Chapter 77: Comforting someone once and everything being resolved smoothly is something that only happens in novels (5)
Whether she wanted you to hear it or not, Yeon’s sister, Ye-eun, continued her conversation with Yeon without hanging up the phone.
The conversation wasn’t clear, but if you concentrated, you could grasp the content well enough.
All my nerves were focused on the sound coming over the receiver, and I sharpened my senses.
【Aren’t those all words that you added later?】
I heard Yeon’s voice.
She snorted as if she found the reason Ye-eun told me absurd, and strongly criticized her.
I could only remain silent at what Ye-eun was saying since I had no choice but to be in the position of a third party….
But for Yeon, who was the person involved, it was a different story.
So, I wanted Yeon, who was the person involved, to cheer up….
【Yeah, you’re right, age isn’t the issue.】
Huh?
Surprisingly, Ye-eun didn’t deny Yeon’s words.
Where did the appearance of trying to take her by force go?
If she’s just going to step back like this, it can be said to be good news, but considering her previous appearance and tendencies, there’s no way that would happen.
Did she really forget that the phone wasn’t hung up?
I brushed aside such a convenient idea in my head.
It’s meaningless to consider the best possibilities.
You should always assume the worst possibilities when thinking.
【Then that’s the end, stop making excuses that don’t make sense】
The voice was getting louder and louder, perhaps because Yeon was approaching Ye-eun.
In the moment I was worried that the two of them would completely grab each other and fight
【The problem wasn’t age, it was just you that was the problem.】
Ye-eun’s declaration of war struck Yeon.
Yeon is quite a hot-tempered ai, so she can’t stand hearing those words
【Youㅡ you bi*ch…!】
See, she can’t stand it.
It was a touch-and-go situation where a punch, no, a slap was about to come and go.
But did the person who is her older sister not know Yeon’s temper?
Or, is she really going to fight? In this situation?
Neither side was convinced.
What can she show me here?
While I was continuing the fight in my head, Ye-eun was telling Yeon why she couldn’t take Yeon to France at that time.
Yeon’s fiery temper, problems with schoolwork, language barriers.
Ye-eun was convincing Yeon by giving various reasons, but in the end, the destination of that story was clear.
【So you went because you could speak French? You didn’t! You can, and I can’t? You’re so great in the world?】
So why were you okay and I wasn’t okay.
All those premises were true not only for Yeon but also for Ye-eun.
And, at the moment the story reached its destination
【Yeah】
Ye-eun’s voice
【After all, you and I couldn’t speak French properly】
Moves away from me and gets closer to Yeon.
【You and I were the same】
And fell coldly.
Thud.
【ㅡㅡㅡ】
The sound of the receiver being put down, and the beep.
All the nerves that had been focused only on the sound over the phone spread to the surroundings, to the room, to the world.
“….”
The silence I heard was all the sound in the world.
So, for a while, I was buried in silence, untangling the tangled yarn in my head
“…Right, her sister, that’s right.”
I repeated one as I unraveled each knot.
To understand the meaning of the knot.
“It’s true that Yeon is hot-tempered… but she’s also weak at pushing things, and she’s also subtly gullible. Right….”
Why did Ye-eun bother to keep the call connected and let me hear the sound of fighting with Yeon?
Was it self-aggrandizement, like “Listen if you want, there’s nothing you can do”?
It was a huge miscalculation to think that.
That wasn’t it
She was holding me back from doing anything reckless.
Until she was ready to convince Yeon.
Until she made Yeon, who is hot-tempered, angry on purpose and make her fully concentrate on the story she was telling.
After all the preparations were finished, she kicked me out, the nuisance, to fully concentrate on Yeon.
I don’t know if this is the correct answer, but I concluded that way myself and became convinced.
….
So?
So what can I do?
The conclusion came out, but I couldn’t see the way beyond that.
Should I run to Yeon’s house right now?
Even if I take a taxi and leave right now, it will take at least an hour.
By the time I arrive at Yeon’s house, she will have already finished persuading her and reached a dramatic reconciliation.
No, maybe they’ve already left the house and are leaving for France.
In the end, all I can do in this situation is
[-♪♬]
It was just to pick up the phone again.
