I’ll Just Be Friends With My Ex-Husband - Chapter 6.1

“Big kids! Now, the two of you should start holding hands. You too, Lulu, you already said I love you to your older brother, you can go together, right? You’ll be thankful to be right behind him. I’m going to watch you from behind. If any of you let go of each other’s hand, both of you will go around one more time.”

Ugh.

That’s not it, mom. I can see you smiling evilly.

I tried to look at my mom like a puppy asking for forgiveness, but my mother never even glanced at me.

Eventually, I was kicked out with my enemy. I wiped my lips.

Crazy.

“It’s your fault, older brother.”

“It’s because of you.”

We glared at each other, but both of us knew that if we started a fight, we would be in big trouble.

I was forced to walk toward the village with my brother.

I can’t believe I’m holding my brother’s hand at this age.

Yeah, this is only trivial. Let’s think about something else.

First, about Nisephor.

I think this would be too much for me alone. I need to find out about the disease and a doctor who could help us. I need someone else to help me. I glanced at my brother and he looked back at me.

“What?”

“Older brother.”

Instead of having a brain that aced so many things in life, Alexid was rather simple. In short, it’s easy to handle and deceive him.

Isn’t it too easy to deceive a 10-year-old as a 30-year-old?

“Why?”

“I had a dream.”

“What’s wrong with your dream?” Alexid expressed curiosity.

“It was a really scary dream.”

“What kind of dream was it?”

“A dream where our dad is sick and dying.”

“What?”

He stopped walking with a shocked face. His mouth dropped and he was about to burst into tears.

Alexid was full of emotions when he was young. Shivering, Alexid shouted “No! Father is the strongest in the world!”

I thought so, too.

“I thought I was going to die first because I dated a man two years younger than me. I didn’t know I would end up taking care of myself. What if your dad dies and I’ll end up alone?” The face of my mother, who said those words with a bitter smile, came to my mind vividly.

“You have to protect your mom more than your dad.” I had said these words to myself.

There was a time when I thought my dad would live forever.

Like Alexid thought right now.

“In my dream. It only happened in my dream”.

Only then did Alexid sigh deeply.

After my dad was diagnosed with the disease, I saw him cry first.

I won’t let you cry, Alexid, so listen to me.

You peanut kid of a punk.

“What if my dream comes true?”

“What?”

“That’s why we should protect our dad. What do you think?

“. . . How?”

I could see him getting into the bait.

Good. Unfortunately, you should continue to be baited.

“We should monitor our dad.”

“Monitor?”

He nodded.

The disease, Nisephor’s infection, was not known until I was 30. However, I came to know later on that getting a vaccine before or immediately after the infection can prevent the onset of the disease.

Still, they were only research papers.

I found it out as 29-year-old Louella and 31-year-old Alexid.

I was suddenly hit with reality.

What can I do with a 10-year-old kid? When he couldn’t find a solution even though he was thirty one years old back then?

I pout my lips as soon as I look at my brother gently.

“What?”

This kid, really—

He was still the same old peanut Alexid. Still so rude!

I think I need a moment to think, so it would be better to let go of my brother first. I smiled and whispered to my brother.

“My legs hurt.”

“So what?”

My brother’s eyebrows wriggled.

“Carry me on your back. Please?”

I fell to the ground. This was the way I used to use whenever I wanted to ask my brother to do something when I was young.

When I spread my arms toward my brother, Alexid turned pale.

“Hey! How can I carry a pig on my back?”

“Oppa? I’ll tell our dad”.

“You’re so mean!”

Alexid, whose face turned red, turned around and helped me up. Then he sat down on a nearby bench and said. “I’ll get some water to drink, so you stay here. Okay? Your legs won’t hurt if you drink water.”

“Okay.”

That’s what I wanted, you peanut.

I waved to my brother, who kept looking back because he thought I was anxious to be left alone.

He had something to fear now as a ten-year-old, I thought he would do well as I said.

I’m eight years old now. And next year, I’ll be nine years old.

In around twenty years, my father will be infected with Nisephor somewhere. Alexid and I had went to the Hwanglip Library to find a way to treat our dad and stayed up all night.

I heard that members of the family work well together only in emergencies.

We were exactly that pair.

Anyway, my brother and I went back and forth to the library without any results. I’ve been working on all manner of research papers and academic journals . . .