## Chapter 241 – Extra Story) Graduation Ceremony and a Strange Person
Not quite like the library, but with a faint scent of books lingering at the tip of my nose and the noise of chattering voices.
In the long hallway, students in identical uniforms were engaged in conversations,
some with their parents, and others gathered with friends they had spent their school days with, taking pictures.
“It’s so nice to feel young.”
“Listening to you talk, anyone would think you’re 50. You’re only 26.”
A woman spouting old-man-like remarks while watching the students brimming with energy pass through the hallway,
and another woman looking at her with an expression that still seemed to find her pathetic,
while I was squatting on the cold floor of the hallway, fiddling with my phone.
“…But is it okay for us to be here? Seohee, you’re her real sister, so it’s one thing, but what about me and Chaeyoon?”
“What do you mean? It’s not like you guys don’t know Nabi. It’s good to have a lot of people at the graduation ceremony.
But why didn’t the others come? I didn’t invite that many people, so why just you guys…”
The reason for visiting a ‘high school’ after so long was none other than the graduation ceremony,
the day Nabi, who had been living a normal life as Seohee’s younger sister, was becoming an adult.
So, a week ago, after receiving a call from Seohee, we had decided to meet at the school, but
Seohee, puzzled by the smaller-than-expected number of people, turned her head this way and that, and Chaeyoon opened her mouth.
“Ilan Unni is busy taking her kid to kindergarten, and Sua Unni seems to be busy with work.
You know that security company they started recently? Sua Unni is working there.”
“…And why did you invite so many people? It’s just a high school graduation ceremony, we only need the people who need to be here.
We came to congratulate her, but if it’s just a bunch of women gathered, wouldn’t that look weird?”
“…I guess you’re right, but are you free? Isn’t it almost time to open your restaurant?”
“There’s no need to rush. The ‘staff’ will take care of everything, so I can go slowly.
Ilan Noona even offered to take Hoyoung to kindergarten for me, saying I should rest on an important day like today.”
A week ago, Ilan Noona, who had received a call from Seohee, puffed up her small body, saying she would take care of it that day, flashed through my mind. Well, one day won’t hurt…
Come to think of it, it’s usually the time when I would be opening the restaurant and doing business, but
sitting blankly at school and tapping on my phone, I feel strangely comfortable.
I’ve been living so busy since that day, and not long after that, my son was born.
I didn’t have a ceremony with Dalli Noona, and I gave her a flower like I did to the Flower Petals.
And then I immediately left my son with Noona, shaved my head, and had to go to the training center.
Of course, I was assigned to a regular commuting position because I had a family to support.
Like the stories that discharged soldiers tell, I finished my service without anything particularly special happening,
and immediately registered for a cooking academy and started getting various chef certifications.
I didn’t really know what to do, so I learned Korean, Japanese, and Western cuisine. Oh, I didn’t learn Chinese cuisine.
It was cumbersome, and I couldn’t control my strength while cooking, so I ended up denting the wok several times…
Anyway, I lived a calm but busy life. Studying, taking care of my child, and living as a real adult.
I went about my daily life, feeling anew that my mother and father were truly amazing people.
Then, when I came to my senses, six years had already passed,
Nabi had graduated from high school, and my son was calling me ‘Dad’ instead of babbling.
And with the help of Minjung and Seohee, I opened a small restaurant and got a job.
Thanks to Ilan Noona and Chaeyoon, who are savvy with the internet, the restaurant quickly gained word-of-mouth,
and although it wasn’t famous enough to be on TV, it was popular enough to earn enough to feed my child without worry.
“…Thinking about it, I’ve been living really hard?”
While staring blankly ahead and recalling the tough but not-so-tough things that had happened over the past six years,
I unintentionally blurted out a loud voice, and Seohee, startled, lowered her head and awkwardly said.
“…Well, yeah? Who would have known that a guy like you would be good to his kids and wives.”
“Unni, ‘wives’… Be quiet where there are a lot of ears listening.”
“What does it matter? No one can hear anyway.”
Watching the spectacle of Seohee getting scolded by Chaeyoon right in front of my eyes, I was thinking about the restaurant business.
During the six years, I had changed a lot, and at the same time, I was having a lot of random thoughts.
Just ordinary, well… it’s a bit of a stretch to call it ordinary, but thoughts about everyday life.
“Ah, Lee Chaeyoon, what did you do with Sihae today? Did you leave her with Theresa?”
“Yes, I left our little girl there too. Hehet.”
“Good job. Then let’s have her sleep at that house today, we’re going to take Sihae and Hoyoung to play on the weekend.”
Of course, Ilan Noona wasn’t the only one I had a child with. After Hoyoung came into the world,
after I finished my military service, Chaeyoon became pregnant again. A human child, not a seed.
The birth registration was easily done with the several fake identities that Minjung had prepared in advance,
and I was living a polygamous life that people in modern South Korea would never understand.
