#011

 

Since she didn’t say anything the entire time, Yoo-ah wondered what she was thinking. For some reason, the way she looked at Yoo-ah was unusual after that. Yoo-ah purposely chose braised cutlassfish for Jeong-hye to eat. But she was only taking a bite and kept putting them on the Yoo-ah’s rice bowl.

 

Yoo-ah put the meat of hairtail that Jung-hye put on the spoon and put it in his mouth. Yum. The sweetness from the moderately chewy rice harmonized with the salty cutlassfish.

 

It’s like a review of eating shows. Yoo-ah, who was chewing his mouth with his eyes shining, suddenly gave a grumpy look.

 

Yoo-ah picked up a pile of hairtail from his bowl and made a big wrap.

 

He put perilla leaves on top of a lettuce and then some rice. On top of that, hairtail. Pepper and garlic. Yoo-ah prefered red pepper paste rather than ssamjang, so he added some red pepper paste.

 

It looked too big to fit in the child’s mouth. It was bigger than Yoo-ah’s fist so he wasn’t really exaggerate.

 

‘Of course. It’s not for me to eat.’

 

Yoo-ah could not handle raw garlic or peppers in the wraps he used to eat. It’s delicious with just meat and rice. This was for Jeong-hye.

 

Talking like this made him feel like he was passing on something he didn’t want to eat.

 

‘But what can I do when mom likes wraps with raw garlic and chili peppers?’

 

Even if it were not enough, the taste of food could be different. Even if Yoo-ah in his previous life would ask, “What taste is this?” if peppers and garlic weren’t put in, he would only eat after adding two or three of each.

 

But he can’t do that now. The tongue of a child without a diploma was so fragile.

 

“Mm, Mmm…!”

 

“I told you not to add peppers and garlic… Let’s spit it out and drink water. Okay?”

 

“War! Warter!”

 

Fortunately or unfortunately, it was before he remembered his past life. Yoo-ah, who recalled the memory of Jeong-hye eating, wrapped a wrap and put it in her mouth, trembled. 

 

Today, he felt as if the scent of raw garlic, of which he had not eaten a single bite, was hovering at the tip of his nose. The memory of eating and rolling around with a stomachache in the hope of protecting his pride was a bonus.

 

Thanks to that, he didn’t even look at garlic or chili peppers after that. It was the same even now after he realized his past life. He doesn’t know if it was any kind of trauma… he didn’t want to eat.

 

‘My appetite might change when I grow older, but….’

 

That wasn’t the case for now.

 

Yoo-ah glanced at Jeong-hye’s rice bowl. While Yoo-ah’s rice bowl was almost empty, Jeong-hye had not yet emptied half of it. It’s obvious because she was busy putting on hairtail meat in his bowl.

 

“Mom, Ah!”

 

“What?”

 

“Ah!”

 

“No, Yoo-ah eat it. Mom will take care of herself.”

 

“Ah!”

 

“…All right. Thank you. Thank you for the food.”

 

“Ung.”

 

Jeong-hye’s cheeks swelled significantly as she ate a large wrapped wrap that could even fill an adult’s mouth in one go. He thought Jeong-hye was a snow leopard like Yoo-ah, but now that he’s looked at her, she looks like a hamster. They’re the same mammals, so that could be true.

 

Of course, according to this logic, a huge dog genealogy is born in which whales and desert foxes become cousins, but Yoo-ah decided not to think much because these words could be rude to individuals.

 

In addition, Jeong-hye’s eyes on Yoo-ah were stranger than before.

 

“…What’s wrong with you, mom?”

 

“Well.”

 

“…What’s wrong?”

 

” I just thought I gave birth to an angel. Did any of your relatives have mixed blood? I wondered for a moment….”

 

I guess I did something wrong. Yoo-ah wondered what he had done to Jung-hye, and then he remembered.

 

‘….I really didn’t do anything other than make a wrap for her?’

