#29
“Then I’ll get going.” The moment Hajun stepped outside after his grandmother’s farewell, he couldn’t help but let out an exclamation of admiration.
“Wow, the weather is really nice.”
The cloudless blue sky filled his vision completely. As he gazed at an airplane drawing a white trail across the sky, he suddenly wanted to show this scene to Imun as well. He quickly took a photo of the sky with his phone and sent it to him.
[(Photo)]
[The weather is perfect today!! lol]
[How’s Seoul? ã…Žã…Ž]
He chuckled as he checked Seoul’s weather, answering his own question. Seoul seemed to be just as clear as Tokyo, but for Imun, it would just be one day in his endlessly busy schedule.
I haven’t taken a plane since coming to Japan. Looking at the photo he’d sent made him feel strangely wistful. He calmed his mind and walked slowly along the river.
True to the weekend, the riverbank was bustling with people out with friends and family. It must be cold to play outside. While mischievously observing groups huddled together on mats chatting away, a gentle breeze carrying the scent of grass blew by.
The fresh smell naturally cleared his mind of distracting thoughts. As if his earlier irritation had never existed, he wandered aimlessly taking in the surroundings until he realized he had gone quite far from home.
His ankle seemed to be loosened up enough by now. Time to try running. He tied his shoelaces tightly and put his hand in his pocket.
“Ah, they’re not here.”
The earphones that should have been there were nowhere to be found. It suddenly struck him that he’d left them on the living room table so they’d be easy to spot.
Music makes running so much better. Thinking of the OnS medley saved in his playlist, he looked back at the path he had taken. Though he had walked quite a distance, it wouldn’t take long if he ran back.
*
“Grandmother, I’m home.”
Hajun stopped in the middle of taking off his shoes and opened his eyes wide. An unfamiliar pair of women’s flats was neatly placed at the entrance.
Did Mari wear shoes like these? While absently observing the neat-looking shoes, he faintly heard his grandmother laughing with a woman. It definitely wasn’t Mari. While trying to guess the identity of the mysterious visitor, he leisurely made his way inside.
“…anyway, hurry up and leave. If you have something to say, call me.”
“It hasn’t even been an hour since he left. It’s fine, it’s fine. Let me at least finish my cup of tea before I go.”
He caught a glimpse of a woman’s back as she conversed with his grandmother. Her voice was too lively to be his grandmother’s friend, and her attire suggested she was older than him. Thinking that her voice sounded familiar, he was about to greet the guest.
“Hello—Ah!”
When his grandmother and the woman turned around with a start, Hajun reflexively stepped back. “Ah… ah…” Unable to continue speaking, he widened the distance between them until his legs gave way and he landed on his bottom.
The memory was forcefully pulled out. His violently shaking eyes instantly lost focus.
‘Hajun, Hajun.’
Blood continuously burst from his mother’s mouth. The hot liquid trickled down his cheek in droplets. The scent of blood lingering at the tip of his nose. His stomach turned instantly.
No, no. While frantically wiping away the liquid repeatedly, he suddenly stopped his movement. His palm was already covered in blood, glistening dark red.
He began to hear the sound of rain in his ears. “Mom… Mom…” While trembling all over and muttering in a faint voice that seemed about to die out—
“…Jun… Junchan! Hajun! Snap out of it!”
Someone’s faint call pierced his ears. He blinked urgently at the stimulus of his head being shaken vigorously. Seeing his grandmother shaking his shoulders and sobbing, Hajun realized he had fallen into a panic.
His palm was wet with clear moisture, not blood. It’s all an illusion. I’m okay. I’m okay. As he wiped away tears he didn’t know he’d shed, a stinging pain rose in his cheek.
Using the pain as a guide, he exhaled roughly with his nerves on high alert for a few minutes. When he finally came to his senses completely, he was too embarrassed to raise his head. Made another scene. He wiped his wet hands on his t-shirt and casually scratched his head.
“Ha… haha… Sorry, Grandmother. I must have startled you.”
Just as he hesitantly lifted the corners of his mouth, his grandmother embraced him tightly. As if to say he didn’t need to speak, she endlessly stroked his back. Feeling her warm touch, he closed his mouth but then offered a cheerful greeting to the woman looking at him from beyond his grandmother.
“Auntie, hello. It’s been a while.”
The woman, who had been fidgeting awkwardly, jumped with a start. “Are, are you okay?” The aunt he was meeting after several years looked a little older than he remembered.
