By Zephyria 
The two held hands the entire time in the car. Even when there were sharp turns or rough roads, Tae-heun did his best to drive with one hand.
“I’m amazing at driving, you know.”
He boasted to the man who was driving a truck while barely managing to drive his own car. The kind man chuckled softly and listened to Tae-heun’s bragging.
“I don’t want to let go.”
Before they knew it, they had arrived at the town hall.
“Can you drop me off at the back alley?”
“We agreed to meet here and go together.”
“Ki-beom said he would go alone.”
Tae-heun pleaded, but the indifferent man got out of the car, saying, “See you tomorrow.” Tae-heun hurriedly followed him.
“Ki-beom! You don’t have to stay up all night, so if you feel tired, just call me anytime. You know I have insomnia, right?”
He shouted at the man’s back.
The man turned slightly and smiled, waving his hand as if to say to hurry along.
Tae-heun stood there until the man disappeared, then went to the church to pick up the child. He parked the car outside the church and waited until the child’s study session was over before going in.
The church’s kind pastor’s wife, who had always been friendly, treated Tae-heun coldly as well. Still, compared to the supermarket owner’s daughter-in-law, the pastor’s wife was nothing but a bit chilly.
“I guess the pastor’s wife isn’t going to the funeral home.”
Tae-heun casually struck up a conversation.
“Only the pastor went. Actually, he isn’t even a member of the congregation, and the other family members don’t come to church at all.”
She added that the Wednesday service was canceled. After all, everyone in the village would have gone there, so holding a service would be pointless.
Tae-heun barely managed to pull the child out, who was trying to drink fruit punch after having dinner and even dessert.
“Uncle, you’re so timid.”
As they left the church, the child nagged Tae-heun.
“Especially at times like this, you need to be bold. You weren’t like this before.”
The child even gave advice.
“Oh, our Ji-hye has grown up. I guess the name suits her. She’s speaking very wisely.”
It was a compliment in its own way, but the child thought Tae-heun was mocking her and pouted her lips. Given their history, it was understandable.
Tae-heun and the child walked to the car, bickering as usual. Suddenly, he recalled the first day he started living with the man, the moment he came to pick up the child. The child had been more confident than anyone, demanding even dessert from the pastor’s wife. She had even compared it to her own childhood, which felt like a distant past now, including the man who would blush just from being looked at.
“But why didn’t you go to the funeral home?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
The child said nonchalantly.
“Uncle isn’t strange; it’s the people in our village who are strange.”
The child defended Tae-heun.
Tae-heun absentmindedly patted the child’s head.
“But lying is bad. Ji-hye knows that, right?”
“…….”
“Why aren’t you answering?”
“…Yes.”
The child reluctantly replied.
It wouldn’t be easy for the child to accept that her favorite uncle was a liar. But Tae-heun thought that the child was reacting gently because she was still a child.
When he opened the passenger door, the child’s eyes widened. “Wow,” she exclaimed, quickly sitting down. He thought it was because she liked it when he only cooked ramen, but then realized it was the first time the child had sat in the passenger seat of Tae-heun’s car.
She was making a fuss over something so trivial. She opened and closed the window, and unnecessarily checked the glove compartment and console box to see what was inside. When she found a cigarette, her eyes widened, but when he offered her a chocolate bar as a bribe, she pretended not to notice.
The child bit into the chocolate bar.
“How’s Su-ho?”
Tae-heun asked as they drove home.
“What about him?”
“The rumors about me. He must have heard them.”
“Oh. Well, just.”
The child replied carelessly, with chocolate smeared all over her mouth.
“Is he bothering you?”
“Why would he?”
“I just thought he might.”
“Uncle, that’s not Su-ho.”
The child vigorously refuted.
“Really? Doesn’t he ask for his gifts back?”
“Come on, Su-ho isn’t like that.”
The child continued to defend Su-ho.
“That kid would definitely do that.”
When Tae-heun shot a doubtful glance, the child pretended to be frustrated and clutched her chest.
“He really treats me well!”
“Really?”
“Yes. He was mean before, but even after hearing that you’re not rich, he treats me well. He secretly brings me snacks.”
