Chapter 23: A Long-Awaited Return

It was the moment I had desperately longed for.

There were many reasons for this longing.

The comfortable and peaceful life on Earth.

A world where I didn’t have to worry about the boundary between life and death.

A peaceful world with the comforts and joys provided by modern civilization.

But undoubtedly, the strongest reason was the longing I felt.

I missed my only family.

I missed my older brother, the most important person in my life.

I had prayed, even if just once, to be able to meet him again.

That’s why, as soon as I returned, I tried to find him.

At first, I was excited about the reunion and wondered what words I should say, how I could explain the past five years.

But it wasn’t as easy as I thought.

His phone number had changed.

I thought this wasn’t a big issue. I could simply visit him in person.

But only after seeing the empty house did I realize the seriousness of the situation.

Through a real estate agent, I learned that my brother had moved five years ago, right after I had disappeared. But that was all.

His current address was personal information.

Without revealing exactly who I was to him, they couldn’t give me any details.

That’s right.

If I were truly his younger sibling, there would be plenty of ways to find the information.

But right now, I was nothing more than someone with the same name a mere namesake.

The ID I had when I returned.

It only showed the identity of a woman named Bae Gaeul .

The male Bae Gaeul , the one who had been preparing to be a professional gamer, was still missing as he had been five years ago.

I can’t even explain what I was feeling at the time.

If it hadn’t been for Suah, I’m not sure what choice I would have made.

Suah saved me.

Not just by handing me jjampong right after my return.

She was the one who helped me stand up again when I was lost in despair and frustration.

I hadn’t completely given up on finding my brother.

But I decided to take my time and approach it slowly.

After all, my brother had a family to take care of.

And now, I had found a new family in Suah and Grandpa.

“Are you going to the tournament today?”

“Yeah. But since it starts in the afternoon, I’ll just do some deliveries before that.”

As soon as Suah heard this, she frowned and firmly said,

“No. You can’t do that before an important match. You need to manage your condition!”

“Important match? It’s just an online tournament.”

“Anyway! The delivery doesn’t matter much, so just rest before it!”

Is she admitting it?

Well, I can’t argue with the objective truth here.

“If that’s the case, shouldn’t you rest too?”

“Tsk! The delivery and the restaurant are completely different things, okay? The foundation of our shop is in the dining room!”

Hmm. Normally, a Chinese restaurant’s foundation is in deliveries, right?

But from what I’ve heard, Grandpa’s business was much better when he was running things.

By the time I came, he was already hospitalized, so I never saw that era.

Now, aside from a few loyal regulars, the customers had all but disappeared.

“Well then, I’ll just hang around here for a bit.”

“If you’re going to laze around, don’t go up to the second floor—stay here.”

At Suah’s request, I gave a mischievous smile and said,

“Why? You want to stay close to me? If that’s the case, you should have just said so.”

“Well, if you’re here, the men will come in, right? So it’d be better if you stayed closer to the entrance.”

“Ha.”

I got hit by her instead.

When it comes to gender, I’m at a disadvantage.

How could I accept that without any discomfort? To be that bold would require much more time.

Anyway, after hanging out at the shop, it was time for lunch.

And with the opening of the door, today’s first customer arrived.

“Suah, hi!”

A girl dressed in a school uniform, her hair dyed yellow, looked rather delinquent.

She had shortened her uniform ridiculously. She looked like a complete troublemaker.

Suah greeted the customer warmly.

“Ah, Hong Seol!”

Suah was so happy to see her that she jumped out from behind the counter and rushed over to her friend.

She immediately started slapping her back with her palm.

The sound of the slaps was so satisfying that I couldn’t help but admire it from the side.

“Ah! That hurts! I said it hurts!”

“Hey. Didn’t I tell you not to skip school? You’re really a troublemaker, huh? You must be crazy to want to be scolded now?”

“Damn, it hurts!”

“Are you thinking I’m scared just because you cursed? You need a good beating. Get a hold of yourself!”

No matter how I heard it, their conversation sounded more like a mother and daughter than a couple of friends.

It wasn’t so strange because they had been best friends, practically inseparable, for 18 years.

