“Ah, no!”

Jin Cheol shook his head and said.

“That’s really not possible.”

He doesn’t know because he’s still a kid. He doesn’t realize how absurd that situation is. And why is he attending kindergarten here while living there?

“My friend said to use that house.”

That’s because he vacated the place for you to come. Unable to tell the truth, Jin Cheol could only sigh in frustration.

“Look, I said it’s not possible.”

“Just once.”

Yu Min raised his index finger and spoke.

“Or can I not say it?”

Yu Min remembered that house. The view overlooking the Han River bridge, the spacious living room, and the large rooms. That house, which even Yu Min couldn’t fully explore, was the house that Yu Min always wanted to live in someday.

So just for that day. Can’t he borrow that house just for the day he invites his friends?

Shin Young won’t be able to do anything there. As for toys, he said he threw them all away because he has to enter school now. In a house like that, toys won’t be necessary.

“Huh? Uncle.”

“I said no. You really, where that place is, ha, no way.”

Jin Cheol spoke again while scratching the back of his head, then received items from a customer who just entered and rang them up. Yu Min stood in a corner, fuming.

‘Can’t you at least say something.’

I’m so desperate like this. Uncle Jin Cheol is really too much. If it’s not there, I really don’t know what to do.

After finishing the transaction, Jin Cheol looked at Yu Min with a sullen expression.

“Are you angry?”

“You’re not even trying, Uncle?”

Yu Min spoke as if firing a shot. It sounded so much like an adult’s words that Jin Cheol laughed without realizing it.

It also sounded like In Sook’s nagging. Because In Sook often nagged Jin Cheol, who was preparing for employment without much success, saying ‘you lack effort’.

“It’s not that I’m not trying.”

“You’re not. You’re not even calling.”

Right.

Surely hyung won’t lend his house. Let’s just make a phone call to appease Yu Min. That should do it.

Jin Cheol sighed softly and took out his cell phone.

“Okay. But if he says no, no more begging.”

He wanted to go out and make the call, but he didn’t know when a customer would come, so Jin Cheol called Seung Jun from his seat.

After a few rings, the other person’s voice was heard.

[Yes, go ahead.]

Jin Cheol glanced at Yu Min and then spoke.

“Uh, it’s me, Jin Cheol. It’s not much, but remember we used your house for a bit before? When Sister-in-law Seol Ah was sick. Yeah, but.”

[……Yu Min must be next to you. Keep talking.]

Seung Jun seemed to have caught on quickly. Jin Cheol said ‘I’m sorry’ inwardly and outwardly pretended to be nonchalant as he continued.

“Yu, Yu Min, Sister-in-law Seol Ah’s son. Yu Min wants to have a birthday party at your house. I was wondering if we could use the house for a bit, ah, if it’s not possible, it can’t be helped……”

[Yu Min’s friends begged him to have a birthday party, and I guess it’s inconvenient to have it at Yu Min’s original house. Seol Ah doesn’t know about this. So you need my house?]

Seung Jun made assumptions beyond what Jin Cheol said. Surprised by his quick-wittedness, Jin Cheol looked at Yu Min again.

Yu Min was looking at Jin Cheol with sparkling eyes.

“Uh, that, that’s why.”

[Yes, use it.]

“U, use it?”

Jin Cheol’s mouth fell open. He saw Yu Min raise both arms up. This is bad. He didn’t expect him to agree so readily.

[Use it. As much as you want. Ah, but it’s too far from here, right? There happens to be an empty house near Yu Min’s kindergarten. Let’s do it there.]

Before Jin Cheol could say anything more, the call ended.

Yu Min approached Jin Cheol. Clinging to his body, Yu Min asked.

“What did he say? He said we can, right? He said to come, right?”

Jin Cheol thought he should say no even now, but he felt like he had been fully caught by his expression and words, so he couldn’t lie.

*

“Is this really Yu Min’s house?”

They decided to have the birthday party the following Saturday.

Originally, Yu Min’s birthday was on Monday, two days later, but they decided to bring the party forward. It was because Saturday happened to be the day Seol Ah had work.

Seung Jun perfectly executed Yu Min’s clumsy plan.

First, Yu Min handed out the birthday party invitations that Seung Jun had made and Jin Cheol had delivered to his friends one by one.

On the invitation were the location and time of Yu Min’s birthday party, and Seol Ah’s changed contact information.

Of course, Seol Ah had never changed her contact information.

That number was a newly activated cell phone number that Seung Jun got in case other mothers tried to inquire to Seol Ah about the birthday party.

Seung Jun handed that cell phone over to Jin Cheol. If an inquiry came to that number, Jin Cheol would not answer the call and instead reply by message.

The place where Yu Min was having his birthday party was the house that Seung Jun had previously arranged for Seol Ah and Yu Min through his secretary.

It was a place he had found in advance to move them to a larger place after staying a day at Seol Ah and Yu Min’s current residence.

Seung Jun had perfectly set up Yu Min’s study room, playroom, kitchen, and even a library in that house. To the extent that it wouldn’t be strange for someone to come and live there right away.

“It’s really nice, look, the sofa is so great too!”

Several children immediately climbed up and started jumping on the wide and comfortable sofa.

The other children wandered from room to room to see what was there. Yu Min finally came to his senses.

