A Noisy Housewarming - 1
What is all this...?
The moment I got home, the smell of food punched straight through my nose and pulled me into the kitchen.
Yun Jiyeon was directing everything while Eunsol and Lee Naye bustled around. Kim Sua kept ferrying dishes to the dining room without a single break. The eight-person table I'd thought would be more than enough was already filling up with food.
"Who's supposed to eat all of this that you keep making?"
"There are eleven mouths, so we need at least this much."
"Eleven? Why?"
Me, Eunsol, Lee Naye, Jeong Suyeon, Jeong Hana. Even counting Yun Jiyeon and Kim Sua, that was only seven. How did she get to eleven?
"I invited the unnies too~~"
"The unnies?"
"Yeah~ our unnies~"
Our unnies... she couldn't mean the debut team, could she?
I grabbed Yun Jiyeon—who was still spinning a pan with flashy wok skills—and pulled her out into the living room.
"That's all going to burn...!!"
"Is that really the problem right now?!"
"Huh?"
"Are you sure about this? About Sua."
"About what?"
"It's fine for us, but Sua living here is going to be hard to explain...!"
This wasn't Yun Jiyeon and Kim Sua's house. It was mine. Eunsol and Lee Naye had lived with me since we were kids, so people would understand them being here. But Yun Jiyeon and Kim Sua living under my roof? That would be a lot harder for outsiders to accept. Even if they did accept it, it could still hurt Sua.
She used to be the landlady's daughter. Now she was the one freeloading in her former boarder's house. Especially with the members she was about to debut with—she wouldn't want them knowing that kind of family history.
"Sua invited them herself. Are you upset that she invited her friends without asking...?"
"It's not about my feelings. It's about Sua's."
"If that's what you're worried about, she said she's fine. I asked her because I was worried too, and she told me it was okay."
"......"
If she'd grown up without any scars, freeloading in someone else's house might not have embarrassed her at all. But she hadn't grown up without scars. Because of that garbage father of hers, she'd been mocked, bullied, and ostracized.
"It'll be fine. And we're moving out soon anyway... If we just say we're staying temporarily, there shouldn't be a problem."
"......"
Kim Sua was debuting in a few months. A mother and daughter with no blood relation to me, living with a man who wasn't her husband—the tabloid vultures would latch on and write every piece of trash they could. That was why the two of them were preparing to live on their own.
A sudden wave of loneliness and disappointment hit me. My head understood, but I didn't want Yun Jiyeon to leave, and I didn't want Kim Sua—who felt like a little sister—to leave either. She could be a handful, but a house without her voice and laughter would feel painfully empty.
Ding-dong~ Ding-dong~
The doorbell made Yun Jiyeon's eyes go wide.
"Oh my! The guests must be here! The food isn't finished yet—what do I do...! Could you greet them for me~!!"
"......"
While Yun Jiyeon bolted back into the kitchen, I opened the gate on the intercom and headed for the front door.
What the... did they all come together?
Not only Jeong Suyeon and Jeong Hana, but the debut-team trainees were walking up with them, looking around at everything.
"Noona, you made it? You came?"
"Wow... this house is seriously nice..."
"I want to live in a place like this... Want to live together, Sunwoo-ssi?? Ow! Why'd you hit me, unnie!"
"A grown girl saying whatever comes into her head...! But it looks like there are more people invited than just us?"
"Haha... that wasn't my idea."
I glanced past Jeong Suyeon and Jeong Hana. The debut-team trainees met my eyes and called out loud greetings. I returned them awkwardly and ushered everyone inside. The four who'd been racing around the kitchen came out to the living room to welcome the guests.
"Sua, your house is insane..."
"I told you it's not our house? This is Oppa Sunwoo's place~ Mom and I are just boarding here? Something like that."
"......"
Kim Sua said it so bluntly that I was the one who got more surprised. But neither she nor the debut-team trainees seemed to care in the slightest. They all charged upstairs, excited. Sua led the way, saying she'd show them her room first, and they thundered up the stairs after her.
