Chapter 260

I am Son Yoo-jin (4)

***

Son Yoo-jin walked around the neighborhood with Hongsi and Gwangma.

It wasn’t her intention to show off.

“Cheon Gil-ryong, goodbye! I’m going to America! America is a huge, huge country, and they even hold the Olympics there!”

The land of America is this big!

It wasn’t meant to be a boast, but before she knew it, her arms were spread wide.

“Hehehe-, do you know how to speak the language of those Western folks? If you can’t speak, you’ll get caught by Western ghosts and won’t even know it.”

“I am Son Yoo-jin!”

“Yes, yes. You’re doing well. Don’t even think about bringing back stuff like Western liquor or chocolate. Oh my, these shoes are so old, the heels are all worn out-.”

“Yes! I won’t bring back anything!”

Son Yoo-jin is the type to listen well to adults.

After coming down from Cheon Gil-ryong’s house, she stopped by Yook Seong-chan’s house.

“Mr. Young-gu! I’m going to America! They say if you kiss too much, your lips go ‘pop!’ and explode. Yook Seong-chan oppa knows that, right?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

She also left greetings at Lee Hae-won’s store.

It was the high school’s anniversary, so Lee Hae-won happened to be home.

“Hae-won unnie! I’m going to America! Yesterday, in the backyard of the training center, Yook Seong-chan oppa and I kissed- oops!”

Lee Hae-won quickly covered Son Yoo-jin’s mouth.

“Take this. It’s a gift from unnie.”

Out of nowhere, she even got a bottle of soju.

She must have been in a hurry to give it to her without the auntie noticing.

She was watching her surroundings like a squirrel cracking nuts.

She couldn’t skip Kim Ho-jin’s house either. Lee Dong-ho’s house was far, but since Kim Ho-jin lives in the inner village, she had to stop by.

“I’m going to America the day after tomorrow!”

“Wow-, I’m jealous.”

“Oh-, it’s nothing. Hehe-.”

“But why are you carrying soju around?”

“This is a gift I received. Lee Hae-won unnie gave it to me.”

It wasn’t her intention to boast about going to America or the soju.

It’s just that she wanted to greet her neighbors since they live there.

“But, class president, do you know how to speak American?”

“Of course! I am Son Yoo-jin! I speak English.”

“Why are you speaking English if you’re going to America? Isn’t English the language of England?”

Kim Ho-jin is sharp sometimes, and even Son Yoo-jin gets stuck occasionally.

In times like this, she just runs away.

“See you when I get back!”

And then she went far to the training center.

“Goodbye! I’m going to America!”

“What’s that soju for?”

“This is a gift, they say-.”

She wanted to give it to Yoo Myung-sun, but it felt like she would be disregarding the giver’s feelings, so she hugged it tightly.

“Ohoho-, alright. Who’s going to take care of this old man if our Yoo-jin isn’t here?”

“Hmm······.”

Unexpected questions make people feel awkward.

Her brother, who often studies for exams, solves practice books in advance to anticipate questions and prepare answers, but Son Yoo-jin hasn’t reached that level yet.

“Hehehe-, that’s enough. Have a safe trip.”

“I’ll be back safely!”

She bowed deeply and left the inner village.

Below the bus road, she could see earthen houses and a 3-story house. Passing by the scenery that always makes her happy and warms her heart, she headed to Kim In-rang’s house.

“Grandma!”

“Oh my, you scared me! Grandma’s ears are working fine, you rascal-.”

Kim In-rang’s mother, who had been hard of hearing, regained her hearing after living in the countryside.

It wasn’t due to aging but a small injury in her eardrum, and Son Yoo-jin’s eyes caught the tiny heart beating in the eardrum. Since she came to the countryside and met Son Yoo-jin, it’s true that it’s thanks to country life. Just like Yoo Myung-sun said.

“Mr. Kim Chun-sik!”

“I’m Chun-sam-ee-.”

She also stopped by Kim Eun-jung’s house to say hello and got a cow bone.

Carrying a bottle of soju and a cow bone tied with a string, she stopped by Jo Il-hun’s house. Jo Il-hun wasn’t home, so she left greetings with Gwak Hyang-rim.

“I’m going to America!”

“Have a safe trip-.”

She visited the village head’s house, the class president’s house, the youth association president’s house, the elderly association president’s house, and even Choi Mi-kyung’s house.

After hours of greeting marathon, she collapsed on the porch. Her hair, which her mom had neatly styled, was now a mess.

