984 Episode 59 What Kind of Ending (5)

...

This is the opening line of Tolstoy's novel, [Anna Karenina]. The reason I'm suddenly recalling that line is because I suddenly wondered what a 'happy family' truly is.

Are all happy families really the same? If so, do the conditions for happiness apply equally to most people?

For some, that means living in a really big house.

Eating as much pizza and chicken as they want.

Perhaps that scene was no different from that of any other 'happy family'. To someone who didn't know their story, that scene of happiness would surely seem ordinary.

When someone asked, I thought for a moment and then answered. The most ordinary scene of happiness I could think of.

And when I opened my eyes.

"Youngest, are you awake?"

I was no longer a reader.

rlaehrwk37: Wow?

His name was Kim Dokja.

He didn't know who gave him that name. It could have been the work of his parents, whose lives are unknown. Perhaps one of them was a great book lover.

He didn't care either way. People just called him Kim Dokja, and he accepted that name. He thought that was enough. Perhaps it was because of his unfamiliar name, but sometimes, when people heard him for the first time, they'd laugh and say,

"You seem to really like books!"

At those times, he'd just give a wry smile. It was because he didn't really enjoy reading. To be precise, it wasn't so much that he didn't like it, but rather that he was forced to.

"Books? Why would you read something like that?"

Perhaps it was largely due to the influence of his siblings, all of whom were physical.

"Aren't you going to wake up quickly? Did you fall asleep while looking at your phone again?"

The door opened with a loud crack. His signature platinum hair flowed in a dazzling stream. The eldest son, half-naked, showed off his toned chest. Wukong grabbed Kim Dokja by the collar and dragged him out of bed. Kim Dokja rubbed his sleepy eyes and grumbled.

"Hyung, can't I sleep a little longer?"

"It's time for your morning stretch. You promised."

As he dragged himself outside, as if dragged by Wukong, the second, already in the middle of a workout in the living room, greeted him.

"Are you awake?"

As expected, the muscles are as hot as the first one. With a friendly face that doesn't suit such muscles, the second— Hyunsung was doing a crunch.

"Okay, let's get started. Remember what I told you?"

Kim Dokja sat on a small yoga mat and assumed the poses Wukong had instructed. He crouched and stretched like a cat, and then lay down and repeated simple hamstring stretches. It was a tedious exercise, but after repeating it over and over again, sweat beaded on his forehead.

It's hard. He thought about quitting.

But watching Wukong and Hyunsung silently immerse themselves in their workouts, he couldn't say such things.

I that's the level of stamina needed to achieve such a muscular body.

"Good job. Bend down even further. That's right."

With all this support from Wukong, even his frail body seemed poised to become muscular in no time.

"Like this?"

"That's right!"

Of course, he knew that stretching a hundred times a day wouldn't make him muscular. He's old enough to understand that now.

After finishing his full-body stretches and standing up, the two brothers were staring at him.

"Aren't you going to eat?"

Normally, it would have been time to go eat breakfast after stretching, but today, their expressions were unusually serious.

"Isn't it about time you taught him 'that'?"

That.

Wukong beamed at Hyunsung's words and asked.

"You think so too?"

Kim Dokja's heart suddenly pounded. For some reason, this morning felt different than usual.

"Why, what's that?"

The two exchanged glances, ignoring Kim Dokja's question.

"But I think it's a bit much for the youngest."

"He can't stay ignorant forever, right?"

"I see."

Their expressions seemed as if they were about to impart some great martial arts secret.

Kim Dokja tensed up once again.

Would he finally hear 'that'?

There were things that had always seemed strange.

Why was his name Kim Dokja? Why didn't he remember his parents? How did his siblings end up living together?

"Oh, what is it?"

Hiding his excitement, Kim Dokja asked cautiously. Then, after much deliberation, Wukong said,

"Okay. I'll tell you. Hyunsung-ah, demonstrate."

"Yes."

Hyunsung fell to the floor as if he had been waiting. Wukong then began counting.

"One. Two. Three. Four."

