Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: The Young Boss's Right Hand is 6 Years Old (3)
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- Son~ You should call him big brother, not Oppa.
- Big brother? Oppa?
Yu-min tilted his head. He shot a questioning look at Yoon-seul, as if asking her about the title I should have.
"Oppa."
- Yeah, Oppa.
The two kids nodded at each other.
- Oppa!
Yu-min shouted it out loud once more for confirmation. And since I was right there at the tip of his finger, it was official.
I'd become "Oppa" to Yu-min too.
Mi-jeong Sam chuckled at the sight before bursting into hearty laughter.
- Whatever, Oppa or big brother or grandpa or butler, who cares? Just call him Oppa.
"I'd like a say in this too, if possible."
- Your opinion doesn't matter. My son wants to call you that.
"Is that so."
It didn't really bother me either way.
Yu-min probably had a basic grasp of titles like "Oppa" or "big brother." He went to kindergarten, and above all, he was the son of someone who worked in education.
The fact that he'd settled on "Oppa" was probably to match Yoon-seul.
The two had just become friends, after all. Unifying my title might be their way of building a little sense of belonging and camaraderie.
Thinking of it that way, it was cute, and I felt like letting it slide.
After watching Yoon-seul and Yu-min chatter for a while, the teacher shifted her gaze to the menu.
- We had pork stir-fry yesterday, so maybe eggplant fritters today. But Yu-min hates eggplant.
"We have a daily special too."
- Daily special?
"It changes every day. Today's is meatballs with tomato sauce."
- Meatballs? Yu-min will love that. Hmm... Okay, one eggplant fritter and one meatball set, please.
"Got it."
I pulled out the prepped meatballs to start cooking when I overheard Yoon-seul.
"Eggplan' not yucky, so eat i'."
- But eggplant's gross.
"Oppa's is yummy. Even Yoon-seul di'n't like i' much. But Oppa's is yummy."
- Oppa's is yummy?
"Yep."
"Then I'll trust Oppa an' eat i'."
Hearing them chant "Oppa" from afar, referring to me, made my chest itch.
I shook my head a couple times to focus on cooking.
I'd mixed sautéed onions and carrots into the ground meat for the meatballs. It took quite a while to form them by hand, but doing it with Yoon-seul made it fun.
The pre-marinated meatballs simmered in sauce, turning a rich reddish-brown.
I usually made chili sauce for eggplant fritters, but the meatball sauce was a bit different.
I'd added a touch of vinegar for acidity.
[Chef's Intuition] had tipped me off that tangy flavors were trending today.
Acidity in a sauce surprisingly balances the taste well. Especially with meat, it cuts through the fattiness.
"Meatballs and eggplant fritters are up."
I placed one of each side by side on the bar table where Mi-jeong Sam sat. Hearing my voice, Yu-min reacted and toddled back to his mom.
- Yu-min, time to eat.
- Okay.
Yoon-seul followed Yu-min over, and seeing that, Mi-jeong Teacher couldn't hide her smile as she helped Yoon-seul into the chair next to Yu-min.
Worried it might be hot, she blew hoo-hoo on a half-cut meatball and fed it to Yu-min, who chomped it down happily.
- Nom... Yummy! Mommy eat too.
- Got it, Mommy'll try some.
Teacher smiled like a mom and popped the other half in her mouth, nodding repeatedly.
- Joo-hyun, this is the best. Onions and carrots inside make the meat so light, no heaviness at all.
"I'm always the best."
"Oppa's th' bestest ever."
The mother-son duo enjoyed their meal with satisfaction.
Midway, Yu-min eyed the eggplant fritters suspiciously, but Yoon-seul beat Mi-jeong Sam to it, urging him to try one.
"Oppa's eggplant is yummy. Gotta eat i'."
Mi-jeong Teacher didn't seem keen on pushing it herself, but after Yoon-seul's words, Yu-min looked willing to give it a shot.
He steeled his jaw like he was bracing for battle, squeezed his eyes shut, and chomped into a sauce-drenched fritter.
Then his eyes sparkled with a "What is this?" expression as he bit into it several more times, filling his mouth with eggplant fritter.
- Nom nom... So super yummy...
That's what he said.
Cha Yu-min had discovered a new flavor at our restaurant.
After finishing, Mi-jeong Sam seemed ready to head out right away, but she took one look at Yu-min and Yoon-seul and sat back down.
- Mind if we linger a bit?
"We rarely hit full capacity anyway, so stay as long as you like."
A few customers trickled in, but it wasn't busy. More than anything, Yoon-seul and Yu-min looked so happy.
I couldn't quite catch their conversation, but they were chatting about cars or moms and brothers—whatever it was, it seemed fun.
That made me glad.
It was the first time Yoon-seul had a friend her age since moving in with me. I thought back to her birthday last time at the shop, celebrated with customers.
