Silver's Homecoming (2)
Silver's Homecoming (2)
When I opened my eyes, my body felt as light as a feather.
As expected, the comfort of the bed at my family home was on a level that couldn't even be compared to the mattress in my studio apartment.
I habitually fumbled under my pillow to check my phone.
[ 12:31 ]
"Ugh..."
A groan escaped my mouth naturally.
No wonder my body felt so refreshed. The sun had passed its zenith and was already starting to tilt.
Since I'd moved the computer I had at home to my studio, there were no games to play, and I didn't particularly want to play any right now anyway. It was an environment where a digital detox happened naturally.
I dawdled in bed like a caterpillar, blankly counting the patterns on the ceiling.
Today was the long-awaited Friday. No classes at school.
The fact that I could rest for three whole days without any interference, including the weekend, sent a thrill right down to my bones.
'This is happiness.'
I spent the time killing time, rolling around idly as if I were one with the bed. When I got hungry, I crawled out like a zombie, rummaged through the fridge to grab a quick bite, and then went back in to lie down.
While enjoying the perfect life of a jobless person, the outside of the window gradually grew dark as twilight fell.
Beep, beep, beep, beep.
Around 6 PM. The cheerful sound of the door lock opening broke the silence of the house.
"I'm home."
The front door opened, and Omma walked in.
She was dressed in a neat suit, a heavy briefcase in one hand.
"Oh, Omma, you're home."
As I stood up groggily from the sofa, Omma gave a faint smile with a tired face.
"Is my son here? Did you eat?"
"I just raided the fridge. What about you, Omma?"
"I have to eat now. Phew, there was so much work today, I was out of my mind."
Omma let out a groan as she set down her heavy bag and leaned back on the sofa for a moment. The fatigue from being harassed by company work all day was evident. Even so, she tried to get up.
"Are you hungry? Omma will change her clothes and fix you a meal quickly. What do you want to eat? Should I make some stew?"
"No, it's fine. You look exhausted, forget about cooking."
I grabbed Omma's shoulders and sat her back down.
"Let's just order delivery for dinner tonight. How about chicken?"
"···Should we? Omma doesn't want to lift a single finger today either. It's nice that my son is being so considerate."
Omma nodded with a bright smile, looking grateful.
"What about Ji-hye? Does she have academy today?"
When I asked first, Omma checked the wall clock.
"No academy today... but she said she's taking after-school classes. I think she'll be a bit late."
"Then let's order to match when she gets here. I'll place the order in advance."
"Okay, let's do that."
And so, the peaceful dinner menu was decided.
I opened the delivery app with practiced ease.
The delivery fee was 3,000 won. If I did a pickup order, there was a 2,000 won discount. That's a 5,000 won difference total.
Compared to the distance, the delivery fee felt like such a waste. Even if the family had some money, I felt like I should save even this small change since I was basically a jobless bum anyway.
'···Should I just go?'
It would be a good chance to pick up Ji-hye too. Get some fresh air. Stretch my legs that had stiffened from lack of exercise.
I pulled on a hat and even grabbed a mask.
"I'm heading out for a bit."
"Where are you going?"
"To get the chicken."
"Just have it delivered, why go out when it's dangerous? The sun is already down."
Omma was startled and tried to stop me. As expected. To parents in this world, a son's night outing is no different from a combat situation.
"It's fine. I'm going to meet Ji-hye on the way back anyway. I'll be back soon."
"···Then be careful. Don't be late. Pull your hat down low."
Since I used Ji-hye as an excuse, she finally relented.
I dragged my slippers and left the house.
.
.
.
I picked up the freshly fried chicken from the shop. The savory smell of oil tickled my nose.
Dangling the bag, I made my way toward the school my younger sister attended.
However, as soon as I arrived at the main gate, I realized my judgment had been a huge mistake.
Perhaps because it was dismissal time, the area in front of the main gate was literally a sea of people.
'···Wow, holy shit.'
A short exclamation escaped me. I definitely heard it was a co-ed school.
