I am back – Chapter 153

“We haven’t decided when or how we’ll leave yet.”

When I said that, Young Miss Ga-young’s expression dimmed a bit.

Our departure could be a month from now, or it might be several months away.

In other words, it wouldn’t be strange if we left as soon as tomorrow. Of course, Dana wouldn’t stay quiet about such a big deal, so we really wouldn’t be leaving tomorrow.

“Where are you going?”

“Well…”

“To Europe.”

Instead of me hesitating, Kalia answered clearly.

“We’re planning to visit our hometown. We’ve got some things to take care of.”

“Ah…”

Young Miss Ga-young looked back at me and my older sister.

I could tell what she wanted to say.

“Do you have to go together?”

But since we had agreed to go together, Young Miss Ga-young had no right to say otherwise. From the perspective of others, I and my sister were meeting for the first time this year. But by that logic, Young Miss Ga-young was someone we had met even more recently.

“That’s…”

However, my sister seemed to feel a bit guilty for just brushing past it without saying anything.

She wore a thoughtful expression for a moment before awkwardly smiling and saying to Young Miss Ga-young.

“Well, you see, we’re actually in love with each other.”

“…….”

But Young Miss Ga-young didn’t react much to that.

“…….”

And seeing Young Miss Ga-young’s lack of reaction, my sister seemed to realize something.

Actually, I also realized one thing.

When people hear about two women dating, they usually get surprised. Of course, it’s the same when two men are mentioned too. It’s not a sight you see often, and since some people have a negative perception of it socially, many just choose to avoid it altogether, letting it pass without a word.

Either they understand the situation as fellow homosexuals, or they just accept it casually if they see a homosexual in front of them.

Or they might already know the two are dating.

I couldn’t tell which category Young Miss Ga-young fell into, but I had a gut feeling that she likely fell into the last one.

And my gut feeling had been working pretty well on the battlefield.

My sister seemed to think the same, as her face was flushed just like mine.

“So, um… this trip is kind of like a honeymoon. We haven’t married yet, but we definitely plan to at some point. So… I thought it would be a rare chance to spend a long time away together as lovers.”

As my sister continued to explain to Young Miss Ga-young as if making excuses, she ended up pouring out her true feelings and her face turned even redder.

And I too, who was listening to that story, felt the same.

Even my companions seemed extremely embarrassed by my sister’s words, all looking out the window.

“…….Is that so?”

Fortunately, it seemed like Young Miss Ga-young understood after hearing us. The small smile on her face was much more peaceful compared to the initial shock she received.

“Then I think it can’t be helped. An opportunity to go to Europe and spend a long time there is rare.”

It probably was indeed the case. Unless someone has a job that can’t be left behind, most people would seize the opportunity when a chance to stay abroad for free pops up. There aren’t many chances to take a long break overseas, after all.

It seemed Young Miss Ga-young also understood our situation like that.

As I let out a sigh of relief in my heart, my sister and I nodded.

“Yeah, so… we might have to close the door while we travel. During that time, you won’t be able to work part-time either. Is that okay with you?”

Even though there was another reason I had a part-time job, it was true that Young Miss Ga-young wasn’t working there for free either.

If money is involved in any way, it’s common courtesy to tell the other party beforehand before doing anything.

“Will you definitely come back someday?”

Young Miss Ga-young said, sounding a bit anxious.

Without a moment’s hesitation, my sister nodded.

“Yep. We’ll come back right here.”

This bakery was provided by the church. Given the building owner, there’s a big chance it’s the pastor, so I didn’t need to worry about losing the opportunity to work here after we come back from our trip.

We knew well what kind of person the pastor was.

“Then… could you possibly let us know in advance before you leave?”

“Of course, we will. Otherwise, how would you know we’re leaving?”

Only after hearing my sister’s answer did Young Miss Ga-young seem to completely shake off her anxiety and nodded.

“Thank you.”

With those words, Young Miss Ga-young smiled.

*

After seeing us relay the message to Young Miss Ga-young properly, our companions returned home before the customers flocked in.

After that, things were almost the same as usual.

When there were a lot of customers, we didn’t even have time to chat. Each of us was busy calculating the bread customers brought in or cleaning the tables that had been used by customers… because there were always tons of customers at dinner time.

We hadn’t set tasks for ourselves. Initially, we had tried to do that, but in reality, there wasn’t any work that required consistent effort from one person. Someone would suddenly need more hands, while someone else might be swamped.

Moreover, wiping down the tables after customers left also required quite a bit of stamina, so it was tough for one person to always take that on. You had to walk all the way to a distant table to clean it, and dirty cloths had to be brought back to the counter.

I had no idea how my sister managed by herself back then.

“Yeah, right. I can hardly remember what it was like before you all came. But, I think I was super busy back then too…”

Thinking back, my sister had said she just went back and forth between work and home.

It was probably to avoid the thought that she was working alone.

Is this kind of thinking too self-conscious?

“Me too. I have no idea how we managed everything when you weren’t here.”

Rather, it seemed like there were more customers now. Though I couldn’t be entirely sure since I had never counted it precisely.

“…….”

Young Miss Ga-young seemed to feel good after receiving our compliments, her bashful smile contrasting notably with the earlier atmosphere when we discussed our departure.

So, I felt a bit relieved.

*

“…..Sigh.”

My sister sighed deeply.

We were not in the room we usually shared, but at my sister’s place near the bakery.

No, saying it’s just my sister’s place might be a bit insufficient now. This wasn’t a house owned by her; it was just a rented one-room apartment.

Moreover, almost all the belongings in the room had been moved out. Unless it was something huge, everything had been taken to our home, and this really was the last time.

Even so, this was a place we had spent a few years in. I understood why my sister was reacting like this.

I sometimes thought about my room back in the castle. Of course, I would politely decline if they asked me to live there for life.

The one-room apartment was empty, and when I spoke, it felt like the sound would echo. Well, it really did echo. Not that it was huge though.

The furniture was almost all plastic, or it looked like it could be from an old coat rack, and if it wasn’t that, it was something that had already been in the apartment since before my sister moved in.

If I had seen this as a child, even something like this would have looked quite spacious.

…When I think of the apartment my sister and I live in, I can only describe this place as small.

They say your perspective changes based on your surroundings.

“Still, I lived here comfortably without any discomfort. The hot water works perfectly, and there was an air conditioner installed from the beginning.”

My sister said that the landlady was a nice person.

Of course, that didn’t mean the rent here was cheap.

“…….”

My sister stared quietly at the room for a long while.

“I can’t say it holds any grand memories, but it was where I waited for you…”

I couldn’t say anything to my sister.

Feeling that atmosphere, my sister let out a chuckle and said,

“Well, still, I should leave without a hitch. There’s no need to wait anymore… and the places where memories were made are still there.”

“Yeah.”

Seeing my sister smile like she’d shaken something off, I nodded along.

We each grabbed a backpack that had been sitting at our feet.

Inside were my sister’s remaining personal belongings.

Once we took these out, this room would no longer be a place my sister lived.

Before I turned off the light one last time, I looked around the room again.

It was a small room, but somehow, knowing my sister lived here made it feel warm and cozy.

Though for my sister, it might not have been such a lovely place.

…Even though I couldn’t say it out loud because I was embarrassed to say it in front of my sister,


Thank you.

Thanks to you, I was able to meet my sister again.


Thank you for taking care of her during that time.

Feeling a little silly for saying goodbye to the room like that, I turned off the light.