Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: 5-Year-Old and the Sea (1)
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"Do you unnerstand what I'm sayin'??"
"Yes."
"But I tol' ya not to rememver that?"
"You said every day after work, you can't get any personal time 'cause you're playing with Yu-min, so you haven't had time to drink. But now you can drink with me like this, and it makes you feel a bit better."
"Yeah, yeah! Good listenin'!"
"...I'm not just listening well—how could I forget when you've repeated the exact same thing five times?"
"What?"
"Nothing."
The thing I regretted most recently had just happened.
I had to stop the hand of this person in front of me, who was cracking open her fourth beer.
At first, she was surprisingly sober.
I'd gotten scared in advance when she bluntly asked me to be her drinking buddy the whole trip, but that was just a joke.
We picked at the sweet-and-spicy chicken we'd bought as snacks, chatting amiably with haha's and hoho's.
We were having a warm, harmonious time between teacher and student.
How she'd ended up starting a business.
If there were any hardships living with Yoon-seul.
If there were any financial troubles.
Her mature gestures and speech as she asked about all these things had touched me.
She still sees me as her student and looks out for me!
That was the feeling.
So I asked Teacher about any recent hardships on her end. That's where the trouble started.
She suddenly started chugging beers one after another, and her eyes glazed over.
"This teacher's strugglin' every damn day!!"
She raised her voice like a car suddenly accelerating, forgetting the kids were asleep.
Her speech even more slurred than Yoon-seul or Yu-min's.
Her body swaying side to side.
Her clothes disheveled.
Only then did I notice the two crushed beer cans under the chair where Teacher was sitting.
The same person who'd said she could barely finish one beer was pounding alcohol like this—she was bound to get wasted.
"Kim Mi-jeong-ssi, time to sleep now."
"Nooo... I ain't sleepin'."
"Hey now, come on. We've got to go out and play tomorrow too—what're you thinking, drinking like this?"
"If not now, when'll I drink?! It's been forever since I last had any, y'know!"
"I'll drink with you tomorrow too, so sleep tonight. Got it?"
"Tomorrow? Pinky swear?"
"Yeah, so please go to sleep, you idiot."
"Yay! Teacher's the best~!"
The thirty-something Kim Mi-jeong-ssi, regressed dramatically to toddler mode, headed straight for the bed where the kids were sleeping.
It was a king-size bed, spacious enough for three, but now it'd probably smell like booze.
I'd have to move the kids somewhere.
And then.
"Cleaning up falls to me naturally, huh."
It wasn't too messy, but I had to store the leftover sweet-and-spicy chicken properly, wipe up the spills on the table, and toss the trash.
We were staying here for four days and three nights—leaving it would make the smell unbearable.
Rustle rustle—
Scrub scrub—
It didn't take long to tidy up.
This was routine for me anyway.
Plus, a corner of my mind was buzzing with excitement, so my hands moved on their own.
Me, twenty-five-year-old Song Joo-hyun, am not a man who just takes it lying down.
"Heh heh."
A sleazy chuckle escaped me without thinking.
I pulled out my smartphone and played the recorded video.
"If not now, when'll I drink?! It's been forever since I last had any, y'know!"
"Tomorrow? Pinky swear?"
"Yay! Teacher's the best~!"
Kim Mi-jeong-ssi's embarrassing lines were all captured perfectly.
Even her swaying like a drunkard was filmed spot-on. If she saw this...
"She'd die of shame and do the blanket kick. No, not just that—full blanket suplex."
Sorry to the resort staff, but one of this room's blankets might end up shredded.
But if we're assigning blame, it'd be more on Teacher than me.
Bzzz—
My phone buzzed.
[Dal-nim: lol Satan himself would kneel and bow!]
The siblings sometimes pop in like this while observing my daily life.
Dal-nim bringing up Satan sparked a weird thought. If the sun-and-moon siblings exist as O-nu-i, doesn't that mean Satan might really exist too?
If so, that'd be kinda fascinating.
"Time to brush my teeth?"
If I woke up tomorrow reeking of booze, the kids would hate it, so I should at least wash up before bed.
I was heading to the bathroom when—
Poof—
Something soft wrapped around the back of my thigh.
I knew who it was without looking.
"Did our little lady wake up?"
"Mmm... Uncle's noisy."
Calling me uncle even half-asleep—definitely still groggy.
"Oppa was too loud and woke you up?"
"No."
No, she says, while carefully poking her own belly button.
"Your tummy's rumbling, huh?"
Nod nod.
She rubbed her face happily against my thigh again, like she was thrilled I'd guessed right.
Yoon-seul sometimes turns into a total sweetheart for about five minutes after waking up.
Especially fresh from a deep sleep.
"Then that sweet-and-spicy chicken..."