But pouring out of the school gates were nothing but female students in school skirts. Black heads were surging in like a wave. The majesty of a 1:9 gender ratio was felt anew against my skin.
I hurriedly pulled my hat down further and pulled my mask up to my nose.
But a tall adult male in a tracksuit, standing in front of a school while reeking of chicken... it was a combination that couldn't help but draw attention due to its alien presence.
"Heol, daebak. It's a guy."
"Looks like he's waiting for someone."
"Isn't his style okay? It's kind of free-spirited."
"Hey, should we go ask for his number?"
Whispers could be heard in surround sound from all over. Curiosity, interest, and blatant gazes like predators discovering prey pierced my back and sides.
'Augh... I should have just had it delivered.'
I wondered if I shouldn't have come out, but the milk was already spilled. I stood as close to a telephone pole in a corner as possible, like a shadow, and took out my phone.
[ Me ]
: Hey.
: When are you finished.
[ Seol Ji-hye ]
: Huh?
: I'm finishing now and on my way out.
[ Me ]
: Me
: Main gate
[ Seol Ji-hye ]
: Huh??
: Why...
: are you in front of the school, oppa?
[ Me ]
: To get chicken.
: And to pick you up.
I sent the reply and let out a deep sigh. Come out quickly. I feel like a monkey in a zoo among all these high school girls.
Just then, someone blocked my path. My vision was filled with a school skirt.
"Excuse me... oppa."
When I looked up, a female student who had tailored her uniform tightly was standing there with her weight on one leg. Behind her, a group who seemed to be her friends were giggling and watching.
"Who are you waiting for?"
"Yeah. My younger sister."
I replied bluntly in informal speech. There was no reason to use polite speech to kids who clearly still had the smell of milk on them.
"Ah, you're waiting for your sister. Um, I like you, so could I get your number?"
Bold. High schoolers these days are really fast.
I shook my head firmly.
"No. I don't want to."
"Aw, don't be like that. We can just be friends. We'll buy you something delicious. Just the number..."
"Hey."
I chuckled and put on a deliberately old-fashioned expression.
"Go study. Oppa doesn't want to get arrested."
You don't mess with minors. Do I want to go to jail? It's not like I have that kind of dangerous taste.
But at my words, the girl looked confused.
"...Huh? Get arrested? Why you, oppa?"
She blinked as if she couldn't understand at all, then soon pouted her lips.
"Aw, you're lying. What kind of crime would you commit to get arrested, oppa? If anyone's getting arrested, it's us. You're just making an excuse because you don't like me, right?"
"No, I really don't want to."
"Hmph, so mean... Then can't you tell me your In-byeol account? Please?"
Instead of backing off, she took another step closer. Even the group watching from behind joined in, closing the distance while murmuring, "Wow, daebak," and "Look at oppa playing hard to get."
"Wow, he's a total iron wall."
"Excuse me, then really... just your Tok ID..."
It's tiring. Words don't work. I want to go home quickly.
It was then.
"···Oppa?"
A familiar voice came from afar. The gazes of the girls surrounding me all shifted toward the sound at once.
Ji-hye was running through the crowd. Beside her were three or four people who seemed to be her friends.
I took this opportunity to push through the group of girls standing blankly.
"Oh, you're here."
When I approached her, making it obvious I knew her, the girls who were asking for my number looked disappointed.
"Ah, what... girlfriend?"
"I don't think so. They look alike. Must be his sister."
They whispered a few words among themselves, and then, as if it had become too awkward to keep hitting on me, they slunk back.
Thank god. I'm saved.
"Huff, huff... You really came?"
Ji-hye looked up at me, panting.
Dressed in a neat school uniform and carrying a backpack. She looked like a complete high school girl, quite different from the 'dried fish woman' I saw at home. Seeing her come out of high school felt very strange.
"Why are you so late?"
"I didn't know you were waiting at the main gate, oppa... How long did you wait?"
Ji-hye asked cautiously, reading my expression.
I pretended to look at my wristwatch with a deliberately serious face.
"About an hour."
"···Really? S-sorry..."
Ji-hye's face turned pale. Seeing her fidget and grip her bag straps tightly was quite cute.
