Christmas (3)
Christmas (3)
Leaning against the sofa was uncomfortable, so I rested my head on Mom's lap.
The night before leaving the orphanage to live independently, when I rested my head on her knee and said goodbye—
I cried so hard back then.
It wasn't like we'd never see each other again, so why did I cry like that?
How long does it take to get here from my house now, maybe an hour and a half by car at most?
"But is it really okay for you to be here on Christmas?"
She began stroking my head, saying it wouldn't do for me to neglect my wife too much.
Wait, but A-ra was the one who told me to go visit the orphanage...
Wasn't I the one who got abandoned here?
A-ra seemed satisfied with having spent yesterday together.
"We spent time together yesterday, so it's fine. A-ra noona went to meet the members too."
"Is that so...?"
Originally, Christmas is when everything happens on the Eve, not the day itself.
So most people spend the actual day at home.
More than myself, I wanted her to think a little more about herself—
The mom who looks after the kids at the orphanage every single day of the year.
I should ask her directly sometime.
"Anyway, Mom, aren't you going to get a boyfriend?"
"Th-this kid, what are you saying?"
Just as expected, she got flustered, stammered, and her face flushed red.
She probably knows better than anyone why I'm saying something like this.
It's a memory from when I was little—I don't know if they're still dating, but
I remember Mom having a boyfriend.
The details are hazy, but I think he seemed like a good person...
"Mom, you're only thirty-six. You're more than young enough to get married right now."
"That's enough, stop it. Mom has no thoughts of getting married."
"But I clearly remember when I was five..."
When I was five... so Mom was around twenty-one back then?
My mother, who raised me like her own child, used to let me sleep in her bed with her.
And almost every single night, she'd blush and go all kkyak-kkyak, saying she might get married someday.
"Th... back then... haah..."
Unable to come up with an excuse, Mom let out a sigh.
This kind of thing is only possible in a relationship like ours—not blood relatives, but as close as blood relatives.
I think of Mom as my real mother, and Mom thinks of me as her real son.
But because an unmarried Mom couldn't legally adopt me,
we are, legally, nothing to each other.
It really is a strange relationship.
"Mom, you haven't changed one bit from back then."
"Seong-hwan, you're just making fun of your mother now. Haven't I changed a lot?"
Well, she would have changed some with age.
Now that I'm no longer just her good-natured son but also have to play the role of a husband,
I can't help being different from before.
"Time's already slipped away like this."
Maybe because I slept quite a bit earlier, it was already well past four o'clock.
I had to go because I'd made dinner plans with A-ra, and I'd already said my goodbyes and given out the presents,
so there wasn't much reason to stay any longer.
"I've really been loving how often Seong-hwan comes to visit lately."
"I'll come with A-ra noona at least once a month."
"Alright, but don't bring anything too expensive when you come! You spent a ton today, didn't you?"
A Nintendo Switch, a laptop, a portable monitor, even a PlayStation.
I did spend a fair bit, but it wasn't that much relative to what I earn.
For my adorable little siblings, I can spend this much without a second thought.
"I told you, this amount is fine."
"And don't send so much money either! No matter how much you earn, ten million won every month is..."
"I said it's fine! And use some of that for yourself, Mom—buy some new clothes!"
"But still, ten million won is way too mu... fine..."
Only then did she quietly nod and pull me into a tight hug.
***
The place A-ra arrived at was the house where Hwa-young lived.
By now, it had become so much of a shared space you might as well call it a gathering point,
but Hwa-young didn't openly show any sign of minding it.
In fact, since she didn't much like being alone anyway,
she seemed to be getting along even more warmly with Eun-ji, who was practically living there.
When A-ra punched in the door code and stepped inside,
Eun-ji, Yeji, and the homeowner Hwa-young were in the living room, sitting at the table with their heads down.
Gloomy on Christmas morning, as dark as people who'd just had their hearts broken.
A-ra turned on every light and brightened up the living room.
"Why's the mood so gloomy in here?"
"Everyone except A-ra unnie is a mo-ssol, that's why."
"Ahh~"
When Eun-ji said it with her lips pouting,
A-ra chuckled softly and sat down at the table.
After all, she herself was already married, while the rest sitting there
were single women who had never once been in a relationship, let alone married.
"What did you do for fun, unnie?"