Feeding her the leftovers wasn't the best idea.
It was late, and spicier than expected.
Eating spicy food this late at night would wreck her stomach.
So, nothing for it but to whip up something simple.
"Yoon-seul, sit at the table for a sec? Oppa'll make you something quick. But just a little—no big portions—and back to sleep. It's late."
"Otay."
The clock already read 10 p.m.
Yoon-seul toddled over—pat pat pat—and plopped into a chair.
The chair legs were short enough for a 5-year-old to climb into easily.
I opened the fridge.
Watermelon, soda, milk, and one leftover beer can.
That was it.
Only one choice, then.
"Fruit punch... guess I'll make some."
The watermelon was leftovers from the beach earlier, the soda a small can that came with the chicken.
The milk was for Teacher tomorrow morning. Kids first, so I'd use it and buy another pack then.
I rinsed a plastic container we'd brought, cubed some watermelon with a spoon, and dumped in the milk and soda.
Wish I had some sugar, but that's not something you find here.
I aimed for a 1.2:1 milk-to-soda ratio for the fruit punch.
"Doesn't look great."
Just watermelon, milk, and soda mixed—no visual appeal. Then it hit me.
There was a vending machine in the hallway lined with resort rooms. One in the middle, stocked with snacks.
Right in front of our room.
"Yoon-seul, Oppa's just gonna step out front real quick."
"Hm? Yunseul go too."
Yoon-seul scurried after me.
I'd planned to leave her in the room and ask her to hold the door, but whatever—we left the door open and went to the machine.
I bought fruit-flavored jelly packed with fruit essence!
"Snack for Yunseul?"
"Nah, this goes in the fruit punch."
Back in the room, I tore open the jelly.
Dumped the whole thing in.
The fruit-shaped jellies made it look way better in the punch.
I sampled a spoonful.
"Mm... kid-friendly."
Taste wasn't bad, but more snack than dish. Fine for late-night munching, though—passing grade.
"So Yunseul'll eat it..."
Yoon-seul mimicked me exactly.
"Ah, hey! No, Yunseul's not a baby!"
She snapped in a huff.
Still sleepy, apparently.
I was setting it on the table to eat together when—
Another little one toddled out—pat pat.
And get this?
Just like Yoon-seul, she latched onto my leg—bam!
"Mommy, I woke up..."
"Not Mommy—big bro."
"Huh?"
Yu-min locked eyes with me for three seconds, then backpedaled at light speed.
"Heh, got confused!"
Sounded familiar.
Did she pick it up from Yoon-seul?
"Yumin can't call Oppa either..."
Yoon-seul set down her spoonful of punch and grabbed my pant leg.
She side-eyed Yu-min.
"Eek, not like that."
Yu-min shrank back, looking intimidated.
Situation got messy.
Best fix? Food.
"Yu-min, fruit punch together? Hungry, right?"
"Yeah... hungry."
"Then Yumi sit here too. Eat together."
Yoon-seul patted the seat next to her.
Seeing that, Yu-min sighed in relief and sat gingerly.
Crude compared to our restaurant food, but the three of us ate peacefully, and it wasn't half bad.
Super sweet, total snack vibes, but scarfing it down late at night made me drowsy.
We finished the punch, brushed teeth, and were heading to bed when—
Yu-min stopped me with pitiful eyes.
"Hyung..."
"Yeah?"
"Can we sleep together?"
"Not a problem. Why the sudden request?"
Yu-min waved her hands lightly.
Lend an ear.
I leaned in, and she whispered.
"Mommy smells like booze."
"Ahh... booze smell."
Nothing to be done.
She hadn't noticed sleeping through it earlier, but crawling back in with Teacher now would be rough.
No brushing, just flopping down—mostly from her mouth.
"Oppa, then us three sleep together."
"Yeah. Wanna do that on the top bunk tonight?"
"Yeah!!"
And so our first night at the resort ended with the three of us in one bed.
The kids were so tiny, no discomfort at all.
King-size bed, and Yu-min didn't move much in sleep—actually comfier than usual.
**
Next day.
Morning brought the expected scene.
I mercilessly showed Teacher a fresh page from last night's black history book.
Kim Mi-jeong Teacher demonstrated flexibility beyond her years.
She clutched the blanket and thrashed like a wrestler—we just watched quietly.
To drive out, her hangover needed to fade, so breakfast was at the resort basement buffet.
Tasted better than expected—everyone satisfied.
"Whew, finally sober enough to drive."
By lunchtime, Kim Mi-jeong Teacher's wits had recovered, and we headed out.
I could've driven—legal—but my long rusty-license history made it iffy.
Our lunch spot? The tasty place the cabbie recommended the other day.
"Off to see sea turtles!"
Yoon-seul had been harboring eager excitement in her little chest from inside the car.