Eighteen
Eighteen
"Uh, uh, she is a girl, but it's fine. She's doing this because she's grateful for something I did for her, so you don't need to worry."
Se-na's voice was definitely not good.
The intense chill felt from the words "It's a girl."
At that voice that made goosebumps rise on my back, Jeong Hae-in clears her throat, "Ahem."
"Hello. I'm Jeong Hae-in."
A moment of silence at her calm voice.
Soon, a small sound of breath is heard through the car speaker. Huu-k.
- ......Hello. I'm Seo Se-na."
Fortunately, it didn't take long for Se-na to reveal her name.
She was definitely smiling shyly at me when I left this morning, and the atmosphere wasn't bad either.
Did something happen while she was working her part-time job today?
- By the way, may I ask what brings you here?
"Ah, I wanted to repay Jin-man for a favor, so I offered to buy him a meal, and I happened to have business near here today."
Hae-in's voice, asking for understanding, is both cautious and bold.
It's a strange way of speaking where contradictory words coexist.
But I've never seen anyone get offended by this way of speaking from Hae-in.
Was it what she called her own speech skill?
"I heard from Assistant Manager Jin-man. That he has a younger sister staying at his place for a while. I'm sorry for visiting without knowing you were together."
- No, it's fine. Since that's how it turned out, it can't be helped.
"Thank you. Please bear with me for just today. Have you eaten dinner? If you haven't, I'd like for Se-na-ssi to eat with us too."
And this tone clearly worked on Se-na too.
Her voice is somewhat blunt, but...
Se-na's voice, clearly stating what she wants, seems a bit more relaxed than before.
- Um, I want to eat chicken, would that be okay?
"Of course! Then I'll see you later! Thank you so much for allowing it!"
After hanging up, Hae-in smiles.
"Hey, what do I do? Your younger sister is Se-na?"
"Why."
"She's so cute! I want to get close to her!"
Recalling the reaction Se-na just showed, Jeong Hae-in slaps her knee and laughs.
Hey, she's a fucking scary kid.
She doesn't do it these days, but she'd wear sexy underwear and climb on top of a man like it was nothing.
She's basically a succubus.
......These words hover in my throat.
"Seriously, Jin-man, people seem to become so cute whenever they're with you."
I let out a small sigh at Jeong Hae-in's words.
To make such a generalization with a sample size of only Ye-seo-noona and Se-na.
It's very difficult for a commoner's brain to follow the thoughts of smart people.
"Ah, seriously, how can I get close to her? Is there anything Se-na likes?"
"You just heard it, chicken."
"No, not that, you bastard. Since she's a younger sister you're close with, you must have her around."
I glance to the side and Jeong Hae-in's eyes look a bit dangerous.
Judging by Se-na's reaction, I don't think she likes Hae-in very much.
"Ask her yourself. She's waiting right over there."
Perhaps she came out to meet us in advance, Se-na is sitting on the playground equipment next to the parking lot, kicking the random ground.
Then, her expression as she stands up upon seeing my car is unusual.
"Oppa, you're here?"
Without her usual energy.
Se-na's voice, which is somewhat blunt, greets me.
"Yeah, Se-na. You were out here?"
"That person is......"
And Se-na's voice, seeing Hae-in getting out of the passenger seat, is still a bit stiff.
"That's right. Nice to meet you. I'm Jeong Hae-in, Se-na-ssi. I'm Jin-man's colleague, please take care of me."
Jeong Hae-in approaches Se-na sociably and greets her.
Se-na, uncomfortable with her, sticks to my side and leads me away, saying "Let's go quickly."
"Hae-in, let's go up."
As I bring Hae-in up, Se-na shows the exact same reaction she showed on the first day.
"Wow, what the, Lee Jin-man. Your place is fucking nice?"
"Just put your bag down anywhere. You're leaving tomorrow anyway."
Hae-in's open mouth doesn't know how to close.
She goes into the room, washes up briefly in the small bathroom attached to the room, and changes clothes.
Coming out to the living room, on the sofa that Se-na always occupied.
