Chapter 44

"Nothing's wrong." Park Ji-hoon raised his hand and gently ruffled Park Min-ah's hair, then pushed open the door.

Park Min-ah bit her lip and followed him inside.

At this hour, the restaurant was naturally not in operation. The dining area was spotlessly clean, almost dust-free, which was one of the reasons the business was gradually improving.

However, Park Ji-hoon's mood did not improve at all when he saw this. After a quick glance, he headed straight for the inner room on the second floor. The two-story building had the restaurant and kitchen on the first floor, and the living quarters on the second.

As soon as they reached the second floor, a strong smell of smoke hit them.

"Ugh!" Park Min-ah couldn't help but cover her nose.

In the living room on the second floor, a middle-aged man was smoking with his head down. He was dressed simply, his face weathered, and his brows always seemed to be furrowed. However, upon closer inspection, one could still recognize his once delicate features.

He seemed to be lost in thought until Park Ji-hoon and Park Min-ah came upstairs, at which point he looked up, as if he wanted to get up but hesitated.

"Father! We're back." Park Ji-hoon said first.

"Father." Park Min-ah also called out.

"Uh-huh." Park Father finally got up, stubbed out his cigarette, and said to Park Min-ah, "Sorry, I smoked a couple more today." They had agreed that he would smoke no more than one cigarette a day, but there were already two cigarette butts in the ashtray.

"It's okay today." Park Min-ah understood her father's mood, smiled, and said, "I'm going to my room. Father, talk with Brother." Then she returned to her room.

As she left, the atmosphere in the living room suddenly became oppressive.

"Father! Smoke less, it's bad for your health." Park Ji-hoon said first.

"Go to bed early!" Park Father said coldly and returned to another room.

Park Ji-hoon frowned, looked at his father's back, and sighed helplessly.

Still the same!

On New Year's Eve, who would tell someone to go to bed early?

He walked to the window, opened it, and stood there facing the cold night wind. How many years had it been, and it was still like this? Feeling restless, he couldn't help but take out a cigarette.

However, before he could light it, the door opened, and Park Min-ah came out.

"Still the same with Father?" Ever since he chose to serve in the military, the relationship between father and son had been like this.

"Uh-huh!" Park Ji-hoon responded, withdrew his hand that was about to take the lighter, and just played with the cigarette in his hand without lighting it.

"Brother, don't blame Father..." Park Min-ah came behind him and gently advised.

"I know!" Park Ji-hoon said in a low voice.

If it was just because of quitting the college entrance exam, they would have reconciled long ago.

In Park Father's heart, there was more self-loathing and anger at his own incompetence, which had delayed his son's future! Therefore, he had always been cold to Park Ji-hoon, hoping that Park Ji-hoon would hate him as a father, thus alleviating his own anger.

He was naturally not good at business but had high aspirations and always wanted to achieve something. However, no matter how hard he tried or what business he did, he never succeeded. This led to his gradual alcoholism and a bad temper, ultimately resulting in his divorce from his first wife.

It wasn't until he married his second wife, Park Min-ah's mother, that life gradually improved. However, Min-ah's mother was in poor health, and the medical expenses almost depleted their savings, leaving them in debt. Even more devastating was that Min-ah's mother eventually passed away!

Since then, he had been dispirited, working odd jobs to earn a meager salary. Park Ji-hoon wanted to send money home, but each time it only made him furious, and nothing came of it. The ability to buy back the old house and open a small restaurant was due to Park Min-ah's income from writing.

Seeing the old house and the restaurant, he couldn't help but think of the times when the principal repeatedly visited! He had delayed his son's life when he was young, and even though there was a turning point, he had again delayed his son's future due to his own incompetence. His feelings were understandable.

A father's and a man's pride made it impossible for him to apologize—though he knew Park Ji-hoon didn't blame him! But precisely because of this, he hated himself even more.

His life experiences had shaped his extreme character! Without the same experiences, it was impossible to understand.

"Ah—" Park Ji-hoon sighed again.

"I'll go see Father." Park Min-ah said.

"Uh-huh." Park Ji-hoon responded softly without turning around. Every year at this time, his mood was particularly chaotic.

It wasn't until Park Min-ah came back and closed the window for him that he snapped out of his daze.

"Why are you still standing here? You're cold!" Park Min-ah pulled his hand and gently scolded.

"Nothing's wrong." Park Ji-hoon smiled and said.

"Brother, let's play a game!" Park Min-ah pushed him onto the sofa and said with a smile. It would be a waste to just go to bed on New Year's Eve.

"What game?" Park Ji-hoon perked up, forced a smile, and asked.

"Wait a moment!" Park Min-ah tilted her head and thought for a moment, then suddenly ran back to her room and brought out a toy pirate and a few pieces of paper.

