#79
“Gasp…”
At his statement, Yeoul felt as if everything had been laid bare. At the same time, his mind became a tangled white mess. Eun Sajun, perhaps feeling it difficult to continue the conversation with Yeoul in this state, showed bewilderment on his face.
“For now, I’ll bring Geum Yeojin back, so wait inside.”
“Yes…”
After confirming Yeoul’s answer, Eun Sajun lightly jumped over the wall and followed Yeojin. Watching his back, Yeoul’s heart felt extremely heavy.
In truth, when Yeojin first said he had lost his memory, Yeoul had believed it. He also felt guilty. So he thought he should cherish Yeojin, who had regressed to eight years old. But that’s when the suspicion began.
The day Yeojin was brought to the mansion with Eun Sajun’s permission.
‘What does ‘circumstances’ mean?’
It could have seemed like an innocent question from Yeojin, but from Yeoul’s perspective, it was very strange.
This was because Yeojin himself was the one who had taught Yeoul the meaning of the word “circumstances.” In the New Year when they had just turned eight, Yeoul went to the neighborhood library with Yeojin. By this time, Yeoul had read almost all the children’s books and chose books suitable for upper elementary school students. Reading somewhat difficult books meant there were many words he didn’t know.
「Due to such circumstances, the global economy began to decline.」
Circumstances?
The young Yeoul didn’t know what this word meant, so he tilted his head. Then Yeojin, who was with him, looked curious.
‘Hyung, what’s wrong?’
‘Do you know what this means?’
Yeoul pinched the word “circumstances” with his small finger. At the same time, Yeojin’s lips curled upward.
‘Ah! I know this. I saw it in a book I read recently!’
‘What is it?’
‘It means the situation or reason for things!’
‘Huh? Then what does reason mean?’
Yeoul tilted his head even more. Yeojin’s expression became even more confident.
‘They say it’s the cause that makes something happen?’
‘Wow, Yeojin, you’re a genius!’
Yeoul was amazed that Yeojin could identify exactly what he was curious about. Yeojin, seemingly embarrassed, fidgeted with the back of his head.
‘What do you mean genius, I just looked it up because I didn’t know either. Hehe.’
And so, at that time, Yeoul first learned the word “circumstances.” But now, despite having supposedly reverted to eight years old, Yeojin claimed not to know the word “circumstances.”
And that evening, when Yeojin ate pickles with curry without any resistance, Yeoul became certain. The young Yeojin hated pickles. It was only after becoming a middle school student and eating pizza with friends that he discovered the taste of pickles.
Occasionally, Yeojin would forget things that had happened in his childhood. So it seemed that this time too, to pretend to be eight years old, he judged “circumstances” to be a difficult word and pretended not to know it, and even forgot the situation where he had come to eat pickles. Apart from that, Yeoul could sense Yeojin’s lies in small, everyday habits.
Above all, Yeojin’s actions were excessively infantile and blindly attached to Yeoul. In reality, the eight-year-old Yeojin had a mature side to him.
The reason Yeoul could make this judgment was because he had spent time with Yeojin. But how had Eun Sajun noticed?
His sharp perceptiveness sent chills down Yeoul’s spine. At the same time, the image of Baek Cheonhui, who had become a corpse, flickered before his eyes. Given Eun Sajun’s temperament, he wouldn’t just leave Yeojin alone for lying. It was extremely ominous. Feeling anxious, Yeoul hurriedly followed the path Eun Sajun had taken.
* * *
“Huff, huff!”
Yeojin was running deep into the forest. There was no trace of an eight-year-old’s naivety in his eyes. They were hard, like tightly drawn strings.
“Am I… doing the right thing?”
After muttering quietly, Yeojin touched his face.
Driven to the edge of a cliff, what he had chosen was to pretend to be suffering from amnesia.
Once, after entering the Department of Theater and Film, his first practical assignment was a one-person performance. The script given at that time was a thriller depicting the whereabouts of a criminal pretending to have amnesia. Yeojin had received an A+ for that assignment. That’s why he chose this method based on that experience.
Honestly, being with Yeoul was fine, but facing Eun Sajun was such an ordeal. His gaze, which seemed to dissect him, felt chilling to the point that it was like death itself standing before him. So he wanted to stop facing Eun Sajun as soon as possible.
