Chapter 46
Chapter 46
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: HOME
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Haneuli~ Hi there? Remember Auntie?"
The thing that shocked me the most was Yura's expression.
It was the gentlest face in the world, one she'd never once shown to me or Chaewon.
She crouched down to meet Haneuli's eye level and greeted her in the softest voice imaginable.
Gone was her usual sharp tone—instead, it was sweet like cotton candy.
Haneuli beamed at her like sunshine, breaking into a bright smile.
Then she threw her little arms wide and plunged straight into Yura's embrace. The child's tiny body completely buried itself in Yura's arms.
"Auntie~!"
I could only stare at the scene in stunned silence, like I'd witnessed something utterly bizarre from another world.
Was that really the prickly, foul-mouthed Han Yura I knew?
Normally, she'd snap something like, "Fuck off, you're getting me all dirty clinging like that." But now, she was hugging Haneuli close and gently stroking her hair.
That's when Chaewon sidled up beside me and quietly asked, a hint of tension in her voice.
"What's going on? Is it something important?"
I didn't answer—instead, I just nodded toward Yura.
It was the signal that us grown-ups needed to start our "important talk."
Yura caught on quick. She took Haneuli's hand and flashed a warm smile.
"Haneuli, Auntie will buy you something yummy. What do you want?"
"Um... um... strawberry juice...!"
Haneuli pressed a tiny finger to her lips, thought for a second, then answered clearly.
Yura and Haneuli walked off hand-in-hand toward the nearby convenience store.
It was striking how Yura matched her steps to the child's much shorter stride, walking slower than her usual brisk pace.
Haneuli toddled along beside her, chattering away nonstop, and Yura nodded along, listening attentively.
I watched their sweet figures for a moment.
Through the cafe window, they looked just like a real family.
And with that, I laid out to Chaewon the new future I'd been sketching in my head all night.
"How about we all move in together to a two-story house with a yard?"
Chaewon froze at my out-of-the-blue proposal and turned to stare at me.
A flicker of confusion crossed her eyes.
"What... a countryside house, out of nowhere?"
She tilted her head, repeating my words as if I'd just said something ridiculous.
I started explaining more carefully.
"Think about it. How long are we gonna keep living in that cramped six-mat room with no AC? It's filthy."
Chaewon's expression gradually turned serious.
"We've made decent money now. Enough to buy a house, for sure. And I want a countryside place."
"Why a countryside house...?"
"It comes with a yard, plenty of space. I just want to live in a proper home. It's... a dream, y'know."
I paused and looked her straight in the eye.
"Besides, we're basically together all day anyway, the three of us. So why not just make it official and live together?"
Chaewon mulled it over in silence for a bit.
Complicated emotions flitted across her face.
"But... is that really okay? With Haneuli and all..."
"That's why a two-story. You and Haneuli take the first floor, me and Yura the second."
Chaewon sank into thought.
Excitement mingled with very real worries on her face.
She tapped the table with her fingers, like she was running some complex calculations.
"Hm... with Haneuli, it might be tricky... but you're not thinking way out in the boonies, right?"
Given the nature of our "work," living with a kid was no small issue.
Chaewon, as the mom, knew that better than anyone.
She looked hesitant but her eyes betrayed how desperately she wanted to make it work with us.
The way she bit her lip revealed her inner conflict plain as day.
To convince her, I started laying out the key premise of my plan, step by step.
"First off,"
I spoke in a gentle tone to ease her concerns.
"Our 'work' happens strictly on the second floor. No exceptions."
"Hm......"
A sliver of her wariness eased from Chaewon's face.
"Even after we move, you'll still drop Haneuli off at daycare in the mornings, right?"
"Yeah. To make friends her age... daycare's a must."
"Our 'work' starts after that."
"Right."
Finally, I made the most crucial promise.
"And... I'll wear clothes at home."
"......Huh?"
Chaewon gave me a puzzled look at my random declaration.
I glanced over at Yura and Haneuli sipping strawberry juice—far enough that they couldn't hear.
Then I turned back to Chaewon, dead serious.
"No more wandering around naked like now. I'll act like a civilized human being."
Her expression softened noticeably at my promise. But one major worry still lingered.
"...What about afternoons... or nights? I don't want to send Haneuli to full-day care."
"I know."
I nodded.
Then, like solving a math problem, I introduced the first variable to crack this.
"Let's crunch the numbers. What time does daycare usually start taking kids?"
Chaewon thought for a moment before answering.
"9 a.m.... usually until 4 p.m."
That single answer clicked all the pieces in my head into a perfect solution.
I presented her with the optimal schedule to solve everything.
"Here's the plan."
I pitched it like a slick CEO unveiling a killer business proposal.
