Dormitory (2)
Dormitory (2)
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Listening to the sound of water boiling in the white coffee pot, I was putting in the cup ramen soup.
"Oppa, is it still far from being ready?"
From behind, along with humming, Yujin's voice was heard.
"......It'll be ready soon, so wait."
Soon the coffee pot's lock unlocked and steam flowed out from the opening.
I poured water into the two cup ramens and headed to the living room carrying them.
In front of the old dining table, Yujin who had changed clothes was sitting.
She was wearing faded training shorts and a cotton T-shirt with a loose neck.
She hadn't even put on makeup, and her hair was roughly tied into one.
"Give it quick, I'm hungry."
When I put the cup ramens down on the table, the table shook a little.
"Uh!"
At that, Yujin quickly grabbed both ends with both hands.
"That's right. That's right. Bring the newspaper, oppa."
I looked at her for a moment, then headed to the pile of newspapers stacked neatly in the corner.
Even the newspaper dates were matched to those of that time.
When I folded a few sheets of newspaper and stuffed them under the short legs, the shaking table balanced as if it were a lie.
"As expected, only oppa."
Yujin clapped her hands jjajjak.
"Even in the old days, oppa always did this. When other people did it, it kept tilting again."
She split the wooden chopsticks and held out one pair to me.
"Here. Let's eat, oppa."
"......Yujin-ah."
"Ung?"
"This isn't it."
Her hand that was picking up the noodles stopped.
"Stuffing newspaper, boiling ramen, wearing old clothes. Doing this doesn't mean we go back to then."
"......"
"This place is taxidermied. It's not the real thing."
I lowered my voice but spoke clearly word by word.
"Us, let's stop going back now. Ung?"
For a moment, silence lingered in the room.
Yujin, with her head down, was only looking at the cooling ramen.
Then slowly, she reached her hand to the bag she had placed next to her.
And soon she took out a black remote control and placed it on the table.
"Oppa."
When she raised her head, the smile had disappeared from her face.
"I clearly said. Right now we're in the middle of acting."
Her finger lightly rested on top of the remote.
"Let's do it again, oppa. Let's do it properly."
Yujin blew huhu on the noodles again, and smiled brightly as if nothing had happened.
"Oppa. The ramen will get soggy. Hurry and eat?"
"Haa... Okay."
I eventually picked up the chopsticks.
In front of her holding the remote, I had no choice.
The hot and salty broth touched my tongue, but I felt no taste at all.
"Oppa. Today's schedule was hard, right?"
"......Yeah. It was a bit hard."
"Right? Oppa drives until dawn every day, and doesn't even sleep properly taking care of us."
She drooped her eyebrows as if feeling sorry.
"That's why I want to take good care of oppa's meals. Eat a lot, oppa. You have to eat it all."
"......Okay."
"Don't leave the broth either."
"......"
"Good boy."
After that, around when the ramen bowl was emptying,
Yujin naturally leaned her body and reached her hand towards my mouth.
"Here. Broth got on you."
Her thumb gently wiped the corner of my mouth.
It was such a familiar and affectionate touch that I rather missed the timing to refuse.
"......It's fine. I'll wipe it."
"Stay still."
Her voice lowered slightly.
I stayed stiff, quietly enduring her wiping my face.
Yujin withdrew her hand as if satisfied, and pushed the empty bowl to one side.
And sseureureuk, she came next to me and leaned her head on my shoulder.
A thin breath tickled my nape.
"Oppa."
"......Why."
"You know. I sometimes think like that."
Her voice was distant as if dreaming.
"How nice it would be if all six of us lived here together."
"......"
"Suah sleeps in a lot in the morning so she always gets scolded for oversleeping, Eri goes around saying she'll clean and causes accidents."
Yujin giggled.
"Taehee acts spoiled because she's the maknae, and Somyeong accepts all of that."
Counting on her fingers one by one, she called the members' names.
"And oppa takes care of all six of us like in the old days."
"......Yujin-ah."
"Cooking meals, drying hair, buying medicine when sick. Back then I thought that was natural. Looking back, that time was the happiest."
Yujin, leaning on my shoulder, closed her eyes.
"It was narrow, cold, no money, but. Strange, right?"
I turned my head and looked at her side profile.
The bare face without makeup really looked happy.
Not like acting, but a face that truly seemed to miss it.
"But everyone's busy."
Yujin opened her eyes and let out a small sigh.
"Somyeong is still overseas. Eri and Taehee also have tight schedules each."
"......"
"So today I came alone. Even just the two of us with oppa, to try feeling the old mood a bit."
She raised her head and looked at me.
"How about oppa? Don't you miss that time...?"
I was silent for a moment, then carefully opened my mouth.
"......I miss it."
Yeah. Honestly speaking, I miss it.
