97 – EP.5 Swamp-4

***

It would have been nice if one broadcast was completely f*cked up, but in fact it is not.

After she abruptly ended the broadcast, comments were blocked on both her station and YouTube.

It was a coping like a seasoned broadcaster who had gone through all kinds of battles.

Right away, the criticism and interest towards her would be sky-high, but it was clear that if I closed my eyes and ears and endured for two months, I would be beaten less severely than now.

It would be nice to knock down all the towers she has built in one fell swoop, but for now, I think I have no choice but to be satisfied with this level of achievement.

I think it’s half success.

It’s not like this isn’t the only opportunity. Each time you return, I will solve the call one by one.

Her broadcasting hiatus will become more and more frequent.

Later on, it will be a situation where you have to put your face down and broadcast because of the problem of profit, so you can do the biggest thing at that time to attract aggro.

“Lulululurululu.”

Even though I skipped my morning workout, I feel refreshed.

I hum at the thought of having given Hana a shot.

The current time is 9 am.

I am in front of Mr. Garam’s house.

It is to talk with the owner of the center about how to fix the messed up center.

I have to soothe her who is still anxious.

Yesterday, I was busy with one thing, so I couldn’t contact you properly, so I’m a bit anxious.

＞＞Garam: Yes. I’ll be waiting for you.

Considering the reply I received on KakaoTalk yesterday, I don’t think the situation is that serious.

– smart

Tap the door lightly with your index and middle fingers.

The iron door, whose paint was all peeled off, resounded pitifully.

Are you even sleeping?

Tap with a little more force than before.

– Knock tok tok

No response, no sound of people moving from inside.

Can’t it be… isn’t it?

– thump thump

Try knocking on the door a little harder.

“Mr. Garam! Mr. Garam!”

Calling Mr. Garam’s name inside, he slams the door with his fist.

With the sound of fists hitting the door, it feels like the house is ringing.

“I-san… shouldn’t I report this to 119?”

Just in case, thinking about the worst case scenario, I was thinking about whether to call 119, but a person came from inside.

Footsteps approaching.

There was the sound of slippers on the porch, and the door creaked open.

“Oh, are you here, Dad?”

Mr. Garam, with a dark shadow under his eyes, greeted me helplessly.

“Your body… are you okay? No, more than that, is it your dad?”

I asked her about the absurd title, but she smiled.

“I’m almost ready. Please wait a little bit.”

Blocking the front door as if blocking it, she told me.

“Then shall we wait inside?”

“It will only take a moment.”

-bang!

The door closed in front of me, and I had no choice but to stand there with a dumbfounded face for a while.

uh, what’s going on…

The fresh smile was the usual Mr. Garam, but the appearance was not Mr. Garam.

Eyes that have lost their vitality, deep dark circles, scars on the arms and neck that were barely visible.

It was only one day.

It was just one day, the time I left her alone…

The mouth was written for no reason.

After waiting for about 10 minutes, Mr. Garam, who was ready, opened the door and came out.

“You waited long?”

“Huh? The clothes…”

Garam’s clothes are usually fixed in tracksuits.

The only thing that changed was the color.

Today, wherever I got it, I’m wearing a chestnut dress with an autumn vibe.

“I’ve been feeling a little bit. How is it?”

Spinning around, she spoke in a charming voice.

Ugh… I can’t get used to it.

Her dress is a bit unusual. Even though it was a long garment that obviously covered the entire body, it strangely stuck to the body, revealing the curves of the body without filtering.

However, if I was sensational, I was more interested in the scars on my arms and neck that were revealed rather than the sensational appearance.

“Neck and arm… why?”

“…hahahaha, it’s nothing. I must have scratched myself in my sleep.”

She tells a lie that makes no sense.

It would be useless to inquire further, so I just nodded.

“Have you had breakfast?”

“Not yet.”

“Me too.”

“Then shall we eat together?”

With her eyes shining brightly, Mr. Garam crossed his arms around my arm.

I took a few steps back as I quietly pushed my body this way.

“Yes, yes.. I’ll eat it. But it’s inconvenient to move… so take this.”

I tried to shake my body to loosen my arms, but her tightening power only strengthened.

“……”

Mr. Garam, who was looking up at me with his face pressed against my shoulder, showed a desire in his eyes that seemed like he shouldn’t touch something.

I need to seriously think about how to overcome this situation when I get home today.

“Then, where shall we go?”

I gave up everything, let out a long sigh, and asked her, and the answer came back exactly as I thought.

“I like them all.”

***

It was a really ambiguous time to eat out, so I went to a nearby snack bar.

I noticed a little bit because I didn’t follow the diet I always followed, but Mr. Garam didn’t say anything.

I ordered gimbap and ramen, and Mr. Garam ordered a pork cutlet set meal.

At the mismatching spell, I blinked at her and Mr. Garam made an excuse that was not an excuse.

“I have no energy. I couldn’t even eat properly yesterday…”

Judging by her words and appearance, it seemed that she hadn’t eaten a proper meal the day before.

This isn’t an exaggeration, you can see the cheeks are sunken.

“You don’t have to make excuses because you’re not managing a trainer’s diet.”

With a smile, I picked up the water bottle and poured water into the cup.

After pouring water into Mr. Garam’s cup, I handed it to her, and Mr. Garam smiled and drank the water straight from the cup.

boom boom.

My throat wriggles, I pass the cold water, and stare at me.

In the past, if our eyes met, we wouldn’t be able to exceed 3 seconds and then we would slowly look elsewhere.

“You’re kind. Dad.”

Mr. Garam, who was staring at me, opened his mouth.

When the title I kept caring about came up, I cut her off.

“Ga-ram, everything is fine, but can you please refrain from calling me father?”

I know it’s an unstable psychological state, but it’s not that it’s not.

In my actions of comforting and taking responsibility for her, the title ‘Dad’ is not an option.

“why?”

If you ask me confidently, I have nothing to say on this side.

She takes the water bottle from me and pours it into my cup.

With a gurgling sound, water flowed from the plastic spout.

“Take care of me like this…”

“I can’t help but rely on…”

“The boss is the only one on my side in this world.”

“Can I call you Daddy?”

As if it would soon overflow, Mr. Garam, pouring a full cup of water, threw a fastball at me without hesitation.

I felt that the current situation was somehow similar to this water cup that seemed to overflow if even one more drop fell.