Chapter 17: Two Drumsticks

“……One day, a friend asked me if I’d eaten.
It was something any Korean would say out of habit, but it suddenly made me realize that I hadn’t eaten properly for days.

The next day, my friend contacted me again, asking if I’d eaten.
This time, they even asked what I’d had.

Answering honestly felt like it would only make them worry, but I didn’t want to lie either, so from that day on, I started at least preparing simple meals for myself.

It was as if, with a single, ordinary sentence—something anyone can say but few actually do—my head finally peeked out from the heavy mud that had been choking me.”

‘I’ve read this part before.’

Seonyul realized that the passage she was reading now was the same one she’d once read on the radio.
Back when she’d been a contracted voice actor, work had been so scarce that she still vividly remembered every job she’d done.

Reading the same part of the same book years later felt almost surreal.
For one listener alone, Seonyul opened her mouth, her voice gentler than it had been back then.

“It doesn’t have to be anything grand.
Even something as trivial as this can make us flinch.
And if we flinch, it can grow—just as the flutter of a butterfly’s wings becomes a typhoon.
Even on days when negative emotions drag you back down, someone who has stood up once has the strength to stand up again, and again.
I hope you remember this smallness.”

Perhaps because she’d been through a string of bad days lately, more emotion seeped into her voice.
Just days ago, she’d been despairing in a damp, rain-soaked rooftop room, and now she was staying in a large house without worrying about rent.

As she continued reading, Seonyul wondered if Seung-ju’s offer to let her stay wasn’t, for her, that very sentence the book spoke of—the one anyone can say, but few actually do.

“……Have you eaten?”

After finishing the last line and closing the book, Seonyul suddenly thought of the untouched side dishes in the fridge.
It seemed like he didn’t eat properly—should she ask him?

“Did you eat today?”

There was no response from inside.
Seonyul checked the time on her phone.

Only about ten minutes had passed—had he already fallen asleep?
As she cautiously began to stand, she heard a rough intake of breath from within.

“……Mr. Yeon Seung-ju?”

“Hh—y-yes.”

“Should I keep reading the next part? We still have time.”

“……Yes.”

Leaning back against the sofa, Seonyul turned the page.
Knowing the listener was crying made her own heart feel unsettled for no clear reason.

She continued reading through the remaining pages.

Though the book was filled with familiar words of comfort for wounded modern souls, through Seonyul’s voice they felt like a warm embrace.
Occasional, muffled sobs could be heard, and by the time she closed the book, silence had settled in.

‘He must’ve really fallen asleep this time.’

Listening carefully to the sounds from the room, Seonyul slowly stood up.

She left the book on the sofa and carefully went down the stairs so as not to wake him.

She even made sure to turn off the hallway light, afraid any light might leak into his room.

Back in her own room, Seonyul lay on the bed, staring up at the high ceiling and muttering to herself.

“Did he really not eat at all?”

Judging by his hands, he had a very lean build.

No matter how long he’d been holed up in his room, it seemed likely he’d been undernourished for quite some time.

Then why did the housekeeper keep making side dishes he didn’t eat?

If Seung-ju had hired her himself, there was no way he’d ask her to keep cooking food he wouldn’t touch.

Seonyul arrived at the conclusion that someone else must be the one employing the housekeeper.

Family, relatives, a friend…….

“Why am I even thinking about this…….”

This was all because Yeon Seung-ju had cried.
Because he’d cried so pitifully, holding his sobs in.

Seonyul had a tendency to meddle unnecessarily with people like him.
Worrying about Seung-ju’s meals was just the opening act of that meddling.

The business-like boundary between seller and buyer had already blurred.
Even back when they’d only exchanged messages, she’d felt an odd urge to take care of him, but meeting him in person made Yeon Seung-ju far more  concerning than he’d seemed through text.

Who would have guessed he was someone who shut himself away like that?

Let’s not overdo it. Just enough.
With a low groan, Seonyul closed her eyes.

The nightly book readings continued.

Thankfully, Seung-ju didn’t cry after the first day.

The two of them exchanged quite a lot of everyday conversation through the single door between them.

In particular, Seonyul made a point of checking what Seung-ju had eaten each day.

Seung-ju didn’t seem to dislike her attention; though shy, he answered without hesitation.

On the first day, he said he’d eaten one protein bar.

