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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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A high-rise apartment in Seoul.
A spacious apartment with multiple rooms, the kind that screamed “wealthy.”
With two living rooms and five bedrooms, it easily accommodated the parents, three young children, and a relative.
Surely, the people living in such a place must have comfortable, affluent lives.
However, the relative, the father’s younger sister and the children’s aunt, Blue, was standing at the entrance, bowing her head apologetically.
“I’m so sorry. I’ll take care of it, but…”
“How many times have you said that? I’ve been patient and understanding because of the children, but nothing has changed.”
A woman, clearly irritated, spoke to Blue in a sharp tone, but Blue just kept apologizing without retort.
“The mother should be managing the children better. I hate saying this, since I’ve raised children myself, but I can’t tolerate this any longer.”
The woman continued to complain, and after Blue’s repeated apologies, she finally left. Blue leaned against the closed door and slid to the floor.
She wasn’t in tears. She was simply worn out.
The noise complaints from neighbors, triggered by the children, never got easier to handle. She’d asked her sister-in-law to install soundproofing mats on the floor and made the children wear slippers indoors, but the noise from their running and playing couldn’t be completely eliminated.
Since the children’s parents were rarely home, dealing with the complaints fell entirely on Blue, and she never got used to it.
With the monsoon season dragging on, tensions ran high among the neighbors. The ceaseless rain only added to the frustration, and even Blue, who was normally patient and relaxed, was beginning to show signs of strain.
“Yah!!”
The children were yelling and running around inside, and she wondered how they could make so much noise even with the mats and slippers.
“Kids, can you be a little quieter? It’s disturbing the neighbors.”
“Tsk.”
The youngest was at kindergarten, so only the two older children were home, but even they were more than Blue could handle. Unlike their mother, her sister-in-law, they didn’t always listen to her.
They weren’t completely defiant, but they didn’t take her seriously, and her warnings rarely lasted. Especially when they were excited, they’d openly express their annoyance, like now, clicking their tongues.
The issue wasn’t Blue’s capability but her nature. Her soft-spoken patience wasn’t the best match for the boundless energy of children.
Blue believed in guiding children with gentle reminders rather than scolding them, but for these energetic children, her gentle approach wasn’t enough.
Of course, it varied by individual, but that was the case with her brother’s children.
However, after one neighbor left, the children’s shouts had pushed another neighbor over the edge, and the ringing doorbell made Blue rush to the door.
It was a routine occurrence. While it was just a neighbor complaining, each neighbor had their own tolerance level, so they came at different times, with varying degrees of frustration.
Blue was constantly dealing with the same complaints from different people.
As she went to answer the door, the two children, having completely forgotten her earlier warning, resumed their boisterous play.
Since it was raining, and they couldn’t go outside, the situation repeated itself endlessly.
Around lunchtime, Blue opened the refrigerator to prepare lunch, but there wasn’t much. There were some leftover pizza and chicken from yesterday.
“Kids, do you want pizza and chicken for lunch?”
She asked, just in case, but…
“No.”
As expected.
Cooking wasn’t difficult for Blue. She loved cooking and dreamed of becoming a chef someday, so she always bought new cookbooks whenever she could afford them.
Of course, she didn’t have the opportunity to practice her skills. That’s why it remained a dream for now.
So, what was the problem? While her circumstances were difficult, she could still cook if she wanted to, couldn’t she?
The problem was money.
She wanted to save up for new cookbooks, but after buying pizza and chicken for the children yesterday, she only had enough money left for one book.
She could buy ingredients to make something for the children, but that meant giving up her only hobby and source of joy, reading cookbooks.
She sat at the kitchen table, staring at her phone, then, seemingly having made up her mind, made a call.
“…”
She waited as the phone rang, and someone answered.
“Hey, Oppa. Is this a good time to talk?”
It was her older brother, the father of the three children.
“I’m a little short on cash this month…”
She couldn’t bring herself to ask for money directly.
Most people would understand her indirect request, but the person on the other end changed.
“Seriously, Yu Ha-yeong, what do you think you’re doing?”
It was her sister-in-law, the mother of the three children and Blue’s brother’s wife.
“Unni, it’s not like that.”
“When are you not short on cash?”
After dealing with the neighbor’s complaints earlier, she now had to endure her sister-in-law’s nagging.
She’d hoped her brother would be there and would answer instead, but it seemed luck wasn’t on her side.
“You pay for your phone bill, you live with us, we pay your taxes. What more do you need?”
Blue’s role in the household was to take care of the three children in exchange for room and board and having her bills paid.
But after paying for her expenses, the remaining money was barely enough to feed three growing children.
She could explain, but that would only prolong the conversation, and Blue knew better.
“I’m sorry. It’s just a bit tight this month…”
“You need to get your act together. Who else is going to take care of the kids? If you’ve taken on this responsibility, you need to do your best.”
“Yes.”
She wanted to end the conversation quickly by admitting fault, but her sister-in-law showed no sign of letting up.
“I’ll have your brother send you some money. But you need to manage your finances better. If you keep asking for money like this, people will just say it’s because you’re a superhuman.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Blue’s voice was subdued as she listened to her sister-in-law’s increasingly condescending tone, and she resolved to do better.
