Outing Tale (1)
After leaving the gukbap restaurant where Mom worked, we wandered out of the department store and eventually found a quiet beef restaurant with no other customers. We stepped inside.
"I-I want meat..." The reason was simple—I had been craving it. It had been a while since we'd gone out, and when it came to eating out, samgyeopsal was the obvious choice.
"Then let's go with meat."
"Haram, weren't you on a diet?"
"Shut it...! It'll just go to my chest anyway."
"H-Haram noona!"
"Minu, you're so easily embarrassed."
With that, we entered the beef restaurant. The place was still fairly empty, which made my earlier nervousness ease. The smell of alcohol wasn't in the air, so the tension in my chest finally settled.
Yeon-a took the seat at the very end of the table, and I sat beside her. Before Haram could even come in, Jiwoo spun around faster than anyone and claimed the spot to my right.
"I win..."
"You crazy siscon."
"What? You wanted to sit with Minu. Just look at that expectant face."
"...I wasn't expecting anything."
Minu said that while blushing, then glanced at Jiwoo. Jiwoo looked back at him with a pleased expression and gave him a thumbs-up.
"You weren't... expecting anything?"
"N-No, that's not what I meant."
When Haram asked in that ticklish voice, Minu's face turned an even deeper shade of red as he avoided her gaze. Yeon-a, Jiwoo, and I covered our mouths to hide our smiles at their fresh, budding dynamic.
Whether they noticed or not, Haram began pushing forward aggressively.
"I'll... sit next to you!"
"......"
She sat beside Minu, covering her mouth with her hands while her face flushed. The sight made me smile without thinking.
He looks happy.
I was genuinely relieved that Minu seemed happy. The kid I'd raised had grown up so well and was now in love.
How should I put it... It feels fulfilling. Is this what having a child feels like?
A warm, fluffy sensation bloomed in my chest.
"We have beef and pork. Which do you like, Suhyun?"
"...Huh? Ah... I-I'll go with pork......"
When I said I preferred pork, Yeon-a muttered, "Samgyeopsal goes best with soju, though......"
"...Y-Yeon-a?"
"Gah...! I didn't say anything."
When I looked up at her with anxious eyes, she flinched and covered her mouth. Then, with slightly trembling eyes, she gently pulled me into a hug and begged for forgiveness.
"I'm quitting drinking, so don't hate me, Suhyuuun......"
"I-I'm not mad, okay..."
Seeing her like that made me laugh, and Jiwoo, who was sitting nearby, chuckled before speaking to Yeon-a.
"Thanks, Yeon-a unni. I heard you really like drinking."
"You knew that too, Jiwoo-ssi."
When Yeon-a smiled awkwardly and apologized, Jiwoo said it was fine and suggested they drop the formalities.
"Shall we speak casually, unni? We seem past the point of being strangers."
"S-Should we?"
After Yeon-a nodded, Jiwoo smiled and said she'd be in her care before ordering drinks and samgyeopsal.
Everyone's skipping alcohol because of me... I feel a little bad.
Honestly, I hadn't been around the smell of alcohol since becoming an adult, so I wasn't even sure if it was a trigger for me.
I could test it alone later and find out.
Just in case, I decided I'd try it on stream sometime. Jiwoo narrowed her eyes at me.
"Unni, you're thinking weird thoughts again."
"H-Huh?! No?"
"...Suspicious."
She shot me a glare, so I broke out in a cold sweat and looked away. I did my best to shake off Jiwoo's suspicion and somehow managed to hold out until the meat arrived.
"I-I want to eat meat... Let's grill it quickly. I'll do it......"
I grabbed the tongs and successfully redirected the aggro.
"Big sis, I'll do it. Fire is dangerous."
"Ah... Okay."
"I'll grill it deliciously."
"Yu Minu, don't cut in. I was going to do it first, you know?"
Fortunately, I smiled as I watched the two of them bicker.
"Big sis, eat this."
"Thanks, Minu... It's good."
Before I could even finish chewing the meat Minu gave me, another piece landed on my rice bowl.
"Unni, have some of this too."
"Thamks, Haram... Ish good."
"I'm so proud...! You're adorable!"
After receiving Haram's meat, I smiled and chewed diligently. Then an uneasy feeling crept over me.
This... feels like the start of some kind of food torture.
Sure enough, Yeon-a and Jiwoo joined the assault right after.
"Suhyun, your plate's empty?"
"Urgh... Thamks."
The moment I finished the meat Yeon-a gave me, Jiwoo looked at me and asked why there was no meat on my plate before feeding me herself.
