A Promise at Dawn
I don’t know how long it’s been since I slept this deeply. I thought I’d only closed my eyes for a moment, but the sun was already up. Bright sunlight streamed in, and birds chirped outside the window. “What time is it… Oh, right. Yerin?” As my blurry vision cleared, I suddenly remembered I’d brought my niece home. And that I’d fallen asleep on my own, leaving her behind.
“……”
Yerin sat curled in the corner of the bed, her face buried in her knees. She’d taken the old blanket for herself and given the new one to her uncle. “What must she have been feeling?” Watching her uncle sprawl out and sleep however he pleased. I had no right to face my niece. I should have just asked her to wake me. Instead, she waited until I stirred on her own and ended up falling asleep in that uncomfortable position.
“Yerin, time to get up.”
“Mmm… Okay, Samchon.”
Luckily, my niece wasn’t the type to fuss in the morning. Unlike Min-a, who turned waking up into a battle, she opened her eyes the moment I called her name from beside the bed. Both of us looked ragged, still in yesterday’s clothes—her school uniform and my suit wrinkled from sleeping in them.
“Can you take off just the dress shirt? I’ll iron it.”
“Huh? Oh, sure.”
“Breakfast will take a bit. I’ll just wash up and make something quick.”
“I’ll help. Mom always said we have to eat breakfast, even if we skip everything else.”
“Your mom said that?”
“Yeah. She said you need breakfast to have strength for the day.”
Mom. Noona. The women in our family, passed down even to my niece. No matter what happened with the other two meals, breakfast was non-negotiable. Thanks to that, I’d grown up always eating at least some bread before leaving the house.
“We’re in trouble. I wanted to make something nice, but all I have are eggs and sliced bread.”
“That’s fine for breakfast.”
“Anyway, wait outside. Let me see what else is in the fridge.”
I stepped out so she could change. While I was yawning and plugging in the iron, she came running over and handed me the shirt.
“If there’s anything you want to eat from now on, just tell me. I can shop after work.”
“Okay. But do you always just eat bread, Samchon?”
Yerin fiddled with the rice cooker in the kitchen. It had been so long since I’d used it that the lid was covered in dust. Her fingertip came away gray when she showed it to me.
“Usually…? Your mom gives me side dishes sometimes, but it’s a hassle.”
Whenever Min-a came over, she’d insist on cooking, though her skills were only average. Even then, if she didn’t feel like doing dishes, we’d just order delivery.
“Still, you can’t live on just bread. Flour isn’t even good for you.”
“Like mother, like daughter.”
“You sound exactly like Mom. If you’re going to complain, tell her to take the side dishes back.”
At least my niece didn’t have her grandmother’s level of action. There was no risk of her showing up to check on how her son was living and running into Min-a in her underwear, making everything awkward.
“It’s not wrong, though. If someone goes to the trouble of making food and you just leave it in the fridge, you deserve to get scolded.”
“Cut me some slack. I’ve been getting scolded nonstop lately.”
“After seeing how you live, Samchon.”
First Mom, then Min-a. If even my niece started scolding me, I really would become the guy who only got nagged by women. Thankfully, she didn’t press further. Her claim that she helped with housework often wasn’t an empty one—she fried eggs in no time, flipping them perfectly without even using a spatula.
“You’re good at that.”
“You too, Samchon. Honestly, I was worried about how the ironing would turn out.”
I wasn’t great at getting the creases right either. I just made sure the collar and sleeves looked decent. Unlike back in my day, modern school uniform fabric smoothed out quickly.
“You finished already?”
“It’s just bread and eggs. Come sit down.”
By the time I finished ironing her clothes, a delicious smell wafted from the kitchen. She’d even buttered the bread and toasted it to perfection. One bite and it was rich and savory.
“What time do you finish these days? Kids still do night self-study, right?”
“Only if you want to. Some stay and study, some go home.”
“What do you do, Yerin?”
“Depends on my mood that day. Usually… when Mom and Dad are working late, they tell me to stay for self-study and they’ll pick me up. Because… I don’t like being home alone.”
Yerin spoke about herself with difficulty. Now that there was no one left to greet her when she got home.
“From now on, if you finish late, tell me. You can tell Grandma too. As for Sungmo… well. She’ll come pick you up, but I’m sure you’d feel awkward asking.”