On the second day, one protein bar and one banana.

On the third day, one protein bar, one banana, and the rice balls Seonyul had made.

Little by little, the amount he ate increased.

Even so, the hand that passed her the book still felt worryingly thin.

[OPEN EVENT! From 7 p.m. today—50% off takeout fried chicken! Only 8,900 won!]

A new franchise chicken place had opened along her route home from work.

Her finances were still too tight to spend even that much casually, but the image of Seung-ju’s thin hand flickered through her mind.

He didn’t seem to order delivery at all—had he even tried fried chicken before?

Most of the side dishes the housekeeper made were Korean food.
Unless asked directly, Seung-ju rarely spoke about himself.
Whenever the topic drifted toward his past, he would change the subject, and from what Seonyul could tell, he’d been shut in for quite a long time.
That meant it’d probably been a long time since he’d had fried chicken too…….

“One whole chicken to go, please.”

“Oh my, you’re lucky, handsome.
This is the very last chicken we’ve got today.
We usually prep nearly a week’s worth, but people came all the way from Gyeonggi-do because it’s half price.
We normally close at two in the morning, but we were already getting ready to shut down.”

Relieved at the words “last chicken,” Seonyul smiled.
She never would’ve been able to buy it at full price before payday.

While waiting for the chicken to fry, she texted Seung-ju, asking when the last time he’d eaten chicken was.
As if he’d been waiting, Seung-ju read it immediately and replied.

[Yeon Seung-ju: I’m not sure… what kind of chicken?]

[Just regular franchise chicken. The deep-fried kind.]

[Yeon Seung-ju: I don’t really remember if I’ve had the kind they sell outside…ㅜㅜ]

[Yeon Seung-ju: I’m sorry…]

[I’ll bring some home.]

[Yeon Seung-ju: Huh?!]

There it was again—sorry.
Seonyul frowned.

Every time Seung-ju apologized over something trivial, it made her uncomfortable.
He kept acting as if Seonyul held the upper hand in their relationship.

It did make living comfortably in that huge house easier on her conscience, but if it had been someone else, they might’ve taken his kindness for granted and used him.
If she got a little closer to him, Seonyul wanted to have a serious talk about him not apologizing out of habit.

“I added some cheese balls on the house and a large cola too, so come by often.”

“Thank you. I will. Wishing you great business, sir.”

After politely greeting the shop owner, Seonyul hurried on her way.
She wanted Seung-ju to taste the chicken while it was still hot.

Her brisk walk soon turned into a full sprint toward home.

Since buses didn’t run into the alley lined with large mansions, it normally took twenty minutes on foot, but today she burst through the front door in just ten.

“Haa, haa, hh—.”

Catching her breath in the entryway, Seonyul went straight up to the second floor.
Perhaps hearing her on the stairs, Seung-ju’s door opened slightly.

“Haa… chicken’s best while it’s hot, so let’s eat now.”

“D-did you run all the way up?”

“Yes. I’ll grab some plates.”

“O-okay…….”

Setting the chicken down, Seonyul went to the kitchen to fetch plates and cups.
When she came back upstairs, she saw Seung-ju stretching his hand out, clearly wanting to peek inside the bag.
Feeling mischievous, Seonyul lightly placed a plate on that outstretched hand.
“Gah!”
Startled, Seung-ju jerked and flailed as he pulled his hand back.

“Smells good, right?”

“Y-yes, yes.”

“You want to eat it?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Wait a bit. I’ll portion it out.”

“O-okay…….”

He really listens well.
His obedient replies were so cute that Seonyul let out a soft laugh.

Twenty-seven.
He was the same age as her, yet Seung-ju felt like a much younger sibling.

She placed two drumsticks on the plate, along with wings and breast meat for balance.
She added pickled radish on the side and even one of the complimentary cheese balls.

Then she filled a large cup with cola and slid the plate and drink through the gap in the door.

“Go ahead, try it.”

“Thank you…….”

“Start with the drumsticks. They’re the best part.”

She expected him to eat right away, but there was no movement from inside.
After a small, confused “Uh……?” Seung-ju leaned closer to the door and asked cautiously,

“T-the drumsticks…… why are there two?”

“Because chickens naturally have two legs.”

“N-no, I mean…… what about your share, voice actor…?”

“I need to diet, so I’ll eat the breast meat.”