It was past 4 o’clock. Did she leave? Earlier I heard shuffling sounds outside the door as if telling me to eat lunch, but I ignored it.
Listening to the news, it was indeed an unusual weather event. They said it was the earliest first snow in decades. Maybe I should have told her to go experience the unusual weather alone.
As I opened the door with a heavy heart, I heard a small sound from somewhere. She hadn’t left yet? Who is she talking to again?
“It’s not hard at all. Um… How’s your aunt’s back? …Really? That’s a relief. …You can’t be discharged! How will you move around alone at home? …Hospital bills? Don’t you have insurance? The insurance money will come out! Aunt, if you leave the hospital now, you’ll definitely get worse. …That’s right! Just stay at the hospital with the caregiver. …Me? I’m really fine! It’s a total honey job, a honey job. …Yeah. The landlord is nice too. …I’m telling you it’s true. There’s not much time left anyway. …Yeah, I got it. I’ll go in the evening. Bye.”
Soo Young finished her call with Young Mi and looked at the table. The well-prepared rice and side dishes had cooled and were drying up. I should have just eaten alone. Should I eat now?
Just then she saw a large figure standing at the entrance to the kitchen. Soo Young unconsciously called out brightly.
“You’re out? Are you hungry?”
“Why haven’t you left yet?”
Woo Jin asked in a slightly hoarse voice. Somehow her earlier talk about the landlord being nice stuck in his chest. And the words about not much time left.
“I was going to eat with you before leaving. Is this lunch or dinner now? We can eat it as a late lunch-early dinner. I’ll reheat the rice. All the side dishes looked so delicious, it was really hard to resist.”
“…You didn’t eat either?”
“No. The subordinate eats after the boss, right?”
As she spoke nonchalantly while reheating the rice in the microwave, Woo Jin muttered while rubbing his forehead with his hand.
“What boss?”
“You don’t like being called boss? Then owner? Employer?”
“From now on, eat by yourself even if I don’t eat. Didn’t you say you get hungry when you come here?”
“I told you I can’t eat alone. I need someone in front of me to eat. What kind of employee benefits are so inconsistent? Hurry and sit down. The side dishes will all dry up.”
Soo Young placed the warmed rice in front of him. Woo Jin approached the table with precise steps and sat down in the chair. Whether from hunger, the aroma of the side dishes was savory.
“Right in front of you in a diamond shape, at the very top is stir-fried squid, below that is pan-fried meat, to the right of that is… What is this? Shrimp and… garlic stems? Some kind of stir-fry, and below that is…”
“The unusual weather?”
At the sudden question, Soo Young stopped her explanation of the side dishes and closed her mouth.
“Has it stopped?”
Soo Young looked out the kitchen window and answered.
“It has. If it kept going when it’s unusual, what would we do?”
“…What a shame you couldn’t see it.”
“It’s fine, I saw it from the living room. You can see really well from your living room.”
“Why didn’t you go out alone to experience it?”
“What fun is there alone?”
Soo Young chuckled and put rice in her mouth. Fortunately, both the rice and side dishes were still delicious. As food entered her empty stomach, her mood improved and she started chattering.
“Do you know what my wish was in college? It was to greet the first snow with a boyfriend. When it snowed, I’d see girls with boyfriends calling them and I was really envious. The ultimate was… she’s married now, but her boyfriend came to the school. And he brought a bouquet of white baby’s breath flowers like snow. With a red rose in the middle… anyway, something like that. All the girls were squealing… Honestly, that guy wasn’t that handsome? But that day he looked so handsome. This is why they say props are important… hehe.”
“So you wanted to see the snow with me today?”
Woo Jin asked calmly. Soo Young suddenly found herself reflecting on whether that was why. It was random. Suddenly asking this person to go out and greet the snow together. Since when were we so close?
But it hurt her pride somehow to say she thought of him as a boyfriend, so she quickly made an excuse.
“No, I just wanted you to touch the snow. Since it’s the first snow this year.”
“I can’t do that.”
“What?”
“See the first snow with you.”
“…”
“I’ll never be able to.”
“O-okay. Did I ask you to see the first snow with me forever?”
Soo Young pouted, feeling embarrassed. But Woo Jin, unable to see her pout, fixed his beautiful eyes on her and said:
“Instead… I’ll try… to make an effort… to greet it with you.”
What?
Soo Young’s eyes widened. He’d greet the first snow with her? Somehow it sounded more romantic than saying he’d see the first snow with her, and Soo Young stared at him without moving.
