Uncle and I
Chapter 09 —
“Clap, clap.”
“Mmm…”
“Clap, clap.”
“Samchon! Wake up!”
Half asleep, Hajin slowly opened his eyes when he felt someone tapping his arm and calling loudly.
“Sejin-ah, you’re already up?”
“It’s not alrealy. It’s morning! Samchon sleep too long.”
“Hmm… What time is it?”
Barely awake, Hajin looked at the digital clock beside the bed.
6:20 a.m.
It felt way too early for a child to be up, but his little nephew seemed to be a true early bird.
Still wrapped in the warmth of the blanket, Hajin didn’t want to get up. Instead, he pulled Sejin into his arms.
“Ah!”
“Let’s sleep a little more with Uncle, hmm? Come on, let’s snore together~”
He gently patted Sejin’s back to lull him to sleep.
“No! I need toilet!”
At first, Sejin had no intention of waking Hajin, thinking he should rest properly for once. But his body had other ideas.
‘Ugh… if only this body weren’t so small, I could go by myself. This is depressing.’
Hajin laughed as Sejin squirmed.
“Haha! So you woke Uncle up ‘cause you need the bathroom, huh? Of course, we can’t have an accident on the bed. Let’s go, let’s go.”
“Hey! I don’t pee on the bed! Bad Samchon!”
Embarrassed by his teasing, Sejin puffed out his cheeks.
“Right, right. My smart Sejin wouldn’t do that. Uncle was just joking. Don’t be mad. Let’s go to the bathroom.”
“Chee…”
Before Sejin could get any angrier, Hajin scooped him up and carried him to the bathroom.
“Samchon, go out.”
“Okay, call me when you’re done.”
“Mm-hmm!”
Hajin stepped out and closed the door.
Sejin sighed as he took care of business.
‘Seriously… I may look like a kid, but I’m actually twenty-one inside. Do they really think I can’t use the toilet properly? I can’t wait to grow up again.’
After washing his hands neatly, he knocked on the door, and Hajin came back in.
“Since you’re up early, how about a wash? Breakfast will be here soon anyway.”
“Okay.”
In the bathroom, Hajin helped Sejin wash his face and brush his teeth, then washed up quickly himself.
Back in the bedroom, he applied some lotion to Sejin’s face and took a comb to fix his hair.
“Sejin, come sit in front of Uncle so I can tie your hair.”
Sejin shuffled forward and sat. Hajin started combing with an overly serious face, as if working on a masterpiece.
But the result… was tragic.
“…Hmm.”
Even Hajin thought it looked weird.
Sejin frowned. “Samchon. Mirror!”
“Uh… okay, wait! I can fix it! It’s my first try. I’ll do better this time!”
“No. Mirror!”
Defeated by Sejin’s firm tone, Hajin handed him the hand mirror.
Sejin checked himself and almost sighed out loud.
His hair was sticking out everywhere, unevenly tied to one side.
‘Knew it. This uncle has clumsy hands. In his past life, he couldn’t even cook ramen right.’
It was hopeless.
‘Fine. I’ll just wait until the caretaker lady comes. As long as it’s not poking my eyes.’
He handed the mirror back calmly. Hajin, nervous, asked, “It’s weird, right? I’ll fix it again.”
“It’s fine. I’ll just keep it.”
“Really? You like it?”
Sejin nearly choked.
‘Like it? My eyes would have to be broken to like this!’
But he didn’t want to hurt Hajin’s feelings, so he said gently, “Not perfec’, but Samchon do it, so it’s okay.”
Hajin smiled softly.
Even though it looked terrible, his nephew’s kindness made his heart warm.
“Thanks, Sejin. Let’s ask the caretaker lady to fix it later, okay?”
“Mm-hmm.”
By the time they finished, it was already 7 a.m.
A knock came at the door.
“Good morning, sir. Breakfast has been set on the table in the sitting room.”
“Ah, thank you. You must be tired from guarding all night.”
“No, sir. Just doing my job.”
“Oh, right! I didn’t get to introduce you yesterday. This is my nephew, Lee Sejin.”
He turned to Sejin. “Come on, Sejin, say hello. These uncles will take turns guarding us so no bad people can sneak in again.”
Sejin put his hands on his belly and bowed politely.
“Hello! I’m Lee Sejin! I’m thwee years old!”
The guard smiled warmly.
“Nice to meet you, Sejin. Don’t worry — I’ll make sure no bad guys come in. You just play and rest.”
