Chapter 5: Childhood Sweethearts Begin with Sharing a Bed

Thump thump thump...

With a child in the house, the atmosphere became lively. Na Seon-yeon divided Lee Yun-jae's chocolate and happily hugged the magic ball as she went downstairs, with Lee Yun-jae following behind her. From that day on, there was always someone behind Na Seon-yeon, and that person was—Lee Yun-jae.

"Hey... Dad, where are the big crabs? Where is the pork belly...!" Na Seon-yeon sat down at the east-facing seat, holding the magic ball, while Lee Yun-jae sat right next to her. As the head of the family, Park Sang-hae sat at the south-facing seat, and Choi Ji-ya sat at the west-facing seat.

"What are you complaining about! It's too late today, I'll cook something good for you tomorrow! Yun-jae, try Auntie's cooking, and I'll make something good for you tomorrow too!" Choi Ji-ya said with a smile.

Lee Yun-jae didn't mind much and nodded, saying, "Auntie, I don't really have many preferences when it comes to food, I can eat anything!"

"Oh... What a good boy, here, have a piece of pork rib!" Choi Ji-ya said, and then she picked up a piece of braised pork rib and put it in Lee Yun-jae's bowl.

Na Seon-yeon picked up her chopsticks, picked a small piece of pork rib, and offered it to the magic ball. The magic ball sniffed it and immediately barked happily, but just as it was about to eat, Lee Yun-jae snatched it away and said seriously to Na Seon-yeon, "Seon-yeon-ssi, the magic ball can't eat this, or its poop will be very smelly! Mom should have prepared a lot of dog food for it. Let's feed it after we finish eating!"

"Can it really not eat this?" Na Seon-yeon asked doubtfully, "Don't dogs eat bones? I'm giving it meat!"

"Seon-yeon! The magic ball is raised by Yun-jae, so he knows what it can and cannot eat. If you give it the wrong food, it might get sick! Put it down quickly!"

The magic ball whined a few times and reluctantly walked to the corner.

During the meal, although there weren't many dishes, Lee Yun-jae enjoyed it very much. It wasn't because Choi Ji-ya's cooking was particularly good, but because he liked the atmosphere. Unlike at his own home, where he often ate alone with a nanny cooking for him.

After the meal, Na Seon-yeon fed the magic ball and then sat in front of the TV to watch entertainment news. When the news about HOT's debut aired.

HOT was a group that debuted in September this year and immediately attracted the admiration of countless teenagers. Na Seon-yeon was one of them, and her room was almost covered with HOT posters, which she had saved up to buy, showing how much the stars appealed to her.

Lee Yun-jae seemed not very interested in these things and lay on the sofa reading a book. Choi Ji-ya was curious about how Lee Yun-jae could be so quiet, which was completely different from her daughter's personality. She had always wanted to raise Na Seon-yeon like a princess, but her personality was far from that of a princess, more like a boy's, very playful and mischievous.

Curious, Choi Ji-ya walked closer and found that Lee Yun-jae was reading an English version of a fairy tale. Surprised, she asked, "Yun-jae, can you understand English?"

Lee Yun-jae sat up and said, "Yes! I started learning English when I was six, and my parents often chat with me in English at home!"

Choi Ji-ya suddenly felt a sense of defeat. Comparing her child to his, the difference was so great!

"Yun-jae, which school did you go to before?" Choi Ji-ya asked again.

"I went to Aeguk International School in Gangnam!"

Wow! Choi Ji-ya was surprised and said, "That's a famous elite school, from kindergarten to high school, a systematic comprehensive school. I heard that the students there are always in the top five in their grades in other schools. Are the academic results really that good?"

Lee Yun-jae tilted his head and thought for a moment, then said, "I don't know... But it's very tiring to study there. We have to study for 12 hours a day, with all kinds of courses. After the required courses, we also have to take extracurricular classes. I take piano and guitar lessons!"

Na Seon-yeon counted on her fingers and shivered, saying, "Is this even human? After a whole day, there's only time left for sleeping, eating, and using the bathroom..."

Choi Ji-ya sighed inwardly. So this is what elite education is like... She then said, "Yun-jae, since you can play the piano, why don't you give us a performance?"

After saying that, she clapped her hands first, and then Na Seon-yeon shouted, "Yay, yay!" and clapped her hands. Lee Yun-jae, a bit embarrassed, stood up, touched his nose, walked to the piano, opened the lid, and touched the black and white keys. Then, the melody of "Mazeppa. Presto" began to play.

"Mazeppa. Presto" is one of the extraordinary etudes by the famous Austrian composer, pianist, and conductor Franz Liszt. It starts with a standard Liszt style, and as the difficulty increases, it showcases the pianist's skills with dense and intricate embellishments.

The melody lasted for about seven minutes, transitioning from a refined sadness to a calm and melancholic tone, and finally to an intense one, gradually captivating and mesmerizing the listeners.

The piano sound spread to the neighbors' houses, and within a 200-meter radius of the Park family's home, everyone heard the high-pressure, sad, and passionate piano music.

