An Indispensable Presence
"Haa... I'm going crazy."
That was Haley's sigh at the sight of Yohan and Aiden, who the moment they met had launched into solemn, fantasy-style voices as if they were playing at being grand.
Aiden she could write off as always being like that—but she had never expected Yohan to sink this deep into some role-playing game. It was all because of the game Aiden had brought with him when he came to America. Watching Yohan so thoroughly absorbed in the role-play, she felt as if her security blanket had been stolen, and the thought put her in a foul mood.
Whether she ground her teeth or not, Yohan went outside with Aiden to enjoy their TRPG. In Rome his face was quite well-known, but not in America. Thanks to that, Yohan could enjoy his holiday in peace, with no one approaching him.
Caroline's family, of course, and even the relatives who had come up from New York to visit and stay for a while... Living luxuriously and getting along well with all of them, he sought out Haley two days later when the World Cup period began.
"Haley."
"What."
Haley was lying face-down on the bed in her room, fiddling with her phone. Without hesitation, Yohan came over and lay down beside her, then spoke.
"Let's watch the World Cup together."
"No."
"Why? The US national team made it to the finals too... Their match is coming up soon."
"I don't even know who anyone is. I don't even know the people on the club you play for."
"You know Miguel and a few others. You even said hello last time."
"Said hello? Oh... that guy? The one who looks like a robber?"
Yohan was briefly left speechless by Haley's abysmal memory.
"You really have zero interest, huh."
"That's what I said. Did you think I was kidding?"
"Still, let's watch. It's a national competition. Even people who don't watch soccer watch the World Cup."
"I'm not watching. If you want to watch, use the TV in your room."
"It's more fun watching together."
"It's not even your country's team, so what's the point?"
"We're family, so your country is my country too."
"Ugh... Can't you see I'm on my phone right now?"
"You're on your phone every day."
"You gonna keep clinging like this?"
"Yep."
"Really? For real?"
"That's right. Because I want to watch with youuuuu...!!!"
Yohan thrashed his whole body around—because Haley had pinched his side. Not stopping there, she climbed right onto his lower back and started yanking at his shoulder blades and all over his body.
"Why are you being such a brat? Why? Why?"
At Haley's playful voice as she leaned over him, Yohan buried his face in the bedspread and made huffing, puffing sounds.
"It hurts... Stop it."
"So why are you being a brat?"
"No... I told you. Let's watch toge— Ah...!! Stop pinching...! I won't hold back either, okay?"
"And what are you gonna do if you don't hold back? Huh? What're you gonna do?"
Poke, poke.
This time she changed tactics and started jabbing at the area around Yohan's ribs with her index finger.
"I said, what are you gonna do?"
The smile that had formed at the corners of her mouth as she leaned over the flinching Yohan and pressed him soon turned to bewilderment. Because Yohan had suddenly pushed himself up, lifting Haley into the air, and toppled her over to the side. Not stopping there, he even climbed on top of her, then poked at the spots she'd attacked while letting out a short huff of breath. Then he looked down at the wide-eyed Haley and said,
"I told you to stop, so why did you keep going?"
"Huh...?"
"We're watching together, right? If you say no, I'm taking revenge."
Haley's pretty brows furrowed into an inverted V. It wasn't that she disliked Yohan's triumphant attitude—rather, the situation and their positions felt somehow suggestive, making her embarrassed, and she was wrapping that up as anger to hide it.
"Has this guy lost it... Get off me already?"
She reached out to grab at Yohan's clothes, but he beat her to it, snatching her wrists and pinning them to the bed. As a result, a somewhat steamy atmosphere suddenly settled in. Haley felt it, but Yohan remained as pure and innocent as ever.
"Hey... Stop messing around and let go...?"
"So are we watching together?"
"I said no...!!"
"Let's watch."
"Have you actually gone crazy...? If you want to watch, go to Aiden or Mom...! Your cousins are here too! Go whine to them...!"
"Everyone said they'd watch. When the time comes, we're gathering in the living room."
"Then watch with them...! I said I don't want to...!"
"Let's watch together. It's nice when everyone's gathered."
"So you're gonna force even people who don't want to watch to come along?"
At those words, Yohan's face took on a look of realization.
"Was I being too selfish?"
"You're only realizing that now?"
"I'm sorry."
When Yohan apologized so readily, Haley felt a strange little twinge of disappointment, yet she also felt relieved, thinking he would finally let her go. But Yohan didn't move an inch. He was still holding both of Haley's wrists, looking down at her.
"What are you doing? Aren't you getting off?"
"Still, let's watch."
"Didn't you hear what I just said?"
"I heard you, but I want to watch together."
A laugh of pure disbelief escaped Haley's lips.
"Unbelievable."
Truthfully, she hadn't planned on putting up this much of a fight. She'd meant to tease Yohan a bit and then agree to watch, but when he fought back against her—something he never usually did—a competitive streak had flared up, and she'd dug in her heels.
"Fine. I'll watch with you, so let go."
"For real?"
"I said yes...!"
"You're not just saying that so I'll let go and then hit me, right?"
"Ugh, damn it... I won't, so let go."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Promise?"
"I will. What, you want me to swear on it too?"
"No. I'll trust you."
With a big, beaming smile all over his face, Yohan let Haley go. Then, telling her to come slowly, he was about to leave the room when—
Smack-!
Haley smacked him hard across the back.
"Ugh...!"
