< Chapter 48 >
Not long ago.
Even on the weekend, the rain was still pouring down, and the children who couldn’t go anywhere were staying indoors. Having been cooped up at home all week, the children had grown tired of playing, becoming quieter. Blue was diligently planning their travel itinerary.
The destination was set, and Blue intended to bring everything necessary for Ho Young.
Although Blue thought of this journey as going for Ho Young rather than themselves, excitement was inevitable.
In fact, since A was going as Ho Young’s guardian, Blue didn’t necessarily have to go. However, as a guardian, Blue was concerned, and honestly felt that they needed some fresh air too.
“Older Sister.”
Ho Young, who came to Blue’s room, approached her. Blue smiled and greeted the boy, wondering what was happening.
“Hmm?”
“Is this shirt better? Or maybe this one?”
Choosing clothes for the trip, Ho Young held a blue striped T-shirt in one hand and a black Nagrang T-shirt in the other.
“Both are fine, but I think this one suits you more, Ho Young.”
After choosing the striped T-shirt, Ho Young nodded and went back to his room. Blue was surprised by Ho Young’s unusual behavior after seeing him play with Yujin not long ago.
It seemed that Ho Young had enjoyed being with his girlfriend, but he returned home as usual, without any trace of excitement.
Blindly thinking it was just about children meeting, Blue realized anew how seriously even young people take meeting the opposite sex.
Finding it ridiculous to judge young children’s relationships when they hadn’t had any experience, Blue couldn’t help but laugh.
‘Someday, I’ll understand.’
Blue thought that if Ho Young ever got a partner, they would fully understand the emotions Ho Young was feeling now.
While happily pondering what to make and eat during the trip, there was still one uncertain part, which Blue believed would be resolved.
As time passed, the rain grew heavier. Due to the rainy season, this was typical. The rain poured incessantly, paused briefly, then resumed.
Thinking it was a nice summer day, Blue felt a heavy breathlessness when considering the hot weather after the rain.
While watching the rain from the window, Blue heard the sound of the front door unlocking.
Knowing someone was waiting, Blue immediately headed to the entrance.
The children who had been quietly staying in the room rushed to the entrance at the sound of the door opening. There stood a couple.
“Mom!”
They were Ho Young’s parents. The husband was Blue’s older brother, and the wife was Blue’s new sister-in-law.
“Were you well-behaved?”
Blue hugged the second child, while the first child helped carry the items their parents brought into the living room.
Ho Young, standing afar, looked at his father until their eyes met, and then greeted him. Soon, Blue’s eyes met those of her brother.
“Did you come back?”
“Yeah. Nothing much happened at home.”
“Nothing did.”
Just as they exchanged light conversation, Blue’s new sister-in-law’s sharp voice directed towards Blue.
“What do you mean nothing? You can’t even manage household expenses and ask for money from someone on a trip.”
“I’m sorry. Did you enjoy your trip?”
“It was okay.”
The couple had gone on overseas trips every year since marriage, and this year was no exception. They had gone to the Philippines, a place Blue had never visited, nor even considered traveling to properly.
“The Philippines is hot, but it’s no joke here either.”
Blue’s brother, annoyed by the humid and hot weather, carried their suitcase into the room.
“There’s laundry in the suitcase, so please sort it out. And get some bathwater ready. It’s so uncomfortable I can’t stand it.”
The new sister-in-law placed the suitcase in the entryway and went inside. Blue responded with a short “Yes,” then opened the suitcase.
The clothes inside were crammed into the suitcase untidily.
“Little one~ Mom’s here.”
The new sister-in-law approached Ho Young, who was watching from afar, but he only replied with a brief “Yeah” before not coming closer.
Sorting through the clothes in the suitcase and putting laundry in the washing machine, Blue heard the new sister-in-law’s voice again.
“When will the bathwater be ready?!”
“I’ll do it right away.”
Despite the irritated tone, Blue showed no displeasure and pressed the buttons for detergent and fabric softener on the washing machine before heading straight to the bathroom.
Starting to fill the empty bathtub with water, Blue prepared dinner knowing it was nearing mealtime.
Busy handling multiple tasks simultaneously upon her brother and sister-in-law’s return, Blue efficiently managed everything as if she were used to it.
After finishing dinner, Blue had something to discuss with the new sister-in-law.
“There’s…”
Approaching the sofa where she was watching TV, Blue began.
The new sister-in-law sent an unfounded look of dissatisfaction towards Blue, who hadn’t yet broached any topic.
“Next Monday, I want to take Ho Young on a trip…”
“A trip?”