"Just kidding. I waited 5 minutes. Here, you carry it."
I chuckled and handed the chicken bag to Ji-hye.
Just then, Ji-hye's friends, who were standing nearby, approached with sparkling eyes.
"Ji-hye... is this person your oppa?"
"Y-yeah..."
As Ji-hye nodded shyly, her friends' eyes turned bright. It was a look like fans seeing a celebrity in person.
"Hi. Are you Ji-hye's friends?"
When I asked, the kids nodded their heads vigorously.
"Yes, yes! Hello!"
"Right. Get along well with our Ji-hye."
I glanced over the kids and threw out a half-joking, half-serious comment.
"Our Ji-hye is soft-hearted, so don't bully her. If she comes home crying from outside, I tend to lose my mind a bit."
"······Huh?"
The kids' eyes grew wide. Rather than being scared, they had expressions of brain freeze, as if they were hearing something for the first time in their lives.
'What did he just say? A man protecting a woman?'
'Wow... crazy. It's like a line from a drama.'
Behind those fear(?)-filled eyes, a strange 'longing' was burning.
In a world where it's common sense for women to protect men, a man stepping forward to shield his younger sister. That seemed to be quite fatal to them.
Ji-hye was horrified and pulled my arm.
"O-oppa! What are you saying to the kids! When did I ever get bullied..."
Ji-hye looked back at her friends with an expression that said she was dying of embarrassment.
"Guys, sorry. Oppa's jokes are just too much... I'll go first. See you tomorrow!"
"O-oh... bye! Goodbye, oppa!"
The friends pretended to be scared, but they couldn't take their eyes off my back until the very end.
I chuckled and headed home with Ji-hye.
.
.
.
The dark alleyway. The shadows of us walking side by side stretched out long.
I rummaged through my pocket and took out my wallet.
"Here."
"···What's this?"
Ji-hye's eyes went wide. What I held out were two crisp 50,000 won bills—100,000 won.
"Pocket money. Buy something delicious with your friends."
Actually, I was giving it to her because she'd filled the fridge with ham and eggs a few days ago. It was awkward to take credit for it in words, so I was just settling it like this.
"Y-yeah... thanks..."
Ji-hye rolled her eyes awkwardly, then took the money with a cautious hand and tucked it into her pocket.
Honestly, a typical university student's allowance is predictable. If it were the world I originally lived in, I would have been too strapped for cash to afford to take care of my sister.
But since this is a world where men are precious, a 'Male Subsidy' is deposited by the state every month. Thanks to that, despite being a jobless college student, my wallet situation is quite generous.
'···Honestly, thinking about the source makes it a bit strange.'
This money, to put it bluntly, is money I receive thanks to my lower half. It's the price for cooperating with the regular check-ups mandated by the state. To put it more bluntly, the periodic 'sperm collection.'
An oppa giving his sister pocket money with the money from selling his seed.
A moment of self-loathing passed by, but I shook my head.
'Whatever. It's not like the money has a name tag on it.'
What does it matter if the process is a bit uncomfortable and embarrassing? If the result is that my family can eat something delicious and smile, that's enough. Financial therapy is the best.
I decided to think simply.
'Still, it's a bit petty to live only relying on the subsidy.'
I should look for a part-time job later to earn some pocket money. A part-time job for a man in this world... the hourly wage would probably be quite high. I wonder if there are plenty of notices like 'Male Part-timers Preferred.'
As I organized my thoughts while walking, I added as if casually tossing it out.
"If anyone bullies you later, tell me anytime. Oppa will take care of it."
"That won't happen..."
She grumbled, but her voice wasn't sharp. In fact, her footsteps looked light.
"...Well, that's good then."
I reached out and ruffled Ji-hye's hair. It was an awkward touch. Normally, we weren't the type to do this often.
Ji-hye flinched, but she didn't avoid it and quietly accepted the touch. Through her messy hair, I could see her reddened ears.
"Let's go quickly. The chicken will get cold."
"Yeah...."
We hurried our steps in silence. The night air, mixed with the smell of chicken, was quite warm.