Today, Jeong Hae-in is feeling the texture and exclaiming, "Oh, a fabric sofa is nice too?"
"Se-na, you said you wanted to eat chicken."
"Yes."
Se-na's voice is dark.
As if her spot was stolen, Se-na's gaze is not kind.
"Oppa, I'm going to go in and rest."
"Uh, yeah, okay."
Like that, Se-na, who usually doesn't go into her room, enters her room.
Only I and Jeong Hae-in remain in the living room.
"Hey."
"What."
"Do you happen to have any clothes I can change into? It's a bit uncomfortable."
I turn my gaze to Se-na's firmly closed door.
Jeong Hae-in has already undone two buttons on her blouse.
Does she not care whether the undergarment she's wearing inside is visible or not?
"Wait a second."
Remembering that Se-na also doesn't have clothes, I go into my room.
Looking for what clothes Jeong Hae-in could wear, I hand her a T-shirt and sweatpants hanging in the closet.
"Wear this at least."
"Alright, thanks."
And Hae-in naturally enters my room.
Click.
Seeing the door close, I walk to the front of Se-na's room.
"Se-na, are you resting?"
"Is it Oppa......?"
"Yeah, it's me. Can I come in for a second?"
It seems Se-na doesn't like Jeong Hae-in.
Did something go wrong from the first impression?
It's a bit bewildering because this is the first time I've seen her act like this.
She used to treat people at her hair salon or people she met outside quite gently.
"Come in."
The firmly closed door opens.
Entering the room, Se-na is lying in the room, covering herself tightly with the blanket.
She hasn't even turned on the air conditioner, so it must be hot like that.
"You should be resting comfortably, but I brought a guest, so it's uncomfortable, right?"
"......No, it's fine."
"Se-na, still, she's someone who came to buy me a meal because she was grateful to me today. Originally, we were going to go eat tomorrow evening, but she said she wanted to get it over with quickly this evening since she was in the neighborhood."
At the words "tomorrow evening," Se-na twitches.
Wriggling inside the blanket like a caterpillar, she lifts her head and looks at me.
"I want that Grilled Chicken Boneless BBQ."
"Uh, yeah, yeah. Grilled Chicken Boneless BBQ......"
"Since Oppa said that, I'll calm down. Anyway, the owner of this house is Oppa. Thank you for telling me that."
"Got it. I'll call you when the food comes later."
Leaving Se-na, I stepped out of her room and looked around her room for a moment.
Cosmetics and a desk mirror placed on a 20,000 won makeshift desk catch my eye.
And also that some spots where the merchandise that would originally fill the room should be are empty.
"Hey, Jin-man. I'm a bit tall for a woman, but men's clothes are still big."
"But you'd be too small to wear Se-na's clothes."
Stepping out of the room, Jeong Hae-in, who has already changed clothes, is lying sprawled on the sofa.
Maybe because the clothes are big, it looks like she's wearing loose-fit sweatpants on purpose.
But this girl, it's her first time at my house, so why does she look so comfortable?
"Heh heh. That's true too. What chicken does she want?"
"Grilled Chicken Boneless BBQ."
"Oh, she's a foodie."
"And add galbi sauce to mine."
Jeong Hae-in is tapping away at her phone, seemingly about to order delivery.
"Which building and unit is this?"
"Building 1210, Unit 1405."
I plop down in front of Jeong Hae-in, who is lying on the bed.
Originally, Se-na should be lying behind my back.
Today, Jeong Hae-in is occupying that spot and tapping on her phone.
"Bossam, call?"
"Call."
"Ah, and is Malatang okay?"
I briefly recall the food Se-na has eaten in the meantime.
I don't think there was any Malatang among the delivery food I ate with her.
"Not Malatang, Kimchi stew."
"Okay."
"But aren't you spending too much?"
Anyway, if we add alcohol to this, it seems like it will easily come out to 100,000 won......
But it seems Jeong Hae-in came expecting this much.
