Rolling Around in All Sorts of Ways
There were many different ways to roll around and do nothing.
Some people literally did absolutely nothing at all.
Others engaged in surprisingly fun activities.
But in this household, the standard for fun had to be something you could do while rolling around.
Jungwoo was the kind of person who made plans even for something like this.
Rather than just lying there doing nothing, he found that lying down and snacking on something made him incredibly happy.
I need some fruit.
He used to enjoy eating snacks, but ever since Seia came into his life, he had started preferring fruit over snacks.
Everyone knew that snacks weren't good for the body.
As Jungwoo tried to remember what fruit they had at home, he realized he hadn't stocked up on any beforehand.
"Seia."
"Yes?"
"Want to go to the market with Daddy?"
"Yes, please! But what are we buying?"
"We need to buy grapes since those are your favorite."
"Waaa! Grapes!"
Out of all fruits, Seia loved grapes the most.
He remembered asking her once why she liked them so much. Her answer from that day was still impossible to forget.
Because they're cute.
He wasn't sure what part of a grape was supposed to be cute, but strangely enough, from that day on, even Jungwoo started seeing grapes as cute.
They did have a round, bouncy charm to them, after all.
Next on Seia's list of favorites was persimmons.
She liked both the soft, ripe ones and the firm, crunchy ones.
When he'd asked her why she liked them, her answer had been just as unexpected.
Because they're brown.
Looking back now… I guess the reason she likes brown is because of the color of my eyes.
She didn't exactly look thrilled when eating them, yet they still ranked second on her fruit list.
They headed down the stairs, stepped outside, and made their way to the market.
Buying grapes would be nice, but he planned to get a few other things too.
The persimmons they'd just talked about, the melons that Jungwoo himself liked, and since the day called for it, even the pineapples that his late wife had loved.
It looked like they were going to fill up entirely on fruit today.
When they arrived at the market holding hands, the vendors at the entrance already recognized Jungwoo and Seia.
"Daddy."
"Hmm?"
"It smells yummy!"
Seia wrinkled her nose, clearly remembering the delicious aromas from the food she'd eaten here last time.
"What do you want to eat, Seia?"
At Jungwoo's question, Seia shook her head and answered.
"Seia likes what Daddy makes the most."
"Hehe. So you're saying you want me to cook when we get home?"
"Hehe…."
Where in the world could you find such an adorable little glutton?
His mind grew busy.
What should he make this time to satisfy that cute little appetite?
Several menu ideas floated through his head.
Since they already had plenty of ingredients at home, the only things he needed to buy today were fruit and vegetables.
When they went to the same vegetable stall as last time, the elderly woman running it recognized Jungwoo and Seia right away.
"You're back again."
"Hello, ma'am."
"Why would I be your grandmother?"
"Hellooo, grandma!"
The old woman had responded rather curtly to Jungwoo's greeting.
"…Yes, hello."
But she couldn't seem to bring herself to answer Seia the same way.
Jungwoo watched with a small smile, and the old woman soon turned her head away, looking slightly embarrassed.
"So. What do you want?"
"I'd like to buy some fruit today."
"Then what fruit?"
"Ah, grapes, melon, and pineapple, please."
"You're buying quite a variety. Wait here."
After answering bluntly, the old woman began tapping the fruits with the handle of the fly swatter she was holding.
"How many?"
"Just one of each, please."
"This one, that one, and that one over there. Take these."
With just a few taps, she had determined which ones were in the best condition. She quickly bagged them and handed them to Jungwoo.
"Thank you, ma'am."
"Thank youuu, ma'am!"
Seia, who didn't know any better, simply copied the title Jungwoo used.
Because of that, the old woman's expression soured just a little.
Jungwoo wasn't slow on the uptake; he knew exactly why.
She could just be honest about it.
How could she not find her own granddaughter's peer adorable? Even Jungwoo thought children around Seia's age were cute.
"Off you go now."
The old woman waved her hand in the air, shooing them away. Jungwoo and Seia both bowed politely at the same time, said their goodbyes, and left.
The old woman watched their retreating figures until they disappeared from sight.
The father and daughter walking hand in hand away from the market entrance.
They kept smiling at each other as if something was endlessly delightful.
"……."
There was something about their backs that simply made you stare in a daze.
There were only two reasons a child wouldn't have a mother.
Either she had run away, or she had passed on.
Looking at the child and her father, it clearly wasn't the former. So it had to be the latter.
"Tsk tsk… How cruel. The ones who deserve to die are living large, while the ones who should be living are the ones who die."
After muttering to herself, the old woman began tidying up her stall.
Just then, a familiar voice called out as a woman wearing a hood approached her.
"Grandma. I'm here."
"Why did you come?"
"Because I missed you, of course."
"Did you finish all your work before coming?"
"If I had work to do, it would probably be something even more dangerous."
The woman who took off her hood in front of the old lady was none other than Seong Ye-eun.
Seong Ye-eun sat down beside her with a faint smile, as if she was used to this kind of reception.
"So, do you know the people who just left?"
"You mean the father and daughter?"
"Yes."