"Every morning, you drop Haneuli off, come back, and we kick off the first 'Post-Nut Clarity' session of the day. With Yura, or just you. That's at least 4-5 hours secured."
"......Yeah."
Chaewon was following along quietly now.
Understanding dawned in her eyes.
"We do mornings like that, grab lunch. Before pickup, the three of us go at it together one more time. Boom—minimum six hours guaranteed."
Chaewon parted her lips slightly, chewing over my words.
She lightly tapped the table, timing it out.
I drove home the core of the plan.
"This way, all our 'work' fits perfectly into the time Haneuli's away. Evenings, when she gets back, we're all done and can relax."
I looked at her and asked one last time.
"What do you think? Isn't that perfect?"
She had no counterarguments left for my airtight plan.
A relieved smile finally broke across her face, all worries lifted—like a heavy load off her shoulders.
"Then... yeah, that actually sounds good?"
She had no counterarguments left for my airtight plan.
A relieved smile finally broke across her face, all worries lifted—like a heavy load off her shoulders.
I nodded in satisfaction at her smile.
Right then, Chaewon glanced toward the convenience store, where Yura and Haneuli were laughing together.
She lowered her voice cautiously and asked me ever so carefully.
"But..."
Her voice trembled just a little.
"We won't be doing 'that' just because of... 'that' stuff, right."
Her words. "That"—our contract clause, the "Post-Nut Clarity" sessions.
This was the first time she'd voiced that our relationship wasn't just about "work."
Her sudden question threw me off. I felt heat creeping up the back of my neck.
"Ah... yeah, true..."
I answered awkwardly.
"Well... like normal couples making baby number two or three, we can just sneak around when Haneuli's not home, right?"
I'd unwittingly compared us to an ordinary "family."
The words heated my face too as they left my mouth.
"It's not... like a bad thing or anything, right?"
My clumsy answer and awkward analogy.
Chaewon stared at me for a moment.
Something subtle flickered in her eyes. Then she blushed shyly and murmured in the tiniest voice.
"Mmm... yeah, I guess..."
With those words, another new, unspoken contract formed between us.
A strange tension hung in the air. We locked eyes for a second before looking away at the same time.
To break the silence, I glanced at another table.
Across from us, Yura sat with the world's kindest face, playing "clap-clap-clap" with Haneuli.
The prickly girl was matching the kid's eye level, laughing and chatting away.
Haneuli clapped her little hands and giggled wildly. Yura looked genuinely delighted too.
'She has this habit of casually doing stuff that seems totally out of character sometimes...'
I thought to myself as I watched the odd sight.
Just then, Chaewon raised one last practical issue.
"But those rural areas... to drop her at daycare, we'd need a car, right? I don't even have a license."
A perfectly valid concern.
But to me now, it was no issue at all.
"A car? Pfft, we'll just buy one."
I shrugged it off casually.
"Driving? No problem—I'm ex-army driver."
"Heh, if you handle that... I'd be grateful..."
Relief washed over Chaewon's face. But she followed up with a more fundamental question.
"Wait... don't orphanage kids usually get exemptions from service?"
"Orphanage." She avoided saying it outright.
I chuckled at her small kindness and replied.
"Yeah, if you're there over five years, you're exempt..."
I looked at her matter-of-factly.
"But they feed you, house you, give you pocket money, and even that 'camaraderie savings' lump sum at the end... why wouldn't I go?"
To me, the army wasn't some sacred duty to defend the nation.
It was just the most rational, efficient "tool" to survive this harsh world.
Three square meals, a paycheck, and a fat discharge bonus to boot.
My answer brought an awkward silence over the cafe.
I couldn't stand the heavy vibe.
I shot up from my seat with a deliberate thud.
Then I strode over to Haneuli, who was glued to Yura's side after coming back from the store.
I crouched down to meet the little one's eyes.
Those cute, shy peepers stared up at me full of wariness.
She eyed me cautiously while slurping her strawberry juice through the straw.
I grinned wide and asked cheerfully.
"Haneuli."
I gently stroked her hair. Soft blonde strands slipped between my fingers.
"Ever tried premium Hanwoo beef? 120,000 won a serving?"
Haneuli just shook her head side to side—she had no clue what I meant.
Her big eyes blinked at me as she cocked her head.
I boomed like a triumphant general, flexing hard.
"Uncle's treating our Haneuli to 120,000-won premium Hanwoo today! Wanna go eat?"
But it wasn't Haneuli who answered my pitch.
The one nodding hardest, up and down like her life depended on it, was the "money ghost" Han Yura—who'd overheard everything from the side.
Her eyes were already locked on that "premium Hanwoo."
She looked about to drool.