“Oh my-, I’m so tired.”

They say you have to greet people well to become a president in the future, so you can’t slack off, and this is no ordinary task.

But still, the goal must be achieved.

She jumped up and headed to the garden to replenish her energy.

‘I’ll eat a tomato!’

Munch-.

There’s no better snack to quench thirst and hunger than a tomato.

“Oh-, sour-.”

It’s still early for tomatoes to ripen, and even though she picked one with a hint of orange, it was still very sour.

But she couldn’t waste the precious tomatoes her mom, dad, and brother grew.

“Janggun-i? Hongsi? Geonma? Cheonma? Gwangma? No?”

All her dog friends turned away from the tomato.

“You guys must be really full.”

Then she had no choice but to take responsibility herself.

She learned from her brother to be someone who takes full responsibility for her actions.

Munch munch- chewing, she headed to the next house!

It’s close since it’s the next house.

“Grandma! I’m going to America!”

“Yes, yes. Our Yoo-jin has grown up so much thanks to her brother-.”

“Yes, hehe-.”

She felt a bit sorry, as if she was the only one going on a fun trip.

Son Yoo-jin is a broad-minded child, so she knows that too.

That’s why she also apologized in front of her envious friends when she talked about it at school.

She returned to her room and opened the window.

On the windowsill, in a cozy nest, four Haengun-i chicks were gaping wide.

Chirp chirp chirp-.

When will he come back-.

Flutter-! Oh, he’s here.

“Haengun-a, mom’s going to America-.”

Chirp chirp chirp-.

“I’ll be riding something called an airplane. An airplane is a bird much bigger and faster than Haengun-i-.”

Chirp chirp chirp-.

Every time Haengun-i came back to the nest with bugs for the chicks, she tried to talk, but Haengun-i seemed too busy to listen.

“Haengun-a, where’s Haengsoon-i?”

Now that she thought about it, Haengun-i’s mate was nowhere to be seen.

Did Haengun-i’s wife go out?

She was here this morning.

Maybe she went to work at the office like the auntie next door and comes back in the evening.

“I should study English.”

She massaged her heavy legs to spread warmth and flipped through the book.

It’s a book with pictures and English words on each page, inherited from when Hong Soo-jung was in kindergarten.

“Airplane-.”

“I am a boy-.”

“I am Son Yoo-jin-.”

“This is a bicycle-. Ah······?”

Ah, I should have ridden a bicycle when greeting.

Oh my, my legs······.

At some point, the effect of the massage started to weaken, and even though she massaged them while greeting, it didn’t seem to help.

– 【Talent is a contract with the soul. Even if the mind forgets, the body remembers, and even if the body forgets, the soul remembers. I realized this while watching a soul that lived another life bloom with talent in another world. Child, but this is your first life.】

It’s a story she heard in a dream when she was a baby.

She didn’t understand what it meant, but it sounded like talent and soul decided to be friends.

– “Brother, I think it’s a relief. I was always worried someone would notice.”

If her brother says so, Son Yoo-jin isn’t too upset either.

Hmm! She bit her lip and nodded.

“I am Son Yoo-jin!”

***

Son Yoo-jin had a restless night because Haengsoon-i disappeared.

Creak- when she opened the window, Haengun-i, who had been sleeping with the chicks under his wings, lifted his head.

“Oh my-, my chick is suffering alone taking care of the chicks-.”

A more natural and rustic dialect flowed from the little one’s mouth than her brother’s.

She became more fluent in dialect after hanging out with Jo Seol-chan’s grandmother.

Beep beep-.

She didn’t know what the sound meant, but Haengun-i greeted her like that every morning.

Flap flap-.

Then he flew away. Probably to catch bugs for the chicks.

“Yoo-jin, you need to wash up and get ready to go.”

“Yes······.”

Mom and dad, who came to Son Yoo-jin’s room, just patted her head to comfort her. Last night, she didn’t even eat dinner properly while talking about the missing Haengsoon-i, so what words could reach her ears?

“But Haengun-i is a great dad. He’s feeding the chicks all by himself.”

“He’s so responsible, Haengun-i wouldn’t want Yoo-jin to be sad. Yoo-jin is Haengun-i’s mom.”

“It’s not because of Haengun-i.”

“Then?”

“I’m worried about Haengsoon-i. If I were to disappear, mom and dad would be sad too.”

The parents fell silent.