That time, I really missed it.
But missing it and being trapped living there again are completely different issues.
"But Yujin-ah."
"Ung?"
"Missing things, leave them as missing. That's why they're memories."
I chose my words as gently as possible.
"If you try to forcibly hold on, it no longer becomes a memory."
Yujin's expression subtly wavered.
She moved her lips as if wanting to say something, then eventually closed them.
For a moment, heavy silence flowed in the room.
The old fluorescent light flickered small.
Then Yujin slowly got up.
"......I'm full."
She stretched, changing the topic as if nothing.
"Thanks to oppa, I properly felt the old mood after a long time."
She stacked the two empty ramen bowls and put them aside.
"Now let's go in slowly."
I watched Yujin cleaning up the trash, then stood up from my seat.
"Let's go. Oppa."
Before going out the front door, I looked back one last time.
Faded posters, the table with newspaper stuffed, trophy photos hanging on the wall.
I captured the space that had stopped exactly as 3 years ago in my eyes.
The sound of the door locking was unusually loud.
Going up the steep stairs and stepping outside, the noon sunlight stabbed my eyes.
Yujin hummed a nose song and went to the car first.
"Let's go home quickly, the kids will be waiting."
***
With the door lock sound, the front door opened.
Entering the house, I felt a presence from the living room side.
"Uh, eonni is here!"
A sound of something falling from the living room, then someone ran to the middle door.
"Oppa!"
The one who ran up to the middle door was the maknae Taehee.
She was in baggy pajamas, wearing mismatched socks.
One side of her hair was pressed and sticking up as if she just woke up, and her eyes were still swollen as if sleepiness hadn't gone.
In that state, she ran barefoot to the shoe cabinet and hugged me.
"Oppa where did you go! When I woke up no one was there."
As her small body clung tightly, I staggered back.
Taehee was the shortest and skinniest among the six.
Whether at debut or now, she still fit perfectly in my arms.
"Taehee-ya. Oppa will fall."
"I don't wanna. I'll hug more."
Taehee tightly hugged my waist, only raising her head to look up at me.
"Oppa, did you miss me?"
"......Yeah. I missed you."
"Liar. Your expression has no soul?"
Her pouting gaze moved to my nape.
"Oppa, isn't your neck stuffy?"
"Taehee-ya."
Yujin next to her called her softly.
"Oppa is tired so stop clinging a bit."
"Chii. Okay."
Taehee pouted her lips but obediently let go of me.
Then she put both hands behind her back and stared at me.
She went up and down on tiptoes, with an expression full of expectation for something.
"What... do you need?"
"Hehe. I'll tell you that later."
Taehee smiled meaningfully and pulled my hand.
"First sit here, oppa. I have so much to tell oppa."
Dragged to the living room sofa and sitting, Taehee quickly sat right next to me.
Yujin who followed also naturally sat on the opposite side.
Suddenly I was sandwiched between the two.
"It was really boring while oppa was gone. The eonnis all said they were busy and went out, Somyeong eonni still hasn't come."
Taehee stuck out her lips as if dissatisfied.
Then as if remembering something, she suddenly turned her body to look at me.
"I started drama filming this time! The title is..."
Taehee excitedly listed the drama title and role one after another.
How much weight her role has, who the co-star is, how nervous the first filming was.
That chattering appearance was exactly the excited maknae as is.
"......So the director said I'm a genius. How is it oppa, amazing right?"
"Yeah. Amazing."
"Eng. No soul again."
Taehee puffed her cheeks.
At that, Yujin sitting next to her let out a small laugh.
"Taehee, did you want to brag that much?"
"Of course! I wanted to tell oppa first."
Taehee pouted her lips, then turned her body towards me again.
"But you know? Actually, there's something I waited for more than filming."
"......What."
At my question, Taehee clasped both hands and sparkled her eyes.
"Playing with oppa."
But at the end of that, Yujin sitting next quietly opened her mouth.
"......Come to think of it, it's tomorrow."
"Hihiit. That's right eonni."
Taehee laughed kkyarreureu.
"Finally it's tomorrow."
"......What's tomorrow?"
When I asked casually, Taehee's eyes widened round.
Then she exchanged glances with Yujin for a moment.
"Oppa and I, we decided to date tomorrow."
"......Date?"
"Yes! It was decided long ago."
Yujin sitting next smoothly supported.
"Today I went to the old dorm with oppa. Tomorrow is Taehee's turn."
And soon Yujin leaned her body to look at Taehee.
"Taehee-ya don't get too excited. Don't tire oppa out, let's do it moderately."
"Nee. I understand."
The answer was obedient, but the smile on Taehee's face wouldn't fade.
She tightly hugged my arm and rubbed her cheek.
"Oppa. You can really look forward to tomorrow."