Chapter 93
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 93
Dokyun refused to believe the scene unfolding before his eyes.
Of all the times…!
Why did it have to be now?
Every personality except for Go Eun-chae was supposed to be under Eun-seol’s control. She had affirmed this herself, which was why he hadn’t been particularly worried about coming to his parents’ house with her. Besides, she hadn’t given him any special warnings about it.
So why had that control shattered now?
Dokyun’s mind raced, trying to pinpoint what was different about this situation. He soon found the answer.
The alcohol?
She had never once been completely drunk before yesterday. Last night was the first time she had ever drunk that much. It was the most plausible theory he could come up with on the spot.
When she gets blackout drunk, control slips.
Of course, it probably wasn't an automatic trigger. If getting drunk was all it took, she would have restrained herself.
The most logical hypothesis was that a combination of factors had led to this.
This is bad…
Dokyun’s expression hardened as he continued to think.
The immediate problem was how long her control would be gone. He hoped she would return as quickly as possible, but if it were that simple, Eun-ji wouldn’t have appeared in the first place. She would have just slept longer.
It was, without a doubt, a crisis.
As Dokyun’s body began to tremble slightly, Eun-ji spoke again.
“Waaater…!”
“Ah, just a moment.”
He had to put those thoughts aside for now. The priority was dealing with the situation that had already occurred.
Having made his decision, Dokyun walked briskly to the living room, poured a cup of water, and brought it to her.
“Here.”
“Ughhh…”
Eun-ji staggered upright, gulped down the water Dokyun offered, and spoke in a dying voice.
“Attendant… the princess is dying…”
I feel like I’m about to die, too.
The words rose to the tip of his tongue, but Dokyun couldn’t bring himself to say them. Instead, he forced a pitiful smile and replied.
“Oh my…! Then you should probably stay in bed today, shouldn’t you…?”
He subtly slipped his own wish into the suggestion.
But even as she made dying noises, Eun-ji shook her head.
“Ugh… no. I can’t just lie here after coming all this way. The princess is going on an outing, so get ready.”
You just said you were dying.
Dokyun felt a sharp, throbbing pain in the back of his neck and swallowed back his tears.
When you’re sick, you’re supposed to rest. Why insist on going out? And before that, how was she going to go for a walk with her leg in that condition?
A torrent of retorts welled up inside him, but he couldn’t unleash them now. If he upset the little brat, there was no telling what kind of scene she might cause in front of his parents. Dokyun forced himself to swallow every word that tried to escape.
“Sh-should we…?”
His voice came out trembling.
“Ughhh… I’m dyyying…”
Ignoring him completely, Eun-ji let out another pained groan.
As this continued, his mother opened the door and came in. She looked back and forth between Dokyun and Eun-ji, then sighed heavily.
“Goodness, is our new daughter-in-law like this too? Your father is acting like he’s on his deathbed right now. I don’t know why you two had to drink so much…”
“I-Is that so…?”
Dokyun replied to his mother while quickly checking Eun-ji’s expression.
Please, just stay quiet…!
He stared at her, his gaze filled with a desperate plea for her to say nothing.
“The princess needs waaater…!”
At her words, Dokyun squeezed his eyes shut.
“Oh, my goodness…!”
His mother’s eyes went wide as she covered her mouth. Dokyun flinched, a feeling of utter despair washing over him.
Since it had come to this…
Time to be shameless…!
The shame and self-loathing would torment him for a long time to come, but he had to get through this moment somehow.
His mind made up, Dokyun took a short breath. He turned to her, his pupils trembling as if in an earthquake, and forced out the words in a syrupy, cringey tone.
“Is… is our little princess thirsty…? J-Just wait a moment…!”
“Oh my!” his mother exclaimed again.
Fuck.
Dokyun squeezed his eyes shut once more.
Goosebumps erupted all over his body just from saying it. He wanted to strip naked right then and there and scrub every inch of his skin.
But that wasn't an option. Dokyun quickly stood up, led his mother out of the room, and closed the door.
Immediately after.
“Oh my, you two are just so lovey-dovey, aren’t you!”
As his mother slapped his back playfully, another wave of self-loathing washed over him. Dokyun managed a hollow smile and replied.
“Y-You think so? Eun-a is still a bit drunk, so she’s talking like we do when we’re alone…”
“Ah, to be young and in love… You two are just head over heels, aren’t you!”
