Episode 11. Real Sweetness

“Dad, there’s someone behind you.”
I turned my head at Yeondu’s words.
“… Ji-hye?”
The woman holding a bag of pet food was Seo Ji-hye.
So, was she the one who recently gave food to Nulleong?
“I didn’t expect this.”
Seo Ji-hye was four years younger than me and had quite a striking appearance.
The kind that would make you take a second look if you passed her on the street.
Moreover, she was currently an elite student at a prestigious university.
“Well, realistically speaking.”
She was someone who didn’t fit with me, not just in terms of a romantic relationship but even as individuals.
Generally, people tend to associate with those similar to themselves.
Regardless of appearances, I didn’t belong in the category of people like Seo Ji-hye.
I didn’t have money, didn’t have the ability to earn money, nor did I have grand life plans.
“Normally, we wouldn’t even interact.”
But the reason I knew her was simple.
During the vacation, Seo Ji-hye worked part-time at the convenience store.
She quit about a month ago when the new semester started.
Until then, she was the one who worked during my next shift.
“Come to think of it, she was quite reserved at first.”
Initially, when she started working, there wasn’t much interaction between us.
We barely exchanged nods during shift changes.
Which was natural.
We weren’t working together, our shifts didn’t even overlap much, so there wasn’t much reason to get acquainted.
But at some point, the barriers began to break down.
“She started initiating conversations.”
For some reason, she began to talk to me.
“Hello, Mr. Juwon! Did you have a tasty lunch?”
“Uh, yeah? Oh, yes! It was alright, hehe.”
“Why are you so flustered? Oh, by the way, Mr. Juwon, do you know my name?”
“Uh, no.”
“Phew… It’s Ji-hye, Seo Ji-hye. From now on, when you greet me, remember to use my name.”
“Oh. Yes, Ji-hye.”
Starting with this changed greeting, she became much more talkative.
During our shift, she began asking me various questions.
“Ugh, it’s driving me crazy… I have a good memory, so why can’t I remember cigarette brands? Do you have any tips, Oppa?”
“Try smoking each one and memorize it by taste…”
“Eek! Not that kind of method!”
“What do you do when you have customers like this, Oppa?”
“I’ve never had such customers before…”
“Ugh, kids these days… They look like babies, but they try to buy alcohol? They should be scolded!”
“Then you should be scolded too, Ji-hye.”
“What?”
“Hehe, just kidding. It’s funny how a 21-year-old like Ji-hye talks like that.”
“Well… there’s a huge difference between being 21 and being in high school, you know?”
“Hmm, I see.”
“Ugh, it feels like you’re making fun of me…”
Despite my awkward responses as a social newbie, Seo Ji-hye continued to talk to me.
Thanks to her, I became quite comfortable, and we started to have conversations.
Eventually, we even exchanged light-hearted jokes.
“So, I was quite disappointed.”
I felt quite disappointed when Seo Ji-hye quit the convenience store.
Of course, there was a high chance I was the only one disappointed.
Well, even though we had become somewhat friendly, I knew very well.
“Our worlds are different.”
At present, my world revolved around the convenience store and home.
But she must have been living in a much broader world, including school.
Working at the convenience store was probably just a temporary stop for her.
I thought so.
“Here you go!”
“Uh… Ji-hye…? What’s the occasion?”
“Why so surprised! I’m here as a customer, a customer!”
“Oh, welcome.”
“But, don’t treat me too much like a customer.”
“Hehe, okay. How’s school? Everything alright?”
“Of course, it’s fine. Who do you think I am?”
“That’s a relief. Oh, but Ji-hye, don’t you do stuff like that?”
“Like what?”
“Clubbing and such.”
“.. No, I don’t. C&C!”
I still don’t understand why she got mad back then.
Anyway, even after quitting her job, she almost visited the convenience store every day.
Thanks to that, we still maintained a close relationship.
Although she hasn’t come at all this week, maybe she had something going on.
“It’s been a while, Ji-hye.”
“…”
Oddly, her expression seemed different from usual.
I’ve never seen such an expression before. It’s something you can’t ignore.
Oh, could it be that she’s surprised like me? Because I knew about Nulleong?
Half-convinced, I spoke up.
“Ji-hye seems surprised. Hehe, I was surprised too. I never thought Ji-hye would be the one giving food to Nulleong lately.”
Only then did she speak, biting her lip.
“This is the worst…”
“.. Huh?”