Surprised by the word “trip,” which Blue had never uttered before, there was a hint of dissatisfaction in the surprise.
“What kind of trip? Who is Ho Young going with?”
“His kindergarten friend and the guardian, who said they wanted to travel with Ho Young.”
“But isn’t there a guardian already? Then why do you need to go?”
“Since Ho Young is young, I thought it might be better if a guardian goes too.”
Fixated on the TV, the new sister-in-law glared at Blue with a disbelieving look.
“Why should you be Ho Young’s guardian?”
“That’s just as a companion…”
“And if only Ho Young goes, what about the others?”
The initial proposal for the trip came from the other side, and the person willing to go was Ho Young. Accepting this, it felt inappropriate to mention taking the other children along.
“Wouldn’t the kids feel discriminated against? How will you handle it if they feel deprived?”
The new sister-in-law, who had been speaking sharply, suddenly narrowed her eyes and spoke sharply.
“The guardian there is a man, right?”
“Yes, but…”
“Are you using the kid as an excuse to meet a man?”
“No! That’s not it at all.”
“You’re not? You complain about housework, and yet you think it’s okay to take only one of us out to play?”
Though excited about the trip, Blue regretted bringing it up and lowered her head silently.
“In any case, I won’t allow it. If you go, who will take care of the housework?”
“Just for one day… That’s all.”
“Do you want me to drag this out?”
It was clear it wouldn’t work. Dejectedly returning to the room, Blue looked at the smartphone on the desk.
It would be best to inform them that the trip wasn’t possible.
But Blue could vividly picture Yujin and Ho Young enjoying themselves. Surely, telling them they couldn’t go would disappoint both children.
Even just a moment ago, Ho Young had been excited about the upcoming trip. Despite his quiet nature, Blue knew he was happy because she had seen it over the long period of caring for him. She knew he was joyful now.
Worrying wouldn’t solve anything. The outcome was clear: they couldn’t go. Blue had to tell the current situation and take responsibility.
[I’m sorry. It seems we can’t go on the trip. I know you’ve taken care of us, and I’m truly sorry.]
After much deliberation, Blue finally sent the message and received a call from A shortly after.
“Hello?”
“Yes. I received your message. Can I see you for a moment?”
“Now?”
Unable to refuse the undeniable tone in A’s voice, Blue received the meeting location via text and quickly got dressed. Though hastily dressed, it was still just plain jeans and a gray T-shirt.
“I’ll be back soon.”
Saying this, Blue headed to the entrance, but no one else seemed to care. Only Ho Young watched Blue leave and acknowledged the gesture with a nod. Leaving the house, Blue took the subway.
There were different ways to go, but Blue sent the address of their house. It wasn’t far or difficult, making this option convenient. From the looks of it, there seemed to be unspoken family issues at Blue’s house too.
There were several oddities. Despite having both parents, Blue was solely responsible for the children’s upbringing.
If the parents worked abroad, it made sense to bring the children along. Leaving the children at home and entrusting them to Blue? That was an unacceptable choice for anyone.
Even if they occasionally traveled abroad for work, it was equally strange. The reality remained that Blue, not the parents, bore the brunt of childcare.
Sitting on a bench across the street from Blue’s house, drinking a beverage bought from a convenience store, Green was presumed to be away with HunterKiller, leaving only an unfamiliar male part-time worker at the store.
I wonder what Yubin is doing? Maybe I should leave a text saying to come home after finishing.
Lost in thought, Blue saw Yubin approaching from afar and waved to greet them. Seeing Blue, Yubin waved back and ran over.
“I’m sorry. Even with the rain, I made you come here.”
“No, I’m the one who’s sorry. With the trip canceled…”
There was no reason to beat around the bush. Neither felt like it.
Sometimes, there were processes to go through before getting to the main point. This time, Blue needed to go through a process to reach their main point, but decided to skip it.
“How does Hayang want to proceed?”
“Huh?”
Not understanding the intent of the question immediately, Blue looked at her with wide eyes.
“About the trip. Don’t you want to go?”
Caught off guard, Blue shook their head immediately.
“No, I do want to go.”
“But why do you think you can’t?”
This part was still unclear. Given the serious situation preventing them from going, Blue needed to check their thoughts before addressing the reason.
Clearly, Blue wanted to go on the trip. Knowing that, the next step was to find out why they couldn’t and whether the situation could be changed based on the reason.
“Sister-in-law. It’s because Ho Young’s mother opposes it.”
First, Blue tried to think rationally. Even if an aunt acts as a guardian, parents might not want to send their children on a trip arranged by someone they don’t know.
