Return (5)
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“Please go to the Power Plus relay point.”
To meet Lee Min-ju, he took a taxi right after leaving the Association building.
As a taxi driver, customers traveling longer distances were sweeter than those who go shorter ones.
However, the taxi driver saw the customer’s unpleasant expression, so he drove quietly for a while.
After some time, the driver seemed to soften and attempted a conversation.
“You must have been upset.”
“Yeah? Ah yes. There are places that I don’t want to get entangled with, but I have to for some reason.”
“Oh, nothing’s as annoying as being involved in an unwanted situation.”
“Yes.”
Seung-ho’s answer was brief, to make the driver quiet again.
“But sometimes, you have to think about if you can’t escape the flow; it is better to go with it.”
“Ah, yes…”
“Haha, or we have to block the flow itself completely.”
The driver giggled, then stopped speaking when he noticed that the mood became awkward.
To change the unpleasant mood, the driver increased the volume of the radio flowing out of the speaker. The taxi soon arrived at Power Plus, then Seung-ho paid him.
-Plus, the power to add, the power to live!
-Force Plus will provide information.
-Starting at 16:00 today, we sell seasoned beef bulgogi at 1200 won per 100g, so please refer to our customers for a consistent shopping experience. Thank you.!
Seung-ho, who entered the building where Power Plus is located, was overwhelmed by the gorgeous interior on the first floor, but he asked the people around him and went down to the first basement on a moving walk.
He then glanced around the checkout counter, but Lee Min-ju was not there.
One of the staff members watched as he furiously whispered around the checkout counter,
“How can I help you?”
“Oh, I’m looking for someone.”
As soon as Seung-ho stopped speaking, the employee looked surprised and pointed to the customer service center.
“Go over there. We did not have a missing child here lately; can you tell me the age and what clothes he/she wears?”
“No, the person I am looking for is an employee who works here.”
When Seung-ho explained to him the situation, the employee who misunderstood opened his mouth slightly and nodded expressively.
“Oh, yes, what is the name of the person you are looking for?”
“It’s Lee Min-Ju.”
“Oh, Lee Min-ju is resting inside for a while, but if you can wait here, I will call her for you.”
“Thank you.”
He was standing in front of the customer service center with staff at the back; then he heard a humming voice in the staff’s break room.
“Isn’t it time for Sung-Ah and Sia to come?”
He almost looked back at his sister’s voice coming out of the door, but he stopped himself and waited a little longer for a dramatic impression.
“Min-Ju, this is him.”
“Who are you?”
The voice of Lee Min-ju was full of caution.
He knew he seemed like a stranger in the eyes of his sister.
He bowed his head for a moment, then quickly lifted his head, looked up at the ceiling and looked back slowly.
“How have you been…?”
“Ahhh, Ahhh !!”
Instead of answering, Lee Min-ju ran, screamed, and hung her arms and legs around him.
“Lee Min-ju, it’s been a long time.”
People suddenly looked at where the scream came from, but Lee Min-ju and Seung-ho didn’t care.
Seung-ho supported the hips without falling with one hand and held the back with another to keep his sister hanging like a baby koala.
“It was hard; I had a hard time.”
Seung-ho whispered in Lee Min-ju’s ear while gently stroking her head. She is rubbing her face on his left shoulder, his shirt messed up with her tears and runny nose.
Lee Min-ju, who was still hanging from him, slowly released her limbs, then Seung-ho also put her down on the floor gently.
“You haven’t changed at all. You look the same.” Lee Min-ju said, carefully observing Seung-ho’s face.
The staff who guided Seung-ho watched the whole scene and sneaked towards Lee Min-ju. He tapped her arm.
“Min-Ju, work off.”
“Oh, thank you!” She turned to Seung-ho. “Wait here for a while.”
“Take your time.”
Seung-ho said. Lee Min-ju then ran like Burinake.
He tried to look around the large mart leisurely and was surprised when it took less than five minutes to see Lee Min-ju dash towards him again.
“Your face is very sweaty.”
Lee Min-ju pulled a tissue out of the bag she was carrying and tapped her sweaty face.
“Let’s go talk to the cafe on the first floor over here. Seong and Sia are coming soon. You must see your nieces’ faces.”
“Yes, yes.”
Lee Min-ju climbed to the first floor on a moving walk with Seung-ho and arms folded.
She led Seung-ho into the cafe.
“Isn’t that right here?”
When they went inside, Seung-ho was amazed and cried out.
“What? Kalppalppal, if you’re old, you call this a ‘coffee shop’. Now, it is called ‘cafe.’” Lee Min-ju said.
“Oh yeah? But there are so many ladies.”
“Is that the first thing you see? Now, make your order.”
At that moment, Lee Min-ju wondered whether his brother would ask for the menu and order the old fashioned way.
They went to the counter first.
“I’m two, two, three.” Seung-ho said.
“Yeah? Two, two, three?” the lady behind the counter was confused.
Lee Min-ju who’s watching from behind broke out.
“Ahahahaha, brother, hahaha. Oh, that’s too funny.” She turned to the cashier. “Just give us a cappuccino and a cafe latte.”
“I received an order for a cappuccino and a cafe latte. You will pay 8,700 won.”
Seung-ho stared blankly at Lee Min-ju.
Lee Min-ju stuck her tongue out, and Seung-ho’s face turns red with shame.
“You didn’t tell me on purpose.”
Thoughts ran in Min-Ju’s head.
-As kids, her brother used to play prank while pressing her temple lightly with his fist,
Lee Min-ju started crying, taking Seung-ho by surprise.
“Uh? Uh!? Does something hurt? Sorry, are you okay?”
