Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Method
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"...The interior's already done?"
I stood in front of the newly leased storefront and asked one of the workers who was packing up his tools to leave.
It had only been two days since I'd hired them for the job.
"We just had to pour cement on the floor and hook up the drains and water lines. What could possibly take long about that?"
The burly, bearded worker shot back as if I was the weird one, turning the tables on me.
I had nothing to say to that.
The place had been completely empty to begin with. All they had to do for the "interior" work was tear out the old stuff and cover the floor with cement. Of course the job was going to be quick.
"Uh... yeah... um... thanks for your hard work."
"Sure thing. We're out."
The bearded guy gave a quick nod and left the site.
I stepped inside and looked around the finished prep kitchen.
There really wasn't a thing in it.
Gray cement floor.
Drain holes everywhere, meticulously installed for perfect drainage.
And the massive kitchen appliances I'd ordered ahead of time were already in place.
Hmm... sink water's flowing fine.
This is pretty great.
True to its name as a large-scale prep kitchen, every piece of equipment was oversized.
I'd gone a bit overboard and added some automated gadgets like a vegetable chopper and broth extractor, which made the whole setup look just like an army mess hall kitchen.
The two aunties who worked in the kitchen at Babsang had agreed to come here.
No need to worry about customers here—just working among themselves—so it'd be a lot more comfortable for them.
I'd already lined up extra help through the Korean association.
America was a tough country to live in without money.
But that also meant jobs were relatively easy to fill if you had them.
The aunties already knew the recipes inside out, so they'd guide the new folks and handle everything just fine.
After touring the new kitchen and stepping back out, a weight lifted off my shoulders.
It felt like I'd knocked out my biggest headache.
I decided to go see Lily for the first time in ages.
Work had wrapped up early today.
On the drive to her place,
I'd packed some of her favorite foods on the passenger seat of the truck.
We talked every day, but I'd been swamped with customers.
So more often than not, I'd just drop off food at her door on my way to the predawn shift.
Maybe because it had been so long since work ended early, my steps felt especially light heading to see Lily.
I rang the bell at Lily's front door.
A soft click followed soon after, and the door swung open.
The moment I stepped inside, something slammed hard into my gut.
"Guh!"
'Wh... what a solid tackle.'
She must've missed me.
Lily, who only came up to my chest, had charged from the entryway and thrown her arms around me.
Makes sense—it'd been almost two weeks since we'd properly seen each other amid my crazy schedule.
I stroked her soft white hair and said,
"Lily, I get that you're happy to see me, but can we hug after we get inside?"
At my words, Lily looked up at me from my chest like the cat from Puss in Boots.
Those sparkling crimson eyes.
They always struck me as so mystical, no matter how many times I saw them.
"Hehe, it's been forever, Hoon! I've been so bored."
She broke the hug in an instant, snatched the bag I'd brought like it was hers, grabbed my hand, and pulled me inside.
"You eat yet?"
She nodded at my question.
Had she gotten dressed up special since it had been a while?
She looked like a snow fairy in her pristine white dress.
"I'm not hungry right now either, so let's eat later. I'll stick this in the fridge?"
I headed to the kitchen, now familiar with her place.
I opened the fridge door and organized the food I'd brought.
Seeing quite a bit of what I'd dropped off a few days ago still there made for a stark contrast to the empty fridge when I'd first come.
While I sorted the food, Lily hovered by my side with an excited expression, eyes glued to me.
Like she was afraid I'd vanish into thin air any second.
"Sit down already. Why are you just standing there staring?"
I glanced back to see her beaming, leaning against the kitchen doorway.
That sight suddenly reminded me of the dog we'd had when I was a kid.
Could you believe it if I said I saw an illusion of an invisible tail wagging furiously back and forth?
She must've been really lonely.
"Hehe~ Just... I'm so happy you came to hang out after so long, Hoon."
"Ah~ The shop's been slammed. I even added another kitchen? Shall we head to the living room?"
"Yeah!"
Lily really didn't want to leave my side for even a second.
She stuck right to me as we went to the living room—it was kinda cute.
The living room had a fluffy rug with a small table on it and a three-seater sofa.
I'd been burned out from nothing but work lately, so I just wanted to relax and chat.
"How've you been? Stuck at home the whole time?"
