552. Twilight (12)

When I opened my eyes, the car was parked in front of the stream. "You're awake?" "Uh, yeah...." Ugh, my head hurts.... It feels like I'm suffering from a hangover from drinking. I only had one glass, how could this happen...? Shi-hyun-nim smiled at me. "Do you want some water?" "Yeah." Looking at Shi-hyun-nim, I was reminded of all the stupid things I did. Ugh, how embarrassing... What kind of foolishness did I commit at my age...? I drank the water my husband gave me and shook my head wildly to clear my mind. "Are you really okay?" "Yeah, I was just trying to wake up." When I asked where we were, he said we were just driving around and stopped because the scenery was nice. "Really...?" If I go outside for a bit.... "Did you go fishing?" I could see a fishing rod, a chair, and a fishing net set up. "I was just bored, and I had the equipment, so I did a little fishing." Well, Shi-hyun-nim has had that equipment for a while... I just wondered when he put it in the car. "So, did you catch anything?" "Want to see?" Shi-hyun-nim smiled and lifted the fishing net. There were two moderately sized fish in it. "You caught two." "Yeah, but I'm planning to release them later." It's best not to eat freshwater fish if possible because of the risk of parasites. They say it's okay if you prepare it well and cook it thoroughly, but the parasites inside the fish don't just disappear. "Yeah, freshwater fish are dangerous." It was summer, so the sun hadn't set yet, but it was almost time for dinner. "What do you want to eat for dinner?" "I don't know." Should we just eat whatever we have? "Eating these would be dangerous, right?" Shi-hyun-nim said, looking at the fishing net he had put back in the stream. "Who knows what kind of parasites they have?" If you ever see a picture of freshwater fish stew with parasites wriggling out of it, you'll never want to eat freshwater fish again. "Yeah...." Shi-hyun-nim seemed disappointed and kept looking at the net with the fish. To persuade Shi-hyun-nim, I searched for pictures of freshwater fish parasites on the internet and showed them to him. "These kinds of parasites can be inside freshwater fish, do you still want to eat them?" After seeing the pictures, Shi-hyun-nim shuddered and trembled. "Is that a parasite?" "Yeah, when the host dies, they try to survive and come out of the host's body, and there are so many of them?" Of course, they say it's okay to eat them if you cook them thoroughly. But if you still have an appetite after seeing those pictures, that's unusual. "That's a bit much...." "These days, anything farmed is safer." Up until 30 years ago, there was a perception that wild-caught was healthier and better for you because they didn't use as many chemicals, but that's not the case anymore. Rather, farmed fish raised safely with the latest processes are safer. "That's horrifying...." Shi-hyun-nim rubbed his arms as if he had goosebumps. Then he released the fish he had caught. "Good call, let's just grill some meat for dinner." "Oh, should we eat outside?" There would be a lot of gnats around the stream at night, which would be annoying. "Ehh, we have to think about the bugs." "I guess there are a lot of gnats, I'll clean up then." "Okay." While Shi-hyun-nim was cleaning up the fishing gear, I went inside the camper van and prepared dinner. I washed the rice, cooked the rice, took out the meat, prepared it, took out the side dishes, and then grilled the meat. I felt good after eating a hearty dinner, but.... "The smell is strong." As expected, there was no avoiding the smell of meat. "I turned on the vent, so it'll go away." I sprayed deodorant, but the smell didn't disappear easily. "Meat is always a problem." It's not as bad if you stir-fry it, but grilling it makes the smell and smoke worse. "Still, grilled meat is delicious." Shi-hyun-nim said, picking his teeth with a toothpick. "Did you enjoy your meal?" "Yeah, the green onion kimchi was delicious." "I'm glad to hear that." It was kimchi I made before the trip, but today was the first time I actually tasted it. "If you're done with the dishes, take a rest." "I should." The bruises were almost gone, so it didn't hinder my movement, but my back hurt a little after doing the dishes. "Am I getting old...." I patted my back and sat down on a chair. "Does your back hurt?" "Just a little stiff." Shi-hyun-nim suddenly came next to me, turned my body slightly, and touched my back. "Let's see." "I-It's just a little stiff." I was flustered because he reacted as if something serious had happened. "Ugek." Shi-hyun-nim pressed down hard on my back. It seemed like a massage, but it was too strong and felt painful rather than refreshing. "Ah, it hurts! I said it hurts?!" Even when I shouted, Shi-hyun-nim didn't stop. "Hmm, I think I need to do it more properly?" "What?!" "Let's get a massage for the first time in a while." Shi-hyun-nim said with a smirk. I got goosebumps looking at that smile. "I-I think it'll get better if I just wait...." "I'll do it for you." Shi-hyun-nim picked me up and took me to the bedroom, laid me down on the bed, and started a full-fledged massage. At first, it was painful and agonizing, but as I received Shi-hyun-nim's sincere massage, it felt refreshing and my body relaxed. "Thank you...." "No problem, I'm glad you seem to feel better." "Yeah...." I suddenly felt a rush