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Yun Jiyeon."
"Hello. I'm Jeong Suyeon, Sunwoo's noona."
"I'm Jeong Hana. You're incredibly beautiful~"
"Haha... thank you... But you two are far more beautiful than I am~"
"Unnie~~"
"Unnie!"
"Sola~ Sua~ Ah! Introductions. This is my cousin Jeong Hana. She wrote that drama—the cat cries? Anyway, that one."
"It's The Cat Cries Meow!"
"Hello, I'm Eunsol~"
"Lee Naye."
"Ah! I'm Jeong Hana—I only got to become a writer thanks to Sunwoo-ssi here~ Heh."
"Hahaha...."
I laughed awkwardly. Jeong Hana had linked her arm through mine while introducing herself. And somehow the three women's gazes seemed to collide in midair and throw off sparks.
"Wow! Thanks for the meal~"
"Thanks for the meal!"
"Thanks for the mea— mmpf..!"
"Don't talk with your mouth full, Jian unnie."
"Thank you for inviting us. We'll eat well."
"Not at all~ Hayeon, you eat too. Everyone dig in. It won't taste good if it gets cold."
"Ugh! It's so good!!"
"Unnie, please..!!"
The eight-person table had the trainees taking one side, while Jeong Suyeon, Jeong Hana, Eunsol, and Lee Naye took the other. I sat in what could be called the head seat, and across the long table Yun Jiyeon and Kim Sua settled in and started eating.
"Noona, we should have a drink. What do you want?"
"With the kids here? What are you talking about? Skip the alcohol and go grab some soft drinks. We'll drink after the kids leave."
"When are they leaving if we're waiting till after?"
"I'll leave before work, so don't worry about it."
"......"
"Then I'll go get something to drink.."
"You eat. I'll handle it."
"Would you...?"
I stood up with a smile. For Kim Sua's dignity—and Yun Jiyeon's too—I didn't want her rushing around like a housekeeper.
With so many people I had to make a few trips, but I filled wine glasses halfway with sparkling apple juice to keep the atmosphere nice.
"Shall we toast?"
"Unnie, you do the toast~"
"Hmm... To a complete victory in the case I'm currently handling."
"......"
"......"
"......"
"What is that! You're killing the mood. Just let me do it. Okay then—to the success of the drama The Cat Cries Meow!"
"......"
"......"
"......"
"What is that! Let me do it instead! The name isn't decided yet, but—to the success of our debut team!!!"
"To that!!"
Only Kim Eun-seo actually responded to the toast, but who cared what the toast was for? Everyone clinked glasses hoping their own wishes would come true.
The combination of people was awkward, but the meal atmosphere was surprisingly good. Kim Sua and Kim Eun-seo kept the energy high, and Eunsol was thrilled at suddenly having so many little sisters.
But then this happened?
"You want me to drive them home? Is the host allowed to ditch his own housewarming?"
"Then what? It's late—we can't just send the kids off alone."
"Korea is safe."
"It's dangerous!"
"......"
Lee Naye and Eunsol were cornering me, insisting I drive the trainees home after they finished eating. The person who'd actually invited them—Kim Sua—said she was fine and would walk them to the bus stop herself, so why...
"Cha Sunwoo, hurry up and take them. Is that how I raised you?"
"When did you raise me? I raised myself just fine."
"Anyway. Drop them off and come back. Grab some soju on the way."
"You go, noona—get some exercise while you're at it... ghk..!!"
"Stop yapping and get going."
"This noona's personality gets worse every day...!"
The Jeong Suyeon I'd met as a kid had been truly kind, gentle, and considerate. Ever since she became a prosecutor, though, her temper had been getting more vicious. I could understand it to some degree because of the job, but wasn't this change going a little too far?
"I'm sorry.."
"It's fine."