“Stop looking and eat.”
Woo Jin said quietly as he picked up some meat with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.
“Huh? Okay.”
Suddenly one side of her chest started to tingle, and white lily of the valley flowers began to bloom in clusters around her again.
[This is the timeline separator]As Lee Ji Hyun entered through the front door, he paused at the small shoes in front of the entrance, thinking “surely not” as he stepped into the hallway.
“…Isn’t it really amazing? In front of all those people! If it were me, I’d be so embarrassed I’d hide under the table, but Sora was bragging about it. They’re truly meant for each other.”
Ji Hyun stopped in his tracks at the cheerful but quiet woman’s voice coming from the kitchen. Soon after, a familiar soft voice was heard.
“Stop eavesdropping and come in, Lee Ji Hyun.”
Ji Hyun flinched at his words and quickly entered the kitchen. Coffee was on the table, and Soo Young and Woo Jin were sitting facing each other.
“Soo Young, you haven’t left yet?”
Ji Hyun asked her happily, and Soo Young smiled brightly as she replied.
“I was planning to hang out a bit before leaving. In case Woo Jin gets bored.”
“You’re the one who’s bored.”
Woo Jin retorted indifferently. But he didn’t look displeased at all. Ji Hyun sat down next to Woo Jin, feeling deeply moved. Woo Jin frowned and quickly moved away.
Does he dislike being touched even by his own family? Yet he’s allowed Soo Young to touch him several times. Soo Young unexpectedly felt grateful.
Doesn’t it mean he considers me closer than family? Or have I been too pushy, not considering his discomfort?
Just because Woo Jin avoided Ji Hyun, her thoughts multiplied.
[This is the timeline separator]“Have you tried the side dishes?”
Ji Hyun asked Woo Jin caringly. Woo Jin nodded silently without answering.
Watching Woo Jin, who had lost his light dramatically as soon as Soo Young left, Ji Hyun recalled what Dr. Kang had said.
― Ji Hyun, find a way for that young lady to keep coming.
“A way…”
He muttered unknowingly, and Woo Jin raised his head to look at him.
“What way?”
“Huh? It’s nothing…”
“Have dinner on your own when you leave. I had a late lunch, so I’m not thinking about it.”
As Woo Jin stood up, Ji Hyun looked up at him and said:
“I heard there’s a memorial service tomorrow…”
He said it so Woo Jin would know, even though he knew he wouldn’t go. Sure enough, Woo Jin contorted his handsome face as much as he could and said:
“It’s been 10 years already, why do they keep having these memorial services? What changes? Does the dead person come back to life?”
“It’s just to meet and comfort each other.”
“What comfort! Just pointless complaints to each other…!”
Suddenly Woo Jin closed his mouth, and his face quickly turned red. Seeing him momentarily stop breathing, Ji Hyun jumped up from his seat.
“Woo Jin!”
“…Just go.”
Woo Jin staggered into his room as if about to fall. Soon, the hissing sound of a nebulizer could be heard through the not fully closed door.
[This is the timeline separator]So Yeon Ho waved happily at Soo Young, who trudged into the chicken restaurant wearing pajama pants.
“Senior So. What brings you here so late?”
“It’s only 9 o’clock, what’s late? Oh, did your mother say not to go out?”
“No, that’s not it. Are your academy classes all finished?”
“Yeah. We had a mock exam today.”
When Yeon Ho spoke gloomily, Soo Young asked with a sympathetic expression.
“Did you mess up?”
“I totally bombed it.”
“Mock exams are usually different from the real thing. You’ll do well in the actual test.”
“The results should be out by now… No matter how I look at it, I think I messed up this test too. Maybe I should practice writing self-introductions.”
“I heard it’s hard to get into private schools without connections, region, or blood ties.”
“There must be some places that hire fairly. If we look.”
But somehow his tone lacked confidence.
“Did you see the snow today?”
Soo Young asked brightly, trying to change the mood.
“Yeah. It was falling as I was moving to my major classes. Doesn’t the first snow usually come to the Gangwon mountainous regions around November? Why first snow in Seoul in October?”
“They say it’s an unusual weather event.”
“I should have seen the first snow with our Soo Young… What a shame.”
He confessed his feelings subtly, but Soo Young just grinned and said:
“Did you see it alone? At least I saw it with a man.”
Honestly, she couldn’t say they saw it together, but he was next to her anyway, so it was as good as seeing it together.
At her words, Yeon Ho raised his eyebrows.
“A man? Which man?”
“There is one.”
“Are you dating?”