"It's fine~ It's less than a barbecue restaurant. I actually eat a lot, so we need to order this much for three people. You're a man, so you'll obviously eat more than me."
Jeong Hae-in sits up.
She makes a shape of holding a soju glass with her fingers, then flicks her index finger lightly, sending a gesture.
Asking how about a drink since there's so much food.
Is there alcohol at home?
I get up and head to the refrigerator.
From behind my back, I hear an admiring voice saying, "Wow, the fridge is fucking huge."
Unfortunately, the only alcohol in that big fridge is two cans of beer.
"I'll have to go buy some."
"Shall we go together?"
"Let's do that. Se-na, we're going to go buy alcohol, do you want to come with us?"
There is no answer from inside the room for a moment.
Then, clack. The door opens, and Se-na comes out of the room with a light layer of makeup on her face, as if she did it in that short time.
"Let's go."
"Uh, uh."
Se-na leaves the house first.
Hae-in follows behind, tying the drawstring of her pants, and finally, I leave the house.
"Huu, it'll be hot at night soon."
"That's true. It's already warm."
Se-na doesn't say a single word until the moment we get on the elevator.
Right now, it's obvious to anyone that she's uncomfortable with Hae-in.
Only when I start to feel a bit uncomfortable does Se-na open her mouth.
"You said Hae-in-eonni, right?"
"Yes? Yes."
"Please speak comfortably. You seem like an older sister to me. I'm twenty-three."
"Ah, really? I'm the same age as Jin-man. Nice to meet you, Se-na."
I think it's a relief that she doesn't seem to dislike Hae-in.
Because the way she bows her head slightly and fidgets with her fingers didn't seem like she just hated her.
Unlike me, who got close by sticking to her.
It must be because she treated her too coldly during the first meeting with Jeong Hae-in.
"Nice to meet you too."
"Hehe, but Se-na. You're really so pretty. Wow, but how did Jin-man get to know someone like you?"
Just like when she first treated me.
Hae-in treats Se-na in a friendly way, and the atmosphere loosens up quickly.
Jeong Hae-in has that unique sociability.
If Se-na is the type to attract people with her charm, Jeong Hae-in is the type to pull people into her circle in an easygoing way.
This time, it feels like Jeong Hae-in's open circle is working more than Se-na's charm.
"What are you going to drink?"
"Me? I'm drinking Western liquor."
"I'll just have whatever you buy."
"Se-na, you're going to eat chicken, so shall we drink Western liquor together?"
Neighborhood mart Western liquor is seriously fucking expensive.
I think I have no choice but to go to Alphabet Mart, so I start the car and get in with the three people.
This time, it's Se-na, not Hae-in, who occupies the seat next to me.
"Wow, the backseat is so comfortable. This isn't like my dad's old car."
"It's a new model. Of course it's different from the old one."
"Ah, I should have ridden in the back instead of the passenger seat when I came earlier."
I start the car and begin driving towards the mart for a while.
If we go round trip, will it take roughly 40 minutes?
While driving with my arm on the console box armrest, something soft brushes against my hand.
I flinch and turn my gaze for a moment, and it's Se-na secretly and carefully touching my hand with her tiny hand.
"Jin-man, play some music, music. The car is too quiet."
"I'm playing anything?"
"Yeah, yeah. Se-na, is there any song you want to hear?"
Se-na naturally unlocks my phone with her thumb on my arm that is resting on the console box.
And she operates the phone, and soon music starts to flow out.
Lyrics about wanting to confess love but being sad alone because I can't say it.
I listen without much thought, but Se-na quietly fiddles with my phone.
"Wow, this is an OST from a drama about 10 years ago, how do you know it? It's a drama from our age group and it's not even famous."
"I just thought of it and played it."
"Oho. True, masterpieces are often from 10 years ago. I understand. Ah, can you play that for the next song?"
"Okay, Eonni."
Since Jeong Hae-in speaks to Se-na in a friendly way, the atmosphere in the car isn't exactly harmonious.
But the frozen cold air is definitely melting.
In the car filled with music, I drove towards the large mart, looking only ahead without a word.