Chapter Text 章节正文
“I think that’s the fastest you’ve ever opened the door.” Kim Dokja slid into his designated pair of white slippers, which were neatly lined up against the other pairs of footwear that the Yoo household owned. “Were you waiting for me at the door?”
“我想这是你开门最快的一次。”金独子滑进他那双指定的白色拖鞋里，鞋子整齐地排列在刘家其他鞋子的旁边。“你是在门口等我吗？”
“Don’t be stupid.” Yoo Joonghyuk pushed the door shut, letting it lock automatically. “I could hear you stomping from the other end of the hallway.”
“别傻了。”刘众赫推上门，让它自动锁上。“我从走廊的另一头就能听到你跺脚的声音。”
“Rude, you definitely did not,” Kim Dokja said as he tossed his backpack on the couch. “And if you did actually hear me, then you’re getting scammed because an upscale apartment like this should at least have soundproof walls.”
“粗鲁，你绝对没有，”金独子一边把背包扔到沙发上一边说。“如果你真的听到了，那你肯定被骗了，因为像这样的高档公寓至少应该有隔音墙。”
“Just hurry up,” Yoo Joonghyuk grabbed two water bottles from the fridge, “we’re starting soon.”
“快点，”刘众赫从冰箱里拿出两瓶水，“我们马上开始。”
“Lead the way, Your Highness.”
“带路吧，殿下。”
After Yoo Joonghyuk started regularly streaming and steadily gained a larger following, a certain loyal fan of his started calling him “Supreme King” due to his consecutive victories. This caught on quickly in the community, much to his annoyance since he thought it was an absolutely ridiculous and embarrassing title. But to Kim Dokja, it was just more fodder for his continuous plans of pestering Yoo Joonghyuk in every possible way.
在刘众赫开始定期直播并稳步获得更多粉丝后，他的一位忠实粉丝因他连续获胜而开始称他为“至高王”。这个称号在社区中迅速传播开来，让他非常恼火，因为他认为这是一个极其荒谬且尴尬的头衔。但对金独子来说，这只是他不断计划以各种方式骚扰刘众赫的更多素材。
Yoo Joonghyuk glared and hurled one of the water bottles at him. “Shut up, Kim Dokja.”
刘众赫瞪了他一眼，把一瓶水朝他扔了过去。“闭嘴，金独子。”
Kim Dokja, having anticipated his reaction, deftly caught it with one hand. “Thank you for bestowing this gift onto me, Your Highness.”
金独子早已预料到他的反应，灵巧地用一只手接住了它。‘感谢殿下赐予我这份礼物。’
Screw the livestream—Yoo Joonghyuk was just about ready to kick this bastard out of his apartment.
去他的直播——刘众赫已经准备好把这个混蛋踢出他的公寓了。
It was officially summer vacation, and Kim Dokja had been coming over to his apartment more frequently, especially on days that he was streaming.
正式进入暑假后，金独子来他公寓的次数越来越频繁，尤其是在他直播的日子。
During the first esports competition he participated in, he didn’t end up winning and instead placed second. Kim Dokja had congratulated him for doing well for his first match but that only left a bitter taste in his mouth. So he enrolled in another competition immediately after and spent any free time practicing and boosting his stats, and his efforts eventually paid off when he placed first during his second competition. As promised, he split the prize money with Kim Dokja.
在他参加的第一场电子竞技比赛中，他并没有获胜，而是获得了第二名。金独子祝贺他在第一场比赛中表现出色，但这只让他感到苦涩。于是，他立即报名参加了另一场比赛，并利用所有空闲时间练习和提升自己的数据，最终他的努力得到了回报，在第二场比赛中获得了第一名。按照承诺，他将奖金与金独子平分。
“Yoo Joonghyuk, I was just joking about the commission fee,” Kim Dokja said, slightly frantic as Yoo Joonghyuk kept shoving the wad of cash in his hands.
“刘众赫，我只是在开玩笑说佣金的事，”金独子有些慌乱地说道，因为刘众赫一直在把一叠现金塞到他手里。
“Just take it,” Yoo Joonghyuk gruffly said, prying open Kim Dokja’s fingers that were stubbornly clinging to his palm. “You’re the one who suggested this in the first place.”
“拿着吧，”刘众赫粗声粗气地说，掰开金独子固执地紧握着他手掌的手指。“是你先提出这个建议的。”
“But this is literally half the prize money!” Kim Dokja fought against Yoo Joonghyuk’s grip but he knew it was a lost cause given his overwhelming strength. “It’s too much.”
“但这可是奖金的一半啊！”金独子挣扎着想要摆脱刘众赫的抓握，但他知道这是徒劳的，因为对方的力量太强大了。“太多了。”
“It’s my money so I can do whatever I want with it.” With another firm tug, the envelope was successfully stuffed into Kim Dokja’s hand.
“这是我的钱，我想怎么用就怎么用。”随着又一次坚定的拉扯，信封成功地塞进了金独子的手里。
“You sunfish bastard,” he weakly muttered.
“你这个翻车鱼混蛋，”他虚弱地嘟囔道。
Yoo Joonghyuk joined a few other competitions to gain more experience and eventually won those too. He was steadily accumulating both experience and accolades, which started to garner interest from local sponsors. However, he turned them all down due to a lack of trust in their rather shady promises of huge profit margins with little investment.
刘众赫参加了其他几场比赛以积累更多经验，最终也赢得了这些比赛。他稳步积累了经验和荣誉，这开始引起了当地赞助商的兴趣。然而，由于对他们那些不太可信的承诺——即用很少的投资就能获得巨大利润——缺乏信任，他拒绝了所有赞助。
He was going to just stick with competitions at the moment until Kim Dokja brought up the idea of streaming as another financial avenue. That was something Yoo Joonghyuk also considered for a brief moment but he wasn’t exactly that eager to put himself out there on the internet nor interact with others if he didn’t have to. However…
他原本打算暂时只专注于比赛，直到金独子提出了直播作为另一种收入来源的想法。刘众赫也曾短暂考虑过这一点，但他并不太愿意在互联网上公开自己，也不愿意在没必要的情况下与他人互动。然而……
“What’s so interesting about watching other people play?”
“看别人玩游戏有什么意思？”
“Entertainment purposes, Yoo Joonghyuk,” said Kim Dokja, who was currently lying at the foot of the bed with his feet dangling off the side. This was initially met with resistance as Yoo Joonghyuk was averse to outside microbes contaminating his sacred space, as Kim Dokja liked to put it. Kim Dokja listened the first time but after that, his words fell on deaf ears and Yoo Joonghyuk begrudgingly allowed it when his attempts at kicking him off the bed proved futile.
“娱乐目的，刘众赫，”金独子说道，他此刻正躺在床尾，双脚悬在床边。起初，这遭到了刘众赫的反对，因为他讨厌外来微生物污染他的神圣空间，正如金独子喜欢说的那样。金独子第一次听了，但之后他的话就变成了耳旁风，刘众赫在试图把他踢下床却无果后，勉强允许了这一点。
Kim Dokja tapped away on his phone and declared with a wave of his hand, “If there’s demand, there will be supply.”
金独子在手机上敲打着，挥了挥手宣布道：“有需求就会有供应。”
Yoo Joonghyuk swiveled in his chair, just in time to witness Kim Dokja cursing because he almost dropped his phone on his face. “It’s stupid.”
刘众赫在椅子上转了个身，正好看到金独子因为差点把手机掉在脸上而咒骂。“这很蠢。”
“It’s profitable, you mean.” Kim Dokja sighed in relief that his nose was spared from being crushed. He turned on his side, facing Yoo Joonghyuk, and perched his head over his flexed elbow. “You can just try it out and stop if you don’t like it. That’s what I suggested for the competitions and looked how that turned out.”
“你是说这很赚钱。”金独子松了一口气，庆幸自己的鼻子没有被压扁。他侧过身，面对着刘众赫，把头靠在弯曲的手肘上。“你可以先试试，如果不喜欢就停下来。我之前建议参加比赛时也是这么说的，结果你也看到了。”
Yoo Joonghyuk didn’t appreciate the smug grin on his face. “I don’t like talking to people.”
刘众赫不喜欢他脸上那得意的笑容。“我不喜欢和人说话。”
“Then don’t. There are enough people out there in the world that at least some subset will gravitate towards a stoic, mysterious character.”
“那就不说。世界上有足够多的人，至少有一部分会被一个沉默寡言、神秘的角色吸引。”
Yoo Joonghyuk didn’t respond, choosing instead to turn off his computer.
Yoo Joonghyuk 没有回应，而是选择关掉了电脑。
“Or are you worried no one will watch your stream?” Kim Dokja waggled his eyebrows, and his expression was just begging to be wiped off by an irritated Yoo Joonghyuk.
“还是说你担心没人看你的直播？”金独子挑了挑眉，那表情简直是在求着被烦躁的刘众赫擦掉。
“Don’t be stupid, Kim Dokja.”
“别傻了，金独子。”
“Don’t worry, you’ll have at least one viewer,” Kim Dokja reassured as he returned to lying on his back.
“别担心，你至少会有一个观众的，”金独子安慰道，随即又躺了回去。
Yoo Joonghyuk glanced over at Kim Dokja, who was still scrolling through his phone. “You’d watch them?”
刘众赫瞥了一眼还在刷手机的金独子。“你会看他们吗？”
“To save you from embarrassment, yes. Because then you can say you had viewers from your very first stream.”
“为了避免你尴尬，是的。因为这样你就可以说从你第一次直播开始就有观众了。”
This little— “Kim Dokja.”
这个小——“金独子。”
As always, Kim Dokja ignored the threatening tone and marched forward. “It’s not like I haven’t been doing that anyways when we hang out together.” He sat up, fixing his flattened hair on the back of his head. “I’m not well-versed in the gaming realm but if someone like me finds your playing interesting, then I’m sure there are others who will think the same.”
一如既往，金独子无视了那威胁的语气，继续向前走。“反正我们在一起的时候，我也不是没这么做过。”他坐起身，整理着后脑勺被压扁的头发。“我对游戏领域不太了解，但如果连我这样的人也觉得你的游戏有趣，那肯定也会有其他人这么想。”
Yoo Joonghyuk spun his chair back toward the computer, his face hidden from Kim Dokja’s view. He dragged the tip of a pen across the desk. “Maybe.”
刘众赫将椅子转回电脑前，脸藏在金独子看不见的地方。他用笔尖在桌面上划了一下。“也许吧。”
“I can even send donations if you’d like.”
“如果你愿意，我甚至可以捐款。”
In response to his mischievous tone, Yoo Joonghyuk threw a pillow at his head. Kim Dokja released an indignant cry while Yoo Joonghyuk turned around, resuming dragging the pen across the table in a rhythmic motion.
面对他调皮的语气，刘众赫朝他头上扔了个枕头。金独子发出一声不满的叫声，而刘众赫则转过身，继续以有节奏的动作在桌上拖动笔尖。
The Saturday after that conversation, Yoo Mia was having another sleepover so Yoo Joonghyuk thought that if he was really going to try streaming, it might as well be that day. In truth, he was feeling slightly nervous as this was uncharted territory, and he had little knowledge of what to expect. However, though Yoo Joonghyuk would never admit it to his face, he was comforted by the fact that at least one person on the other side of the screen would be on his side, cheering him on.
那次对话后的周六，刘美雅又去朋友家过夜了，所以刘众赫觉得如果真的要尝试直播，不如就选那天。说实话，他有些紧张，因为这是未知的领域，他对即将发生的事情知之甚少。然而，尽管刘众赫永远不会当面承认，但想到屏幕另一端至少有一个人会站在他这边，为他加油，他感到了一丝安慰。
A rapid succession of knocking was heard just as he finished setting up the monitor. Yoo Joonghyuk peered into the peephole, his eyes widening.
就在他刚设置好显示器时，一连串急促的敲门声响起。刘众赫透过猫眼窥视，眼睛顿时睁大了。
“Surprise!” Kim Dokja grinned, once the door was fully open. His cheeks were flushed, as if he had sprinted the entire way here.
“惊喜！”金独子咧嘴一笑，门完全打开后说道。他的脸颊泛红，仿佛是一路跑过来的。
“Don’t you have work today?”
“你今天不是要上班吗？”
“I did. I came straight here after my shift was done,” he explained, brushing past Yoo Joonghyuk to take off his shoes. “I was afraid you’d started already but seems I came right on time.”
“是啊。我一下班就直接过来了，”他解释道，一边从刘众赫身边挤过去脱鞋。“我还担心你已经开始了，看来我正好赶上了。”
“Wait—but—no, why are you here?” Yoo Joonghyuk stammered as he closed the door. “I thought you were going to watch on your phone.”
