[45th Chapter]
In a high-rise apartment in Seoul.
The spacious house with many rooms clearly looked like it was meant for wealthy people. With two living rooms and five bedrooms, this home accommodated the parents and three young siblings, along with one relative. Despite the large space, there was still room to spare.
Surely, someone in such a position would have a comfortable life and wealth.
But Blue, the relative who was the father’s younger sister and the children’s aunt, was apologizing as she bowed her head at the entrance.
“I’m sorry. I said I would take action.”
“How many times have you said that already? I’ve put up with it several times considering they have children, but nothing has changed.”
The angry aunt spoke with a voice full of frustration, but Blue did not respond and continued to apologize.
“The mother should manage the children better. I don’t like saying this to a child’s mother, but I can’t tolerate it anymore.”
The aunt’s frustration continued, and only after Blue repeatedly apologized did the aunt leave the house. Leaning against the closed front door, Blue sat down, feeling drained rather than sad.
The noise from the children causing complaints from neighbors had never become familiar, despite repeated occurrences. Even though she had placed soundproof mats on the floor and made the children wear slippers indoors, the noise from their running and playing could not be completely eliminated.
Since the children’s parents were hardly ever at home, dealing with complaints due to the children’s activities fell entirely on Blue. No matter how much experience she gained or time passed, she couldn’t adapt to the situation.
Especially during the rainy season when the neighbors’ frustration grew, even the mild-mannered and laid-back Blue found herself exhausted.
“Yaa!”
Inside, the children raised their voices and ran around, thumping loudly. Even with the mats and slippers, she wondered how such noise could be made.
“Kids, let’s try to be a little quieter? If it’s too noisy, it will be a nuisance to the neighbors.”
“Tsk.”
During the time when the youngest was at kindergarten, only the first and second oldest were at home, but even just those two overwhelmed Blue. Unlike her sister-in-law, who was the mother of three children, the children did not fully follow Blue’s instructions.
They didn’t completely ignore her, but they tended to take things lightly. Even when she paid attention, it didn’t last long, especially when they were in high spirits.
This was partly due to Blue’s personality. Her calm and relaxed nature was not suited to controlling high-energy children.
Blue believed in gently guiding children rather than scolding them, but minor reminders only elicited resistance from the high-energy children, failing to be taken seriously.
Of course, each child is different, but at least Blue’s nephews acted this way.
After another neighbor complained about the children’s cries, another resident’s patience was tested, and Blue hurried to the entrance upon hearing the ringing doorbell.
This was just one of the daily occurrences. While neighbors’ protests were common, everyone had their own reasons for getting frustrated at different times, leading to a staggered pattern of visits.
In the end, Blue repeatedly faced the same situation through others.
As soon as the aunt rushed out to the entrance, the two children forgot the advice they had just received and resumed playing with their toys in the room.
With the rain keeping the children indoors, the situation remained a loop.
Around lunchtime, Blue opened the refrigerator to prepare lunch for the children but found nothing suitable except some leftover chicken and pizza from yesterday.
“Kids, shall we have pizza and chicken for lunch?”
She asked hopefully, but…
“No.”
As expected.
Cooking wasn’t difficult for Blue. She enjoyed cooking and dreamed of becoming a chef someday. She saved money bit by bit to buy new cookbooks whenever possible.
However, the environment didn’t allow it. So, for now, it remained just a dream.
What’s the problem then? Even if the environment is tough, isn’t cooking something that can be done if one says so?
The issue was the money for ingredients.
She wanted to buy several more books with the money she had saved, but after buying chicken and pizza for the children yesterday, she had only enough left for one book.
She could buy ingredients for meals the children could eat, but that would mean giving up reading cookbooks, her only hobby and source of joy.
Finally, she sat at the kitchen table, staring at her smartphone, and seemed to make a decision, calling someone.
“…”
She waited for the phone to ring and soon the other person answered.
“Hey. Brother. Is it okay to talk now?”
The other person was Blue’s brother, the father of three children.
“Well, this month’s living expenses are a bit tight…”
She couldn’t bring herself to ask for money outright.
Still, a normal person would understand by now, but the conversation shifted to her sister-in-law.
“Yo. Hyung Young. What are you up to?”
The new speaker was Blue’s sister-in-law, the mother of three children and wife of her brother.
“Sister, it’s not what you think.”
“Have you ever had a day when your living expenses weren’t tight?”
In the morning, it was the neighbors’ complaints, and now it was her sister-in-law’s nagging.
She thought her brother might change the call if he knew his sister-in-law was on the line, but she called anyway, hoping for the best.
“You pay my phone bill. You live with me. You pay taxes. But what’s missing?”
Taking care of the three children was Blue’s responsibility, and providing for various expenses was part of the deal for her to live in the house.
But even with all the expenses covered, living alone was tight, and feeding the children three times a day was challenging.
She knew she could explain, but it would lead to a lengthy discussion.
“I’m sorry. It’s been tough lately…”
“Pull yourself together. Who else will take care of the children if not you? If you took on the responsibility, you should give it your best shot.”
“Yes.”
To end the conversation, she wanted to take the blame, but her sister-in-law showed no signs of hanging up.
