70 - Upki Girl

< Han-Gwanom VS Our Hong > As if the old Confucian rule that boys and girls over the age of seven should not sit together had been buried with the fall of Joseon. It's like they forgot I was a man. Like it's only natural for me to sleep there. They're both patting the spot next to them, telling me to come over. What do they think I am, a loyal puppy who comes when called? Of course, I was momentarily torn over which side to choose... Ultimately, I decided not to fully enter the room and dropped my pillow at the threshold between the room and the living room. There was no proper place to sleep since Hong had already taken up space on the floor. "I'll just sleep here. Where's the blanket?" Then Hong hastily stood up, offering his spot to me. "I-I'll sleep outside. You can come here, sir." "No, you lie down. I can just sleep here with the door open." "The blankets are under the stairs," Yona pointed out. "Why not just curl up under the stairs like a good watchdog?" Aliya couldn't resist adding. "Just come over here. We used to sleep together at home; why act all shy now?" Eun-Bit chimed in casually. "What...?" Seowon's expression turned icy. "You slept together...on the same bed...?" "No, there's no bed in Oppa's room. We slept on the floor." "But you shared the same blanket, didn't you?" "Ah, yes. Not every day, just occasionally when I had nightmares and couldn't sleep alone." Oh, Eun-Bit, just zip it already. Can you not read the room? Does Seowon seem like she's asking about how the room is arranged? “Let’s see, the blankets are under the stairs... Ah, here it is...” I deliberately ignored their conversation, humming to myself as I pulled out the blanket. While laying the bedding on the floor, I stole a glance at Seowon's face. I flinched. Sitting on the lower-level bed, she locked eyes with me. "Why are you sleeping on the floor? Just come here." "What's wrong with that? Hong is sleeping on the floor too." "I'm telling you to come here. The floor's uncomfortable." "Eh, it's fine." "Get over here." "What?" "It's okay to sleep next to me." "Are you crazy?" "Maybe." What is up with that look in her eyes? Did she skip her medication? Eun-Bit, finally grasping the gravity of the situation, slowly edged towards the ladder, presumably to sleep on the floor. But then Seowon smacked Eun-Bit's ankle with her palm. "Yoo Eun-Bit, don't come down." "Got it." Eun-Bit quickly withdrew her leg and scrambled back up, yet she still couldn't resist making a joke. "Why not just stand here and sleep, showing your face to me and your legs to Seowon unnie, as if you're on guard duty. Heh heh..." Oh, well, that's a solution. Our Eun-Bit is quite the Solomon, isn’t she? "Aha, why didn’t I think of that? I could just stand like a giraffe, with my face at the second level and my legs at the first. Sounds fair, right?" It was meant as a lighthearted joke to ease the tension and criticize Eun-Bit’s foolishness, but Han-Gwanom shook his head solemnly. “No. If I can't have you all to myself, I'd rather no one have you.” I couldn’t help but laugh at the outrageousness. If this were a warzone and I the commander, I'd have isolated him immediately. "Ha ha ha, why harm an innocent man? And am I some object you can claim as you wish? Just lie down already; I'll sleep here. Should I turn off the lights?" I tried to handle the situation as calmly and nonchalantly as possible, but I couldn't help thinking. Is Han-Seowon going to act out whenever I get a girlfriend? This seems to go beyond the typical manager-artist relationship. No, it definitely has gone beyond—with us now barreling toward the abyss of destruction. Earlier, it seemed like Yona might be able to rein him in somewhat, but that’s only when Han-Gwanom retains a degree of sanity. If he loses it like now, even Yona can't stop him. A force or charisma like Yeom's might be needed to crush him. I turned off the lights in the kids’ room and lay on the blanket spread out on the floor. And Seowon lay beside me. Uh...? When she forcibly tried to use my arm as a pillow, I angrily shook her off and sat up. This situation warranted serious anger. “What the heck, seriously!” “What? You sleep with Eun-Bit but not with me? Are you already playing favorites among the members?” “Aren’t you going to leave?” “Mmm...” “I’m really about to get mad, so you better go while I’m still asking nicely.” “Sheesh...” "Han Seowon. Because of you, no one else can sleep, and look at this mood. Do you think I’m a pushover because I’ve been too lenient?” “Who’s calling you a pushover? I’m annoyed because you’re playing favorites.” “If you’re not gone by the count of three, you’d better be prepared. One...” “Why do you always do this to me! Why! Why!” Han-Gwanom's hysteria erupted. He yelled with bulging