“Why does she oppose it?”
“There are various reasons, but probably because there won’t be anyone to handle household chores if I go on the trip.”
The reason was unexpectedly absurd, and Blue couldn’t help but laugh. Wanting to organize thoughts, Blue scratched their head, but the situation didn’t require it, leaving a headache.
This is frustration. The frustration felt by Earthlings, who view hyper-humans merely as tools or means.
“What do you two do?”
“This time, we went on an overseas trip, and now we’re at home. We work during weekdays.”
To prevent someone from going on a trip because of household chores, despite leaving the children’s care to someone else, it’s hard to understand where to find satisfaction in this situation.
These people… No, let’s not generalize.
So far, Blue hasn’t mentioned the father, Ho Young’s dad. This suggests the problem likely lies with the sister-in-law.
Given how they’ve left Blue alone in this situation, the brother might not be much of a human, but it’s too early to lump him in with criticism.
“How does Hayang want to proceed? You want to go, right?”
“…Yes.”
Hesitating for a moment, the sister-in-law nodded again.
“Then let’s go.”
“Huh?”
“On Monday morning, I’ll wait at the station.”
Recently, Blue hadn’t openly expressed frustration. Though moments of frustration occurred, they never reached the point of outward expression.
Now, however, Blue was openly expressing their frustration, directed not at Blue but at the sister-in-law. Despite this, Blue had to bear the brunt of it.
Describing it as frustration, there was also a somewhat coercive approach based on that frustration.
“Make the judgment, Hayang. I’ll wait with Yujin.”
Our trip isn’t for mutual enjoyment. It might be tough for both of us. But we’ve decided to go for the sake of the children.
Initially hoping they couldn’t go, once it was decided to go, preparations were made.
Wanting to ensure the children could play sufficiently, even though the environment wasn’t ideal.
The conversation ended ambiguously. There was no clear resolution, and no one’s feelings were settled. Blue gave options, and Blue had to choose.
The situation was harsh for Blue, and Blue might have appeared cold-hearted, but without Blue making their own judgment, there was nothing Blue could do to help.
“Then I’ll go in.”
Blue bowed and slowly walked away.
“Hayang. It’s Monday.”
Speaking to Blue’s back, Blue turned and bowed in response before continuing on their way.
“…Damn.”
Swallowing the strong curse words on their lips, Blue entered the house.
Lost in thought, walking and pondering the best decision, Blue stopped at the sight of a stranger in front of them.
“Blue?”
“Red? Meeting here?”
Red was there, called by headquarters regarding something related to Green. Blue was surprised to see Red, who also looked startled.
“Oh. What brings you here?”
HunterKiller team dynamics had improved recently, and Blue and Red weren’t particularly close, but Blue knew where Red lived.
“Oh. Red’s house is nearby, right?”
Technically, it was a bit further, but Blue only knew roughly where it was. So, Blue assumed Red lived nearby.
“Yeah. What’s up with you?”
“There’s someone I know nearby. Came to check on them.”
Surprised to learn Blue had someone to meet, Red had always seemed like someone who spent all their time with the children.
Of course, even busy, there are always people to meet. Thinking otherwise could be rude, but these two aren’t ordinary humans—they’re hyper-humans.
It’s not odd to be surprised by the existence of friends.
“Are you heading home?”
“Yeah. Is the Green issue resolved?”
“It’s a bit complicated to explain now. I’ll tell you at the next meeting.”
“Got it.”
The awkward relationship between the two led to an awkward farewell. After watching Blue walk away, Red headed to A’s house.
Two days passed.
Waiting at the station to go to Gangneung, I sat next to Yujin, who was equally anxious.
“Uncle. You’re coming, right? Right?”
Yujin, informed by Ho Young that they couldn’t go, repeatedly asked if they could go. Initially, Blue answered affirmatively to avoid disappointment.
If Blue told them they couldn’t go, the whole day would be ruined for Yujin, who had proposed the trip.
Anxiety made my legs tremble, and I turned my head at the inexplicable sensation.
A woman with blue hair and a young boy holding her hand stood in the station looking for someone.
Immediately, I nudged Yujin’s shoulder and pointed at them.
“Look. I told you they’d come.”
Coincidentally, they spotted us too. As Ho Young and Yujin exchanged greetings,
Blue and I met eyes wordlessly. Clearly, everything wasn’t perfect.
This wasn’t entirely due to my influence.
I thought that even a small trigger would suffice. Small triggers can lead to big changes.
With the given trigger, there were multiple choices. Blue chose one, and although it wasn’t entirely comforting, we managed to go on a short trip.