“等等——但是——不，你为什么在这里？”刘众赫结结巴巴地说着，关上了门。“我以为你会在手机上看的。”
“I should be here in-person for your grand debut, no?” Kim Dokja shook the plastic bag he was holding in front of him. “I even bought snacks for us to celebrate afterwards.”
“我应该亲自到场见证你的盛大首秀，不是吗？”金独子晃了晃手里拿着的塑料袋。“我甚至还买了零食，等结束后我们一起庆祝。”
“But I never said I would continue doing this.”
“但我从没说过我会继续这么做。”
“I know,” Kim Dokja said, smiling, “but this is still your first livestream.” His feet shuffled towards Yoo Joonghyuk’s room. “Come on, you’re keeping your loyal viewer waiting.”
“我知道，”金独子微笑着说，“但这还是你的第一次直播。”他的脚步朝刘众赫的房间挪去。“来吧，你忠实的观众在等着呢。”
Yoo Joonghyuk scoffed, though his tone was gentle. “Don’t be so full of yourself.”
刘众赫嗤之以鼻，尽管语气温柔。“别太自以为是了。”
When it was about time to start, Yoo Joonghyuk dragged a chair next to his, expecting Kim Dokja to sit in it. However, Kim Dokja pushed the chair away, out of frame, to the edge of the desk.
快到开始的时候，刘众赫拖了一把椅子放在自己旁边，期待金独子坐下。然而，金独子却把椅子推到一边，移出了画面，推到桌子的边缘。
“I’m not suited for these kinds of things,” Kim Dokja explained with a smile. “I’m comfortable watching from here.”
“我不适合这种事情，”金独子微笑着解释道。“我在这里看着就很舒服。”
Yoo Joonghyuk merely nodded, not commenting further on the topic.
刘众赫只是点了点头，没有对这个话题进一步评论。
For the first fifteen minutes, Yoo Joonghyuk sped through the game, charging through opponent after opponent. Viewers came and went, leaving behind only a few who diligently stayed. He was mildly surprised to see the chat lighting up, particularly messages from one viewer.
在最初的十五分钟里，刘众赫迅速推进游戏，接连击败对手。观众来来去去，只剩下少数人坚持不懈地留下来。他有些惊讶地看到聊天框亮了起来，尤其是来自一位观众的消息。
salvation9158: wow ur amazing hyung
salvation9158: 哇，哥你太棒了
salvation9158: i have so much to learn from u i can’t believe this is ur first livestream
salvation9158: 我有太多东西要向你学习，真不敢相信这是你的第一次直播
salvation9158: what tips do u have for people starting this game??
salvation9158: 对于刚开始玩这个游戏的人有什么建议吗？？
But he realized that with each message popping up from this particular viewer, he would see Kim Dokja tapping away on his phone in his peripheral vision, silently snickering. Yoo Joonghyuk threw a glare in his direction as he realized who the culprit was. He swung his heel and accurately hit his shin, drawing a silent cry from Kim Dokja. His eyebrows knitted together, accompanied by a concerning number of wrinkles that appeared on his forehead as he silently embodied his thoughts: Behave or I’ll kill you.
但他意识到，每当这个特定观众的消息弹出时，他都会在余光中看到金独子在手机上疯狂打字，偷偷窃笑。刘众赫意识到罪魁祸首是谁后，朝他投去一记怒视。他抬起脚跟，准确地踢中了金独子的小腿，引来了他无声的惨叫。刘众赫的眉头紧锁，额头上出现了令人担忧的皱纹，他无声地表达了自己的想法：老实点，不然我就杀了你。
Though if this was the Kim Dokja he knew, his threats seemed to hold little weight these days which only irritated Yoo Joonghyuk further. And indeed, Kim Dokja did just that, continuing to furiously type into the chat.
不过，如果这是他认识的那个金独子，他的威胁似乎最近没什么分量，这只会让刘众赫更加恼火。果然，金独子就是这么做的，继续疯狂地在聊天框中打字。
salvation9158: aigoo that was a close call
salvation9158: 哎呀，真是千钧一发
salvation9158: any slower and u would’ve been crushed!!
salvation9158: 再慢一点你就要被压扁了！！
Yoo Joonghyuk thought Kim Dokja would eventually grow bored without any response but the steady stream of messages didn’t stop as he continued the livestream for another hour. Other viewers actually joined the chat after the halfway mark, having tuned in later in the stream. There were some trolls here and there but one other viewer sent enough messages to rival even Kim Dokja.
刘众赫以为金独子最终会因为得不到任何回应而感到无聊，但在他继续直播的又一个小时里，消息的稳定流并没有停止。其他观众实际上在直播中途加入了聊天，他们在直播后期才调进来。虽然偶尔有些捣乱的人，但另一个观众发送的消息甚至能与金独子相媲美。
delusionaldemonknw: u shouldve saved that item for later
delusionaldemonknw: 你应该把那个道具留到以后再用
delusionaldemonknw: u went the wrong way
delusionaldemonknw: 你走错路了
delusionaldemonknw: dude u suck
delusionaldemonknw：兄弟，你太菜了
Yoo Joonghyuk had a few choice words for this arrogant bastard. Who did they think they were lecturing him about how to play when he had been playing for years? He aggressively smashed his keyboard as he navigated his character through the battlefield. However, they briefly paused when a new message appeared.
刘众赫对这个傲慢的混蛋有一肚子的话要说。他们以为自己是谁，竟敢在他玩了这么多年后教他怎么玩？他愤怒地敲击着键盘，操纵着自己的角色在战场上穿梭。然而，当一条新消息出现时，他短暂地停顿了一下。
salvation9158: @delusionaldemonknw u have no sense of strategy
salvation9158: @delusionaldemonknw 你毫无战略意识
Yoo Joonghyuk’s fingers danced across the keyboard as he finished up this round, his eyes flitting across the screen as he analyzed the different options he had at his disposal. Sure enough, because of Yoo Joonghyuk’s earlier tactics, he conquered the battlefield with an insanely high score. When he didn’t see another chat from @delusionaldemonknw, the corner of his lips twitched.
刘众赫的手指在键盘上飞舞，完成了这一轮比赛，他的眼睛扫过屏幕，分析着他手头的各种选择。果然，由于刘众赫之前的战术，他以极高的分数征服了战场。当他没有看到@delusionaldemonknw 的另一条聊天时，他的嘴角微微抽动了一下。
Off to the side, he saw Kim Dokja reclining on the chair with a knee propped up on the seat. His tongue peeked out from between his lips as he formulated the next messages. The light emanating from the smartphone bounced off his hollow cheeks, casting dark shadows along his prominent cheekbones. But despite that, his unassuming demeanor seemed to radiate a subdued yet piercing brilliance.
在一旁，他看到金独子正靠在椅子上，一条腿搭在座位上。他伸出舌头，从嘴唇间探出，正在构思下一条信息。智能手机发出的光线在他凹陷的脸颊上跳跃，在他突出的颧骨上投下深色的阴影。尽管如此，他那不起眼的气质似乎散发出一种内敛却锐利的光芒。
Almost ninety minutes had passed, and Yoo Joonghyuk was about to wrap up. A ‘ping!’ alerted him of another chat.
将近九十分钟过去了，刘众赫准备结束直播。一声‘叮！’提醒他有新的聊天消息。
salvation9158: will you keep doing livestreams yjh-nim????
salvation9158: yjh-nim，你还会继续直播吗？？？？
Kim Dokja was cackling away from behind his phone, finding pleasure in masquerading as a pure, innocent child who converted into a diehard fan. Thinking Yoo Joonghyuk was going to end the stream, his finger hovered over the home button.
金独子躲在手机后面咯咯笑着，享受着伪装成一个纯洁无辜的孩子，然后变成一个狂热粉丝的乐趣。他以为刘众赫要结束直播，手指悬停在主页按钮上。
“Yes.” “是的。”
Kim Dokja’s thumb stilled as he stared right at Yoo Joonghyuk before his eyes averted back to his phone screen.
金独子的拇指停了下来，他直视着刘众赫，随后目光又回到了手机屏幕上。
Yoo Joonghyuk stared straight into the webcam, and he noticed some shuffling in his periphery. Over the gentle whir of his computer, he spoke into the headset with a loud and clear voice. “I will be doing this again next week, same time.”
刘众赫直视着摄像头，注意到周围有些动静。在电脑轻柔的嗡鸣声中，他用清晰响亮的声音对着耳机说道：“下周同一时间，我会再做一次。”
And with that, Yoo Joonghyuk ended his first livestream.
就这样，刘众赫结束了他的第一次直播。
As promised, he streamed again the following week but he eventually incorporated this into his weekly routine. It started out with less than a hundred visitors but as his reputation of mercilessly taking down his opponents in a silent manner spread, the number of viewers also kept doubling. Even with the increased viewership, he didn’t feel pressured to change how he conducted his streams, which meant he chose to stay silent for most of it. It was almost calming in a way, something he never expected when he started out and something he would never admit to Kim Dokja (he didn’t need to add to his ego).
如他所承诺的那样，他在接下来的一个星期再次进行了直播，最终将其纳入了每周的例行活动。起初，观众不到一百人，但随着他以沉默无情击败对手的名声传开，观众人数也不断翻倍。即使观众增加了，他也没有感到压力去改变直播的方式，这意味着他选择在大部分时间里保持沉默。这在某种程度上几乎让人感到平静，这是他刚开始时从未预料到的，也是他永远不会向金独子承认的（他不需要再增加他的自负）。
Today was Saturday, which was typically the day he designated for streaming. Kim Dokja usually had the morning shift on these days so he usually went to Yoo Joonghyuk’s apartment straight after work, which was why he came over today.
今天是星期六，通常是他指定直播的日子。金独子通常在这些天的早班，所以他通常下班后直接去刘众赫的公寓，这也是他今天过来的原因。
As Yoo Joonghyuk was loading the game, he scrolled through the chat messages that were blazing across the screen.
当刘众赫正在加载游戏时，他浏览着屏幕上飞速滚动的聊天信息。
salvation9158: looking forward to another great stream today yjh-nim!!!
salvation9158: 期待今天又是一场精彩的直播，yjh-nim！！！
Making sure his mic was muted and that the webcam was turned off, he turned toward Kim Dokja, who was sitting in his usual chair off to his right. “You know, you don’t have to keep sending messages in the chat.”
确保麦克风已静音且摄像头已关闭后，他转向坐在他右侧惯常位置的金独子。“你知道的，你不必一直在聊天里发消息。”
“Don’t spoil my fun.” “别扫我的兴。”
delusionaldemonknw: why is it taking so long??
delusionaldemonknw: 为什么这么久？？
And then there was this user, who he remembered from his first stream. Contrary to his expectations, this user returned to watch his following stream. And the next. And the next after that. He didn’t understand why, when a majority of the messages were useless complaints. But he couldn’t bring himself to hate this person because when random users cursed Yoo Joonghyuk out, this user would be even faster than Kim Dokja at shutting them down and reporting their profiles.
然后还有这个用户，他记得是从他的第一次直播开始就出现的。与他的预期相反，这个用户回来看了他接下来的直播。还有下一次。再下一次。他不明白为什么，当大多数消息都是无用的抱怨时。但他无法让自己讨厌这个人，因为当随机用户辱骂刘众赫时，这个用户会比金独子更快地制止他们并举报他们的个人资料。
salvation9158: ignore them yjh-nim!! ur REAL fans will be patiently waiting for u to start!
salvation9158: 别理他们，众赫大人！！你真正的粉丝会耐心等待你开始的！
delusionaldemonknw: @salvation9158 wtf r u trying to start a fight??
delusionaldemonknw: @salvation9158 你他妈的是想打架吗？？
“Kim Dokja.” “金独子。”
Already sensing that he was going to be reprimanded, Kim Dokja waved a hand. “Like I said, don’t spoil my fun.”
已经预感到自己会被训斥，金独子挥了挥手。“我说了，别扫我的兴。”
Yoo Joonghyuk watched their verbal spar unfold, thoroughly unimpressed, as he rolled his eyes.
刘众赫看着他们唇枪舌剑，翻了个白眼，完全不为所动。
“I’m going to start making dinner.” Like with streaming, it also became routine for Kim Dokja to stay afterwards for dinner.
“我要开始做晚饭了。” 就像直播一样，金独子留下来吃晚饭也成了惯例。
Kim Dokja nodded, grabbing a strawberry milk from the refrigerator door. He stabbed the foil with the tiny straw and practically inhaled half of it in one breath.
金独子点点头，从冰箱门上拿了一瓶草莓牛奶。他用小吸管戳破铝箔纸，一口气几乎喝掉了一半。
“Was that the last one?”
“那是最后一瓶吗？”
Kim Dokja reopened the door and peered into the shelf. “For the strawberry, yes. There are a couple of banana milks though.”
