Chapter 48: Until the Blue Sky Comes (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 48: Until the Blue Sky Comes (8)
Just a few hours ago.
The rain continued to fall through the weekend, keeping the children trapped indoors. Having been stuck inside all week, they seemed to have grown tired of playing and had finally quieted down. Meanwhile, Blue was busy meticulously planning the upcoming trip.
The destination was set, and she intended to pack everything Hoyoung might need.
Blue told herself the trip was for Hoyoung, not her, but she couldn't help the flutter of excitement in her chest.
In truth, since Mr. A was going as Eunji’s guardian, Blue didn't strictly have to go. However, she felt responsible as a guardian herself, and if she were honest, she felt she needed a change of pace.
“Auntie.”
Hoyoung came into Blue’s room and approached her. Blue met the boy with a smile, wondering what he needed.
“Yes?”
“Does this shirt look better? Or this one?”
It seemed he was picking out clothes for the trip. Hoyoung held a blue striped T-shirt in one hand and a black raglan T-shirt in the other.
“They both look great, but I think this one suits you a bit more.”
When she pointed to the striped shirt, Hoyoung nodded and headed back to his room. Watching him play with Eunji the other day had surprised Blue; he had shown a side of himself she had never seen before.
He had looked so genuinely happy to be with his girlfriend, but now that he was back home, that excitement had vanished, replaced by his usual quiet demeanor.
She had thought it was just a childhood crush, but she realized anew that no matter how young they were, children could be quite serious about the opposite sex.
The thought of herself—someone with zero experience with men—musing over the love lives of children brought a sudden laugh to her lips.
I’ll probably understand it eventually.
She figured that once she found a partner of her own, she would be able to fully empathize with what Hoyoung was feeling.
And so, she indulged in the happy dilemma of what to cook and what to do on the trip. There was still one uncertainty, but she believed it would work out.
As time passed, the rain grew heavier. It was typical for the monsoon season—a cycle of torrential downpours followed by brief lulls, only for the skies to open up again.
She had thought the weather was decent for summer so far, but the thought of the sweltering heat that would follow the monsoon already made her feel suffocated.
As she watched the rain through the window, she heard the sound of the front door lock clicking open.
Knowing the people she had been waiting for had arrived, Blue headed straight for the entryway.
The children, who had been behaving quietly in their rooms, also rushed out at the sound of the door. A man and a woman stood there.
“Mom!”
The two were Hoyoung’s parents. The man was Blue’s older brother, and the woman was her sister-in-law.
“Have you been good?”
The mother hugged her second son as he leaped into her arms. The eldest son took the bags his parents were lugging and carried them into the living room.
Hoyoung stood at a distance, quietly watching his father. When their eyes met, he gave a small greeting. Finally, Blue made eye contact with her brother.
“You’re back?”
“Yeah. Everything okay at home?”
“It was fine.”
They were about to exchange more casual words when the sister-in-law, having set the second son down, directed a shrill voice at Blue.
“Fine? You can’t even manage the living expenses, so you had to ask people on vacation to send you money.”
“I’m sorry. Did you have a good trip?”
“It was alright.”
The couple went abroad every year after they got married, and this year was no different. They had gone to the Philippines. To Blue, who had never been abroad—who, in fact, had never really been on a proper vacation—it was just a name she’d heard, a place she knew nothing about.
“The Philippines was hot, but it’s no joke here either.”
Blue’s brother, grimacing at the humid heat brought on by the monsoon, took his suitcase into the room.
“There’s laundry in the suitcase, so take care of that. And draw a bath. I can’t stand this stickiness.”
The sister-in-law left her suitcase in the entryway and walked further inside. Blue gave a short “Yes” to her demands and opened the suitcase.
It was stuffed with unorganized, messy clothing.
“My youngest~ Mommy’s home.”
The sister-in-law approached Hoyoung, who was watching from afar, but Hoyoung only gave a brief “Yeah” and didn't come any closer.
While Blue was sorting the clothes and starting the washing machine, she heard her sister-in-law’s voice again.
“When will the bath be ready?!”
“I’ll have it ready in a moment.”
Despite the irritation in the woman's voice, Blue didn't show a hint of displeasure. She pressed the buttons on the washing machine after adding detergent and fabric softener, then headed straight for the bathroom.
She began filling the empty tub and started preparing dinner, knowing it was almost time to eat.
The moment the couple returned, Blue’s life became a whirlwind of activity. She handled multiple tasks at once, performing them all with practiced ease.
Once dinner was over, Blue knew there was something she had to discuss with her sister-in-law.
“Um...”
She approached the woman sitting on the living room sofa watching TV. Even before Blue could say anything, her sister-in-law was already casting dissatisfied glances her way. Blue had to calm her racing heart several times before she could speak.
“I was thinking of taking Hoyoung on a trip this Monday...”
“A trip?”
The word "trip," something that had never come out of Blue’s mouth before, caught her by surprise, but that surprise was laced with heavy disapproval.
