Moving
Moving
"Minji, unnie got you a room on the 22nd floor."
"Huh?"
Minji tilted her head at A-ra's words as they ate.
Her expression made it clear she had no idea what A-ra meant.
"Didn't we make a promise at the jjimjilbang before?"
"Uh... that's already... done?"
"Yeah. Unnie's the type who finishes things the moment she thinks of them."
It seemed to be about that bet they'd made at the jjimjilbang.
Saying she got a room meant she must have already finished purchasing it.
A-ra's way of handling things was as fast as always.
She had already finished buying a house without me even knowing.
"When do you want to move?"
Minji just stared blankly without answering A-ra's question.
For a moment, I wondered if she'd eaten something bad and nudged her with my foot.
"Minji?"
"Yes!?"
"What's wrong? Did you get indigestion?"
"No, no! Is it okay to move my stuff on a weekday!?"
"Yeah, let's do that."
Minji, who had jumped up like a fish, nodded her head at the same time.
How to describe it? The expression of someone who couldn't quite accept reality yet.
"Thank you, unnie!"
She bowed her head with such force it looked like she was about to slam it into the dinner table.
A-ra smiled brightly, looking satisfied, and gently stroked Minji's hair.
"Thank me? Unnie just kept a promise."
"Still... isn't this apartment incredibly expensive?"
"Hmm... it's the kind of money that comes from shooting one decent CF, so don't worry about it."
Right.
For A-ra, buying an apartment was something she could manage with the fee from a single CF—one from any of the countless companies that wanted her as a model.
She probably had a tiring day, but it didn't even count as overworking.
That just went to show how far removed her reality was from common sense, and how shocking that was.
"Noona, do you want more snow crab?"
"Yes! The crab is really delicious~"
"That's the dad joke Minji told earlier."
"She already did it?"
A-ra started giggling as if she genuinely found it funny.
I guess girls find this kind of thing amusing.
"Oppa, are you coming in?"
"N...no! Don't come in yet!"
"You know oppa knows the passcode too, right?"
The day of the move.
Since the deal with the landlord was settled to leave all the furniture behind and only take personal belongings, I figured there wouldn't be much luggage. I decided there was no need to hire a moving service and drove over to the front of Minji's house.
But when I reached her front door, Minji wouldn't open it.
I thought maybe she was washing up, but even when I tried to open the door and go in, she stopped me.
Don't tell me she hasn't finished packing yet?
Or does she have something embarrassing in there?
Alright...
Minji is a girl in her prime, so she'd have at least one thing she'd want to hide.
I completely understood.
However, trying to hide it from oppa was unforgivable.
I punched the passcode into the door lock and went inside.
"Kim Min-ji! This is the police!"
I stormed in like an FBI drug raid I used to play at as a kid.
As expected, Minji wasn't washing up or changing her clothes.
What Minji was doing was, in a way, perfectly natural, but deeply embarrassing to show anyone.
I felt I understood why she hadn't opened the door.
".....Minji."
"Heuk-heuk... I can't ever get married now."
What Minji had been doing was taking down the A-ra bromides plastered all over her room.
Seeing the posters laminated and neatly framed, she was clearly a genuine fan who sincerely cherished every single bromide.
"That... well... oppa is a Pacific Ocean-like person who understands this kind of hobby, you know?"
"It's so weird you had to bring up the Pacific Ocean...?"
That wasn't what I meant.
I meant that I'm someone capable of embracing and accepting everyone's hobbies.
"That's not it. You know oppa's friend Lee Min-ho, right? He's about as big a fan as you are, you know? And oppa is still close friends with him."
"Eugh... oppa, you're so mean..."
"Mean? This is your fault for not getting ready until now, Minji."
I told you two days ago to get ready in advance.
Even if you'd packed everything else, the fact is you couldn't finish tidying up until the very end.
"Anyone hearing this would think oppa was at fault?"
"Sorry..."
"If you get it, hurry up, grab your stuff, and come downstairs."
Since there were already packed boxes at the entrance, I summoned every last bit of strength I had and lifted one of them.
Come to think of it, I was abandoned in a baby box as soon as I was born, so I've never actually been breastfed, have I?
"Urgh... car!"
"Oppa, take the light ones!"