I spoke to my niece with certainty. If she wanted me, I’d come running anytime. Whatever I could do for her, I would do. I made that promise while looking at my sister’s portrait.
“……Samchon, you’re busy with work. Mom always said you don’t like it when she calls you for no reason.”
“I’m not busy. The company was never more important than you to begin with.”
“I’m not a kid anymore either. From now on… I’ll just come around when you get off work.”
“That’ll probably be around the same time you finish school.”
I couldn’t be sure, honestly. Because of Min-a, I was always walking on eggshells at work and sometimes ended up doing tasks that weren’t mine. On top of that, the funeral had left a mountain of things to handle. But… “My niece is here now.” A kid who chose to stay at school just so she wouldn’t have to be alone at home. Company work, my job—none of it mattered compared to staying by my niece’s side and making sure she grew up happy. The rest could go to hell.
“It’s been so long since I graduated, I don’t even know how things work anymore. Is there still supplementary class?”
“That’s optional too.”
“The world really has gotten better.”
“When you say things like that, you sound like a total ajusshi, Samchon.”
“I am an ajusshi. I’m over thirty.”
“My friends asked if you were an oppa.”
“Your friends must all be nice.”
“I thought you were a really late baby.”
“I am. There’s twelve years between me and your mom.”
“Way more than that. I thought the age gap was huge.”
Yerin handed me the glass of milk she’d poured, saying she was running late. She’d even warmed it slightly so it wouldn’t be too cold—exactly like my sister. After finishing the bread and eggs, she stood up.
“Call me if anything happens.”
“You too, Samchon. If Sungmo gives you too much trouble, tell me.”
“……I must not inspire much confidence. Min-a’s not that bad.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Really… Of course. She was a good woman. A kind woman. She could be excessively jealous when it came to things involving me, but that was only because she loved me that much. Even if it sometimes made it hard to breathe… If I gave her more reassurance, it would work out.
I passed the elevator, got in the car, and drove toward Yerin’s school. Students in the same uniform wandered around.
“See you later.”
“Be careful, Samchon.”
After exchanging greetings through the open window, I headed to work. In the rearview mirror, I saw several kids who looked like her friends greet her warmly. I was grateful to them. For helping my niece talk a little more, think about something other than her grief, even if just for a moment.
“From today on, I’ll leave work as early as possible.”
No more dragging things out. So my niece wouldn’t have to be home alone.
When I checked my phone, it was flooded with messages. Among the urgent work tasks at the top was a text from Yerin.
Yeah. Today, I’ll do my best too.
“You’re here, Dae-ri.”
“Dae-ri-nim. My condolences.”
“Dae-ri-nim.”
Dae-ri-nim. Dae-ri-nim. The moment I entered the company, people brought up my sister from every direction. Some had attended the funeral, others apologized for only being able to offer their thoughts because of circumstances. After responding to everyone one by one, I sat down at my desk. Min-a strode over.
“Dae-ri-nim.”
Her tone was somehow both angry and curt. As if by Moses’ miracle, everyone scattered back to their seats.
“Yes, Min-a-ssi.”
“They’re adding a new line. I came to let you know.”
Tap tap. Min-a pointed at a sticky note on my monitor.
“Got it. I’ll update it.”
Everyone in the company already knew about us, but I treated her even more formally on purpose. Min-a did the same, saying Representative Choi had specifically instructed her to keep work and personal matters separate at the office.
“I’m sorry, you must still be out of it after the funeral.”
“It’s fine.”
Tap tap tap. I typed away, making the changes. Min-a added a few more things, then said she’d come back if anything else came up and returned to her seat.
“She could’ve just messaged me.”
Thanks to her, everyone was on edge again. Min-a had her own secretary’s office inside the Representative’s Office. Every time the door opened, people stared, unsure whether it was the Representative or Min-a coming out. The Representative was well-liked, so no one cared much either way, but “Min-a was the problem.” She knew every detail of the company’s inner workings. She didn’t understand much about the actual work and could only relay what she was told, but she had the entire atmosphere of the place memorized.
“Hmph…”
I took a quiet breath and tackled the backlog of work. I planned to cut down on overtime as much as possible from now on, so there was no time to waste. Fix what needed fixing. Handle requests quickly. While I was deep in work, someone knocked.
“You owe me one, remember? Hand over the drawings in the back.”
Someone spoke from behind me.