金独子重新打开门，朝架子上瞥了一眼。“草莓味的没了，不过还有几瓶香蕉牛奶。”
“Strawberry is Mia’s favorite.”
“草莓是 Mia 的最爱。”
“Oh.” Kim Dokja lowered the carton, feeling guilty of depriving a kid he never met the last of her favorite beverage. “Shit, sorry, I didn’t know.”
“哦。”金独子放下纸盒，感到有些内疚，因为他剥夺了一个素未谋面的孩子最后一点她最喜欢的饮料。“靠，抱歉，我不知道。”
Yoo Joonghyuk turned on the faucet, washing the vegetables. “It’s fine, I’ll pick some up tomorrow.”
刘众赫打开水龙头，清洗着蔬菜。“没关系，我明天去买一些。”
“I can probably just take some from work.”
“我大概可以从工作的地方拿一些。”
“I would rather not be an accomplice.”
“我宁愿不当帮凶。”
“Semantics, Yoo Joonghyuk. You know I meant I’d take it legally, of course.”
“语义问题，刘众赫。你知道我的意思是我会合法地拿到它，当然。”
Yoo Joonghyuk looked at him.
Yoo Joonghyuk 看着他。
Kim Dokja flashed him a grin. “I should take advantage of my employee discount, no?” He just needed to figure out how to add an extra zero to the 10% discount he had.
金独子对他咧嘴一笑。“我应该利用我的员工折扣，不是吗？”他只需要想办法在他那 10%的折扣上再加一个零。
Yoo Joonghyuk shook his head, already immune to all the bullshit that came out of his mouth. “I’ll get it myself tomorrow.” He positioned the vegetables on top of the cutting board, the droplets of water splattering across the counter, and began chopping them in precise, clean cuts.
刘众赫摇了摇头，早已对他嘴里冒出的胡话免疫了。“明天我自己去拿。”他把蔬菜放在砧板上，水滴溅到台面上，然后开始精准利落地切菜。
Knowing full well how uptight Yoo Joonghyuk can be about “kitchen etiquette,” Kim Dokja wandered across the open area into the living room space. Something seemed to have sparked his interest though since he was soon walking over to the balcony, sliding the door open. A summer breeze welcomed him, accompanied by the cacophony of car honks and shouting below in the streets. Over the noise that suddenly spilled into the room, he remarked, “You know, I’ve been over several times but I actually haven’t been on your balcony before.” He glanced down towards the street and said, “It’s a nice view.”
深知刘众赫对‘厨房礼仪’有多么严格，金独子穿过开放区域走进了客厅。不过，似乎有什么引起了他的兴趣，因为他很快就走向了阳台，拉开了门。夏日的微风迎面而来，伴随着街道上汽车喇叭声和喊叫声的嘈杂。在这突然涌入房间的噪音中，他说道：“你知道吗，我来过好几次了，但我其实还没上过你的阳台。”他低头看向街道，说道：“景色不错。”
Yoo Joonghyuk paused, his knife halfway through an onion. He turned around and saw Kim Dokja lean over the railing.
刘众赫停顿了一下，手中的刀切到一半的洋葱。他转过身，看到金独子靠在栏杆上。
“You can even see our school from here.”
“从这里甚至可以看到我们的学校。”
Ignoring his observations, he said, “Get over here, Kim Dokja.”
“无视他的观察，他说，‘过来，金独子。’”
Kim Dokja didn’t notice the slight edge to Yoo Joonghyuk’s voice. “You should get over here. Come enjoy the weather.” He propped his elbows on the railing and rested his chin on his palms. “You can prep dinner later.”
“金独子没有注意到刘众赫声音中的一丝尖锐。‘你应该过来。来享受一下天气。’他把手肘撑在栏杆上，手掌托着下巴。‘你可以晚点再准备晚餐。’”
“Kim Dokja.” “金独子。”
Dismissing his clearly miffed tone, Kim Dokja hummed and continued observing the pedestrians below, his body precariously bent over the ledge. The wind suddenly picked up speed, strong enough to rattle the glass doors. Kim Dokja took a step back from the force of it as his clothes violently billowed against his thin frame.
无视他明显不悦的语气，金独子哼了一声，继续观察着下方的行人，身体危险地倾斜在栏杆上。风突然加快了速度，强得足以震动玻璃门。金独子被风力逼得后退了一步，衣服在他瘦削的身躯上猛烈地翻飞。
Yoo Joonghyuk dropped the knife he was holding, its blade jostling against the counter. In just several long strides, he reached the balcony.
刘众赫放下了手中的刀，刀刃在台面上晃动。他几步跨到阳台。
Kim Dokja turned his head, a smirk on his lips. “Did you finally decide to enjoy the little things in life? Hey, what are you—!!”
金独子转过头，嘴角带着一丝笑意。“你终于决定享受生活中的小事了吗？嘿，你在——！！”
Yoo Joonghyuk seized his forearm and yanked Kim Dokja forward, removing him from the balcony and into the safety of his apartment. He slammed the doors closed, leaving only the howl of the wind pounding against the glass. Kim Dokja was trapped between the door and Yoo Joonghyuk, whose grip was still firmly on his wrist, his thumb pressing against his racing pulse.
刘众赫抓住他的前臂，将金独子拉了过来，将他从阳台上拽进了公寓的安全地带。他猛地关上门，只留下风声在玻璃上呼啸。金独子被困在门和刘众赫之间，后者仍然紧紧抓着他的手腕，拇指按在他急促的脉搏上。
The howl of the wind was gradually reduced to just scratches against the glass, or perhaps it was due to Yoo Joonghyuk’s own pulse, previously thundering against his eardrums but now calming down as his breathing transitioned to a steadier rhythm.
风声逐渐减弱，只剩下玻璃上的刮擦声，或许这是因为刘众赫自己的脉搏，之前在他的耳膜中轰鸣，但随着呼吸逐渐平稳，现在也平静了下来。
Kim Dokja gazed up at him, his eyes wide. Taking a quiet breath, he tentatively uttered, “Yoo Joonghyuk?”
金独子抬头看着他，眼睛睁得大大的。他轻轻吸了一口气，试探性地说道：“刘众赫？”
The silent whisper was enough to break his trance as Yoo Joonghyuk immediately released his hold on Kim Dokja’s wrist. Upon noticing their close proximity, he instantly took a step back, the pounding in his eardrum threatening to ramp up once again. Kim Dokja peered up at him with a bewildered expression. Just why did I—
那无声的低语足以打破他的恍惚，刘众赫立刻松开了握住金独子手腕的手。注意到他们之间的距离如此之近，他立刻后退了一步，耳膜中的跳动声似乎又要再次加剧。金独子困惑地抬头看着他。我到底为什么——
With an abrupt turn of the heel, Yoo Joonghyuk stalked off to the kitchen. “Come help me make dinner.”
刘众赫突然转身，大步走向厨房。“来帮我做晚饭。”
Kim Dokja blinked in disbelief, gradually regaining his bearings. “What the hell was that for?” He removed himself from the glass doors, its cold touch lingering on his tingly back. “You could’ve just asked from the start.”
金独子难以置信地眨了眨眼，逐渐恢复了神志。“那到底是怎么回事？”他从玻璃门旁离开，冰冷的触感仍留在他的背上。“你一开始直接说不就好了。”
“I did. And you didn’t listen.” He pulled opened a cabinet door to retrieve some plates.
“我说了。而你没听。”他拉开橱柜门，取出一些盘子。
“That doesn’t mean you can just grab people like that,” Kim Dokja chided, pausing in front of the sink to wash his hands.
“那并不意味着你可以那样抓人，”金独子责备道，在水槽前停下洗手。
Yoo Joonghyuk remained silent.
刘众赫保持沉默。
Kim Dokja gritted his teeth, fully aware that this conversation was going nowhere. If the balcony was off-limits, Yoo Joonghyuk should’ve just been upfront about it. Sighing, he said, “Fine then, you sunfish bastard. What are we making today?”
金独咬紧牙关，完全意识到这场对话毫无进展。如果阳台是禁区，刘众赫就该直截了当地说出来。他叹了口气，说道：“好吧，你这个太阳鱼混蛋。我们今天要做什么？”
“Omurice,” Yoo Joonghyuk responded, taking out the carton of eggs from the refrigerator. The chilled air seeping from the appliance stung against his cheeks.
“蛋包饭，”刘众赫回答道，从冰箱里拿出一盒鸡蛋。冰箱里渗出的冷空气刺痛了他的脸颊。
Kim Dokja crossed his arms across his chest and leaned against the island. In a tone laced with nostalgia, he murmured, “I haven’t had that in a long time.”
金独子双臂交叉在胸前，靠在岛台上。他带着怀旧的语气低声说道：“我很久没吃那个了。”
“That’s because you never cook.” Yoo Joonghyuk slid the cutting board towards Kim Dokja. He pointed at the sliced onion he was previously working on and said, “Dice these onions.”
“那是因为你从不做饭。”刘众赫把砧板推向金独子。他指着之前切好的洋葱片说：“把这些洋葱切丁。”
Kim Dokja scrunched his nose, already anticipating the pungent aroma accosting his unfortunate lacrimal glands. “Give me another task.”
金独子皱起鼻子，已经预感到那刺鼻的气味会袭击他可怜的泪腺。“给我另一个任务吧。”
“Just cut the vegetables, and I’ll do the rest.”
“只要切好蔬菜，剩下的我来做。”
Kim Dokja grabbed the knife, albeit haphazardly, and placed his opposite hand flat on the onion. As he steadied the onion, the knife dug through the onion in jerky movements. He was about to cut into the vegetable again when Yoo Joonghyuk slapped his hand over his wrist.
金独子抓起刀，虽然有些笨拙，然后将另一只手平放在洋葱上。当他稳住洋葱时，刀以不连贯的动作切过洋葱。他正准备再次切蔬菜时，刘众赫一巴掌拍在他的手腕上。
“You’re going to chop off your fingers if you do that.”
“你那样做会把自己的手指砍掉的。”
Kim Dokja set the knife down but Yoo Joonghyuk still kept a firm grasp on his arm. “Don’t worry, my hand-eye coordination skills are impeccable.”
金独子放下了刀，但刘众赫仍然紧紧抓着他的手臂。“别担心，我的手眼协调能力无可挑剔。”
Yoo Joonghyuk released his hold and picked up the knife. “You need a firm grip on the knife with your thumb resting on the blade itself. And when you’re holding the onion, you have to curl your fingers like this.” He reached over for the onion and demonstrated the correct position.
刘众赫松开了手，拿起了刀。“你需要用拇指抵住刀片本身，牢牢握住刀。当你拿着洋葱时，你得像这样弯曲手指。”他伸手拿起洋葱，示范了正确的姿势。
“Yes, chef.” “是的，主厨。”
Yoo Joonghyuk ignored the salute. “Just hurry up.”
刘众赫无视了敬礼。“快点。”
Kim Dokja made a face but went to retrieve the knife nonetheless to resume his task. Though clumsily, it seemed he listened to Yoo Joonghyuk for once since he got into the correct position. However, as expected, the scent of onions smothered his senses, and he soon felt the familiar prick on his eyes. He rapidly blinked his eyelids in a feeble attempt to alleviate the worsening stinging sensation. His distaste for chopping onions was enough of a deterrent for him to never include it in the dishes he seldom cooked.
金独子做了个鬼脸，但还是去拿刀继续他的任务。虽然笨拙，但他似乎第一次听从了刘众赫的话，站到了正确的位置。然而，不出所料，洋葱的气味淹没了他的感官，他很快就感到眼睛熟悉的刺痛。他迅速眨动眼皮，试图缓解越来越强烈的刺痛感。他对切洋葱的厌恶足以让他从不把它包括在他偶尔烹饪的菜肴中。
Kim Dokja glanced over at Yoo Joonghyuk, who was rummaging through the refrigerator. He looked back down at the onion he barely cut, and a sly smile made its way to his lips.
金独子瞥了一眼正在翻冰箱的刘众赫。他低头看了看自己几乎没切的洋葱，嘴角浮现出一丝狡黠的微笑。
Yoo Joonghyuk was preparing the chicken when he heard Kim Dokja ask, “Is this fine?”
刘众赫正在准备鸡肉时，听到金独子问道：“这样可以吗？”
Kim Dokja gestured towards the chopping board, which was littered with inconsistently-sized chunks of onions beside the other half of onion waiting to be chopped.
金独子指了指砧板，上面散落着大小不一的洋葱块，旁边还有另一半洋葱等着被切。
“…Why are they all different sizes?”
“……为什么它们大小都不一样？”
“Does that matter? It’s not like they’ll taste any different.”
“这有关系吗？反正味道又不会不一样。”
Yoo Joonghyuk opened his mouth to chastise him but just sighed and washed his hands. “Give it to me.”
刘众赫张开嘴想要责备他，但只是叹了口气，洗了洗手。“给我吧。”
“Yes, sir.” Kim Dokja slid over the cutting board.