“I really want to date. If there was a great guy.”
“Hey, look close by, look close by.”
Yeon Ho earnestly appealed, but Soo Young just laughed casually. Yeon Ho’s advances like this had been famous since freshman year of college.
Everyone said Senior Yeon Ho seemed to like Soo Young. So she thought so too. She even felt excited.
But while Yeon Ho approached her like this, he officially dated another senior. Soo Young felt like a fool.
Yet even while dating other women, he was still kind and sweet to Soo Young. He would even act cute, asking why she didn’t see him as a man.
After hearing from his third or fourth girlfriend asking to let go of Yeon Ho oppa, Soo Young gave up on her feelings for him.
Rather than liking Soo Young, he was just stringing her along. Like a last resort.
Even now, while not meeting other women because he was preparing for the teacher certification exam, he was still approaching Soo Young like this.
Mi Jin advised that she should cut off people like Senior Yeon Ho who string others along, but Soo Young didn’t dislike eating and chatting with him like this.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a male friend too? Now that she didn’t get nervous around him like in freshman year, she felt it was safe.
To her, So Yeon Ho was like a last resort too. She decided to think of it that way.
“If you want to date, date me. Me.”
Satisfied with the last resort acting appropriately like a last resort, Soo Young chuckled.
“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t date until you passed the teacher certification exam?”
“I could do it for you, that’s what I mean.”
“Ha, what are you saying.”
“Anyway, don’t forget I’m here beside you.”
Yeon Ho said softly as he took a sip of beer. Despite earnestly appealing since freshman year of college, Soo Young was an iron wall.
She would see him just as a senior, but never as a man. Other women would all become his girlfriends if he approached them like this.
She was Senior So till the end.
Even when he talked about other girlfriends, she would defend them from a woman’s perspective without showing any signs of jealousy.
Is it because all her friends are lifelong singles so she has no sense?
He planned to propose as soon as he passed the exam and got an official appointment. It would be good if Soo Young got a job somewhere by then too.
A teacher’s salary would somehow be enough for Soo Young too, but it would be far from enough once kids were born. Dual income was essential. But this kid showed no interest in employment at all.
But who did she see the first snow with? At that time, around 3 PM, she should have been going to her part-time job. Who did she meet on her way to work?
Still, maybe because she’s working part-time, the kid has become much brighter and sparkling. When she was just buried in the library and bookstore, she looked lethargic.
But even for a part-time job, to be a housekeeper… It’s fortunate that she says she’ll only do it for 3 weeks, but I wish this kid would understand reality a bit.
If she worked full-time as an academy instructor, the pay would be decent and stable, why does she only want to do part-time?
“How’s your part-time job? Is it manageable?”
“Yeah. The employee benefits are good. They feed me, and give eye candy too.”
She left out that while food was provided, there was the hassle of having to force-feed someone, and that while her eyes were refreshed, sometimes her ears felt like they were rotting.
“Eye candy? What good things do you see?”
“Yeah. There’s a great… painting at the house.”
“Ah, you like paintings.”
Yeah. Plus it moves. And talks too. But I wish it wouldn’t talk – she omitted this part as well.
“Is it a rich household?”
In Yeon Ho’s mind, a large wealthy house with magnificent paintings hanging appeared.
“Well, seems like it.”
“Really? Then, isn’t it hard for you to clean that house alone?”
“It’s not like a mansion or anything, just a spacious apartment. I can just mop it quickly, there’s not much to do. I’m doing it lightly, just enough not to get scolded by the aunt.”
“What does the homeowner do?”
“Their job? I’m not sure.”
Though they seemed to be unemployed like Soo Young, since they were a gold spoon it didn’t seem right to say they were the same.
At her words, Yeon Ho thought that if she only worked briefly during the day, she might not know the homeowner’s job since she visited when the house was empty.
“About 2 weeks left now? Has your aunt gotten better?”
“Yeah. But she says it still hurts when she moves.”
“Then will she be able to work?”
Honestly, I occasionally thought it would be better if my aunt rested a bit more.
The landlord wasn’t great, but somehow I felt reluctant to quit. This was purely because of the landlord’s face. Because of that face.
But whether my thoughts showed on my expression, Yeon Ho spoke with a serious face.
“You, if your aunt can’t do that job anymore, you shouldn’t continue. Housekeeping is a job you can do even when you’re older. I don’t think it’s right for you to get such a job at your age.”
Right. This is the common thinking. However, Soo Young truly wondered if there were really jobs that could only be done when one was older.
__________
“Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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