"Yes, I know them."
"Is that so?"
"You already know everything, yet you pretend not to."
To Seong Ye-eun, this old woman was one of the most precious people in her life.
After losing her younger sister and having nothing but power left, the old woman had been the one to show her the way when she might have lost herself in despair.
"Of course. You think I'd miss any news from around here?"
"Are you still keeping all those people around?"
"You fool. You always have to keep your ears open. And your mouth shut."
Just as Seong Ye-eun said, it was safe to say that the entire area belonged to the old woman.
Come to think of it, wasn't it strange that this market was even operating this way?
It was a market mainly used by ordinary people without any special abilities.
There was no way it could be safe.
And in this era where everything was advancing, maintaining remnants of the past should have been nearly impossible.
The person who made it possible was none other than this old woman.
The entire plot of land where the market stood belonged to her, and every vendor could only begin business with her permission.
She was what people commonly called rich.
No, she existed far beyond even that level.
"Hmm… You say to keep your ears open, but it seems your mouth isn't staying shut…."
"Isn't that because you keep talking to me?"
"Have you been to the restaurant?"
"You mean that place called Seona's Restaurant?"
"Yes."
"…For you to bring up another place. This is quite the occasion."
At those words, Seong Ye-eun smiled and replied.
"You too, Grandma."
Both Seong Ye-eun and the old woman kept seeing sides of each other that were quite different from their usual selves.
"Seona's Restaurant… let me see…."
The old woman searched her memory for a moment and quickly recalled what kind of place it was.
"Isn't that the building owned by that old man who's obsessed with working out?"
"Is it…? I'm not really sure."
"There's one like that. An old man who's gone crazy over exercise, always going on about protein this and that. Must be senile."
"Grandma, really… Exercise is good for your health, you know."
"So you say."
Still, the old woman seemed to view the elderly man's dedication to exercise quite favorably.
They weren't particularly close, but since he had gotten along well with his previous tenants, he must be a decent person.
"So. When are you planning to show me your grandchild?"
Seong Ye-eun looked genuinely surprised at the question.
She had said something similar before, but after Seong Ye-eun replied that she had no such thoughts, the old woman had never brought it up again.
Yet now the old woman was suddenly asking.
And right after the father and daughter had left.
In truth, Seong Ye-eun knew exactly what conversation had taken place.
Others might not have noticed, but Seong Ye-eun knew.
Just how much the old woman had liked them.
"Did you like her that much?"
The sudden direct question caused a rare flicker of embarrassment in the old woman's eyes.
"W-what are you talking about?"
"Seia."
"Ahem…."
"Look at that. You even remember her name."
"Well, that's because she just came by…."
"She reminds me of my little sister."
At those words, the old woman fell silent.
The phrase "reminds me of my sister."
Anyone else might have brushed it off, but for Seong Ye-eun, the weight those words carried was completely different.
"If you have time later, you should stop by, Grandma. Seona's Restaurant."
"…Alright. I will."
They talked about many things after that, but surprisingly, the entire conversation revolved around Seona's Restaurant.
What the food was like, what kind of person Jungwoo was, and what kind of child Seia was.
These were people who wouldn't speak about or listen to anything that didn't interest them.
Both the old woman and Seong Ye-eun.
The fact that their conversation never ran dry meant they were both genuinely interested.
And naturally, the center of the conversation was Seia.
Seong Ye-eun had seen her at the restaurant, while the old woman had seen her at the market.
Since they had encountered her in different places with different purposes, Seia's reactions at those times had been different as well.
"Oh, that's right, Grandma."
"What?"
"Did you know?"
"Know what?"
"Tomorrow is Seia's birthday."
"Her birthday?"
"Yes. They're giving out food to people for free."
"Tsk, they should focus on taking care of themselves first…."
"You don't have to worry about that."
Seong Ye-eun explained what had happened last time.
The story about the ten-thousand-won bill that had been cleverly disguised.
Of course, when she had first handed it over, it had honestly been out of pity. But after seeing their attitude afterward, Seong Ye-eun had changed her mind.
"Wait, is that true? They tried to return it?"
"Yes. So I only gave them one bill. As a reward for finding it."
"Good. You did well."
"Ah, I should get going now. I'll come again next time."
"No need to come. Just do your job."
Seong Ye-eun smiled at the old woman's gruff reply and stood up.
"I'll come tomorrow."
"…Do as you please."
Only after hearing a definite promise that she would come did Seong Ye-eun put her hood back on.
"Please be nice to her."
"I'll do as I see fit."
With that, Seong Ye-eun left, and the old woman stared at the now-empty spot for a long time.
When she was young, she had lived thinking too much. Now that she was old, she had promised herself to live without thinking. Yet for some reason, today her mind was filled with thoughts.
"Tsk. Let's see…."
Even though no one was watching, the old woman felt a bit awkward and stood up, heading inside the store.
"Grapes and melon… and pineapple, was it?"
It wasn't anything special.
In a market like this where affection mattered most, she was simply showing a bit of kindness.
She kept repeating that to herself as she picked out only the freshest items from today's delivery and set them aside in one corner.