It was her fault for not managing her money properly, as her sister-in-law had said. She only had a few days until her next paycheck, so she’d have to make do until then.
A few minutes after the call ended, she received a notification that money had been transferred to her account. 100,000 won. It was more than she’d expected, which was a relief.
“Kids, let’s have lunch.”
Her voice regained some of its usual cheerfulness as she called out to the children, a smile on her face.
Spacetroe Headquarters.
I was sitting on a bench under the awning of the rooftop terrace, watching the rain and talking to Green on the phone.
Or rather, I’d been sitting at my computer on the 3rd floor, reviewing data, and had come up to the rooftop to avoid the gathering crowd when Green called.
“So, you’re on your way home after grocery shopping?”
“Yes. I was thinking of stopping by the park, but…”
“Go straight home. It’s raining.”
Her cheerful voice brightened my mood from the start of the conversation. We chatted casually, and I felt like she was finally becoming more independent, less reliant on my support.
“Are you okay being alone? Is everything alright?”
“Yes, I can’t remember the last time I felt this relaxed at home.”
“That’s good to hear. Call me if you need anything. I’ll help you.”
“No! I can’t keep bothering you.”
She seemed determined to handle things on her own, but I couldn’t completely let go just yet.
“You asked for my help first, so I’ll continue helping you until I’m satisfied. Don’t forget that.”
After a brief silence, Green replied hesitantly,
“Okay.”
Just then, I saw people coming out onto the rooftop terrace.
“I have to go, I have some work to do.”
“Okay. Thank you for answering my call.”
I hung up and saw Kirk walking towards me. I waved.
“Kirk.”
“There you are.”
He wouldn’t normally come up to the rooftop terrace in this weather, so he must have been looking for me. I sat down next to him and waited for him to speak.
“Are you busy next week?”
“No, why?”
He seemed hesitant, and I, hating awkward silences, punched him lightly on the arm.
“Just tell me already.”
Kirk, unfazed by my punch, sighed and spoke.
“Eun-ji’s kindergarten has a two-week summer break starting next week.”
I knew kindergarten summer break was coming up, but I didn’t understand why he was telling me. I decided to wait for him to get to the point.
“Eun-ji said she wants to go on a trip with her friends, and she wants you to come, too.”
…That clever little girl. I saw right through her.
From Kirk’s perspective, his daughter wanted to go on a trip with her close friends and her favorite uncle. He was probably hurt that she hadn’t chosen him as her travel companion.
The problem was, Eun-ji clearly wanted to go with her boyfriend, Ho-yeong, not with me. Knowing her parents wouldn’t allow two young children to travel alone, she was using me as a chaperone.
“When next week?”
I was planning to refuse. It wasn’t because I disliked Eun-ji. I was fond of her. She was like a niece to me, even though we weren’t related.
The problem was Ho-yeong. Blue had to take care of all her nephews, and Ho-yeong’s parents would also want a chaperone for their son.
Why would they trust me, someone they’d barely met, to take their child on a trip?
I didn’t want to hurt Eun-ji’s feelings by refusing directly, so I figured I could use their likely refusal as an excuse.
“She said a two-day, one-night trip from Monday to Wednesday would be good.”
It wasn’t even a day trip. Perhaps because I saw her as a niece, I was already worried about her future.
“Okay, I’ll talk to Eun-ji.”
There was no point in discussing this further, since she’d already planned the trip with Ho-yeong.
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
Kirk trusted me, after our long acquaintance, enough to entrust his daughter to me for a trip. I was grateful for his trust, even though I knew this trip was never going to happen.
“It’s good that Eun-ji is so fond of you. It’s strange, though. How does a guy with no daughter know how to handle children so well?”
“I don’t have a daughter, but I have a daughter-like superior.”
I was about to chat with Kirk now that we’d finished discussing the trip, but he paused, seemed to understand, and simply said, “Ah.” As always, just when we were about to talk, things didn’t go as planned
I saw people coming out onto the rooftop terrace, nudged Kirk, and he immediately stood up.
“Then I’ll be going.”
“Okay.”
Speak of the devil. Ruche, having brought the other team leaders with her, spotted me.
“A!”
All four team leaders were now on the rooftop, and Kirk saluted them before quickly making his escape. He, too, sensed the strange tension between the team leaders and knew there was nothing for him here.
“What now? And shouldn’t you all be working? What are all the team leaders doing here together?”
“It’s lunchtime.”
Seira’s sharp tone made me check my phone. She was right. It was lunchtime, but what did that have to do with the four team leaders being on the rooftop?
Ruche walked towards me, her face on the verge of tears, and I figured she’d just had an argument.
“I was telling Angelica that jjambbong would be perfect for lunch in this weather!”
Angelica stood beside her, an awkward smile on her face.
“But Seira insisted on noodles! How can she do this to me?! It’s my lunch!”
“I’m eating too, and Chinese restaurants don’t have noodles!”
I couldn’t look at them without feeling a sense of exasperation as they argued about such a trivial matter.
Team Leader Esmeralda, standing behind them, had the same expression on her face.
It seemed they’d been discussing lunch when Ruche and Seira started arguing, and Angelica and Esmeralda had just been caught in the crossfire.
I was worried about Green and was also thinking about Eun-ji’s proposed trip, but
I had to deal with this lunch menu squabble first.
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