Watching his mother laugh while repeatedly slapping his back, Dokyun swallowed his tears and finally spoke.
“W-Well, I’ll bring Eun-a out once she sobers up a bit.”
“Alright, alright. I’ll go make something to help with the hangover, so take your time!”
Dokyun watched his mother’s retreating back, pushed the miserable feeling filling his heart into a corner, and steeled himself.
Well, at least Mom is happy…
Isn’t that enough? The woman who had worried he’d live alone his whole life was this happy. Couldn’t he set aside his own self-loathing for a bit?
The thought, bordering on pure self-justification, flashed through his mind. Remembering what he had to do, Dokyun trudged back to get more water.
*
A little while later, at the dining table, his mother smiled at Eun-ji, who was shakily holding her spoon.
“Our new daughter-in-law should have some soup, too. Goodness, your stomach must be in knots!” she said, shooting a quick glare at his father.
His father flinched. Eun-ji nodded.
“I will enjoy…”
Thwack.
The moment the words left her mouth, Dokyun quickly jabbed her thigh.
“…this meal, ma’am!”
A moment of silence hung in the air. Dokyun broke it by bursting into loud laughter, drawing everyone’s attention to himself.
“Haha… Eun-a is still so drunk…! We should go for a walk after we eat!”
“Yes, you should! You’ve been breathing that stuffy Seoul air all this time. You should get some fresh air while you’re here!”
Seeing that his mother hadn’t noticed anything strange about Eun-ji’s behavior, Dokyun let out another breath and picked up his own spoon to start eating.
Had his earlier request worked?
When he had asked her to please use formal language with his parents, Eun-ji had nodded readily. Now, she was diligently following his instructions.
Please, let this pass without any trouble.
With that thought, Dokyun continued the tense meal.
“Dear, try some of this. The wild greens are so fresh and delicious!”
“Thank… you, ma’am!”
“Have some of this, too.”
“I will eat… it well, ma’am!”
“This, too!”
“I am grate… ful, ma’am!”
There were a few close calls where Eun-ji almost misspoke as his mother kept placing side dishes on her spoon, but thankfully, she managed to correct herself each time.
After some time, when the meal was nearly finished, Dokyun finally relaxed and glanced at Eun-ji, who was still eating beside him.
She doesn’t seem to be in a bad mood…
In fact, she seemed to be in a rather good mood.
There wasn’t a hint of discomfort in the way she moved her spoon, a faint smile playing on her lips.
Seeing her looking so pleased despite being forced to use formal language with someone other than him, it seemed his mother’s affectionate attitude was having a positive effect.
The whole situation gave Dokyun a new insight into Eun-ji.
What she wanted wasn’t to be worshipped, but to be given attention.
I guess a kid is a kid.
A small smile touched Dokyun’s lips at the thought. Just as he was about to finish his meal…
“My, our new daughter-in-law eats so well. It just makes me compare her to my son, who’s such a picky eater!”
“The prin… I mean, I eat anything… ma’am!”
“Hey, why are you bringing me into this again…?”
Dokyun flinched at the sudden jab and shot his mother a look before sighing.
Okay, I can breathe for a second.
If things just continued like this, there wouldn’t be any accidents.
Just as he was feeling a sense of relief, his mother, who was clearing the dishes, called out to him.
“Oh, right. If you’re going out, could you take Chun-sik for a walk?”
“Chun-sik?”
“Yes, please. My relatives will be here soon, and I have to get ready for the ancestral rites, so I’ll be busy.”
“Ah, sure. We’re heading out anyway.”
Dokyun watched his mother walk away, then felt a tug on his collar and turned his head toward Eun-ji.
“Chun-sik?” she asked, tilting her head.
Dokyun let out a small laugh and answered.
“Ah, he’s the dog we keep in our yard.”
“Hmph…”
Eun-ji sniffed at his answer, then quickly shoveled the rest of her rice into her mouth and stood up.
“Lead the way.”
Her face was filled with anticipation.
Leaning on her crutch, she spoke with the corners of her mouth twitching.
Watching her, Dokyun felt another chuckle escape and nodded.
“Alright, wait here. Let me just finish cleaning this up.”
*
Out in the yard, Dokyun saw Chun-sik, whose leash was tied to a stake, wagging his tail and greeted him warmly.
“Woof!”
