Chapter 173

< The Unchanging Thing (4) >

***

Jang Gun-i, who used to run to me first whenever we met, was sitting quietly and watching, which felt unfamiliar. Do dogs mature too? But that’s not important right now.

‘Our Yoo-jin must’ve been really scared.’

Seeing his younger sister trembling in his arms, Jin Hyuk sensed that something had happened.

And then.

‘Oh my, this kid’s charging up fast.’

Jin Hyuk felt vibrations in his body, like grains of sand in an ultrasonic cleaner.

Since it wasn’t enough to affect his condition, Jin Hyuk let his sister do as she pleased. After all, Yoo-jin wasn’t the type to hurt anyone, and it was probably something she couldn’t help doing.

He simply patted the back of his sister’s head, who was burying her face in his chest and sobbing, showing his affection.

‘Cry as much as you want.’

*

Do kids really grow up so fast even after just a short time apart?

Yoo-jin seemed to have grown a bit more in just a few days.

Her height, her speech, and her actions.

“Oh my, our Yoo-jin must’ve been really scared.”

“I managed to hold on somehow.”

“I see…”

Jin Hyuk doesn’t disagree with the saying that events make people grow.

Even during the wild boar incident, Yoo-jin showed composure.

Now she’s even using words that adults use. Only her voice and tone are still childlike.

“-I kept hearing voices. So I knew you’d come.”

“I see…”

Chirp chirp-.

She kept saying she thought of her brother, that her brother kept talking to her in her head. So she believed he’d come soon, but Jin Hyuk couldn’t think of anything else to say.

‘Yoo-jin has such a good memory, remembering things so vividly. Meanwhile, I’m getting dumber.’

He just dozed off under the car’s AC breeze, not doing much else, but he couldn’t exactly say that, could he? His sister was so excited, no need to ruin the mood…

While listening to Yoo-jin’s detailed explanation, Jin Hyuk felt relieved and thought it was fortunate that Jang Gun-i and his pack had accompanied them. He didn’t even want to think about what might’ve happened without them.

“You guys worked hard.”

Jin Hyuk gave each dog a pat on the cheeks.

When he did this, the dogs would get excited, stick their tongues out longer, and wag their tails harder.

“Yoo-jin, even adults can’t do much in situations like that. I hope you don’t go to dangerous places without your brother or uncles from now on.”

“Okay…”

Perhaps because of the scolding-like advice, the atmosphere suddenly became awkward.

From Yoo-jin’s changed tone to her sullen expression, Jin Hyuk felt a sense of frustration.

Then Yoo-jin muttered softly.

“We were supposed to make a boat and play…”

Jin Hyuk’s hearing wouldn’t miss that lingering regret.

‘Ah, we made that promise.’

How far back does Yoo-jin remember things? To Jin Hyuk, who barely remembers anything from his childhood, his sister seemed like a true genius. Or maybe she just couldn’t let go of the promise she made with her brother.

“Yoo-jin, can’t we just use a tube?”

They had an indoor pool, so they could swim regardless of the season or weather, and when tired, they could play on tubes. Was a boat really that important? Is this part of a child’s dream…?

“Tubes and boats are different.”

“That’s true. But-.”

“But it’s okay now. I tried a boat today, and it wasn’t fun. The boat was too small, and my stomach felt itchy-.”

Yoo-jin, who usually listened obediently, suddenly cut her brother off.

The small boat felt too hot when I touched it, and it wasn’t the wooden boat I wanted. It was more like an iron plate attached to a dirt house’s storage door.

Yoo-jin, feeling better, started chattering about her experience.

Lee Dong-ho, who was walking with them, nodded in agreement.

Jin Hyuk knelt down and gently held Yoo-jin’s shoulders, his smile unchanged.

“Do you know why it wasn’t fun today?”

“Why?”

Yoo-jin’s face brightened as she looked into her brother’s eyes. Her round eyes were full of anticipation for his next words.

“Because I wasn’t there. We were supposed to make a boat and ride it together, but you rode it alone.”

“Ah-.”

At times like this, she really resembles Mom.

Mom always reacted like she’d tasted something delicious whenever Jin Hyuk explained something in detail, and Yoo-jin took after her a lot.

“I’ll earn money and buy you a boat.”

“Buying isn’t fun. Making it is better…”

“Alright, let’s make it.”

Yoo-jin, seemingly fully convinced by her brother, was gently persuaded by Jin Hyuk.

“Making a boat is much harder than folding paper cranes or carving tops. I’ll need to research a lot.”

It’s not like you can just hollow out a log and call it a boat.

