OL Ch 37

#4. A Liar’s Fleeting Moments

Chiiiik!

Hayun opened his eyes to the sound of steam escaping from the rice cooker. Six fifteen in the morning. Thanks to the timed cooking function, the rice cooker released steam at the designated time every morning. It was rather troublesome on days when it didn’t release steam. Because it meant he had gone to bed without setting the rice.

Hayun blinked, curled up, and hugged the blanket tightly. Even though he gathered the blanket as much as possible, it didn’t create the volume he desired. Because of that, he couldn’t get into the position he wanted. Hayun tossed and turned, then turned to the other side.

Not long after, his mother came out of the main bedroom, yawning. Along with the sound of the kitchen light turning on, Hayun opened his eyes slightly. Soon, the sound of preparing breakfast and the smell of food began to waft in. When his dad came out of the main bedroom, turned on the living room light, and went into the bathroom, the living room was no longer Hayun’s space.

Although he didn’t wake him up directly, his father turned on the TV as soon as he came out to the living room. He changed channels to watch the news and turned up the volume. At this point, he couldn’t sleep even if he wanted to.

“Did you sleep well, dad?”

“Yes.”

Hayun got up clumsily, tidied up his spot, and sat down. He got up, running his hands through his messy hair and face. He watched the news with hazy eyes, then helped his mother prepare breakfast. All he did was scoop rice and set the spoons, though.

Then he went to wake up Kijun. Because he was all grown up now and didn’t like being woken up by his mother or sister. In fact, he didn’t particularly like Hayun either. Because Kijun went to bed late for things other than studying, he hated everyone who came to wake him from his sweet morning sleep.

“Kim Kijun, wake up. Eat your breakfast.”

“Yeah…”

He answered right away, but he showed no signs of getting up. When Hayun shook him again, he shook his body in annoyance.

“Ah! I’ll get up on my own. Stop rushing me!”

“This little punk.”

Anger flared up, but Hayun took a deep breath. He wanted to hit him, but today was a busy day. He couldn’t start his day with a fight.

“Get up on your own. I definitely woke you up.”

Kijun waved his hand as if to tell him not to bother. Hayun pretended to raise his fist and left Kijun’s room.

Like twins, Jiha was also not awake. She said she would rather sleep a little more than eat breakfast.

“Haa, what is this every morning? They should starve properly at least once. They should know how precious it is to have food prepared for them. They spend all their money on snacks and then come begging me for money later.”

At his mother’s words, his father shook his head in agreement.

“And don’t keep giving the kids extra allowance when they ask for it. It spoils them.”

“Well, I don’t want to give it to them either. But what can I do when they say they need it urgently to buy supplies?”

“That’s all a trick.”

“Haa, I don’t have any money to spend on myself either. I’m out of allowance, too.”

At his father’s words asking for an advance on his allowance, his mother’s eyes narrowed. His mother scolded his father, saying that if they managed the household finances so loosely, they would end up like beggars.

“…..”

Hayun glanced at them while scooping the soup. He was planning to ask for some extra allowance in the way his mother had just pointed out.

‘I guess today’s not the day.’

He had saved up his allowance for today, but allowance was always better when there was more, wasn’t it? But judging from the way the conversation was going today, it seemed unlikely that he would get any extra allowance. Hayun gave up neatly and focused on his meal.

His mother cooked mixed grains, but she wasn’t a mixed grain fanatic like Baek Jinha. But she couldn’t just give mixed grains to someone. The grains were finely ground, so he couldn’t pick them out, and there was no one to eat them for him.

Hayun hesitated with his spoon, then deliberately took a big spoonful and stuffed it into his mouth. After a few times, the bowl was quickly empty. Not knowing that he had barely eaten, his mother asked if he wanted more. Hayun shook his head and put his empty bowl in the water.

He fled to the bathroom and took a moment to catch his breath. Was it because he had eaten too quickly? He was out of breath. Hayun leaned against the wall and caught his breath for a moment, then checked the clock in the corner of the bathroom. He didn’t have time to spare. But just as he was about to get up and hurry his preparations, his younger sister, Jiha, woke up.

“Are you going to eat? Do you want me to get you some food?”

“No. I’m not eating. If I eat now, I’ll be late.”

“You could have eaten when I woke you up. Have at least a spoonful of soup.”

“Ah, I said no.”

“And Hayun’s in the bathroom. Just have a spoonful in that time.”

“Ugh, why did Oppa have to go in now! I need to wash up!”

Jiha knocked on the bathroom door, saying that she needed to wash her long hair and at least dry it roughly. Unable to withstand her urging, Hayun came out of the bathroom with his toothbrush in his mouth.

“Sigh, such a temper. I really don’t know who she takes after. Hayun-ah, just use the main bedroom’s bathroom.”

“I think dad went in there.”

His mother smiled apologetically, telling him to go in and wash up together. Hayun pouted and went into the main bedroom. He nodded silently at his father’s question of whether he was kicked out, and his father patted him on the shoulder. Meanwhile, the sound of knocking on the living room bathroom door and Kijun’s annoyed voice could be heard.