“Okay! Thank you!”
After a short chat, the guard excused himself.
“Sejin, do you want to eat on the bed or on the sofa?”
“Sofa!”
“Alright, let’s go.”
Hajin helped Sejin put on slippers and led him to the sitting room.
‘Oh no… my hair looks awful! What if that guard saw me like this?’
Sejin almost pouted, but the sight of food quickly erased his worries.
‘Wow, this hospital really serves fancy meals.’
There was white rice, beef soup, smoked duck with vegetables, fried shrimp, salad, kimchi, and radish water kimchi — everything looked shiny and delicious.
He hadn’t eaten dinner last night because of the fried chicken, so this meal looked extra tempting.
“Samchon, I’m hungry!”
“Okay, okay. Sit here. Uncle will feed you.”
Seeing his excited nephew, Hajin smiled and started feeding him.
He scooped some rice and duck and brought it to Sejin’s mouth.
“Wang!” Sejin opened wide and ate happily.
Watching him chew so eagerly, Hajin chuckled and fed him more.
“Were you that hungry? You ate so much chicken yesterday.”
Swallowing, Sejin said proudly, “All digested now!”
“Haha! Really? You talk so well now.”
Unable to resist, Hajin kissed both of Sejin’s cheeks.
“Hey, Samchon! I’m eating! Even dogs don’t get bothered while eating!”
“What? Where did you learn that?” Hajin burst out laughing.
Sejin rolled his eyes and stabbed another shrimp with his fork.
‘If I wait for him, I’ll starve. I’ll just feed myself. Mmm, this shrimp is good.’
Ever since becoming a child, Sejin found his patience shorter. Hunger hit harder, emotions ran wilder, and logic took a back seat.
So now, he just focused on eating happily.
When Hajin finally stopped laughing, he helped Sejin finish breakfast.
“Samchon, you eat now!”
Touched, Hajin smiled. His food was cold, but it didn’t matter.
“Okay. You watch some cartoons while I eat.”
“Okay! Eat slow. You’ll choke.”
“Such a thoughtful kid.”
He patted Sejin’s head, turned on the TV, and began his meal.
Halfway through, he picked up another shrimp and offered it to Sejin.
“Here. Want one more?”
“No, you eat!”
“But Uncle’s full. You sure?”
Sejin hesitated, then took the fork.
“Okay. I’ll eat for Samchon.”
“Thanks, Sejin.”
As Sejin munched and watched cartoons, Hajin finished his food and set the dishes outside.
He made himself a cup of coffee and sat beside Sejin, watching the show together.
It had been a long time since life felt this peaceful.
Just as he was giving Sejin his medicine, there was another knock.
“Sir, the hospital director and your attending doctors are here.”
Ah — the apology visit. Hajin nodded. “Please, show them in.”
Soon, the hospital director and several doctors entered.
“Good morning. I’m Director Kim Nak-su. We came to apologize again for what happened yesterday. We truly regret it.”
The elderly director and his team bowed deeply. Hajin quickly stood.
“Oh, it’s okay. Please don’t worry.”
“Thank you. We’ve strengthened our security and replaced the cleaning staff.”
Hajin frowned slightly. “It was one person’s mistake. I don’t want others losing their jobs because of it. If there’s no further issue, please keep the same company.”
The director nodded. “Understood. We’ll do as you wish. Is there anything else you need?”
“No, just make sure it never happens again.”
“Of course. We’ll handle it carefully. You can rest assured.”
After another round of apologies, most of the doctors left, leaving only Sejin’s main physician.
“You must’ve been shocked yesterday,” the doctor said kindly.
“Yes, but Sejin was more scared than I was. Is he okay?”
The doctor smiled. “Yes, he’s perfectly fine. His recovery is amazing. He might even be discharged earlier than expected. His tests are all clear, and his strength is coming back nicely. I was worried he’d need rehabilitation, but at this rate, he just needs to eat well, rest, and move around slowly.”
“Really? That’s wonderful. Thank you so much.”
“I didn’t do anything — Sejin just worked hard. Try taking him for short walks when you can.”
“Got it.”
After the doctor left, Hajin sat heavily on the sofa, then hugged Sejin close.
“Sejin-ah, that’s great news. You’re really healthy now. I’m so proud of you.”
“Samchon, are you crying?”
“Haha, no. Why would Uncle cry?”
“Okay. Then good.”
Sunlight streamed gently through the window, wrapping the two of them in warm, golden light.