If they were of different genders, this could have been a typical setup for a rom-com.

But even now, as same-gender friends, they seemed to be getting along quite well.

“Hey, you’re making me watch!”

“So what? Didn’t I tell you I’d kill you if you skip school again?”

“I was just coming out for lunch! I’ll eat and go back, I swear.”

When Hong Seol begged, Suah finally stopped the slapping and crossed her arms.

“Really?”

“Yeah. The school lunch today was so bad, I just stepped out for a bit.”

“Okay, I’ll let you off the hook this time.”

Even though they’re friends, does it seem like their relationship isn’t exactly on the same level? Maybe that’s just my impression.

They looked completely different on the outside.

Soo-ah appeared neat and gentle, like she couldn’t get mad at anything, while Hong Seol had an intense vibe, almost like she’d bully people and take their lunch money.

But from what I heard, Hong Seol wasn’t interested in academics and was just free-spirited. Her nature was kind, and she wasn’t the type to bully anyone.

“Good morning, unni!”

Hong Seol approached me and bowed at a 90-degree angle.

“Technically, it’s almost lunchtime, not morning.”

“Oh, right! Then, good lunchtime! Hehe.”

I’ve noticed that Hong Seol tends to be particularly polite to me. It’s not just courtesy, but she actively tries to engage with me.

I didn’t mind it at all. After all, she wasn’t a creepy guy with ulterior motives, and it’s not like I’d dislike a friendly high school girl, right?

“What are you two going to eat for lunch?”

“I’ll have jjambbong.”

“Oh, then I’ll have jjambbong too!”

Soo-ah, who had been at the counter, poked her head out, her expression strangely suspicious, filled with doubt and a hint of suspicion.

“You like fried rice, so why do you always choose jjambbong when unni’s around?”

“Uh, what? I like jjambbong too, you know!?”

“Hmm… okay, I get it.”

Soo-ah disappeared into the kitchen, leaving just me and Hong Seol in the dining area.

A brief, awkward silence followed.

Hong Seol, it seemed, was struggling to endure the tension, fidgeting with her hands.

“Hong Seol.”

“Yes! Unni! Just say whatever!”

“Do you have a lot of friends?”

Hong Seol tilted her head slightly at the unexpected question but answered without hesitation.

“Well, just so-so. Why do you ask all of a sudden?”

“I was just thinking you should bring some of them next time. The shop’s been so empty.”

“Oh, I see. But I don’t think they’d like it here.”

Hmm. My jjajangmyeon won’t impress anyone, I guess.

To be honest, judging by the decor, it’s not the type of place high school girls would prefer.

They’d probably rather go to a café or a snack bar instead of a Chinese restaurant.

“Does Soo-ah have friends at school?”

“…Soo-ah?”

Soo-ah had dropped out after Grandpa was hospitalized. I heard she only attended the first semester of her freshman year before dropping out halfway through the second semester.

Hong Seol scratched her head and said,

“Well, last year, she had a lot of friends. She’s bright and friendly, a really nice person. But now… she doesn’t really keep in touch with anyone.”

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense.”

I figured as much.

After all, Soo-ah’s been by my side all day, and I’ve never seen her hang out with anyone else.

She has no time for friends, since she’s always stuck in the shop.

Even though I knew this, hearing it still felt a little bitter.

Maybe it’s because I didn’t have the best time in school myself.

I probably hope Soo-ah could live a little more like a typical teenager.

“…Unni.”

“Huh?”

“You just now, you looked like you were in that kind of mood… like you had a cigarette hanging from your lips. A bit sad and wistful, you know?”

I was so surprised that I interrupted her and asked,

“Wait. Do you smoke?”

“No? Why would I smoke?”

She didn’t?

Even though she was denying it, from her appearance alone, she seemed like she was the type who would.

Bright blonde ponytail, flashy eyes, and piercings in her ears.

Even though Soo-ah vouched for her, this girl clearly gave off a delinquent vibe.

I pinched the cheek of the girl who was desperately defending herself and warned,

“If you lead Soo-ah astray, I’ll deal with you.”

“…”

Her cheek was soft and squishy.

It wasn’t a bad feeling, so I enjoyed it until she started whining.