You’d need to design it and learn drying techniques, right? We’d have to test its safety by letting Jang Gun-i ride it first, and we’d need to experiment with how many people it can carry using sandbags.

Jin Hyuk wanted to cheer Yoo-jin up and keep his promise to her.

“Like you said, Yoo-jin, buying something with money isn’t fun, right? Give me some time, and I’ll make a cool boat for you.”

“Hehe-.”

Luckily, Yoo-jin was a good sister who was happy just with her brother’s promise.

She nodded vigorously, showing her satisfaction.

“There’s a gift for you at home. I brought it from Seoul.”

“What is it? No! Don’t tell me. I want to see it myself.”

Wow, lucky. I only get hand-me-downs from my brothers. Lee Dong-ho muttered enviously.

Lee Dong-ho always envied Son Yoo-jin for having an older brother with a big age gap. He admired how he looked bigger and stronger than adults but never bullied his sister. He mentioned something about formula, but later they ate together, and even though he burst a doll boat, he didn’t hit his sister. In the end, the brother even sewed the doll back.

My brothers are like Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, bullying their siblings and stealing food, but Son Yoo-jin’s brother is like the Genie from the lamp.

“I brought a gift for Dong-ho too.”

Wow, Son Yoo-jin is really lucky.

To have a rich brother who even takes care of her friends.

That’s why Lee Dong-ho envies Son Yoo-jin even more.

“Hehe. Let’s go quickly.”

Just as Yoo-jin was pulling her brother’s hand.

“Yoo-jin, you were crying earlier, but now you’re laughing-.”

“I just cried because I saw you.”

Well, it’s okay to cry.

“If you cry and then laugh, you’ll grow hair on your butt- Ouch!”

Yoo-jin punched her brother’s stomach and walked ahead.

‘What, she…’

She’s starting to resemble Su-jeong.

Compared to two years ago, a year ago, and even a month ago, Yoo-jin has changed a lot.

***

When we got home, the stroller was nowhere to be seen.

Mom has been teaching Gwak Hyang-rim how to knit lately, so it seems she took Jeong Won in the stroller to Jo Il-hun’s house. That’s a relief because we don’t have to worry the adults unnecessarily. We don’t have to talk about what happened at the beach.

“Ajjigom, today we went to the beach, and something happened-.”

While Yoo-jin was telling Ajjigom about her adventure, I decided to wash Lee Dong-ho first.

“I’m a bit embarrassed.”

Lee Dong-ho, completely naked in the bathroom, covered his privates with both hands and stomped his feet.

Country kids run around naked even at eight years old, but Lee Dong-ho, who’s from Seoul, seemed embarrassed to be exposed in front of someone other than family.

“But if you don’t wash, your mom will scold you, right?”

Knowing how much Lee Dong-ho’s mom cares about her kids, Jin Hyuk’s words immediately subdued him. At least he’s a kid who listens.

“The soap smells nice.”

“The shampoo is white. Ours is green.”

“The body wash has more foam than the one at home.”

“I think something got in my eye.”

“It stings when I rub it with a towel.”

“Can I brush my teeth at home?”

“Hey-, Son Yoo-jin? Can you tell your brother not to make me brush my teeth for me?”

Geez, this kid talks so much.

Jin Hyuk bit his lip to hold back his laughter.

‘I was talkative at that age too.’

I heard I used to brag and talk nonsense all the time, but I don’t remember any of it, which is a bit disappointing. Do childhood memories never return once they’re gone? Maybe it’s a good thing I don’t remember any embarrassing moments.

‘Raising kids is really hard.’

After washing Lee Dong-ho, I started washing the clothes soaked in seawater.

I gave the gold medal to my friends, and all that’s left is fatigue, but coming home to housework and childcare was unexpected.

Still, hand-washing takes less time than using the washing machine.

I put the salty clothes, socks, and hat into the spinner and set it for 10 minutes.

I haven’t used the spinner much since the washing machine improved, but for just the spin cycle, nothing beats the spinner. I wonder if a machine to replace it will ever come out.

‘Huh?’

I must’ve been tired.

Lee Dong-ho was sprawled out in front of the fan, fast asleep. Seeing him naked like that, I guess his embarrassment was just talk. I propped his head with a pillow and covered him from his stomach to his thighs with a towel. Even kids deserve privacy.

“Yoo-jin, let’s take a bath-.”

It was Yoo-jin’s turn to wash. She was dozing off on the sofa, hugging a doll like she was being carried by Ajjigom.

After being in the hot sea breeze and sweating, it was obvious she wouldn’t recover if she slept like that.

