Chapter 139
Chapter 139
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 139
Chapter Title: The Twenty-Year-Old Adolescent
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"Aigoo, I totally get how you feel~!"
Kim Jong-chun nodded vigorously, his eyes brimming with tears. He kept going "Kkhup!" over and over, snot and tears streaming down his face.
"Don't even get me started. My daughter, you know. When she was little, she'd go 'Daddy~ Daddy~' and only want me. I'd sneak her candy behind her mom's back..."
Park So-in must have smacked Kim Jong-chun on the back a few times for that. But how could anyone stop a father's desperate bid to win his daughter's affection?
Kim Jong-chun sniffled as he confessed the bloody efforts he'd made in secret to bribe her.
"But!"
Bam!
Kim Jong-chun slammed the table hard and shouted.
"Everything changed once puberty hit!"
Was he drunk? He hadn't even taken a sip of beer. Hearing the commotion, Han Mia poked her head out from the kitchen.
"Is it really that bad? I wouldn't know."
"You're just lucky, Owner Han! There are tons of family men around me crying rivers of blood~!"
"Our Da-on was always such a good boy."
"No way!"
Kim Jong-chun clutched his head in despair. He looked so pathetic that I almost felt sorry for him.
"Sorry about this, Owner. We've closed up shop, and here we are taking up space."
"What are you talking about? It's nice to see our busy Uyeon's face too."
Han Mia naturally took the seat next to him. Me, Kim Jong-chun, Han Mia. The three of us were gathered at Happiness Snacks.
It was after closing time, the shop empty of customers, and for the first time in a while, we were having a casual drink with some chicken feet as a snack.
Of course, everyone had work the next day, so just a light beer or two.
"No, listen to this. Back in the day, my daughter would run to the front door when I got home. Now? She doesn't come out of her room unless it's time to eat~. Here, check this out. I have a photo. Isn't she just too cute?"
"Yeah, yeah. Got it."
Once you let Kim Jong-chun start bragging about his daughter, there's no end to it.
Last time we were drinking with Lee In-cheol, he went on a solo two-hour monologue. Enough said.
I cut him off appropriately, took a bite of chicken feet, and spoke up again.
"I thought I'd done everything I could for him. Was I missing something? Was it because I was too busy and left him alone too much?"
Han Mia's expression shifted subtly at my words. Meanwhile, Kim Jong-chun nodded eagerly in agreement.
"Sigh. You busy? Can't be helped."
"Even so, I've never seen him act like that in front of me before. Slamming doors, ignoring calls... Haa."
I let out a deep sigh, and Kim Jong-chun patted my shoulder sympathetically. Shared suffering.
"...But."
Han Mia cautiously raised her hand.
"Uyeon, are you raising a kid? Manager Kim, what's all this about?"
"Huh? Uyeon, weren't you talking about your little brother?"
"Little brother? Uyeon has a little brother?"
Ah. Did I not explain properly?
Come to think of it, I called Kim Jong-chun out saying I needed advice, and he immediately launched into his puberty woes.
I figured since both Han Mia and Kim Jong-chun had actual experience raising kids, they could give me some pointers. Guess I got ahead of myself.
I calmed my mind and slowly explained the whole story.
"Not a little brother. I sort of took in a kid from a rough situation. I want to take good care of him, but it's not going as well as I'd hoped..."
Finally, they both nodded slowly.
"Uyeon must be having a tough time. Busy with work, and now looking after a kid too... Especially during puberty, when they're super sensitive."
"Um. It's tough, real tough. Even raising my own was hard."
I'd braced myself for it. But yeah, it's no joke.
"Plus, he doesn't have any friends here. He seems so dependent on me, so I suggested maybe going to school."
"I see, school... School?!"
"The kid's not going to school?"
Is that such a shock? Puzzled, I continued.
"Yeah. But when I suggested it, he got all 'What's wrong with me?' and I was stumped on how to respond."
"Aigoo. School is a must!"
"Right?"
That's exactly it. Great chance to make friends his age. Why flat-out refuse?
"Sure, coming from a tough background, adapting won't be easy. But you can't just keep him cooped up at home forever."
"Exactly. He needs to hang out with kids his age, build some social skills."
See? My thinking was on the right track.
"I was unsure since it's my first time, but hearing you two makes me confident."
My eyes sparkled as I said it.
"I'll tell him to retake the CSAT this year!"
"Yeah, the CSAT... Huh?"