Not long after, Kijun also opened the main bedroom bathroom door, grumbling. Hayun barely managed to finish washing up in the crowded bathroom.

“Haa, it’s a war every morning. A war.”

It would be nice if they woke up early and got ready. But they always just thought about it and never did it.

“Whew.”

Hayun let out a secret sigh and urged himself on. After checking the time, he put on his uniform and took the digital camera that was charging in the corner of the living room. He slung his heavy bag full of textbooks over his shoulder, then glanced around and took out half of the books.

‘Wallet, check. Phone, check. Portable charger… What else do I need to bring? Right, the bag.’

He thought of the supplies he had prepared in advance and counted them on his fingers one by one. After counting on his fingers, he went into the empty bathroom and checked his face. He wiped his face once and ruffled his hair.

All three of them had different routes to school, so Hayun, who had finished his preparations, left the house first. He glanced back at his father, feeling the lack of allowance, but his father seemed too busy to notice.

“I’m off!”

“Okay, be careful of cars!”

“Yes!”

When he came outside, the lingering smell of dawn greeted Hayun. Fearing that the twins might catch up to him, Hayun started running. His ears and cheeks turned red from the cold wind, but he didn’t care. He ran quickly and entered a subway station that the twins wouldn’t pass through. He put the extra bag and digital camera in a subway locker and came out casually.

Then he headed to school along the now-familiar path. He greeted familiar faces he met along the way and entered the classroom. Even after sitting down in his seat, Hayun kept glancing at the clock.

After the first period, Hayun quietly slipped out of school. He went to the subway station he had stopped at earlier and retrieved the extra bag and camera. Hayun slung the bag over his shoulder and checked his savings at a nearby bank ATM.

“Geez.”

‘I used to use Mookyeong’s money when I ran out of allowance, so it was fine.’

The glorious past when Baek Mookyeong’s things were his things, and his things were his things.

Now his allowance had been reduced, and he had no other source of money. He was reluctant to ask for more allowance when he knew that a lot of money was being spent on him. So every time he was short on money, he withdrew money from his bank account, and now only crumbs were left.

Hayun withdrew the remaining crumbs. He counted the bills he had left in his wallet and sighed softly.

‘Alright, let’s go.’

Today was Mookyeong’s graduation day. Because it was an educational institution for psychics, they checked the entry qualifications, but unlike usual, if you could prove that you were family, you could enter the school grounds. Perhaps because of that, the graduation ceremony there was not much different from other regular schools.

Near the school and on the streets, they were selling bouquets to celebrate graduation. Hayun took a quick look around and bought the most plausible bouquet within his pre-allocated budget. His heart pounded, wondering if he would run into someone he knew. If the old Baek Mookyeong knew how much effort he put into buying this one bouquet, he would have laughed, holding his stomach.

Well, if everything were the same as before, Hayun wouldn’t have had to buy it.

‘I would have been graduating today too.’

Then Mookyeong would probably have prepared the flowers. Whether they graduated together or not, whatever. Both Baek Jinha and Seo Iju were busy people, but at least one of them would have come. They never missed events like this. Even if they were really busy, they would have come for a moment to take a picture.

Yes, they would have.

The thought that they would have led Hayun’s steps today. In fact, there was no place as uncomfortable for Hayun as this place now. Because he knew what people who knew him were whispering behind his back. It wasn’t true, but he couldn’t make excuses.

And now he sometimes thought that they might be right.

‘That I abandoned Mookyeong and ran away.’

Even if he was closing the door to block the monsters, he wasn’t by his side, was he?

‘Let’s not think about anything today. I came to congratulate Mookyeong.’

He had no time to think depressing thoughts. More than anything, it was urgent to get into the school. Even though it was a graduation ceremony, only immediate family members with confirmed identities could visit.

As expected, at the main gate, they checked the entry qualifications through a list submitted in advance, so Hayun couldn’t enter.

‘I told him so.’

Hayun had been asking Mookyeong for months to add him to the graduation ceremony attendance list. He had never heard an answer, but still…

‘I had a little hope.’

Hayun loitered around the area where the [door] he used to frequent was. It was always a place where people were scarce. There were several [doors] clustered together, and people instinctively avoided such places. So Hayun used to use this place when he had to sneak in and out of school.

But now he couldn’t open the door, and the fence blocked Hayun. It wasn’t so high that he couldn’t climb over if he lightened his body, but the problem was if he got caught.

‘I wish he would come out.’

Hayun sent a text message to Mookyeong. He said that he had come and wanted to give him a bouquet, so please come here. There was no reply, so he didn’t even know if he had checked the text message.

‘He shouldn’t be sitting alone without a bouquet.’

Considering Baek Mookyeong’s size, it was a bit funny to imagine him sitting alone. But the humor was immediately followed by pity. Hayun fiddled with the bouquet’s wrapping to soothe his anxious heart. At that moment, he sensed someone’s presence beyond the fence, and soon the smell of cigarettes wafted in.

Hayun held his breath as much as possible, grabbed the fence, and pulled himself up. When he glanced down, he saw a familiar face. Just then, the other person noticed Hayun’s presence, and their eyes met.

“Huh? You.”

“…..!”