Chapter 15

To be honest, I thought I did my best and was confident.

Wasn't I?

I resisted so many temptations, and this time, I didn't waste time just to satisfy my own desires or deliberately break promises.

'Adults have their own circumstances, there's nothing to be done about it.'

It's not just me, everyone's like this, right?

Being an adult who has to go out and earn money is all like this, isn't it?

[.......]

Even though I subconsciously knew it was bullshit, as the drunkenness started to hit hard, that bullshit felt real.

Should I call it human self-preservation?

'Yes, I... I wasn't wrong.'

So, if Miho suddenly bursts into tears here, or gets mad at me, I have something to say too.

I even bought chicken.

"I'm home."

An awkward phrase.

When I was young, I used to say it even when no one was home, but at some point I completely forgot that phrase...

Well, that's because there was no one to welcome ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me back.

But.

"You back?"

"...Yeah, I'm back."

As soon as I made a sound, a young voice replied from the darkness.

A girl with blonde hair that seemed to glow even in the dark room with the lights off.

"Geez, you should have turned on the lights. No, maybe you just woke up?"

「Buseureok, buseureok.」
「Ttalak!」

I fumbled along the wall and turned on the light.

Then I met Miho's eyes.

Miho, with her incredibly beautiful blue eyes, said one thing to me.

"Liar..."

I knew it!

Right at that moment, as she blurted that out, I was about to rattle off the excuses I had prepared from the door.

But seeing Miho's expression, which was neither crying nor angry... just completely composed, something completely different from what I had planned reflexively came out.

"Sorry."

"Wha' did you do wrong?"

"...I was wrong."

At my words, Miho nodded her tiny head up and down and said, "It's okay."

Ah... That was what I taught her before going to the host bar.

「You say, "I'm sorry, I was wrong..."」
「Then usually the other person says, "It's okay, it's fine" and forgives you.」

At that moment, I felt a sudden surge of emotion for no reason.

Partly because I was drunk and a bit emotional, but I think I would have felt this even if I weren't.

Not as an empty word... truly.

"...Sorry."

"I said it's okay?"

"Did you wait long?"

In response, Miho spread all ten fingers energetically and said, "Uung, I think I counted way more than ten...!"

Saying that doesn't tell me how long she waited.

Can this gluttonous fool not even count properly?

"But still, it's okay. I didn't wait that long."

"Well, that's a relief."

I set the bag containing the chicken down on the floor with a thud and asked.

"Bathroom?"

"I need to pee..."

"Yeah, I thought so."

I chuckled, seeing Miho who had been squeezing her legs together all along.

"I'll teach you how to use the bathroom by yourself, so remember well."

"Okay..."

"For now, it seems you can't even stand up by yourself.

"Oof."

I lifted Miho from the blanket with a smile, then my expression hardened slightly.

Because the spot was already soaked with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pee.

It wasn't because the kid wet the blanket that my expression hardened.

'She waited a long time.'

Even though Miho is a little kid, she's not a 3 or 4-year-old girl.

She's the kind of kid who can understand when taught how to use the bathroom, and can hold her urine to some extent.

For her to wet the blanket like this meant she waited for me ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that long.

"I t-tried to hold it! Miho did her best..."

"I know."

It was I who should be apologizing, but seeing Miho watching my reaction instead made my heart ache.

What kind of life did she live that she always watches my reaction like this?

[They are pitiful children.]

Shut up.

There's no way I could know the circumstances I never heard.

And no way I could understand them.

"This is called a toilet. When you need to pee, or when you need to poop, you sit here and do it."

"Sit here?"

"Yeah, right here... you just sit like that."

「Shwiiiiii, jurreureu...」

Miho, who looked relieved after finishing her business, tried to get up without even wiping.

I hurriedly grabbed her.

"After you go, you have to wipe, front or back."

I don't know because I'm not a woman, but I knew that much.

"Wipe?"

"You have to wipe with tissue. This is tissue. Okay?"

"Ahng! Okay!"

It's not for nothing they say kids are a handful.

She didn't know anything from A to Z.

After taking care of business and giving her a quick wash, I rolled up the blanket that was soaked with Miho's pee and set it in a corner.

I figured I'd have to take it to a coin laundry later.

If I put it in our crappy washing machine, the machine would definitely break before the blanket got cleaned.

"Sniff sniff, Hyunu. I'm hungry."

I looked to the side and saw Miho, still only wearing a single T-shirt, tugging at my sleeve and complaining of hunger.

'I need to go buy clothes tomorrow. And I definitely need to get a phone.'

Ah, but to set up a phone, you need personal information, right?

For a first time, like the resident registration number...

[I'll take care of that somehow, so don't worry too much. Just do your best to take care of the children.]

Thanks.

[...Don't mention it.]

To avoid an awkward conversation, I teased Miho.

"You devoured that cup ramyeon earlier and you're still hungry? Isn't that just like a pig?"

"If that makes me a pig... then Miho will just be a pig."

...Uh, isn't she really a pig?

"Hey, I specifically stopped by a chicken place on the way home to buy you chicken, you know. You should be thankful to me. Got it?"

"Chhicken?"

"Yeah, 'chicken', not 'chhicken'. Just eat and don't be surprised."