“What kind of trip? Who are you going with, and why are you taking Hoyoung?”
“It’s with a friend from Hoyoung’s kindergarten and their guardian. They said they wanted to go on a trip with Hoyoung.”
“The other side has a guardian, right? Then Hoyoung can just go. Why you?”
“Since Hoyoung is young, I thought it would be better if a guardian went along.”
The sister-in-law, her eyes fixed on the TV, turned to glare at Blue with an expression of utter disbelief.
“I am Hoyoung’s guardian. Since when are you his guardian?”
“I just meant it in the sense of an adult accompanying him...”
“And if only Hoyoung goes, what about his older brothers?”
The trip had been proposed by the other side specifically for Hoyoung. Blue had already accepted, and she didn't have the nerve to ask if Hoyoung’s brothers could come along as well.
“If you act like that, don't you think the other kids will feel discriminated against? What are you going to do if they feel a sense of relative deprivation?”
After snapping at her for a while, the sister-in-law seemed to think of something. She narrowed her eyes and spoke in a sharp tone.
“That other guardian. Is it a man?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Are you using the kid as an excuse to go meet a man?”
“No! It’s not like that.”
“Like hell it isn't. How hard is it to do some housework that you’re thinking of running off to play while taking only one of the three?”
She had been so excited about the trip, but was it a mistake after all?
Blue stood there in silence, head bowed, regretting that she had ever brought it up.
“Anyway, I won’t allow it. If you leave, who’s going to take care of the house?”
“It’s only for a day, so if you could just...”
“Do you want to keep arguing?”
In the end, it was a no. Dejected, Blue returned to her room and looked at her smartphone on the desk.
She should probably message him and say she couldn't go.
But the image of Eunji and Hoyoung playing happily together was vivid in Blue’s mind. If she told them the trip was off, both children would be devastated.
Even just a little while ago, Hoyoung had been visibly excited about the trip in two days. Though he was quiet and didn't show it outwardly, Blue, who had cared for him for a long time, could tell. She knew Hoyoung was happy.
Worrying wouldn't solve the problem.
The result was that she couldn't go, and Blue had to explain the situation and take responsibility.
[I’m so sorry. I don’t think I can go on the trip. You put so much thought and effort into it, I’m truly sorry.]
After much hesitation, she finally hit the send button. A few seconds later, her phone rang. It was Mr. A.
“Hello?”
— Yes. I got your text. Can we meet for a moment?
“Ri—right now?”
Drawn by the strangely irresistible quality of Mr. A’s voice, she received the meeting location via text and quickly got dressed. Even so, it was just a pair of plain jeans and a navy T-shirt.
“I’m going out for a bit.”
She spoke as she headed for the door, but no one in the house paid her any mind. Only one person—Hoyoung—watched Blue as she left. Blue gave him a small nod to signal she’d be back soon. Hoyoung nodded back, and Blue left the house to take the subway.
*
I could have gone to her, or we could have met halfway, but I sent Blue my home address instead. The way wasn't difficult or far, so this was better. From what I could gather, it seemed Blue had some family issues she couldn't talk about.
Come to think of it, there were several strange things. Even though both parents were present, Blue was solely responsible for raising the children.
If Hoyoung’s parents worked abroad, it would make more sense for them to take the children with them. Leaving the kids in the country and dumping them on Blue? That was an option that satisfied no one.
Even if they just went abroad for work occasionally, it was still strange. The fact remained that the heaviest burden of childcare fell on Blue, not the parents.
I sat on a bench across the street from my house, waiting for Blue and drinking a soda I’d bought at the convenience store. Yubin was likely at the Hunter Killer base for something related to Green, so there was only a male part-timer I didn't recognize at the store.
I wondered what Yubin was up to. I should probably leave her a text telling her to come over when she was done.
As I sat lost in thought, I saw Blue walking toward me from a distance and waved. Spotting me, Blue waved back and ran over.
“I’m sorry. Making you come all this way in the rain...”
“No, it’s fine. I’m the one who’s sorry. About the trip turning out like that...”
There was no reason to drag out the preamble. I didn't particularly want to, either.
Often, conversations require a process before getting to the main point, and this was one of those times, but I decided to skip it.
“What do you want to do, Hayoung?”
“Pardon?”
Not immediately grasping the intent of my question, she looked at me with wide eyes.
“The trip. Don’t you want to go?”
It was a sudden, direct question, but Blue shook her head the moment she heard it.
“No. I want to go.”
“Then why do you think you can’t?”
I didn't know the reason yet. It could have been a serious situation preventing her from going, so I checked her thoughts first rather than the reason.
Blue definitely wanted to go. Now I just needed to know why she couldn't, and depending on the reason, I could change the situation.
“My sister-in-law... Hoyoung’s mother, she’s against it.”
I decided to think rationally first. Even if an aunt was going as a guardian, parents might be reluctant to send their child on a trip arranged by someone they didn't know well.
“Why is she against it?”
“There are several reasons, but I think it’s mostly because there will be no one to do the housework if I go.”