eyes. Eun-Bit, Yona, and Aliya couldn’t intervene and simply exchanged nervous glances. Yeah. It may seem like a minor tantrum, but you are witnessing a frightening amalgamation of three anxieties: inferiority complex, paranoia, and depression. ㅡBang! Seowon, having tossed aside the pillow on her thigh in frustration, got up from the bed, radiating intensity like a dragon defending its nest. “I don’t need anything, I’m not doing this anymore! I might as well just...!” It was none other than our Hong who came up from behind, sealing Seowon’s mouth with his hand and skillfully restraining her like a veteran bodyguard. “Mm! Mm!” "Alright, alright. Seowon, be good, be good..." "Mm-mm!" The power difference is overwhelming. With Seowon's fragile frame, there was nothing she could do. In height, weight, and strength, Our Hong had the clear upper hand. As Seowon's arms and torso were firmly held, her legs flailed futilely in the air like pedaling a bicycle, but only for a moment. "Sorry...ugh..." She was quickly overpowered and pinned to the bed by Our Hong. Hong climbed on top and restrained her arms. It was permissible physical contact between women, but for Seowon, it was a humiliatingly unbalanced match. Even a man would struggle to escape from beneath those 94 kilos. I certainly wouldn’t have a chance. All Seowon could do was curse through her now-free mouth. “You brute who's only strong because you’re huge… Want to die? Get off already!” “It’s okay, it’s okay. You’re doing well, Seowon.” “Why are you treating me like a child?!” “Take a deep breath, hoo~ hoo~” “Take this, pew! Pew!” Goodness. Unable to contain her anger, Han-Gwanom even spat at Hong’s face. Yet even with the insult and spit attacks, Our Hong’s composure and balance remained unshaken. Despite being called a pig and spat upon, Hong kept muttering soothingly, “It’s alright, it’ll be okay soon,” to calm Han-Gwanom down. She maintained her calm primarily because she was in a dominant position. It’s times like this that make me realize just how vital self-defense skills really are. “Ugh...” Even though Seowon was on the receiving end, she was the one who was physically depleted first. No matter the vicious insults hurled, Our Hong’s unyielding firmness proved too much, and Seowon panted heavily, glaring in defeat. Hong gazed benevolently at Seowon, nodding like a merciful statue. “So good, so good…” There was so much poise and kindness in her manner that I felt like hanging a picture of her on the wall to meditate on every morning. Judging by Hong’s adept, composed response, it seemed like a method she often used to deal with her siblings’ tantrums. She used similar words to stop Seowon from biting my arm earlier, didn’t she? A tense silence fell over the room for about 10 seconds as everyone watched with bated breath. Deeming it enough, Hong slowly released her grip. Seowon didn’t counterattack; based on her expression, she seemed dismayed by the tangible strength and physical disparity she couldn’t overcome with sheer will and frenzy. A fox, no matter how fierce, cannot challenge an elephant. Seowon, unable to accept her weakness, began to tear up. "Ah, I'm so frustrated... damn..." "I'm sorry..." "You just wait. I’ll get my revenge someday... Get off me, now." "Okay, okay, got it." As Hong climbed down from the bed, Seowon flung the blanket over herself and turned towards the wall. Leaving behind the words, "You all suck." Sigh, it’s over... First, a ghost prank, and now nighttime wrestling. Why is this day so long? At least I'll sleep well. Except it’ll only be four hours of sleep. Utterly exhausted, I turned off the lights in the basement living room and lay back down. "Seowon may be the light, but Yeonhong is my truth. Sleep well, everyone." “Yes, goodnight to you too, sir. Sleep well, everyone.” “Goodnight.” “Goodnight.” “Goodnight, everyone except one. Love you so much,” Aliya chimed in with a sarcastic tone. Too tired to respond to Aliya's taunt, the room fell silent. “I can’t sleep...” It was Aliya who broke the quiet after about a minute. “Trying to sleep?” Whether they were pretending or genuinely asleep, no one responded. “Yona unnie, are you awake…?” “...” “Honghong unnie.” “...” “Seowon unn—” “Don’t talk to me. I’ll get back at you too.” “Okay... Eunbit unnie, are you awake?” “Mm… so sleepy… I’m going to sleep… You should too…” After Eunbit’s drowsy voice trailed off, silence returned. Another minute passed. ―Rustle Rustle Aliya seemed unable to settle, the sound of her blanket continued to rustle. Fixating on the noise kept me awake as well. Aliya coughed quietly, trying to signal that she was still awake, seemingly hoping someone would engage her in conversation. “Seowon unnie, are you asleep…?” Even Seowon didn’t respond, presumably having fallen asleep by