Not Imprisonment, but Living Together (8)
Silence fell as our conversation ended. Sa Hae-geon’s mother seemed to be deeply contemplating something while drinking her tea, and I kept shifting uncomfortably on the sofa, trying to read the situation. Finally, I made eye contact with Sa Hae-geon’s mother again.
“Thank you for the tea. Then, as you suggested, I’ll go to Hae-geon’s room now.”
When I cautiously stood up and said this, Sa Hae-geon’s mother put down her teacup with wide eyes.
“Oh my, I’ve been keeping you here without any consideration. I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“That’s good then. Oh, wait! Goodness, I’m sorry for keeping you again.”
Sa Hae-geon’s mother, who seemed about to let me go, suddenly clapped her hands and looked at me. Seeing her sparkling eyes, I was struck with an ominous feeling.
“Do-min, did you really mean it when you said you wanted to work with our Hae-geon at the Central Center?”
I never expected her to directly ask about what I had said merely as a courtesy. But I couldn’t just shake my head and deny it now, so I decided to answer as naturally as possible.
“…Yes. Unlike most Espers, Hae-geon has a nice personality and is humble these days. Although he’s younger than me, I think he’s someone I could learn a lot from.”
Sa Hae-geon’s mother looked a bit surprised, then gave a gentle smile. She seemed quite satisfied with my response.
“Thank you. Though Hae-geon is my son, he’s… how should I say it, he doesn’t talk much and is rather stiff, so honestly, I’ve always worried if he could even make friends. But I’m so happy that you think well of him. It’s reassuring.”
“It’s nothing. I was just stating the facts.”
“Oh, thank you. …Wait. Were you assigned to Field Team 1 at the Central Center, Do-min?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“There’s no Esper position open there now, is there?”
“Ah, yes. After that incident… Hae-geon was also quite disappointed about it. But the Esper Center Director is very firm on the matter, so there’s nothing we can do about it…”
“That’s what I heard. Hmm, with you there, our Hae-geon should be fine, so it might be time to register him as an ability user. Oh, and I’ll try to create a position specifically in Field Team 1 at the Central Center, so don’t worry too much.”
“…What?”
My eyes widened at this unexpected statement. She’s going to create a position…? That means placing Sa Hae-geon in Field Team 1 at the Central Center…?
I was so shocked I could barely close my mouth.
“You don’t need to thank me so much. If anything, I’m more grateful to you, Do-min. Oh my, Hae-geon must be waiting. I’ve kept you too long. I’m sorry. I’ll see you again at mealtime.”
“…Then I’ll excuse myself now.”
Even as I greeted her and left the room, I remained dumbfounded. I was speechless at the thought of encountering Sa Hae-geon again at the Center after this sweet vacation ended. It wasn’t that I disliked or was uncomfortable with Sa Hae-geon, but it was something I had never considered before, a possibility I had never even contemplated, so it gave me a headache.
Unaware of my feelings, Sa Hae-geon greeted me with a gentle smile as I came out of the reception room. Then, noticing my blank expression, his smile stiffened.
“Did my mother make you uncomfortable?”
“…Huh? No. She was very accommodating.”
“Then why does your expression…”
“What about my expression? I’m feeling fine right now. More importantly, where’s your room?”
I roughly cut off Sa Hae-geon, who was about to say something strange in front of the reception room, and pretended to look around for his room. Sa Hae-geon then extended his index finger toward the stairs.
“My room is on the second floor.”
“Really? Same as mine.”
“Yes. Would you like to… see my room?”
“Yes. Let’s take a look.”
“Okay. Then next time, you should show me your room too.”
“My room? There’s not much to see… Well, alright. Let’s go to your room first.”
“Okay.”
Sa Hae-geon nodded docilely and carefully took hold of my right wrist. I was now so accustomed to his cool body temperature that I no longer jumped or trembled as I once did. I followed him obediently.
The second floor, which we reached after climbing a long staircase, was just as spacious as the first floor. Sa Hae-geon passed by the corridor and lounge area without even looking at them, and opened a white door, introducing:
“This is my room.”
Sa Hae-geon’s room had many similarities to him. It was also similar to his current home where he lives independently. The first thought that came to mind upon seeing his room was “minimalist.” Whether it was his room at the family home or his current house, the interior was very sparse.
Sa Hae-geon seemed to be what one would call a minimalist. A minimalist who kept only what was absolutely necessary, from furniture to household items. This suited his obsessive tendencies quite well. It felt like I could count all the furniture and objects in the room with just my ten fingers.
