The Weight of Unspoken Truths
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have dragged you into such an awkward spot.”
In the end, we rushed through the rest of the meal in stiff, hurried bites. If we’d stayed seated any longer, everyone would have ended up with indigestion. Min-a kept scolding me for picking at my food, but she knew why. She knew it all too well. Every gesture, every movement, every single word from her niece had her on edge, watching like a hawk.
“It’s fine, Samchon. I understand how Sungmo feels too.”
Yerin forced an awkward smile. Seeing her pretend to be cheerful in front of the adults actually made my chest tighten. Of all of us, the one carrying the heaviest burden was acting the most mature.
“That girl, Min-a… Ha, never mind.”
You already have everything. Couldn’t you at least make a little room for your niece? Couldn’t you at least let me see her graduate while she stays by my side? But the moment I even hinted at it, she would turn on me with a cold stare.
On the way home after dinner, Min-a whispered just loud enough for Yerin walking behind us to barely catch it.
At least she didn’t insist on following us all the way home. That was a relief. She let us go with a quick “Get some rest, see you tomorrow.” If she had come all the way here, who knows what else she would have said to torment us.
“It makes sense that she hates me. I suddenly showed up and started clinging to you, making her uncomfortable.”
“Still… she knows our situation. We explained everything.”
“You should be better to Sungmo, Samchon. That’s what’s right. So she doesn’t feel neglected.”
Really, it was hard to tell who was the adult and who was the child here.
“The school’s pretty far from here. Let’s leave together in the morning. I’ll drive you.”
“It’s okay… I can just take the bus. You’d have to go out of your way.”
“It’s not that far. The world’s a dangerous place. I’d feel uneasy sending you alone.”
“Samchon, really…”
We chatted quietly as we walked, and before I knew it, our apartment building came into view. I parked the car and carried Yerin’s luggage inside.
“Um… wait just a second. I’ll clear some space.”
There was only one bed, and it was in the master bedroom. I’d have to give her that room. She could use the desk there too. Since my niece had come to stay, I should at least pull out a fresh set of bedding.
If Min-a sees this, she’ll complain again. Why give the blanket I bought to sleep with her to that girl? Would she break out in hives if she used something that girl had touched? I didn’t know. If she didn’t like it, she could just disappear. I didn’t want to waste any more energy on trivial things. I just wanted to rest.
“Is there… only one bed in the house?”
“Yeah. Just the one. Do you need two?”
“That’s not what I meant. If I take the bed, then Samchon…”
I’d meant it as a light joke, but Yerin took it with complete seriousness.
“Don’t worry. I usually sleep on the floor anyway. There’s a sofa in the living room too.”
It hadn’t been that long since I even bought a bed. Money had always been tight. Whether it was the floor or anywhere else, I could fall asleep the moment my head touched a surface.
“What are you talking about? I came here and now you’re the one who’s uncomfortable.”
“I’m not uncomfortable, so just use the master bedroom. I’m not lying—I really do sleep fine on the floor. If you don’t believe me, ask Grandma.”
Come to think of it, Mom was probably waiting for a call too. With everything piling up, I’d completely forgotten. I’d have to call her separately as soon as the sun came up.
“Then at least let me do the cleaning.”
After some back and forth, we settled on her using the room. In exchange, Yerin insisted she would handle all the cleaning herself.
“You just sit down.”
“No. You drove all day.”
Yerin shook out the pajamas that had been draped over the bed and folded them with crisp, precise corners. She was surprisingly good at it. Her mother must have taught her well.
“You’re good at this. Did you help out at home a lot?”
“Yes. My parents were always busy, so I took care of all the housework. But your place is so clean there’s hardly anything to do.”
“Just tidy up a bit and get some sleep. We can finish the rest tomorrow.”
I only needed to clear off the desk. Work documents were scattered across it. She could unpack the rest of her things herself. For anything embarrassing like underwear, I’d empty out a section of the built-in closet and tell her to use that.
“S-Samchon.”
Yerin suddenly called out to me. Thinking a bug had appeared, I went over only to find a pair of women’s panties rolled up and hidden in the corner.
“……Sorry. There’s a woman I know who likes playing these kinds of pranks.”
Min-a would occasionally hide her underwear in places I wouldn’t see. She called it a charm to keep other women away. There was even a time she stuffed some in my pillow and we fought for hours. I still don’t understand how she thinks she can control even my dreams.
“Then this must be Sungmo’s doing.”
“I’ve told her so many times not to do this. She never listens.”
