Chicken (2)
Slowly, I pushed myself up. To avoid another disaster like the one earlier, I carefully supported my left leg with my hand and climbed down from the bed.
"Success." A small, proud smile tugged at my lips as I steadied myself against the wall and made my way toward the front door.
—Ding-dong~
That terrifying sound echoed through the house once more. It was scary. So, so scary. But I already knew exactly who was standing outside.
"Unnie~ I'm here. Open the door for me."
"…Uh, okay!"
Jiwoo's voice rang out. Just in case, I peeked through the peephole. Sure enough, there she was—standing in the hallway with a bright smile, both hands clutching plastic bags.
"…Smells delicious."
The mouthwatering aroma drifted in through the gap. My chest warmed as I carefully opened the door to greet her.
"H-hey, come in… I was waiting for you."
The moment I said I'd been waiting, Jiwoo grinned and pulled me into a hug.
"How's your cold? Feeling any better?"
"Huh…?"
"You said you caught a cold, remember? I even picked up some medicine."
She lifted her left hand as she spoke. Apparently, hearing I was sick had made her buy medicine. Because of my lie, Jiwoo had spent money. Money was precious—second only to Jiwoo and Minwoo in this world. To them, it was probably even more important than me. And yet I'd made her waste something so valuable.
My eyes stung. I was terrified that the lie would be exposed and I'd get scolded for it.
"…Hic!"
"Unnie!?"
Jiwoo yelped in surprise, dropping the chicken and medicine bag to check on me.
"S-sorry… I'm sorry."
"What's wrong? Why are you crying again all of a sudden?"
Looking at her worried face, I answered through tears.
"…I didn't catch a cold. I was just crying during the call."
"……"
"Sorry. I'll pay you back for the medicine, I'm sorry……"
Jiwoo stared at me blankly as I apologized. I kept apologizing to her blank expression.
"…Want some chicken?"
"……"
I knew I shouldn't. After causing so much trouble, I really shouldn't. But I nodded anyway.
"I want some……"
Jiwoo smiled at my answer. That smile, layered over her face like everything was okay, slowly dried my tears.
We shoved the trash aside, brought over a small table, and set the chicken on top.
"Eat up, Unnie."
"…Soy sauce?"
"Yeah. I was worried you'd get tired of just the fried kind."
Jiwoo handed me a foil-wrapped drumstick as she spoke. I took it and stared at her blankly.
"I forgot to bring gloves. You used to do this for me all the time back then. Feels nostalgic."
"…We used to order it behind Dad's back."
"Yeah. I was so scared that one time we almost got caught."
Even now, thinking about it made my heart race. Because after that, we did get caught—and I was beaten within an inch of my life for "stealing" money. I never let my siblings know. If they'd found out I'd been hit, they wouldn't have been able to enjoy the chicken in peace.
'…Thank goodness they never found out.'
Thanks to that, Jiwoo sat in front of the chicken with a bright smile, reminiscing like it was just another funny memory. A wave of pride washed over me. I was simply happy that the pain back then hadn't been for nothing.
"Unnie."
"…!!"
Jiwoo called my name. Startled out of my thoughts, I looked at her. Her expression wasn't happy.
"Uh, yeah?"
"Not eating?"
She waited patiently until I took a bite. I gave an awkward laugh and lifted the drumstick.
'…Smells so good.'
The fragrant smell hit my nose. My tiny stomach growled, demanding I put something in my mouth right now. It had been so long since I'd last brought chicken to my lips.
"Nom……"
I took a big bite. Chew, chew—I worked it with my small mouth. Oil burst out with every chew. It was delicious. More delicious than any food in the world.
"……"
"How is it?"
Jiwoo asked nervously. I sniffled and answered.
"…It's good."
"……"
"It's really, really good……"
It was delicious. The chicken I'd only ever watched my siblings eat as a kid, too happy just seeing them enjoy it. The food I'd always wanted but never touched because I thought there wouldn't be enough for them. That same chicken was now in my mouth. Delicious. Truly, truly delicious.
"Hng……"
"…Unnie?"
When I said it was good, Jiwoo—who had been reaching for more with a smile—froze.
"…I'm happy. So, so happy."
Tears spilled from the overwhelming happiness. They landed on the drumstick I'd barely taken a bite of.
"You're crying?!"
"…S-sorry. You eat too, Jiwoo."
I was overwhelmed. My own self felt so pathetic for crying over a single piece of food. Jiwoo's face was filled with worry as she looked at me.
"Thank you… Jiwoo. Thank you so much."
I set the chicken down and kept wiping my tears. It felt like something was finally becoming visible in a life that had been nothing but darkness. My two siblings were reaching out to me after I'd fallen all the way to rock bottom. Climbing back up was terrifying—what if I fell again? It would hurt so much. But maybe… just a little…
"…The trash. Help me take it out next month."