“好的，先生。”金独子把砧板推了过去。
“Go grab carrots from the fridge.”
“去冰箱里拿些胡萝卜。”
Kim Dokja backed away from the counter and let Yoo Joonghyuk work his magic in the kitchen. Unbeknownst to him, Kim Dokja was silently cackling behind Yoo Joonghyuk’s back as he opened the fridge door.
金独子从柜台后退开，让刘众赫在厨房里施展他的魔法。他不知道的是，当刘众赫打开冰箱门时，金独子在他背后偷偷窃笑。
Yoo Joonghyuk had just finished setting the table when he walked over to Kim Dokja, who was hunched over the two plates of omurice.
刘众赫刚摆好桌子，就走向了金独子，后者正弯着腰盯着两盘蛋包饭。
“…Kim Dokja, what the hell is that.”
“……金独子，那到底是什么鬼东西。”
Kim Dokja set the ketchup bottle down on the countertop and flicked the nonexistent sweat from his forehead. “A masterpiece.”
金独子把番茄酱瓶放在台面上，擦了擦额头上并不存在的汗水。“一件杰作。”
The perfectly smooth surface of the omurice was tainted by an abominable ketchup drawing of what appeared to be a sunfish.
完美光滑的蛋包饭表面被一幅令人厌恶的番茄酱画玷污了，画中似乎是一条翻车鱼。
Kim Dokja alternated his gaze between the plate and Yoo Joonghyuk. With a satisfied nod, he declared, “Yup, the resemblance is definitely there.”
金独子在盘子和刘众赫之间来回打量，满意地点了点头，宣布道：“嗯，确实很像。”
“…”
“Did you want me to draw some hair? Then it’ll really be a mirror image.”
“你想让我画些头发吗？那样就真的像镜子里的倒影了。”
Already feeling his vein pulsating against his temple, Yoo Joonghyuk grabbed the ketchup bottle and flipped it upside down in one swift motion. He squeezed the bottle but Kim Dokja shoved his plate away, resulting in the ketchup splattering onto the countertop.
已经感觉到太阳穴上的血管在跳动，刘众赫一把抓起番茄酱瓶，迅速倒过来。他用力挤压瓶子，但金独子把盘子推开，结果番茄酱溅到了台面上。
“Hey!” He tried to swipe the bottle but Yoo Joonghyuk raised it above his head. “You know I don’t like tomatoes.”
“喂！”他试图抢过瓶子，但刘众赫把它举过头顶。“你知道我不喜欢番茄。”
“This isn’t even real tomato.” Yoo Joonghyuk easily swatted Kim Dokja’s arms away, using his strength and height to his advantage. He evaded another attempt, staring down at Kim Dokja whose face was gradually becoming flushed.
“这甚至不是真正的番茄。”刘众赫轻松地挡开金独子的手臂，利用自己的力气和身高优势。他躲过了又一次尝试，低头看着金独子，他的脸逐渐变得通红。
“It’s close enough,” he growled.
“差不多了，”他咆哮道。
Yoo Joonghyuk decided to be merciful just this once and set the ketchup bottle down. “There, happy?” At Kim Dokja’s grunt, he sighed and said, “Get my white water bottle from my room while I clean up this mess and then we can eat.”
刘众赫决定这次大发慈悲，放下了番茄酱瓶。“好了，满意了吗？”听到金独子的咕哝声，他叹了口气，说道：“去我房间拿我的白色水瓶，我收拾完这摊子我们就吃饭。”
Kim Dokja was grumbling under his breath as he stomped away.
金独子一边低声抱怨，一边跺着脚走开了。
Once he was out of sight, Yoo Joonghyuk grabbed the condiment, flipped it upside down, and began squeezing out the ketchup onto Kim Dokja’s dish. Merciful? To hell with that. He should return the favor by creating his own masterpiece for Kim Dokja. And he would definitely have enough time to complete it—after all, he never owned a white water bottle in the first place.
一旦他离开了视线，刘众赫抓起调味瓶，倒过来，开始往金独子的盘子上挤番茄酱。仁慈？去他的。他应该通过为金独子创作自己的杰作来回报他。而且他肯定有足够的时间来完成它——毕竟，他一开始就没有白色的水瓶。
As predicted, Kim Dokja emerged from the hallway a few minutes later with empty hands.
正如预料的那样，几分钟后，金独子空着手从走廊里走了出来。
“Yoo Joonghyuk, I couldn’t find—” Kim Dokja suddenly widened his eyes and bolted towards Yoo Joonghyuk. “What the hell!” He could only watch in despair as his once perfect omurice had now been ruined by streaks of ketchup.
“刘众赫，我找不到——” 金独子突然睁大了眼睛，冲向刘众赫。“搞什么鬼！” 他只能绝望地看着自己曾经完美的蛋包饭现在被番茄酱的条纹毁掉了。
Yoo Joonghyuk squeezed another dollop of ketchup and used a chopstick to spread it evenly across the surface. His attempt at masking his smile was feeble at best since Kim Dokja could see his facial muscles twitching.
刘众赫又挤了一团番茄酱，用筷子均匀地涂抹在表面。他试图掩饰自己的笑容，但效果甚微，因为金独子可以看到他的面部肌肉在抽搐。
Kim Dokja shook his head, berating himself for falling prey to his tricks. It was too late now anyways so Kim Dokja begrudgingly watched Yoo Joonghyuk finish up the tiny details. However… “What are you even drawing?”
金独子摇了摇头，责备自己又上了他的当。现在说什么都晚了，所以金独子不情愿地看着刘众赫完成那些微小的细节。然而……“你到底在画什么？”
Yoo Joonghyuk snapped the lid shut, having finished his artwork. “A squid.”
刘众赫啪地一声合上盖子，完成了他的作品。“一只鱿鱼。”
“…”
“The resemblance is definitely there.”
“确实很像。”
Yoo Joonghyuk earned an angry elbow to his side.
刘众赫的侧腹挨了一记愤怒的肘击。
“You know, I was thinking.”
“你知道，我在想。”
“You’re always thinking.”
“你总是在想。”
Kim Dokja swallowed the last of the omurice. “I’ve been over here several times and I still haven’t properly met your sister.”
金独子吞下最后一口蛋包饭。“我来过这里好几次了，但我还没正式见过你妹妹。”
Yoo Joonghyuk scraped the last of the food onto his spoon. “You’ll probably get to meet her today. Her friend’s mom is dropping her off soon.”
刘众赫将最后一点食物刮到勺子上。“你今天可能会见到她。她朋友的妈妈很快就会送她过来。”
Kim Dokja hummed. “It seems you give her a lot of freedom though?”
金独子哼了一声。“不过你似乎给了她很多自由？”
“What do you mean?” “你是什么意思？”
“She seems pretty involved at school and she’s usually out with her friends. I’ve seen way stricter parents who trap their kids at home to study or attend extra classes.”
“她在学校似乎很活跃，通常和朋友一起外出。我见过更严格的父母，他们把孩子们关在家里学习或参加额外的课程。”
Yoo Joonghyuk set his spoon down, slowly chewing his food.
Yoo Joonghyuk 放下勺子，慢慢咀嚼着食物。
“I don’t think that’s a bad thing though,” Kim Dokja amended.
“我不认为这是件坏事，”金独子补充道。
Yoo Joonghyuk turned his head and stared at the photo of him and Mia on the refrigerator. “But what if it is?”
刘众赫转过头，盯着冰箱上他和米娅的照片。“但如果真的是呢？”
Kim Dokja met his gaze.
金独子与他对视。
“I don’t know if I’m doing this right,” Yoo Joonghyuk whispered, finally voicing out loud the thoughts that had been festering in the back of his mind.
“我不知道我做得对不对，”刘众赫低声说道，终于说出了他脑海中一直萦绕的想法。
His parents were clearly not a stellar example of what good parenting entailed. But he was confident that he would do a better job than them, that he could provide an environment for Yoo Mia to thrive. But recently, his confidence dwindled as juggling school and home life became more challenging. He tried to make his own schedule as flexible as possible so that she was free to do whatever she wanted. But sometimes, things didn’t work out the way they planned. On top of that, Yoo Mia had recently told him that she didn’t need him to drop her off nor pick her up once school resumed. That she could do that by herself. She also began declining help with her homework, when they used to study together all the time.
他的父母显然不是良好育儿的典范。但他自信自己能比他们做得更好，能为刘美雅提供一个茁壮成长的环境。但最近，随着学业和家庭生活的平衡变得越来越困难，他的信心逐渐减弱。他尽量让自己的时间表灵活，以便她能自由地做自己想做的事。但有时，事情并不按计划进行。除此之外，刘美雅最近告诉他，她不需要他在学校开学后接送她，她自己可以做到。她还开始拒绝他在作业上的帮助，而他们以前总是一起学习。
So on nights when he couldn’t fall asleep, he spent some time sitting in the living room, wondering if his selfish decision to separate from his parents brought more harm than good. She rarely complained, which only made him more concerned about if she was happy staying here with him. And he was almost scared to hear her answer if he ever asked.
于是在那些无法入眠的夜晚，他会花些时间坐在客厅里，思索着与父母分离的自私决定是否弊大于利。她很少抱怨，这反而让他更加担心她是否乐意留在这里陪伴他。他几乎害怕听到她的回答，如果他真的问出口的话。
Yoo Joonghyuk watched the shadows flit across the surface of the dining table as the clouds floated past the sun.
刘众赫看着阴影在餐桌表面掠过，云朵从太阳前飘过。
“I don’t think there is a ‘right’ answer.”
“我不认为有一个‘正确’的答案。”
Yoo Joonghyuk glanced up at Kim Dokja, who was fiddling with the handle of the mug he was using.
刘众赫抬头看了一眼金独子，后者正在摆弄他手中杯子的把手。
“You pick her up from school every day, you know all her favorite dishes and snacks, you help her with her assignments, and you take her out on the weekends whenever you can.” Kim Dokja wrapped his hands around the mug. “If I had a sibling doing all that for me, I would feel very, very lucky.”
“你每天接她放学，知道她所有喜欢的菜肴和零食，帮她完成作业，只要有机会周末就带她出去玩。”金独子双手捧着杯子。“如果我有这样一个兄弟姐妹为我做这些，我会感到非常非常幸运。”
The shadows danced past the table and brushed along Kim Dokja’s arm before disappearing altogether, replaced by the golden rays of the setting sun.
影子从桌边掠过，轻轻拂过金独子的手臂，随后完全消失，取而代之的是夕阳的金色光芒。
“So Yoo Joonghyuk, I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.” Kim Dokja wore a tiny smile as he stared back at him. “You’re doing the best you can and that’s what matters.”
“所以刘众赫，我觉得没什么好担心的。”金独子带着一丝微笑看着他。“你已经尽力了，这才是最重要的。”
Perhaps this was what he needed to hear all along. He needed someone to say these words out loud for him and the world to hear, that all his efforts weren’t for naught, that he had been doing good up until now. And as he stared at Kim Dokja, observing the rays highlighting his smiling face, he felt something wriggle in his chest, constricting his organs together in a dull, squeezing pain.
也许这正是他一直需要听到的。他需要有人大声说出这些话，让全世界都听到，他所有的努力并非徒劳，他一直以来都在做正确的事。当他凝视着金独子，观察着阳光照亮他微笑的脸庞时，他感到胸口有什么东西在蠕动，将他的器官紧紧挤压在一起，带来一种沉闷的疼痛。
All of a sudden, the sound of the door unlocking broke the silence.
突然，门锁打开的声音打破了寂静。
“Oppa, I’m home!” came a muffled shout.
“欧巴，我回来了！”传来一声模糊的喊声。
Yoo Joonghyuk glanced once more at Kim Dokja before standing up to round the corner. Yoo Mia returned with a couple plastic bags of snacks he presumed, and he noticed that her hair was now braided instead of her usual pigtails. Clearing his throat, he said, “Did you have fun with Shin Yoosung?”
刘众赫又看了一眼金独子，然后站起来拐过角落。刘美雅带着几袋零食回来了，他猜测是零食，并注意到她的头发现在编成了辫子，而不是她平常的双马尾。他清了清嗓子，说：“你和申宥善玩得开心吗？”
“Yup! We went to the park and…” As she was taking her shoes off, she paused. “Did you buy new shoes, oppa? But they don’t look like your size…”
“嗯！我们去了公园，然后……”她一边脱鞋一边停顿了一下。“哥哥，你买新鞋了吗？但它们看起来不像你的尺码……”
“They’re not mine. I invited someone over.”
“不是我的。我邀请了别人过来。”
“You mean your friend?” she excitedly cried as she all but kicked her shoes off and dashed towards the kitchen.