“Chun-sik, let’s go for a walk with your big bro today.”
“Woof!”
Dokyun watched Chun-sik, who replied promptly to his words. He was a yellowish mongrel. A dog seller had given him to Dokyun as a birthday present back when he was in high school.
He’s gotten a little old, huh.
He seemed much more energetic before, but now he felt a lot more composed.
“You need some exercise, too. You gotta live a long life.”
“Woof!”
An energetic reply came as he stroked the dog’s head.
As Dokyun let out a laugh, Eun-ji, who had been hiding behind his back watching Chun-sik, cautiously spoke.
“Is this Chun-sik?”
“Cute, right?”
“Well, he’s alright.”
She replied with a little “Hmph!” but Dokyun saw her gaze remain fixed on Chun-sik. He smiled slyly and placed the unfastened leash in her hand.
“You want to hold him?”
Eun-ji stared at the leash for a moment, glanced at Chun-sik, then accepted it with a prim expression before spreading her arms toward Dokyun.
“Give the princess a piggyback ride. It’s hard to walk.”
She made the demand as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
It was only then that Dokyun realized the “walk” she had mentioned was one she intended to take on his back. He let out a hollow laugh and bent down.
A moment later, with the weight settled on his back, Dokyun straightened up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and declared.
“Attendant! Run!”
“Woof!”
Her tone was full of excitement. Hearing Chun-sik bark in response, Dokyun offered a deliberately defiant reply.
“You might as well just tell me to drop dead.”
As he said this and turned to leave, he saw a familiar car approaching in the distance and stopped.
An old, white compact car.
“My youngest uncle?”
It was his youngest uncle’s car.
The car quickly approached and stopped in front of Dokyun’s house. His uncle got out and greeted him.
“Well, well, Dokyun! I hear you’re getting married!”
“Yeah, well…”
Dokyun felt bewildered, wondering how the story had spread. His uncle, laughing heartily, then turned to Eun-ji and greeted her loudly.
“Nice to meet ya! I’m Dokyun’s youngest uncle!”
He spoke cheerfully, as if the concept of shyness didn’t exist.
Eun-ji flinched, then gave a slight bow.
“Hello… sir…!”
“My goodness! Why would a pretty young lady like you want to date this punk!”
Stab.
The words pierced right through him.
Dokyun’s brow furrowed slightly at the insult—he’d lost count of how many he’d received since coming home. He then noticed his younger cousin getting out of the car late and greeted her.
“Yeon-ji, it’s been a while.”
“Hmph!”
She answered by turning her head away with a prim air.
A smile played on Dokyun’s lips. He turned back to his uncle and spoke.
“Mom and Dad are inside, so you should go on in. I’m just going to take a walk.”
“Oh, you are? Well, see you in a bit then.”
Dokyun watched his uncle head into the house, thinking what a whirlwind of a person he always was. He was about to start walking when he saw Yeon-ji standing beside him and tilted his head.
“You coming with us?”
“Hmph!”
She shook her head and grabbed the hem of his coat.
Dokyun let out a small laugh and started walking.
The path was quiet, winding through a town that consisted of fewer than a hundred households and endless fields.
As he walked, gazing at the barren fields post-harvest, Dokyun felt a tug on his coat and looked down at Yeon-ji.
“Hm? What is it?”
“Yeon-ji’s legs hurt. Give me a piggyback ride.”
She said this while glaring at Eun-ji, who was on his back.
Eun-ji flinched and narrowed her eyes in response.
“This is the princess’s spot. It’s the princess’s designated seat, so you can’t come here!”
“No, it’s not! I’m the princess! If it’s the princess’s designated seat, then Yeon-ji should be sitting there!”
“Eek!”
A sudden conflict erupted.
As Dokyun began to feel a sense of unease, Eun-ji shrieked at Yeon-ji.
“You’re ugly! Only pretty people can be princesses!”
“No, I’m not! Yeon-ji is pretty! You’re the ugly one, you hag!”
The war of words escalated.
“Ugly! Shorty! You couldn’t even be my handmaiden!”
“What are you talking about! Yeon-ji isn’t ugly! You’re the ugly one!”
As the breathtakingly petty battle raged on, Dokyun squeezed his eyes shut.
Fuck…!
And so began the prelude to a battle of petty pride between Chae Yeon-ji (age 7) and Go Eun-ji (mental age 7).