Park Ji-hoon saw the faded wooden bucket and was taken aback. He took it, caressed it for a moment, and asked, "Is this the one I bought you three years ago?"

"Uh-huh!" Park Min-ah nodded and said, "I play with it when I get frustrated with my studies."

Park Ji-hoon's lips curled slightly, and he finally showed a genuine smile.

Park Min-ah tore the paper into small strips and said, "The winner has to accept the punishment!"

"Can we change the punishment?" Park Ji-hoon said helplessly.

"No, and we have to take a photo!" Park Min-ah shook her head and said.

"Alright!" Park Ji-hoon had no choice but to nod.

It was a simple game: insert the toy knife into the cracks of the wooden bucket. If you hit the right spot, the pirate doll would pop out. The key was the punishment.

In the first round, Park Ji-hoon hit the jackpot on the second try.

"Brother's luck is still so good!" Park Min-ah laughed, picked up a strip of paper, and licked it lightly.

"Can't we use water?" Park Ji-hoon said helplessly. He was an adult but still acted like a child.

Park Min-ah ignored him and stuck the paper on his forehead, then nodded in satisfaction.

"Again!" Park Ji-hoon's voice suddenly had more energy.

"I'll take a photo first." Park Min-ah picked up her phone and said with a smile.

Park Ji-hoon's lips twitched, and he suddenly straightened his arms, adopting the pose of a zombie from a Chinese horror movie, making Park Min-ah laugh uncontrollably.

They played this simple game for over an hour! In the end, both of their faces were covered with paper strips. Especially Park Ji-hoon's, which were stuck in awkward places, even above his eyelids, forcing him to brush them away to see clearly.

Looking at each other's photos on their phones, they couldn't help but laugh.

"Alright! Let's wash up and go to bed." Park Ji-hoon stretched and said, "Have a good sleep!"

Park Min-ah nodded, turned back to her room, and came out wearing pajamas and sleep pants. She said to Park Ji-hoon, who had finished washing up, "The living room is cold, Brother, come sleep in my room."

"No need, you're an adult now." Park Ji-hoon declined.

"Just a year older than last year!" Park Min-ah pouted and said, "I've already laid out the mat!"

Although it was a two-story building, it only had three rooms on each floor. Every time he came back, especially in winter, Park Ji-hoon would sleep on the floor in Park Min-ah's room.

This year, he had planned to sleep on the sofa in the living room, but he couldn't resist her.

Lately, he had been so tired that he fell asleep as soon as he thought about it, not even noticing when Park Min-ah came back or when he woke up the next morning!

When he opened his eyes, the sun was already high. He reached out to grab his phone to check the time, but found it missing from beside his pillow.

Without thinking, he knew Park Min-ah must have taken it to prevent text messages or calls from waking him up.

He had an extra blanket on him, no wonder he had sweated in his sleep.

After getting dressed, he opened the door and walked out.

"Brother, you're awake." Park Min-ah was chatting with Father in the living room and turned to smile at him.

"Uh-huh." Park Ji-hoon nodded and said to Park Father, "Father, good morning."

"It's already noon!" Park Min-ah interjected, afraid the atmosphere would become tense again.

"Oh." Park Ji-hoon smiled awkwardly and said, "I'll go wash up."

There were many small tasks to take care of, and by the time he finished, it was already lunchtime.

Park Min-ah returned his phone and said, "I answered a dozen calls for you and replied to all the texts."

Park Ji-hoon could only smile helplessly.

"Except for Omma Omma, they were all girls!" Park Min-ah said.

Park Ji-hoon pinched her nose lightly, put away his phone, and planned to return the calls after lunch. He could guess who they were without looking.

Omma Omma, the members of Girls' Generation, and Krystal, gone!

There were many texts, mostly group messages.

In Park Ji-hoon's memory, the Spring Festival was only truly enjoyable and meaningful when "Mother" was still alive. After that, every year was this gloomy, though in the past, he used to cheer up Park Min-ah, and now it was the other way around, with Park Min-ah cheering him up and adjusting the atmosphere.

They had no relatives, and most of their connections had been severed.

...

At around 4 PM, he returned to Seoul with Yoo Ri.

Yoo Ri didn't go straight back to her dorm but stayed at Park Min-ah's invitation to have dinner together.

To Park Ji-hoon's surprise, Yoo Ri actually knew a bit about cooking.

"Even if I can't cook, I can at least wash my own clothes and socks!" Yoo Ri said bluntly to Park Ji-hoon. Although they had only met twice, she and Park Min-ah had become good friends, and she was more familiar with Park Ji-hoon.

Park Ji-hoon obediently kept quiet.

[Thanks to everyone's support, it finally appeared on the homepage recommendation list, but it seems precarious. Please, book lovers, log in and support it! Every click, recommendation, and collection is the author's motivation to write!]

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