Kindling the Spark
I hadn't managed to get much studying done yesterday. The livestream had eaten up far too much of my evening. My original plan had been to hit the books right after dinner and study until bedtime, but Yeo-eun-noona caught me the moment I set foot in my room, insisting we do the viewer raffle for the chocolates together. When she argued that the giveaway wouldn't have any real meaning unless I drew the winners myself, I relented and agreed.
"Good morning, Noona."
"Morning."
After getting ready for work and snapping the requisite selfie by the entryway, I stepped outside. Today's outfit overlapped a bit too much with what I'd worn just a few days ago. Thinking that I really needed to buy some new clothes soon, I pushed open the gate only to find Eunjung-noona already waiting outside. Since yesterday, she had been escorting me on my morning commute as well. Mother had insisted that simply having a woman by my side would deter almost any unsavory incidents.
"When did you get here? You could've waited inside."
"Just got here a second ago."
We fell into step, chatting idly as we walked. Noona was dressed in a track suit and running shoes, the zip-up jersey pulled taut over her chest. Her breasts were undeniably massive, but it probably looked even more pronounced because her entire frame and torso were so broad and solid.
"Won't it be tiring coming all this way every morning? I feel like just walking me home after work would be plenty."
"I'm fine. If I called something like this tiring, I'd have no right to show my face."
Whenever I looked up at her mid-conversation, I had to crane my neck quite a bit. What's more, Eunjung-noona seemed palpably self-conscious whenever I looked at her, pointedly avoiding casting her gaze down toward me.
"The actual hours aren't long at all," she added. "Besides, your mother is paying me generously."
She told me she was grateful to be given such an opportunity. The circumstances of how we'd met were certainly peculiar, but the truth was we didn't know all that much about each other yet. Perhaps because of that, her demeanor was far more cautious and restrained than before.
"Does this work with your university schedule?"
"Yeah, completely. I don't have morning classes anyway. I usually work out at dawn."
"So you exercised and showered before coming over today too?"
"Yeah. Ah, not an intense workout or anything, just a light warm-up."
No wonder her hair still had a trace of dampness. From what she said, Eunjung-noona led an extraordinarily disciplined routine—waking up at the crack of dawn and going to bed early. Her lifestyle pattern mirrored mine almost identically.
"Perverts don't check the clock to decide whether to show up in the morning or evening," she said. "And I'm being paid for this, so don't worry about it."
"Still, thank you. It must have felt pretty sudden."
In short, she was telling me not to feel burdened. As we exchanged small details and got to know one another, we arrived at the cafe before I knew it.
"Come inside for a moment. Let me make you a drink."
"No, it's alright. Work hard today... See you later."
"Yeah, you too, Noona."
She gestured for me to hurry inside. Still, just before she turned away, she finally looked right at my face.
Though Eunjung-noona had come alone in the morning, she reappeared in the afternoon as my shift drew near its end.
"Jeongseo? You only hired one bodyguard, right?"
"Yes. Looks like they tagged along again."
The Boss asked with a smirk. Shouting lively greetings, the women strolled into the cafe. Once again, the manga club trio had accompanied Eunjung-noona. There was still a little time left on my shift, so why had they arrived so early?
"Urrgh... Caffeine! I desperately require caffeine!"
"Part-timer, take our order~"
"I'll have an iced Americano..."
A loud, cheerful voice; a husky voice; and a quiet murmur barely loud enough to hear. Even their voices overflowed with distinct personality. It seemed the trio planned to nurse their coffees and kill some time in the cafe. Offering a practiced smile, I took their orders.
"Jeongseo, this is on the house."
"All of this?"
"It's fine. Take it over with their drinks."
"Alright. Thank you, Boss."
The Boss piled on desserts worth far more than the price of their coffees. I carefully lifted the loaded tray.
"Let me carry that."
Having spotted me struggling, Eunjung-noona quickly hurried over from her seat. Entrusting the heavy tray to her, I carried the lighter one and followed behind.
"Oh? What's this? Table service too?"
"A special perk just for you noonas."
