Free Web NovelThe office worker was watching the live broadcast of 〈Youth Disqualified!〉.
On the screen, Na Yuna was shown heading out from early dawn. Her father had come out with her too, saying he would give her a ride.
The frayed ends of their tightly tied shoelaces looked equally worn, side by side.
“Dad, sleep a little more.”
“It’s fine. Dad’s been busy with work lately, so I have to head out early anyway.”
As Yuna’s inner monologue played over the car radio, the comment speed on the live thread shot up.
— Once you get to college, transportation costs are seriously insane T_T.. I totally get Yuna’s feelings ffs, literally everything was money. Even going to a café during long breaks felt like a burden, so I deliberately stayed in the library. If I went to the student lounge my classmates would always ask me to go to cafés with them
︎˪ㄴㄷ I just sat on a bench lol.. when people asked, I said I liked getting sunlight, but honestly I wanted to go shopping for clothes with you guys too
— Honestly all three are great, but Yuna is my sore spot TT__TT
Yuna glanced sideways at her father, who somehow looked older than he had just last year, and carefully brought up the topic of clubs.
The more activities she took on, the less time she had for part-time work, and the more often she found herself refreshing her bank balance.
Even so, joining a club had been one of her first campus fantasies.
During the day, Yuna was happy. At night, she was torn by the guilty feeling of wondering whether she was really allowed to enjoy this.
Because of her parents.
Yuna felt pressured to build up even a little more on her résumé and get employed before graduation.
Before she knew it, she was already twenty-three.
The fact that she was standing on a starting line far later than everyone else always kept her from fully blending in with other people.
That faint awkwardness, as if she were floating somewhere slightly apart, came from the guilt she carried toward her parents.
“So you’re going up in front of people and filming videos and stuff?”
“Yeah. Well. Pretty much.”
But the voice of her father gripping the steering wheel stayed nothing but bright.
“Our daughter’s voice has always been so good. And that diction you polished up at the call center too, huh? It could slap those news announcers right across the face.”
— So she spent a whole year not taking the CSAT, worked at a call center, and saved money for tuition....TT_TT
— This reminds me of my dad..
— Seriously even if you do strict self-study it still costs a crazy amount. Even at the bare minimum, online lecture fees and workbooks are no joke T_T
By the time she stepped out of her father’s worn truck, Yuna’s heart still felt heavy.
She couldn’t even bring herself to smile and say she’d be back.
“I’m going.”
That was when it happened.
The driver’s window rolled down with a whir, and her father called out loudly.
“Sweetie! Come here!”
A moment later, what was pressed into her hand was five crumpled ten-thousand-won bills.
“Ah, why are you giving me this?”
“Eat with your friends, eat. Dad’s heading out!”
Yuna stared blankly at the rattling truck for a long moment, then stuffed the bills into her bag with an unreadable expression.
She wasn’t happy about the unexpected pocket money.
But she wasn’t sad either.
It was the face of someone whose chest felt weighed down by five little scraps of paper.
* * *
The monologue time was given to Heejeong as well.
Heejeong had been tricked by Yungyo into joining the cheer squad’s publicity team.
Only afterward did she find out that dating within the club had been strictly banned ever since the campus-couple chaos incident.
She had pounded on her bed in regret, but still, because club activities had let her gradually get closer to Seo Eden, she couldn’t give up.
If anything, she had started treating it like a long-term project, trying to become closer and closer to Seo Eden’s ideal type.
Bzzz—.
[(Photo): Look at this]
[(Photo): It sleeps super well now]
Their homes were even extremely close to each other.
Recently, on a rainy day, Seo Eden had picked up an abandoned kitten, and after asking Jeong Heejeong for help, the two had grown noticeably closer.
“Uung.... so cute....”
Clicking on the photo Seo Eden had sent, Jeong Heejeong zoomed in—not to admire the kitten, but Seo Eden’s reflection in the mirror.
A smile bloomed across her face, the happiest in the world.
“What’s gotten her so happy?”
“Ah. Mom.”
The place Jeong Heejeong was sitting now was an elegant restaurant fit for a formal family meeting.
Her mother slid open the door and entered, clicking her tongue as she sat beside her.
Following behind came Heejeong’s older sister, smiling as if to scold her.
“New guy? Did you break up with the last one?”
“That ended ages ago.”
“Shh. He said he’s almost here. Heeyeon, soften the way you speak a little. Like Heejeong does.”
“Mom. Do both of us really have to put on such burdensome charm? I’ll just be myself—.”
Heejeong’s older sister was different from her.
The complete opposite of Heejeong, who always acted brightly to be loved by others, she was someone who simply did whatever she wanted.
Soon, an unfamiliar face entered the room.
“Oh dear. Am I terribly late?”
“No, honey. We only just got here too.”
The man who entered carrying an armful of bouquets was her mother’s new boyfriend.
At a situation she had already lost count of, Heejeong once again put on a bright smile.
“Hellooo. I’m Heejeong!”
“Ahh. Nice to meet you. Just one look and I can tell—you’re the cute, affectionate youngest one, right?”
