Proof (5): Managing the Fish Pond
I was incredibly flustered by the strange anticipation swirling in Min Soyeon’s eyes.
Wife and daughter. Daughter and wife. I had been thrown into a brutal crossroads where I could only choose one.
It felt exactly like the nightmare question: If both fell into the water, who would you save? No matter which one I picked, the only future I could see was one where I got punished for it.
Long ago, back when Soyeon was still in elementary school, my wife had asked me the same thing while watching TV. Without hesitation, I chose our young daughter. After all, my wife wasn’t the type of person who would ever fall into water in the first place.
For that answer, I was nagged half to death with, “You’re supposed to say you’d save both! Are you abandoning me?”
…Of course, the situation now was completely different.
The first factor was that my wife had a prior engagement. The second was her current condition—she needed meticulous care.
Just how devastated must she have been to spend years living while clutching my corpse? …It was a little creepy, but it proved how deeply she was hurting.
But Soyeon…
“…Why aren’t you answering?”
Ugh…. The moment Min Soyeon pressed me—as if she had sensed my hesitation—my mind snapped back into focus.
“…That… um….”
I quickly looked away and dragged out my words while my brain spun at full speed. Stay calm…!
How was Min Soyeon doing? My constant care seemed to have paid off. Her heart had opened up considerably, and she was slowly stepping back into a normal life. She was still feeling some anxiety because of my carelessness, but… it was something I could make up for.
My wife, who had already passed the golden hour and was dying, versus my daughter, who had finally returned to the right track. The choice I had to make was already decided.
“…I’m sorry.”
The instant those short words left my mouth, Min Soyeon’s expression froze over completely. The moment I met her blank face, a memory of my wife flashed through my mind and I swallowed hard.
“…I have an important part-time job tomorrow, so studying together is going to be difficult.”
“…Part-time job?”
I had explained it to her briefly before, so she probably remembered.
“…It’s the one I mentioned last time. The madam there only eats the food I make, so I don’t have a choice.”
“…What?”
She frowned deeply, clearly unable to accept it. I had thought it was a decent excuse, but it still seemed insufficient to convince Min Soyeon.
“…And I needed some money, so I took an advance on my paycheck…. I should have told you sooner…. I’m really sorry. I want to study with you too, but I can’t skip a promised job after already taking the advance.”
When money entered the conversation, her expression softened slightly, as if she had remembered how poor I was. Seeing the opening, I quickly slipped in my plan for next week.
“Instead, after the exams, let’s go out and have fun together.”
“…Huh?”
Taking advantage of her dazed reaction, I smiled faintly and added, “This is me asking you out on a date.”
“…D-date….”
Her gaze trembled as she stared at me. …Was it not funny? I’d thrown it out playfully, but the response was lukewarm.
“…Anyway, I should have told you first. I’m truly sorry for saying it like this. Next week I’ll make up for it, I promise! Can’t you let me off just this once…?”
Min Soyeon, who had been staring at me in a daze, finally muttered, “…I don’t know. Do whatever you want,” and disappeared, saying she was going to the bathroom.
‘I don’t know’ usually meant yes.
…This was permission, right?
Slightly irritated, I pounded the keyboard and explained that the madam was a patient who couldn’t even eat properly. Then….
These shameless aunties had gone and turned it into straight-up sexual harassment. These useless people…! I was about to unload a torrent of curses when I placed my hands back on the keyboard.
RareNick had spoken with a slightly serious tone. I told them exactly what Yu Jihwan had told me, then added that I had even received a date request at the end. The chat window nearly exploded the moment I mentioned the date, but RareNick took control and quieted everyone down.
Why is she reacting like that…?
W-why is that…. I still didn’t understand what she meant, but—
The others had already caught on and began pouring out sighs.
…P-pond management? Pond management.
It was such a dirty word that even someone like me, who was clueless about these things, knew what it meant. Yu Jihwan… was playing with me?
While I was reeling from the shock of RareNick’s statement—
The others started taking my side—no, Jihwan’s side. …R-right, there’s no way that’s true….
I chimed in here and there to defend Yu Jihwan along with the others. RareNick, who had been quietly listening to everything, dropped one final line.
A decision? What kind of decision…?
In the end, it was sexual harassment again.
After cursing them thoroughly, I rage-quit the game in a fit of anger.
“Haa…”
I felt completely drained, as if all my energy had been sucked out. It was around the time when I should have been starving, but I had no appetite at all.
…Was it because Yu Jihwan wasn’t here?
“…This is annoying.”
Everything suddenly felt bothersome. I threw myself onto the bed, crawled across the swaying mattress, buried my face in the pillow, and wished I could just fall asleep like this.
…Was it really… pond management?
But my mind refused to let me sleep. If RareNick’s suspicion was true, then everything he had done for me until now had been fake.
Then what on earth was he trying to gain by putting in so much effort…?
“…Let’s stop.”
I let out a deep sigh and shook off the negative thoughts. Even if everything he had done was fake, so what? It would be a little sad, but wasn’t the fact that he had shown me that much sincerity the important part?
It was wrong to suspect Yu Jihwan when I hadn’t uncovered anything yet. I trusted him.
“….”
Once I thought that way, my heart felt a little lighter. As expected, the saying that love is trust seemed to be true.
“Right now? Uh… you mean immediately?”
[The madam kept throwing a fit asking when student Jihwan was coming… Ah, anyway! I already told her, so come right away!]
“…I haven’t even changed my clothes yet….”
[Aigoo, I already bought all the clothes, so it’s fine! I need to prepare dinner, so I’ll hang up now!]
“Hello? Hello?”
I tried to say something, but the call had already ended.
What the hell is this…. I was slightly flustered by how quickly everything had happened. Before heading home, while I was in the middle of shopping, an unknown number had called. When I answered, it turned out to be the housekeeper working at my wife’s house. I thought she might need something, but instead she told me to come to work immediately and that I didn’t need to bring anything.
It was sudden and confusing, but if it meant I could see my wife sooner, wasn’t that a good thing?
…I guess I have no choice. I need to go change first.
As I was putting the items in my cart back one by one, someone tapped me on the shoulder. When I turned around, it was the driver who had taken me to Gangwon before.
He came all the way here?
Flustered, I told him I would go home, change, and then head over. However…
“Madam has prepared a change of clothes for you. Please change in the car.”
He said we should leave immediately since my wife had even prepared the clothes. She must be very curious about our daughter’s situation. As expected, a mother’s love for her daughter really is the strongest.
I quickly returned the items and followed the driver to the parking lot. After getting into the car still wearing my school uniform and trying to change—
This design… I’ve seen it a lot before.
The clothes my wife had prepared looked exactly like the ones I used to wear often when I was alive.
…It must be a coincidence.
Dismissing it as nothing important, I changed into the clothes.