Uncle and I
Chapter 07 —
Hajin entered the bedroom, helped Sejin sit on the bed, and gently patted the child’s head.
“Sejin, did you have fun today?”
“Yeah!! It was fun! I love the uncles! Kyaa~”
Sejin was still excited from meeting the group members again and receiving so many presents.
Because of that, he hadn’t really looked closely at Hajin’s face until now—but when he did, he noticed something was off.
“Uncle, did you cry?”
“Huh? Oh… no. Why would Uncle cry?”
No? What do you mean no! You totally cried. I’ve been with you long enough to know when you’re lying. Something must’ve happened again while I wasn’t around… sigh.
Sejin decided to pretend he hadn’t noticed.
“Uncle, why did you come here?”
“Well… Uncle has something to ask Sejin.”
“Okay. Ask away.”
Hajin hesitated, lips trembling slightly as he looked into Sejin’s clear eyes.
Sejin acted like he didn’t notice and started playing with his teddy bear.
After thinking for a while, Hajin finally spoke.
“Sejin, you were really scared earlier because of that bad man, right?”
“Yeah! But I’m okay now.”
“Wow, our Sejin is really brave.”
Hajin smiled and gently rubbed the back of Sejin’s head before asking carefully,
“Do you remember what that bad man said earlier?”
“What did he say?”
Sejin tilted his head.
“Hmm… do you remember him talking about your mom and dad?”
Ah, so that’s what this is about. But how does Uncle even know what that guy said?
Sejin thought about how to respond.
The adults all believed Sejin had memory loss because of the accident. No one knew exactly how much he remembered, so they were all cautious.
Hmm. It’s better to make things clear now. I can’t pretend to know things I don’t. I’ll say I remember only a little about the past—just enough to make sense.
With that thought, Sejin spoke softly.
“Yeah. I remember. That man asked if I remembered the accident with Mom and Dad.”
“I… I see. That must’ve been scary for you.”
Hajin bit his lip and asked gently,
“Then, do you know now that your mom and dad went to heaven?”
“Yeah!! I know!! I’ve known since a while ago.”
“I see… But, why didn’t you ask about them?”
Sejin fidgeted with his fingers before replying.
“I don’t remember much. I can only remember a little bit of what they looked like, but everything else is blank.”
Hajin was at a loss for words.
“I see… Then, do you ever miss them?”
“I don’t know… I can’t remember them, so I don’t know.”
Hajin silently pulled Sejin into a hug.
“It’s okay. Don’t force yourself to remember. When you’re a little older and stronger, Uncle will tell you stories about them. Or if you ever want to know something, you can just ask, okay?”
“Okay. But Uncle, are you okay?”
“Huh? Me? Why?”
“I don’t remember much, but you must be sad too. Mom and Dad went to heaven, right?”
Hajin’s chest tightened at those innocent words.
“Yeah… Uncle was very sad. But I’m getting better now—because I have you, Sejin.”
Sejin reached out and patted Hajin’s back softly.
“Uncle, don’t cry too much. Sejin will protect you. So if you feel like crying, just tell me, okay?”
“Oh really? And what will Sejin do if I tell you?”
“I’ll hug you like this! And if you want, I’ll sleep next to you.”
“Hahaha! So Sejin will comfort Uncle?”
“Yeah!!”
This time, I’ll never let Uncle make the same choices he did in the last life. No matter what, I’ll protect him!
Hajin felt his heart ease at those warm words.
As the two sat together, someone knocked on the door.
“Knock knock.”
“Yes, come in.”
Cheolhwan entered.
“The guys ordered a bunch of food. Minsu’s bringing it up soon, so come out when it arrives.”
“Oh! Minsu’s here too? Where was he?”
“He was waiting in the parking lot. Said it’d be too crowded if he came up.”
“He could’ve just come up. I’ll tell him to stay for dinner.”
“Sure. Anyway, come out soon.”
“Okay. Sejin, let’s go eat with the uncles.”
“Yay!”
Hajin carried Sejin out to the living room.
“Hey, why’d you take Sejin away? We were supposed to choose the food together!”
Hwan complained playfully as they came out.
“You probably ordered fine without him.”
“That’s true, haha.”
As everyone laughed, another knock came.
“Knock knock knock.”
“Come in!”
A young man in his early twenties entered, arms full of food.
Sejin tilted his head curiously.
Huh? Who’s that? I don’t remember seeing him in my last life. Maybe he’s the new road manager? Then… what happened to the old me? Did Kim Do-young not exist this time? I’ll have to find out later.
While Sejin was lost in thought, Hajin greeted him.
“Oh, Minsu! Come on in. Why were you downstairs?”
“Hello, hyung. I just thought it’d be too hectic if I came up too early. I’ve brought everything.”
He set the food on the table while the others helped unpack and prepare.
“Why did you order so much? We’ll never finish this.”
