Chapter 12: The Family Feels Anxious

Hye-yeon and Yuri felt uneasy when their uncle suddenly sighed.

Is something wrong?

Is he struggling?

Their uncle, who always tried to show a smiling face, let out a sigh, making the kids anxious.

Unaware of their thoughts, Yongsu Kwon opened the garage to park.

Let’s unload the stuff now…

“W-We’ll help!”

“Yeah! We’ll help!”

“Jiyu too!”

Oh? You sure?

The luggage was heavy, so it would be tough for the kids.

I thought about carrying it myself, but since they offered to help, I didn’t refuse.

I got out of the car, closed the garage door, and opened the trunk.

Here, take one each.

I pulled out the lightest items from the trunk and handed them to the kids.

Since we bought from a warehouse store, most things were big and heavy, so there weren’t many light options.

“N-No, it’s okay. You can give us the big stuff.”

Nah, I’ll take those. It’s fine.

But Hye-yeon raised her hand confidently.

“It’s fine! I’ve been shopping all the time! I’m strong!”

…Really?

“Yes!”

Her voice was louder than earlier, which puzzled me.

But since she insisted, I couldn’t say no.

Here.

Even so, I couldn’t give her anything too heavy, so I handed her something relatively light.

It was a weight a middle schooler could handle.

“Thank you!”

Huh? Oh, yeah. Put it on the dining table.

“Okay!”

Hye-yeon’s sudden enthusiasm made me tilt my head.

What’s up with her?

She seemed fine earlier, but now her actions felt overly cautious.

I didn’t know what happened in such a short time, but I decided to keep an eye on things.

“Ugh…”

I carried the heavy bags into the house with both hands.

I put all the groceries we bought into the fridge.

But the problem didn’t end there.

I need to organize the fridge.

Or rather, it’d be more accurate to say I need to buy another one.

My fridge was naturally full of side dishes and food, but it also had a lot of alcohol.

I quit smoking… but I should keep the alcohol.

Quitting smoking felt nearly impossible.

Oddly, I hadn’t craved cigarettes the past few days, so if this kept up, I might actually quit.

But alcohol was different.

I don’t think I can quit drinking…

It wasn’t alcohol dependency, of course.

But without alcohol, I wouldn’t have survived these lonely nights alone.

I wasn’t sure yet, but quitting alcohol felt tough.

Ding-dong!

While I was organizing the fridge, someone rang the doorbell.

“Should we check?”

No, it’s dangerous.

“Huh?”

If you hear the doorbell, don’t open it. It could be a robber.

“…Eek!”

Not just Hye-yeon, but Yuri’s face turned pale too.

The sudden sense of being in a foreign country made them scared.

But don’t worry too much. We have an intercom. And there’s never been a robbery in this village, so relax.

It was a small village, and everyone’s faces were familiar.

In the three years I’d been here, there were minor crimes, but nothing major.

“Who is it?”

I activated the intercom to check.

“It’s me.”

Ryan?

“Yeah.”

Why’re you here so early? You said evening.

“What’re you talking about? It’s evening now.”

…Oh.

I must’ve been organizing the fridge for too long.

Looking out the window, I saw darkness had fallen.

The snow reflected starlight, making the darkness less deep and almost sparkly.

I’ll open the door. Hang on.

“Hurry up, it’s cold. I brought meat.”

Again?

“What, you’re gonna let the kids go without meat? Open the door quick, I’m freezing.”

Sorry.

I hurried to the front door.

When I opened it, there stood massive Ryan with two kids by his side.

“Hi, Yongsu!”

“Hello!”

Yo, Bessie! Roy! Long time no see!

Four-year-old daughter Bessie and three-year-old son Roy.

Ryan’s treasures.

Where’s Mijeong?

“She’s grabbing something and will come later. Can we come in? Damn, it’s freezing.”

Big guy like you… and watch your language, the kids can hear.

“Don’t worry, they don’t know Korean curses. Just open the door, my kids are cold!”

“Come in.”

What a weird guy.

Ryan’s house is close to mine, but it’s not close enough to dress so lightly.

If he dressed the kids warmly, why not himself?

“Your house is so warm. Rich jerk.”

Ryan rubbed his body, savoring the warmth as he entered.

“Yeah! Yongsu’s house is warm and nice!”

“Our house makes us keep coats on! Yongsu wears short sleeves!”

At Ryan’s words, the kids quickly took off their coats.

Despite the short distance, they were bundled up in thick clothes under their coats to avoid catching colds.

Why don’t you heat your house more?

“Electricity bills are high. Plus, growing up a bit cold helps you survive this environment.”

Fair point, but…

“Shut up and take this.”

Ryan handed me a plastic bag he was holding.

It felt heavy as I took it.

You brought so much.

“Kids need to eat a lot of meat to grow strong. Your kids are too skinny.”