 

Jeong Hye-do looks at Yoo-ah with emotional eyes. With the same facial expressions as the owner’s grandmother and grandfather, who were looking at Yoo Ah and Jeong-hye with satisfaction earlier. It was very burdensome.

 

“What is it?”

 

Yoo-ah finished his bowl of rice. He thought there would be no angels or demons in the presence of hybrids, but for now, the meal came first.

 

…No way. There’s no way there’s such a thing. There should not have been. It could not have been more than a mixed bath.

 

“That kid is nice.”

 

“I think so too. Shall we have another one, no?”

 

“Don’t be foolish. I’m retired from production. I can’t do it anymore.”

 

After dinner. Yoo-ah stood next to Jeong-hye, who was paying. When they came out together, Yoo-ah was holding a can of cider in his hand.

 

“You must have given it to Yoo-ah because he was pretty. Thank you. Shall we say bye?”

 

“Thank you, Grandma!”

 

“Oh, that’s enough. I feel like I’m watching my grandchild.”

 

Yoo-ah handed over the cider in his hand to Jeong-hye.

 

“Huh? You’re not eating now? You like cider, right?”

 

“I’m going to give it to dad.”

 

“You want to do that? Dad will like it when he hears it later.”

 

He put cider in the shopping basket that Jeong-hye brought. It took longer than he thought it would. It was just a little past 6 o’clock.

 

The sky was still bright, as if the sun had gotten longer. Yoo-ah and Jeong-hye decided to walk to the mart to digest. It was a little less than 20 minutes’ walk. Not only did she not bring her car, but it was also because it was time to get off work, so it was faster to walk even if they took a bus or taxi.

 

Jeong-hye led Yoo-ah walk inside the sidewalk.

 

‘…Do I have to?’

 

Yoo-ah tilted his head as he watched the sidewalk be so wide that there was room left even if three adult men lay horizontally.

 

Still, the guardians who came out with children around them did the same, so they were convinced.

 

Yoo-ah looked up at the high-rise building with a height that could barely reach Jeong-hye’s waist. His neck hurt so bad. Seriously, he can’t wait to grow up because he’s so small.

 

He’s going to be big. Wouldn’t it take another 10 years just to grow tall? There is a saying that men grow tall even when they join the army, so he didn’t know if it would be 20 years. That’s such a long time. Yoo-ah was already frustrated.

 

Come on!

 

“Argh!”

 

“Yoo-ah yah!”

 

As he was walking with Jeong-hye, a tremendous weight came over Yoo-ah’s body. It was an English Golden Retriever with cream-colored fur and a body the size of a toddler.

 

Because of the time zone, it was common to see dog owners out for a walk with their dogs. But why would you not taking care of it properly? A crossroad mark appeared on the toddler’s forehead.

 

Why raise a dog when you are a beast in the first place? Weren’t they half the same people? Yoo-ah criticized blind spots in a stream of consciousness.

 

“I’m sorry! My child tried to hold him back but the force was… Are you hurt, my dear?”

 

“…..Uh?”

 

“Uh?!”

 

What was he doing here?

 

When Yoo-ah opened his eyes wide in surprise, the kid pointed his finger at him.

 

“Why are you here?”

 

‘What? Have I come to a place where I couldn’t come?’

 

He couldn’t say it out loud. Maybe he was here first, bumped into him, and became surprised. Yoo-ah sighed.

 

“Yoo-ah, do you know him?”

 

“Uh….”

 

Yoo-ah agonized over Jeong-hye’s question. She knew they were in the same class in kindergarten. He hadn’t really played with anyone except that day.

 

Can he say that’s a friend? If you think about it, that guy was the one who pushed Yua into the abyss called Main Shou, so he wasn’t nice.

 

‘Then we’re not friends. Just acquaintances? Now that she’s asked me, she would want me to introduce… I have to….’

 

I’ll do it. What was his name again?

 

‘…I forgot.’