“…Hehe…♡ Oppa, why don’t we do it tonight? Ilan Unni told you to rest,
and I happen to be free today, and Sihae is gone for once… Shall we make a second…?♡”
“…Didn’t you tell me to watch my words at school earlier?”
Chaeyoon, who had come to my side and was flirting with me, and Seohee, who was looking at her with a pathetic expression.
I’m used to their fight now, so I ignored them and tried to turn on my phone to check my schedule, but I felt a presence.
Someone was tapping my shoulder with something hard. When I turned my head in that direction…
“…Why are these Unnis doing this again?”
Nabi, wearing a name tag that said ‘Kim Nabi’ and holding a diploma that was tapping my shoulder, was standing there.
Nabi, who had come down the stairs, sighed deeply as she looked at Chaeyoon and Seohee.
“They’re always like this. Just ignore these two, how was it? Did you take pictures with your friends?”
“Yes, thanks to you… Thank you for coming…”
“You don’t have to thank me.”
Perhaps embarrassed, Nabi covered her reddened cheeks with her diploma and avoided eye contact as she expressed her gratitude.
As I stroked her hair, I realized how much taller Nabi had grown in the past six years.
“…What are we going to do for lunch? Are you going to eat with your friends? Or with Seohee?”
I quickly asked a question to change the atmosphere, as I felt an awkwardness starting to form.
“Ah, I’m going to eat with Unni. But I haven’t decided what to eat yet…”
Nabi must have been unable to stand the strange awkwardness, as she started answering as soon as the question was finished, but
she trailed off and her voice gradually slowed down, and she covered her face with her diploma again and spoke.
“…Can I eat at Unni and Oppa’s restaurant today…?”
…What am I going to do again, does she think it’s a huge inconvenience to come to my restaurant?
Or is she uncomfortable with me? She definitely wasn’t like this before…
She started acting like this after going to school. Is she having a late adolescence?
…Anyway,
“Yeah, you can. But today’s lunch is fully booked, so eat somewhere else with Seohee, and come for dinner.
You’re old enough to drink now, so I’ll give you an expensive dinner and drinks. It’s a graduation present.”
“…Yes, I’ll go. See you later for dinner…”
It felt like I was talking to the ‘diploma’ with the word ‘graduation’ written on it in large gold letters.
From behind the diploma that still covered her face, I heard Nabi’s creeping answer,
and Nabi quickly passed by me and skillfully separated Seohee and Chaeyoon, who were bickering.
“Oh, Nabi, when did you get here?”
“Just now, I told you not to do this outside, didn’t I?”
Nabi scolded Seohee, who seemed surprised by Nabi’s sudden appearance and widened her eyes.
And behind her, I could see Chaeyoon chuckling as she watched.
“Oh my? Seohee Unni’s personality has mellowed out a lot. She can’t even say a word to her younger sister…”
“Chaeyoon Unni too. If you keep teasing her like that, you’re going to fight with Unni.”
“…I’m sorry…”
Chaeyoon’s voice became lower and weaker as she realized that she was also being scolded.
A 27-year-old and a 26-year-old adult being scolded by a 20-year-old. It’s always funny and interesting to watch.
But if I leave them like this, they’ll be scolded for a long time, so I’ll cut it off at this point and…
“That’s enough. Chaeyoon and I have to go soon, and if we’re any later, there won’t be any seats at the nearby restaurants.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
Leaving behind Nabi, who was feeling awkward, and Chaeyoon and Seohee, who were bowing their heads in embarrassment,
I turned my head and called out to a male student passing by in the hallway.
“Excuse me, I’m sorry. But could you take a picture of us?”
“Ah, yes. I’ll take it for you.”
The male student who took the phone I handed him and took his place held the phone towards us.
I put the flustered Nabi in the center, and Seohee put her hand on Nabi’s shoulder.
With Chaeyoon and I on either side of her, looking straight ahead, the male student nodded.
“I’m going to take it, one, two, three.”
……………..
…………….
…………….
“It turned out well.”
“Yeah, Nabi’s gotten so much taller.”
“Yes, she was pretty before and had a great style, but she’s even prettier now that she’s grown up.
But according to Seohee Unni, Nabi hasn’t even had a boyfriend yet, even though she’s like that.”
“Really? That’s very surprising.”
In the car I was driving, Chaeyoon was showing me the picture we had just taken while waiting for the traffic light.
On the way to work at the restaurant, I had a trivial chat with her.
“Um… Still, someone like Nabi will probably get a boyfriend soon, right? If she goes to college, that’s about it…”
“Yeah, probably. But I’ll never give Nabi to some random bonehead.”
“Haha, Oppa, you’re not Nabi’s dad, so don’t make jokes like that…”
“I’m not joking?”
“…..”
As Chaeyoon and I exchanged jokes that weren’t jokes, we arrived at the restaurant’s parking lot.