of fatigue. I definitely took a nap, but I couldn't stop my eyes from closing. Sleep is coming.... * We traveled around the country for over a month. The camper van was like a home, so there wasn't anything particularly uncomfortable, but I still wanted to go home at least once. "You want to go home?" "Yeah, rest a bit and change clothes if we can." I get tired of wearing the same clothes all the time... I went to the department store and bought clothes to wear, but it felt like a waste of money. I have a lot of clothes at home, so buying new clothes kept bothering me. Of course, I didn't mind buying new trendy clothes, but.... "Well, it wouldn't be bad to go up once." Shi-hyun-nim doesn't care about trends or designs, so even when we go to buy clothes, he never picks out clothes for himself. "Right? And see the kids." The moment I said that, Shi-hyun-nim's brow furrowed. "The kids?" "I'm curious to know if they're doing well?" Shi-hyun-nim seems worried that I'll argue with the kids. "I won't say anything to Saet-byeol-i, so don't worry." "If that's the case...." Shi-hyun-nim grabbed the steering wheel and turned the car towards Seoul. The road back home felt somehow exciting. Is it because I haven't been there for almost a month? After about 2 hours, when we returned to Seoul, the city's unique skyscrapers were the first thing that caught my eye. "Looking at those buildings makes me feel like I've come back." Other neighborhoods have tall buildings, but... they can't compare to Seoul. "Yeah." When we arrived home and got out of the car, the air felt stuffy. Even though it's downtown, the air pollution shouldn't be that bad... I don't know why I feel the difference. "Ah, it's been a while since I've been home." I went into the house with a joyful step, and Shi-hyun-nim hurriedly followed. The moment I entered the house, I felt like my mom would come out to greet me. But my mom didn't come out to greet me. I suddenly felt bitter... but I felt relieved when I looked around the house. I said I would clean up before the trip, but some of the food left in the refrigerator had spoiled, so I had to clean it out. "It's a problem when you leave the house for a long time." I cleaned everything up and brought the luggage from the camper van into the house for now. "What about the clothes?" "I'll have to exchange them with the ones at home." But right now, I just wanted to rest. I sauntered into the main room. There were still some traces of my mom's presence there, and there were portraits of my mom and dad in front of the vanity. I went in front of them and said softly. "Mom, Dad, I'm back." I briefly reached out to the portraits and immediately came out of the room. When I came out of the room, Shi-hyun-nim had a worried expression on his face. Is he worried that I'll be depressed again? "I just said hello." "Okay." "Let's rest today and go to Saet-byeol-i's place tomorrow." I should contact all the kids. I sat on the sofa and rested, joked around with Shi-hyun-nim, and ate. And when I had some free time, I contacted the kids. First, I contacted my eldest, Shi-a, and asked when I could come to see her, and she said anytime is fine as long as it's not too late at night. "Is everything okay?" -"Yes, these days I'm studying to teach my daughter, something I haven't done in a while?" Haha... I also had times when I studied to help my kids with their homework when they asked. Eventually, it became too difficult, so I passed it on to Shi-hyun-nim... and the kids became better at studying than me, so I couldn't help them anymore. "Doesn't Ju-hui go to a cram school?" -"I'm teaching her directly rather than sending her to a cram school." She said she was worried because some of the kids at the cram school were strange. "Strange, huh...." When I heard stories about kids being selfish, self-centered, and inconsiderate... I had nothing to say. There have always been few multi-child families. They only have one child and pour excessive affection into that child. This is a phenomenon that occurs because they don't provide proper discipline in the process. I explained what I knew to Shi-a. Shi-a had a bewildered reaction. She seems surprised that they don't discipline. "You guys be careful too." -"I will." "Okay, I'll contact you again when I go visit." After finishing the call with Shi-a, the next was Jae-won-i. I couldn't talk to Jae-won-i for long. He said he was studying, so what could I do? "So, when can I come to visit?" -"Can't you just not come?" "Really...? Then tell me when it's possible." I didn't push Jae-won-i too hard. He said he was uncomfortable, so what could I do...? Considering Jae-won-i's marriage partner, it might be possible. -"Sorry." Jae-won-i left a short apology and ended the call. "Now only Saet-byeol-i is left...." I stopped trying to contact Saet-byeol-i because Shi-hyun-nim stopped me. "What's wrong?" "I contacted her." "R-Really?" "Yeah, let's go to the office tomorrow." He already finished talking to Saet-byeol-i...? More than that, seeing her at the office means.... My expression slightly frowned. "Expression." At Shi-hyun-nim's words, I rubbed my forehead and between my eyebrows to relax my expression. "Yeah, I have to understand...." Still, I can't help but worry and feel uneasy.... Is the third child about 60 days old now? I wonder what it will be like... I was worried about tomorrow.