Jin Hyuk, who was standing by the door watching, also held his breath.

“When I was in kindergarten, mom and dad said that. Even when mom and dad grow old and become grandparents, you should take care of your children more than your parents.”

Jin Hyuk also remembers.

Parents’ hardships and sacrifices aren’t done expecting repayment. Those who raise children expecting some benefit aren’t qualified to be parents.

Parents are people whose learning has stopped, so instead of trying to learn from them, learn from the changing and growing world and teach your parents.

Whatever the parents’ true intentions were, it was a message to help the children who will live on rather than grieve over the aging parents.

“Haengsoon-i doesn’t come to me or greet me, but I worry because she’s like my chick.”

Jin Hyuk quietly stepped back, making no sound.

They say children grow up quickly when they’re away from home for a long time, and Yoo-jin seems to have grown enough before leaving.

‘She’s more mature than me.’

He felt ashamed of himself for wanting to go home and see his mom even though he was only leaving for a 3-night, 4-day competition. Well, it’s not exactly something to be ashamed of, but compared to the much younger Yoo-jin, it’s just human nature.

Come to think of it, this is the first time Jin Hyuk is leaving home for almost a month.

Even during vacations, he stayed at home, and only went on family trips. The 2-night, 3-day school trip and the training center for class president and vice president were only 3 days long.

‘You need to practice parting too.’

The day to leave the beloved home and parents’ embrace was really not far away.

***

“Don’t worry about home and have a safe trip-!”

“Bye-! Bye-! Bye bye bye-!”

She left home with her family, SSS uncles, and neighbors seeing her off.

Woof! Woof woof!

She couldn’t skip Janggun-i’s house either.

Riding in the car with her brother, Yang Gang-wook, and Min Yong-rak, heading to Seoul, Son Yoo-jin found it hard to suppress her excitement.

「Welcome again to the hometown of wrestling, Taeyang」

She waved at the sign set up like a hurdle at the administrative boundary.

I’ll be back in a month!

She had seen the phrase multiple times during outings, amusement park visits, and trips to other cities to cheer for her brother, but this time it felt new.

‘Goodbye-.’

She placed both hands on the car window and kept waving outside.

The overgrown weeds on the roadside greeted Son Yoo-jin.

The airport was hard to describe simply.

Its massive scale, complex structure, countless cars, and people.

‘What should I write in my diary-.’

They could have driven all the way to the runway, but since there were athletes, federation staff, and reporters waiting for her brother, they decided to go through something called a gate.

‘I don’t understand-.’

The airport was an exciting place.

Its appearance was hard to describe, but the feeling was easy to express.

The unfamiliar air and busyness mixed with various expressions like a discordant melody, giving Son Yoo-jin countless inspirations.

‘Wow-. I’d really want to cry if I got lost.’

The fact that Yang Gang-wook was with her instead of her busy brother made her feel so secure.

She tightly held Hong Soo-jung’s hand, who she met at the airport, and looked around with her mouth wide open.

“Yoo-jin, look, a plane is flying.”

“Wow-.”

Where does that plane go? Is there a plane to the moon? They say rabbits live on the moon, and the rabbit lost the race to the turtle. That’s why her brother seems to dislike the word rabbit······.

“Mom said to wait inside. Let’s go over there.”

“Yes!”

At the end of the endless fantasy, her brother was standing there.

Standing tall in front of the reporters who came to their home and school, her brother looked so confident and composed that he seemed like an alien.

“Unnie! That’s my brother over there!”

“Ahaha! I know. How could I not recognize him?”

He was much bigger than the reporters, and his physique and appearance were different.

Is her brother really an alien?

Even with the constant flashes, his eyes remained calm, and his speech was as clear as ever. He looked much more relaxed and cooler than the suited men holding press conferences on TV news.

She couldn’t hear what he was saying from afar, but her brother would handle it well.

‘I am Son Yoo-jin.’

Even if she got lost, just saying this would help her find her brother.

They said it’s a family name. A name that proves family.

“I am Son Yoo-jin!”

Snap-!

She clumsily saluted towards her brother.

[Ding dong dang dong-.]

Oh! Saluting made a ding dong dang!

Son Yoo-jin’s eyes turned round like pearls.

[Passengers heading to Atlanta via Hawaii on Air Pacific Special Flight-.]

Even if she did something embarrassing, Hong Soo-jung, who was watching with a smile, pulled her hand.

“Let’s go. Your brother will come when it’s time.”