"This piano sound seems to be coming from the Park family... Who could be playing it?"

"It must be that Seon-yeon girl... How could Sang-hae and Ji-ya, who are so old, learn to play the piano!"

"Nonsense... That Seon-yeon girl, she can barely play a tune... I don't believe she can play the piano! I've never heard this piano sound before!"

"Oh, I remember now. Around 2 PM today, I saw a large truck parked in front of the Park family's house, and workers were carrying things inside, including a big piano... Has the old Park family struck it rich? How could they afford to buy a piano for their daughter... That thing costs at least 6-7 million won... Tsk tsk tsk..."

The neighbors' chatter naturally didn't reach Park Sang-hae and Choi Ji-ya's ears. After the piano music stopped, Na Seon-yeon was the first to clap enthusiastically and said, "Ha... I didn't expect Yun-jae to play the piano so well! Now I can brag at school that I have a brother who plays the piano very well!"

Park Sang-hae and Choi Ji-ya also came to their senses and clapped in admiration. For a ten-year-old to play like that, it was not just talent but also a lot of hard work.

...

At 9 PM, it was time to go to bed. However, since the attic hadn't been tidied up, Lee Yun-jae had to share a bed with Na Seon-yeon. Fortunately, they were still young and didn't care about gender, only seeing each other as children.

When Park Sang-hae suggested that Lee Yun-jae sleep with Na Seon-yeon for the night, Na Seon-yeon readily agreed. Today, she had gained a lot from Lee Yun-jae, as most of the chocolates in his backpack had been transferred to hers. After receiving so many chocolates from Lee Yun-jae, Na Seon-yeon was happy to share the bed with him.

In the room covered with posters, the two children took off their heavy coats. When Na Seon-yeon was left in her thermal underwear and climbed into bed, she accidentally saw a silver necklace hanging around Lee Yun-jae's neck, with a ring on it.

"Wow... So beautiful!" Na Seon-yeon touched the ring and said, "My mom's ring is much smaller... Yun-jae, where did you get this?"

Lee Yun-jae looked down and said, "This is a gift from my mom... She said it's her wedding ring, and she asked me to wear it around my neck!" Lee Yun-jae put the ring inside his thermal underwear and then took off his pants and climbed into bed.

"Yun-jae, what grade are you in?" Na Seon-yeon was wrapped in the blanket, only her head exposed, and she asked, turning to look at Lee Yun-jae.

"Third grade!" Lee Yun-jae replied without hesitation.

"What... You're already in third grade?!" Na Seon-yeon was surprised and said, "You're a year younger than me, you should be in second grade, how can you be in third grade?!"

Lee Yun-jae looked at her with confusion and said, "Why not... I've already learned the second-grade curriculum, and I passed the promotion exam, so I naturally moved up to third grade!"

"Is that even possible..." Na Seon-yeon exclaimed... In her dictionary, there was no concept of skipping grades, and she was quite surprised by what Lee Yun-jae said.

"Of course... At Aeguk International School, as long as you pass the exam, you can skip from first grade to third grade, or from third grade to sixth grade, as long as you have the ability!" Lee Yun-jae explained.

"Wow, that's really amazing..." Na Seon-yeon exclaimed, and after a few seconds, the room became quiet, with no light in the dark room.

Lee Yun-jae didn't have much trouble sleeping, and after fifteen minutes, he started to feel drowsy. After twenty minutes, he began to doze off. Just then, Na Seon-yeon reached out and forcibly woke him up from his sleep.

"Yun-jae... I can't sleep, tell me a story!" Na Seon-yeon tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep, possibly because there was another person in the bed.

In the warm blanket, Lee Yun-jae was about to fall asleep but was forcibly woken up, feeling a bit annoyed, he said, "Seon-yeon-ssi... I was about to fall asleep, why did you wake me up..."

"Good Yun-jae, I can't sleep... Tell me a story quickly!" Na Seon-yeon said firmly.

"Alright, alright... Do you want to hear the story of Little Red Riding Hood or the story of the Big Bad Wolf?" Lee Yun-jae yawned, turned to look at Na Seon-yeon, and although the room was dark, he could clearly see her bright eyes.

"Are these two stories different?!" Na Seon-yeon said, "The Big Bad Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood are in the same story, right?!"

"Of course not! In the story of Little Red Riding Hood, there's a little wolf, and in the story of the Big Bad Wolf, it's with the three little pigs, not with Little Red Riding Hood... Forget it... I'll tell you the story of the Big Bad Wolf!"

Lee Yun-jae recalled and said, "Once upon a time, there was a forest, and in the forest lived three little pigs and a big bad wolf..."

Ten minutes passed, and Lee Yun-jae felt increasingly sleepy, while Na Seon-yeon became more awake. When Lee Yun-jae finished one story, she pushed him to tell another. Poor Lee Yun-jae, unable to sleep, had to endure his drowsiness and first get Na Seon-yeon to fall asleep...

...

