Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: The Yandere Fairy's Gaze is Strange
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"What??"
"Can't I come over to hang out? It's been forever, and I kinda wanted to check it out."
It was definitely too sudden.
Sure, she'd been the little neighborhood kid sister since we were young, but now she was a full-grown adult, wasn't she?
We hadn't really crossed paths much after that anyway.
Even if Soeun-i didn't mean anything by it, it still threw me for a loop.
"Right now?"
"I was just gonna drop off the stuff I bought at the supermarket at home first."
"Can't you come in the evening?"
"E-evening?"
For a split second, the memory of last night's half-assed cleanup before crashing hit me, and I scrambled to cover. Soeun-i must've misunderstood what I meant by meeting at night—her face flushed bright red.
"Uh... last night, a buddy came over, we drank, and I didn't clean up properly."
"A friend?"
"I'm just coming back from seeing him off."
"A girl...?"
"Nah, he's a guy."
Only then did Soeun-i break into a beaming smile.
"Got it. How about eight in the evening?"
"Sure, let's grab some food together."
"Okay!"
I said goodbye to Soeun-i and opened the supermarket door to head home.
Grandma Choi had snuck up to the entrance without me noticing, waggling her chin with a sly grin.
"How'd the talk go?"
"Soeun-i? I almost didn't recognize her—we would've missed each other if we'd met somewhere else."
"She's all grown up now, huh?"
"Yeah, really grown up."
"Boobs too?"
"...Pardon?"
"Tsk tsk, never mind."
What the hell did this grandma really want...?
Was she trying to play matchmaker between me and Soeun-i?
If so...
She had it all wrong.
Sure, any guy likes girls by nature, but I'm a divorcee.
Even in a tiny neighborhood like this with only about twenty houses, any weird misunderstandings could ruin Soeun-i's marriage prospects.
After the divorce, I'd gotten a lot more cautious.
Especially since my marriage to my ex-wife Kang Jua had come after such a short romance.
"Grandma, don't go trying to set me up with Soeun-i for no reason."
I said it firmly, and Grandma Choi's eyes went wide, like my reaction surprised her.
"A girl like Soeun-i is rare even in Seoul."
"I know she's a great person, but you know my situation right now..."
"What does situation matter? For women, it's all about whether it stands up or not. Tsk tsk!"
Ha...
Talking to Grandma Choi always left me feeling like I'd lost ground somehow.
I gave up trying to convince her, paid for my water, and hurried home.
Screeech—thud!
The moment I got inside, I dove into a cleaning frenzy.
Even if she was just the neighborhood little sister, she was still a girl. The last thing I wanted was for her to think I was a slob.
Vrrr—!
A few hours into my cleaning focus, my phone buzzed.
Junseok calling.
—Hello?
—Yeah, made it to Seoul. You all set to meet that fairy today?
—Fairy my ass, I'm cleaning.
—Huh? Didn't I clean up before crashing last night?
Junseok's shameless response made me burst out laughing in disbelief.
—Kuh! You lunatic, I cleaned—you passed out right away. Must've been dreaming.
—R-really? But dude, living alone—why clean so hard?
—Uh... a neighborhood kid sister’s coming over today, so...
—A g-girl?
—Yeah.
Sudden silence.
I thought the call dropped and said "Hello?" again, but Junseok exploded in a rage-filled yell.
—You bastard!! If you had a neighborhood sister, you should've called me last night!!
—My ears! I ran into her by chance at the supermarket today—hadn't seen her in forever.
—Ha... pretty?
Like me, most guys are the same.
The first question when asking about a girl.
I didn't want to hype Junseok up, but I couldn't lie either.
Still smiling faintly, I continued.
"First time seeing her since the army, and damn, she's a woman now."
—Fuck! Can I come down next weekend?
—What about the fairy intro you were supposed to get?
—I'm serious right now. Not in the mood for jokes!
—Fine, come next weekend if you're free.
—R-real? So I can meet Soeun then?
This desperate?
Yeah, Junseok hadn't dated in ages, so it was about time he put in some effort.
—I'll ask Soeun-i today.
—Awesome!! Can't wait for this weekend already?
—And bring Ungseok too. He worked hard at the funeral.
—Ungseok? Ha! Don't need more competition...
—I was gonna call him anyway.
—Heh heh, so am I the uninvited guest?
—You wanna bail then?