 

Yoo-ah broke into a cold sweat. They pretended to know each other, so now they couldn’t say they didn’t. What would the atmosphere be like if Yoo-ah said he didn’t know?

 

The goal was becoming a small building owner, and the adult Yoo-ah thought only of dreaming of a solid road.

 

I don’t think they should call each other by their bnames? If you don’t remember who the other person is, you pretend to be close to them.

 

In fact, he’s only heard of such a story, but it was the first time he’s actually been in a situation like this. The silence was getting longer because Yoo-ah did not answer. Jeong-hye’s curious gaze stabbed Yoo-ah mercilessly on the side of his head.

 

“Kindergarten friend…?”

 

‘I’m doomed. If we’re friends, we’re friends. Why am I questioning it?’

 

What do you mean, why? It’s because I’ve never had a friend. Yoo-ah ruffled his hair inside.

 

Of course, it doesn’t mean that friends in kindergarten are not friends. 

 

Nevertheless, before recalling the past life, Yoo-ah was generally friendly and had wide human relationships.

 

When they met, they ate and played, and then they drifted apart. That’s it.

 

As a result, he had no need to introduce anyone to the adults around him, including Jeong-hye. Moreover, even if you are a friend, isn’t there a difference between thinking it in your heart and saying it out loud because someone is setting you up?

 

To paraphrase, it was the difference between shyly asking your partner, ‘Would you like to be friends?’ and holding the microphone on stage and shouting, ‘Let’s be friends with me!’ like in the song X. That was how Yoo-ah felt.

 

In short, this situation is a bit burdensome for introverted attention seekers.

 

‘Can’t you do me a favor and stop looking at me?’

 

He didn’t know if he knew how he’s feeling when a puppy was licking the face of Yoo-ah who was still sitting on the floor. The reason why it’s not a dog… He hated to admit it, but it wasn’t yet big enough to look like an adult dog.

 

“Seo-jun ah! You shouldn’t point fingers at people! And! If your friend almost got hurt, you should apologize first!”

 

“Uh? Sorry, I’m sorry.”

 

It was time Yoo-ah’s face was covered with retriever’s saliva. Only then did the woman who removed the golden retriever from Yoo-ah. Yoo-ah bowed down and nodded.

 

‘That’s right. It was Seo-jun.’

 

Why, wasn’t he the one who pushed the main shou during the day while playing Jenga and cried?

 

Even then, he didn’t know his last name because the teacher only said his own name, but he wasn’t curious. What did it mean to know if he was Lee Seo-jun, Choi Seo-jun, Namgung Seo-jun, or what if both his family name and last name were Jun?

 

Yoo-ah, who had been suffering from main shou all day and had a thin nerve line, did not like Seo-jun very much.

 

He didn’t mean to personally like or dislike a seven-year-old. However, he did not want to meet, even in a place other than the kindergarten.

 

…Yeah, honestly. Yoo-ah didn’t really prefer a human image that would cause trouble if he was around. He couldn’t say there’s no reason for that.

 

Yoo-ah got up from the floor only after the weight of the body had disappeared. When he shook his palm, Jeong-hye arranged Yoo-ah’s clothes.

 

“So Seo-jun was your friend from kindergarten. Hello? Ajumma is Seo-jun’s mum. You must have been surprised when a dog suddenly ran towards you… I’m really sorry. Are you hurt anywhere?”

 

The woman holding the retriever’s leash greeted Yoo-ah. Yoo-ah turned his wrist and ankle once and nodded his head up and down.

 

“Hello. Uh… It’s all right.”

 

“Oh, you are mature, too. If you were my son, he would have been made a mess already.”

 

A joking voice was heard above the head of Yoo-ah, who was bowing a beat late to check his body’s safety.

 

‘Well, it did seem like a temper tantrum.’

 

“Mom! Aren’t we going to walk the lion?”

 

Look at that now. He knew that the kid was already puffing and huffing.