Chapter 11

It was only a matter of time before the twins showed up at Yejoon's house. Katsumi was expecting an old-looking apartment. Instead, there was a modest wooden house in front of her, an exact reproduction of the house she saw in the Japanese drama 'Yamada Taro Monogatari'. The only distinction is that the house is part wood and half brick.

Katsumi couldn't believe what she was witnessing, and she assumed Kento was playing with her. She didn't notice Yejoon leaving the home to water the plants in the small front yard until she spotted him.

"What are you waiting for?" Kento asks, eliciting an anxious huff from his twin as she unbuckles her seat belt and exits with the food and beverages.

She walked slowly towards the front gate. Looking closer, the construction of his home appeared new and clean, something Katsumi had not expected, and she couldn't take her gaze away from the home in front of her.

Eventually, Yejoon saw her. Katsumi was taken aback by the sudden gate opening when she noticed the boy's broad smile at her unexpected visit.

"Katsumi! Come in, come in!" Yejoon exclaimed enthusiastically as Katsumi entered timidly. "What brings you here?"

"I felt bad about what happened yesterday, so I came to apologize."

Katsumi raised the objects she was carrying to show the boy, and when Yejoon saw the things she had brought with her, he was pleased. He did, however, feel awful that she had to spend her money on him.

"Thank you," he exhales with a smile, "my siblings would love this."

Yejoon invites Katsumi inside, and she gladly enters. From Katsumi's vantage point, the inside appeared to be decent. The first thing you'll see as you walk in is a little entryway with a door on the side. It then leads to the kitchen, which now has a new painted flesh color, a long table, and four chairs beside it. It then leads to a tiny hallway with two doors, one to the restroom and the other to the backyard.

Katsumi has never been to a small home before. What's more intriguing to her is that she didn't feel claustrophobic but rather at peace. She takes a seat on the chair while Yejoon goes to the kitchen to get a beverage and a cup for the visitor.

"Please make yourself at home."

"Thank you."

Yejoon goes out into the backyard and calls out to his siblings, informing them about their breakfast. Katsumi was taken aback when she discovered that the pizza she brought was their first meal of the day. She had always believed that bringing such enormous amounts of pizza was a horrible idea, but now she realizes that it wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Yejoon returned with a smile as he opened the pizza box, and five youngsters ran in excitedly. The sight of these children overwhelmed Katsumi, causing her to straighten her back.

"What do you say to Ms. Katsumi, everybody?"

"Thank you very much for the pizza, Ms. Katsumi."

Katsumi smiles as she says, "There's no need to be formal. Please, eat as much as your stomach can hold!"

Katsumi hasn't been in this setting in a long time. When she was in Japan, she would occasionally assist Kazuha with the children at the orphanage, and this is what she normally sees when she goes. The children's expressions were pure delight. She is never tired of seeing it.

Yejoon sighs with relief as he bites into a slice. His number one priority is to see his family smile, and Katsumi has assisted in making that happen.

"Thank you very much for the pizza, Katsumi."

"It's never a problem, Yejoon; call me whenever you need help with anything, and I'll gladly assist."

Yejoon gave a sweet smile. Katsumi's remarks felt like another divine blessing to him. He felt truly privileged to have met such wonderful people who are eager to assist him and his family in surviving in this industry known as life.

"I'm glad there are people at the rich level who are willing to help people like me," he says. "I really wasn't expecting another visitor today."

"Another visitor?" Katsumi wondered.

"Namgyu comes here every Sunday to help me with the garden we have in our backyard, and Subin comes here frequently to help me with my siblings and house chores, either when I'm at work or when I'm caring for my mother."

As she reflected on her chats with Namgyu and Subin, Katsumi realized that the real reason she came here was to get to know Yejoon better in order to devise a flawless strategy that takes everyone's situations into account.

And, of all the people in Yejoon's life, Katsumi is most intrigued by his mother.

Suddenly, the ambiance of children's laughter had been mingled with the coughing of an elderly lady in the room next to them. Yejoon got up and dashed to the room where the noise was coming from. Katsumi followed and peered inside before gently entering out of curiosity.

She came across a sickly old woman laying on a futon. While the woman coughed, Yejoon dipped a towel into a bowl of cold water, squeezed out the excess, and folded it rectangularly before placing it on top of the woman's forehead.

When the woman felt her son's hands lovingly caressing her hair, she slowly opened her eyes. When she saw Yejoon taking care of her again, she gave a feeble smile. The woman lifted her arm closest to her kid and cupped his cheeks, caressing them with her thumb.

Katsumi's heart warmed as she saw what she was viewing. It was a touching yet heartbreaking bond between a mother and her son.