“你是说你的朋友？”她兴奋地喊道，几乎踢掉鞋子冲向厨房。
“Mia!” Shaking his head at her enthusiasm, he gathered her backpack and rearranged the shoes she had just flung away earlier.
“米娅！”他对她的热情摇了摇头，收拾好她的背包，重新整理了她刚刚扔掉的鞋子。
“This is the first time you brought over a—”
“这是你第一次带一个——”
Kim Dokja looked just as surprised to see her as he slowly stood up from his chair.
金独子看到她时显得同样惊讶，他慢慢从椅子上站了起来。
“Ahjussi?” Yoo Mia almost dropped the plastic bag in her hand, her mouth slightly agape.
“大叔？” 刘美雅差点把手里的塑料袋掉在地上，嘴巴微微张开。
Yoo Joonghyuk returned from the hallway and glanced down at her, puzzled by her odd reaction. Was she not the one who was begging him to bring over his friends so that she could meet them? He walked over to her side and retrieved the bag from her hand but she was still intently staring at Kim Dokja. “…Have you two met already?”
刘众赫从走廊回来，低头看了她一眼，对她奇怪的反应感到困惑。不是她求着他带朋友过来，好让她见见的吗？他走到她身边，从她手里接过袋子，但她仍然专注地盯着金独子。“……你们俩已经见过面了吗？”
“Oh. Um, well—” “哦。呃，那个——”
“Nope.” Kim Dokja wore a bright smile as he strode toward them. “I’m pretty sure this is the first time we’ve met.” He watched Yoo Mia startle out of her thoughts as he bent down, his hands resting on his knees. “Hey, you shouldn’t assume I’m that much older than you. I’m probably younger than your brother, you know?”
“不。”金独子带着灿烂的笑容朝他们走去。“我很确定这是我们第一次见面。”他看着柳美雅从思绪中惊醒，弯下腰，双手放在膝盖上。“嘿，你不该以为我比你大那么多。我可能比你哥哥还小呢，你知道吗？”
“Given your lack of maturity, I agree.”
“考虑到你的不成熟，我同意。”
“I was alluding to my youthful features, you sunfish.”
“我是在说我年轻的外表，你这个笨蛋。”
Yoo Joonghyuk placed his hand on Yoo Mia’s shoulder. “Mia, this is Kim Dokja.”
刘众赫把手放在刘美雅的肩上。“美雅，这是金独子。”
Kim Dokja waved. “Hi, Mia. It’s nice to finally meet you. You can call me Dokja-oppa, if you’d like.”
金独子挥了挥手。“嗨，米娅。终于见到你真是太好了。如果你愿意的话，可以叫我独子哥哥。”
“Ahjussi suits you better.”
“Ahjussi 更适合你。”
“I didn’t ask for your input, Yoo Joonghyuk.”
“我没有征求你的意见，Yoo Joonghyuk。”
“Mia, have you eaten? There’s some leftovers if you’re hungry.”
“米娅，你吃过了吗？如果饿了，这里还有些剩菜。”
“Oh, um, I already ate at Yoosung’s place but maybe some fruit?” Her eyes landed on Kim Dokja once again.
“哦，嗯，我已经在 Yoosung 家吃过了，不过也许来点水果？”她的目光再次落在金独子身上。
He nodded and went to grab dishes from the cabinet for the watermelon.
他点点头，去橱柜里拿盘子装西瓜。
With Yoo Joonghyuk’s back turned, Kim Dokja brought his index finger to his lips and smiled at the bewildered Mia.
刘众赫背过身去，金独子将食指抵在唇边，对困惑的米娅微微一笑。
Kim Dokja left shortly after they finished eating, saying he had an early shift tomorrow at work. As Kim Dokja was leaving, Yoo Joonghyuk noticed his sister was wringing her fingers behind her back, itching to say something but not bringing up the courage to do so. He also caught Yoo Mia stealing glances at Kim Dokja when she thought he wasn’t looking, though he wasn’t sure why. Perhaps it was because Yoo Joonghyuk had never brought someone over and she was simply curious?
金独子吃完饭后不久就离开了，说他明天要早起上班。金独子离开时，刘众赫注意到他妹妹在背后绞着手指，似乎想说什么却没有勇气开口。他还发现刘美雅在金独子不注意时偷偷看他，虽然他不确定原因。也许是因为刘众赫从未带人回家，她只是好奇？
Yoo Joonghyuk finished cleaning up the kitchen and looked at the clock, noting that it was almost bedtime for Yoo Mia.
刘众赫收拾完厨房，看了看时钟，注意到快到刘美雅的睡觉时间了。
The door to her room was slightly ajar. He knocked the door softly. “Mia? It’s time for bed.” When he didn’t receive a response, he pushed open her door. She was curled into a ball on the carpet floors, with papers scattered around.
她的房门微微开着。他轻轻敲了敲门。“美雅？该睡觉了。”没有得到回应后，他推开了她的门。她蜷缩在地毯上，周围散落着纸张。
Ever so gently, Yoo Joonghyuk lifted her up and carried her to the bed. She rustled in her sleep when she was placed on the bed, mumbling something incoherent. He covered her with the comforter and carefully pulled out her hair ties. He loosened her hair and watched the rise and fall of the covers as she continued sleeping peacefully. He patted her head before standing up to organize the papers on the ground. He was tapping them against the floor into a neat pile when he noticed the title of the first page: Assignment – About Me.
刘众赫极其轻柔地将她抱起，放到床上。当她被安置在床上时，她在睡梦中微微动了动，含糊不清地嘟囔着什么。他给她盖上被子，小心翼翼地解下她的发圈。他松开她的头发，看着她继续安然入睡时被子的起伏。他轻轻拍了拍她的头，然后起身整理地上的文件。当他将纸张在地板上敲打成整齐的一摞时，他注意到了第一页的标题：作业——关于我。
Yoo Joonghyuk looked at his sister, who was deep in her slumber. He stared back at the papers in his hands. Taking a small peek wouldn’t hurt, right?
刘众赫看着熟睡的妹妹，又低头看了看手中的文件。偷偷瞄一眼应该没关系吧？
Name: Yoo Mia 姓名: 柳美雅
Age: 9 年龄: 9 岁
Favorite color: black 最喜欢的颜色: 黑色
Favorite food: steak 最喜欢的食物：牛排
Favorite snack: ice cream
最喜欢的零食：冰淇淋
Now that he thought about it, she was complaining the other day when he forgot to pick up more ice cream on his grocery trip. He smiled, making a mental note to not forget it the next time.
现在回想起来，前几天他忘记在杂货店买冰淇淋时，她还在抱怨。他笑了笑，心里暗暗记着下次不要再忘了。
The list continued to ask about her favorite things, and Yoo Joonghyuk flipped to the next page. The questions grew more personal, and he felt slightly guilty for prying into her thoughts without permission. He was about to put away the papers when his eyes caught a certain passage in her assignment.
清单继续询问她最喜欢的东西，刘众赫翻到下一页。问题变得越来越私人，他感到有些愧疚，未经允许就窥探她的想法。他正要把文件收起来时，目光突然捕捉到了她作业中的某一段。
Who is your role model and why?
谁是你的榜样，为什么？
My oppa! He’s good at cooking, he’s strong, he’s really handsome, he’s kind… Anything I need help with, oppa always does his best to help me. I want to be like that when I’m older.
我的 oppa！他擅长烹饪，很强壮，非常帅气，还很善良……无论我需要什么帮助，oppa 总是尽力帮我。我希望长大后也能像他那样。
Engrossed in her words, he turned to the next page.
他全神贯注地听着她的话，翻到了下一页。
Draw what an ideal day would look like.
画一幅理想中的一天是什么样子的。
With the brand new set of crayons he bought for her, she drew a Ferris wheel next to what he presumed to be a rollercoaster with twists and turns that defied physics and also a vendor with an assortment of snacks. But in the middle of the drawing was a little girl with black pigtails in a blue dress and a much taller boy wearing a black coat, holding each other’s hand.
用他给她买的全新蜡笔，她在画纸上画了一个摩天轮，旁边是他认为是一个违背物理规律的过山车，还有一个卖各种零食的小贩。但在画的中间，是一个扎着黑色双马尾、穿着蓝色连衣裙的小女孩，和一个穿着黑色外套、比她高得多的男孩，他们手牵着手。
“You’re doing the best you can and that’s what matters.”
“你正在尽你所能，这才是最重要的。”
Yoo Joonghyuk carefully placed the stack of papers on her desk. The bed sank as he sat down beside her, and this caused her to stir a little as she rolled over onto her side so that she was now facing him. Ever so lightly, his palm caressed her face as his thumb rubbed her cheek.
刘众赫小心翼翼地将一叠文件放在她的桌子上。床在他坐下时微微下沉，这让她稍微动了动，翻了个身，侧躺着面对他。他的手轻轻抚摸着她的脸，拇指在她的脸颊上轻轻摩挲。
“Good night, Mia.” “晚安，米娅。”
- bonus scene -
- 额外场景 -
If it weren’t for the wondrous invention of air conditioning, Kim Dokja thought his entire being would have melted onto the pavement by now. He never liked summer that much and walking to work under the sweltering heat only further justified his distaste for this humid weather.
如果不是因为空调这项神奇的发明，金独子觉得他的整个身体现在可能已经融化在人行道上了。他从来都不太喜欢夏天，在酷热中步行上班只会进一步证明他对这种潮湿天气的厌恶。
It was Sunday, and Kim Dokja hated working on Sundays. His usual weekend shift was on Saturday mornings so he wanted at least one day off a week where he could do absolutely nothing and just lounge around in his pajamas in his apartment. But his coworker had some prior obligation (though judging by his shifty explanation and pattern of calling out of work every other weekend, Kim Dokja was so ready to call him out on his bullshit) so he was stuck with this extra shift. Summer vacation was nearing so the one silver lining was that for future Sunday shifts, he wouldn't have school the morning after.
今天是星期天，金独子讨厌在星期天工作。他通常的周末轮班是在星期六早上，所以他希望至少每周有一天可以完全休息，穿着睡衣在公寓里无所事事地闲逛。但他的同事有一些事先的承诺（尽管从他闪烁其词的解释和每隔一个周末就请假的模式来看，金独子已经准备好揭穿他的谎言了），所以他不得不接下这个额外的班次。暑假快到了，所以唯一的好处是，未来的星期天轮班后，他第二天早上不用上学。
A customer suddenly thrusted the items he was going to purchase onto the counter. Kim Dokja quietly scanned each item as the customer stared at his phone with an irritated expression. He was in the middle of bagging the items methodically when the customer slammed his palm onto the counter.
一位顾客突然将他要购买的商品推到柜台上。金独子安静地扫描每一件商品，而顾客则带着烦躁的表情盯着手机。他正在有条不紊地打包商品时，顾客突然一巴掌拍在柜台上。
“What’s taking so long? I’m in a hurry!”
“怎么这么慢？我赶时间！”
As someone working in the service industry, the number one rule you abide by was that the customer was always right and you should listen to them. So Kim Dokja, being the model worker that he was, used his arm to shovel the rest of the items into a plastic bag in mere seconds.
作为服务行业的一员，首要原则是顾客永远是对的，你应该听从他们的意见。所以金独子，作为一个模范员工，用胳膊迅速将剩下的商品扫进塑料袋，只用了短短几秒钟。
“Hey, you shouldn’t put that on top, it’s crushing the other stuff!”
“嘿，你不该把那东西放在上面，它会压坏其他东西的！”
Kim Dokja beamed at him and said, “I’m terribly sorry for the wait, customer-nim. That will be 38,500 won.”
金独子对他微笑着说：“非常抱歉让您久等了，顾客 nim。一共是 38,500 韩元。”
When the customer left in a huff and threw out weak threats, Kim Dokja’s smile disappeared and he rolled his eyes. He couldn’t wait until he quit this job. The only benefit was the flexibility of shifts and how his manager would sometimes let him take home unsold food. With a yawn, he settled into a chair and pulled out his phone to read the latest update of this novel he recently found called “Three Promises”.
当顾客气呼呼地离开并扔下几句无力的威胁时，金独子的笑容消失了，他翻了个白眼。他迫不及待地想辞掉这份工作。唯一的福利就是班次灵活，而且经理有时会让他带回家未售出的食物。他打了个哈欠，坐在椅子上，拿出手机阅读他最近发现的一本名为《三誓》的小说最新更新。
The protagonist of the story was a freshly employed detective and during his first case, he made a small mistake that unfortunately resulted in a tragedy—the death of a young girl. As she was dying in his arms, he made three promises to her, and this jumpstarted his journey in avenging her death.
