.

If he knows it’s like this, he’d better find a new house and invite Jung Won to live there with him. For some reason, that method didn’t occur to him at all yesterday.

“You can stay in Sung Won’s room.”

Jung Won, who looked satisfied that she had managed to persuade her younger siblings, opened the door to Sung Won’s room for Geon Hyeong. The room, which only contained one desk, even looked cramped for Sung Won to sleep alone. If added with Geon Hyeong, it must have been crowded.

“Seriously, are you asking for two people to sleep in this room?”

“Don’t protest so much. I’m telling you again, you wanted this yourself.”

After finishing her words, Jung Won pushed the stiffly silent Geon Hyeong into the room and closed the door hard.

Geon Hyeong observed Sung Won’s room with a deadpan face. It was indeed the same size as his room as a child. However, this room was definitely not big enough for the current Geon Hyeong. His head seemed to be touching the ceiling of the room and there was no bed in it. Just an empty floor.

Geon Hyeong began to wonder if he really had to live with that woman like this. However, he himself started this problem and he had no choice. He was determined to obey his stepmother’s opinion until the shareholders’ committee meeting.

“Ajusshi, watch out if you dare to mess with my noona.”

“I told you, I’m not interested in Hee Won.”

Sung Won said to him while watching Geon Hyeong who was casually taking out his clothes and hanging them on the hangers, as if it was his own room.

“I know. I mean Jung Won noona.”

Jung Won’s younger brother shook his head in an adult-like manner. As the only male in the house, Sung Won wanted to warn the person who seemed dangerous to his two noona. It was true, the only stupid and innocent person in the house was Kang Jung Won.

“That noona of mine, even though she looks stupid from the outside, she’s actually kind- hearted.”

“And you think I’m a bad person?”

Geon Hyeong asked in a curious tone. What exactly had that woman done to brainwash her younger siblings to make them all think that way about him?

“I don’t know, but Ajusshi doesn’t match my noona. Ajusshi also thinks that way, right?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“What? So, Ajusshi is really interested in my noona?”

Sung Won jumped in surprise as if in disbelief. His expression seemed to say that he wouldn’t let that happen.

“Not yet. But, who knows the fate of humans. Is there nothing like that in your family rules?”

“That… doesn’t seem to exist.”

“Your Noona is no fool. So shut up and go to sleep.”

Despite getting such a blunt answer, Sung Won still didn’t seem to want to go to sleep. He still couldn’t trust Geon Hyeong. He was still trying to judge Geon Hyeong.

“I don’t think Ajusshi knows, but sometimes my noona likes to act like a fool.”

“I know. But she’s still not a fool.”

Jung Won’s younger brother approached and warned him while whispering softly to Geon Hyeong. Meanwhile, Geon Hyeong just ignored him as he took out his laptop and placed it on the small table in the room. He had a lot of things to do. He didn’t have time to deal with the boy who asked him so many questions, either because he was worried about her sister or just out of curiosity.

“But why did Ajusshi leave a nice house and live in a house like this instead?”

“That’s an adult problem.”

“Do you want to sleep with my noona?”

Hearing the question, which was quite presumptuous this time, Geon Hyeong turned his head. Does this kid really know what ‘sleeping together’ means?

Although this child was quite good at choosing words to replace the much more vulgar word ‘sex’, Geon Hyeong did not want his personal life to be interfered with by a child like this. After all, he also didn’t want to cause any more trouble or misunderstandings.

“I’m sorry, but your noona is not my taste.”

“Yeah, I thought so too. If Ajusshi continues to maintain that taste, I won’t protest anymore either.”

“It seems like you don’t like me at all.”

“I like Ajusshi’s car. But I don’t believe in those nonsensical newspaper ads at all.”

The two noonas probably didn’t realize that Sung Won still had other sane thoughts besides basketball and sports cars. However, Sung Won always tried not to forget his role as the caretaker of his first Noona, his reckless second Noona, and little So Hee. Moreover, he is the oldest boy in the family.

“One of your two noonas sent an application to that newspaper ad.”

“That’s what worries me. That woman is too innocent sometimes.”

“I agree with that.”

Finally, they seemed to find common ground as men from the night’s conversation. After a while, Sung Won moved away from Geon Hyeong and returned to his post.

“I’m not snoring. Take it easy.”

“Maybe I’m the one snoring. So, you should be patient.”

Sung Won, who realized that their conversation was over, pulled back the blanket while still mumbling, while Geon Hyeong couldn’t take his eyes off his laptop.

“Then I have to go to bed before Ajusshi. Good night.”

It turns out that even this little boy is not stupid.

The night in the house that had been very noisy passed quietly. Occasionally there was the sound of a keyboard tapping and the sound of the breathing of the boy who was fast asleep. Or the sound of someone outside the door and the sound of a dog barking.

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