Chapter 7.1

She left grandma’s house only after confirming that she was asleep. The creaking of the door was louder than usual. As she looked up, she saw that the door was half-slanted. It was louder than the door at her own house. Yoo-hwa tried to fix it, but only made the sound louder.

Yoo-hwa glanced at Woo-hyun’s house without realizing it. She didn’t know why, but it kept bothering her. Maybe because he was her classmate a long time ago, or because that classmate didn’t gossip about her.

She brushed off the broom she used to throw away the dust. She frowned at the blowing dust, and there was a squeaking sound of the door opening.

Yoo-hwa didn’t look at him on purpose, and belatedly realized that she was showing evidence that she cared about him. However, it was difficult for her to turn her head now.

“I am curious about something.”

Even though the other person pretended not to notice him, Woo-hyun came up next to her very naturally and spoke.

He was going to get dust on him.

Though Yoo-hwa thought so, she didn’t say anything. It was uncomfortable to talk to Woo-hyun. She couldn’t tell if it was because he reminded her of her childhood, or if it was for some other reason, but… There was only one conclusion.

She didn’t want to get close to Woo-hyun.

Even though Yoo-hwa did not answer, Woo-hyun still stood up straight in his spot and opened his mouth.

“The public toilet. Why are you cleaning it?”

It was a sudden question. Because the question was so absurd that it was funny, Yoo-hwa, who was nervous without realizing it, looked at Woo-hyun.

Unlike when they were young, she had to tilt her head back to look at him, who grew attractively tall. Then, in the ray of light that came down through the gray gloomy sky, his figure was seen through a backlight. Even though she couldn’t see properly, she could tell he was looking at her.

And that the purpose of his question was just to draw her attention.

“… Someone has to do it. Auntie is busy, Granny is bedridden, I’m the only one left. Why are you asking that? Do you want to clean it? If it looks dirty, do it.”

However, Yoo-hwa answered sincerely, pretending not to notice it. Even though she knew her answer was useless to Woo-hyun.

Yoo-hwa turned around, deliberately showing that she was busy.

“I thought you had changed a lot…”

Woo-hyun’s ominous voice made her stop.

“You’re still the same.”

“…”

Yoo-hwa was stunned for a moment at his words.

Saying that she, who has been abandoned by everyone in the world and was dangling in tatters, was no different from the time when she shined in life; was it a compliment, or an insult?

She swallowed dry. If she didn’t, she felt like her head would get dizzy from the rising emotions.

Yoo-hwa moved again like a robot and went into hiding at the grandma’s house.

***

The grandma was still asleep. Even though she had nothing to do because she had finished her work, Yoo-hwa cleaned the floor with a wet mop. Because it was a small room and was cleaned an hour ago, she finished it in less than 5 minutes.

When she ran out of things to do, Yoo-hwa fell to the floor like a broken robot.

Something she had suppressed silently leaked out and engulfed her mind. If she knew where it was coming from, she would have tried to stop it; but the black and gloomy memories took over her in an instant. With no more strength to push them away, Yoo-hwa looked at the memories of the past that were revolving like a film.

It was at a Chinese restaurant, on the day she graduated from middle school, that her mother said that she would remarry. She calmly informed that there would be no need to change her last name since, fortunately, he was also Kim.

She said that she had been introduced to him by an acquaintance and continued to meet afterwards. Although her mother had been going out a lot, she never thought that she would be dating.

“He will be here soon. I know it’s embarrassing, but he wanted to meet you quickly… Do you understand, my daughter? You have to properly greet him.”

The door to the Chinese restaurant opened without giving her a moment to answer. The old calendar that was hung on the wall fluttered. He was a man of small stature and a solid-looking impression. Next to the man was a boy younger than her. The fact that there was even another family member left Yoo-hwa speechless.

Why did she only tell her about this now? At this point, she shouldn’t have introduced them.

“Yoo-hwa, you have to say hi. He’s the person Mother told you about.”

Yoo-hwa was choking up on her emotions and could not speak, so she only bowed her head. Until that moment, she was frustrated with her own foolishness of bowing her head regardless of her intentions, but it was already after the greeting.

“So you’re Yoo-hwa. The real person is even prettier than the pictures.”

Yoo-hwa felt goosebumps all over her body at the man’s words. It must have been just a compliment out of courtesy, but for some reason, the persevering gaze that looked at her was uncomfortable.