Page 89 of Perfect Happiness

“That’s because Grandma’s house is an apartment.Grandma’s room is right next to mine.And so is yours, Auntie.But here I sleep alone on the second floor.And the room across from me is Noah’s.I see his room as soon as I open my door.That’s why—”

Jiyoo stopped again mid-sentence.But this time, it didn’t sound like she was afraid of saying something off-limits.It sounded like she was contemplating whether to tell Jane the truth.Jane decided to help Jiyoo:

“You’ve been having dreams, huh?”

“Yes.Noah comes out of his room and keeps knocking on my door.He screams at me, asking for his soccer ball.”

Jane had already heard about the soccer ball incident from Jiyoo.Even though Jane told Jiyoo it wasn’t her fault, Jiyoo continued to blame herself.She seemed to believe that if she had given him back his ball, he wouldn’t have had that asthma attack.And if he hadn’t had that asthma attack, he wouldn’t have died.The nightmare about the soccer ball had to be a result of her guilt.Jane offered her a solution.

“How about asking your mother to change rooms with you?”

“No, that won’t work.”

Jane didn’t ask why.She didn’t need to.Yuna never allowed her decisions to be changed by another person’s will.Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that she despised the will of others.Jiyoo had probably picked up on this from years of experience.Jane offered an alternative solution.

“Then should I bring you Dad Puppet?”

“Yes.”

Jiyoo’s response came out of her mouth like a bullet.

“If you want to come,” Jiyoo added suddenly, as though she felt embarrassed for revealing her true intentions so easily.

Jane needed to go to Cheongyeon for something else anyway.But now that she also needed to bring Jiyoo her puppet, she had no choice but to drop by the house.The only problem was that she needed to give Jiyoo the puppet without Yuna’s knowing.

“Jiyoo, is your mother home?”

“No.”

“What about your stepfather?”

“No, he’s not home either.”

Jane looked at the clock.10:50.She quickly calculated the time it would take to get there.Five minutes to the gas station, five minutes to fill up, and then an hour to Cheongyeon.

“I’ll be there by noon.”

“But Auntie, do you know where Dad Puppet is?”

“I do.”

Jane arrived outside Yuna’s house a few minutes past noon.She was five minutes late because she stopped at McDonald’s.After parking across the street, Jane got out of the car with Dad Puppet and a Happy Meal.

The weather that day was unusually windy and cold.Even the sky was an ashen color.Dead leaves were tumbling across the house’s blue roof.Perhaps it would snow later today.

Jane ran across the street.She even ran up the front steps.The front door was opening just as she approached it.Jiyoo ran outside.She jumped into Jane’s arms and let out a small cheer.

“Auntie!”

Jane reflexively pressed Jiyoo into her chest.

“Auntie, Auntie, Auntie—”

Jiyoo wrapped her arms around Jane’s waist and buried her cheek in Jane’s ribs as she continued to call out to her.Just like last Monday when Jane came to pick her up from preschool, Jiyoo’s calls sounded like a feeble whimper.Jane glanced up at the second-story window.Three windows lined the wall of the house.

Which belonged to Jiyoo’s room?Whichever one it was, Jane was sure that Jiyoo had been staring out her window waiting for Jane.Five minutes would have felt like fifty to her.Jiyoo had run out in her bare feet and was dressed in a white dress that revealed her white ankles.

“I thought you were never coming.”