“Snacks too? What’s that kid up to?”
“It’s not like that!”
The child shouted.
“Okay, okay. But if Su-ho’s mom finds out about the snacks, there will be trouble.”
He casually brought up Su-ho’s mom. The child’s face fell.
“So he only gives them to me when we’re alone. He treats me well only when we’re alone. We decided not to act friendly in front of the other kids.”
Oh my, look at that.
“Really? That’s suspicious….”
“What do you mean?”
“Be honest. Are you dating Su-ho?”
“Uncle!”
The child shouted back.
“Hey, keep it down. Just say it or not, why are you overreacting?”
It was amusing how honest the child was in her reaction.
“It’s because you keep saying strange things when I say I’m not.”
The child pouted.
“You’re the one who keeps defending him.”
“We’re friends, okay? It’s natural to defend a friend.”
“Fine, fine. Just be good friends then.”
Tae-heun teased. The child crossed her arms, huffing. After glaring at Tae-heun for a while, she suddenly turned her head to look out the window. If the man had been there, he would have looked at Tae-heun with disdain. Tae-heun bit his lips tightly to keep from laughing.
As soon as the car stopped, the child entered the house without a word, bringing a chill with her. She didn’t even take off her bag and went to get food and water for the dogs. He looked down at her with a warm heart, thinking she must have inherited her diligence from her father.
Since the child had eaten dinner at the church, she only needed to check her homework.
“Ji-hye, wash up.”
He said to the child, just like the man would.
While the child washed up, he prepared the rice in advance. Spam and fried eggs would be good for the lunchbox, he thought. After deciding on the side dishes for the lunchbox he would pack for her tomorrow, he washed up after the child. He cleaned the bathroom himself. Then he took the laundry to the washing machine and started it, and while the washing machine was running, he swept and cleaned the house and yard.
Anyone who saw him would think Tae-heun was the owner of the house. The child watched Tae-heun with admiration. “Wow,” she silently gasped. Then, when Tae-heun turned to look, she quickly pretended to do her homework. She was a cute little thing.
After hanging the laundry in the yard, there was nothing much left to do. Since ironing was something he couldn’t do, he shook the child’s uniform to get as many wrinkles out as possible.
After the child finished checking her homework, she stealthily pulled out a black bag from her backpack.
“Uncle, please bring me some balsam flower dye. So-jin’s sister gave it to me to do.”
She shyly opened the bag and showed it to Tae-heun.
“Are there still balsam flowers around?”
“Of course. If you plant them, they’ll grow into balsam flowers.”
“We don’t have any at our house, do we?”
Naturally, the man’s house had become their house.
“That’s because my father didn’t plant any.”
The man was too busy taking care of other people’s fields to pay attention to his own. He could tell just by looking that the field was a mess. It was only natural that the weeds would be overgrown.
“Uncle, please do it. Hurry.”
“Alright, you’re so impatient.”
Tae-heun reached into the bag and pulled out what he could grab.
“Why are there leaves too?”
“Uncle, you haven’t ever made balsam flower dye, have you?”
The child looked at him suspiciously.
“What would I have to do that for?”
“That’s a lie. My dad can do it too.”
“Really? But I really don’t know how.”
“Oh come on, what is this?”
The child’s face, filled with anticipation, twisted in disappointment.
“You can learn. It’s not hard, right?”
Tae-heun asked.
“Oh! Yes! It’s not hard at all!”
The child quickly changed her expression and replied.
“Then Ji-hye will teach you.”
“Actually, I’ll do it for you. Just watch me and do it the same way.”
“I’ll pass. Just explain it to me.”
“Come on, I’ll do it for you. It’ll look pretty. Your hands are so fair, it’ll really look nice.”
The child urged him.
Of all things, balsam flowers. It was quite a coincidence, or perhaps it was fate. It could have been a warning not to forget.
Tae-heun hesitated but then reached out his hand to the child.
“Don’t do it all, just do the ring and pinky fingers.”
“It has to be all to look pretty.”