I quickly, with practiced hands, discarded the radish pickle water and tore open the packaging of the half-and-half chicken, setting it up in front of Miho.

"......"

Blink, blink.

Even in front of that chicken, Miho just blinked, as if she didn't know what it was.

The only thing for certain was, seeing the drool streaming down her chin, she was surely convinced that the food in front of her was delicious.

'This little brat, she sure has an amazing knack for craving food.'

I was genuinely worried she might be possessed by a ghost that starved to death or something.

"Taste it first."

Very naturally, I picked up a drumstick from the fried and seasoned chicken, tore the meat into bite-sized pieces, and placed them in front of Miho.

It was something I often did while working as a host, but it wasn't something I learned from that job.

「Is it delicious, Hyun-woo?」

...Those were things my mom used to do for me.

Nowadays, anyone can easily order chicken via delivery apps, but when I was a kid, families that ate it once a week were considered rich.

Even in that situation, my mom always saved the drumstick for me.

"Habbeup, habeueup!"

As soon as I tore the meat, Miho grabbed it with her bare hands and shoved it into her mouth, then opened her eyes about 1.5 times wider and looked flustered.

"Is it good?"

"Yeah! It's good!"

"Haha, you really eat well."

She ate so well that it was hard to keep up the pace of tearing the meat.

As soon as I put it in front of her, the meat disappeared like lightning.

If I knew this would happen, I should have taught her to pick it up and tear it herself instead of getting the bad habit of eating pre-torn meat.

"Also pick up some radish in between."

"Raaadish?"

"This, this."

I pointed at the white square radish pieces.

Miho nodded, and with her dainty thumb and index finger, picked up a piece of chicken radish and put it in her mouth.

"Habeueut!"

Then, a slightly more sour reaction came out compared to when she ate the chicken.

I thought it might be a bit sour for a child.

"Hyunu!"

"Yeah?"

"Chicken and radish together is a perfect match!"

At that moment, I couldn't help but laugh, holding my stomach.

"Puhahaha, puhaha! Haha, I'm going crazy, I'm going crazy."

"More! Hurry."

"Okay, okay, I'll give you more."

Even as I tore the chicken, I found it ridiculous.

I gave up 100 million to come here and do this—tearing chicken for a little kid.

That's all it was.

It wasn't like I hit the jackpot at the casino or bought a new expensive foreign car.

But a far more refreshing and pleasant laugh than those cases naturally burst out.

Above all...

"...Already, you finished it all?"

"You ate a whole chicken by yourself, you kidding?"

"Chomp chomp, hyaaaam."

Just looking at Miho, who was belching and yawning right after devouring the food again, made this studio apartment, which had always felt cold and cramped, feel full of warmth.

"You just slept earlier, and you're sleepy again? Hyaaam."

I wasn't really in a position to talk, though.

I had used all my concentration playing the game, and then shook my hips vigorously to satisfy Seonwoo Ye-rang.

"Huuaam."

"Hyaaam."

I alternated yawns with Miho and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠said, "If you're sleepy, you should sleep."

"Yeah, right..."

"But there's something we have to do before sleeping. What did I say you have to do after eating?"

"...Brush...ing?"

"I just realized a word can change by one syllable. Brushing, brushing."

"Brush...ing..."

As I said that and took Miho to the bathroom, lifting the toothbrush, Miho covered her mouth with both hands.

"That, it's spicy..."

[Strong Mint]
[#1 Oral Solution Toothpaste]

Ah, right.

I forgot to buy children's toothpaste.

I had a feeling I'd need to buy a lot of things tomorrow.

"Agyuueung! Gaeuueung!"

"Stay still, you little brat."

「Chika, chika, chika!」

I forcibly grabbed Miho's cheeks as she tried to escape the brushing, brushed her teeth, then also cleaned my own teeth.

Then, just as I was about to lie down on the dirty mattress to rest my exhausted body, I realized the only blanket in our house was stuck in the corner, stained with urine.

"......"

Ah, come to think of it, going to the laundry now would be best, but I was too sleepy to do that.

"No choice."

I took out the coat from the closet.

Tonight, I had no choice but to use this as a blanket.

Even with a blanket, I doubted it could cover two people at once, let alone a coat.

To cover both of us somehow, we had to minimize the area.

"Hey, come here."

"...Okay."

Miho hesitated for a moment, then obediently slipped into the space between my open arms and pressed her body in.

I adjusted my position several times so that Miho wouldn't get suffocated, then quietly closed my eyes.

"Are you cold?"

"No, Hyunu's mouth smells like a sweet fruit."

"Isn't that toothpaste smell?"

"No!"

"Ah, then it must be the alcohol smell."

Because one of the characteristics of Royal Salute is that it has a strong taste of dried plums and raisins.

"Hey, I gave up 100 million because of you, 100 million."

"100 million?"

"...It's money that could buy ten thousand chickens..."

"Gasp!"

Miho was shocked instantly when compared to chicken.

Then, with trembling hands, she grabbed my chest tightly and asked cautiously.

"Hyunu, this time... will you be here when I wake up?"

I grabbed Miho's back of the head and pulled her closer to me, saying, "I'll be here, right here."

"Okay, I got it..."

At that moment, as a sweet drowsiness washed over me and I lost consciousness, I felt that somehow, today, the studio apartment seemed warmer than usual.