“For now, I’ll tell your brother to send money. But you need to do better. Managing finances poorly led to this. With just a few days until payday, I’ll manage with this until then.”
“Yes, understood.”
Listening to her sister-in-law’s subdued voice, Blue refocused her thoughts.
As her sister-in-law said, poor financial management led to this. With just a few days until payday, she decided to manage the money wisely until then.
After hanging up, a few minutes later, a message came through her phone, indicating a deposit of 100,000 won. Feeling relieved, she thought about preparing lunch for the children.
At Spacystro headquarters.
Looking at the rainy sky, Green and Blue were talking on the terrace of the rooftop.
Precisely, she had been sitting in front of her computer on the third floor, reviewing data. Just as she tried to avoid the gathering people, Green called, and she moved to the rooftop.
“So, are you heading to Jang Bogo’s place?”
“Yeah. I thought about going to the park briefly.”
“It’s raining, so hurry home.”
From the start, the cheerful voice over the phone lifted her mood. As they chatted casually, she felt she could stand on her own without relying too much on others.
“Are you okay being alone? Not having any hard times?”
“Yeah. I haven’t felt this comfortable being at home in a while.”
“That’s good. Let me know if you need help. I’ll assist you.”
“No, I can’t keep being a burden.”
She seemed to be trying to show her independence, but she still couldn’t fully trust her.
“I’ll help until I’m satisfied. You know that, right?”
There was a brief silence, and Green replied hesitantly.
“Yeah.”
At that moment, people started coming out onto the rooftop terrace.
“I have work to do, so I’ll hang up now.”
“Yeah. Thanks for calling suddenly.”
Checking the person who entered, she waved at the familiar figure.
“Kirk.”
“You’re here.”
Given the rain, there was no reason for Kirk to be on the rooftop unless he was looking for her. She waited for him to speak as he sat next to her.
“Are you busy next week?”
“No, I’m free. Why?”
It felt like a delicate moment. Being impatient was not her style, so she nudged his arm to urge him to speak quickly.
“Tell me. Don’t make me wait.”
Kirk, unfazed by her playful hit, sighed and continued.
“Next week, Eunji’s kindergarten is on break for two weeks.”
Knowing that kindergartens were ending soon, she wondered why he brought it up. She listened silently as he continued.
“Eunji wants to go play with her friends, and she also wants to go with you.”
…This mischievous little brat. It’s obvious what she’s thinking.
From Kirk’s perspective, his daughter’s desire to travel with her friends and her favorite uncle seemed reasonable. He must feel hurt that his daughter preferred someone else as her companion.
The problem is, unlike what Kirk knows, Eunji clearly wants to go with her boyfriend, Ho Young. Given that permission wouldn’t be granted for such a trip, she’s using her as a shield.
“When next week?”
She planned to refuse regardless. She doesn’t dislike Eunji; she likes her as a niece. The issue lies with Ho Young. Blue has to take care of all the children, and he likely feels the same about having a guardian accompany them.
Why trust someone she barely knows to take her nephew on a trip?
Refusing Eunji’s request would hurt, but using an excuse to avoid the trip altogether would be a tidy resolution.
“A one-night, two-day trip sounds good sometime between Monday and Wednesday.”
Even a day trip wasn’t acceptable. Maybe because she feels like a niece? Worrying about the future of this child already.
“Alright. I’ll talk to Eunji.”
Since she was planning a trip with Ho Young anyway, further discussion with Kirk wouldn’t change anything.
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
Kirk trusted her enough to let her take his daughter on a trip. This trust was appreciated, though she doubted the success rate of the trip.
“Still, it’s good that Eunji follows you well. Strange, isn’t it? A man without a daughter knows how to handle one?”
“Though I don’t have a daughter, I have a daughter-like boss.”
Having finished the main topic, she thought about chatting with Kirk. After a moment of hesitation, he understood and responded with a short “Ah.”
On the rooftop terrace, people started appearing.
“Then I’ll go down first.”
“Go ahead.”
Toucan, seeing four team leaders on the rooftop, including Kirk, quickly left after saluting them. He felt no benefit in staying, knowing there was an unexplained tension among the team leaders.
“Why again? And aren’t you all supposed to be working? Why are you all wandering around together?”
“It’s lunchtime.”
Seira’s sharp voice made her realize she had missed checking the time. It was indeed lunchtime, but why did that explain the presence of four team leaders on the rooftop?
Lu Che approached her, and seeing her face, she assumed Seira had just finished a heated argument with someone.
“I was talking with Angelique about wanting spicy seafood noodles for lunch!”
Next to her, Angelique wore a pained expression with an awkward smile.
“But Seira insists on eating naengmyeon on rainy days! That’s what I’m eating, isn’t it too much?”
“I’m eating it too, but Chinese restaurants don’t serve naengmyeon!”
Unable to look at the two arguing over such trivial reasons without mixed feelings, she turned away.
Even Esmeralda, watching from the back, shared her exasperated expression.
It seemed the three were discussing ordering food when Lu Che and Seira started fighting, and Angelique and Esmeralda joined in.
While worried about Green and the upcoming trip with Eunji,
First, it would be best to resolve the lunch menu dispute between these two.
