Dawn Visits and the Fatal Flaw
Really, this had to be the last time! …………… Knock knock knock.
It was dawn. The sun had risen, and the roosters were crowing. For the farmers nearby, morning was already in full swing. But that biological clock didn't apply to me. Why? Because I wasn't a farmer—I was an emoticon artist. I could start and end work whenever I wanted. Finish early, rest early; finish late, rest late. And to produce work good enough to sell, I needed plenty of sleep. As the saying goes, anyone working on four hours of sleep is either a genius or a fraud.
So it was still bedtime for me. But...
Knock knock knock.
The knocking kept disrupting my sleep. And... this wasn't the sound of someone banging on the iron gate in the yard. It was coming from the front door. Meaning someone had already come inside the gate and was knocking on the house door itself.
...Who could it be?
My eyes snapped open. Had I forgotten to latch the gate before bed? Even if it was open, why would anyone come into a stranger's yard?
Knock knock knock.
The knocking resumed.
Pretty polite for someone who hopped the gate...
Either way, I couldn't keep ignoring someone knocking so politely at my door. At least it didn't seem like a burglar. I got out of bed and headed to the entrance. My bare feet hitting the cold floor woke me up bit by bit. I opened the door.
"Good morning!"
Kim Bom stood there. In her hands was a large basket, and on her face was a smile brighter than the sunlight. A quick glance at the clock showed it was around six-thirty. Given how perfectly put-together she looked, she'd probably gotten up before six to prepare and head out.
"B-Bom? What brings you here this early—"
"I brought breakfast!"
Kim Bom lifted the cloth covering the basket. Sure enough, inside were steaming bowls of doenjang stew, rolled omelet, and freshly cooked rice.
"Yeoreum looked a bit off yesterday. And you probably skip breakfast anyway, right? I figured I'd take care of it for you."
"No, you didn't have to go to that much—"
"It's already made—wouldn't want to waste it, would we? It's fine, we can eat together. We're practically family, after all!"
Family...
Since I was basically her dad, that made us family in her logic, I guess. Without waiting for my reply, Kim Bom tried to step inside. Well, she tried— I was blocking the doorway.
"I can eat alone. Just leave the basket."
"Oh..."
She paused at my refusal, but quickly recovered her smile. "...Okay! Then eat it all up, and just return the dishes at lunchtime. We'll eat together then."
"Pardon? Lunch?"
"Yep! Eating alone must be lonely."
She pressed the basket into my hands as she spoke. "Make sure you eat it. Way better than taking your morning meds on an empty stomach."
She even knew I skipped breakfast and took meds anyway? I had nothing to say. Even if I wanted to refuse, the basket was already in my hands, and she was turning away.
"See you later!"
With those light footsteps, Kim Bom vanished.
"........."
I set the breakfast on the table. Every dish she'd prepared was made with such care. Brown rice, spinach doenjang stew, rolled omelet, stir-fried dried anchovies with peanuts, braised beef, kimchi. Simple on the surface, but each one required effort—and they were all still warm. She'd either made them fresh or reheated them just now.
"I'm grateful... but it's overwhelming."
Getting up before six to make all this? I appreciated it. Truly. But I'd already been receiving too much of her kindness. I couldn't help feeling uneasy—especially after our conversation last night.
All her actions were starting to feel like those of a daughter caring for her ailing father.
"For now... I'll eat and think later."
I scooped some stew, picked up some braised beef and omelet. It was delicious. Undeniably so.
……………
After that day when Kim Bom showed up at six a.m. with a basket of food, her visits became routine. Whenever I didn't go to her, she came to me—it was basically like that.
At first, it was just meals. But over time, her caretaking expanded.
"Dad! I'll take that pile of laundry... ahaha, slipped again!"
"I'll do the dishes, so just leave them!"
"The windows are this dusty?! Wait a sec, I'll grab a rag!"
"Bom, you really don't have to..."
"But you haven't cleaned once since moving in, have you?"
I refused several times.
"I can handle it myself. You're busy too."
"We eat together at your place sometimes anyway—no need for every meal..."
