TFIU 14

Chapter 14

But Yewon, as if she had no intention of letting Doha avoid the current, tugged at Doha’s sleeve once again.

There was no helping it. He was weak when it came to children. Holding back a sigh, Doha looked at Yewon again.

“…Why do you want to be an actor?”

“Because I like acting. I like it when people’s eyes sparkle.”

You know, Doha. I like taking pictures of people. I like capturing that moment when their eyes sparkle.

“….”

“Just like you like singing, Uncle, I like acting.”

In the end, Doha had to admit it.

For decades, he had denied the meaning of blood ties.
But in this very moment, the bond created by blood was wrapping tightly around him, leaving him no escape.

“….”

Strangely enough, the connection he had wanted so desperately to run away from—
now, he didn’t really want to escape it anymore.

Rather—

“…I see. I think you’ll be good at it, Yewon.”

“Is it because I take after you, Uncle?”

He found himself wanting to hold that tiny hand gripping his sleeve, even just once.
Doha thought it was probably because it reminded him of a time when he desperately wished someone would hold his own hand.

Because he knew exactly what that feeling was like.

“Yeah. Because you take after me.”

…Or maybe, it was because he needed this small hand.

The next morning.

“….”

Despite clearly promising the night before that he would head home on his own, Doha found Uyeon in the living room.
Somehow, he had even laid out proper bedding and was sleeping sprawled out, snoring loudly.

Why did this guy leave his own place and refuse to leave my house?

Doha stared down at Uyeon with a puzzled look.

After Taeyoung left the group, Uyeon had declared that Doha was suffocating him to death and immediately moved out.
Since then, this was the first time he had slept in this house.

How strange.

But the truth was—

—

“Uncle Uyeon, can I sleep here tonight?”
“Huh? Me? Why?”
“Juuust… the house is sooo big! If it’s just Uncle Doha and me, it’s scary…. Like, what if a ghost appears…. But Uncle Uyeon is super cool and reliable! You look like you’d be really good at catching ghosts….”
“Me?! I am!? Ahem. Well. I am pretty cool. Yeah. Sure!! Uncle Uyeon will protect our Yewon!! Just trust me!!”
“Thennn, you’ll sleep here tomorrow too, and the day after tomorrow, and the day after that too, right?”
“Huh? Uh…?”
“That’s a promise, right?”
“Uh… wait, but then Doha might actually kill me…?”
“But Uncle Uyeon can beat Uncle Doha, right? Surely… you won’t lose…?”
“What are you talking about!!! I’d wipe the floor with him!!!!!”
“…….”

Completely unaware that Uyeon had ended up staying over thanks to Yewon’s scheme the night before—

Just as Doha was about to wake Uyeon—

Ding-dong.

“!”

The doorbell rang.

There was no one who should be visiting at this hour.
Frowning, Doha checked the wall pad.

A very familiar face appeared on the screen.

…Why is this guy here?

As he hesitated over whether to open the door or not—

“Who is it?!”

“!!”

The sudden voice nearly made Doha jump.

“Why are you so startled, Uncle?”
“Sorry. I’m not used to… having someone else here.”
“Ohhh.”

Yewon nodded as if she understood.

“Who came?”
“…Another member.”
“Another member?!”

At those words, Yewon’s face lit up.

…Why is she this happy?

Just as he was about to feel inexplicably sulky, Doha startled himself.

Why do I even care whether a kid likes another guest or not?

“Is it Uncle Eon, or Uncle Yeonho?”
“…You know all our names?”
“Of course! Who in our country doesn’t know the Glit uncles?”

Yewon answered seriously, but because her mouth hadn’t fully developed yet, her pronunciation slipped a little, making Doha burst out laughing.

Trying to sound grown-up only goes so far.

“Why are you laughing?!!”

She spoke well for her age and had excellent pronunciation, but she was still a child.
One laugh was enough to set her off.

“No, nothing. I just felt like laughing.”
“So who is it?”
“Hyung Yeonho.”
“!”