"Son, I thought you had work today," the woman said, her voice frail.

"My shift begins at 12 p.m., Mom."

"I thought you worked at 5 a.m., dear; did something happen?"

The woman's unexpected inquiry felt like a dagger piercing Katsumi's heart. She can't deny that Yejoon was fired in part because of her.

Yejoon smiled slightly.

"The café is being renovated, so our work will resume next month; don't worry, mom."

"I see... but please don't overwork; I'll help as much as I can once I'm no longer sick."

Katsumi is standing near the entryway when the woman notices her. She bowed as she saw Yejoon's mother looking at her.

"Oh, I didn't know we had guests."

"She is a new friend of mine who just transferred to the school about two days ago." As the lad introduced Katsumi, she kneeled alongside him.

"It's nice to finally meet you," Katsumi replied. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel better now than I did yesterday, darling. And you don't have to be formal with me. Please address me as Auntie."

Katsumi responded with a nod and a smile. Their chat continued, and around halfway through, Namgyu entered with two distinct plastic bags. He purchased medicine for Yejoon's mother as well as seedlings for the garden.

Namgyu was astonished to see Katsumi when he entered. But he was glad she opted to pay a visit to Yejoon's house for a change. The boy softly shook his head before giving Yejoon the pills.

"Auntie, I bought your medicine; you must drink it after you finish eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner," he explained.

He stepped in and kissed Auntie on the hand after giving her the medicine. It was the first time Katsumi had seen Namgyu act so gently and respectfully. Namgyu was always furious or apprehensive. Although it was wonderful to see, Katsumi grinned without realizing it.

"I'll prepare your food so you can start drinking your medicine," Yejoon stated as everyone exited the room.

Katsumi had learned a lot about Yejoon and, to her surprise, Namgyu as well. Yejoon's mother, siblings, and financial situation; Katsumi now understands Namgyu's rage during their disagreement yesterday. He had every right to be upset at someone who acted and thought selfishly without considering the consequences of their actions.

While the others were busy preparing other things in the kitchen, Katsumi sat back down to finish her slice of pizza. She noticed Namgyu wasn't wearing any glasses, which was another thing she had seen for the first time.

"Where are your glasses?" she inquired.

"In my bag; I'll be taking care of the garden today, so the glasses will just get in the way."

"Can you still see?"

"I put on contact lenses, so I'll be fine," he said. "I'll get started with the garden."

"Thank you for the medicine; I'll pay you back as soon as I get the money."

"You don't have to pay back; I just want to help," Namgyu replies, putting a grin on Yejoon's face.

"Thanks," he said.

Namgyu patted his back before Yejoon went to his mother, leaving the boy and Katsumi alone.

"Would you like to help?" he said, and Katsumi accepted instantly.

The backyard was larger than expected as they walked out the rear door. Nature surrounded the house, and it was breathtaking. Even though the sun was burning hot that day, the trees helped to keep the environment cool.

They had to travel across the back door and down a track that led to the garden. It was larger than Katsumi had expected, and the soil had been plowed neatly into portions.

Namgyu began by teaching Katsumi the basics of seed planting.

"First, we make a row with the planting stick and trowel, then we plant the seeds in the row we just made, making sure there are spaces between each seed you sow."

Then, using the seed starter mix, pour the soil on top of the row and lightly tamp it with your hand. However, you could use the planting stick to speed up the process."

"Why don't we use ordinary soil?" Katsumi inquired.

"We could use it, but I learned that using a much lighter-weight soil could somehow quicken the growth process of the seed, and this seed starting mix is designed to hold a lot of moisture, which is important for growth."

You'd learn something new every day, and thanks to Namgyu, Katsumi had a basic understanding of how to begin planting. After all of the planting, they began watering the soil to begin the process of growth, and you'll be able to see the sprouts after a few days or so.

Despite the hard labor, Katsumi found herself having a lot of fun planting. The prospect of watching the youngsters grin at the plants after they were completely grown motivated the job, and either Katsumi or Namgyu were looking forward to that day.

After about two hours, they were able to sow every seed they had before the clock struck 11:30.

Namgyu huffed in delight as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

"All we have to do now is take care of them and watch them grow until they're ready to eat!" He joyfully said.

They both smiled and gave each other high-fives for their efforts. Subin had arrived and noticed their happiness, which made him smile as well.

"Job well done to the both of you!" he exclaims.

"Subin! Since when have you arrived?" Katsumi asked, smiling, as they both approached him.

"Just a minute ago," he said. "You both clean yourselves; ice cream awaits you at home!"

The two, like children, waddled back home and cleaned their suits before entering.