In the end I was driving them home. Lee Hayeon, who at least knew me a little, sat in the passenger seat. The other three chattered excitedly in the back.
"See you tomorrow. Thank you for the ride, CEO."
"Get home safe."
Park Ji-an's place was in Jamsil. Right by the Han River—the rent had to be steep. Her family must be doing well.
"Bye, CEO~~"
"Haha... bye.."
Kim Eun-seo's place was in Gaepo-dong. Jeong Yu-na just dipped her head coolly in farewell; hers was in Geumho-dong.
And the last one still sitting in the passenger seat—Lee Hayeon's house was...
"Samseon-dong? Then why didn't you get off first?"
"Well..."
Samseon-dong was the neighborhood where Kim Sua and Lee Hayeon went to school. She should have gotten out ages ago.
"The unnies said you'd be bored on the way home..."
"Haha... that's sweet of you, but it's late. You should've gotten out earlier."
"I'm sorry.."
"Nothing to be sorry for. I'm the one who should thank you. Shall we go?"
Once it was just the two of us, the atmosphere turned extremely awkward. Even without talking, it felt stifling compared to when Jeong Yu-na had been in the back seat. I tried starting conversations now and then through the silence, but none of them lasted long.
Still, time keeps moving no matter where you are. We arrived in Samseon-dong, Lee Hayeon's neighborhood.
"You can drop me here. It's right over there."
"Ah... okay..."
Jeong Yu-na was pretty enough to act, but honestly the visual top of the debut team was Lee Hayeon. Yet despite that delicate face, she lived in what you could almost call a hillside shantytown, unlike the others.
She pointed up a crude cement staircase with no streetlights, got out of the car, bowed politely to me, and started climbing.
"Unexpected... Ah, right. Soju."
I drove through the narrow alleys looking for a convenience store. There wasn't even a tiny corner shop in sight.
"Wow... neighborhoods like this still exist... I'll just grab some on the way back."
I started the car again. But the moment I passed the staircase where I'd dropped Lee Hayeon, I stopped.
She was crouched on the steps, face buried in the arms wrapped around her knees.
I hesitated for a second. She was seventeen—right in the middle of that sensitive age—and she clearly had family circumstances she wanted to hide. But I couldn't just drive past. Even the people staggering by the car right now looked dangerously drunk.
"Mind if I sit next to you?"
"Ah... CEO..."
I didn't wait for an answer. Instead I took off the coat I'd been wearing and draped it over her crouched form.
"I-I'm fine.."
"Artist protection. It's something a CEO should do, so don't feel pressured. If it's uncomfortable... just put up with it."
"....Thank you.."
Crash!!!!
She flinched!
The second her answer reached me, the sound of something—glass, a window—shattering exploded through the night. Lee Hayeon trembled, clutched the coat I'd given her even tighter, and curled in on herself. A moment later someone came bolting out onto the dark, unlit stairs.
"Mom!"
Mom.
The person who had run out barefoot into this dark, freezing night in thin clothes was Lee Hayeon's mother.
"Hayeon..."
"Mom..."
"D-don't come! Leave before your dad comes out..!!"
"Mom....."
"Hurry..!!"
"You fucking bitch! Where do you think you're running!!!"
"Kyaa!!!"
"Please..! Please..!!"
Her face was already covered in bruises, lips and nose smeared with blood. Even as her husband grabbed her by the hair and dragged her back inside, she kept desperately waving at Lee Hayeon not to come, to leave quickly.
"Hic! Hic... hic..!"
"Go wait in the car for a minute."
Late debut, success, then suicide. I felt like I was looking at the reason Lee Hayeon had met that terrible end in my past life.
"Go."
"But..!"
"Just get in the car for now. You'll catch a cold."
"Hic.. huuk..."
I took her shoulders gently in both hands and turned her around. We went down the stairs and I put her in the passenger seat.
"Just one question. Is it okay if I get involved right now?"
"......"
"If you say no, I won't."
