The Damn Family Is Back Again

172. Divergent Paths (4)

“Sigh…”

“Why do you sigh again?”

“Are you really sure about this? It seems to me…”

Despite my insistence, Harnie still seemed to feel she was being a nuisance and had yet to stamp the collaboration agreement.

Sigh. This woman is peculiarly persistent, just like that kid.

At this rate, I might as well take matters into my own hands.

“There’s no time to hesitate.”

“What? Wait a minute, you can’t just force it away…!”

-Thud.

“Oh. I stamped it roughly, but it turned out quite nicely.”

Harnie’s hand trembled, so it didn’t land perfectly in the center, but it was good enough not to make a fuss.

“Ah…”

But our fiancée seems to still be worried about the beautifully stamped contract, as a sigh escapes her lips.

I should say something to ease the anxious bride-to-be.

“Don’t worry. If anything, I’m the one who’s indebted to you.”

“…”

“Harnie. You must have researched and found out that the soil of Chatren has developed some issues. It would have been ideal to have a normal plot of land as a control group, and you’ve just solved that problem. You’re not just a burden, you see.”

At that moment, Harnie inhales sharply.

Then she turns her head away abruptly.

“…Thank you.”

“What?”

“Thank you… very much.”

…Thank you.

Another word I’m not accustomed to just popped out.

‘How am I supposed to respond to this?’

Should I tell her that managing two pieces of land provides better conditions than operating Chatren alone, so there’s no need for thanks?

Or should I firmly reply that it’s not a matter of gratitude since we both stand to gain from this, rather than being thankful?

Or should I argue that it’s actually me who should be grateful, as this collaboration proposal has cleared a path through a previously daunting situation?

I don’t know.

I’ve never been thanked before.

That simple, unfamiliar word ‘thank you’ leaves me at a loss for how to respond.

In the end, all I can say is this.

“Let’s… just think of it as a transaction.”

“Excuse me?”

“We are bound by a contract engagement, aren’t we? As much as you provide a control group for the soil, Harunie, I manage the estate in return. This too, can be seen as a kind of trade.”

At that, Harunie suddenly turned her head towards me.

But… somehow, unlike before, she didn’t avoid my gaze. Harunie’s eyes were clearly meeting mine.

“…”

After staring into my eyes for a long while, she pressed her lips tightly together and clasped her hands.

Then, she turned her head away again and blankly stared into space.

She didn’t outright deny it, so should I take that as acceptance?

I was just reassuring myself when…

“…from … please.”

“…”

“So… just sleep quietly for a few hours and wake up. When I come by occasionally, please accept it as my sleep time. That’s all I can do for you.”

I can’t see the expression behind the covered eyes.

But a slight tremor is conveyed through the fingertips. The voice is already shaking, so it was easy to notice…

Harunie seemed to be earnestly asking for something rather than proposing a deal.

‘I feel so awkward.’

Just stay still like this.

Try to catch some sleep.

That’s all I can offer in this deal.

Certainly, it does put some burden on me.

Managing two territories simultaneously and keeping up the grades isn’t just a matter of trust in me.

Normally, one would eagerly accept free work and good grades with gratitude, but not this woman. She’s too kind-hearted for that.

Perhaps, she’s feeling something entirely different.

If I moved these delicate hands away, I could see her expression clearly.

But, I didn’t want to do that.

It’s not so difficult to fall asleep on these soft thighs behind me.

If granting this simple request could alleviate some of the emotions I’ve accumulated, then it wouldn’t be so bad.

‘Just sleep for an hour and wake up. Harunie can’t complain about that.’

As I closed my eyes, old memories suddenly came to mind.

-…Thank you.

‘…Come to think of it, it’s not like I’ve never been thanked by someone.’

There was one person.

There was indeed.

A girl who could be called a friend had thanked me.

And back then, I had said the same thing.

It all happened while we were busy with our own tasks.

…The last part, ending up using thighs as a pillow, seemed to overlap with many things.

The same answer to a not-so-different situation.

‘…A perfect wrong answer.’

It’s still difficult.

How to respond correctly, I still don’t know.

Closing my eyes and sinking into old memories, a drowsiness soon found me.

***

“Is it prohibited to work on a group assignment alone?”

“Yes.”

The teacher nodded, arms crossed.

“A ‘group’ assignment means just that. It’s meant to be collaborative, created together as a team. What’s the point if you take it on by yourself?”

“…Still, if I can manage it alone, isn’t that okay? Instead of clashing opinions, breaking down, and wasting time without making progress, wouldn’t it be better to proceed alone if possible?”

The teacher sighed deeply.

“Sure. As you said. It’s common for opinions to clash, for things to break down, and for time to be wasted.”

“Then…!”

“But that process is necessary too. You need to learn how to negotiate, how to resolve those conflicts. There are things in this world that can’t be solved alone.”

“…”

“Anyway, try to find at least one other group member. If you go it alone, no matter how good the outcome, Minhyuk, it’ll be zero points.”

“…Yes.”

-Thud.

The staff room door closed.

The boy who had consulted with the teacher couldn’t understand.

What’s so hard about living alone?

Even if left to fend for myself, there are countless ways to grit my teeth and survive.

Be it money or the will to live, either can be cultivated.

Why must I go through such unnecessary steps for a mere assignment, I couldn’t fathom.

“Haah. Lamenting like this won’t solve anything.”

In the end, I had to find someone.

Otherwise, this semester’s grades would be a disaster.

But finding that one person wasn’t easy.

In a school that’s nothing more than a prep site for the college entrance exam, I’ve endured all kinds of torment, but I never imagined I’d be so troubled over something other than academics.

‘What to do. Really…’

As I walked on, lamenting, an unpleasant sound came from somewhere.

-Swish!

The sound of flesh colliding.

But it was the sound of forceful impact, one side striking the unresisting other.

It was a sound filled with the unpleasantness of violence, something she had endured far too often

Strands of hair, now disheveled, slip down slightly. Seeing his face directly, I’m certain—it’s him, the one who always hears how pretty he is from the boys.

‘Well… whatever the situation, it doesn’t matter.’

It’s absurd, laughable. A situation utterly beyond comprehension.

But this is an opportunity.

“Group projects, you have to do whatever it takes, right? Even though those guys took everything.”

“…But?”

“Come join my group. I won’t ask you to do anything.”

That was the first time I clearly remembered someone else’s name at school.

Seo Ji-eun.

The name of the kid who would later thank me with a bewildered expression.

***

-Tick. Tock. Ding.

“…”

The sound of the grandfather clock faintly rouses me to consciousness.

When I open my eyes, the scene is so reminiscent of Ji-eun’s thighs that I almost mistake it for reality.

Instead of the familiar ceiling, a generous part of a body obscures my view…

It took me a while to realize it was all a dream.

-Ding!

▶Status Update: Sleep deprivation has been recovered.◀

▶Status Update: Fatigue has been recovered.◀

[ Sleep Deprivation: 0, Fatigue: 0 ]

Even without looking at the status window, the sound of the clock gave me a hint… but I had no idea I had slept for five hours straight.

However, something else began to trouble me.

“Umm…”

“…Why is this so similar?”

Is it because of what happened today?

As I cautiously sit up, I see Harunie, asleep against the sofa. Her figure… it vividly brings back memories of that group project from the past.

-…Thank you.

-Thank… you.

“…Sigh.”

As the two voices overlapped, I found myself complaining about the lack of difference between them. I pulled out a blanket to cover her but sighed and gave up.

While carefully lifting the soundly sleeping Harunie to move her to the bed, I gave up on thinking.

After all, saying ‘thank you’ feels awkward.