At that moment, Sa Hae-geon urged me, who was blankly looking at the interior.
“Hyung, what are you doing standing there? Come in.”
“…Ah, I was just looking at your room for a moment. It’s really neat here too. Isn’t it pretty much the same as your house?”
“Is it?”
“Yes. You really don’t keep many things. But do you even have brass tableware in your kitchen at home? That’s impressive.”
Sa Hae-geon smiled slightly at my words. Seeing the reddish tint on his cheeks, he seemed embarrassed to receive the compliment. Unlike his appearance, Sa Hae-geon had a shy personality.
“Sit here, Hyung.”
“Thanks.”
As I sat on the bed that Sa Hae-geon pointed to and looked around the room, he handed me something.
“What’s this?”
“An album.”
“What kind of album?”
“Just an album of me that my mother organized. …I thought you might like to see it.”
Don’t people usually hide albums containing their photos for various reasons? I couldn’t help but laugh at Sa Hae-geon, who kept acting in ways opposite to others. Sa Hae-geon asked curiously:
“What’s funny?”
“Just something amusing.”
“What is it?”
“Most people hide their albums. They call them their ‘dark history.'”
At my explanation, Sa Hae-geon tilted his head sideways, seeming even more confused. …Well, I suppose someone born with a face like his wouldn’t have anything like a dark history? It was understandable that Sa Hae-geon didn’t comprehend my explanation.
“…It’s nothing. I just laughed because it was funny how you brought the album out so readily. You were like a big, cute puppy.”
I shrugged and took the album he gave me. Just as I was about to turn the first page with the intention of seeing how photogenic he was, our eyes met. Sa Hae-geon was fidgeting with his long fingers, his cheeks flushed.
“What’s wrong?”
“…Nothing.”
It was suspicious, but I couldn’t probe further when he said it was nothing, so I just nodded. The first page of the album contained Sa Hae-geon’s childhood photos. There were various compositions and poses: a newborn baby with a wrinkled, red face whimpering at the camera lens, a photo of him sleeping in bed wearing a spacesuit, and more.
I found myself smiling as I turned the pages. Now I saw photos of Sa Hae-geon in school uniform. A much smaller boy was looking stoically at the camera, wearing a nametag that said “Sa Hae-geon.”
He must have really disliked having his picture taken, as his expressionless face was filled with discomfort.
“…What do you think?”
Sa Hae-geon asked me as I looked at the photos for a while.
“What do you mean? You were cute.”
“…Not that.”
“What else? …Oh. You were pretty even when you were young?”
“…”
At my response, Sa Hae-geon blinked and then pressed his lips together. It seems that wasn’t the reaction he was hoping for. But I couldn’t come up with any other observations, so what else could I say?
As I continued turning the pages of the album, I came across a photo that felt somehow familiar. When I stopped turning pages and stared intently at one particular photo, Sa Hae-geon came closer and looked at it with me.
It was a photo of Sa Hae-geon with a much smaller build than now, sitting under some wall with a youthful face full of baby fat. I didn’t know how the photo came to be taken, but it felt strangely familiar. Not so much his face, but the overall atmosphere captured in the photo.
‘Why?’
I stared at the photo for a long time trying to find the reason, but nothing specific came to mind.
“That’s a photo from when I was fifteen.”
Sa Hae-geon, who had been watching quietly, suddenly explained. A photo from when he was fifteen… That was around the time Sa Hae-geon said he met me. Is that why it feels familiar?
“Is anything coming to mind?”
“Hmm, nothing’s coming to mind, but it feels somehow familiar.”
“My face?”
“No, more than your face… should I say the atmosphere? Your atmosphere feels a bit familiar.”
“…What’s my atmosphere like?”
“You look anxious.”
Sa Hae-geon nodded at my answer.
“It was a time when I was anxious because I couldn’t awaken even as I was approaching the end of being fifteen. I met you right after that.”
“…Really?”
“Yes.”
Sa Hae-geon, who had at some point sat very close to me, covered the back of my hand that was pointing at the photo with his own hand. I felt as if his cool temperature was traveling through my skin to various parts of my body.
“Hyung.”
“…Yeah.”
After the brief call, silence followed. Eventually, his head fell with a soft thud onto my shoulder. Leaning his body against me, Sa Hae-geon murmured:
“I’m happy that you seem to be remembering me bit by bit. I really am.”
As I slightly turned my head to look at Sa Hae-geon, I could see his ears had turned red.