[…♪♬ …♪♬]
I became more and more anxious each time the connection sound increased once, twice.
Was I just going to be played with like this, and have it taken away without being able to do anything?
Even so, I had nothing else to do
I had no choice but to just listen to the increasing ringtone.
….
…….
………?
Wait
Taken away?
What?
Suddenly, a thought flashed through my head in the repetition of the accumulating connection sound.
What am I getting angry and upset about?
For me, Yeon is someone I hired, but even that is not a proper employment relationship, but a shallow and short relationship.
But for Ye-eun, Yeon is a younger sister who is precious and loved even if they don’t get along and there are fights, right?
Even if Ye-eun takes Yeon, even if Yeon’s family leaves for France with Yeon
It wasn’t something I should be angry or upset about.
I
What was I upset about?
What was I angry at?
I answer myself to such a question.
Because Yeon didn’t seem to want it.
Even if they’re family, it’s not right to force them.
That’s what I thought.
In the moment I came up with such an understandable answer myself
【….】
The accumulating connection sound stopped, and I heard a faint breathing sound over the receiver.
“Um, Yeon, thatㅡ”
I didn’t know how to start talking, but I somehow got the words out.
Because I felt like I had to say something.
Then
【…Hello? Boss?】
Beyond the highly stacked connection sound, a softened voice, the sound of a red line being drawn on the answer sheet, was heard.
Listening to that voice that was gradually clearing away the accumulated lump
What could I, who was just an outsider, say?
The self-loathing that washed over me had a bitter taste.
Forcibly swallowing the self-loathing, I squeezed out a good person and spoke to Yeon.
“…Yeah, Yeon. What did you decide to do?”
Did I speak properly, with a voice that didn’t tremble, while smiling?
Because the corner of the phone kept hitting my ear, I grabbed the hand holding the phone tightly with my other hand.
While calming myself down like that, I heard Yeon’s voice over the phone.
【Um…yeah, so….】
Yeon’s voice, unable to find the words.
Embarrassed, sorry
She was choosing what to say in an awkward voice.
I see
That’s how it is.
The trembling of my hand stopped.
And
Somewhere relieved, I corrected the wrong answer on the red-lined answer sheet.
“It seems like you can’t organize your words.”
【Yeah…does it feel like that? I haven’t finished talking completely yet】
“Then contact me again later and tell me. Okay?”
【Okay, boss, I’ll contact you later.】
After hearing Yeon’s words that she would contact me when it was over, I hung up the phone.
I can’t say that what was already wrong will be right because of this
Still, believing that this is the best I can do now.
“….”
With the phone in my hand, I stood there for a long time.
“…Ha.”
I laughed.
The words the old man said suddenly came to my mind.
“What does that have to do with the people you deceived.”
“It means that it’s none of their business whether you live a garbage life or die.”
“The only important thing is.”
“You deceived them.”
“They were just deceived by you.”
“…Damn it.”
I’ve thought a lot since I heard those words from the old man.
It was a very cruel word, but nothing was wrong.
How many people have I deceived and how many times have I excused myself?
Therefore
Even now that I can move forward without deceiving anymore
I wanted to live honestly
And properly.
So I hired Yeon and Ara with the best conditions I could offer, and took care of them as much as I could while working together.
But what is the reality?
In the end, this time too, I looked at the situation and tried to solve it as I pleased, with the excuse of being for Yeon.
The excuse of being for Yeon
Was just for myself who would be in trouble when Yeon left.
Then
What has improved compared to that day?
Just using the little money and popularity I’ve gained to act like a good person, and believing that I’m doing the right thing while being drunk on myself as a good person
Wasn’t I just a moron who couldn’t tell the difference?
Even though I regretted it and wanted to improve more like that
In the end, I haven’t moved a single step forward from that day.
In front of the received report card, I was endlessly pathetic.
Even so, the sun of tomorrow rises.
And when the sun of tomorrow rises, no matter what happened last night, I have to return to the cycle of daily life again.
Even if I’m a worthless human, I’ve already become an adult.
I wake up to the usual alarm at the usual time and continue the usual routine.
….
But
Why is even this the usual appearance?