Chapter 2: The Quiet Boy

“Luckily, he can understand. And he eats whatever you give him, so you don’t have to worry about him.”

“Kangeun-ah!”

Auntie wants hers sunny-side up, don’t break the yolk and no salt!
Just a sprinkle of pepper. Got it?”

“…Yes.”

“I couldn’t even eat lunch trying to catch the train. Ah, I’m so hungry my stomach feels like it’s stuck to my back.”

“Give me two fried eggs with any leftover cold rice you have.
Oh, and soy sauce and sesame oil!”

Kangeun nodded and looked down at the child who was looking up at her.
Then, a sharp voice, different from before, came from behind her.

“Yoon Siheon, what are you doing?
Go inside and get your things.
I told you to put away your own stuff.
You understand what I say, so why do you keep making me nag?”

Miryeong clicked her tongue in disapproval and turned away.

The small child, who hadn’t taken his eyes off Kangeun, walked past her and stepped onto the wooden floor.

His hands, opening a bag as big as his own body, were incredibly small.

The child’s belongings were meager.

A few sets of clothes, a few pairs of underwear, and some toys and books were all he had.

Even the toys were just stones, pieces of wood, a worn-out doll, and a broken robot.

And the books were only a few old news magazines and some used textbooks.

She thought about helping the child unpack, but the late lunch Miryeong had requested was more urgent.

If Miryeong hadn’t eaten, it was very likely the child hadn’t either.

Shortly after Kangeun went into the kitchen, four eggs were sizzling on a hot frying pan.

Then, three evenings later, while about to bathe with a grimy Siheon whom Miryeong hadn’t washed, Kangeun discovered that Siheon was a boy.

The name of the child she had thought was a pretty little sister was Yoon Siheon, not Yoon Siyeon.

****

“So… are you Siheon’s mother, Imo?”

In the end, Kangeun couldn’t overcome her curiosity and asked.

As Miryeong, lying in the big room, stretched out her hand without taking her eyes off the TV, Kangeun speared a piece of watermelon with a fork and offered it to her.

“Yeah, well.
I guess so?”

“Ah…”

“Why that reaction?”

“Because you and Siheon don’t look alike at all.”

“We don’t?”

“No.”

“That’s right.
He’s the spitting image of his dad.
But if nothing else, his eyes are just like mine.”

Kangeun looked back and forth between Siheon, who was quietly munching on his watermelon, and

Miryeong, who was grinning at her.

The more she looked, the more Kangeun’s head tilted in confusion.

Watching her, Miryeong burst into laughter.

She put down her fork and took out her wallet.

“Look at this. Our eyes are identical, right?”

“Is this a picture of you when you were little, Imo?”

“Yep.
I had double eyelid surgery.
You can’t tell, can you?”

“No.
I had no idea.”

“Right? I had it done at a famous place, it was expensive.
If I don’t say anything, everyone thinks they’re natural.
Yoon Siheon, don’t spill.”

Miryeong, who had been smiling with a proud expression as if her surgically-enhanced eyelids were a great treasure, suddenly frowned.

Her cold gaze was directed at Siheon, who was staring at the watermelon juice he had spilled on the floor, his lips pressed tightly together.

“He’s so foolish, really.”

“Why does he spill like a baby when he’s seven years old?

“Yoon Siheon, didn’t I tell you to clean up what you spill?”

“What are you doing?
Hurry up and get some tissues!”

“I’ll, I’ll do it.
Siheon-ah, it’s okay.

“It’s okay to spill.
We can just wipe it up.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong.
Noona spilled some earlier too.
Watermelon is hard to eat without spilling.”

Kangeun quickly stood up, reassuring Siheon.

She returned with a dry cloth, and her small hands were deft as she wiped the floor.

Miryeong watched her with a blank stare, then sighed.

Her expression was more annoyed than frustrated.

Kangeun, who had memories of receiving plenty of parental love when she was younger, felt uncomfortable with how coldly Miryeong treated Siheon.

Miryeong neither washed nor cared for Siheon, and would act disgusted as if he were dirty whenever he touched her things.

Because of this, Kangeun began to look after Siheon while being mindful of Miryeong.

Although Kangeun had only found out that Siheon was a boy while bathing with him for the first time yesterday, she decided to bathe with him again today.

Washing her little brother while she washed herself wasn’t that difficult.

During the bath, Siheon kept his dark eyes quietly lowered and remained still.

When he was done, he would try to button his clothes by himself, however clumsily, and he would mimic washing his underwear by kneading the ones he’d taken off.

“You have to brush your teeth three times a day. Once after breakfast, once after lunch, and once after dinner.

