Chapter 52
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Past Connection
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It had already been six years since Oppa passed away.
At the time, I was still in high school.
After Oppa suddenly left this world,
our family fell completely apart.
We'd never been well-off to begin with,
but his sudden death shook my entire life to its core.
I had no idea what Oppa had been doing while he was alive.
All that remained vivid were the sudden news of his death crashing into our home one day
and the shocking emotions I'd felt at the funeral home.
While sorting through his belongings, I discovered three hundred million won in cash in his account,
and the shock of that moment is still fresh in my mind.
But my parents were lost in grief over losing him,
spending their days drowning in alcohol and tears.
The atmosphere at home grew heavier every day,
and my high school years, which should have been the brightest time, slipped away in emptiness.
Thanks to Oppa, at least I had enough money to go to college.
But with the family mood the way it was, I couldn't focus on studying at all.
In the end, it hurt too much to even look at my parents,
so I gave up on university and started living alone.
Time passed like that, and before I knew it, I was twenty-five.
It wasn't a young age by any means,
but in society, I was still in a precarious position.
A stable job felt impossibly far away for someone like me with only a high school diploma,
and since starting to live alone at twenty, I'd scraped by doing all sorts of part-time gigs.
Today, too, I was working at a nearby hamburger franchise.
"Min-ji, orders are piling up!"
The store manager called out to me urgently.
"Yes, coming right away!"
I hurriedly opened another counter for taking orders
and dealt with the influx of customers.
Thanks to the endless stream of people, the time flew by in a blur.
About two hours later, the crowd finally thinned out,
and things quieted down a bit.
As I stretched to loosen up,
I heard the door open.
"Ding-a-ling—"
I stopped stretching and greeted the customer with a smile.
"Welcome! Would you like to order?"
The customer was dressed in training clothes, hat pulled low,
and seemed to be pondering something.
A moment later, he spoke up.
"Uh... two chicken burgers and two bulgogi burgers, please."
"As single items, right?"
He nodded.
"Yes, singles, please."
"Got it! Please wait a moment."
I relayed the order to the kitchen and manned the counter.
But strangely, I kept feeling the gaze of the guy who'd just ordered.
At first, I thought I was imagining it,
but then he slowly approached.
In a slightly tense voice, he asked,
"Excuse me... are you Yeong-jin's little sister?"
For a split second, I thought my heart had stopped.
My mind went blank, my face paling.
It was Oppa's name—the one I'd tried so hard to forget and ignore for six years.
With a trembling voice, I barely managed to reply.
"Y-yes... that's me... who are you...?"
He broke into a bright smile, looking delighted.
"It really is you. I saw you at the funeral and looked for you for so long, but you'd moved, and I couldn't find you anywhere."
I was confused.
Honestly, I didn't remember this man's face at all.
Did Oppa even have someone like this around him?
"Two chicken burgers and two bulgogi burgers are ready!"
I heard the kitchen call out.
At that moment, the man quickly pulled a business card from his wallet and handed it to me.
"Call me after your shift. I'll be waiting."
I took the card in a daze
and handed him the burgers.
The customer left the store after giving me the card.
For a long while, I just stared blankly at the business card.
Six years after Oppa left this world,
why had one of his connections suddenly reappeared?
Up until then, I had no idea.
That my life was about to turn upside down after today.
I was heading home after my workout.
As the sweat cooled, hunger started to set in.
I don't usually crave much,
but today, burgers were calling to me for some reason.
"Should I grab some burgers on the way home?"
I thought of the nearby hamburger shop I'd passed often lately.
It was close to home, and I'd gotten them there occasionally—the taste wasn't bad.
Dressed in comfy training clothes,
I stepped inside.
Maybe because I'd pushed hard at the gym for the first time in a while,
the thought of burgers made my mouth water.
Looking at the menu at the counter, I figured I'd order generously since I'd get snacky watching broadcasts later.
"Uh... two chicken burgers and two bulgogi burgers, please. Ah, just singles."
I placed the order and sat at an empty table to wait.
Glancing idly around the store, my eyes landed on the employee taking orders at the counter.
A strange sense of familiarity hit me.
She looked oddly familiar.
It felt strongly like I'd seen her somewhere before.
'Where do I know her from? Why does she seem so familiar?'
I squinted and looked at her face more closely.
Slightly long hair, youthful features, a tired expression.
For some reason, an old acquaintance's face kept overlapping with hers.
Suddenly, my mind went blank.
My heart sank.
'No way... Yeong-jin?'
Instantly, the image of Yeong-jin's funeral six years ago flashed in my mind.
In the chaos and grief back then,
I'd overlooked the young face of Yeong-jin's little sister amid the confusion.
My heart started pounding wildly.
I stood up quickly and walked slowly toward the counter.
The closer I got, the more convinced I was that my hunch was right.
Cautiously, I spoke to her.
"Excuse me... are you Yeong-jin's little sister?"
She looked at me, her face showing surprise.
It was definitely the face I remembered.
She'd grown up a lot, so I hadn't recognized her at first,
but up close, Yeong-jin's features were unmistakable.
She opened her mouth hesitantly.
"Y-yes... that's me... who are you...?"
I smiled brightly and said,
"Ah, it really is you. I saw you at the funeral and searched for a while after.