“Yeees. Are those flowers for our mom? Waaah!”
“This one is for your mom. And this one... is because I want to earn a few points.”
Taking the bouquet he handed her, Heejeong smiled as if she couldn’t be happier.
It was such lovable behavior that anyone would want to make her their daughter.
“Your daughter?”
“Ah. She said she’d be a little late because of club activities. Let’s start eating first. Sorry, sorry.”
“She’s the same age as Heejeong, right?”
“That’s right. Twenty-three. My daughter goes to a prestigious university too. Wow. You and I really match well—both our daughters are smart too, huh?”
In the excited atmosphere, Heejeong’s monologue began.
— Mom’s boyfriend was a kind person. Kind enough to make me want to place hope in the possibility... that this might become the final stop.
It was such a calm voice that it barely seemed like the inner thoughts of the same Heejeong who was laughing, chatting, and keeping the room lively.
— There is nothing free in this world. I realized that fairly early. Nothing comes ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ easily. Some things, no matter how hard you try, never end up in your hands at all.
A new person entered the room.
It was the biological daughter of the man who might become her new father.
“I’m so sorry, omg! Traffic was horrible. You didn’t wait too long for me, right?”
“I told you to take your time. Look at all that sweat. She’s like this. Must’ve taken after me—she’s absolutely strict about being on time.”
“Oh my. That’s the complete opposite of our Heejeong! Hey, you two are the same age, so learn something from her.”
“Mooom—. Why would you say that here? I’m trying to make a good impression on Dad.”
“Jeong Heejeong. You’re already calling him Dad?”
Heejeong pouted at her mother’s teasing scolding, and from across the table came a hearty laugh, as if he were delighted by the title.
— Boyfriend, father... it’s all the same.
The warmer the atmosphere became, the calmer Heejeong’s voice grew.
— As always, the start is easy. Because the one giving crumb-like love doesn’t feel burdened by it.
“Looking at it now, I think our dad likes these two more than me. Huh? He’s over the moon now that he’s got cute daughters.”
“Of course I am, brat. You became my daughter and all you do is act blunt. Even when I give you flowers, all you do is grumble about why I bought them. Let your dad finally feel some reward for going to flower shops.”
Unlike Heejeong, who carefully acted out the role of the lovable stepdaughter, the new father’s real daughter behaved naturally.
Because for her, a father was something given without effort.
Free.
Someone who had possessed it since birth was different from someone who had to struggle to obtain it.
— The hard part isn’t being loved. It’s maintaining it.
The new father handed Heejeong a peeled shrimp.
After hesitating for a moment, Heejeong accepted it with a bit of coy charm and ate it.
— What is always given to me is a disposable boyfriend. A disposable father. In relationships that wear out easily, crumb-like love runs dry just as easily. How long do I have to keep calling Mom’s new boyfriend Dad?
The entire meal passed in a warm, pleasant mood.
And so it ended.
— I hope this one is really the last.
“Take care. I had fun today. Next time let’s go on a date with just us, without Mom. Heeyeon too?” fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
“I’ll have to check my schedule. I’m busy.”
“Aww. The new daughter really has a personality so similar to the original daughter. Then what about our cutie? Heejeong?”
“I’d love that, Dad.”
And shortly after, Heejeong went to the restroom, grabbed the toilet bowl, and threw up everything she had eaten.
“Uup....”
Because Heejeong was allergic to shrimp.
After rinsing her mouth twice, she stood in front of the mirror with an expression as if nothing had happened.
Then she covered the faint redness rising at the corners of her lips with foundation, and applied lip gloss over her slightly swollen mouth.
“Why did you take so long?”
“Sorry, sorry.”
“Honestly, Jeong Heejeong—you’re so slow.”
Unlike the warm atmosphere from before, her mother and sister had already returned to their rather cynical attitudes and paid little attention to her.
They were only looking at their phones.
“But what’s wrong with under your eyes?”
Only after they entered the elevator did her mother finally look at Heejeong.
A faint joy filled Heejeong’s face.
“Aah, it’s nothing really.”
But her mother hadn’t asked out of concern.
She had only said aloud what she happened to notice.
“Are you dating again these days and losing sleep at night? Look at the dark circles under her eyes.”
“Whoa.... seriously.”
At the indifferent attitude of her mother and sister, it felt as if the stomach acid she thought she had already thrown up was rising again.
“It’s not like that. The window in my apartment just rattles a little.”
If it had been Yuna’s father, he would have made time to come fix it himself.
He probably would have said he was sorry he couldn’t get his daughter a better place too.
And what if it had been Yungyo’s father?
He would have shouted that it was dangerous and called someone to repair it immediately.
But Heejeong’s mother—
“Really? Call the landlord.”
That was all.
As she walked toward the parked car, carefully cradling the bouquet her boyfriend had gifted her, she never once turned back to look at Heejeong.
“...Okay.”
And so, that was the only answer Heejeong was able to give.
* * *
Yungyo let out a scream the moment she saw the pile of delivery boxes stacked high beyond the front door.
“Aaagh! This is so annoying!”
The heavy packages didn’t even budge when she kicked them.
