OL Ch 48

Even as he was leaving the house, he had intended to spend the night at a PC cafe, but once he was out in the cold air, he wanted to go home rather than to a stuffy PC cafe.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen Mom.’

His tight wallet also played a part. When the curfew approached, PC cafe owners sent everyone home except for those who were staying overnight. Then they lowered the building’s blast shields and continued to operate, but from that time until the curfew was lifted, a late-night surcharge was added.

The surcharge had to be paid in advance, and for safety reasons, he couldn’t leave in the middle.

‘I’d rather go home and have a warm home-cooked meal.’

He debated whether to call before going, but he was afraid it would be awkward, so he just went. He was worried because he didn’t have a key card, but fortunately, his family was home, so he could get in right away.

“Hayun-ah, what’s up?”

“What do you mean, what’s up? I came because I missed you, Mom.”

“You should have called. I would have made something delicious.”

“I’ll eat well even if you just give me rice in cold water and kimchi.”

“Are you sure Mookyeong isn’t starving you?”

“Oh, come on, Mom. He’s Korean too. How can a Korean not feed his friend? I’m just saying that no matter what I eat, your food is the best.”

“Well, you talk a lot with that open mouth of yours.”

Inyeong lightly pinched Hayun’s lips and let go.

“Let’s go inside instead of standing here.”

“Yes.”

Hayun went inside, put down his bag in the corner of the living room, and washed his hands. As he was loitering in the kitchen, offering to help with dinner, he heard the door open, and his younger brother, Kijun, came in. Without a word of greeting, Kijun stumbled into the living room and flopped onto the sofa.

The way he was breathing heavily, it was obvious he was drunk.

Hayun and Inyeong looked at each other and shrugged.

“Why is he so drunk so early in the evening?”

“Kijun is worried about the army these days. Jiha is calm, saying it’s something she has to do.”

Since they were twins, their enlistment times were similar. It seemed that Kijun had tried to postpone it, but it hadn’t worked out.

In any case, the thought of sending two children to the army seemed to make Inyeong just as worried.

Meanwhile, Kijun was mumbling with his face buried in the sofa. He couldn’t understand anything, but judging from the way he occasionally kicked his feet, he seemed to be on the verge of dying from injustice.

“Mom, I’m home! Huh? We have a guest? I haven’t seen those shoes before.”

The sound of the door lock opening was heard again, and this time, his younger sister, Jiha, appeared. Her hair was bobbed just below her ears, as if she were preparing for the army.

“Huh? Oppa is here?”

“It’s been a while. I heard your enlistment date is set. You’ve grown up so much, you little thing.”

“What are you talking about? I haven’t grown since middle school.”

Jiha playfully tapped Hayun’s arm. Then, Kijun, who had been mumbling, sat up straight.

“Hey, what guest? I’m your older brother, you punk!”

Like a drunk person, there was no context, and his voice was loud. Seeing this, Jiha tutted.

“Oh, that punk came home drunk from dinner. Tsk, tsk, tsk, oh my.”

“Jiha-yah! Pretty words.”

When Inyeong scolded her, Jiha pretended to cover her lips and widened her eyes. Inyeong narrowed her eyes at Jiha and then chuckled. Then she said the stew was boiling and went into the kitchen. Hayun was also about to go into the kitchen to help Inyeong, but Kijun called Jiha, who was about to go into her room.

“Hey, your older brother is talking. Where do you think you’re going, ignoring him?”

“Hey, what older brother? You’re my twin. And you were sent out first to test if it was safe outside when I was born. You know?”

“What, you punk?”

“What do you mean, what?”

“Tsk. This is funny. If Dad passes away in our house, I, I am the head of this family. How dare you be so rude to your great older brother. Huh?”

“Oh, you crazy punk. What head of the family are you when your older brother is here? And Mom and I can take care of ourselves. You just worry about yourself. You can’t even do anything with your own two hands. You should know that I’m being nice today because oppa and Mom are here.”

“Oh, you punk.”

Jiha tutted and went into the bathroom. She washed her hands as if she didn’t care what Kijun was babbling about.

“I said come here! You’re not listening to your older brother?!”

Kijun started to cry, upset that Jiha wasn’t listening to him. Seeing him sniffle and wipe his eyes, Jiha shook her head.

“What, what! Oh my god, you’re really something else. Kim Kijun. You’re really something else.”

Jiha looked down on Kijun, but she also played along with him.

Kijun was so drunk that he kept nodding his head and opening his mouth.

“When I- When I go to the army, p-please take care of our parents. Sob. Instead, when I come back, I. Sob. I’ll be a proper head of the family.”

“…My enlistment date is earlier than yours.”

“You’re a girl, so you only have to serve a little. You’ll just be dispatched to shelters or places like that.”

“It’s only a few months difference…”

Drunk on his own sadness, Kijun began to wail.

“Are you worried about our parents? Don’t worry too much. We have oppa too.”

“Oh, fuck, why are you talking about that punk?”

“Oh, really.”

“Fuck, you have to get your facts straight. Why would you trust a punk who abandoned his family and ran away from home for a guy?”

“…..”

Inyeong and Jiha both shut their mouths at the same time. Then they looked at Hayun, who was standing at the border between the kitchen and the living room. Hayun looked at Kijun with an expressionless face. Kijun noticed Hayun’s gaze and narrowed his eyes.

“What, did I say something wrong?”

“…..”

“Did I say something wrong, huh? It must have been pretty good to be with that punk…!”

“This punk.”

He couldn’t listen anymore. Hayun, who had approached the sofa where Kijun was sitting in an instant, grabbed Kijun by the collar and pulled him out. When he pulled him with strong force, Kijun couldn’t react and fell off the sofa. Hayun immediately pushed Kijun’s shoulder to make him lie on his stomach and twisted his right arm behind his back. When he put his weight on his waist and bent his left leg, Kijun, who couldn’t move at all, screamed.