They were clustered around the cafe's largest table, each having laid out notebooks across the surface. I wondered briefly if they were working on an assignment.
"These are on the house from the Boss. Please enjoy."
"Whoa! Thank you, Boss~!"
"Thanks for the food!"
Their chorus of bright greetings echoed loudly across the shop, unrestrained by the absence of other patrons. Having served the drinks and desserts, I lingered beside the table for a moment to chat.
"Are you guys working on an assignment?"
"Huh? Ah, no! We're just messing around."
Kyung-ah-noona flipped open her notebook to show me. Across the pages were comics drawn in pencil and pen. I leaned in close beside her, bowing slightly at the waist to get a better look.
"Uh... Do you want to just hold it and look?"
"Sure. Can I?"
"Yeah, yeah. Go ahead."
As my face drew closer, Kyung-ah squirmed self-consciously before thrusting the notebook straight into my hands. Slowly turning the pages, I found short manga strips alongside detailed character sketches. Her draftsmanship was legitimately high-tier.
"You're really good at drawing, Noona. Do the others draw as well?"
"Yeah. We all love drawing."
"Wait, why are there only men? Don't you draw any women?"
"Huh? Ah... Well, just kind of turned out that way? Ha. Ha. Ha."
Kyung-ah mumbled a vague excuse. Flustered, as if suddenly running hot, she fanned the collar of her top. She wasn't wearing a bra.
"Can I take a look at this one too?"
"No! Not that one! Ah, sorry. That's, well... Anyway... ugh."
There had been two notebooks in front of her. The second I pointed toward the other one on the table, she snatched it up and clutched it protectively to her chest. Evidently, it wasn't meant for public viewing. At the exact same time, the other two began frantically moving, hastily shoving the various notebooks scattered across the table into their bags and quickly hiding their tablets.
Watching their frantic scramble, Eunjung-noona held back a chuckle and chimed in. "Don't take it to heart. They're just embarrassed."
"It's fine. I understand."
"Huh? Understand what...?"
"My older sister hides things from me too. Her reactions are pretty similar to yours."
The women offered awkward, guilty smiles. I wasn't genuinely offended in the slightest.
"Would you feel more comfortable if I stepped away?"
"No! That's not it at all! Sit, sit down!"
"Pfft, I'm teasing. I need to get back to work anyway."
Once I returned behind the counter, they finally refocused on their notebooks, while Eunjung-noona alone kept scrolling through her phone.
"I've got a feeling," the Boss murmured, gazing over at the table.
"What kind of feeling?"
"A feeling this place is about to become their new hideout."
"You think so?"
Her intuition was spot-on. From that day forward, the manga club trio showed up at the cafe every single day without fail.
The week slipped by in a flurry of activity, ushering in the weekend. Over those days, having the club members show up daily had allowed us to grow quite close.
"Is Eunjung working out well? She isn't late for your meetups or anything?"
"She isn't pulling any weird moves on you, is she?"
Today was Saturday. Mother had arrived late last night, and we were currently having lunch as a family. Because the weather was so pleasant, we were having a pork belly barbecue out in the garden.
"She's great. She always arrives early and waits for me," I said, then turned my gaze. "And Noona?"
"Yeah?"
"Out of everyone around me, you're the weirdest one by far."
Yeo-eun-noona, who had just shoved a colossal lettuce wrap into her mouth, froze with an utterly dumbfounded expression.
"She's Director Moon's daughter, after all," Mother said casually. "I used to see her when she was little."
"Eunjung-noona? Didn't you meet her for the first time recently?"
"Did Eunjung not mention it?"
As it turned out, my mother and Eunjung's mother already knew each other. Up until a few years ago, Mother had trained at a judo dojo downtown, where the head instructor was none other than Eunjung's mother. That connection had been one of the primary reasons Eunjung had been chosen for the bodyguard job in the first place.
"Your sister attended for a little while back when she was in middle school too, and back then, she—"
"Aaaargh! Mom, why are you bringing up ancient history out of nowhere?!"