That’s compared to Canadians.

My kids are plenty healthy.

Chicken?

“Yeah. We slaughtered some, so eat up.”

Thanks, I’ll enjoy it. Let’s go in.

I carried the plastic bag to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, my kids, who were organizing the fridge, locked eyes with Ryan’s kids.

“H-Hello?”

Hye-yeon gave an awkward smile and waved.

“ ”

“…Hello.”

Bessie and Roy, who were usually all smiles, froze instantly.

They seemed wary of strangers in a house they often visited.

Oh, I forgot to mention.

“…Dude.”

What? I can introduce them now.

Ryan put his hands on Bessie and Roy’s shoulders and said,

“These are Uncle Yongsu’s kids. You’ll see them a lot from now on, so we came to say hi.”

“…Okay.”

“ ”

The kids, shy, hid behind Ryan.

I turned to Hye-yeon, Yuri, and Jiyu.

These are Ryan’s kids. I told you they’d come over this morning, right?

“We heard, but they seem kinda scared of us.”

They take after their dad.

Yuri gave a strange look at that.

With his huge build and face tattoos, Ryan could be mistaken for a gangster by strangers, so her reaction made sense.

His speech is rough, but he’s got a kind heart.

Get along with them.

“…Okay.”

Even so, the kids weren’t sure what to do.

The language barrier was the main issue.

“Hiii! I’m Jiyu! What’re your names?”

“…?”

“Jiyu! I’m Jiyu! Jiyu!”

At Jiyu’s bright expression, Bessie cautiously spoke.

“…Bessie.”

“Bessie? Your name’s Bessie? Nice to meet you! Hehe! Let’s play with Jiyu!”

Jiyu grabbed Bessie’s hand.

Bessie flinched at Jiyu’s sudden move but didn’t pull away, as if she didn’t mind.

“What about you? What’s your name?”

“…Roy.”

“Roy? Cool name! Hehe! Roy and Bessie! Play with Jiyu!”

Jiyu grabbed Roy’s hand too.

Maybe they sensed no malice in her pure, bright smile?

Bessie and Roy glanced at each other, then followed Jiyu’s lead.

I gave a small smile at Jiyu’s actions.

Jiyu… she’ll pick up English fast.

Language is something you learn quickly when you’re interested.

I learned English and French quickly because I was desperate to survive.

Jiyu will probably learn English naturally by hanging out with those kids.

Good thing they’re getting along so fast.

With Jiyu taking the lead, Hye-yeon and Yuri could take a step closer too.

Jiyu’s pure actions showed no fear.

It was possible because she’s young and sincere, moving the other kids’ hearts.

Glad they’re getting along.

Ryan, who’d been secretly worried, gave a quiet smile.

Big softie. That was Ryan’s old nickname.

Despite his size, he was timid and kind, so people bullied him.

He got face tattoos out of fear, locking himself in a cage.

He must’ve worried his kids wouldn’t get along with mine.

That’s why he didn’t say anything.

I smirked at Ryan’s words.

I thought it was odd that this chatterbox didn’t mention it, but he probably kept quiet in case his kids got anxious and refused to come.

“Jiyu, let’s play in the living room! It’s dangerous here!”

Jiyu led Bessie and Roy to the living room.

I looked at Hye-yeon and Yuri.

Can you watch the kids? We’ll handle things here.

“Yes, we’ll do it.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of them.”

As Yuri and Hye-yeon left, I pulled out the chicken Ryan brought.

You didn’t eat, right? We’ve got chicken, so let’s make something tasty.

“Hold up, my wife’s bringing food soon.”

“ ”

“Don’t worry, bro. It’s not Mijeong’s cooking.”

Oh, good.

I flinched for a second.

Sometimes she’d bring food with confidence, but it was always a nightmare.

“Old man Marcello gave us a ton of porchetta. He said to eat with you.”

Won’t it be short?

“Nah, don’t worry. Marcello knows the kids are here.”

Marcello, an Italian immigrant neighbor who used to run a restaurant, often shared food like this.

Thanks. I’ll go thank him later.

“That guy loves kids.”

Can’t blame him, after what he went through.

“…Yeah.”

Ryan gave a bitter smile.

Anyway, since we got porchetta, we’d need a spicy sauce.

As I started preparing,

“Oh.”

“What?”

“Something’s up, isn’t it? Spill.”

How’d you know?

“You get wrinkles between your brows when something’s bothering you. It’s obvious.”

Ryan sat at the dining table with a bored look.

I scratched my head at his reaction.

The kids… they’re acting kinda cautious all of a sudden.

“They’ve been like that since I first saw them.”

No, more cautious than that. I don’t know, just… more.

“Hmm… let’s hear it.”

I told him what happened today.

After listening, Ryan spoke up.

“Did you… sigh or something?”

How’d you know?

Ryan realized it.

“You idiot.”