No Room for Her
"I'm sorry. Dad says he can't make it today."
"No need to apologize. He's a busy man. Tell him not to worry about it."
"Okay. Mom, you go in first. I need to talk to oppa for a second."
The moment Mom walked away, Min-a's face turned stony as she rounded on me.
"So what are you going to do about her?"
"...What are you suddenly talking about?"
"Stop dodging. I'll say it plainly. I refuse to have any freeloader, period. I know it's pitiful, but there is no way you're bringing her into our house."
The sweet, clinging act she'd put on in front of the family had vanished completely. Even the glance she cast toward where her niece had been standing was ice-cold.
"You really... at a funeral, of all places? When have I ever said I'd bring her home to live with us?"
"If I didn't stop you, you would, wouldn't you? It's not like I only see you once in a while."
My voice rose before I could stop it. My chest had felt tight from the moment she arrived. The way she was already playing the dutiful daughter-in-law. The way she deliberately defied Mom just to assert dominance. And now this—trying to shut out my own niece. All of it twisted together inside me until my emotions churned on the verge of exploding.
"If Mom were going to look after her, maybe. But no—she's in high school anyway, right? Then it's fine. She'll head to college soon enough, and we can put her in a dorm. You should stop living by yourself too, oppa."
"That's enough, Choi Min-a."
I stopped there. I didn't get any angrier. No—I couldn't. If I'd been capable of getting angry at the woman in front of me, I would have exploded long ago and ended this relationship.
The buttons had been fastened wrong from the very beginning. The moment a poor college student and the daughter of a rich family happened to share a roof. The moment her father paid my mother's hospital bills in my place. After that, when the girl who used to be my tutoring student started calling me oppa whenever she felt like it. By the time I kept telling her I didn't see her that way and she refused to listen, it was already too late.
Instead, she had sewn right over those misaligned buttons. Then she showed them to me, as if to say: look, our relationship is already complete. A penniless guy like oppa just needs to hold on to me. Forget useless things like pride. Know your place and simply tremble before me the way your mother does.
"What? Did I say something strange? I'm only saying we shouldn't bring your niece into our newlywed home."
"I heard you. Just drop it."
"Or what? Would it make you feel better if you really did take her in? People would definitely look at it strangely. A girl that age suddenly moving in with an uncle who just appeared..."
"Ha... Fine. Think whatever you want."
After chattering on for a while, she finally shut her mouth when I turned away with an exhausted expression. We walked in silence until we reached the car, when she finally spoke again.
"...Sorry about earlier. I was too harsh. But remember this clearly. What you need to take responsibility for isn't her—it's the future of the two of us."
"...Yeah."
"Don't even think about handling things like your niece's college tuition on your own. Tell us anytime. Both Dad and I would welcome it with open arms. If we have to, we can even set up a scholarship under our company name."
She deliberately said the last part loud enough for Mom to hear as she opened the car door. If you only saw this side of her, you'd think she was the most thoughtful person alive. I could already picture Mom praising her endlessly: how wonderful she was for caring so much about her husband's niece.
She knew nothing. And you, Choi Min-a—you know too. You know I'd never ask you for help.
"Sigh."
It was already overwhelming just to be sad, yet she kept making my chest feel tighter.
When I returned to the funeral hall, Yerin was standing awkwardly in the doorway.
"Why aren't you inside?"
"...It's fine."
She meant that even if she went in, there wasn't a single familiar face. Come to think of it, in all the chaos I'd only contacted people on my side and hadn't checked on hers at all. I'd left a girl her age to personally inform everyone about her own parents' passing.
"I'm sorry. I should have paid more attention. Give me the numbers and I'll contact them."
Instead of answering, she shook her head.
"I already told my friends and homeroom teacher. They're on their way."
She'd had to turn down the entire class when they all offered to come, saying the space was too small.
"And this... I received the condolence money while you were gone. I wrote down the names and amounts, but I'm not sure if I did it right."
"Ah, yes. It's correct."
Since there was no one else to help manage the funeral, I'd been handling everything. It seemed she'd quietly watched and figured it out.
"You did well. Must take after your mom—you're sharp."
The words slipped out before I could stop them. She blinked, then gave me a faint smile and said yes, she took after her mom.
Some time later, Yerin's friends arrived. One girl came in already sobbing with puffy eyes. Another took one look at Yerin and burst into loud wails.
I hope that crying and grieving together with her friends brings her at least a little comfort.
"Excuse me... Are you Yerin's brother? Oh, I'm her homeroom teacher."
Her attention quickly shifted to me, standing behind my niece like a guardian.
"No, I'm her uncle. Her maternal uncle."
"Ah, that explains it. Yerin never mentioned having an older brother. Everyone, let's start by paying our respects."
They filed in together, bowing carefully before the portrait and laying down flowers. After the condolences, while Yerin stayed surrounded by her friends, the teacher and I sat apart.
"I don't know what to say..."
"No, thank you for coming."
She offered a white envelope as condolence money. She'd meant to come earlier, but it had taken time for the students to collect their donations.
"Yerin seems to have a lot of friends."
"Yes. She's bright and kind, so many children are fond of her."
Whispers floated from where Yerin sat. The word samchon kept reaching my ears; it seemed they were curious about who I was.
"I see."
"I was so worried on my way here. With both parents gone, I didn't know who would be there for her. It's fortunate she has you, sir."
She bowed again, apologizing once more for not arriving sooner.
"Will you be acting as Yerin's guardian from now on? Even though she's a high school senior and might seem grown, she still needs family care. Especially with the college entrance exams—there's only so much a student can handle alone."
"Yes. If anything comes up, please contact me first."
She continued praising Yerin. Her grades were good, which only made her worry more. She didn't want to talk about exams at a time like this, but as a teacher she couldn't ignore it. I kept assuring her that I would take responsibility. That she should contact me about anything Yerin needed for her future. That as her uncle, I would help with all my heart.
We exchanged numbers. While we were talking, Yerin came over.
"Samchon, my friends want to stay together. Is that okay?"
The moment she finished speaking, her friends rushed over in a wave, each adding their own plea for permission.
"It's fine with me. But are your parents okay with it?"
As soon as I spoke, they answered in a chorus that it was fine. When I thanked them for staying by Yerin's side, they insisted it was nothing, bowed, and returned to her.
"It's good her friends came. I... can't do anything except stay beside her."
I gulped down the water that had been sitting on the table. I wondered if my sister had known how many friends her daughter had. Everyone seemed to adore her. It had to be because she resembled the kindest sister in the world.
The homeroom teacher stood up, saying she had to leave first. The friends followed her in a group.
"Yerin's samchon! Take our teacher with you. She doesn't have a boyfriend!"
"Hey, then Da-jeong will get mad. She's been losing her mind saying the samchon is handsome since earlier."
"When did I lose my mind? I just said it once."
"But if that happens, would Da-jeong become Yerin's sungmo?"
The parking lot grew noisy with their chatter. The teacher shot them warning looks to be quiet, but I didn't mind. If anything, my sister would have preferred this lively atmosphere.
"Um... sir. If you're worried about Yerin being alone, I could take her in until graduation."
After the friends and Yerin went back inside, the teacher spoke.
"I'm living on my own after moving out of my parents' house. There's a spare room for Yerin. Meals are simple—just setting one more spoon at the table. You could stop by occasionally to check on her."
She seemed concerned about an unmarried uncle suddenly taking in his niece. Understandable. No matter how good the intentions, you couldn't know what lay beneath without looking closer.
"For now... I'll ask Yerin."
I thanked her in place of a proper answer.