"Oh, right—yesterday, while walking in the park, I found a puppy?
And Seong-hwan totally fell in love with it."
"That's something. That kid never really shows that kind of thing."
Eun-ji was surprised that Seong-hwan, who normally didn't openly express wanting or desiring things,
actually wanted something.
Watching Eun-ji quietly mutter to herself that boys would be boys,
A-ra continued talking.
"So I asked him if he wanted to raise a dog, and he nodded.
It was unbelievably cute, you know."
"You're his wife and you didn't even know what your husband likes?"
Eun-ji suddenly launched an attack on A-ra,
who'd been showing off about her husband since Christmas morning.
"That's not it! Seong-hwan got bitten by a dog when he was little, so he had something kind of like a trauma, okay?"
"So what did you decide?"
"Obviously, I said if he wanted to raise one, we'd go adopt one together."
A-ra puffed out her chest as if it were the most natural thing in the world and grinned.
It seemed she wanted to show off what a benevolent wife she was,
with a heart as broad as the Pacific Ocean, who would allow her husband to do just about anything he wanted.
Of course, a dog is a living creature you raise as a family,
not a lizard like a hamster or a gecko—so considering that annoying things could crop up for A-ra at any time,
the fact that she agreed on the spot meant she really did have a heart as wide as the Pacific.
'Oh, as expected of Song A-ra.'
"So what was Seong-hwan's reaction?"
"He was happy, but..."
A-ra, who had just been so delighted to have found something Seong-hwan wanted first,
suddenly wore a bitter smile.
Seeing that expression, the other members just tilted their heads in confusion.
"But?"
"He said he wanted to think it over and study up a bit more first."
"Keuh... he's really got his head on straight."
Raising a dog requires a sense of responsibility.
Not that they thought Seong-hwan lacked responsibility,
but the people in this room knew it wasn't something to be taken lightly.
When adopting a pet, thinking it over multiple times
is better for both the person and the animal.
"Dogs aside—chinchillas? It seemed like he thought rodents were pretty cute too."
"That's a bit unexpected. Don't guys usually not like rats?"
"Things like chipmunks and hamsters are cute, so aren't they a little different?"
Even among rodents, people have different preferences.
A-ra shook her head, saying that even Seong-hwan probably wouldn't like actual mice or nutrias.
*
After talking at length about Seong-hwan's tastes, the women suddenly fell quiet.
It was because they had exhausted the topic.
"So? What should we do now?"
"What would a bunch of girls do together? Watch a movie and have a drink or whatever."
"Huh? We're drinking?"
A-ra, who had driven there and had no plans to drink,
panicked for a moment and asked the three of them.
This time, the three looked at A-ra with indignant faces,
as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Of course. What did you think a bunch of single girls would be getting together to do on Christmas?"
"I thought we were just meeting up to have a meal together."
Since she had plans to eat with Seong-hwan in the evening, A-ra hadn't planned on daytime drinking,
and she found herself in a dilemma.
"Then A-ra, just you don't drink."
"Ugh, that's no fun."
"Or how about we don't drink either, and go out and have some fun, just us girls?"
"Where?"
"Let's just go wherever we see and flip the place upside down."
It wasn't exactly the kind of behavior suited for celebrities, but it was possible for them because
all it took was a bit of a disguise to just look like ordinary people.
This was all thanks to the Director, who,
when first creating the Queens group,
had made their concept understated and modest instead of flashy.
***
When I got home, A-ra wasn't there.
She did say she was going to meet the members...
"Right. You're supposed to watch Harry Xotter on Christmas."
In the old days they used to put on Home Xlone, but times had changed and it had switched to Harry Potter.
Actually, I figured any fun movie series would do,
as long as it helped single people kill time on Christmas.
"I should've just rested yesterday and played with A-ra noona today..."
But wait, why do couples play on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day?
If they're going to have fun anyway, wouldn't it be better to do it on a public holiday?
"Dinner is... hm?"
As I headed toward the dining table, I saw meat and seafood laid out on it.
It seemed she'd bought it all in advance, planning to ask me to cook dinner tonight.
"Then maybe I'll run to the grocery store too."
Pick up some wine, get supplementary ingredients...
Hmm... what should I make with the shrimp?
For shrimp, simply grilling them on a bed of salt is the most delicious, honestly.
But they have so many variations that it's a bit of a dilemma.