"......"
"Is it okay if I help you right now?"
"......"
She didn't answer. She just kept crying. So this was all I could do.
"Hayeon-ssi, you're sleeping over at Sua's tonight."
I closed the door and started toward the driver's side. But then...
Clutch..
Lee Hayeon's trembling hand grabbed the hem of my clothes.
"Please... help... Please save my mom... hic..."
"Okay."
I shut the passenger door, turned, and started walking. I climbed the cement stairs in long strides and entered the house where every kind of cursing and racket was pouring out.
Past the blue gate, through the half-open front door, into the living room.
Slap!!!
The husband's rough hand cracked across his powerless wife's cheek.
She's your wife. You're her husband. You're supposed to cherish and protect the person most precious to you—and you're hitting her?
"You fucking bitch! Your husband works his ass off and comes home, and you're flirting with some other guy?!"
"I-I told you it's not! He was just delivering the mail.. kyaa!!!"
She screamed and curled up as his hand rose again.
Grab!!
I wanted to snap the wrist I seized. I wanted to break the arm right there.
"Wh-what?! Who the hell are you?! Why are you in someone else's house..."
"Shut up, you piece of trash."
"Guhk!!!!!"
I kicked him hard in the stomach. As he rolled on the floor clutching his gut, I yanked him up by the hair. Then I brought my fist down.
Thud!! Thwack!! Thud!!
I was abandoned. I grew up without a family. But if this was what family looked like, being abandoned was better. A maggot like this who wasn't even worth a dog...
"Stop it!!!"
"......"
"I said stop!!!!"
I couldn't understand. Why was she stopping me? Looking like that, why was she protecting this maggot?
"Y-you fucking bitch...! Now you're spreading your legs for some brat like this— ghk!!!"
It was so disgusting I kicked him in the face. I dragged the wife—who was still worrying about her husband even in this situation—outside. Then I brought her to the daughter waiting in the car.
"M-mom..."
"Hayeon..."
"Why is your face like this again... hic... huuk.."
"Hic.. hic... I'm sorry... Mom's sorry... hic.."
In my last life I thought I was the unluckiest, most miserable bastard in the world. I was wrong. There were plenty of people in far more terrible situations than mine. Even this close.
"For the time being, stay here with your mother. Don't worry about money."
"But..."
"I've already paid, and it's non-refundable. And when you debut and get your settlement, I'll take it all back, so don't feel burdened either."
"....Thank you..."
"Eat breakfast and dinner downstairs at the restaurant, and use room service however you want. It's all included in the room charge I paid."
"Yes..."
"Then rest well."
"Thank you... CEO..."
"Ah! And this."
Before leaving the hotel I handed her a card.
"Take your mother to the hospital tomorrow. You don't have to come to practice."
"....Hic.."
"Stop crying already."
"Yes... hic..."
"Get some rest."
I forced my reluctant feet to move and left the hotel. My mind was a mess. And I still didn't know exactly how I was supposed to help them.
"Huu... this is driving me crazy.."
"What? You didn't buy the soju?"
"Huh??"
"The soju!!"
"Ah..."
"Haa... forget it."
"Sorry.."
Jeong Suyeon came out of the living-room bathroom, shaking her head as she walked to the sofa. How much had they drunk in that short time?
The living-room table was covered in a full-blown drinking spread. Thankfully Kim Sua was nowhere in sight. Instead Eunsol and Jeong Hana were sprawled on the floor, and Lee Naye was shaking her head trying to clear it.
And then....
"Sunwoo-student.."
"......"
A drunk Yun Jiyeon was looking at me with half-lidded eyes and calling my name. Right—Yun Jiyeon, whose sex drive exploded the moment she drank, was almost completely wasted.
"What are you doing? Hurry up and sit down."
"That's right, Sunwoo-student.. come sit next to me.."
"R-right now??"
"Hurry..."
Lick—
Why is she licking her lips..!!