"Huh?"
They both tilted their heads. Our gazes wandered in the air. What?
"The kid's in puberty, right?"
"Yeah, seems like puberty."
"But old enough for the CSAT?"
"Well, he could take it..."
No clue where the wires got crossed. As we all floated question marks, Han Mia tried to sort it out.
"Okay, hold on. Uyeon, this 'kid' you're talking about... How old is he exactly?"
"Ah, I didn't mention. He's turning twenty this year."
"Twen-ty?!"
Kim Jong-chun jumped up.
"Are you out of your mind?! Where'd you pick up a full-grown adult man? And you're raising him? Living together?!"
"No, not like that. He lives separately."
"Phew."
Kim Jong-chun sighed in relief, like a weight off his shoulders, then slumped back into his chair and asked.
"So the school you mentioned earlier...?"
"University, obviously."
"We thought middle school! You said puberty!"
Middle or uni, it's all school. What's the big difference?
Han Mia chimed in with a slightly trembling voice.
"Wait, twenty means he's just a year younger than you, Uyeon. Do people usually call a one-year age gap a 'kid'?"
"He looked a lot younger when we met. He's grown a ton now."
"That's not the point..."
He looked like a middle schooler when I found him on the island. I should've seen it myself.
Plus, twenty is still a kid, right? Compared to my pre-regression age, he's ancient history young.
'The age difference might be small physically, but I have memories from before my regression.'
From that angle, his chubby baby-faced cheeks just screamed immaturity.
"Plus, maybe because he couldn't act spoiled as a kid, puberty's hitting late. Like I said earlier, he's never acted like this before."
"..."
"..."
Despite my tirade, Kim Jong-chun and Han Mia's faces stayed subtly off.
"I don't get it."
"Yeah, Uyeon. If a twenty-year-old acts like that, it's not puberty... Just mad his way isn't being accepted."
"Exactly."
"He's still a kid, though."
At my repeated 'kid' talk, they exchanged looks and shook their heads. Words weren't getting through.
No, for real.
"You're something else, treating a one-year younger guy like a kid. Jeez. How do you even see that as puberty?"
"If he's too clingy regardless of age, yeah, something needs doing. Sending him to college is fine."
"Right. Preferably far away in the provinces."
Not much useful advice here.
I quietly nursed my beer can.
"Sheesh. Gotta finish these chicken feet quick and head out tomorrow's work~. Owner Han, your skills keep getting better?"
"Hahaha. I put in some extra flair since Uyeon was coming~."
"Kkuh. One shot of soju would hit the spot! Ah, next time then."
Whatever.
Still, bantering about trivial stuff like this to kill time had its own charm.
"But where's Da-on? Never troubled his mom during puberty—such a fine young man! Gotta slip him some pocket money!"
"Oh really? You always say that but never do. Too bad, he's out doing the sorting."
"Darn! I meant it this time!"
"Puhaha!"
I watched their silly back-and-forth while taking another swig of beer.
"Oh yeah, Uyeon."
"Yeah?"
Then Han Mia suddenly called me.
"Um, could I ask a favor...?"
I widened my eyes. Han Mia rarely brought up stuff like this.
"What's up?"
"Well..."
The longer Han Mia's story went, the more I relaxed. What? She was being so cautious, I thought it was something huge.
"Sure, anytime. I'm fine with it."
"Aigoo, really?! Thank you! Thanks, Uyeon!"
Seeing her jump for joy made me a bit embarrassed.
"Shall we meet tomorrow? If that person's schedule works."
"Yeah, yeah! Whatever works for you, Uyeon!"
"No need to go that far... Hmm, so the owner's business is tanking and he doesn't know why, right?"
"Yeah, exactly."
"No problem checking it out. But more importantly..."
I swallowed the rest.
The real key is whether that owner can drop his stubbornness and actually follow through on my solutions.
That was it.
Meanwhile, Jeong Da-on.
Age 21. Former part-timer at the Hapjae Neighborhood Gukbap 0212 main branch, current floor manager and son of the Happiness Snacks owner.
He'd come out to handle a huge pile of recyclables... only to find a man inside the bin, leaving him utterly flustered.
Sniff, sniff.
A whimpering sob came from the man. Jeong Da-on set the recyclables down beside him and politely requested.
"Um, sorry, but could you move aside?"
"...Hup."
"Excuse me...?"
The pitiful voice faded into the air.