Chapter 84 – Episode 84 – Short Days With My Stepdaughter
* Episode 84 – Short days with my stepdaughter
….
…
The sun has risen.
The day after the fight with the terrorists came.
It’s not a house. It’s not even a guild home.
I was lying down on the floor of a studio apartment that was good for one person to live in, sleeping.
‘I ended up falling asleep.’
I was drooling as I fell in love with the smell of the clean, soft, sun-soaked pillow.
The blanket covering it was thin, but the weather was warm, so I didn’t feel the cold.
Spring in May.
I couldn’t feel it in the residential area of the tower because the weather remained constant, but the sense of the seasons is vivid here.
There will probably be winter and it will snow. Even that would be for children.
‘Sometimes it’s good to go outside the tower and feel the season.’
I lifted my sagging body and stared blankly at the item placed on her bedside, lost in a brief sentiment.
This is my first time being so scared of looking at a cell phone.
[Ajumma is so good]
[Missed call (78)]
“Wow.”
78 phone calls.
I suddenly felt like I was screwed.
Before turning off my phone, I sent a message saying, “I will be with Leah for a while, so I will cut off contact for a while,” But there is no way the other person will accept that.
To understand the situation, I ignored my sister’s message and checked the message Ian sent.
[Today’s incoming call history]
[Great witch of the same age]
[8 a.M.]
[I barely let the lady sleep]
[You can bring your child, come down]
[If it’s impossible, please persuade me]
[I will calm this down, so don’t worry]
Why are the surrounding women just pretending to know something?
First, I sent it to them saying, “I will look at the situation and try to persuade you, so please wait a few days.”
-[Okay]
There were no other questions and answers.
Looks like they’re tired too.
I also stood up, looked around, and recognized it again as Leah’s house.
It must have been right after that happened, and the atmosphere became awkward, so he advised me, ‘It’s late at night, so go to sleep.’
Homelessness is dangerous and if you rent a place, you will be attacked, so it was good that I rented it with a grateful heart…
‘Even though he’s a kid, he stays cleaner than me.’
The blankets were folded well, the clothes were washed on the veranda outside the window, and there was no dust on the floor, as if it had just been cleaned.
There is nothing special in the room except for daily necessities.
Since it’s a girl, it wouldn’t be strange if there were dolls or decorative elements…
Is it at least a photo?
Photos in square frames are lined up on the desk.
Most of the photos are with the blue-skinned Eumma, and if you look at Leah smiling slightly, this Eumma may be the one who served as a nanny for nearly three years.
‘They are all similar photos…’
The exception is a picture frame that is turned upside down.
It seemed like some of them had been deliberately covered up for some reason.
I stretched out my hand to see what kind of photo it was.
“… Uncle.”
I heard Leah’s voice and turned my head.
The outstretched hand was naturally recovered.
“I think looking around other people’s rooms is a bad habit.”
“I don’t think that’s the kind of thing a girl who brings a man she’s never met into her room would say?”
“You don’t see elementary school students as objects of sexual desire, do you?”
“Is that possible? Take the joke as a joke. I’m freezing.”
A girl in red wearing her apron moved her table.
She was as tall as a middle school student, but she was thin, and she prepared a simple breakfast with a little whining.
It is not even a home-cooked meal, but a Korean-style meal.
Anyone who has lived alone for a long time knows this.
Even the simple soybean paste stew, the longer you live alone, the more bothersome it becomes and the less you do it.
“Let’s eat together.”
One night at a house rented by an elementary school student, eating a meal prepared by an elementary school student, what am I doing now? .
‘He’s even better than me.’
When I put the dish prepared by an elementary school student in her mouth, I told her that her tongue was so good and ordered her to move.
In the end, not a word was exchanged until the meal was over.
Still, he knew what I was thinking, so he opened up while washing the dishes.
“What are you going to do, uncle? Please tell me whether you will be on the 15th floor or downstairs.”
“That must have happened yesterday. It looks like you’ve gone crazy. I sent you a text message trying to convince you, so I’m going to use that as an excuse to hold my breath for a while.”
“What happens if I go down?”
“You’re going to torture me, asking where I met you.”
It’s not a joke.
It’s terrifying that that’s going to happen.
“And you?”
“Because of what happened yesterday, an emergency school closure order was issued. When I asked my fellow teachers, they said they would take a break for a month.”
“Do they know your identity?”
“Hazy. I immediately suspected that the smell of a graduated child was coming from the body of the new apprentice, Eumma.”
“So you almost know it?”
“Really just one or two people. Especially my former homeroom teacher was quick to notice.”
As I was admiring what an amazing ecology it was, the water stopped.
She wiped the moisture from her hands on her apron and came towards me.
“Don’t you ask anything else?”
“What?”
“You’re probably curious. Don’t you want to know why I said that to my aunt?”
“I’m curious. But I don’t think I should force myself to say it.”
“If it weren’t for you back then, I would have died, so you can ask that much.”
I’m talking about terrorism.
Well, I was the only one who could sort it out at the time.
“Seeing as you appealed twice, do you think you need someone to consult with?”
“Hmm.”
When I intentionally smiled and asked him a question, he felt embarrassed and took a step back.
‘The kid is right.’
Well, I was with Eumma for three years.
Everyone is a convenient adult who is either obsessed with sex or children.
There are children around her who do not meet Leah’s level of standards.
Since I wouldn’t have anyone to consult with, I could understand this reaction.
“That’s good, but we still have time. Let’s talk slowly instead of getting straight to the point.”
