Chapter 65: There’s No One Home (2)

“Yeona.”

“Yes?”

I turned to look at the sound of my grandfather’s voice, which had become noticeably weaker.

Lying down, my grandfather looked very thin.

“Why did you call me, Grandpa?”

I asked my grandfather, who had called me but wasn’t saying anything.

He was quiet for a long time before finally speaking.

“Yeona… shouldn’t you go home at least once?”

Come to think of it, I realized it had been a long time since I’d been home.

But there wasn’t really any reason to go home.

“Um—is it necessary?”

“Do you not want to go home?

If there’s something bothering you, tell this grandpa.”

“It’s not that, but…”

Because

“There’s no one at home?”

My oldest brother was quite a bit older than me, so he had moved out a long time ago, and my parents and younger sister had been staying abroad for months, working on their projects.

Wasn’t the reason I was staying at my grandfather’s house because there was no one at home in the first place?

So there was no real reason to go home.

What’s more,

“And I need to be by Grandpa’s side.”

Even to me, who had never witnessed someone’s death, it was clear that my grandfather didn’t have much time left.

Leaving someone who could pass away at any moment wasn’t something someone with a normal way of thinking would do.

“…Mom and Dad said they’d finish up quickly and come back.”

“Come back?

What’s with all the fuss….

I’ll shake it off and get up soon, so don’t worry.”

“Grandpa…”

I often get misunderstood as not understanding other people’s emotions well because I don’t express my own emotions much, but the opposite was closer to the truth.

Rather, I’m quite good at reading people’s expressions and the hidden meanings in their words, so I’m careful, and that’s how it comes across.

That’s why

I know that what my grandfather is saying is a blatant lie.

But I couldn’t say anything.

The meaning behind the lie was probably that he wanted me to smile, even a little.

“Grandpa is too young to go already.

Get up soon.”

So, I put on the biggest smile I can and
Throw a joke that’s almost rude.

With the hope that he’ll get angry, jump up, and flick me on the forehead.

“Hehehe!

Yes, this grandpa is still a bit young to meet the King of the Underworld.”

“…Right, really.”

Looking at my grandfather, who was just smiling at my rude joke,
I gazed intently at him, worried that something might go wrong if he kept smiling like that.

“…Yeona.”

“Yes?”

My grandfather slowly stopped smiling and spoke to me quite seriously.

“Still, go home once.”

I thought it was just something he said, but it seemed he was being quite serious.

Even so,

“…I don’t want to.”

I couldn’t leave my grandfather.

There wasn’t much time left.

At least until then, I wanted to be with my grandfather for as long as possible.

Then, my grandfather spoke in a rare stern voice.

“Yeoni.”

“Yeoni.”

“……Yes.”

When I answered, my grandfather spoke in a serious voice.

“Is there a reason you don’t want to go home?”

“…It’s not that.”

“That’s a relief.

Then, is the reason you don’t want to go home because of me?”

I just nodded at my grandfather’s words, who asked without beating around the bush.

“Yeona… you said it a little while ago.

You don’t want to go back because there’s no one at home.”

“…Yeah.”

“But isn’t the reason there’s no one at home because you’re here?”

What is he talking about again?

My grandfather said something incomprehensible, as always.

When I tilted my head, not understanding, my grandfather added.

“As long as you’re here, your family’s house will always be a house with no one in it.”

“But if Yeoni is there, it’s no longer a house with no one, but a house with Yeoni in it.”

I stared at my grandfather, who was saying that.

And
Carefully, I opened my mouth.

“…That’s a bit of a sophism, Grandpa.”

“Hehehe, this kid’s head has gotten a lot bigger.

You used to just accept what I said without question.”

My grandfather said that, but I accepted the things he said in the past because they made sense.

This time, it felt too forced, so it didn’t resonate with me.

“Still, go home for a bit.

A house with no one is bound to be haunted.”

“Now it’s the occult?”

Seeing my grandfather trying to get me away from him somehow, I became even more determined not to leave.

The chilling anxiety that was creeping in was growing stronger.

“…Yeona.

In the end, isn’t the reason you don’t want to go is because you’re worried about this grandpa.

Can’t you do me this one favor, thinking of this grandpa?”

Now, he didn’t even try to hide it and said it outright.

“Grandpa promises.

I won’t leave without you and go off on my own.”

“….”

Looking at my grandfather, who was saying that, I couldn’t insist any longer.

There must be a real reason why I have to leave for a while.

So I reluctantly got up.

“Grandpa.”

“Yes, Yeona.”

For some reason, I felt like I was about to burst into tears, but I somehow managed to hold it back and

“…If you lied, I’m really going to be angry.”