Curiosity bloomed on Yewon’s face at the name Yeonho.

It made sense. He was the member who appeared in the media the least.
Even among Glit, where none of them were particularly media-friendly, Seo Yeonho was especially reluctant to be seen.

Not because of any special reason—

“Be careful.”
“Huh?”
“This hyung has no social skills.”
“What’s ‘social skills’?”
“…You’ll see.”

Smiling at the very seven-year-old question, Doha pressed the Open Door button.

Not long after—

“So you’re not dead.”
“….”
“I came because I heard Lee Doha died.”

Yewon and Doha came face to face with a man who truly had zero social skills.

If Doha was like a sparkling, beautiful cat,
then Uyeon was like a sly, handsome fox pretending to be prickly.

And then—

“Starting off by talking about whether someone’s dead or alive—isn’t that crossing the line, even for a hyung?”
“Blame Han Uyeon. He’s the one who said it.”

The moment Yewon saw Yeonho, one animal came to mind.

A house-sized wolf…

Not just any wolf—literally one as big as a house.

Yeonho was a full head taller than even Uyeon and Doha, who were both already tall.
And that wasn’t all. Just as Uyeon claimed, his gym-built body was undeniable—broad shoulders and perfectly formed muscles that were downright intimidating.

…He’s less of an idol and more of…

A macho-style actor would suit him better.
Like someone who only ever played leads in noir films.

Yewon was flustered by his visuals alone.

His eyes were on a completely different level from the other two animals.

…Eyes with no warmth—only indifference…

Unlike Doha and Uyeon, who were prickly with each other but endlessly warm toward Yewon,
Yeonho’s gaze held no emotion, no interest.

It was no different from the way one might look at a rock.

Seo Yeonho trudged into Doha’s house and kicked the sleeping Uyeon—hard.

“Argh!”

After a barrage of curses erupted from under the blanket—

“What the— huh…? Yeonho hyung?”

Uyeon, eyes swollen, froze when he recognized Yeonho.

“You came fast? Wow. Guess you’re human after all?! Hearing Doha died and running straight over!”
“Where do you get off joking about people like that?”
“Ah!! Hyung! Talk first! Talk—! Agh!!”
Despite Uyeon’s bright protests, Yeonho kept kicking him mercilessly.
“I knew you wouldn’t listen if I talked, so I had no choice but to resort to violence.”
“Ah!! Seriously, hyung!! Look at your leg muscles!! If you kick someone, that’s attempted murder!! Not simple assault—aggravated assault!!”
“Want me to sew your mouth shut?”

After kicking Uyeon who-knows-how-many times,
Yeonho finally seemed satisfied and opened Doha’s fridge with a bored expression.

“What are you looking for?”
“Protein shake.”

Yeonho replied flatly to Doha’s dumbfounded question.

…He’s really a strange person.

Yewon stared at Yeonho in shock.

“Why would we have something like that?”
“Guess you’re not managing yourselves. If you’re planning to disband the group, I told you to let me know in advance so I can figure out how to survive.”
“I told you we’re not disbanding.”
“If Eon doesn’t come back, you’ll have to.”
“…….”

Clicking his tongue at the empty fridge, Yeonho casually perched on the dining table.

…With that insane height, it somehow didn’t even look awkward.

While Yewon was busy marveling at his absurd physique—

“What’s with that kid?”

Yeonho finally got to the point.

Yewon thought for a moment. Faced with such a blunt question, she had two options:

1. Hide behind Doha. (Because he’s scary.)

2. Step forward confidently and introduce herself.

…Which one?

“Hyung, she’s scared, so please soften your expression—”

Before Uyeon could scold him, Yewon stepped forward boldly.

She had met countless people like this in society before.
With types like him, confidence worked better than avoidance.

“I’m Yewon!”

“…Yewon?”
Yeonho echoed blankly.

“Yes! I’m Uncle Doha’s family.”

Yewon deliberately emphasized the word “family.”