"This much is fine. Oppa's been working out a lot lately, you know?"
What a fuss over a box that's not even 10kg.
Besides, I wasn't carrying it down the stairs; there was an elevator, so it wasn't going to be that hard.
"Phew... is that everything loaded?"
I carried one box, and Minji grabbed two at once and loaded them into the car trunk.
And once we finished loading the boxes with all the bromides, frames, and official goods, the trunk was completely full.
She doesn't drink or smoke, so her only hobby is collecting things like this.
So I guess you could say she's a little pitiful.
"Minji. From now on, don't buy things like A-ra noona's goods. Just tell oppa."
"R...really?"
"Yeah. Use your allowance to buy delicious food."
I ruffled Minji's hair vigorously.
There were tons of things like bromides and goods in the agency warehouse.
The Director told me I could take whatever I wanted, so there was no need to spend money on them.
"But is it really okay not to take the furniture?"
"The basic furniture that comes with the place is already better than what's in that house."
When I checked the room recently, everything needed was already there.
It looked a bit too empty, so I bought a computer and a microwave and set them up, but I'm not sure if Minji will like them.
"Right. There are quite a few rooms there, you know? When Hojun and Jiyeong become independent next year, take them in for a while."
"Got it. Thanks, oppa."
"It's not me. A-ra noona is your lifelong benefactor."
From what I heard, Hojun wasn't going to university and was going straight into the workforce.
Then Minji might have to look after him for quite a long time.
In Jiyeong's case, she got accepted into our university, so I can just look after her.
Things are going to get even livelier next year.
"Hyung."
At the sudden call of "hyung," I turned my head to see a somewhat familiar face standing there.
No, it was more than just familiar.
"What the... Hojun, what are you doing here?"
The semester had ended, but I'd come to school because of club activities.
I'd finished everything and was heading down to the first floor of the academic building to go home when I saw my younger brother from the orphanage.
Wasn't this a time he should be at school?
High school vacation hasn't started yet....
"I'm a high school senior, hyung."
"Right, I forgot. But what are you doing here?"
A guy who was never into studying wouldn't be here to tour a university. Did something happen?
Though his expression seemed too bright for that.
"I left home."
And then came the completely unexpected words.
Hojun—who could be called a model son, someone who never gave his mother grief and worked hard at his own things—had left home.
"What? Don't tell me you fought with Mom?"
"No, why would I fight with Seonsaengnim?"
"Then why did you leave?!"
My voice rose without me realizing it.
This wasn't the place. I should take him to the car and talk.
"So? Why did you leave?"
"You know I put in job applications, right?"
"Yeah. I heard you applied to a major corporation earlier?"
The reason Hojun wasn't going to university was because he aimed for a technical career.
It wasn't a Meister high school, but he still studied at a place where he could build professional skills.
He worked so hard that they'd offered him a full scholarship if he went to a related university.
But Lee Min-ho had given up on university without even consulting me.
He said it was because he didn't want to burden his hyung.
So he said he'd applied for jobs at major corporations and decent mid-sized companies to start working right away.
Judging by the look on his face, it must not have gone well.
"No, I passed."
"If you passed, shouldn't you be happy?"
But I didn't know why he'd left home.
Anyway, come February next year, it's the fate of us orphans that we have to leave even if we don't want to.
Of course, our orphanage is private and the building itself is under the Mother's name, so staying longer probably wouldn't be an issue.
But still, once you're an adult, it's only right to leave for the sake of the other kids.
"The place that accepted me... is a bit weird."
"A guy who hasn't even started the job yet..."
"No! Just hear me out, will you? A while ago, I was looking around the stock forum..."
Hojun started explaining at a level I could understand.
To put it simply, the company that hired him had recently caused a huge mess and was on the verge of being delisted.
And the job title was Manager.
In return, though, he said he was secretly offered something.
The moment I heard the contents of the offer, anger began to boil up in my head.
Did they think that just because he's an orphan, he was a disposable tool to be used and thrown away?
"So? What are you planning to do? Do you know how many years you'll rot in prison if you get caught up in this?"
"I don't know..."
What Hojun had been offered was to take the fall for everything related to embezzlement and breach of trust.
This wasn't just treating someone like a pushover; it was the level of using and discarding someone like an object.