“Juwon has the worst sense of naming. What is Nulleong to a cat?”
What? Is she mad because of my naming sense?
The way she addressed me suddenly changed from ‘Oppa’ to ‘Juwon.’
Yeondu, who was next to me, grabbed my arm tightly and spoke up.
“No!”
“Huh?”
“Uh, uh, my dad isn’t the worst!”
“Hehe, Yeondu. It’s okay. It’s just a joke between us.”
Slightly flustered, I spoke to Ji-hye in a soft voice.
“Are you upset? I just named him Nulleong because of his color. Oh, then tell me the name you gave him. I’ll call him that instead.”
“Why would I be upset!”
“It’s good you’re not… But anyway, it seems you were busy this week. You didn’t come once.”
“I had exams.”
“Oh, are they over now?”
“They end next week.”
“I see. As expected, Ji-hye is kind. Even during the exam period, she comes to bring cat food.”
“…”
Today is really strange. Could she have messed up her exams badly?
But it feels a bit too direct to ask, ‘Did you mess up your exams?’
Above all, the time has been too delayed.
“I have to go to my grandmother’s house.”
To catch the train on time for the reservation, time was tight.
In the end, I spoke up.
“I’d love to talk more since it’s been a while, but I’m sorry. I have to hurry to my grandmother’s house. I have to go up there.”
“Then…”
“Yeah, let’s talk next time!”
I left Ji-hye behind and hurried through the bushes.

“Phew…”
Thanks to hurrying, I arrived before the scheduled departure time.
There was still some time left until the train arrived.
“Yeondu.”
“Yes?”
“Do you know where we’re going now?”
“To Granny’s house…”
“Hehe, no. Your grandmother is a nice person.”
Somehow, it seemed like Grandma’s tone was imprinted negatively when talking on the phone.
Well, it’s not a tone that anyone would find friendly, to be honest.
“Yeondu, should we dress up nicely to go see Grandma? In the dress that Beomjae oppa gave.”
“A dress..?”
“Um.. the clothes that princesses wear?”
Is that a dress? Honestly, I didn’t know either, so I just roughly answered.
Luckily, Yeondu smiled brightly and said,
“Eve! Yeondu dress Eve!”
“Ha ha, okay.”
I took Yeondu to the bathroom.
And I took out the bag containing the clothes that Beomjae guy gave me.
Rustle.
A neatly folded dress revealed itself.
Upon unfolding it, the design looked much prettier than what I saw through the transparent bag.
The finish looked clean, and it seemed like some kind of luxury clothing.
If Yeondu wears this, it might be really amazing.
Even though she’s already pretty, I worried if she would become too pretty.
‘Huh?’
While thinking that, something hanging on the dress fluttered.
What is it? Is it a price tag, perhaps?
I looked at it without much thought.
“Gasp!”
A word came out involuntarily.
The number 11 was written plainly on the price tag.
No, Beomjae. You said it was cheap.
Compared to luxury brands, it might not be that expensive, but it’s quite pricey from my perspective.
‘Should I… return it?’
No, that’s not an option.
I already opened the dress in front of Yeondu, and she was looking at it with sparkling eyes.
It would have been easier if I had bought it with my own money.
Well, it can’t be helped.
‘I’ll find a way to repay Beomjae later.’
For now, I have no choice but to let Yeondu wear it.
I immediately dressed Yeondu in the green dress.
It was my first time dressing someone in a dress, so I struggled a bit, but I succeeded in dressing her.
Because she’s like a shopkeeper’s son, the size fit amazingly well.
After dressing her, I looked at Yeondu from a little distance.
“Wow…”
Is it possible for someone to look like this? It’s beyond words.
I didn’t know that green could be such a beautiful color.
Her fair face. Cherry-colored cheeks even without makeup. Long black hair cascading down. And on top of that, the green dress.
The colors harmonized perfectly.
It felt like I was seeing a fairy, not a person.
“Yeondu, take a look in the mirror.”
“Oh, I can’t see… Where’s Yeondu?”
“Keke.”
Since she couldn’t reach the sink, Yeondu couldn’t see her reflection.
She just stared at the empty mirror and laughed.
“Eutcha!”
“Kyaah..! A-a plane?”
“Ha ha, not a plane this time. Look in front, Yeondu.”
Yeondu looked at the mirror while holding my hand.
“Wow.. is… this Yeondu?”