“Let go of me, let go! Mom! Mom!”

“Hayun-ah!”

“Oppa! What’s wrong, don’t do it!”

“Why, say more.”

“Fuck, I said let go!”

No matter how much Hayun had lost his psychic powers, he had been trained in martial arts under Baek Jinha until he was seventeen. From Baek Jinha’s or Baek Mookyeong’s perspective, they just thought he had learned simple self-defense, but it wasn’t difficult to subdue an unsuspecting civilian.

“…You! You!”

Kijun’s face turned red. He struggled and twisted his body, but he couldn’t escape from Hayun’s hands. He screamed to get away, and when it seemed like it wouldn’t work, he poured out the words he had been holding in.

“Am I wrong? You abandoned your family to go to that punk.”

“When did I abandon my family?”

“Then isn’t that abandoning them? When did we ever say to go? You acted like you were the most unfortunate person in the world and made everyone around you feel guilty. You tore our parents’ hearts and made them unable to oppose you. And then you left!”

“…..”

“You’re not even worth having in our house. And while we’re on the subject.”

Kijun struggled again. He turned his body halfway, but his captured arm hurt, so he went back. He slammed his forehead on the floor and panted.

“Let’s at least live like human beings.”

“…..”

“Live with some shame. You’re living in that house as you please, right? He still doesn’t recognize you, does he? Do you still think you’re part of the Baek family? Get a grip. You’re a Kim. Your name is Kim Hayun.”

A look of disgust stained his eyes as he looked Hayun up and down.

“Kim Kijun, stop it! Can’t you stop? Kim Hayun, you get off of Kijun too!”

“Yeah, stop it. Oppa, stop it!”

Inyeong and Jiha intervened and separated Hayun and Kijun, but they didn’t take their eyes off each other.

“Are you doing this because you think you’ll get some scraps if you stick around like before? Is that why you’re enduring the beatings?”

At Kijun’s words, Hayun’s heart sank. He clenched his teeth, forgetting to breathe.

“If it were me, I would hate and be disgusted by a dark-haired guy who came to me when I had no memory, crying and clinging to me. No matter how much you try to sugarcoat it, it’s not what you think it is. It’s obsession and stubbornness. In other words, Baek Mookyeong, that guy, has no problem living even if he’s lost his memory, right? Because he just forgot you.”

“…..”

“Why, are you speechless because I’m right? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“This punk.”

“He’s fine without you! You just worry about yourself! It’s not the time to worry about others, you’re in deep trouble yourself!”

He had to tell him not to be like that, but the words wouldn’t come out. Perhaps it was because Kijun had scratched the part he had been hiding and pretending not to know all along. In an instant, his anger rose to the top of his head, and his vision went dark.

Hayun, without realizing it, grabbed Kijun by the collar and raised his fist.

“…!”

The tense faces of his younger sister, Jiha, and his mother, Inyeong, were reflected in the living room window. And only then did he see Kijun, who had closed his eyes tightly and flinched. Hayun swallowed hard as if to suppress his anger and lowered his fist. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down. His eyes and cheeks were burning.

He had to move before his rushing emotions could be sorted and defined. Hayun hurriedly slung the bag he had thrown down over his shoulder again.

“Hayun-ah, Hayun-ah!”

Hayun grabbed Inyeong’s hand, which was holding him, and lowered it.

“…..”

He couldn’t say anything and just swallowed. He felt like if he didn’t swallow something, bad things would come out of his mouth. Hayun turned around again and stuffed his feet into his shoes.

“A punk who can’t even hit, just puts on a show.”

“Kijun-ah! Why are you like this! Really!”

“What am I? I didn’t say anything wrong. Mom and Dad also thought he was pathetic for not being able to act like a person. Am I wrong? Am I wrong?”

“When did Mom and Dad say that! When did they say that! They were just worried!”

“I’m the same. I’m family, so I’m worried. Why would I say this if I were a stranger? I’m telling him to get a grip because he’s family.”

He couldn’t listen anymore. He hadn’t even put on one of his shoes properly, but Hayun immediately unlocked the door. As Hayun rushed out, Inyeong followed him.

“Hayun-ah, Hayun-ah. Wait a minute. Mom and Dad didn’t say what you’re thinking. They were just worried because you’re living at Mookyeong’s house, not ours. They just said they should give you a room.”

“…..”

His chest churned. Hayun held his breath to stop his heaving chest. The elevator, which was two floors away, felt slower than usual today.

“And Kijun is sensitive because he’s about to enlist. He likes you. He asks about you more often than Jiha.”

The elevator finally arrived. As soon as the door opened, Hayun entered the elevator. As he was pressing the floor number with his head down, he saw Inyeong’s feet, which she hadn’t even put on shoes for.

“…At least eat something before you go. I’ll put it in Kijun’s room.”

At Inyeong’s desperate words, Hayun bit his lip. After hesitating for a long time, he looked up and saw Inyeong’s face full of apology.

He couldn’t, he couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Mom, I’m sorry.”

His voice was trembling, and it felt like it wasn’t his own. Hayun couldn’t look Inyeong in the eye and lowered his head. The useless drops of water that had been dangling from his eyes fell down.

“…..”

“I’ll come again next time.”

At Hayun’s greeting, Inyeong’s hand, which was holding the elevator, fell away.

“Okay, come whenever you have time. I’ll make something delicious.”

As he nodded, the elevator door closed. As the elevator started to go down, Hayun’s chest heaved greatly. As if one or two drops were nothing, teardrops fell down.

Even though he wasn’t particularly upset or sad, the tears wouldn’t stop.