Chapter 17.2

“Oppa is also a part of our family.”

When he heard the murmur in a crying voice, Woo-hyun opened his mouth to persuade Eun-soo once again, and then stopped.

“… A part of our family. My precious oppa.”

Whether she knew what she was saying or not, Eun-soo only repeated those words. That they were a precious family, so they shouldn’t part ways.

Those words were like shackles. They grabbed his wandering self and dragged him down after his father passed away. He sighed and swept his hair back. She seemed like she would cry and collapse if he left her like this.

It was the first time he realized that Eun-soo’s stubbornness was immense. That was how desperately she was clinging to him.

“… Alright. I won’t leave.”

Woo-hyun could not win over Eun-soo’s stubbornness. Eun-soo confirmed again and again, saying, ‘Really?’. Then, she smiled broadly.

“Oppa is also a part of our family.”

He thought the words that had swung around him for a long time were over now.

“Because it hurts.”

Why were these words trying to cling to his life again?

“It’s very cold today…”

Why was she trying to take care of him again?

Woo-hyun frowned, as if to stop his thoughts, and stood up. His gaze rose sharply.

After sending a message instructing the people who were waiting to check their surroundings, he opened the door and stepped out. The cold wind covered his face. He came to his senses at the coldness that was enough to give him goosebumps all over his body.

Woo-hyun breathed in the cold wind, as if trying to stop thinking. Woo-hyun’s hand, which was closing the door, stopped. A plastic bag that was hung on the doorknob swayed. After thinking about who had given it to him, he lifted the plastic bag to see it clearly. Woo-hyun looked inside it. There was a glass bottle with citrus tea and a hot pack. He could feel the warmth through the glass bottle.

Woo-hyun was dumbfounded. He was struck by the fact that he had been so submerged in thought that he didn’t even notice someone stepping on the wet ground and coming to the front of his house.

He seemed careless.

His gaze reached Yoo-hwa’s door, which was firmly closed.

“It’s cold today.”

Although he didn’t listen to them, he heard Yoo-hwa’s words. He naturally pictured Yoo-hwa, facing the cold of dawn to give him this.

She would have held this preciously like the hot pack, walked in short and quick steps, and put it down carefully so as not to wake him up.

Woo-hyun closed his eyes softly. Without realizing it, his hand tightened. Only then did he notice that the cold hot pack was in his hand. At the same time, the hot pack burst. The powder that could not be held between his fingers flowed out.

Helplessly.

***

When Yoo-hwa left her house in the morning, the plastic bag hanging from Woo-hyun’s door had disappeared. She bought the citrus tea when she went to buy the hot pack. She thought about drinking it when she had a cold, but she warmed it up in the morning and hung it in front of Woo-hyun’s house.

She couldn’t sleep until late at night because of the documentary she saw. Daily workers appeared in the program. The people who went to the day labor market at dawn and stamped their feet around to avoid the cold, ran when the minivan came like ants heading for biscuit crumbs. They were nervous that they wouldn’t be able to get a job again today, but their expressions changed depending on the chosen gesture.

She pictured Woo-hyun among them. She could not imagine Woo-hyun running in short steps and waiting for the choice. However, as she saw him go out and come in at a similar time every few days, it seemed like he was working. The dirt on his pants and his rough hands were proof of that.

“What is the most difficult thing?”

When asked by the documentary producer, a middle-aged man, who was standing in a crooked posture as if the interview was awkward, answered bluntly.

“What do you think? It’s waiting. It’s cold, and there’s not much work… The construction industry is dying, so there’s no more work. It would be nice if I could at least work, but going home after wasting my time waiting, I can’t sleep well at night.”

The more he said, the darker the man’s face became. Yoo-hwa’s eyes were glued to it until the end of the program. It was harder than she thought. The place where they were hired and overcame the cold was a construction site.

They wore safety hats and thick clothes, but it didn’t seem easy to move around, with their bodies stiffened by the cold. Woo-hyun’s face overlapped with the faces of the many workers.

As soon as dawn came the next day, her body moved by itself. It had been a long time since she had been taking care of someone, so he was excited without realizing it.

Her hands were faster than usual, and an impatient expectation rose above her cold heart as she thought, ‘Woo-hyun should find this.’

When she thought that Woo-hyun had taken the plastic bag, a faint smile bloomed on Yoo-hwa’s face. She felt like she could understand what the joy of doing something for someone was like. Although it was still winter, a weaker wind blew through her heart.