Maybe it was okay to try being brave. Even someone as worthless as me could take one step forward, right? I thought so. Crying, I looked at Jiwoo.
"……"
"Will you help…?"
I asked for help again. I knew it was shameless—asking someone else to clean up the trash I'd made. But Jiwoo smiled and answered.
"…Yeah! I'll help."
Her eyes were moist. I smiled at her and tore into the chicken with my small mouth.
"It's delicious!"
Tears rolled down my cheeks even as I smiled with watery eyes. After that, we spent a long time eating chicken together.
"Ugh……"
"Did you enjoy it, Unnie?"
"I-I think I'm gonna die… Sorry I couldn't finish it all."
I'd left half the chicken uneaten and was now on the verge of throwing up. My tiny stomach was screaming that I'd exceeded its capacity.
"I told you it was okay to eat in moderation and leave some."
"Sorry……"
When I apologized, Jiwoo said it was fine and gently rubbed my belly.
"Unnie, your stomach's all puffed out."
"…I'll be more careful next time."
"Nah, it looks cute."
"R-really?"
The nausea slowly faded under Jiwoo's touch. Thanks to her, I could sit properly in the chair again. I thanked her.
"Thanks, Jiwoo."
"Hm?"
Jiwoo tilted her head while clearing the table.
"Thanks to you, I got to eat chicken after so long… Heheh."
"If you want more, just say so."
"H-how could I?"
When I firmly refused, Jiwoo gave a bitter smile.
"What do you usually eat?"
"…Once every two days? No, once every three days. Just ramen."
"…!?"
"W-what?"
Jiwoo looked shocked. I just tilted my head at her reaction.
"Oh, I add an egg too."
"……"
"I'm eating well, so don't worry."
Ramen wasn't a bad food. Adding an egg gave you multiple nutrients at once, and more importantly, it was high in calories. But Jiwoo's reaction was anything but normal.
"Unnie, let's go get you a health checkup sometime."
"Huh? I'm healthy though."
"……"
"…?"
I floated a question mark above my head, unable to understand her reaction.
"From now on, just call me if you're hungry."
"…How am I supposed to call you when the place is full of trash?"
When I answered like that, Jiwoo touched my cheek and said it was okay.
"It's fine. It's okay."
"…I eat properly, you know."
"You do, but I still want to take better care of you."
Well, if the debtor who had to pay them back got sick and starved to death, that would be a problem in its own way……
"…I see. You'd be worried if the debtor got sick, huh."
"No, haa……"
Jiwoo sighed and rubbed her face. She looked flustered that I'd seen through her real feelings. I smiled at her.
"Got it right? I've been taking care of you two for years, after all."
"……"
"Okay. I'll contact you if I'm hungry."
"Yeah… Please do."
Jiwoo looked a little drained as she answered with a weak smile.
"…I guess I have talent for streaming."
"Huh?"
"Heheh, way more people watched than I expected."
When I said that, Jiwoo smiled and clapped.
"Really?"
"Yeah…! I even talked with people. They asked if I was the one who committed suicide, what color panties I was wearing today, stuff like that."
I didn't know why they were curious about my panties, but I'd answered honestly that they were pink. Jiwoo's face turned deathly pale.
"Unnie…!!"
"Uh, yeah!?"
Grabbing my shoulders, Jiwoo continued with a worried expression.
"If you're going to stream from now on, tell me first! Tell me before you start!"
"W-why?"
"I'll be your manager. Your streaming manager."
Jiwoo lowered her head as she spoke.
"Really?"
"Yeah… Someone needs to manage the chat."
Jiwoo smiled as she said that. Then she looked at me and made one request.
"And… even if you're just at home, stop wearing only a big hoodie."
"I was wearing underwear properly though."
"You weren't wearing pants…!!"
"…Is that a problem?"
"It is."
Jiwoo was so firm about it that I nodded without thinking.
"Oh, and I ordered streaming equipment."
"Huh…?"
"I texted you earlier."
"…!!"
"The computer's fine as is, right?"
"…Yeah, it's a good one."
"Hmm……"
Jiwoo gave me a suspicious look.
"I bought it for 500,000 won."
"…Is that good?"
"Yeah, it's good."
When I said that, Jiwoo nodded like she'd accept it for now.
"I'll just ask Minwoo."
"Yeah! Ask him!"
When I answered confidently, Jiwoo smiled and stood up.
"I'll get going, Unnie."
"Okay, take care."
"…It's late, but congratulations on finding something you want to do."
Jiwoo patted my head as she spoke. I gave her an awkward smile in return.