“Yeah. Doesn’t it look like Yeondu? Pretty, right?”
Yeondu nodded absentmindedly as she stared at herself in the mirror.

“Whew..”
I was so absorbed in admiring Yeondu’s beauty that I almost missed the train.
Fortunately, we managed to board the train just in time.
“Thank goodness. Our seats… we can sit here.”
“Yeondu, do you want to sit next to Dad?”
“Yeah. Next to Dad.”
“Hehe.”
Yeondu giggled softly.
Soon, the train departed.
“Wow.. why does she look so pretty?”
“Oh my. Look at you smiling. You’re truly an angel~”
“We should hire her as an actress in the future. She’d be a hit as a child actor..”
At this point, I really should start wearing a mask everywhere.
Yeondu’s appearance attracted much more attention than I had anticipated.
Wherever we went.
Well, not that I took it too seriously.
“Yeondu has received nothing but hatred until now.”
Yeondu had endured years of misery and hatred from her trash-like uncle.
So, I wanted Yeondu to know.
That she could be loved wherever she went.
“Even if it’s because of her appearance.”
I already knew that.
Her appearance was just a part of Yeondu.
Yeondu was inherently a lovable child.
And it wasn’t just me who felt that way.
“The guys know it too.”
Beomjae, Juyeon, mischievous Donggeon, and the rest of the guys knew how genuinely beautiful Yeondu was.
Not just on the outside.
But I was aware that there were aspects of Yeondu I didn’t know.
Because of the years she spent with her uncle.
And it was my role to embrace all those aspects.
As a father.
“Ha ha, thank you for looking at Yeondu so nicely.”
“Your name is Yeondu?”
“Yes.”
“Oh my, Yeondu wearing Yeondu.”
The people around us laughed at the lady’s words.
Seems like dad jokes work anywhere.
“Yeondu, if you get sleepy on the long journey, you can lean on Dad and sleep.”
“Yes! But I’m not sleepy now!”
“Yeah. If you get sleepy later, you can lean on Dad and sleep.”
“Can I lean on you even if I’m not sleepy?”
“Of course.”
Thump.
Yeondu smiled widely and rested her head on my arm.
With this, she’ll fall asleep soon. Even her nape looked adorable, making me chuckle.
‘By the way..’
I suddenly remembered something from earlier.
Why did Seo Ji-hye get angry? It was the first time she reacted like that.
I recalled the situation from earlier.
Yeondu had said something when Ji-hye first arrived.
“There’s… someone behind Dad.”
Wait a minute. Dad?
Come to think of it, Yeondu called me Dad. She did it then, and she has been doing it since.
Could it be that she misunderstood and got angry because of that? No, even if that were the case, it wouldn’t justify her anger.
Since Ji-hye and I had no emotional connection, it wouldn’t be enough reason for her to get mad.
‘It’s strange..’
Maybe she wasn’t angry because of that, or maybe I misunderstood her reaction.
Instead of pondering alone, it would be faster to talk later.
I don’t know if I’ll have the chance, though.
Click.
At that moment, something eye-catching entered through the end door of the train.
Tug, tug, tug.
A man entered, dragging a large suitcase behind him.
I immediately knew what he was selling.
‘They still sell these these days.’
Meanwhile, Yeondu looked up in surprise.
I smiled slightly and spoke.
“Yeondu, are you hungry?”
“A little.”
“Shall Dad give you a real treat?”
“A r-real treat..?”
“Yeah.”
I don’t think I can understand what it means, but Yeondu nodded.
Well, it doesn’t matter. You’ll naturally know once it’s in your mouth.
What real honey taste is.
Crack, crack.
When the cart passed by, I stopped.
“Sir.”
“Yes?”
“I’ll have six boiled eggs and two sodas, please.”
“Thank you. But aren’t you going to buy dried squid? It’s delicious too.”
“Then just give me one of those too.”
The man smiled and handed me the order.
“Yeondu, have you ever tried boiled eggs?”
Yeondu shook his head left and right in response.
“I haven’t tried it. Is that the real honey taste?”
“Yeah. That’s the real honey taste.”
Boiled eggs are a must when traveling on a train for a long time.
If my memory serves me right from when I was young, boiled eggs eaten on a train are much tastier than usual.
Crack. Crack.
There was a cheerful sound of the shell being broken.
Yeondu watched in amazement.
Now it was time to show Yeondu what the real honey taste was.