Caught off guard, Yohan let out a death-rattle of a sound and whipped his head around with a look of pure injustice.
"You said you wouldn't hit me...!"
"If you didn't want to get hit, you should've made me swear when I offered. Now hurry up and get out. I'm changing clothes and then I'll come."
"Alright. That hurt..."
With an expression that looked not the least bit pained, Yohan tried to reach back and rub the spot where he'd been hit as he headed out. Watching his retreating figure, Haley shook her head and fanned her face with her hand.
"Haa... It's hot."
Even with the air conditioning on, her whole body felt flushed. That's how flustered she was by what Yohan had just done. Thinking it was a relief her face hadn't turned red, Haley calmed her racing heart and opened the closet door.
Coming out in shorts and a tank top, Haley clicked her tongue inwardly when she saw more than ten family members and relatives gathered in front of the TV. They never watched soccer normally, yet they'd completely fallen for Yohan's silver tongue. The fact that there was a dark side behind that innocent face was something only she probably knew.
Plopping down next to Yohan, Haley casually draped one leg over his knee and said,
"You little virus."
"Huh?"
"Nothing. What about Italy?"
"They got knocked out in the World Cup qualifiers. They didn't make it."
"What? They love soccer that much and they can't even make the World Cup? They're terrible."
"They're usually good... Italy has the second-most World Cup titles after Brazil."
"But they didn't make it this time."
"Well... when you put it that way, I've got nothing to say."
"See? The present matters more than the past. Did Korea get knocked out too?"
"No. Korea's in a different group, so their match is in a few days. Want some popcorn?"
"Gimme."
Haley snatched the popcorn Yohan offered like she was seizing it, then asked as the US national team's lineup started appearing,
"How good is the US?"
"I don't know the details either, but they're pretty strong. Everyone dreads being in the same group as the US."
"Hmm... Really? What about Korea?"
"If I evaluate them based on my personal opinion, I think they have strong potential."
"So they're trash, basically."
"That's not true."
"Total trash."
"The way you talk..."
"What, you got a problem?"
"No. But don't hog it all—give me some too."
"Ah-ah. Touch it and you die."
As Haley swatted away the hand Yohan held out, a same-age cousin who'd come to visit the house said shortly,
"Can you two be quiet? Stop being a nuisance?"
Haley flared up at that and glared.
"You shut up, you attention-whore bitch."
"You crazy psycho bitch."
Yohan was thoroughly flustered hearing the exchange between the two. Haley and her cousin often went at it like this. They freely cursed in front of the adults, and it surprised him every time. To Yohan, that was something utterly impossible—a thought that didn't even exist in his brain.
"Poor Gio. Having to put up with a filthy personality like that right next to him."
"Since when do you call him Gio? Is he your friend?"
"He is my friend? And if I've known him since New York, that's a long time."
"That's all you've got and you're calling him a friend?"
The two of them started bickering. Jamie, used to this as it happened every time, sighed and stepped between them, raising her voice.
"Will you two be quiet? What do you think you're doing right now?"
"She started it by cursing and picking a fight!"
Seeing her cousin show no intention of backing down, Haley stood up from her seat and was about to say something to her.
"Put your phone down when you talk. Always taking pictures of that ugly face and dumping them on SNS, you psycho..."
But Yohan quickly clamped one hand over Haley's mouth and wrapped his other arm around her waist, hoisting her up, and she thrashed her whole body trying to break free. After apologizing to the family and taking Haley outside, Yohan finally removed the hand that had been covering her mouth. Haley then took a big gulp of air and snapped at Yohan.
"What are you doing? Taking her side?"
"I'm always on your side. Just now Chloe spoke nicely and you were the one who cursed, so the others would've held you responsible. Let's go back in about three minutes when things have cooled down."
Yohan wasn't particularly worried. From everything he'd seen of Haley and her cousin Chloe so far, even when they fought like that, by the next day they got along just fine as if the argument had never happened. The way those two went at it felt like an everyday thing. The adults didn't seem to mind much either, and that was the truth. They only scolded them not to fight in front of people.
"If you're gonna drag me out, you could've at least brought the popcorn."
Haley pouted and grumbled. At the same time, a big commotion erupted inside the house.
"Whoa...! That was a beauty!"
"Right? Gio! Haley! America scored!"
It seemed America had scored the opening goal not long after the match started. Hearing that, Haley took it out on Yohan for no good reason.
"Because of you I missed the goal."
"Sorry. Let's at least watch the replay."
"You want to go in now?"
"No. We can watch from outside."
Yohan and Haley peered in through the window from outside. Then the people inside burst out laughing. It was because the twin-like sight of the two of them pressed right up against the window, eyes wide and fixed on the TV, was hilarious.
The Newman family—free-spirited if you put it nicely, ill-mannered if you put it poorly. Here, Yohan was always the easygoing, generous mediator. The fact that Haley and the other young friends of the Newman family never quite crossed the line when they fought was partly thanks to Yohan's well-timed interventions.
The people of the Newman family could feel it in their bones—when the ever-gentle Yohan was around, their bonds with each other seemed to grow even tighter. What's more, he got along well no matter who he talked to. That was why they all liked Yohan, young and old, men and women alike, and whenever he came to America, even those who lived far away would somehow make the trip to see him.
In an Italian-American family that was rather conservative toward anyone who wasn't their own blood, they had truly taken Yohan in deep.
An existence like the family's consigliere.
In the Newman family as it stood now, that was Yohan's place.