Hyunsung's body swayed up and down with the steadily increasing numbers. Kim Dokja asked with a dumbfounded expression,

"What is that?"

"Ah, this is called a push-up."

"I know that. Why are you showing me?"

"It might look easy on the outside, but it's not an easy exercise at all."

Embarrassed at having been thrilled by a mere push-up, Kim Dokja knelt down beside Hyunsung and began to do push-ups.

"I can do that without you teaching me."

"Huh?"

Kim Dokja's arms slowly lowered to the floor. His already weak muscles sounded like they were being ripped apart.

"That's right! Now, just come back up!"

He managed to lower his chest, trembling, but that was where the problem started. His upper body showed no sign of lifting.

Damn it. He can't even do one?

"Youngest, you can do it. Come up!"

Amidst the enthusiastic cheering, Kim Dokja pushed off the floor with all his might.

Hyunsung shouted,

"Think of pushing as if you were pushing a mountain!"

Little by little, the ground began to give way. And finally—

"One."

Wukong's voice came softly. A wave of weakness washed over Kim Dokja, and he collapsed.

"You've grown, youngest."

Wukong smiled contently. Then Hyunsung added, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Really, you're amazing. As expected, Dokja-ssi—"

"What's the fuss about doing a single push-up?"

Kim Dokja pouted, and Wukong chuckled and rubbed his shoulder.

"Did you say our youngest is on leave from work starting today?"

"I said retirement."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

Wukong, incidentally, was the most stubborn of his siblings.

"A leave of absence is a short break, and retirement is permanent."

"You're going to find another job after a short break anyway, right? Then it's the same as a leave of absence."

He'd never thought of it that way.

Kim Dokja shook his head and muttered.

"Anyway, I'm going to take a break for a while."

Actually, it wasn't the right time to take a break from work. This family couldn't live a normal life without him.

"Are you serious?"

The eldest, a longtime unemployed man, asked.

"Are you sure?"

The second, who had recently been fired for being hard-working but too inflexible, asked.

"Yes, I'm really going to take a break."

If the youngest didn't bring in the money, this family wouldn't function properly. Nevertheless, upon hearing Kim Dokja's words, the eldest, Wukong, and the second, Hyunsung, looked genuinely touched.

"Good idea, youngest."

"Good idea."

Why were these two so happy at the mere mention of taking a break?

"You know if I take a break, our household won't have any money, right?"

"So what if we don't earn enough? We can just be frugal. We can eat out less and not buy unnecessary things. Isn't that how we should live?"

"Even an unemployed person saying something like that isn't very convincing."

"Money is something that disappears even after it's been there."

"Have you ever had it?"

"You don't know, but I used to have a lot of money."

"When?"

Frowning in frustration, Wukong was about to say something when the third's voice came from afar.

"You guys, stop wasting calories and come eat breakfast."

The family's breakfast began.

The breakfast menu was kimchi fried rice and a fried egg made with cold rice.

Was it the third's turn to cook today?

Kim Dokja sat across from her, quietly watching the third scooping up rice with a spoon. Their eyes met, and the third— Heewon, smiled and asked.

"It's delicious, isn't it?"

It might sound strange, but she was more skilled at using knives than cooking. Heewon's cooking was surprisingly neatly prepared, but also surprisingly poorly seasoned.

"Yeah, it's delicious."

"It's not?"

It was a lie. Some parts were overly salty, others were overly plain. Still, he was grateful that someone had prepared the food for him, that he could eat it.

Of course, that was just Kim Dokja's opinion, and the other brothers felt a little differently.

"It's so tasteless."

"Say it again."

"I find it delicious, Heewon-ssi."

After a lively meal, the siblings cleared away the dishes.

Hyunsung was in charge of the dishes today.

"Deep in the mountains—"

Hyunsung continued to wash the dishes, singing a military song in a slightly off-key tone. Kim Dokja watched Hyunsung's back, inhaling the lingering scent of dishwashing detergent wafting through the house. It was a familiar sight, but for some reason, his heart tingled.

It was then that the eldest emerged from the closet, dressed in a neat suit. Their eyes met, and Wukong asked with a triumphant smile.