She'd wished for a friend back then, and now that wish had come true so soon.
In that light, Kwon Su-young fleeing to our shop with that barbaric club (formerly Great Xenocider) was ultimately something to be grateful for.
"How old is Yu-min?"
- Turning six this year. Birthday was just recently.
"Whoa, so Yu-min's the big brother. Yoon-seul's five."
- But they already seem like besties.
"Yeah, they do."
Kids that age probably don't fuss much over who's older.
- Yoon-seul doesn't go to kindergarten? She was here around this time yesterday too. Or do you pick her up during break time?
"No, she doesn't. Might send her soon-ish, but I doubt it'll happen. She'll probably refuse flat-out. Something bad happened before. Planning to keep her home if possible."
- Oh... I see. Good call. Kindergarten isn't mandatory. Our Yu-min whines every morning about not wanting to go. Such a hassle.
From what I overheard yesterday, Yu-min's kindergarten was near J High School, so Teacher handled drop-off and pickup on her commute.
"Really? Yu-min doesn't seem shy."
- Nah, he's actually pretty picky with people. Teachers say he doesn't have many friends there.
Then his stepping away from his mom earlier to approach Yoon-seul must've been Yu-min mustering some courage.
- Just my take, but maybe he takes after me?
"Hm?"
- Liking pretty and handsome things.
"So you're saying he approached Yoon-seul first because she's too cute?"
- Just a hunch.
"Hang on. As her big brother, I'm sensing danger. Time to isolate this 6-year-old wolf from Yoon-seul..."
- Why are you jumping to that already? I'm the mom, and you're more overprotective than me right now.
I could see other customers at the bar table, quietly eating, stifling chuckles at our exchange.
I decided to tone it down.
Once I calmed, it suddenly felt surreal.
Teacher and I hadn't spoken in nearly 10 years until yesterday.
Yet here we were, chatting casually like friends or colleagues who met weekly. Even as middle school buddies, this was special.
I grew curious about how she'd spent the last decade.
"What have you been up to all this time, Teacher?"
- Me? Same old teacher life. Lessons per curriculum, dealing with helicopter parents, cleaning up kids' messes, got married, had a kid, lived happily, then unhappily divorced. Back to lessons, dealing, cleaning up. You know.
"...."
Her long sentence casually slipped in some brutal events.
- You? Anything big?
"My little sister rolled in. Otherwise, just work. Pretty similar to you."
- Hmm... Work's all the same grind. Business is prepping food daily, selling, making money—rinse and repeat, right?
"Pretty much."
My days had some spectacle thanks to my quirky sister and the secretive Onui siblings helping us out.
But boiled down, rUnnieng the shop wasn't much different from what she described.
Teacher pulled out her phone and showed me Yu-min photos—from baby fuzz hair days to his first kindergarten entrance.
Over 1,000 pics flashed by like an edited video. Not a single one featured a man I assumed was her ex-husband.
"Oppa, wanna see?"
"Hang on, looking at pics."
Yoon-seul and Yu-min, deep in toy car debate, had wandered back to Mi-jeong Sam.
They stood side by side in front of her, arms raised at 45 degrees.
They wanted up on the chairs.
With more customers arriving, Yu-min went on Teacher's lap, Yoon-seul to the seat beside.
"Oppa, wanna see Yoon-seul be awesome."
"What do you wanna see?"
"Yoon-seul pew pew! Pew pew!"
"The one with Uncle last time?"
"Uh-huh, wanna watch with Yu-min-i."
"Got it. One sec."
Pew pew could only mean one thing.
The rubber band shooting video we'd planned and filmed with Yeon-woo-ssi.
Yoon-seul sometimes asked me to play her highlight reel.
I pulled it up on my smartphone, and there was Yoon-seul's gallant back view.
In her hands, a wooden toy pistol—not too big, so she gripped it well with both.
Arm straight out like Yeon-woo-ssi taught, she fired calmly.
Pew!
Pew!
Pew!
Rubber bands snapped sharply, toppling the zucchinis.
The video ended with Yoon-seul cheering victory.
Impressed, Mi-jeong Sam and Yu-min oohed and aahed, clapping lightly.
"Yu-min-i, cool?"
- Yeah, cool. Awesome.
"So you know Yoon-seul's the boss now?"
- Know! Yoon-seul boss. I'll be her minion. Uh... right-hand man!
Just four back-and-forths between the kids who'd met that day.
Hearing it, Teacher and I exchanged uneasy looks.
- Yoon-seul, what'd you just say?
She asked, and Yoon-seul proudly stuck out her tummy from her chair.
"Yoon-seul's the boss! Yu-min-i's gonna be my right-hand! Jus' decided!"
I'd just witnessed my sister become boss, with a 6-year-old—older by a year—as her right hand.
The organization seemed to have just two members.