I parked the car in the quiet parking lot and got out, walking towards the front door of the restaurant with Chaeyoon.
“It’s 1:30 now, right? What time were the first customers scheduled to arrive?”
“2:30. There’s still a lot of time left. Our toys… I mean, ‘staff’ will have finished preparing.”
As Chaeyoon and I had a public conversation, not the usual trivial chat, we turned the corner.
A tingling sensation, a sensation that traveled up the spine from the tailbone and tickled the lower part of the brain.
It was a sensation that I hadn’t felt since six years ago.
‘Stop for a moment.’ ‘There’s no hostility…’ ‘It’s not human?’
Danger sense. As soon as I felt it, I hid Chaeyoon behind me, and at the end of my gaze, a woman was standing.
A woman with mysterious blue-tinged black hair and a neat suit, with a beautiful appearance.
The woman was quietly looking up at the restaurant, and then she turned to look at me, as if she had sensed my presence.
“…Who are you…”
“Ah, are you by any chance Mr. Kim, the owner of this restaurant?”
“Huh?”
Wait, Mr. Kim? Who is Mr. Kim? More than that, her image is completely shattered.
The woman, who looked like she would be very cold, greeted me with a friendly smile.
More than that, her tone is like something you would hear in a historical drama… What is this woman?
“Hmm, I guess I’m right. I’ve heard rumors that there’s something strange going on in this restaurant?”
“…Oppa, I think she’s… mentally ill.”
Chaeyoon said in a small voice so that the woman who was speaking in a loud voice wouldn’t hear.
I think so too. No, I want to think so. I’d rather she be a mental patient.
But if that’s the case, why did the danger sense warn me about this woman? Just a mental patient?
“…Strange things, what kind of things are you talking about?”
I decided to answer for now.
I need to find out what this woman is thinking and why she appeared in front of me.
“…The fact that you’re manipulating the women who have harmed this restaurant with something and hiring them as staff.
What do you think, Mr. Kim? It’s happening at your restaurant, don’t you have any idea?”
“……..”
This woman knows about this restaurant. She knows everything and is here to interrogate me.
What is her identity? A creator I don’t know? Or a remnant of the remaining research group?
“…Creator? Research group? I’m not someone who knows about such complicated things, so rest assured.
Anyway, I can’t get involved in this work, no matter what you guys do.”
“What…! You’re reading my mind…!”
“I’m sorry for probing. But I needed to know.
Mr. Kim, I needed to know if what you have is what I’m looking for.”
The woman, who lightly tapped my frozen chest, passed by me and made eye contact with Chaeyoon.
“In the end, what you guys had wasn’t what I was looking for. What a shame.
But it’s amazing, amazing. You guys aren’t ordinary humans. But you’re not spirits either,
and you’re definitely not the gods of this land. Are you gods from another land that I’ve never even heard of?”
This woman, who not only reads my mind but also sees through the essence of me and Chaeyoon.
…For now, I don’t see any hostility. For some reason, it’s also true that she can’t get involved with me.
“A god living a humble human life… I like it. Not bad!
Well, there were some good people among the humans you reached out to, but there were more bad people,
and in the first place, the gods here are cowards who don’t like to step forward, so I like Mr. Kim better.
Just keep living like this. Don’t touch any more good people, and you won’t see me again.”
With a bright smile, the woman passed by me as she was and left.
Huh? Is she really just going to leave like this? By the way, the gods here… Was she just a crazy woman after all?
“…What was she really?”
“…I don’t know either. As you said, maybe she was just a crazy woman…”
What should I say, she was a woman I couldn’t understand well.
I tried to read the woman’s mind using green, but
her mind was dark like the depths of the water.
She was a woman I couldn’t understand from the outside to the inside, but for some reason, I felt like I couldn’t ignore her advice.
“…I don’t know, I don’t know, but I don’t think I’ll see that woman again.”
She said things that were all strange in a strange tone, and she only said things that she knew,
so I had no idea what she wanted to say, but the words ‘just keep living like this’ were…
“I’m going to do that even if you don’t tell me.”
I muttered to myself and went up the stairs to enter the restaurant and grabbed the doorknob…
“Oh, well, it’s embarrassing to say that I won’t see you again and then do this…”
The woman who had gone so far away reappeared behind us and grabbed my sleeve.
“…I forgot that I had a reservation at this restaurant… Can I come in…”
“…You can use a historical drama tone, can’t you.”
I looked at Chaeyoon, leaving behind the woman who answered “Nehehe…” in a mouse-like voice.
Chaeyoon nodded and turned on her phone to search the reservation list and called out the woman’s name.
“…2:30 reservation, your name is unique. Is it ‘On Garam’?”
“That’s right! My name is On Garam!”
“…Back to the historical drama tone…”
A day that was no different from any other,
the first guest I received today was a slightly noisy, strange, and strange female guest.