But when I went back later, you'd already moved, so I couldn't find you."
Truth be told, things had been so hectic back then that I hadn't taken proper care.
Only later did I realize I should look after Yeong-jin's family,
but by then, they'd already relocated somewhere.
After that, life got too busy, and I'd carried a lingering guilt without properly searching.
Just then, the kitchen bell rang.
"Two chicken burgers and two bulgogi burgers are ready!"
Hearing my order was up,
I hurriedly pulled a business card from my wallet and handed it over.
"Call me after your shift. I'll be waiting."
I smiled at her stunned expression.
Grabbing the burger bag, I left the store.
Out in the sunlight, my heart was still racing.
'To run into Yeong-jin's sister like this...'
Even I was surprised by this unexpected reconnection,
thinking of Yeong-jin's sister, who was probably still standing there in a daze inside the store.
The moment Min-ji finished her shift, she pulled the business card from her pocket.
After a brief hesitation, she dialed the number, as if she'd made up her mind.
'I really want to avoid this... but it feels like I shouldn't.'
A few seconds later, a man's voice came through the phone.
『Hello?』
Min-ji paused for a moment but then gathered her courage and spoke carefully.
"Um... this is Yeong-jin's little sister."
The man's voice brightened on the other end.
『Ah! Off work already? If you're not busy, let's grab coffee and talk.』
Min-ji replied slowly, a bit tense.
"Where should we meet?"
Jin-seong asked calmly.
『Where are you right now?』
"I called right after clocking out, so I'm still in front of the burger place."
Jin-seong thought for a second, then replied.
『Oh, really? I'll come pick you up. It's nearby—should be quick.』
After hanging up, a few minutes later,
a black luxury sedan pulled up smoothly in front of Min-ji.
It was a high-end foreign car she'd never seen before.
'What... who the hell is this guy...?'
The window rolled down slowly, revealing Jin-seong's face from the store.
"Hop in."
Min-ji hesitated, then quietly got in.
The interior screamed luxury at a glance,
and she felt a comfortable ride smoother than anything she'd ever experienced.
They drove in awkward silence for a bit.
Jin-seong kept quiet, focusing on the road.
They arrived at a upscale yet serene outdoor cafe.
With summer approaching, the weather was mild, and a gentle breeze felt nice.
Sitting at a quiet outdoor table amid green lawns and a peaceful vibe, Jin-seong spoke first.
"What would you like?"
Min-ji answered cautiously.
"I'll have an iced Americano."
Jin-seong smiled and said,
"Have a seat here. I'll order and be right back."
A moment later, he returned with the same drinks
and sat across from her.
He started the conversation carefully.
Min-ji asked the question burning in her mind first.
"How did you know my brother...?"
Jin-seong hesitated a bit before speaking haltingly.
"I worked with Yeong-jin...
About six years ago, he helped me a lot with my business.
He was like a little brother to me, so his sudden passing hit me hard."
Min-ji asked cautiously again.
"After Oppa died, we checked his accounts and found a huge sum of money.
Was he... involved in anything bad?"
Jin-seong, flustered but composed, explained.
"No, Yeong-jin never did anything wrong.
He helped with program development and website building for my business, and that was payment—development fees and royalties."
Jin-seong couldn't bear the thought of Yeong-jin's sister remembering him as a bad influence,
so he had to explain it somehow.
Watching the man, his demeanor, and the car, Min-ji thought he really seemed like a successful businessman.
People really are what they appear, after all.
Min-ji spoke up again.
"But why did you suddenly want to meet me today?
We have no connection, so honestly, I don't get it."
Jin-seong replied slowly.
"Ah, I should've introduced myself properly. I'm Kim Jin-seong, thirty-five.
I thought of Yeong-jin like a real little brother,
and he always talked about you when he was alive.
I should've looked after you back then, but things were too chaotic.
I've always regretted it.
I want to be like a guardian for you from now on."
Min-ji couldn't shake her suspicions.
Having navigated society young, approaches like this didn't feel purely benevolent.
She said honestly,
"To be frank, some random acquaintance of my dead brother from six years ago suddenly wanting to look after me? It makes me suspicious."
Jin-seong waved his hands in a panic.
"Ah, no, don't misunderstand.
It's not some ulterior motive—it's genuine.
If it's burdensome, I'm sorry.
But if you ever need help in life,
please remember me and reach out."
Only then did Min-ji start to lower her guard a little.
"I should've introduced myself too.
I'm twenty-five, Yeong-jin's sister Min-ji.
Not sure if I'll ever need anything, but if I do, I'll call then."
Jin-seong beamed.
"Even if it's not for something specific, let's keep in touch occasionally.
Think of me like a comfortable big brother, like Yeong-jin,
and let's get along casually from now on."
As he said this, Jin-seong resolved in his heart.
He believed everything he had now was thanks to Yeong-jin,
and taking good care of Min-ji was his final atonement to him.
But Min-ji had no idea yet
that she'd just gained a reliable big brother out of nowhere, like unexpected fortune.
Their first meeting ended with a short but meaningful conversation.
Neither knew yet how their lives would become intertwined going forward,
as they exchanged awkward smiles and left the outdoor cafe.
And while Jin-seong was talking with Min-ji like this,
Ye-ji's broadcast was in complete chaos.