Embarrassed to be showing something like this to my niece, I quickly put it away. The design itself was ridiculous. The fabric was smaller than the palm of my hand—what was it even trying to cover?
“……Seeing something like this… it really proves you and Sungmo are together.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“No, it’s just… from what I’ve seen, Sungmo is incredibly controlling toward you. It’s like… she wants to keep you in her pocket at all times.”
Yerin had only been around her for a few days, yet she had already figured Sungmo out.
“She is… a bit more jealous than most women.”
No matter how much love I poured out, she always said it wasn’t enough. She wanted more. So much that I couldn’t even think of another woman. She wanted to fill my head completely, until there was only her.
“Then isn’t it worse for me to be here? She’s obviously going to torment you even more.”
“She’ll nag for a while and then stop. Don’t worry. She knows our situation.”
Honestly, I couldn’t say for sure. I had no idea what she would say at the company. She would probably grab me and demand to know when I was going to send my niece away.
“Liar. You’re just going to get scolded by Sungmo again.”
“No. Even Min-a wouldn’t go that far…”
Yerin stared at me. Her expression clearly said she knew everything and was wondering why I kept trying to hide it. Looking into those large, sparkling eyes that so closely resembled her mother’s, I couldn’t keep lying.
“Of course she’ll be jealous. But… if I explain it properly, she’ll understand.”
“It seems like up until now, you haven’t been very good at explaining, which is why Sungmo has been tormenting you.”
“Maybe I need to say it in English. Even if I ask her to endure it just until you graduate, she acts like she can’t hear me.”
“Then she really is tormenting you.”
I didn’t usually enjoy talking about people behind their backs, but for some reason, the words flowed easily when I was with Yerin.
“Should I scold her for you?”
“What, are you going to grab her by the hair too?”
“I wouldn’t mind. If she keeps bothering my Samchon.”
“We’ll have to see what happens tomorrow… but I think it’ll be fine. You’re already here in my house. There’s not much more she can do. Speaking of which, I need to call your grandmother too.”
“Does Grandma not know I’m staying at your place?”
“She knows, but I only gave her a rough explanation of why you’re here. She might be asleep now, but explaining everything properly to her is going to be a headache.”
My head was already starting to throb. Thanks to Yerin, the headache I thought I had shaken off was creeping back up the back of my neck. Whether I took medicine or tried to distract myself, it would eventually fill my mind and keep me up all night.
“Everyone’s so desperate to make things hard for you, Samchon.”
“Sigh… you know, your Sungmo and your grandmother act exactly the same? But if I say they’re alike, do you know what they say?”
“What do they say?”
“They both jump up in outrage. They ask where on earth they’re similar. They say I’m the one who won’t let them breathe.”
Compared to Min-a, compared to Mother. They were both too busy insisting they were far more generous, only talking about their own perspective. Min-a acted like this before, Mother said that before.
“I guess people who are alike never realize it themselves. It’s ridiculous.”
I pressed hard on my temples, but it didn’t help. Taking medicine might work, but I didn’t want to worry my niece.
“Does your head hurt, Samchon?”
Yerin noticed right away as I groaned in discomfort.
“A little… it’s throbbing.”
Once again, Yerin reached out toward me. Her long fingers touched the back of my neck.
“It’s all because of me… I’m only making things harder for you.”
“No. It’s not hard at all.”
“Ever since I came, all I’ve done is make things difficult.”
“I said it’s not.”
“Liar. Liar. I feel like… I’m suffocating you too.”
“I’m breathing just fine. Hoo, hoo, hoo.”
“Idiot. That’s not what I meant.”
“Then… just grow up well and spoil your Samchon a little.”
Maybe it was thanks to Yerin, or maybe the fatigue I had been pushing aside was finally catching up. My eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
“I’ll spoil you plenty, so just stay healthy, Samchon. What’s with those eyes? You look like a panda.”
“I have to make a living somehow…”
I needed to get up and let her sleep, but my eyes kept drifting shut. It felt like being a child again. Like when I would throw a tantrum about not wanting to sleep and my older sister would sing me a lullaby.
“Yerin-ah… Samchon will go to the living room… in just a bit…”
My body, perched on the edge of the bed, slowly began to collapse. Before I knew it, my head was on the pillow. Before I knew it, Yerin had pulled the blanket over me.
I had to get up and give her the space. She must be exhausted too… What was she supposed to do if I kept acting like this? What was she supposed to do if I fell asleep like this?