故事的主人公是一名刚入职的侦探，在他的第一个案件中，他犯了一个小错误，不幸导致了一场悲剧——一个小女孩的死亡。当她在他的怀中死去时，他向她许下了三个承诺，这开启了他为她复仇的旅程。
Kim Dokja was currently at the climax of the story when the jingle against the door indicated the arrival of a customer. Kim Dokja finished reading the paragraph before glancing up to greet the customer. However, he didn’t see anyone. Well, that was fine by him as he resumed reading the latest update.
金独子此刻正处在故事的高潮部分，门上的铃声预示着有顾客到来。金独子读完了一段后才抬头去迎接顾客。然而，他并没有看到任何人。好吧，这对他来说无所谓，于是他继续阅读最新的更新。
He was well into the next chapter when a couple of items were placed in front of him. He pocketed his phone and paused. A young girl with short brown hair in a yellow sundress was staring up at him.
他正沉浸在下一章的阅读中，突然几样东西被放在了他面前。他把手机放进口袋，停了下来。一个穿着黄色太阳裙、留着棕色短发的年轻女孩正抬头盯着他。
“Hello,” he greeted, glancing behind the girl. Was she alone? Where were her parents? “Is this all?”
“你好，”他打了个招呼，目光扫向女孩身后。她是独自一人吗？她的父母在哪里？“就这些吗？”
She nodded. 她点了点头。
Kim Dokja rang up the items and placed them in a plastic bag. “Okay, that will be 7,200 won.”
金独子扫了商品，把它们放进塑料袋里。“好的，一共是 7200 韩元。”
She dug into her backpack and pulled out a coin purse.
她在背包里翻找，拿出一个零钱包。
Kim Dokja fiddled with the edge of the table as he waited for the money. He took a quick peek at the clock and inwardly groaned. He still had about two hours remaining till the end of his shift.
金独子一边等着收钱，一边摆弄着桌子的边缘。他快速瞥了一眼时钟，心里暗暗抱怨。离下班还有大约两个小时。
“Um, could you take out the bag of chips?”
“嗯，你能把那包薯片拿出来吗？”
It was brief but Kim Dokja was able to take a quick glimpse of the 5,000 won bill in her small hand. Ah, he realized, she doesn’t have enough money.
虽然只是短暂的一瞥，但金独子还是看到了她小手中那张 5000 韩元的钞票。啊，他意识到，她的钱不够。
“The red bag. Or no, the yellow bag. Sorry,” she quietly muttered.
“红色的袋子。不，黄色的袋子。抱歉，”她小声嘀咕道。
Kim Dokja stared at her for a moment before rustling through the bag to remove the yellow bag of chips. However, he suddenly let out a quiet gasp and slapped a hand over his forehead. “I almost forgot—we’re having a promotion for these snacks and I forgot to add that here. Give me one second.” He tapped on his employee discount button, and the new price of 6,480 won was shown on the screen. “Sorry about that. The new total is 5,000 won.”
金独子盯着她看了一会儿，然后在袋子里翻找，拿出了那包黄色的薯片。然而，他突然轻轻倒吸了一口气，用手拍了拍额头。“我差点忘了——这些零食正在促销，我忘记在这里加上去了。给我一秒钟。”他按下了员工折扣按钮，屏幕上显示了新的价格 6480 韩元。“抱歉。新的总价是 5000 韩元。”
A bit stunned by the turn of events, the little girl obediently handed over the crumpled bill in her hands.
对事态的发展有些震惊，小女孩顺从地交出了手中皱巴巴的钞票。
“Thanks. Enjoy your snacks,” he said, handing her the bag.
“谢谢。好好享用你的零食，”他说着，把袋子递给她。
As she stared down at all the snacks, her eyes sparkled. “Thank you, ahjussi!”
当她低头看着所有零食时，她的眼睛闪闪发光。“谢谢你，大叔！”
Before he could correct her (he wasn’t even a legal adult and was certainly not eager to reach ahjussi status twenty years too young), she was already heading for the door. Once she left the store, Kim Dokja rummaged through his bag for his wallet and placed the remaining change in the cash register. He may be a miser but he wouldn’t sink that low to deprive a kid of happiness because he didn’t want to give up a mere couple thousand won.
在他来得及纠正她之前（他甚至还没成年，当然不想在二十年前就达到大叔的年纪），她已经朝门口走去。她离开商店后，金独子翻找着他的包，拿出钱包，把剩下的零钱放进收银机。他可能是个吝啬鬼，但他不会因为不想放弃区区几千韩元而剥夺一个孩子的快乐。
Kim Dokja plopped down onto the stool and immersed himself in the webnovel he was reading. It wasn’t for another twenty minutes when he resurfaced, taking a quick respite to stretch his stiff limbs. He craned his neck to the right and rubbed the muscles in the back but paused when his gaze zeroed in on the outdoor seating right by the entrance. Or more specifically, at the girl sitting on one of the green plastic chairs that this convenience store set up for its patrons. Had she been sitting there for the past half hour? When he saw her fanning herself with one of the snacks she just bought, Kim Dokja got up from his seat.
金独子一屁股坐在凳子上，沉浸在他正在阅读的网络小说中。直到二十分钟后，他才回过神来，短暂地休息了一下，伸展了一下僵硬的四肢。他把脖子向右扭了扭，揉了揉后颈的肌肉，但当他目光锁定在入口处的户外座位时，他停了下来。更准确地说，是盯着坐在便利店为顾客设置的绿色塑料椅上的女孩。她是不是已经坐在那里半个小时了？当他看到她用刚买的零食扇风时，金独子从座位上站了起来。
“Hey.” “嘿。”
The little girl whirled around in her seat and stared at Kim Dokja standing with the door open.
小女孩在座位上转过身来，盯着站在门口的金独子。
“Why don’t you sit inside? We have chairs here too.” That was a lie; the store didn’t have indoor seating. But it wasn’t a complete lie—he could just let her sit on his stool.
“为什么不进来坐？我们这里也有椅子。”这是个谎言；店里并没有室内座位。但这也不完全是谎言——他可以让她坐在他的凳子上。
“It’s okay but thank you for offering, ahjussi. My mom will be picking me up soon.”
“没关系，不过谢谢你的好意，大叔。我妈妈很快就会来接我。”
Kim Dokja’s eyebrow twitched at how she addressed him yet again. “Alright, but it’s really hot out here. Doesn’t it bother you?”
金独子听到她再次这样称呼他，眉毛抽动了一下。“好吧，但外面真的很热。你不觉得难受吗？”
“No, I’m fine.” However, the sweat trickling down the side of her cheeks stated otherwise.
“不，我没事。”然而，她脸颊上滑落的汗水却表明事实并非如此。
“You can watch out for her from inside. The entire storefront is all glass anyways.”
“你可以在里面照看她。反正整个店面都是玻璃的。”
“I appreciate the thought but she will be coming soon and I don’t want her to worry.”
“我很感激你的好意，但她很快就会来，我不想让她担心。”
Do kids these days talk this formally? Kim Dokja sighed before fully stepping out into the humid weather. He readjusted the umbrella on the table she was sitting on so that it provided better shade. “I won’t force you then but you’re always welcome to come sit inside.”
现在的孩子们说话都这么正式吗？金独子叹了口气，然后完全走进了潮湿的天气中。他重新调整了她坐着的桌子上的伞，以便提供更好的遮阳。“那我就不强迫你了，但你随时都可以进来坐。”
She nodded, as a breeze gently blew past her hair.
她点了点头，微风轻轻吹过她的头发。
Kim Dokja retreated to his air-conditioned haven and resumed his work duties. However, after he was done restocking the ramen shelves, he felt too restless to just sit down and pull open his phone, which was something he usually did in a heartbeat. For the fifth time in the past half hour, he peered outside the glass panes and as expected, she was still sitting there in the same spot. What was taking her mother so long? Or rather, why was she waiting at a random convenience store in the first place?
金独子退回到他空调的避风港，继续他的工作职责。然而，在他补完拉面货架后，他感到太不安，无法像往常一样立刻坐下来打开手机。在过去的半小时里，他第五次透过玻璃窗向外张望，果然，她仍然坐在同一个地方。她的母亲怎么这么久还没来？或者说，她为什么一开始会在一家随机的便利店等待？
Kim Dokja watched her lean back against the chair with her eyes closed, her head tilted upwards towards the sky. Her backpack was on her lap, and she was fiddling with the fluffy dokkaebi keychain dangling from its side.
金独子看着她靠在椅子上，闭着眼睛，头仰向天空。她的背包放在膝盖上，手里摆弄着从背包侧面垂下来的毛茸茸的独眼鬼钥匙扣。
Kim Dokja grabbed something from the freezer and scanned it at the counter. After dropping some loose change into the cash register, he stepped outside the store. At the sound of his footsteps, her eyelids fluttered open slowly.
金独子从冷冻柜里拿了点东西，在柜台前扫描了一下。将一些零钱放进收银机后，他走出了商店。听到他的脚步声，她的眼皮慢慢睁开了。
“Here.” “给你。”
The girl stared at the ice cream bar in front of her.
女孩盯着面前的冰淇淋棒。
“It’ll help cool you down.”
“它会帮你降温。”
“Oh, thank you, but—” “哦，谢谢你，但是——”
Kim Dokja placed the ice cream in her hands. “Take it.”
金独子把冰淇淋放在她手里。“拿着。”
She was staring at him with wide eyes. “But why…”
“她睁大眼睛盯着他。‘但是为什么……’”
“This ahjussi just doesn’t want you to get a heat stroke.”
“这位大叔只是不想让你中暑。”
He wasn’t lying when he said that. He had a history of rotten luck so he was sure that if something bad happened to her, he would somehow be blamed for not looking out for the welfare of this child. But when she later walked back into the store about ten minutes later, he wanted a refund on that ice cream. If she was eventually going to come back inside, why did he even bother? Or rather, she should have just come back in from the start.
“他说这话时并没有撒谎。他一直以来运气都很差，所以他确信如果她出了什么事，他肯定会因为没有照顾好这个孩子的福利而受到责备。但当她大约十分钟后走回店里时，他想要退掉那个冰淇淋。如果她最终还是要回来，那他为什么还要费这个劲？或者说，她一开始就应该直接回来。”
Kim Dokja pressed his back against the wall, now without his trusty stool, which was currently occupied by the little girl by the entrance. Her legs dangled back and forth as she was humming a tune he didn’t recognize.
金独子背靠着墙，现在他信赖的凳子被入口处的小女孩占据了。她的腿来回晃荡，嘴里哼着一首他不熟悉的曲调。
Well, if the ice cream was all it took to get her inside, then it's okay.
好吧，如果只要冰淇淋就能让她进来，那也没关系。
The rest of his shift continued without event. The girl dipped into her stash of snacks from earlier while he continued scanning item after item as customers came and went. When it was almost eight, which was the end of his shift, he began getting ready to head home. And right on time, the next worker had just arrived. Though one problem remained—the little girl was still here, having sat around the store for almost three hours now. He didn’t feel comfortable leaving a child all alone (he felt somewhat responsible for her safety), but he also really wanted to go home, take a shower, and bury himself under the sheets while catching up on his webnovels.
他的剩余班次平静无事地继续着。女孩从她早先的零食储备中取了些吃的，而他则继续扫描一件又一件商品，顾客来来往往。快到八点时，也就是他下班的时间，他开始准备回家。正好，下一个员工刚刚到达。不过还有一个问题——那个小女孩还在这里，已经在店里坐了将近三个小时。他不太放心把一个孩子单独留下（他觉得自己对她的安全负有一定责任），但他也真的很想回家，洗个澡，钻进被窝里，补上他的网络小说。
A ringtone suddenly filled the air, from within her bag. He watched her eyes light up as she hastily grabbed a flip phone from her bag. “Hello?”
突然，空气中响起了一阵铃声，来自她的包里。他看着她眼睛一亮，匆忙从包里拿出一部翻盖手机。“喂？”
He presumed it was her mother given her wide smile. However, her smile began to falter and disappeared altogether as the conversation continued.
他猜测是她的母亲打来的，因为她露出了灿烂的笑容。然而，随着对话的继续，她的笑容开始消失，最终完全不见了。
“Oh. Okay. Don’t worry! My friend’s mom can drop me off.” Another pause and her smile returned, though noticeably dimmer. “Mhm. Sounds good. Don’t push yourself too hard, Mommy.” She folded her phone shut and carefully placed it back inside her backpack. When she looked up, she locked eyes with Kim Dokja.
“哦。好的。别担心！我朋友的妈妈可以送我。” 又停顿了一下，她的笑容回来了，但明显暗淡了一些。“嗯。听起来不错。别太辛苦了，妈妈。” 她把手机合上，小心地放回背包里。当她抬起头时，她的目光与金独子相遇了。”
“Your mom can’t come?” “你妈妈不能来吗？”
“It gets really busy at work.” She was smiling, though it did little to mask her otherwise crestfallen expression. Her gaze shifted to the backpack he was carrying. “Ah, are you heading out now, ahjussi?”
