Chapter 30.2

Chapter 30.2

The hand that firmly wrapped around her slender shoulder suddenly tightened. Yeon-ha unconsciously tensed at the subtle grip. Such overt physical contact had been rare in their daily lives. Now that she thought about it, Kwon Min-gyu had been openly touching her since earlier.

“And, um…”

Yeon-ha, who couldn’t bring herself to mention the rumors, trailed off. As she subtly averted her gaze from his shiny eyes, he caught her unfinished thought.

“Why, is it because people are saying I come from a gangster family?”

Ah.

Startled, Yeon-ha met his gaze again. Min-gyu was still smiling.

“They say I’m a bad guy, so don’t get close to me. That I’m trash not worth associating with?”

“No, not that much.”

Yeon-ha hurriedly interrupted his mocking words. Looking up at his narrowed eyes with a worried expression, she steeled herself. Perhaps she wanted to address this someday. Of course, she no longer held any impure prejudices against Min-gyu. Although it hadn’t been long, the months they had spent together had shown her that he was not a lie. However…

“Does your father… really do that kind of work?”

She phrased it as gently as possible, and he let out a deflated laugh. The arm that had been wrapped around her slowly fell away.

“Well, he’s someone I’ve already cut ties with. Whatever he does is none of my business.”

“……”

Was that another form of affirmation? Feeling anxious, Yeon-ha swallowed hard. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from his dark eyes, as if entranced.

“Still, he’s my father, so does that mean I’m getting dragged into it too? I guess I’m not any different.”

His tone was light, almost as if he were singing, but Yeon-ha instinctively felt that he was quite upset. Did she ask too much? As she stared at his face, which clearly showed his discomfort, Min-gyu reached out.

“Don’t worry.”

He gently tucked her long hair behind her ear, quietly murmuring. The touch of his hand was undeniably soft, yet strangely, a chill crept into her heart.

But if she had to be honest, her current state might be the most genuine and comfortable one. She wasn’t trying to put on a facade; she simply made an effort to appear strong. In this unusual situation, Yeon-ha didn’t want anyone to pity her or see her as ridiculous.

Living with her grandmother meant her voice had to be louder. It was an unavoidable reality. Despite her grandmother’s boisterous personality, they faced many challenges living together.

While she had met many good people, there were also instances where she felt openly disregarded. For example, when calling someone to repair something in the house or during a move, people’s attitudes changed after glancing at their sparse belongings. They either became overly friendly or acted high-handed.

Once, when Yeon-ha was in middle school, she moved to a different unit in the same apartment complex. A mover accidentally damaged an appliance and tried to brush it off nonchalantly.

Even when her grandmother raised her voice, he pretended not to hear and chatted with the other workers, which infuriated Yeon-ha. Eventually, she ran to a local furniture store where she knew the owners. Explaining the situation to the owner, who was close to her grandmother, the owner sent over a man who had been watching TV.

“Hey, what are you doing sitting around? Aren’t you moving the stuff outside?”

As soon as the man arrived, the situation was resolved quickly. Without much discussion with the worker who had damaged the item, they agreed to deduct the repair costs from the moving fees. The workers, who had been lounging around, started moving the items again.

They barely managed to finish the move. Even as she thanked the man several times, Yeon-ha felt a deep sense of self-loathing. Her grandmother didn’t seem to think much of it, but that incident left a lasting scar on young Yeon-ha’s heart. Unfortunately, such things often happened in life. It was hard to admit, but she and her grandmother were vulnerable in this society.

So, there was nothing she could do. While there might be some excess in her behavior, trying to always appear confident and unyielding in front of others had become a compulsive habit. It was her way of surviving.

She couldn’t tell if the warmth on her face was due to the alcohol or the memories surfacing. As Min-gyu quietly observed her flushed face, he spoke again.

“I saw you passing by the supermarket once. You were smiling a lot.”

“…When?”

“Um, I don’t remember exactly. Anyway, you were with your grandmother.”

He added that he had seen her while going out to buy cigarettes. Yeon-ha quickly tried to recall, but she couldn’t remember at all. It seemed like it was just his memory.

“…But, how did she suddenly pass away?”

At his cautiously posed question, Yeon-ha took a short breath. He quickly added, as if to excuse himself,

“I’m not asking you to explain. You told me everything last time anyway.”

In that moment, Yeon-ha felt she could somewhat understand why people drink. Ignoring the burning sensation in her eyes, she forced herself to speak in a calm voice.

“Yeah, that’s all. I found out too late that she was sick, so there was nothing I could do.”

He nodded quietly. Unable to find anything else to say, Yeon-ha turned her gaze to the pouring rain outside. Next month would already be her grandmother’s memorial day.

Time passed like this, yet she felt as if she were still standing still.

‘It’s okay. I can start over from now on.’

As she recalled the thought she had had several times today, trying to gather her resolve, a soft voice settled in her ear.

“…It must have been really hard, huh?”

Even now, she felt that way. His question, which seemed to be carefully chosen and somewhat awkward, made Yeon-ha silently part her lips. The man in front of her had a rare expression of awkwardness, almost innocent.

“Yeah. It was hard, but…”

Suddenly, Yeon-ha thought it was strange that she was openly admitting how hard it was. If it had been someone else, she would have said she was fine. She was a person too, so while she might unconsciously show signs of struggle, she would have tried to hide such a weak heart. It was not only unfamiliar but completely outside her options to lay her innermost feelings bare.

But why was it? Why did the straightforward yet somewhat clumsy comfort make her heart crumble? Why did the impulse to spill her feelings without any calculation surge up? Overwhelmed by an unknown feeling, she found herself biting her soft lips.

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