"What? Unni, why can't you eat more... You're making me worried."
"...I'm full. Thanks anyway......"
My stomach gradually filled up, and by the end of the meal, it was so bloated that walking properly became difficult.
"Ugh... I think I'm gonna throw up......"
Of course, among everyone present, I had still eaten the least.
"If you're full, you don't have to force yourself, unni."
"That's right, Suhyun. Don't push yourself."
Jiwoo and Yeon-a said that while gently rubbing my stomach. I nodded with a slightly more comfortable belly and focused on deep breathing to avoid throwing up.
Before long, Haram—who had eaten the most meat—declared she was satisfied, and the meal came to an end.
"Did you eat well, Haram noona?"
"Yeah...! Maybe because Minu grilled it, it tasted even better."
"Th-That's a relief."
They started flirting again. Jiwoo, Yeon-a, and I slipped away first so we wouldn't get in their way.
"I should call a taxi."
"Suhyun, I'm heading home too after this."
"Okay... Got it. Text me... I'll be waiting."
When I said that, Yeon-a patted my head and said she would before hailing a taxi and disappearing. Jiwoo and I stood there, blankly gazing at the sunset sky.
"...The rain stopped."
Jiwoo smiled softly as she said that. I looked at her and nodded.
"Y-Yeah."
"How was today, unni?"
She looked at me as she asked. I smiled brightly and answered.
"It was good... Really, really good."
"Yeah?"
She said that, then quietly looked back at the sunset. With slightly moist eyes, Jiwoo spoke.
"I'm glad... that you had fun."
"......"
"Someday... when the rain stops for us too... I wonder if a life as pretty as this sunset will be waiting......"
She said that, then—perhaps embarrassed—quickly blushed and asked me to pretend I hadn't heard it.
"F-Forget what I just said... It's embarrassing."
Jiwoo fumbled over her words, but I didn't want to let it go, so I answered blankly.
"...I'm sure it will."
"...!"
"From now on... I want to live brightly, just like that."
Brightly. I wanted to live a life where I was loved more and loved more in return. I wanted to apologize to my past self and get revenge on my father in this life and my parents in my past life.
I'll show them what it looks like to live the best life... Just you wait.
"I'll become happy... and get my revenge...!"
"...Right. Let's get revenge together, unni."
"Yeah...!"
Jiwoo and I squeezed each other's hands tighter.
Haram caught a separate taxi and headed home. Jiwoo, Minu, and I took one to our house.
"...It doesn't feel like we did that much today, but the sun's already setting."
When I said that in front of the house, Jiwoo and Minu both asked if something huge hadn't happened.
"Didn't something huge happen, unni...?"
"...We met Mom, big sis. That's not a small thing."
They said that. I smiled awkwardly and nodded.
"W-Well, when you put it that way, yeah."
"Unni has an unexpected side too."
"...Maybe a little too much."
When I said that, Jiwoo and Minu both said they were glad to learn something new about me. I nodded and quickly entered the door code.
"Unni, what are you going to do now?"
"I'm... going to stream about today's outing... I'm sure the Jireongi will love hearing the story......"
I was really curious—and excited—about how the Jireongi would react to the outing story.
I'll keep the part about Mom a secret for now.
I muttered that to myself and recalled the last image of Mom I'd seen—her waving enthusiastically until we disappeared from view.
"...It still feels like Mom loves us."
"Well... If that lady tries anything weird, tell us right away, unni."
"That's right. I'll come running, big sis."
They said that, promising to protect me. I nodded and got Mom's phone number from Jiwoo.
"Just because you have her number doesn't mean you can call her whenever, okay?"
"Ah, got it..."
Jiwoo looked worried that something might happen if two PTSD patients talked alone. I smiled softly and told her it would be fine. After watching the two of them leave, I closed the door tightly.
The curtains were open, letting the sunset light in and giving the room a slightly orange glow.
"...I should close the window and curtains. Mosquitoes will get in."
I muttered that, closed the window to keep mosquitoes out, and drew the blackout curtains completely before sitting down in my computer chair.
Going out was nice, but in the end, the best place was...
"Home is the beeeest......"
Home really was the best. I sat in the chair for a moment as if melting into it, then quickly turned on the computer. The room filled with light once more.
After putting on my headset, fixing my facial tracking, and perfectly organizing the chat window, I sorted through what I needed to do in my head.
"...Hmm. First, I'll tell the story... Since I need to run YouTube too, I should post a notice about recruiting an editor."
Finally, it was time to meet the Jireongi.