“工作真的很忙。” 她微笑着，但这几乎无法掩盖她沮丧的表情。她的目光转向他背着的背包。“啊，你现在要出门了吗，大叔？”
His fingers dug into the shoulder straps of his backpack. “Yeah, I am.”
“他的手指紧紧抓住背包的肩带。‘是的，我是。’”
“Thank you again for the ice cream earlier,” she said, bowing her head. “Bye bye, then!”
“‘再次感谢你之前请我吃冰淇淋，’她低下头说道。‘那再见啦！’”
“Will you… be okay getting home?”
“‘你……回家没问题吧？’”
“My friend’s mom can pick me up,” she explained with a smile.
“我朋友的妈妈可以来接我，”她微笑着解释道。
Kim Dokja watched how her fingers kept fiddling with the keychain on her bag. “You’re lying.” Her hands paused, dropping the keychain from their hold. “Or else you would’ve asked your friend by now. I’m guessing you plan on going home by yourself?”
金独子看着她手指不停地摆弄着包上的钥匙扣。“你在撒谎。”她的手停了下来，钥匙扣从手中滑落。“不然你早就问你朋友了。我猜你打算自己回家吧？”
She gripped her backpack before hopping off the stool, her sandals making a loud clack against the tile floors. Looking up at him, she released a nervous laugh before smiling. “I guess ahjussi caught on. But I live nearby so I’ll be okay walking back.”
她抓紧背包，从凳子上跳下来，凉鞋在瓷砖地板上发出响亮的咔嗒声。她抬头看着他，紧张地笑了笑，然后微笑着说：“看来大叔发现了。不过我住得很近，走回去没问题的。”
“Do you know the way back?”
“你知道回去的路吗？”
“I—um, uh huh, I do!”
“我——呃，嗯，是的，我愿意！”
That answer was far from convincing. Kim Dokja peeped out the doors and watched the streetlights flicker to life, barely illuminating the dark streets. “I can walk you back? It’s getting dark.”
“那个回答远不能让人信服。金独子从门缝里窥视着外面，看着路灯一盏接一盏地亮起，勉强照亮了黑暗的街道。‘我可以送你回去吗？天快黑了。’”
“No, no, that’s too much trouble!”
“不，不，那太麻烦你了！”
He wondered if she was this overly polite with everyone she spoke to. “It’s really not.” He told her which neighborhood he lived in, and she visibly perked up at the name, which he assumed that meant she either lived in the same neighborhood or at least close by.
他怀疑她是否对每个和她说话的人都这么过分客气。“真的不麻烦。”他告诉她他住在哪个街区，她听到名字后明显精神一振，他猜测这意味着她要么住在同一个街区，要么至少离得很近。
“Well, I’m headed in that direction anyway so I can drop you off when we at least get to your neighborhood.” As an afterthought, he said, “If it makes you feel safer, I can walk in front of you.” He stepped outside the store and waited to see if she was coming. After several moments of hesitation, she quietly exited the store as well and stopped a few meters behind him.
“反正我也要往那个方向走，至少可以把你送到你家附近。”他想了想，补充道：“如果你觉得更安全的话，我可以走在你前面。”他走出商店，等着看她是否跟上来。犹豫片刻后，她也悄悄地走出商店，停在他身后几米处。
He smiled at her. “Let’s go then.”
他朝她笑了笑。“那我们走吧。”
For the next ten minutes, she maintained a safe distance between the two as they strolled past the busy streets. When they entered the back roads and it was just them on the street with the exception of the occasional office worker heading home, he peered over his shoulder. She was hugging her backpack to her chest, glancing to her left and right ever so often.
接下来的十分钟里，她始终保持着两人之间的安全距离，他们走过繁忙的街道。当他们进入小巷，街上除了偶尔回家的上班族外只有他们两人时，他回头看了一眼。她正把背包紧紧抱在胸前，时不时左右张望。
Kim Dokja suddenly spoke up. “I’m Kim Dokja, by the way. And you?”
金独子突然开口。“顺便说一下，我是金独子。你呢？”
After a while, she finally murmured, “…Shin Yoosung.”
过了一会儿，她终于喃喃道：“…申宥善。”
“What are some of your favorite hobbies?”
“你有哪些喜欢的爱好？”
“I like taking care of animals,” she mumbled, barely audible as he strained to hear her soft responses.
“我喜欢照顾动物，”她低声说道，声音几乎听不见，他努力去听她那轻柔的回答。
“What kind of animals?” “什么样的动物？”
“Any,” she responded, quicker this time. “I like to visit the pet store.”
“任何，”她这次回答得更快。“我喜欢去宠物店。”
“Do you have any of your own?”
“你自己有养宠物吗？”
“No… but I really want one. Mommy says we can maybe adopt a dog next year when things calm down.”
“没有……但我真的很想要一只。妈妈说等明年事情平静下来，我们也许可以领养一只狗。”
“That would be nice, wouldn’t it?”
“那会很好，不是吗？”
“Yes.” She proceeded to share all this knowledge about how to take care of puppies, where you can adopt them, what brands you should buy food from, and so on. Kim Dokja had no thoughts of adopting a pet but he also didn’t want to trample her enthusiasm.
“是的。”她接着分享了所有关于如何照顾小狗的知识，从哪里可以领养它们，应该买哪个品牌的狗粮等等。金独子并没有养宠物的打算，但他也不想打击她的热情。
When there was finally a lull in the conversation, Kim Dokja said, “It seems like your mom must be a really busy person.”
“当谈话终于有了片刻的停顿，金独子说：‘看来你妈妈一定是个非常忙碌的人。’”
“My dad’s on a business trip right now so it’s just me and her,” she said, now only a few steps behind him. “She… works really late. And I don’t want to bother her.”
““我爸爸现在出差了，所以只有我和她，”她说，现在只落后他几步。“她……工作到很晚。我不想打扰她。””
“You didn’t want to be a burden.” Kim Dokja glanced behind him. “And you thought the least you could do was not to add to her pile of concerns.” When she didn’t respond, he continued. “But how come you were at the store alone?” When there was another extended pause, he said, “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
““你不想成为负担。”金独子瞥了一眼身后。“你觉得至少不要给她增加烦恼。”当她没有回应时，他继续说道。“但你怎么会一个人去商店呢？”当又是一阵长时间的沉默后，他说：“如果你不想说，可以不用告诉我。””
“I… was with my friend at the playground.” Her voice grew louder as she was practically walking beside him now. He slowed his pace to match hers. “She got a call from her brother and said she had to leave right now. She said her brother can drop me off after they were done but I said it was okay. I thought I could handle it. But then I got a little lost and thirsty so I…”
“我……和我的朋友在游乐场。”她的声音越来越大，因为她几乎走在他旁边了。他放慢脚步，与她保持一致。“她接到她哥哥的电话，说她必须马上离开。她说她哥哥可以办完事后送我回家，但我说没关系。我以为我能应付。但后来我有点迷路了，还口渴，所以我……”
“I see. I think that was thoughtful of you to think of your friend’s situation.” He patted her head, which caused her to glance up at him. “However, the next time this happens, it’s also okay to be honest and ask for help. If something bad happened to you, I’m sure your mother would be worried.”
“我明白了。我觉得你能考虑到朋友的处境，这很体贴。”他拍了拍她的头，这让她抬头看了他一眼。“不过，下次再遇到这种情况，诚实并寻求帮助也是可以的。如果你出了什么事，我相信你妈妈会担心的。”
How ironic that he was saying these words to her, when he couldn’t even follow his own advice with his own problems.
多么讽刺啊，他对她说这些话时，却连自己的问题都无法遵循自己的建议。
“Dokja-yah, what happened?” She frantically folded his sleeve above his elbow. “Where did you get these injuries from?”
“独子呀，发生什么事了？”她慌乱地将他的袖子卷到肘部以上。“这些伤是从哪里来的？”
He smiled at her. “I just tripped. That’s all.”
他微笑着对她说：“我只是摔倒了。仅此而已。”
Shin Yoosung wrapped her palm around his forearm and tugged it once.
申宥善用手掌包裹住他的前臂，轻轻拉了一下。
“Yes?” “什么事？”
“Thank you, ahjussi,” she said, shyly looking away.
“谢谢你，大叔，”她害羞地移开视线说道。
He blinked before smiling softly, patting her head again. “Anytime.”
他眨了眨眼，随后温柔地笑了笑，再次拍了拍她的头。“随时都可以。”
After dropping her off, he thought that was the last he would see of her.
送她离开后，他以为那是他最后一次见到她。
But the following weekend, she swung open the door with a big smile on her face. And she came the weekend after that. She then started coming during his weekday shifts. Initially, she would buy a snack or two and chat with him for a few minutes before darting back out. As the visits became more frequent, the length of time she stayed at the store grew longer. At this point, he had officially relinquished his ownership of his stool so that she had somewhere to sit. She would sometimes bring a drawing book or a small gaming console or read some books while he greeted customers. And sometimes, if she stayed late, they would walk home together. One night, as he was packing up to leave his shift, she decided to make a last-minute purchase: one ice cream cone and one ice cream sandwich. When they exited the store, she handed the ice cream cone to him.
但接下来的周末，她带着灿烂的笑容推开了门。然后她又在下个周末来了。之后，她开始在他工作日值班时来店里。起初，她会买一两个零食，和他聊几分钟，然后匆匆离开。随着她的来访越来越频繁，她在店里待的时间也越来越长。这时，他已经正式放弃了对凳子的所有权，以便她有地方坐。她有时会带一本画册或一个小游戏机，或者在他招呼顾客时读一些书。有时，如果她待到很晚，他们会一起走回家。一天晚上，当他收拾东西准备下班时，她决定最后买点东西：一个冰淇淋蛋筒和一个冰淇淋三明治。当他们走出商店时，她把冰淇淋蛋筒递给了他。
“What’s this for?” “这是为什么？”
“It’s a present for ahjussi!”
“这是给大叔的礼物！”
Kim Dokja felt like he was committing some sort of crime for accepting this but who was he to reject free food? And upon seeing that carefree smile on her face, he already knew what his answer was.
金独子觉得自己接受这份礼物像是在犯罪，但谁又能拒绝免费的食物呢？而且看到她脸上那无忧无虑的笑容，他已经知道自己的答案是什么了。
“Thank you, Yoosung-ah.” “谢谢你，Yoosung-ah。”
He was rather fond of this young girl who somehow wormed her way into his life. Though when she brought over her friend one day, he wondered what on earth possessed this sweet, well-mannered child to befriend someone this rude and disrespectful.
他相当喜欢这个不知怎么闯入他生活的年轻女孩。然而，当她有一天带着她的朋友过来时，他不禁疑惑，这个甜美、有礼貌的孩子究竟是被什么迷了心窍，才会与如此粗鲁无礼的人交朋友。
“Yoosung, he’s ugly.” “Yoosung，他真丑。”
“Mia!” she exclaimed, worriedly looking over at Kim Dokja. “Ahjussi, she didn’t mean that.”
“米娅！”她惊呼道，担心地看着金独子。“大叔，她不是那个意思。”
“It’s okay, Yoosung-ah,” Kim Dokja said, narrowing his eyes into crescent moons accompanied by a wide smile.
“没关系，宥星啊，”金独子说道，眼睛眯成月牙形，脸上挂着灿烂的笑容。
“Oppa says I shouldn’t lie, after all.” She crossed her arms and flipped her head to the side, her pigtails bumping against her shoulders.
“欧巴说我不该撒谎的。”她交叉双臂，把头转向一边，辫子轻轻拍打着肩膀。
Well maybe your oppa could also teach you that there’s a difference between being blunt and being rude.
也许你的欧巴也可以教你，直率和粗鲁是有区别的。
And for whatever reason, whenever Shin Yoosung came to visit, her friend would tag along as well. And without fail, she always had something to complain about, whether it be the lack of variety of snacks, how cramped the store was, or how it was a waste of time to hang out at a place like this.
而且不知为何，每当申宥松来拜访时，她的朋友也会跟着来。而且每次她总是有抱怨的事情，无论是零食种类太少，店铺太拥挤，还是在这种地方闲逛是浪费时间。
To be honest, it kind of reminded him of a certain sunfish who also always seemed to have an opinion about everything in life.
说实话，这让他想起了某个总是对生活中的一切都有意见的太阳鱼。
“Mia, do you wanna buy some snacks?”
“米娅，你想买些零食吗？”
The girl hesitated for a moment before saying, “Yeah, but can we eat it here?”
“女孩犹豫了一下，然后说：‘嗯，但我们能在这里吃吗？’”
“Why don’t we just eat it at your place?”
“‘我们为什么不在你家吃呢？’”
“Oppa doesn’t really like it when I buy snacks…” In a lower tone—though Kim Dokja was still able to discern her mumbling—she added, “He says I shouldn’t go to convenience stores.”