Lily leaned against my side on the sofa, twirling her long white hair around her finger as she said,
"...Yeah. So... you have no idea how happy I am that you came to see me, Hoon."
Her words stirred that pang of pity in me again.
During my vacation time, I'd gotten a deeper look into Lily's life.
And I'd learned
that her 21 years had been profoundly lonely and isolated.
School.
She'd never been to one, not even once.
Because of her albinism, she was vulnerable to UV rays and had only gotten basic homeschooling.
She couldn't even watch TV freely.
The blue light from screens might damage her sensitive skin.
Her world had been just that dark room.
Reading books by the orange glow of a lamp—that was her only play.
'If it'd been me... I couldn't have lived like that.'
Life without fun?
Maybe that's why she clung to me so much.
After her father—the one person who'd been with her for 21 years—passed away, I was all she had left.
Our talks usually went with me doing most of the sharing and her listening.
It couldn't be helped.
She'd spent her whole life cooped up at home, so there weren't exactly new events in her world.
You can't keep repeating stories about reading books and eating alone.
That's why she loved my stories.
All the trivial bits from my life, the daily grind at the shop.
She'd imagine the outside world in her head as she listened.
Like vicarious experiences.
And as someone in the restaurant biz, I had endless tales.
Episodes with staff, all sorts of customers—I'd spill them, and she'd giggle like a kid, loving every bit.
Seeing her like that got me fired up, thinking how to spin the yarns even funnier.
Nothing beats someone hanging on your every word and reacting with joy.
Men are creatures driven by the need for recognition, after all.
After listening raptly to my ramblings for a good while, Lily hesitantly asked,
"Hoon. Things back in Korea... all sorted out?"
"Huh? Oh, the lawsuit? I just met with the lawyer. Hmm... trial might be rough."
She looked startled at my words.
"Huh? I don't know much, but... didn't you say coming to America fixes everything?"
"I thought so too... turns out I was wrong. Makes coming to America pointless then..."
As I grumbled, Lily's face fell in disappointment.
"Aww... but I'm still so happy you came to America, Hoon."
Oh no!
That was a remark she'd totally take the wrong way.
I quickly backpedaled.
"M-me too! Meeting you is the biggest stroke of luck since coming here!"
"Really? Hehe."
Only then did her smile return.
"So, what'd the lawyer say?"
"Well... it's about whether the Korean lawsuit carries over to America or not. If it does, things could get tough for me. But... if they don't sue here, it'll be fine? Long as I don't go back to Korea."
"...But if it does come here, why's it tough?"
She asked with that pure, innocent expression, knowing nothing.
"Hmm... Lawyer says if I had US citizenship, I'd have way more legal options... but that takes at least 2-3 more years. So if the suit hits now, I'm at a disadvantage."
"You can't get citizenship... right away?"
Her face screamed, Why not?—it was adorable.
I patted her head and said,
"That's just how the country's laws work—no way around it. Sigh... there are methods, but they're not realistic..."
"Huh? There are ways? What are they?"
Without thinking, I just blurted it out.
"Well... marrying a US citizen is supposedly the fastest."
At my words, Lily suddenly clapped her hands lightly.
"Then just get married! What's the problem?"
"Huh? Marry who? I don't even have a girlfriend."
"Hoon, you're avoiding marriage because your last one wrecked your family over your wife, right? Scared it'll happen again with the assets?"
"Y-yeah... pretty much?"
As she pieced it together like she'd had an epiphany, I focused on her words.
"So... you need citizenship now, and marriage is the quickest way to get it..."
Lily paused to catch her breath.
Then she looked me straight in the eye, beaming innocently, and said,
"Marry me!"
I jumped in shock at her sudden declaration.
"Wha? Lily! Marriage is for people who love each other!"
She smiled casually and continued,
"I'm not gonna live long anyway."
Her voice was so matter-of-fact.
"So I don't care at all about your money or anything. I just... want to help the Hoon who showed me the world is worth living in. If you hadn't helped... I'd have starved to death."
Lily smiled again, brighter this time but somehow sadder, and asked,
"So... will you marry me?"
I was speechless.
More than her marriage proposal, it was how casually she spoke of her own death that tore at my heart.
Behind that dazzling smile, I could feel the profound sadness she hid.