There were several kinds of chicken, cheese balls, fries, spaghetti, pizza, and salad—all things Sejin loved.
“I didn’t want us to run out, especially since Sejin’s eating too. Besides, there’s a lot of people here!”
“Right! We’ll finish it all. Here, Sejin, your favorite—boneless fried chicken!”
Jumin placed a plate in front of Sejin.
“Oh! And let the caregiver come eat too,” Jaewon said, remembering her.
“She left already,” Cheolhwan replied. “She stayed a bit, but since we were all here, I told her to go home and rest.”
“Oh… that’s too bad,” Roy said. “She could’ve eaten with us.”
“Let’s treat her next time. For now, let’s eat—I’m starving.”
“Yeah, let’s dig in. Sejin, eat lots!”
“Okay!”
The delicious smell of fried chicken filled the room, and Sejin’s eyes sparkled at the golden-brown pieces.
Unable to resist, he grabbed his fork, speared a piece, and took a big bite.
“Wow! So yummy~~!!”
Sejin’s wide eyes and delighted expression made everyone burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! Look at him! He really loves it!”
“Wait, this is too cute—I need a picture!” Roy said, quickly pulling out his phone.
Soon everyone was taking photos.
But Sejin didn’t care—he was too busy eating chicken like there was no tomorrow.
Seeing his puffed-up cheeks, Hajin laughed softly and poured him some water.
“Sejin, eat slowly. You might get a stomachache.”
Sejin took a sip through his straw, then noticed everyone’s cameras pointed at him.
He decided to give them some “fan service.”
Wink!
He winked—well, more like blinked both eyes—and made a little heart with his hands.
“Whoa!!”
“Sejin, do it again! I missed the shot!”
“Wait, I’ll record a video this time! Okay, ready? Go!”
Encouraged by their cheers, Sejin winked again, made another heart, and even blew a tiny kiss.
“Hahahaha!”
“Wow, Sejin’s amazing!”
“He’s better at fan service than me!”
“Hajin, we need to debut him as an idol!”
The room burst into laughter again.
Watching them, Sejin smiled brightly and said,
“Uncles! Eat your food too!”
Then he speared a piece of chicken and handed it to Hajin.
Everyone gasped with envy as Hajin took a triumphant bite.
“Mmm~ It tastes so much better because Sejin fed me!”
“Sejin! Feed Uncle Hwan too! Ahh~” Hwan opened his mouth exaggeratedly.
Sejin sighed and pointed a finger at him.
“Uncle! Are you a baby? Can’t you eat by yourself?”
“Gasp! I’m hurt!”
Hwan slumped dramatically while everyone else burst out laughing.
“Hahaha!”
“Wow, Sejin’s savage!”
“See, Hwan? You asked for it. Eat by yourself.”
Eventually, they all settled down and focused on eating.
“Here, Sejin, try a cheese ball before it gets cold.”
“Eat some veggies too, Sejin. This salad’s good.”
Everyone kept piling food onto Sejin’s plate, making sure he ate plenty.
“Okay! But Uncle, you eat too!”
In my past life, if I didn’t grab food first, I’d go hungry… but now everyone’s fussing over me. It’s so warm. This must be what real love feels like. I won’t let sadness ruin it. I’ll live happily with Uncle and return all the love I get. That’s how I’ll honor Sejin’s parents.
With that promise in his heart, Sejin kept eating until his little belly bulged round.
“Phew. Uncle, I’m full.”
Hajin chuckled, gently wiping Sejin’s mouth with a napkin.
“Your tummy’s huge. I hope you don’t get an upset stomach from all this delivery food. If you feel uncomfortable later, tell Uncle right away, okay?”
“Okay!”
Before they knew it, all the food on the table was gone.
“Wow, we really finished everything.”
“Told you we would!”
“With all these hungry guys? No wonder.”
“You said it was for Sejin, but we ended up eating the most, haha.”
They all laughed sheepishly as they cleaned up, then flopped down on the sofas, full and content.
Hajin smiled. “Aren’t you guys going home?”
“What? You’re kicking us out already after we ate?” Roy teased.
“No, I just mean—it’s already past seven. Don’t you have schedules tomorrow?”
“Nope! We cleared everything last week just to hang out with Sejin.”
“Yeah! Do you know how hard we worked for this day?”
Hajin sighed in disbelief.
“Still, you should sleep at your dorms. There’s no place for you to stay here.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out.”
“Right. We’ll hang out a bit longer and leave when it’s time. Stop worrying.”
Since even leader Jaewon agreed, Hajin gave up.
“Fine. But Sejin goes to bed at nine. After that, you’re all leaving.”
“What? Nine o’clock? That’s so early! We were gonna stay till midnight!” Roy complained.
“Midnight? He’s a child, not an adult! His bedtime is nine, and that’s final. You guys can leave after he’s asleep.”
Saying that, Hajin carried Sejin to the bathroom to wash his hands.