“And if you eat something before bed, you have to do it again.
If you don’t, bugs will grow and all your teeth will rot.
That would hurt so much.”

“You have to wash your hands when you come back from outside.”

“Tiny little germs get on your hands, and if you rub your eyes, they’ll make your eyes hurt, and if you rub your nose, they’ll make your nose hurt.”

“Stop putting your hands in your mouth.”

“That will give you a stomachache too.
Let’s wash our hands with soap and make all the germs run away.
Okay?”

“Don’t just wash your face in the morning, you have to wash it before bed too.
You should go to sleep clean.”

“You have to change into your pajamas before bed.
You don’t have any?
Hmm, should we use this as our pajamas starting today?”

As Kangeun taught him gently, just as her mother had taught her long ago, Siheon would quietly nod his head as if he understood.

The smart child didn’t forget to brush his teeth and wash his face just as Kangeun had taught him, starting that very morning.

“Did you wash your face and brush your teeth, Siheon?
Wow, you’re amazing, Siheon.”

“Your face is sparkling, isn’t it?
All the bugs in your mouth must have run away.

“Siheon-ah, come here.
Noona will wash your neck for you.
Here, should we wash behind your ears too?”

Kangeun didn’t blame the still-clumsy Siheon, but instead smiled and told him he did a good job.
At that, Siheon’s eyes sparkled.

Siheon, whose eyes shone at such small praise, didn’t know much of what a seven-year-old should.
He didn’t know any songs, nor did he know any fairy tales.

Instead, there were aspects of his behavior that didn’t fit a seven-year-old.

Like excessively bending over to eat so he wouldn’t spill, or trying to clean up any mess he made by himself.

He compulsively put things back in their place and walked on his tiptoes as if to hide his presence.

He opened and closed doors gently and didn’t show it even when he was sweating profusely from the heat.

Siheon, only seven years old, never threw a tantrum like children his age often did, nor did he even ask for help.

Kangeun, who had figured out Siheon in just a few days, thought she understood why he acted that way.

Outside of the time he spent looking at books or arranging his stones, Siheon spent most of his day focused on watching Miryeong, who lay in the big room across the wooden floor, enjoying the fan.

It seemed he didn’t want to get on Miryeong’s nerves.

“I have to make an important call.
Kangeun-ah, take Siheon to your room and read a book.
Just leave the watermelon.
I’ll finish it and clean up later.”

Miryeong turned off the TV and waved her hand.

Kangeun nodded and stood up, taking Siheon’s hand.

“Oh, right!
The fact that I’m his mom is a secret from other people, okay?”

“Yes.”

“Your dad knows.
And it doesn’t matter with Siheon since he can’t talk anyway.
But you must never tell anyone outside.
Got it?
People think I’m the kind aunt who’s taking in and feeding her foolish nephew.”

“…Yes.”

As Kangeun left the room, she heard Miryeong whispering in a nasal voice.
‘Is she talking to Dad, who’s working somewhere in Chungcheong Province?’
The thought was fleeting; Kangeun noticed that Siheon’s hands and mouth were sticky and led him by his small hand to the bathroom.

“Siheon-ah, let’s wash our hands and brush our teeth.”

“…”

“You’re doing so well, Siheon.
Look at this.
Siheon can do it all by himself, right?
You’re so smart, Siheon.
You’re not a fool.”

“…”

“Noona knows.
You can read books, can’t you?”

“You’re not just looking at the pictures.
You can read all the words.
Right?”

At first, Siheon would often open current affairs or economic weekly magazines that only adults would read.

Kangeun had clearly seen the child’s eyes moving along the tiny letters as he carefully examined the old magazine he must have seen countless times.

Then, he saw Kangeun’s bookshelf, still in the big room, and his eyes lit up.

He couldn’t even close his mouth, gaping at the bookshelf filled with various book sets.

And from that day on, Siheon practically lived attached to that bookshelf.

Miryeong, who was displeased that Siheon rarely went over to the small room, finally finished organizing the rooms she had been putting off.

She moved all of Kangeun’s belongings, including the bookshelf, to the small room.

Thanks to that, Kangeun and Siheon rarely came out of the small room except to eat.

“Let’s hurry and brush our teeth and go play in the room.”

“What should we play today?
Should I read you another book?

“Which book should we read?
Should Noona choose again today?”

Siheon gave a small nod.

His long hair was still in the single ponytail Kangeun had tied for him that morning.

Kangeun, gazing down at his small, glossy head, glanced behind her.

It seemed Miryeong was still on the phone with someone.

“Siheon-ah, do you want to get a haircut?”

At Kangeun’s question, Siheon looked up, his eyes sparkling.