—Sorry.
While chatting with Junseok, the doorbell rang.
♪♬♪
—Sounds like Soeun-i's here. Talk tomorrow.
—Cool, even if she says no, Ungseok and I'll come hang.
—Got it.
Click!
I hung up and rushed to open the front door.
Soeun-i's hands were loaded with bags—who knew what all she'd brought?
I took them quickly, letting out exclamations.
"Whoa!! What's all this?"
"Booze."
"...Huh?"
"Just eating would be boring, right?"
No, with this much, the booze was the main event, not the food.
I'd figured on maybe some beer, but this was all soju?
How much of a drinker was she?
I could usually keep up, but after last night's binge, my stomach was wrecked.
Still, seeing her bright smile as she looked around the house, I couldn't bring myself to say no.
"What's this room?"
"It was a storage closet, but I turned it into a guest room quick yesterday when my friend came."
"Ah... it's mostly the same layout as your house from when I came over as a kid."
She remembered coming to our house back in elementary school...
Me? I could barely recall stuff from a month ago.
Four years younger, and this memory gap?
We finished the house tour and sat side by side at the table.
Luckily, I had plenty of simple side dishes left from shopping in town, so aside from a twinge of guilt, no issues.
"Sorry for serving frozen snacks after so long."
"No way! Frozen stuff is premium around here anyway. Gotta go to town to get it..."
"Thanks for saying that."
"Next time we drink, I'll cook for you!"
Her use of "next time" reminded me of my chat with Junseok.
I poured soju into her glass, eyes sparkling.
"You free next weekend by any chance?"
"Next weekend?"
"Some friends are coming over. Wanna join if you're free?"
Her fair skin made it obvious—her face turned beet red again.
"...You're showing me off to your friends already!?"
"Y-yeah?"
"I'm not totally ready yet... but sure."
What was that about?
Quit her job and gotten shy about meeting people?
Some folks are like that.
When life's in a slump, even hanging out feels off.
I'd been the same.
After the divorce, even when Junseok and Ungseok called for drinks, I'd made excuses.
Didn't want their pity.
But...
Despite me ghosting them, they'd rushed over at my dad's funeral notice.
I hadn't realized how much I'd isolated myself.
After the funeral, I'd just come straight home, drink alone, and wallow.
Then...
I'd found that bath blueprint on the roof by chance.
Got obsessed, finished it, and suddenly wanted to show it off.
That's why I'd called Junseok here first.
It'd only been days, but that little blueprint had changed so much.
Maybe it was part of the bigger picture Dad left for me?
Just like how Junseok and Ungseok helped me, I offered Soeun-i—who'd quit her job and was struggling—a word of comfort.
"Let's hang out more from now on."
"Huh!?"
"Not just next week—whenever you're free, let's eat together."
"Of course I'd love that!"
I gave a soft smile to Soeun-i, who stuck out her tongue playfully.
"Shall we get this party started for real?"
"Sounds good!"
Even pouring booze into my upset stomach, it tasted oddly sweet.
We pulled out childhood memories and stories of how we'd lived since, and the soju bottles piled up on the table.
"And that's how I ended up divorced."
"Ah... I see. Your ex-wife really was a piece of work."
"Looking back, I was the idiot. Couldn't judge a woman to save my life."
"Pretty much."
"...Huh?"
"Hee hee! Kidding."
Booze is a wonder.
I'd gone to the army at twenty-one, so at least seven years no see—and here she was, teasing me already...
"Whoa! So you've gotten better at picking guys now?"
"Huh?"
"You used to chase me around saying you'd marry me when you were little."
I teased with a mischievous grin, and Soeun-i's face flushed as she bowed her head.
"Y-you... remembered?"
"Of course! That little squirt crying and throwing a fit about marrying me... wouldn't even go home."
"...Do you remember what happened after?"
"Yeah! Promised I'd marry you when you grew up, and you were jumping for joy—it's all crystal clear."
"..."
"Soeun-i?"
I thought she was just embarrassed, head down, but she stayed still for a while.
Passed out drunk? I called softly again.
"Soeun-i!?"
Then she slowly lifted her head, meeting my eyes.
Her sunflower-bright smile was gone.
Her gaze had darkened sharply.
I figured I'd gone too far with the teasing and was about to apologize when Soeun-i spoke in a cold tone.
"...But why didn't you keep your promise?"