The reason was so utterly absurd that I couldn't even laugh. I wanted to scratch my head and organize my thoughts for a moment, but there was nothing to organize, and I felt a headache coming on.
This was irritation. It was the irritation I felt toward Earthlings who viewed Superhumans as nothing more than tools or means to an end.
“What do the two of them do?”
“They just got back from a trip abroad, so they’re home now, and they work during the week.”
They go on their own vacation while dumping the childcare on someone else, and then they stop that person from going on a trip because of housework? At what point was I supposed to find this acceptable so I could feel even a little bit better?
These bastards... No, let’s not lump them together yet.
Blue hadn't mentioned her brother—Hoyoung’s father—yet. That meant the problem was likely with the sister-in-law.
Seeing how he left Blue in this state, the brother probably wasn't a great person either, but it felt wrong to curse out someone who hadn't even been mentioned yet.
“What do you want to do, Hayoung? You want to go, right?”
“...Yes.”
After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded and answered.
“Then let’s go.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll be waiting at the station on Monday morning.”
I didn't recall being overtly irritated lately. There were moments of annoyance, but they never reached the stage where I expressed them.
But now, I was openly showing my irritation. The target was the sister-in-law, but since Blue was the one in front of me, she had to feel it.
I called it irritation, but it was a somewhat forceful push based on that irritation.
“You make the call, Hayoung. Eunji and I will be waiting.”
This trip wasn't for us. Not for me, and not for her. It might even be a difficult trip. But even so, it was a trip we had decided to take for the children.
At first, I had hoped it would be canceled, but since we were going, and since we were prepared...
I wanted to make sure the kids who wanted to play got to play to their hearts' content. Even if the circumstances weren't ideal.
The end of the conversation was ambiguous. No clear answer had been reached, and no one felt particularly relieved. I had given Blue a choice, and she had to make it.
It was a harsh situation for her, and I might have seemed cold, but if she couldn't make a judgment based on her own will, there was nothing I could do to help her.
“Then, I’ll be going now.”
Blue bowed her head and slowly walked away.
“Hayoung. It’s Monday.”
I spoke to her back as she walked. She turned around, bowed once more, and continued on her way.
“......Dammit.”
I swallowed the harsh curse that was about to escape my lips and went back inside.
*
Walking along, lost in thought about what to decide, Blue stopped when she saw a familiar face.
“Blue?”
“Red. Fancy meeting you here.”
Red, who had been summoned to headquarters regarding the matter with Green, was standing there. Blue was surprised to see Red, but Red looked equally taken aback to see Blue.
“Oh. What brings you here?”
The atmosphere within Team Hunter Killer had improved recently, and while she wasn't exactly close with Blue yet, she at least knew roughly where her teammate lived.
“Ah. Red, your place was near here, right?”
To be precise, it was a bit of a walk from there, but Blue only knew the general neighborhood, so she assumed Red lived nearby.
“That’s right. What about you, Blue?”
“I have someone I know nearby. I just came to see them for a moment.”
Red was a bit surprised that Blue, who seemed to do nothing but look after children at home, had someone else to meet.
Of course, no matter how busy one was, there was always someone to meet, and it might be rude to think otherwise, but the two of them weren't ordinary people—they were Superhumans.
It wasn't strange to be surprised that she had a social life.
“Are you on your way home now?”
“Yes. Did the thing with Green get settled?”
“It’s a long story to explain right now. I’ll tell you at the next meeting.”
“Alright.”
The two, still a bit awkward with each other, shared a stiff greeting and parted ways. Red watched Blue walk away for a moment before heading toward Mr. A’s house.
*
And then, two days passed.
I was sitting in the station, waiting for the train to Gangneung. Beside me was Eunji, who looked just as anxious as I felt.
“Uncle. They’re coming, right? Right?”
Having already heard from Hoyoung that they might not be able to come, Eunji had asked me several times if they were really coming. For now, I told her they were. If I said no, she’d obviously be disappointed.
If it turned out Hoyoung couldn't come after I’d said that, I’d have to deal with the fallout, but I was prepared for that.
“Yeah, they are. We still have plenty of time, so just wait a bit.”
But I was just as uneasy. If Hoyoung and Blue really didn't show up, it would be the start of a two-day trip where Eunji, the one who had proposed it, would be moping the whole time.
My leg shook with anxiety. Suddenly, I felt an indescribable sensation and turned my head.
A woman with blue hair was standing in the station, looking for someone, her hand tightly gripping the hand of a young boy.
I immediately tapped Eunji on the shoulder and pointed toward them.
“See? I told you they’d come.”
Just then, they spotted us. As Hoyoung and Eunji ran to greet each other, Blue and I silently locked eyes.
Surely, everything hadn't gone perfectly.
And it wasn't as if this was entirely because of my influence.
I believe that even a small spark can be enough. A small spark can change many things.
The choices created by that small spark are varied. Blue had made her choice, and while her heart might not be entirely at ease, we were finally able to go on our short trip.