“Yes, thank you, Yeona.”

Taking only the bare minimum, I left my grandfather’s house and headed for my family home.

I called a taxi so I could come back right away if anything happened.

“Ugh.”

Returning to my family home after a long time, it was truly empty.

As soon as I opened the door, a strange smell, typical of a house that had been neglected for a long time, wafted out.

I had hired cleaners, so it would be clean, but it felt inorganic, without the scent of people.

Returning to the spacious and clean, but empty house, I headed to my old room.

“…It’s desolate.”

Because I had moved most of my things to my grandfather’s house when my parents and younger sister went on their overseas trip, there weren’t many things left in my room.

All that remained were a bed, a desk, and dusty books.

I took out one of them.

Anatomy for Artists.

It was the book I had read the most.

An anatomy book that was so worn out with tears.

Well… that’s all in the past now.

Because I realized I didn’t have the talent and gave up on art.

I threw myself on the bed with the book in one hand.

A comfortable bed that was nothing but soft.

It felt like it was worth the money, but it felt worse than the slightly firm bed at my grandfather’s house.

Maybe it was because there was a place to lie down, but no place to rest my heart.

“….”

Lying on the bed, I thought of my grandfather’s words.

‘But if Yeoni is there, it’s no longer a house with no one, but a house with Yeoni in it.’

A family home with no one, lying alone in bed.

A house with Yeoni.

As my grandfather said, the family home that no one was in became a family home with me in it.

But what does that mean?

Just because I’m here, did it really become a house worth coming back to for my family?

If so,
My parents wouldn’t have left me here.

“Grandpa…”

Even though I had clearly returned to my house, my grandfather’s face was already coming to mind.

Compared to my older brother, who was a credit to the family and had entered a good university and gotten a good job,
I couldn’t do anything properly, and Compared to my younger sister,
who was already traveling abroad with my parents, hearing that she was an unprecedented genius, all I had was ordinary talent,

He cherished this unworthy child the most,
My grandfather.

….

After all, this isn’t the place for me.

The place where I should be, the place where I want to be, was by my grandfather’s side.

The thought that I was going to be by his side because I was worried about him might have just been an excuse.

I just wanted to be by my grandfather’s side.

Let’s go back.

It had only been 20 minutes since I had come home, but those 20 minutes felt so long.

After calling a taxi on my phone, I got up from the soft bed.

“Ah…”

Just as I was about to leave the room,
I realized that the anatomy book was still in my hand.

The proof of my wasted efforts, stained with my fingerprints.

I stood there blankly for a long time with the book in my hand.

“…Shoot.”

Wet marks appeared again on the book cover, which already had many traces of being wet and then dried.

I wiped away my embarrassment with my sleeve and left the room.

“…Grandpa!”

Returning to my grandfather’s house, I saw an unfamiliar car parked in front of the house, and I hurriedly kicked open the door.

I took off my shoes haphazardly and went into my grandfather’s room.

“You’re back already?

Welcome back.”

My grandfather greeted me as if nothing was wrong.

“Is this child Yeoni?”

“Yes, she’s my granddaughter.”

And a grandfather I had never seen before was sitting in my designated seat.

“Oh… hello…?”

“Yes, I’ve heard a lot about you.

Call me Grandpa Hwang.”

I looked at the grandfather, feeling bewildered.

Then, my grandfather explained kindly, as always.

“This is an editor who has worked with this grandpa for a long time.”

“Hey, hey, how can you introduce me as just an editor?

Even if it’s just me, I’m called a legendary editor in the industry.”

“You can’t let go of that bragging of yours, even at your age.”

Only then could I know Grandpa Hwang’s identity.

He was a legendary figure who had led the dawn of the comic book industry in this country with my grandfather.

Unlike comic artists, editors don’t get much attention, so there wasn’t much information about him, but I knew how great he was because he sometimes appeared in my grandfather’s stories.

“But what’s that book in your hand?”

“…Ah.”

Come to think of it, I realized I had gone straight to my grandfather’s room with the book in my hand.

I didn’t want to show it because I was embarrassed.

“…It’s nothing.”

“It’s an anatomy book.

And it looks like you’ve seen it more than once or twice.”

I tried to hide it, but Grandpa Hwang glanced at it and immediately snitched.

“You must have studied very hard… Do you have any thoughts of following in your gramp’s footsteps?”

“Hey, you can say anything!”

“Hehe, what are you talking about?

She’s your granddaughter, so I can’t help but have expectations.”

I saw the two grandfathers bickering and then

“…I’m going to go change.”

I slowly backed out of the room.

I have to hide the book in my room.