"How is it?"

"What?"

"From today, I'm off to work."

"Off to work?"

He asked, startled, and the other said he was going for an interview today. It was the security firm that Hyunsung had previously been laid off from.

"Really? My brother's interviewing?"

"Yes, you rascal."

It turns out there are days when Kim Wukong goes for an interview.

Kim Dokja was amazed, but upon closer inspection, Wukong’s tie was a mess.

"How can you possibly get a job if you can't even tie a tie yourself?"

"Hmm? Isn't this how it's supposed to be done?"

Kim Dokja sighed and showed him how to tie a tie. He'd only adjusted one part of it, but he still looked quite neat.

"Oh, you're the youngest, after all."

"Memorize it well. It's much more useful than push-ups."

"Okay. I'll be back."

"Go ahead. Don't cause trouble."

"On your phone."

"You shouldn't read novels. They pollute your mind."

"Let's take the child lock off and talk. What's wrong with novels?"

"They're all fake. You should live in real life. Instead of reading those things, do one more push-up. Like Hyunsung."

Hyunsung, who was beside him, nodded.

Seeing that Hyunsung was already dressed for the day, it seemed he was taking Wukong with him today.

"Have a safe trip. Good luck with your interview. Don't hit anyone."

The two waved and disappeared, leaving Kim Dokja and the third child, Heewon, in the house. Heewon said, "Youngest."

"Yeah."

"You know it's Hyunsung-ssi's birthday soon, right?"

By the way, Heewon calls Hyunsung 'Hyunsung-ssi'. Even Kim Dokja doesn't know why.

"When was the second's birthday?"

"June 20th."

"There's still a long way to go."

"Still, it's better to think about it in advance."

Hyunsung's birthday present. What kind of gift would he like? Would he like a new push-up bar? Or maybe a pair of adjustable dumbbells?

"But, sis."

"Yeah."

"When was my birthday?"

"It's February 15th."

"How old is the second oldest brother?"

"Twenty-eight."

Kim Dokja pondered for a moment and then asked.

"How old am I this year?"

"Twenty..."

Heewon, who had just finished speaking, suddenly widened her eyes and asked.

"Don't you even know your age?"

"No, I know. I'm just asking because it's strange."

"What's strange?"

"I'm twenty-eight this year, too."

"But?"

"The second oldest brother is twenty-eight, too?"

"So?"

"I was born on February 15th. My birthday is earlier, so why—"

He felt something hit him hard in the back of his head, and his vision blurred. What was it? When he opened his eyes again, Heewon was supporting him.

"Are you okay? You suddenly collapsed."

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Seeing Heewon's impudent expression, Kim Dokja narrowed his eyes and asked.

"But how old was sister?"

"Twenty-seven."

"But why are you—"

The back of his head tingled again, and his vision spun around. He blinked, and this time, Heewon was supporting him again.

"Are you okay?"

Was he okay?

Watching Heewon's palm slowly rise again, Kim Dokja made a request instead of a question.

"Teach me how to do push-ups."

"Why do you do push-ups?"

"I just want to get better."

"There's no use getting stronger. There's no need to get stronger."

"Still, I want to get better."

After a moment of hesitation, Heewon answered.

"Okay."

The two quietly began doing push-ups. To be precise, Heewon did them, and Kim Dokja watched.

"You're good at it."

"It's just push-ups, what's the big deal?"

"I'm not even good at that."

Heewon was silent for a moment, then said,

"You're good at other things."

"What am I good at?"

Heewon didn't answer. She simply looked at him with slightly sad eyes and silently gazed out the window.

Kim Dokja also looked out the window with Heewon. The small living room of the 3LDK. Through the large windows of the living room, the cityscape was reflected. People bustling along the busy road. Children talking from somewhere. The sound of a ball bouncing. The occasional car exhaust.

It was peaceful. Truly, a world where nothing happened.

Just then, as if a memory suddenly occurred to her, Heewon said,

"Oh, I'm going to work later."

"Work? Where?"