“The water’s cold. Did Lee Dong-ho wash with cold water too?”

“Yeah.”

“Yes.”

That Lee Dong-ho kid’s pretty tough, huh? Yoo-jin muttered, her face showing determination.

“Kyaaa-!”

“Whew-, our Yoo-jin must feel refreshed.”

Yoo-jin squealed and stomped her feet as cold water poured over her head, but she handled it well.

Later, she even showed composure, rubbing her face with her tiny hands and enjoying the cold water.

‘It seems like summer is finally ending.’

Jin Hyuk felt the change of season in the cold water temperature. The subtle changes in groundwater temperature with the seasons are as useful as the smell of the wind in gauging seasonal changes. Maybe it’s a skill only country folks can master.

‘The water’s really cold. Our Yoo-jin must be freezing.’

I’ll turn on the boiler when I shower.

Can’t risk muscle cramps.

*

After dressing her in clothes dried under the hot sun and cleaning her bag, I planned to take Lee Dong-ho home.

But it turned out I didn’t need to.

Woof-! Wooof-!

Jang Gun-i only barks like that when a stranger comes.

When he’s alone, he doesn’t bark even if a thief passes by, but now that he has his pack, he’s more confident.

“Oh my, you scared me! Are you here? Dong-ho-ya-.”

A woman, startled by Jang Gun-i’s barking, stopped in the middle of the yard and looked around.

It was Lee Dong-ho’s mom.

Our house is the biggest and tallest in the neighborhood, so it’s not hard for people from other areas to find us. Even the pastor from the church near Eodong Elementary School often comes by to evangelize. I wonder why he only targets our house.

“It’s hot, so have something cool before you go.”

Jin Hyuk invited Lee Dong-ho’s mom to sit on the living room sofa and offered her a cool juice.

“Something happened today-.”

I thought Lee Dong-ho’s mom might be shocked by the kids’ rambling about what happened at the beach. So, Jin Hyuk stepped in and explained what Yoo-jin had told him, without exaggerating. After all, she’s Lee Dong-ho’s guardian. It’s better to clarify things now to avoid misunderstandings later.

While the kids played with the dogs in the yard, Lee Dong-ho’s mom listened, sometimes surprised, sometimes relieved.

“Thank you for taking care of them.”

Luckily, it seemed to go over well.

She slapped Lee Dong-ho’s back a couple of times, but her touch was full of affection.

There’s no greater relief for a mom than seeing her cheerful son in good condition. Jin Hyuk thought he did well by washing the kid and doing the laundry.

“Oh my, our Yoo-jin must’ve been really scared, huh?”

Even without the way she hugged Yoo-jin and didn’t scold Lee Dong-ho, the bright smile of a mom added confidence to her actions.

“Lee Dong-ho, see you tomorrow.”

“Son Yoo-jin, take care. Brother, goodbye.”

“Alright, Dong-ho. Be careful, and come play again.”

Lee Dong-ho, holding a nicely wrapped gift, bowed slightly and followed his mom with excited steps.

Watching the mother and son chatter as they left, Jin Hyuk’s lips curled into a contented smile.

‘I used to go out with Mom like that when I was little.’

Holding Mom’s hand, looking up at her, and talking nonsense.

Every time, Mom would smile and stroke her little son’s head.

Ah! Now it’s time to show Yoo-jin the gift hidden in the dirt house yard.

‘I hope she likes it.’

I hope Lee Dong-ho likes his gift too.

When he gets home, he’ll proudly open his gift in front of his brothers. How happy he’ll be with the ray gun his brothers don’t have. I’ll have to deliver Kim Ho-jin’s gift soon.

“Ugh! Oh my- my body! The day feels so long!”

After washing up, I’ll put Yoo-jin on her new bike and go pick up Mom… huh?

As I stretched comfortably, I locked eyes with Jang Gun-i, who was sitting quietly. When Jang Gun-i puts his front paws together and tilts his head cutely, it means he wants something.

Ah, our Jang Gun-i. How smart. He’s giving me that look, asking for the gift I brought from Seoul.

I decided to give Jang Gun-i his gift before Yoo-jin and went into the living room.

“Let’s see, for our Jang Gun-i who did a great job, a delicious treat made from Australian beef… what’s this?”

Clatter-.

That’s not the sound.

Clatter-.

That’s not it either.

As Jin Hyuk shook the wrapped gifts one by one, he felt the blood drain from his face.

Oh no.

‘Why are all the ray guns here?’

That Lee Dong-ho kid took the dog treats instead.