“Just do two at a time. My nails are big, so if you do all, you won’t have anything left to do.”
“Okay, fine. You’re so picky.”
The child pouted her lips.
She brought a small mortar, put the petals and leaves inside, and sprinkled some alum powder on top. With a familiar touch, she ground them together. She was careful not to make it too watery, leaving some lumps.
The color of the mixture, which made one wonder how it could turn into pink flower dye, was close to a muddy brown. The child piled it onto Tae-heun’s ring and pinky nails and covered them with plastic wrap.
“They say if the balsam flower dye stays until the first snow, your first love will come true.”
The child said, her eyes sparkling.
“Really? That sounds nice.”
“Do you have a first love, Uncle?”
“Of course. I definitely do.”
He smiled, thinking of the man’s face.
“What about you?”
“I don’t have anything like that.”
The child shouted back.
“Why are you asking such silly things?”
She grumbled.
“If you don’t have one, just say you don’t. Why get angry?”
Tae-heun chuckled softly.
“Now it’s your turn to do it for me.”
The child handed him the mortar.
Tae-heun carefully placed the mixture the child had made onto her nails, being careful not to let the wrap come off. The child’s nails were very small. In contrast, Tae-heun’s hands and fingers were too big, so nothing was coming out right. The child kept nagging him.
“If it’s so frustrating, you can do it yourself.”
“How can I do that! Hurry up!”
After struggling for about 30 minutes, Tae-heun finally managed to get the balsam flowers onto the child’s nails. Once he covered them with the wrap, he felt completely drained.
The two leaned against the door, extending their hands forward to keep the wrap from coming off.
“Uncle, why didn’t you go to work with my dad today?”
The child, who had been wasting time with pointless chatter, suddenly asked a proper question. Tae-heun was happy to answer, of course, in his own way.
“Are you curious about that?”
He teased gently.
“Why are you curious?”
“Just because.”
“Just because doesn’t cut it. There must be a reason.”
He leaned in closer to the child. The child frowned as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have.
“You have to tell me the reason to get an answer.”
“Just because, just!”
The child shouted.
“Are you worried because your dad is working alone?”
“That’s not it. It’s not like my dad has been working alone for just a day or two.”
The child pouted her lips.
He thought she should have just given a proper answer from the start, thinking she was a strange kid too, and he smiled. He changed his tone completely and answered kindly.
“I’m busy with something. It’s very important.”
“What is it?”
“That’s a secret.”
He winked at the child.
“Ugh.”
She made a displeased sound. But relief was evident on her face.
“By the way, does your dad know?”
She asked cautiously.
“Of course. Ki-beom allowed it. I can only move if Ki-beom allows it. You didn’t know that?”
The child chuckled. Her face lit up with a smile as if she had never been gloomy.
“Uncle only does what Ji-hye’s dad tells him to do. I could even die if he told me to.”
The child seemed to be quite pleased with Tae-heun’s answer, suppressing a smile and wiggling their toes. Then, exclaiming, “Ah, the soap opera,” they dashed into the living room to watch a daily drama they hadn’t seen in a while.
“Uncle, come quickly! It just started!”
From the living room, the child poked their head out to call Tae-heun.
Tae-heun sat down next to the child in front of the TV. They watched the drama, excited by the characters’ lines and actions, completely unaware of the plot. After that, they still had time left and watched the 9 o’clock news together. It was only when the main news was wrapping up that the child nodded solemnly at Tae-heun, as if to say it was enough.
They went back to the living room and peeled the plastic off the newspaper. The beautiful flesh-colored dye was surprisingly vivid. Of course, it stained not just the nails but also the fingers beside them.
Tae-heun went outside with the child to wash their hands at the faucet and also cleaned the mortar. The leftover residue was sent flowing down the faucet. Tae-heun’s eyes kept drifting to the nails. The rough and unattractive hands somehow looked lovely.
The child spread their ten fingers wide and showed the back of their hand to Tae-heun. Tae-heun did the same, displaying their own hand to the child. They both burst into laughter.
I should show this to the man too.
Tae-heun glanced at the front gate.
The man, who might come at any time, was already being awaited.