"I decided to go back to that cafe. I think I should go soon."

"What? Did you make up with the boss?"

"Just got a pay cut."

"You said you didn't want to work there."

"You can't make a living doing only what you love."

"Still—"

"You've always been the only one working. We can do it too."

It felt strange to suddenly hear that. Heewon seemed to be quite concerned that he was earning his own living.

"I'm fine. I'll take a short break and then look for another job. My brother told me there's no retirement, only a leave of absence."

"No, while you're at it, get some rest. I can't just be dependent on you here."

"Here too?"

Heewon paused, then smiled subtly and waved.

"I'll be back soon, so take care of the house. Don't go anywhere. If you want anything to eat, text me. I'll make it for you later."

After seeing Heewon off, Kim Dokja gazed out the window alone. He saw Heewon walking somewhere in the distance.

Kim Dokja waved lightly to Heewon, who didn't turn around. Watching her back, he felt as if he had seen a similar scene before.

People were leaving one by one, leaving him alone in an empty space.

Displeased with this feeling, Kim Dokja thought about Wukong, who had gone to an interview, Hyunsung, who was about to celebrate his birthday, and Heewon, who was going to work at the cafe.

First, Wukong would probably fail in his job search. No company would accept his irascibility and laziness.

Second, Hyunsung would completely forget his birthday. Only on the day itself would he finally remember it. Then, realizing no one had congratulated him, he would be depressed, and then, realizing it was all a surprise, he would receive congratulations and tears would well up in his eyes. Third, Heewon would fight with the boss again. And at night, she would come home drunk and tell the story of the day. Kim Dokja loved those little incidents.

He loved the stories of the people he loved. He was happy that he was in those stories, that he had siblings. He loved this strange family.

So, whenever he was alone, he would wish this time could last forever. He wished this seemingly unbelievable peace, this daily routine of practicing push-ups, could last forever.

Ding-dong.

That's when the doorbell rang. He looked outside through the intercom, but the screen was broken.

"Anyway, this house can't function properly without me."

He hesitated for a moment, then stood before the front door and quietly muttered, "Who is it?" There was no answer. Slowly reaching for the handle, Wukong's advice suddenly came to mind.

—No matter what, never open the door when you're alone.

Wukong spoke as if teaching a child the fears of the world.

—You may not remember clearly, but you're suffering from amnesia. Something terrible happened when you were young.

In fact, Kim Dokja barely remembered anything from his childhood.

—There's a stalker following you. He only wears black clothes. He's dangerous, so you have to be careful.

When he first heard the story, Kim Dokja thought it was just a ghost story. A stalker wearing black clothes.

Ding-dong.

The doorbell rang again.

Kim Dokja hesitated for a moment, then reached for the handle again. Maybe, just like Wukong said, there really was a stalker at the door.

So what should he do? Should he call his brothers? Or should he report it to the police?

Even as he pondered these thoughts, Kim Dokja couldn't stop reaching out.

Perhaps it was an impulsive choice.

The thought that there could never be a stalker, and the thought that if there really was one, he'd just like to see their face.

With these conflicting feelings, Kim Dokja opened the door.

But when I carefully opened the door, there was no one at the front door. Not even the hem of the man's clothes could be seen, let alone the man in black.

Kim Dokja smiled bitterly.

Of course.

But the moment he was about to close the door, there was a sound of something being dragged outside. He opened it again and poked his head out, and there was a small box sitting there.

What is this? A package?

He absentmindedly picked up the box and entered the house. There was no tracking number on it.

—Oh, and never open a package alone.

His heart suddenly raced. A package with no tracking number.

—Leave it to your older brother or sister. It's dangerous if you open it alone.

He wondered if there might be something truly dangerous inside, but then he realized that it couldn't be.

"Who do you think as a fool?"

So what if there was something dangerous inside? Although he could only do one push-up, he was a fully grown man of twenty-eight years. There was no way someone would have put something like a bomb in the box, and he didn't think anything bad could happen if he opened it alone.

Kim Dokja slowly opened the box.

Instead of a bomb, there was a book.