This is why I avoided my aunt. His vision blurred again at the sight of her, who looked so much like his mother.
Would his mother have aged beautifully like his aunt? Just thinking about her made tears flow uncontrollably.
After sobbing in his grandmother’s arms for a long time, Hajun awkwardly wiped his eyes. The situation of crying childishly between two middle-aged women was embarrassingly unbearable.
“I’m okay now.” After patting his grandmother and gently pushing her away, he playfully complained to the uninvited guest.
“Couldn’t you have called before coming over?”
“No, I was just going to drop off a flower pot and leave. But you came back much earlier than expected… Ah! I can’t just tear off this face!”
His aunt grabbed both her cheeks with her hands and stretched them hard. Even as she winced in pain, she kept holding her cheeks, and suddenly turned her arrow of resentment toward his grandmother.
“Mom, why did you tell me to come! You should have just gone yourself!”
“How could I carry something that heavy at my age!”
“Ugh, Mom, why did you have to give birth to me as a twin in the first place! I can’t even look at my cute nephew’s face freely!”
Hajun began to sweat profusely as he watched their voices grow increasingly heated. It was difficult to continue ignoring his grandmother, who had been constantly checking his condition. He awkwardly intervened in the argument between mother and daughter.
“Please stop fighting…”
“Why did you come back so early—!”
“Don’t talk to Junchan like that!”
“No, no. I was just…” Without even listening to his aunt’s excuse, his grandmother suddenly disappeared into the kitchen. As he exchanged confused glances with his aunt for a few seconds, his grandmother returned to the living room making threatening footsteps.
“Just try saying something one more time!”
In her hand was a threatening ladle that looked intimidating just to look at. As she waved the ladle at his aunt, he felt a strange sense of déjà vu, and then his aunt hurriedly gathered her bag and made a run for it.
“Hajun! Let’s see each other again! You must come see your auntie!”
The doorbell rang noisily for a while from how hard she closed the door. Hajun burst into laughter a beat late, reflecting on his aunt who didn’t forget to say goodbye to him even as she fled in a hurry.
How could her escape look exactly like Mari’s? It made him wonder if this was what they called “like mother, like daughter.”
Recalling his original purpose for coming home, he headed to the table. Next to the earphones were two teacups, still not empty. The reality of interrupting what would have been a rare mother-daughter tea time and then pathetically having a panic attack struck him deeply.
“Are you okay? I’m sorry, I should have told you in advance…”
“No, I’m, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”
The moment he faced his grandmother’s worried face, he suddenly felt suffocated. Avoiding her hand reaching for his collar, he hurriedly grabbed his earphones.
“I’m going to finish my workout! I just came back to get these.”
After showing a casual smile, he immediately turned around. Pretending not to hear the footsteps following him, he escaped from the house.
*
Though he had impulsively gone outside, he had nowhere specific to go. After walking aimlessly, he found a café and sat in the outdoor seating area.
The once-blue sky was now filled with a red sunset. After staring blankly at the gradually changing scenery for a while, a sigh escaped from deep within his chest.
His grandmother’s face, which looked like she might cry at any moment, wouldn’t leave his mind. It seemed like he needed more time before he could face her naturally.
Ugh, it’s tasteless. After taking a sip of the café latte where all the ice had melted, Hajun stood up again.
The riverside, which had been bustling with people, was now empty as if it had never been crowded. As the sun had set, a chill began to rise. He was sitting in a flat spot without stones, plucking innocent grass.
[The sky there is so beautiful!]
[The sky here is beautiful too!]
A selfie of Imun with the sunset sky as a background suddenly arrived. They say that even the most handsome person looks ugly when photographed from below, but that didn’t seem to apply to him.
As he stared at Imun, who was smiling brightly, he felt as if they were making eye contact. A small smile formed on his previously stiff lips.
[Are you done with work?]
[No, it’s just a short break ã…Žã…Ž]
[What are you doing, hyung?]
[Just ã…Žã…Ž out for a walk]
[Can we talk on the phone for a bit?]
Even though Hajun said it was fine, Imun persistently requested a call. ‘You said you were walking! Let me hear your voice ã… ã… ’ Unable to ignore his whining message, the moment he accepted the call, Imun acted spoiled as if he had been waiting for it.
“Hyuuung, I’m so exhausted today. The PD is working us too hard.” “I see. That must be tough.” After adding filler responses with a faint smile for a few minutes, Imun stopped grumbling.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
