Jack strode with unsteady steps along the drizzly sidewalk that night. Having finished drinking with his boss, an empty, depressed feeling engulfed him. This feeling, typical of capitalist slaves, often haunted him after work.
As he passed in front of a small chicken restaurant, his gaze was drawn to a boy eating chicken with his family. The boy looked very happy, especially when he shared a piece of chicken with his younger sister.
The sight evoked old, almost forgotten memories. Jack was reminded of his simple childhood. He and his sister Nina used to stroll through the town square just to watch the adults eating fried chicken with gusto at the little roadside restaurant.
Back when Nina was little, with sparkling eyes, she often looked at the fried chicken expectantly. “Sis, when will we be able to eat fried chicken like them?” she asked innocently, showing that she really wanted to eat the fried chicken. Jack, who was also a child and couldn't make any money at that time, could only smile and comfort her. “Someday, Nina. When you grow up and have money, I'll buy you a lot of fried chicken,” he promised to comfort his sister.
Remembering that promise, Jack snapped out of his reverie. He immediately entered the chicken restaurant and bought several pieces of fried chicken. A feeling of nostalgia mixed with emotion filled his heart. He planned to call Nina and invite her to eat chicken together at home, hoping to redeem his childhood promise.
But unfortunately, when Jack got home and called his sister, Nina's voice on the phone sounded sorry. “Sorry, Sis, I can't come. I'm accompanying Auntie who has important business, I'm really sorry,” she said. Jack was disappointed, but he tried to understand. He realized that their lives were different now and they couldn't always be together like before. Especially since Nina was being cared for by their aunt, Nina would always try to help their aunt.
Jack sat alone in the dining room, in front of him were several pieces of fried chicken that reminded him of his childhood memories. He took a piece of chicken and bit into it slowly, feeling the mixture of salty and crunchy flavors on his tongue. However, that pleasure felt empty without Nina by his side. Jack looked at the piece of fried chicken in front of him with mixed feelings. Childhood memories with his sister came back to his mind. In the past, he always promised to buy his sister fried chicken when they grew up, but now there was only him alone in this dining room.
While Jack was engrossed in his thoughts, Lea was still standing where she was, watching intently. She watched Jack's every move, realizing how lonely and sad her husband was that night. Her little heart felt pity, but her ego and prestige were still too big to express those feelings directly. Wordlessly, he decided to come over to Jack.
“Why are you eating alone? You're making an inappropriate face in front of the food, did something happen to your gallbladder?” he asked in surprise.
Jack sighed and tried to hide his feelings. “It's okay, Lea. I just want to enjoy this meal alone. Please, no nagging this time,” he pleaded.
Lea, though usually stern, felt Jack's sadness this time. She sat in front of him and took a piece of chicken. “I want to eat too,” she said in a softer tone than usual. Jack looked at her, feeling surprised but also relieved that he wouldn't be listening to Lea's nagging like a market lady.
And his surprise was compounded when he saw that Lea was eating too. “Oh, am I not mistaken about this sight?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“You can see with your own eyes that I'm eating his fried chicken, doesn't that seem strange to you?” Lea replied sarcastically. However, behind that cynical tone, there was a hint of warmth that infiltrated between her words.
“I've never seen you eat fried chicken before,” Jack said in a slightly teasing tone, trying to hide his surprise.
“Yeah, it's probably the first time. Don't make me want to nag you, you're so weird,” Lea replied while chewing. But inside, Lea felt strange. There was a sense of comfort and calm when she saw that Jack was no longer alone at the table.
They both ate in silence. The usually awkward silence felt warmer this time. Lea, who usually felt annoyed with Jack, now saw another side of her husband that she had never realized before. Jack, on the other hand, felt Lea's presence as something soothing even though there was no meaningful conversation between them.
After a while, Jack put down the last chicken bone and looked at Lea. “Thank you,” he said quietly. The words came out of his mouth unplanned, but he truly felt grateful for Lea's presence that night.
Lea nodded, but said nothing. She was still in denial about her own feelings, but in her heart she felt good that she could make Jack feel a little better. Maybe, she thought, she could start paying attention to her husband more often.
That evening, after finishing their meal, Jack and Lea sat in the living room. Jack began to tell her about his childhood, about his sister who he always took care of and how he always promised to buy fried chicken for the two of them. Lea listened intently, something she rarely did before.
“My brother really wanted to eat fried chicken back then. But we had no money. I could only promise her that someday, I would buy it for her,” Jack said.
Lea felt the warmth in Jack's story. “And now you can fulfill that promise,” she said softly.
“Yes, but she can't come tonight,” Jack said, a little sad.
Lea sensed Jack's sadness and unconsciously reached out her hand, grasping Jack's gently. “Maybe next time he can come. And we can eat fried chicken together,” Lea said sincerely. I don't know what kind of angel had possessed Lea, making her capable of being many times more gentle in front of Jack right now.
Jack was surprised by Lea's gentleness, but he was grateful. Because he was feeling tired and didn't want to argue with Lea like usual.
“Lea if only you were possessed by an angel every day like this. Maybe I could really be at peace in my life,” Jack said.
And believe me those words successfully evoked unexpected anger from Lea. Where Lea immediately grabbed her husband's hair and returned to nagging as usual.