The sky was pitch black, and the cold wind howled. The snow continued to fall, and the snow on the trees grew thicker, occasionally making a creaking sound like a crow's call, making people feel cold, gloomy, and oppressed.

The next day, it seemed that the sky had cleared up. The wind and rain stopped after a night, and the snow stopped around 4 AM. The sky was no longer gray, and the sun came out, shining golden light on the ground, which was covered in snow. The light reflected, making it hard to open one's eyes, and under the sun's rays, the snow began to melt slowly.

Last night, Lee Yun-jae told five stories, and only after Na Seon-yeon's eyes were heavy and she finally fell asleep did he feel truly liberated. He slept very deeply.

Suddenly, an itchy feeling came from his nose. He opened his eyes slightly and saw Na Seon-yeon playing with her hair, moving it back and forth near his nose.

"Lazy pig, wake up! It's almost 7 o'clock, we need to go to school!" Na Seon-yeon was already dressed and stood up to say to Lee Yun-jae.

Lee Yun-jae stretched and, still half-asleep, got dressed and washed up. Then, the two of them went downstairs together.

"Seon-yeon... Yun-jae... Eat breakfast quickly, and after breakfast, I'll take you to school today! It's Yun-jae's first day at a new school, and I need to take him to the principal's office to register!" Park Sang-hae was sitting at the table, leisurely eating bread with hot milk.

"Dad... Why is it bread again... I've been eating it for 11 years, I'm tired of it!" Na Seon-yeon sat down on Park Sang-hae's left side, protesting and demanding better food.

Park Sang-hae tapped her head and said, "Girl, do you think the bread I make is not good? Besides, did you eat bread from the moment you were born? It's only been 11 years, not that long! Stop complaining and eat! Yun-jae, try it, this is all the bread I made myself!"

"My dad is a baker, and he has a bakery on the street... This is the leftover bread he sells, so we have plenty of bread at home!" Na Seon-yeon whispered to Lee Yun-jae, and then she felt a pain on her head, hit by Park Sang-hae.

Lee Yun-jae took a piece of bread and tasted it. It was very soft and tasted good, still warm, as if it had been reheated. He gave Park Sang-hae a thumbs up and said, "Uncle, the bread you made tastes really good..."

Hearing this, Park Sang-hae immediately smiled happily. He was most pleased when others said his bread was good, and he couldn't stop smiling.

"Alright... The child just complimented you, don't act like you've found a treasure! Here, these are your lunches! Seon-yeon, Yun-jae is new to the school and not familiar with the environment, so help him heat up his lunch at noon!" Choi Ji-ya came out of the kitchen with two lunch boxes and instructed Na Seon-yeon.

Lee Yun-jae, like a curious child, had never seen a lunch box before, as he usually ate school meals.

Na Seon-yeon said "Oh" and buried her head in the bread, not very happy. After Park Sang-hae finished eating, he wiped his mouth, took out his wallet, and gave two 10,000 won bills to Na Seon-yeon and Lee Yun-jae. Na Seon-yeon's eyes lit up, and she quickly took the money, afraid that Park Sang-hae would take it back. Lee Yun-jae, however, shook his head and said, "No, Uncle, I have pocket money... It's from the New Year and other holidays when my parents gave it to me..."

Park Sang-hae sighed... He always felt that Lee Yun-jae was like a mirror, reflecting all the shortcomings of his daughter. The money he gave Na Seon-yeon during the New Year and other holidays was always spent within three days.

"Take it, Uncle gave it to you... Be careful, Seon-yeon might take it from you!" Choi Ji-ya took the bills and put them in Lee Yun-jae's outer pocket, then patted it a few times.

Although Park Sang-hae's family was just an average rural household, he was never stingy with his children's pocket money. Other children usually got 500 won (about 2.6 yuan, which was not little in 1996) per day, but he gave it to them every ten days, 10,000 won, equivalent to 1,000 won per day, which was twice as much as other children. Under Choi Ji-ya's policy of raising her daughter with wealth, although Na Seon-yeon's grades were not good, her pocket money was among the highest among her peers.

Fifteen minutes later, the sound of a motorcycle engine roared in the courtyard. Lee Yun-jae and Na Seon-yeon, with their backpacks, walked out of the house and saw Park Sang-hae sitting on a three-wheeled motorcycle waiting for them. This motorcycle was used by Park Sang-hae for buying and delivering goods, and it also served as Na Seon-yeon's "school bus."

Woof woof... The magic ball wagged its tail and walked out of the house. Na Seon-yeon took out a piece of chocolate and put it in its mouth, saying, "Magic ball, I'm going to school... Be good at home!"

After saying goodbye to the magic ball, Na Seon-yeon skillfully climbed onto the back of the motorcycle. Lee Yun-jae, who usually went to school in a four-wheeled vehicle, was very curious about the three-wheeled "open-top car" and climbed up quickly.

Park Sang-hae revved the engine and drove onto the road, and a cold wind blew towards Lee Yun-jae, making him shiver...

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends