Chapter 53 - End Of A Busy Day
"The guy I was talking to earlier is my friend who runs this place along with his wife now." Gim Da explained as they sat at a table. Joon-won looked around and saw the small place was quickly filled with people eating meat over some drinks. Most of them looked like office workers who just got out.
It didn't take long for the food to come. The owner set the grill which was in the middle of their table, and then provided them with cuts of meat to eat. Gim Da, who was the most experienced among them all took the initiative to grill the meat while they waited.
As Gim Da was cooking the meat, Joon-won asked Seonu who sat beside him, "Who is taking care of the store if you and the boss are here?" It was generally Seonu who worked at this timing and the boss would be there most of the day.
"Oh, I didn't go to work today. I generally don't go on weekends too like you, because I go to a prep school to prepare for exams which are this summer. I came here right after my prep class was completed. So the store has another employee and the Boss's wife is looking over the place in his place now."
Joon-won nodded and thought about his sister when he heard Seonu say about exams. Both were of the same age and need to attend a national exam for University spots. One of them was going to prep school, while the other doesn't go home and brings worry to her parents. He decided to ask Jung-hwa tomorrow if she can check on her after she reaches the town.
Even though he really doesn't know them, he feels responsible for her. This was Joon-won's memories and feelings slowly mixing with the ones of Zen Su. He didn't even notice that his decisions and thinking is slowly changing as both memories are stabilizing.
The dinner went smoothly as he talked with Eum Kyung about his book as he finished it and gave him some feedback as a reader. They all separated after a full meal as he walked back home, but stopped in front of the building. He didn't go in and just started to walk towards the park. He wanted to digest some of that meat.
He took a slow walk towards the park while looking around. There were quite some people on the streets as it was a Sunday. A few high schoolers were with their skateboards and in gangs. A few couples here and there. The street was not as deserted as it was normally was. The area he lived in wasn't the best place, as he could see a few hooligans selling drugs here and there.
He finally reached the park and sat down after searching for a bench a long time because of all of the sudden couples. His phone started ringing, and he checked to see it was Kim Min-seok, probably about his exams result.
He picked it up and heard an anxious voice on the other side. "How did the exam go, Joon-won? It's ok if you fail, I won't be angry." And assured him before he could even respond.
"Dad, calm down a bit. Take a few breaths. Why do you think I will fail? I did well and passed. I was in the middle ranks of the class. Everything went well." He assured him.
Min-Seok was instantly energized when he heard he passed and said, "hahaha, that is wonderful Joon-won. It's great that you passed. Dad is proud of you. Now, where are you? You should go out and have a party with your friends to celebrate the moment. Should I transfer some money to you?"
Joon-won sighed at how the man was always worried about how much money he had. This could only be because the speed at which the old Joon-won spent was that quick, making the old man worried.
"No, it's alright. I already had a little party, I'm in a park right now resting. What are you doing? Is Yun-hee home?"
"Ugh, don't remind me about that child. She came back very late last night, didn't even bother telling me where she was all that time. Today she woke up at 11 and went out rushing and didn't come until now. I am very concerned about her after all the exams are only 3 weeks away. I don't know what to do about her." His voice instantly fell after mentioning Yun-hee. His voice was full of helplessness.
Joon-won felt bad for him as he heard his worries. He was a father, after all, and could feel his helplessness. He encountered something similar to his 2nd son, who lived life leisurely because his brother was the crown prince. That made him worried about how he would turn out.
But it was solved when his wife gave him a harsh beating in front of everyone one day because his activities were going too far. After that day, he slowly changed and studied martial arts better to become a warrior like his mother. It was also he who cried and grieved the most when she died.
"Don't worry about it, dad. She is in her teenage years. Teenagers are generally more secretive and rebellious about things. I'm sure she will fix herself in these upcoming days." He comforted Min-seok.
'If she doesn't, even after asking Jung-hwa's help, I'll have to go there and fix her.'
"Hahaha, it's reassuring hearing it from you even though you are also still 19 and in your teenage years. It looks like you matured a bit after going there. Let's hope what you said was true and she will get her life together."
Joon-won was only a year older than his sister and was still 19, but was very old inside. They continued to talk for a bit before Joon-won made his way back and jumped on the bed after a busy day as he still had work the next day.
[He doesn't even notice how his personality is changing because of the old owner's memories. He isn't someone who thinks much about others, but today he is concerned about his 'sister and father'. Well, everything is for the better.] The system murmured to itself and no one heard it.