I didn't tell Kim Min-gyu that Jeong-han was a mermaid. Finding out wouldn't do any good. I simply told him that a friend I knew well from the past had run away from home and asked him to live with me for a month. Fortunately, Kim Min-gyu nodded in agreement.
Jeonghan, finding Kim Minkyu fascinating, clung to him and began asking him all sorts of questions. Kim Minkyu, perhaps feeling burdened by Jeonghan, looked at me with a pleading look. But I found it amusing, so I didn't stop him. (I didn't help Kim Minkyu.)
After barely an hour, Kim Min-gyu escaped Jeong-han and ran off to his room. Jeong-han, having let Kim Min-gyu go, walked into the kitchen, curious about what it was like. There were sharp knives and a hot fire there, so he followed Jeong-han.
"Dawon, what are you doing here?"
"A place to cook and eat."
"I'll cook it for you later. Will you eat it?"
" of course. "
***
The next day dawned. (Jeonghan slept with Kim Min-gyu.) In the morning, Jeonghan came into my room without knocking to wake me up. (It was the weekend, so I wanted to sleep more.)
Jeonghan pulled the blanket over me to wake me up. Because he was dragged along with me, I ended up on my back and buttocks on the floor. That jolted me awake. Jeonghan, startled, crouched down in front of me and began to examine my condition.
"Hey,.. I'm sorry... Does it hurt??? Are you hurt????? "
"I'm not hurt... Thank you for waking me up, Jeonghan..."
"To this extent, what?"
Jeonghan's bright smile upon hearing my thanks was adorable. As I stood up, I patted his head. Jeonghan, apparently enjoying the feeling of my head being stroked, asked for another pat. I patted him again and then went out into the living room.
"Jeonghan, where did Mingyu go?"
"I heard you have plans with a friend today?"
"I just left!"
"Oh really? Thanks for letting me know."
***
"Let's go on a date!!"
" date?? "
While I was eating breakfast, Jeonghan slammed his spoon down on the table and, with a solemn expression, suggested we go on a date. Embarrassed, I choked on my food and coughed.
Jeonghan handed me a wet tissue and soaked my bowl in water. Where did he learn that? He came over to sit next to me and watched me eat, slurping my words with a sly look.
"Oh, okay. Let's go..."
"I'm doing something else..."
"I don't like it... I want to watch Dawon eat here."
"If you keep looking at me like that, I'll get sick while eating... If you get sick, you won't be able to go out, Jeonghan."
"Oh no, that won't do! I'll be watching TV!!"
"Uh, uh uh."
***
After finishing the dishes, Jeonghan and I washed up, changed clothes, and got our money. We left around 1 o'clock without eating lunch. Jeonghan didn't seem to want to do anything, perhaps just wanting to play outside. So we went to a tteokbokki place near our house.
"Wow, why is this so spicy???"
"That's why I said to order it mild."
Jeonghan was so excited that he insisted on the strong flavor of tteokbokki. He picked up a piece of rice cake with his chopsticks, opened his mouth, and asked if there was anything to calm him down, saying it was spicy. I poured him a Coolpis. Jeonghan gulped down the entire cup, then sobbed.
***
After devouring all that spicy tteokbokki, I took Jeonghan to a nearby large park. Most of the people inside were walking their dogs. Jeonghan's eyes sparkled and (with the owner's permission) he reached out to pet the puppy.
Kang!!!!
Jeonghan, who was wary of strangers, hid behind me, sobbing. The owner apologized, saying he wasn't usually like this, and left. The stray cats around him were a bit frightening. Jeonghan must have felt the same way, as he tugged on my collar, suggesting we leave the park.
***
In the end, I took Jeonghan home with me. He was completely exhausted, slumped on the sofa. I washed and changed clothes, sat down next to him, and turned on the TV.
"What? What are you looking at???"
"To watch a movie."
"A movie..? I want to see it too!!"
I put on Train to Busan, a horror movie that wasn't particularly scary (by my standards). Jeonghan watched with wide eyes at first, but as the zombies grew more numerous, he covered his eyes with his hand, apparently scared. Still, perhaps curious about the plot, he watched the movie through the gaps between his fingers. I found that scene adorable, so I chuckled.
Jeonghan, who watched the whole thing, said the ending was the most touching and shed tears. I tore off a few tissues from the sofa and handed them to him, and Jeonghan wiped his tears and blew his nose.
I last posted this on September 23rd...
I will reflect on this...