"Good grief, that's disgusting! Don't open your mouth while chewing!"
Abandoning her feast mid-bite, Yeo-eun-noona lunged at Mother to silence her. Evidently, she had some dark, embarrassing past buried there.
Once we finished lunch, I asked Mother and Noona to wait in the living room for a moment. Noona needed to start preparing for her upcoming broadcast soon, and Mother had to get ready to head back before the evening traffic worsened.
Rustle.
I headed up to my room and fetched the gifts I had prepared beforehand. Searching for and preparing them had certainly made the week fly by even faster. Carrying the presents, which I had personally wrapped, I walked carefully back down to the living room.
"I prepared these to celebrate getting my first paycheck."
"Jeongseo..."
Mother rose from the sofa with wide, startled eyes. Yeo-eun-noona did the same.
"This one is for you, Mother, and this one is for you, Noona."
"Holy crap. Mine is huge! Thanks!"
The instant the box landed in her hands, Noona began tearing into the wrapping paper. Choosing a gift for Yeo-eun-noona had been effortless, given that she had practically sung about wanting it for ages.
"No way... No way. No way! Kyyyaaaaah!"
Ripping off the paper, Noona let out an ear-splitting shriek and started jumping up and down. Before I could react, she swept me up in an embrace and spun me around in midair. I simply buried my face against her chest and let her carry on.
"Thank you! Seriously, thank you! Just you wait, Real Truck~!"
"Noona, wait, about that..."
A moment later, she set me down, grabbed the hefty gift box, and bolted up the stairs toward her room. She was so deliriously excited that she didn't even bother listening to the rest of my sentence.
The gift I bought her was a gaming racing wheel package, complete with a manual shifter and pedal unit. Though intended as an entry-level setup, the price brand-new was formidable, so I had snagged it off Dotori Market. Fortunately, the seller had only used it once, leaving it in pristine, mint condition.
When I went for the in-person transaction, Eunjung-noona and the manga club trio had accompanied me like an escort squad. The middle-aged woman selling it had handed over the gear with mournful eyes, lamenting that her husband had caught her buying gaming equipment.
"Jeongseo... I'm so touched. Your mother really didn't need anything, though."
"Not at all. Once I start earning more, I'll buy you something even nicer."
While Noona had thrown an exuberant tantrum of joy, Mother was quietly moved. Unlike Noona, who had shredded her wrapping to ribbons, Mother peeled back the tape with delicate care. Despite her humble protests, she couldn't hide the pure delight glowing on her face.
"They say you're supposed to buy long underwear with your first paycheck, but nobody really wears thermal underwear anymore. So instead..."
"Yes, thank you. It's so gorgeous... I almost feel bad wearing it."
"Please don't. Wear it every day. Well, maybe not every single day, but often."
Picking Mother's gift had been the hardest part. After much deliberation, I had settled on a necklace with a clean, understated design. Mother rarely wore any jewelry, but she did make an exception for necklaces.
"Let me put it on you."
Seeing Mother hesitate over the opened box with a conflicted look, I stepped forward and offered to fasten it. Mother knelt on the floor, and I positioned myself behind her.
"Hold on. Let me lift my hair."
As she gathered her hair upward, the pale nape of her neck was laid bare. As I fastened the clasp, my downward angle inadvertently offered an unobstructed glimpse into the deep, bountiful cleavage resting against her collar. Even at home, Mother wore a bra. It seemed she was still enduring that discomfort on my account.
"How is it? Do you like it?"
"Yes, truly. Who knew my son had such exquisite taste?"
Mother lifted her phone, turning her head side to side to admire the necklace on her screen.
"Shall we take a photo together to remember it?"
"Should we?"
I wrapped my arms around her from behind, resting my chin just over her shoulder as I peered into the camera lens.
"I-I'll... take it now."
"Okay."
On the phone screen, Mother's face looked oddly stiff. Though she was smiling, the expression felt subtly unnatural. And then, right before her finger tapped the shutter button—
Gulp.
The sound of someone swallowing hard was distinctly audible.
It hadn't come from me.