The ten year old boy stared lazily at the plate in front of him. Same menu as this morning. Only rice, fried eggs and a little sweet soy sauce.
Every day is the same. It doesn't matter it's morning, afternoon, or night. Ryushin is always given his papa processed from eggs to be used as side dishes.
Sometimes egg rolls, sometimes fried eggs, omelettes, sometimes boiled eggs. Therefore, from any perspective, Ryushin looks like an egg. Oval round.
Sometimes, it was only the end of the month that Ryushin felt really good at eating. There is nothing better than instant noodles plus eggs. Isn't that right? eggs again.
"Why only pay attention to the food? Hurry up and eat and sleep, Shin?" ordered the handsome young man in his early twenty-five years, Jangjun.
Jangjun sat in front of the boy who was ten years old earlier, his son.
Cold sweat poured down from the temples of the man who was still wearing dirty clothes.
Well, Jangjun just came back from work. Being a coolie lifting goods is Jangjun's side job apart from working at the cafe at night.
Besides that, sometimes Jangjun was a construction worker during the day. Counting the coins Jangjun managed to collect today, the man then looked at his son again.
"Papa has often said that, right? Don't ever be picky about food! Be grateful that Shin can still eat even though it's only a side dish of eggs," said Jangjun.
In fact Jangjun's heart was crying. Jangjun feels like a useless papa.
In fact, just to buy chickens for his only son Jangjun couldn't afford.
Jangjun's hard work has only been enough to pay for the rent on the house, his son's school fees and a small amount of groceries.
"Papa?"
"Hmm?"
"Have you never felt guilty?" asked the ten year old boy. Ryushin's name.
Jangjun, the papa, was silent. Inwardly Jangjun replied, 'Yes, My Son. Papa feels very guilty for you. Papa is a useless old man. '
However, instead of revealing that, Jangjun would rather ignore his son's question. Go back to count the coins.
"I'm not sure Papa will think the same way I do. This is a complete crime, Papa!"
Ryushin said a little harshly. Ryushin didn't mean to be impudent, but for some reason he was very angry at his papa tonight.
In fact, Ryushin's eyes looked teary due to the anger he kept.
Jangjun was not a patient person. Jangjun often got out of control and hit Ryushin, even though in the end Jangjun was very sorry.
"What do you mean, Shin ?!" Jangjun snapped.
Jangjun walked closer to Ryushin. Jangjun gripped his son's arms. The tiredness and sleepiness had made him emotional.
Ryushin bit his lip, endured the pain in his arm. Not daring to look into his papa's eyes, Ryushin turned his gaze in another direction.
"What do you mean, I'm a criminal ?! Right, I'm a criminal. Does Ryushin regret staying with Papa?" Jangjun snapped. He tightened his grip even more.
Ryushin grimaced in pain. No matter how hard his life is, Ryushin promises he will never cry. Ryushin wants to look cool like his grandfather.
"Papa, I'm sorry! I didn't mean like that. Let go, Pa! It hurts," Ryushin said.
Jangjun took a deep breath. Jangjun shouldn't have vented his anger like that.
Ryushin is growing well, Jangjun should have been grateful about that.
If you remember Ryushin at birth only weighed only 1.4 kg, Jangjun should have realized. Is it because Ryushin has grown big and a little bit fat, that makes Jangjun have the right to hit him?
"Ah, forget it!"
Jangjun pulled his hand from Ryushin's arm.
Jangjun rubbed his face roughly, regretfully.
"Papa?" called Ryushin while pulling the bottom edge of Jangjunn's shirt.
"What is wrong?" replied Jangjun.
"Thank you," said Ryushin.
A little scared, but Ryushin tried to be more open with his papa. At that early age, Ryushin had understood his papa's suffering.
"What for?" asked Jangjun softly. Jangjun started to control his emotions now. He sat beside Ryushin.
"At first Shin thought that Papa always cooked chicken eggs was a crime," Ryushin said so quietly. Afraid of being scolded by his papa again.
"Why?" Jangjun jumped a little.
Cook eggs? Criminal? Does that mean that criminal for him isn't an act of murder or something?
Ha ha ha ha ...
Jaangjun laughs at his stupidity in heart. Why did Jangjun get so stupid earlier? Supposedly, Jangjun listened to Ryushin's words until it was finished first.
"Then?" Jangjun gently rubbed the tip of his son's head.
Ryushin lifted the omelet that was on his plate, then said,
"Now Shin realizes, Papa, that eggs are special food. There is a small life in it that has no chance to see the world.
Its purity has never been touched by the outside world. A short lived grief, a high protein mixture of flesh, bones and skin. Purity and tragedy were good nutrition for my growing up years, Papa. Shin was really grateful for it all. "
Instantly it was as if Jangjun saw the shadow of a crying chick.
"Chirp chirp chirp! Don't eat me ... chirp chirp! Let me live and see the world of chirp chirp!"
Jangjun gasped. He threw away the egg that Ryushin was holding earlier.
"Akh, shit! Starting tomorrow Papa promise not to cook eggs again, Shin!" said Jangjun as he walked to his room.
Ryushin stared at his papa's back until it disappeared behind the bedroom door. Ryushin pulled the right corner of his lips.
Ryushin murmured, "Hehehehe you crap Papa! I know you never thought of that, did you?"
And since then Ryushin started learning to cook by himself.
With a cookbook that Ryushin borrowed from the neighbor's aunt, Ryushin started preparing meals almost every day.
To be continued ....