Seung-ho was embarrassed, watching her cry out of nowhere.
“It thought I have good control, but now I’m crying. It’s embarrassing.”
“Oh, no. Shhh, let’s sit down.”
She gently pushed her brother’s hand, wiping her tears off her sleeves, and approached the window to get a seat.
“Did you already look for Mom and Dad?”
“Yes, when I came back yesterday.”
“Wow, it’s too much. Did you do that without calling me?”
“I did it to surprise you. The reaction makes me feel good because I feel successful.”
“What? Ha, patience… Tell me the story. How did you get back? How have you been there again?”
Seung-ho summarized and embellished the same experiences he told his parents yesterday and shared them with Lee Min-ju.
“You suffered… Lonely for 20 years? Have you been alone?”
At the end of Lee Min-ju’s words, Seung-ho nodded briefly. Lee Min-ju put down the coffee she was drinking and wrapped her hands around his.
Lee Min-ju, focusing on Seung-ho’s story, didn’t notice her daughters outside the cafe.
Sia, passing by in front of the café while babbling, was surprised to see their mother inside.
“Ugh! Sister! Look over there.”
Sia pointed at her mother inside the cafe, whose hands were both wrapped around Seung-ho’s hands.
“Who is that? Is that our stepdad? What is that scene?”
“Let’s go.”
It’s been three years since their father passed away, but the two daughters haven’t forgotten about their dad yet; however, it looks like their mother suddenly cheated on him.
When Seong roughly opened the cafe’s door and entered, the bells hanging on the door rattled as if broken.
All the people inside the cafe moved their attention to Seong and Sia,
Seong approached her mother proudly with her head raised.
As Seung-ho looked back at the sound of the approaching footsteps, he noticed two oncoming girls with long straight hair, walking as if they were deliberately kicking the ground.
He looked at the pretty yet annoyed young faces.
The first one, with white complexion – her face looks angry, and the way she stands is compelling, looking like a living beauty.
The second child, who came close to the back, seemed to be a younger sister. She was small and seems that she would look exactly like her sister in a few years.
Seung-ho and Lee Min-ju stood.
Seong threw him an angry glance and then looked at Lee Min-ju sharply.
“Mom, is the mood good?”
Seung-ho looked at the face of the schoolgirl and then looked at Lee Min-ju.
“They don’t look like you at all!”
“So, I’m sorry!”
Seung-ho pulled his hands wrapped in Lee Min-ju and started to put the index finger on the girls who had stopped.
Lee Min-ju was also embarrassed at how they appeared to the girls, and her face blushed.
Seung-ho tried to hold Seong-a’s hand, but Seong-a hit his hands away.
“Why are you meeting my mother?”
“What?!” Seung-ho and Lee Min-ju cried out loudly at the same time.
Seong-A’s gaze toward Seung-ho was full of contempt.
“My mother doesn’t have much money. If you want to say something good, get it out.”
Seung-ho turned his head to watch Lee Min-ju’s face turn red.
Desperately, he seemed to hold his breath to keep his smile. Lee Min-ju must have been enjoying this situation.
“Honey, it’s not that…”
“Don’t pretend to be friendly, don’t call me ‘honey’.”
“Kal-palk-pal.”
When Seung-ho’s words to explain were chilled, Lee Min-ju couldn’t stand it anymore and laugh.
In a drama-like situation, the eyes of all the people were focused on them, Seung-ho was embarrassed at that moment, but he could not escape.
“What are you laughing about, mom? Did you realize that you betrayed and cheated dad?” Seong-a blurted out.
Lee Min-ju laughed and choked. She paused to breathe, finally opened her mouth, but rather than trying to resolve the misunderstanding, she wanted to play more.
Seung-ho tried to sip coffee, feeling that he doesn’t know anymore.
“Mom, isn’t it too much? It’s only been three years since my father died. But what?”
As he watched Seong-a yelling at Lee Min-ju, his ears turned red,
He knew how much her nieces loved their dad.
However, they must have been girls with an adolescent sensibility for a long time when they lost their father.
“Min-Ju, stop playing.”
“Say hello to him. He is not your stepdad; he is your uncle.” Lee Min-ju said,
Seong-a and Sia looked at her with doubts.
“Mom, do you have a brother? Didn’t you say he is dead? No, I think you said he was missing.”
Seong-a whispered, but Seung-ho heard that.
“You must have a lot of doubt to survive in this world. Well done! My daughters!”
As Lee Min-ju sat down and raised both hands, Seong-A and Shia began to look strangely changed.
Seong-a frowned. Seung-ho almost touched her head, seeing how cute she was while in agony.
After thinking about it, he realized that he still has a resident registration card in his pocket.
He took it out and handed it to Seong-ah. “Here, do you know your grandfather’s address?”
Seong-a grabbed his resident registration card. She sat down and held the object as if she was holding a dirty one.
“… Isn’t this fake? Where is this resident registration card from? Look at this.”
“Daughter, he’s your uncle. Brother, can I use this as a resident registration card?”
When Lee Min-ju finished talking, Seung-ho laughed bitterly.
His nieces were still mischievous and still couldn’t accept the facts.
“I’m going to change it tomorrow; I’ve been busy walking around today.”
He stood up and looked at Seong-ah and Sia, who hadn’t been relieved, then, took the card on the table, and put it in his pocket.
“I’ll go now; I will go to the office tomorrow and come with our parents.”
“Okay, give me your phone number.”
“Where can I get the phone? I don’t even know how to use that.”
“Wow… My brother is like my grandfather; let’s buy him a phone. Nowadays, even beggars carry a cell phone.”
Seung-ho’s pride was hurt when his sister compared him to a beggar.
“What do you need to buy a phone?”