“No! Don’t just wander around!”

Entering the room chasing his friends, Yu Min’s eyes widened in surprise.

The room where his friends gathered was furnished appropriately for a child of Yu Min’s age. The high-end chair and desk that Yu Min had never sat on before, and the bookshelves filled with books.

‘Why, why are these here?’

Yu Min knew that this house belonged to a friend of Uncle Jin Cheol. And that he was lending it because he happened to have a house near Yu Min’s house.

But does that person also have a child around Yu Min’s age? Why is there clearly a study room for a young child?

“Wow, do you have this whole series?”

“This house has so many books. Even more than our house!”

Yu Min’s real house didn’t have many books. Even if he wanted to buy books, there was no place to put them because the house was small, so he usually borrowed and returned them from the library.

But here, all the books Yu Min wanted to read were lined up.

It covered all areas, from picture books, comics, study books, general knowledge books, to literature.

‘I want to live here.’

Yu Min put away his boiling thoughts. This was not his house. A house borrowed temporarily. Seol Ah always said not to be greedy for more than what you have.

“Hey, can I borrow this?”

Waking up from his thoughts, Yu Min approached Shin Young who was carelessly taking out and looking at someone else’s book. As he flipped through the book, the new book got crumpled badly.

“Hey, don’t just touch this.”

“Why? It’s your book. You’re being stingy.”

Shin Young playfully crumpled the book even more.

“I said you can’t.”

When Yu Min snatched the book, the part Shin Young was holding onto didn’t let go, causing the book to rip.

‘What do I do!’

Yu Min’s mind instantly went blank.

“That’s why you shouldn’t pull it!”

Shin Young got angry at Yu Min instead. But Yu Min’s ears couldn’t hear Shin Young’s words anymore.

‘I’ll have to pay for this. It must be expensive. Where should I borrow money from again.’

It was too shameless to ask Jin Cheol to lend him money. Yu Min took out the torn book for now. Then there was a knocking sound.

“When are we going to eat?”

Everyone’s gaze turned towards the door.

The person standing there was Jin Cheol. And next to him stood a man in a suit.

“The cooking is all done now. I’ll have them set the table right away if you say so.”

“Wow, what is it?”

The children rushed to the dining room. A white tablecloth was spread out on the large table, and dazzlingly white plates were set one by one on top of it.

And in one corner.

“Marshmallows!”

There was a chocolate fountain and skewered marshmallows set up next to it.

“The marshmallows are left out for you to freely enjoy as dessert.”

At the words of the man standing next to Jin Cheol, the children cheered. Soon, appetizers were set one by one in front of the children sitting side by side at the table.

They were things Yu Min had never heard of or seen before. And.

Arriving from somewhere, a string trio consisting of a violin, viola, and cello was playing the theme songs of cartoons that the children liked in a corner.

‘What is all this.’

Now Yu Min was even getting scared.

In the end, he had to leave the table after barely eating.
He pulled Jin Cheol into the utility room next to the kitchen and asked.

“What is this, Uncle? And who are those people?”

Even now, a man in white was doing a fire show with a frying pan, and men and women in suits were taking care of and guiding the children.

“Ah, they are staff sent by that friend. They’ll help with running the party.”

Jin Cheol said while scratching the back of his head.

They were staff that Seung Jun had directly hired for the smooth running of the party. The chef was also carefully selected.

“This is too weird. I didn’t want to go this far.”

“It’s okay. Just enjoy it.”

Jin Cheol said with a smile. But Yu Min wasn’t at ease.

As he left the utility room, he saw children who had finished eating burying their faces in the chocolate fountain, splattering chocolate not only on their clothes but also on the floor and table.

“No!”

This isn’t our house.

Yu Min quickly took out wet tissues from his bag and started wiping the table and floor. Then someone approached him and took the wet tissues away.

“I’ll clean here, so go and play. You’re the star today.”

The pleasantly smiling woman was also a female staff member he was seeing for the first time.

When did you see me to do this?

“Enjoy yourself comfortably. Go play in the bouncy house with your friends too.”

“Bouncy house?”

“The playroom over there. Some of your friends are already in there.”

At the woman’s words, Yu Min abruptly stood up.

Sure enough, right across from the study room he had seen earlier, there was a playroom. It had a fairly large bouncy house and play facilities such as slides installed.

“Hey, should we play tag here?”

“Yeah, I’ll be it!”

“No, I want to be it, it!”

Looking at the children playing recklessly, Yu Min couldn’t feel at ease and left.

Jin Cheol was organizing the books the children had messed up and wiping the floor. When Yu Min went to help, Jin Cheol stopped him.

“Don’t do this and go play.”

How can I play? This isn’t my house. These things aren’t mine, and these people aren’t the ones I invited.

How can I be at ease in a house full of such lies?

This really wasn’t what I intended.

Yu Min opened the front door.

It was less a thought of wanting to run away, and more because of his suffocating and maddening feelings. No matter how much he thought about it, he felt he didn’t belong here.

And Yu Min froze in place.

“Why.”

Surprisingly, in front of him stood a person who shouldn’t have been here. With a languid expression.

“Why are you coming out?”

Seung Jun was leaning against the wall with one hand, looking down at Yu Min.