“‘欧巴不太喜欢我买零食……’她低声说道——尽管金独子还是能听清她的嘟囔——‘他说我不该去便利店。’”
Kim Dokja scoffed. So there were actually other people besides Yoo Joonghyuk who held an odd disdain for convenience store food? How lovely, they would certainly have no problem becoming friends. He couldn’t help teasing her a little as he threw in an offhanded comment. “And yet here you are, not listening to your oppa.”
金独子嗤之以鼻。原来除了刘众赫之外，还有其他人对便利店食物抱有奇怪的鄙视？真是太好了，他们肯定能成为朋友。他忍不住调侃了一句，随口说道：“可你现在不还是没听你哥哥的话。”
Contrary to the reaction he was expecting, she grew silent. Shin Yoosung helplessly looked between the two, and now Kim Dokja felt guilty for crossing the line with his jab.
与他的预期相反，她沉默了。申宥松无助地看着两人，金独子现在因为自己的玩笑话越界而感到内疚。
“Yoosung, let’s go back to my place.”
“宥松，我们回我家吧。”
“But you said you wanted snacks—”
“但你说你想要零食——”
“It’s fine. Let’s leave.”
“没关系。我们走吧。”
Kim Dokja dragged a palm over his head and sighed. Great, he just wrecked this kid’s hopes and dreams. “Hey, this ahjussi just likes to joke around. You’re not doing anything wrong. Snacks are really tasty.” Avoiding the girl’s gaze, he glanced at Shin Yoosung, trying to recruit some help in comforting this dejected child because right now, he was just word-vomiting whatever came to mind. Kim Dokja had long abandoned his nonexistent ambitions to be a babysitter, and this current situation only justified it further. “And if you’re worried he’ll find out, you don’t have to be. It’ll stay between the three of us. Right, Yoosung-ah?”
金独子用手掌抹了把脸，叹了口气。太好了，他刚刚摧毁了这孩子的希望和梦想。“嘿，这位大叔只是喜欢开玩笑。你没做错什么。零食真的很好吃。”他避开女孩的视线，瞥了眼申宥善，试图寻求一些帮助来安慰这个沮丧的孩子，因为此刻他只是在胡言乱语。金独子早已放弃了他那根本不存在的当保姆的雄心壮志，而眼前的情况更是进一步证明了这一点。“如果你担心他会发现，其实不必担心。这件事只有我们三个人知道。对吧，宥善啊？”
Shin Yoosung fervently nodded her head, opening a bag of (still unpaid) snacks. “Here, Mia! Try this!” This seemed to do the trick because she slowly reached inside the bag for some honey butter chips. Kim Dokja breathed a sigh of relief at Shin Yoosung’s quick thinking.
申宥顺热切地点点头，打开一袋（仍未付款的）零食。“来，米娅！尝尝这个！”这似乎奏效了，因为她慢慢伸手从袋子里拿出了一些蜂蜜黄油薯片。金独子对申宥顺的机智松了一口气。
Following this incident, however, Kim Dokja noticed that there was a slight change in his dynamic with this girl. She began initiating conversations first (even though they were still primarily complaints), which was a slight improvement from when she ignored his entire existence. She was actually growing on him, her and her tsundere personality.
然而，这次事件之后，金独子注意到他与这个女孩之间的互动有了一些微妙的变化。她开始主动与他交谈（尽管主要还是抱怨），这比她完全无视他的存在要好一些。她和她那傲娇的性格实际上正在慢慢赢得他的好感。
One day, while Shin Yoosung stepped outside momentarily to answer a phone call from her mom, she joined Kim Dokja behind the counter as she waited for Shin Yoosung to return.
有一天，当申宥善暂时出去接她妈妈的电话时，她走到柜台后面，和金独子一起等待申宥善回来。
“Are you reading again, ahjussi?”
“大叔，你又在看书吗？”
Kim Dokja hummed, scrolling through his phone.
金独子哼着歌，滑动着手机屏幕。
“You read a lot.” “你读了很多书。”
“That I do.” “我确实如此。”
“Hey, ahjussi.” “嘿，大叔。”
“Yes?” he responded, only half-listening as he was reading the epilogue of ‘Three Promises’.
“嗯？”他回应道，只是半心半意地听着，因为他正在读《三个承诺》的尾声。
“What do high school students usually do?”
“高中生通常都做些什么？”
This unexpected question tore him away from his phone screen. “What do you mean?”
这个意外的问题让他从手机屏幕上移开了视线。“你是什么意思？”
“You said you were in high school.”
“你说你在上高中。”
He nodded. Kim Dokja was used to being called ‘ahjussi’ by Shin Yoosung (it was almost endearing now when she called for him) but coming from this girl’s mouth made him irritated so he tried to correct her once by revealing that he was only but a first-year in high school. That didn’t faze her one bit, and Kim Dokja decided it was easier to just embrace his now permanent ‘ahjussi’ status.
他点了点头。金独子已经习惯了被申宥顺叫“大叔”（现在她叫他时几乎有点可爱了），但从这个女孩嘴里说出来却让他感到恼火，所以他曾试图纠正她一次，透露自己只是个高中一年级学生。但这并没有让她有任何动摇，金独子决定还是接受自己现在这个永久的“大叔”身份更容易些。
“Like what do high schoolers usually do after school?”
“比如高中生放学后通常都做些什么？”
“Um,” Kim Dokja was honestly caught off-guard by this random question, “it depends? Most people attend afterschool classes, study, join some extracurriculars, or hang out with friends?”
“呃，”金独子被这个突如其来的问题弄得有些措手不及，“看情况吧？大多数人会参加课后补习班、学习、参加一些课外活动，或者和朋友出去玩？”
“Do you do all that too, ahjussi?”
“大叔你也做这些吗？”
“Well, no. I usually come here to work since I need the money.”
“嗯，不。我通常来这里工作，因为我需要钱。”
“I see.” “我明白了。”
Kim Dokja watched her duck her head toward her feet, which were rocking back and forth. “But why are you asking that?”
金独子看着她低头看向自己来回摇晃的双脚。“但你为什么要问这个？”
“No reason. I was just curious.”
“没什么原因。我只是好奇。”
He had only met her three weeks ago but he knew she wasn’t the type of person to just ask random questions. “Is there something you’re worried about?”
他三周前才认识她，但他知道她不是那种会随便问问题的人。“你在担心什么吗？”
“No,” she said, a bit too quickly.
“没有，”她回答得有点太快了。
Kim Dokja pondered about her earlier questions. She wasn’t even in middle school yet so he was sure she wasn’t wondering what her high school life would be like down the road. Perhaps someone else she knew was in high school? Ah, maybe… “Is your brother in high school?”
金独子思考着她之前的问题。她甚至还没上初中，所以他确信她不会在考虑自己未来的高中生活。也许她认识的某个人在上高中？啊，也许……“你哥哥在上高中吗？”
She stiffened next to him.
她在他旁边僵住了。
So it was about her brother. “What does your brother usually do after school then?” He wondered if she was asking those questions because she was concerned her brother was doing something out-of-the-norm as a high school student.
所以是关于她哥哥的。“那你哥哥放学后通常做什么呢？”他想知道她问这些问题是不是因为担心她哥哥作为一个高中生在做一些不正常的事情。
“He usually stays home to take of me.”
“他通常待在家里照顾我。”
“Oh.” Well, that wasn’t the answer he was expecting; it was undoubtedly milder than where his mind initially jumped to—he thought this mysterious oppa of hers was dabbling in the art of evading law enforcement.
“哦。”好吧，这不是他预期的答案；这无疑比他最初想到的要温和得多——他以为她那位神秘的“oppa”是在逃避执法。
“I really like spending time with my brother,” she hurriedly clarified, as if Kim Dokja had any doubt about that (he had never seen anyone idolize their sibling as much as she did). “But sometimes, when I look at my friends and their siblings, I wonder if… if maybe he should be doing other things after school…”
“我真的很喜欢和我哥哥在一起，”她急忙澄清，仿佛金独子对此有任何怀疑（他从未见过有人像她那样崇拜自己的兄弟）。“但有时候，当我看到我朋友和他们的兄弟姐妹时，我会想……也许他放学后应该做点别的事情……”
Kim Dokja observed her quietly as she continued her story. As if a dam suddenly broke, her insecurities spilled over for the world to witness.
金独子静静地观察着她，她继续讲述她的故事。仿佛堤坝突然决堤，她的不安情绪倾泻而出，让全世界都看到了。
“He cooks really yummy lunches for me, he takes me to the park when I’m sad, he tucks me into bed every night, he would play games with me if I asked…” She clenched and unclenched her fists. “It’s always been just me and oppa. But when I see him doing all this, sometimes I think that, that sometimes I’m—” She bit her lip, wanting to conceal what little remained behind the dam. But the more she tried to hide these thoughts, the blurrier her vision became.
“他为我做了非常美味的午餐，当我难过时他会带我去公园，每天晚上他都会给我掖好被子，如果我要求的话，他会陪我玩游戏……”她握紧又松开拳头。“一直以来只有我和哥哥。但当我看到他做这一切时，有时我会觉得，有时我——”她咬住嘴唇，想要隐藏那仅存的情感。但她越是试图隐藏这些想法，她的视线就越模糊。”
She felt a warm hand wrap around her trembling fists.
“她感到一只温暖的手握住了她颤抖的拳头。”
“You feel that he’s spending all his time taking care of you when he should be using some of that time to take care of himself."
“你觉得他把所有的时间都花在照顾你上，而他应该用一些时间来照顾自己。”
She sniffled, looking up at him with wide eyes.
她抽泣着，睁大眼睛抬头看着他。
Kim Dokja used his sleeve to dry her cheeks. He thought he could now understand a little bit why she and Shin Yoosung were friends. Underneath that rough exterior was a kindhearted girl who simply wanted the best for her brother.
金独子用袖子擦干她的脸颊。他现在有点明白为什么她和申宥顺是朋友了。在那粗糙的外表下，是一个心地善良的女孩，她只是希望她的哥哥能得到最好的。
She stared back down at his hand, which wasn’t that much larger than her own. “I want him to do things other high school students do but when I ask him, he always says it’s okay but I just,” she rubbed her eyes but her vision didn’t become clearer, “want him to be happy.”
她低头看着他的手，那只手并不比她的手大多少。“我希望他能做其他高中生会做的事，但每当我问他时，他总是说没关系，但我只是，”她揉了揉眼睛，但视线并没有变得更清晰，“希望他能快乐。”
Ever since he was a child, Kim Dokja was never good at conveying his emotions, and he had an equally difficult time comforting someone so naturally, he was at a loss at what to say in this situation. But as he watched her try her best to cry in a dignified manner, he felt a small twinge in his chest and words soon tumbled out of his mouth.
从小时候起，金独子就不擅长表达自己的情感，同样也不擅长安慰别人，因此他自然在这种情境下不知道该说什么。但当他看着她努力以得体的方式哭泣时，他感到胸口一阵轻微的刺痛，话语很快从嘴里脱口而出。
“What makes someone happy is up to that person, isn’t it?” he started, noting the way her pigtails were styled perfectly, tied up by matching blue ribbons in symmetric bows. “Just like how doing ‘regular high school things’ may make him happy, taking care of you and spending time with you can also be things that make him happy, right?”
“什么能让人快乐，是由那个人自己决定的，不是吗？”他开始说道，注意到她的双马尾完美地扎着，对称的蝴蝶结上系着相配的蓝色丝带。“就像做‘普通高中生的事’可能会让他快乐一样，照顾你、和你在一起也可以是他快乐的事情，对吧？”
“…You think so?” she said, grasping onto his every word.
“…你这么认为吗？”她说道，紧紧抓住他说的每一个字。
He smiled. “This ahjussi never lies.”
“他笑了。“这位大叔从不撒谎。””
“You saying that makes you even more suspicious,” she huffed.
““你这么说反而更让人怀疑了，”她气呼呼地说。”
“You’re breaking this ahjussi’s heart.”
““你这是在伤这位大叔的心。””
“You’re tougher than that, ahjussi,” she retorted, struggling to maintain the laughter that was the dam’s last defense.
“你比那坚强多了，大叔，”她反驳道，努力维持着笑声，那是她最后的防线。
Kim Dokja looked at her. All he said next was, “It’s okay.”
金独子看着她。他接下来只说了一句：“没关系。”
At those two words, the dam completely crumbled, and she gripped the front of his shirt as she let the water flow with full force—but what anchored her, preventing her from being swept away by the tumultuous waves, were the tender pats she felt on her head.
听到这两个字，她的防线彻底崩溃了，她紧紧抓住他的衬衫前襟，任由泪水如洪水般倾泻而出——但让她没有被汹涌的波涛卷走的，是头上那温柔的轻拍。