The neighbor woman opened the door immediately. She was the same one who had been the loudest and most vocal in reprimanding Captain earlier. Now, seeing him standing there, her face instantly displayed a look of disdain.
Captain sighed inwardly at this, feeling extremely frustrated. But he had no choice but to swallow his pride, pretending not to notice her attitude as he spoke:
"Could I ask you to buy some clothes for my granddaughter?"
Hearing that, the woman's expression softened a little, and she replied:
"Well, since you asked, I suppose I'll help. After all, that's what neighbors are for. It's only right to look out for each other."
Despite her condescending tone and passive-aggressive words, Captain had to grit his teeth and force a smile, thanking her as if he hadn't noticed anything.
Then, the two of them set out toward the main road.
As they walked, the woman didn't stop talking.
"You're doing the right thing. As a grandfather, you should take care of your granddaughter. How could you just let her be? The poor thing's already lost her parents. She only has you now."
"She's such a well-behaved, sweet child. It's good she's staying with you. You never know what might happen in old age."
"She must be around seventeen or eighteen, right? Do you know what happened to her parents?"
"…"
The woman continued to ramble on like this, and Captain would occasionally respond with a noncommittal "hmm" or "oh." Most of the time, though, he just let her voice wash over him like background noise.
Before long, they reached the busy street filled with clothing shops. Just as Captain was about to pick a store to enter, his gaze was drawn to the police station.
There was a large crowd gathered there.
Captain paused and squinted, noticing a luxurious car parked in front of the station. At that moment, three people emerged from the building—a woman in the center was crying uncontrollably, her face streaked with tears. She looked utterly exhausted, so much so that she could barely walk and had to be supported by a man and a young girl beside her. The man, presumably her husband, had a deeply sorrowful expression, while the girl, who looked no older than seventeen or eighteen, appeared to be their daughter.
Seeing Captain standing there and staring at the police station, the neighbor lady, who had walked ahead, stopped and looked back at him, squinting in curiosity.
She hurried over to where Captain was.
"What are you staring at? Come on, let's go."
Captain continued to squint at the scene, asking:
"Do you know what's going on over there?"
"Oh, it's the Kimberly family's missing daughter case. Tsk tsk, it's so dangerous for young girls these days. You'd better keep a close eye on your granddaughter too."
Captain murmured in response, feeling a strange unease rising in his chest. But before he could dwell on it, the neighbor woman urged him again:
"Come on, I still have to get home and cook."
He nodded, tearing his gaze away from the police station as they resumed their walk.
__________
When Captain returned home, Umee was still obediently sitting on the sofa.
He lugged several bags of clothing into the house, placing them on the floor.
Seeing her disheveled appearance, covered in mud and still soaking wet, he said:
"Just pick a set and go take a bath to clean yourself up."
Then, stretching his back, he headed to his room.
Umee turned around and approached the pile of clothes Captain had bought. She was surprised at how much he had gotten. She felt deeply touched and thought to herself that she'd have to work hard from now on, doing the house chores and taking care of Captain to repay his kindness.
Umee picked up the clothes and went to take a shower.
After finishing her bath, Umee decided she wanted to cook a meal to thank Captain. But when she entered the kitchen and opened the fridge, she found it completely empty.
She looked down and noticed that the fridge wasn't even plugged in, indicating it hadn't been used in a long time.
She glanced around the kitchen. Though it was tidy and well-organized, there were no signs of cooking—no gas canister, nothing.
"…"
Just then, Captain walked out of his room and stopped in his tracks when he saw her standing there. He hastily spoke:
"Um, are you hungry?"
But then he suddenly realized—how could a corpse feel hunger? Yet, Umee didn't seem to be aware that she was no longer alive. Seeing her innocent expression, Captain couldn't bring himself to make her feel out of place, so he decided to keep up the pretense of normal human routines to "deceive" her.
Meanwhile, Umee wondered to herself if this old man didn't eat regular meals.
Shouldn't elderly people have lots of milk, snacks, and healthy supplements in the fridge?
Why was there absolutely nothing edible in this house?
"Ah… usually, I order takeout. You know, being old and frail, my hands shake too much to cook."
Captain quickly pulled out his phone and asked Umee:
"What would you like to eat? I'll order something."
"I…" Umee's eyes were filled with doubt as she looked at Captain. After thinking for a moment, she replied:
"I'll have whatever you're having."
______
It didn't take long for the food to arrive.
Captain went out to pick up the delivery. A moment later, he returned with a bunch of takeout bags, setting them on the table. There was cola chicken wings, pizza, hamburgers, and fries.
Umee's eyes widened in surprise.
"Didn't I say I'd eat whatever you're eating?"
Captain acted nonchalantly.
"Yes, and that's what I ordered."
"You eat this stuff?"
"Yes." Seeing Umee's incredulous look, Captain asked:
"What's so strange?"
Umee narrowed her eyes and glanced at him suspiciously before answering:
"Aren't old people supposed to eat soft foods because they lose their teeth?"
Captain's hand froze as he opened one of the takeout boxes, sweat breaking out on his forehead.
"I… have dentures."
"Oh."
To his surprise, Umee seemed to accept this explanation without question, and she picked up a hamburger.
"But eating too much junk food is bad for your health. Older people like you are prone to obesity, diabetes, and fatty liver."
Internally, Captain thought, *This girl—just eat quietly, will you? Why do you have so much to say?*
They began eating in silence, each keeping to their own portion. The atmosphere felt tense, even a bit awkward. To ease the discomfort, Captain grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, letting it play just to break the silence.
But as soon as the TV was on, Umee couldn't help but ask:
"You watch this? Don't elderly people usually like to watch news or weather forecasts?"
Captain barely held back his frustration, grinding his teeth as he replied:
"I may be old, but my spirit is still young, alright? Why do you talk so much? Eat quietly! If you keep asking questions, I'll lose my voice answering, and then they'll send you off to an orphanage, got it?!"
Umee fell silent, not daring to utter another word.
_________
That night, the endless stream of questions from Umee resumed.
She wandered around the house, then looked at Captain, who was about to enter his bedroom. Umee approached and lightly tugged at his sleeve.
He turned back, his face twisted in a frown, with the words "Here we go again, more questions" practically written across his forehead, ready to explode at any moment.