“What story?”
“Just what have you been doing? What did you do on a regular basis, and how did you feel when you first came here? What were your thoughts, and how did you get along with your friends? How did you get along with your teachers, and how did you become class president? There are so many things I’m curious about.”
“It’s almost a daily story. Maybe your aunt will come to get you, but is that important?”
“Why? It could be important. I heard that a young blood clot has been alone for three years. Don’t you think you can ask that much?”
“I’m not your kid.”
“Even if it’s not your child, it’s a human and adult to ask questions when you’re worried. … Even though I’m still in my 20s.”
“It seems really pervert to be obsessed with a boy you don’t know.”
“I’m aware of it too, so don’t stab me. Are you really crying? Is it because you want to see a big man lying on the floor and crying?”
“Hehe. Do you know what? I’m already sick of that.”
“… Well, the floor right downstairs was full of people like that.”
But I laughed.
Actually, I’m not old enough to be treated like an old man.
I’m scared that my sister’s mother will move, but Leah seems to like her.
Since it was a long time since I opened up, I listened to the story.
*
Contrary to my first impression that she seemed silent, she loved to talk.
She talked about everything from the story she heard right after she came here to what happened with Mama Umma as if it were just yesterday.
-I was suddenly transferred to this place while going to elementary school outside the tower.
-I was surprised at first. However, after seeing Eumma’s actions, she was relieved to learn that he was a class banned from combat, as the men working at the guild had said.
-At first, he wandered around, but was immediately caught and placed in a facility, where he was assigned Mama Eumma within a day.
-Afterward, I realized the situation when I heard the top owner yelling loudly.
I kept it short, but my explanation was very long.
Because Leah remembered in great detail what she was feeling at the time.
-She was at a time when her heart was exhausted for some reason, and here she came and cried sincerely.
-At first, she was overly cautious against Eumma, but now that she thinks about it, she didn’t need to be that way.
She had animosity toward Eumma, who called herself her parent, and it was only after a year that she was finally relieved.
-The life afterwards was so peaceful that it was said that ‘the past was like a lie.’
… It happened in the past.
There were too many issues, but I pretended not to know and asked.
“How good was it?”
“It was so good that I thought I knew why kids become idiots.”
It was a brief and accurate review.
“Are you a good babysitter? Do you do it without causing any inconvenience?”
“It’s like a father coming to see his daughter a few years after his divorce.”
That’s why I bowed my head.
Leah laughed again.
She was a child who smiled more than expected.
“Even though you’ve been together for three years, you’ve probably developed a bond and have your own thoughts. Are you wrong?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
We looked at the picture frame on the desk together.
-Grand sports festival hosted by the school.
– School performance with parents.
-A talent festival held in the neighborhood.
-Cherry blossom outing in spring.
-In the fall, go hiking for the Silver Grass Flower Festival.
-The sea in summer.
-Snow fight in winter.
He is so sincere that on rainy days he runs with an umbrella.
We can say things simply, but how many of them are actually done?
“They’re almost real parents.”
“Yes. They are real parents. At least until their true nature comes out.”
Even though she talked about her memories like that, she didn’t put her mind to it.
There was affection, but it was said like an old story.
“No matter how much they act like real parents, they end up doing nothing. Motherhood itself is the culprit that stimulates their sexual desires, so on the day after a big festival or event where parents and children attend together, they lock themselves in their rooms and indulge in masturbation.”
I thought it was a good story, but it all blew away with that one thing.
“So at some point, I stopped giving him much affection. I thought he had affection for me too, but his sexual desires took priority.”
“Are we still seeing each other now?”
“We do keep in touch. It’s just a hello. Every time we meet, they show me a picture of the new child they are raising, so it’s hard to react.”
“That’s enough to make you laugh-“
“-He said he would lend me the masturbation device he used once I got out of my apprenticeship and became a real eumma.”
“Let’s stop. I feel sick.”
What are you telling elementary school students about that trash?
Even though she is a good parent, she is ultimately a female?
“Really? Then shall we stop here?”
“No, let’s take a break and talk. I’d like to hear what you’ve already heard about your school.”
“Didn’t you see it at Kids World?”
“Ah. Did you see his post? The vice-captain really liked you.”
“He was my best friend.”
“You said you did well in school? They say the kids trust you and follow you?”
“Is it okay to say that… I’m not sure about that.”
“If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have left such a longing note on your desk. You did well on your own. You made a lot of friends, and you’re great.”
He praised me for doing a good job and touched my hair with my palm to make it thinner.
Her neatly organized red hair flowed like silk.
“…”
“… Why? You’re so bare-faced? Don’t you feel bad?”
“No.”
“Okay. That’s it.”
While Leah was quiet, playing with her hair, she looked out onto her veranda.
The siren sounded again, and the surroundings became chaotic.
Although it wasn’t as bad as yesterday’s terrorist attack, there were signs that it would spread if left unattended.
“Uncle, I’ll go out for a moment.”
“Would you like to have a good time?”
“If you don’t intervene, you’ll be like that all day. It’ll be dinner when you get back. Eat first.”
“I’ll be receiving another commendation.”
“That’s right. I get everything from my mother that I never received at school.”
Is it the mechanic, or is it another hunter? If it’s around here, it’s definitely because of Leah.
If the former is resolved through storytelling, if the latter is the use of force again.
‘I know I’m with Leah, so all I have to do is pay the reward and announce that I’ve found it-‘
Feeling a little strange, she put on her coat and jumped high over the veranda.