Frustrated, Yungyo immediately grabbed her phone and called her mother.
— Yes, sweetie~.
“Mom! Didn’t I tell you to stop sending this stuff?!”
— Look at you. I only sent things you like, so why are you yelling?
“I said I can take care of my own meals! Seriously, stop!”
Go Yungyo paced in circles around the living room, trying to swallow down her anger.
On the other end of the line, her mother softened her tone a little, trying to calm her down.
— You know... Mom made braised short ribs and marinated crab. And those little meat patties you like too....
But then—
Yungyo’s eyes sharpened.
“Meat patties? I don’t even like those.”
— Was that so? Anyway, you always eat them if they’re there.
“...Mom, be honest with me. You didn’t send all this for me to eat alone, did you?”
Yungyo shouted.
“You’re trying to send that bastard to this house again, aren’t you! Dump him on me again!”
— What do you mean, “that bastard”? He’s your younger brother.
Yungyo’s premonition had been right.
Once again, it was about her brother.
— If we send him to Seoul alone, he’ll just stay out drinking all night and fooling around with his friends again. You need to keep an eye on him a little. Hmm? Just for a few months. If he’s going to come to his senses while attending cram school, his older sister needs to—
“That damn older sister, older sister! Just thinking about how I took a leave of absence because I had to nurse that bastard makes me feel like I’m going crazy even now!”
— Go Yungyo. Let’s hear this so-called grand reason why you absolutely have to graduate on time.
After Yungyo’s repeated bursts of anger, even her mother stopped trying to soothe her.
Her voice turned cold.
— Are you going to get into some incredible company and throw your weight around? Is that really more important than family? Tell me what the 기준 of your life is first. Your mother, your father, your brother—are we really all nothing to you?
“....”
— Honey. Give me the phone.
Then her father’s voice followed her mother’s scolding.
It sounded as if they had both been together the whole time.
After taking the phone, her father gave an uncompromising order.
— I won’t make this long. Yunhyeong is coming up next week, so know that.
Click.
The call ended.
Left alone in the wide living room, Yungyo couldn’t even scream.
Her whole body just trembled.
[The mom I love most in the world ♥︎]
The phone screen, still displaying the call log, soon went black.
— Wow, this is insane. Eldest daughter PTSD for real
— That “let’s hear your grand reason” line is EXACTLY what my parents say;; gave me chills
— Ah, that damn older sister thing TT_TT ffs. “He won’t listen to his parents but he’ll listen to his older sister” LOLOL no he literally listens to nobody
︎˪ Seriously this is suffocating
Yungyo kept her head lowered for a long while, breathing in and out.
Then she threw the phone onto the sofa and started bringing in the side dishes piled outside the front door, organizing them one by one.
— It feels like there’s a navigation system in my life that never turns off. In 50 meters, turn left. There might be a speed camera ahead, so maintain your speed slowly and femininely. Then in 100 meters, turn right. Go straight, meet a good man, and get married already. The directions never end.
In front of her friends, Yungyo lied as if she had never done housework in her life.
But years in the kitchen had made her hands deft and practiced.
— Every time I try to leave the route, a warning alarm follows. They say it’s all because they love me.
With the quiet monologue, the refrigerator slowly filled with side dishes.
The fresh ingredients Yungyo had bought for herself so she could cook alone had to be taken out because there was no space left.
— Right. I’m sure they do love me. I’m their child too.
“All of this is stuff Go Yunhyeong likes.”
Looking over the dishes, Yungyo let out a bitter little laugh.
There were only a few side dishes she herself liked:
spicy stir-fried pork, sausage vegetable stir-fry, bulgogi....
— They just love me less than their son.
The side dishes were all meat-heavy meals her younger brother refused to eat without.
— He doesn’t have a navigation system. He just goes straight ahead. A wide, paved road stretching endlessly in front of him. Because our parents are always there, fidgeting over even the tiniest pebble in his path, terrified he might trip over it, clearing everything away for him.
Yungyo looked at the ingredients spread out on the table.
Tomatoes, oranges, arugula, carrots, cabbage.
Everything was still perfectly fresh, bought only recently.
— They should just say it. That they love me less. At least let me know I’m only loved a little. How can anyone love every child equally? They could just be honest and say it.
But without hesitation, Yungyo threw all of it away.
— Why do they always keep saying they love me, making me want to believe it every single time....
Bracing one hand on the table, Yungyo cried.
The prideful Go Yungyo didn’t let out a single sound even when she cried.
As if furious at herself, she bit down hard on her lip while tears dropped silently.
“Wow. Fuck. I don’t even have a younger brother, and I’m stressed.”
Aetami pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed.
The live thread for 〈Youth Disqualified!〉 was the same.
As fitting for a healing drama, there was no major bait or trolling, yet it felt like it was slicing thinly into the tenderest parts of being human.
“But at least these girls have each other....”
Aetami decided to place her hopes in the friendship between the three.
She could already picture the beautiful way these three flawed people would lean on the friends beside them and grow together.
— ?
— ...??
— Please don’t fight, girls
But soon, little by little, cracks began to form between the three of them as well.