now. How much did Aliya want to chat that she'd even reach out to Seowon, who threatened revenge? Considering Aliya’s spectacular past, maybe she suffers from insomnia. As the last one awake, I decided to cautiously reach out. “Aliya, can’t sleep…?” “Yes.” Oh, she replied normally for once. “Do you have insomnia or something?” “A little.” “I see.” Poor thing. I’m the type who sleeps like a log. “...Is that it…?” “What?” “Why ask if you’re not going to fix it?” “Well, you know…” “Tell me a funny story.” “A funny story? About what?” “Anything. Like something funny that happened to Mr. Kim. You’ve lived 35 years, you must have plenty.” “There aren’t many who’ve lived a less interesting life than mine.” In the quiet room with everyone else asleep, just Aliya's and my voice echoed softly. “Then tell me anything. Even read a fairy tale.” “If you’ve got a book, I’ll read it.” “Is Mr. Kim an idiot? Do you carry a smartphone just for show?” "Eung... Aliya... didn't unnie tell you to speak formally to the supervisor..." Yona murmured in her sleep, almost as if talking in a dream. "Oh, oh, yes... Sorry about that. But unnie, are you awake? Aliya can't sleep." Silence... "Mr. Kim, can you read a children’s story for me?" "You only come to me when you need something." "Not really. It's just that Mr. Kim seems unable to sleep either, so I'm just keeping you company." "Oh, thanks." Browsing the app store, I found a children's story app. After downloading, I decided to read the first short story that came up. I never imagined I'd be doing this one day. "Alright, here it goes. The title is 'The Tale of Spring.'" "Who's the author?" "It says A. Freiheit. Seems like they're German." "Okay. Go ahead." "Um, um. Long ago, an unknown time. A girl couldn't speak a word. As time passed and seasons changed, she somehow managed to hide her lingering feelings." "You're emotionless, dummy. You're making me more awake." Without Yona around, this brat switches to informal language right away. The story's about a girl from the land of spring in love with a boy from the land of ice, who already has someone. How could a man living in Korea relate to that? Still, I did my best to capture the story's mood while reading. "Even his happiness made her heart ache. Her growing feelings became a secret she couldn't share." "Mmm… that's sad... keep going." The girl from the land of spring saw a handsome boy from the land of ice. Always smiling beside the beautiful girl from the winter country. She hid her beautiful heart and prayed for the beautiful couple. Every day, she wished upon the heavens that their feelings wouldn't change. "Just like me..." "Ah..." ―Sniffle "...are you crying?" "No, just something stuck in my nose." ―Sniff “Sure sounds like crying to me.” Without denying it, she turned the question back on me. "Mr. Kim, aren't you sad?" "I am." "Don't answer offhandedly." "Well, it feels a bit too much like a teenage girl's feelings... Aliya, you're surprisingly sensitive." "Then just be quiet. Don't ruin someone else's feelings." “Oh...” “What’s the title again?” “The Tale of Spring. The author is A. Freiheit.” She picked up her smartphone, perhaps intending to find and read it herself. The quiet sniffling continued softly. There's a bit of cuteness there. Then, at some point, the sniffles faded away. “Aliya, are you asleep?” There was no answer. She seemed to have drifted off. Phew, putting the kids to sleep is quite the task. Time for me to finally get some rest. I was just on the brink of falling into a pleasant slumber when it happened. Pffuhut! Pahahaha—! Klurrr! Kahaha—! Hong’s snoring erupted like monsters emerging from the gates of hell. The noise caused the kids to rustle about in reaction. At this rate, it’s going to be an all-night wakeathon. Then I remembered what Hong said about his snoring. “But if you nudge him and tell him not to snore, he’ll stop for about an hour… my siblings did that all the time.” Pffurung! Pahahaha—! Piheeck! Sahiyaa—! Forget snoring, Hong might lose her nose at this rate. Crawling over, I tapped Hong's leg. “Hong, don’t snore.” It didn’t work at all. I tried poking a bit harder, but it was futile. Did she mean I should hammer or pickaxe her instead? Where could I find a toolbox? "Ah, it's starting again..." "Sir, please do something about Hong." "I'm trying, kept nudging her but it's not working. Maybe I should really get a hammer." "Kukukukut… that's hilarious..." "Aliya just fell asleep..." Eventually, machine numbers 1, 2, 3, and 5 all woke up. Why is the first night so long? Forget Our Hong, she’s more like Their Hong. As the manager, I had to make a decision. "This won't do. Grab your blankets and pillows. We’re leaving Their Hong behind and relocating everyone to the first floor." < Han-Gwanom VS Our Hong > The End