Each time, Kim Bom would nod. "Got it. Then I'll head out for today."
She'd back off when I spoke up. But the next day—or a few hours later—she'd be at my door again. As if our previous talk never happened. As if nothing had changed.
"Good morning! Brought breakfast!"
……………
It was starting to remind me of Choi Seori from the first world.
Of course, Kim Bom wasn't exactly like her. There were differences. Choi Seori deliberately showed vulnerability to evoke pity, using it as a weapon to worm into my life with my permission. Kim Bom? She was straightforward—bluntly pushy, in crude terms. Relentless, but never forceful.
It took a few days to realize: this was a strategy. She'd retreat one step on refusal, but kept approaching until I gave in. Showing only goodwill and kindness.
Honestly, if our genders and looks were reversed—if Kim Bom were an ugly guy pursuing me... it'd just be stalking. But reality? She's a beautiful woman. I'm decent-looking enough, but still just a guy. If I complained to others about her overbearing care? They'd probably call me spoiled and ungrateful.
That's how I felt too. Burdensome, yes—but not stalking. And that was the biggest problem. How could I casually push away a beauty constantly doting on me? Even forcing it triggered guilt. In the end, I couldn't stop her from entering my life and expanding her territory.
Dilemma. That word fit my situation perfectly.
……………
It had been a while since I'd strolled the town alone without Kim Bom. She was swamped with bookings at her fortune-telling shop.
"How many days has it been since I was free...?"
Honestly, her "family-like" attention and help was touching—but suffocating too. I wanted to savor this rare freedom.
The town was holding its five-day market today. More people than usual, especially elders chatting in groups.
"Aigoo, isn't that Yeoreum?"
It was the village head. The man I'd met when Kim Bom first showed me around. He was with two other grandpas and a grandma.
"Hello."
"Doing well? Bom taking good care of you?"
The elders exchanged knowing looks and chuckled.
"Heard Bom's been over at Yeoreum's place every day lately?"
"Nah, Yeoreum's always at Bom's too."
"Brings breakfast every morning, right?"
"Ahaha... just neighbors helping each other."
They burst into laughter at my response.
"Neighbors? Back in my day, my wife was my neighbor—never cooked for me before marriage!"
"Our Bom finally found her match. When's the wedding?"
"Aigoo, it's not like that."
I waved it off, but they weren't buying it.
"What d'you mean? Whole village knows."
"We all see her carrying food over every morning."
"Young folks like you—just be happy, no need to hide."
Haa...
Hard to explain, no point denying. I just smiled. Amid the teasing, the head poured me some makgeolli.
"Bom's a good girl. Watched her grow up—kind and hardworking."
"Sure is. Grew up straight despite no dad."
Someone clicked their tongue. "Her father would've been thrilled if he were alive..."
The head nodded. "Yeah, Teacher Kim was a fine man. Bom takes after him—so gentle."
"Suffered so much from that illness."
"What kind of illness?"
The head sighed at my question. "Something with his brain, they said. Hospital couldn't do a thing."
"Brain tumor?"
"Something like that. Pain everywhere—always on meds."
Brain. That single word echoed in my ears.
Pretending to sip makgeolli, I pieced it together. What had Kim Bom said that day her grip tightened on my throat?
"First, our souls are the same. The illness is exactly the same. Undeniable proof."
She'd said that. Same disease. Undeniable evidence.
But heart and brain are completely different. Medically, location-wise, symptoms—everything.
This is it.
I downed the makgeolli. Outwardly smiling and nodding along, inside I was thrilled. I'd found it at last. Objective, irrefutable proof to shatter Kim Bom's delusion.
"But Yeoreum, you feeling okay?"
"Yes!?"
The head's question snapped me back.
"Ah, yes. I'm fine."
"Heard your heart's bad."
"Aigoo, so young and suffering."
"But Bom's got you covered. She's a pro at nursing the sick."
The grandma's words hit home. Yes. Kim Bom had nursed her ailing father since childhood. And now she was nursing me. But not because I was her father's reincarnation. Just because she wanted to believe it.
Now, it was time to break that belief. For her sake—and mine.