And so, now, he had to achieve his goal. Last time, thinking that he shouldn’t be discovered for having switched their traits, he had tried to kill Yeoul. Even when he woke up in the hospital, he was filled with the thought that he needed to eliminate Geum Yeoul. That’s why he had entered Eun Sajun’s mansion.
Eun Sajun was affectionate toward Yeoul, and unlike before, Yeoul seemed peaceful, as if feeling secure. It was really strange. In the past, he would have felt inferior to such a Yeoul, but now the prickly feelings seemed to be dulling. Whether it was because of Yeoul’s warm care for him or something else, he didn’t know exactly what was in his heart, but now he didn’t want to interfere in Yeoul’s life and found it troublesome.
He just wanted to quickly escape from Eun Sajun’s enclosure and run away. He wanted to abandon his face that resembled Yeoul and his identity as Geum Yeojin, and live a new life. The last goodbye with Yeoul was too sudden, but it couldn’t be helped.
“Huff, huff!”
As exhaustion set in, Yeojin stopped running. He took deep breaths. At that moment, he heard footsteps following him.
Did Yeoul follow after all? This is getting annoying… Yeojin turned around in bewilderment. But the figure that appeared before him was someone he hadn’t imagined.
“What are you doing here?”
Cool blue eyes and broad shoulders. There stood Eun Sajun, who seemed born to gnaw away at his life.
“Our baby is worried.”
He could tell that the “baby” he was referring to was Yeoul. Feeling displeasure, Yeojin wrinkled his brow, forgetting his eight-year-old mask, but quickly composed his expression. At the same time, the corners of Eun Sajun’s mouth lifted, and he began to laugh loudly.
“Hahahahaha!”
It was a laugh that felt almost ghostly. Feeling a chill, Yeojin tensed up even more and swallowed. Honestly, he seemed like a madman.
“Ah, I’m really so kind.”
“What?”
Yeojin wondered what this deranged bastard was saying now. Eun Sajun’s face was filled with arrogance, as if boasting of his own superiority. He slowly approached Yeojin. Sensing danger, Yeojin began to step back. The more he was pushed onto the defensive, the more a smile spread across Eun Sajun’s face.
“Take two steps back.”
“What?”
“Do it.”
His voice held a savagery, as if anticipating some kind of game. Yeojin, extremely tense, looked behind him. A deep void first entered his vision. And like an announcement of endless darkness, a cliff stretched out. One wrong move and he would fall.
Startled, Yeojin took a deep breath and once again put on the face of an eight-year-old.
“Um… why are you doing this…?”
“Why are you standing still? If you go there, you can become a beautiful angel.”
What the hell is he talking about with this beautiful angel… Yeojin thought. He tried his best to keep his two legs firmly planted on the ground. I don’t want to die like this… I don’t want to die… Fear and desperation tore through him.
Just as Eun Sajun was reaching out to push Yeojin…
“Yeojin!”
Yeoul’s voice rang out. At the same time, bewilderment spread across Eun Sajun’s face. Somehow, Yeoul had rushed to Yeojin’s side.
“Haa, haa, are you okay?”
“Hyung…”
Gradually, moisture gathered in Yeojin’s eyes. For some reason, at this moment, Yeoul felt incredibly precious. Without even realizing it, he spread his arms and fell into Yeoul’s embrace. Yeoul also patted Yeojin’s back. Facing them, Eun Sajun’s eyes were extremely cold, but soon his expression became gentle.
“Why did you come all the way here? It’s dangerous.”
And he patted Yeoul’s back affectionately.
“I was worried about Yeojin.”
“Worried?”
Eun Sajun’s eyebrows wrinkled stubbornly. It was as if he felt betrayed, as if asking, “Aren’t you on my side?” Yeoul was bewildered by that explicit expression. But soon after, Eun Sajun once again had a gentle gaze and firmly held Yeoul’s hand.
“I understand. Let’s go down first.”
“Yes… yes…”
Yeoul awkwardly followed behind him. Yeojin also didn’t look well. No, he was frozen, like someone standing on a guillotine.
* * *
And so they returned to the mansion.
An awkward air surrounded the three sitting on the living room sofa. Eun Sajun was facing Yeojin with a hardened gaze. And Yeoul was next to Yeojin. It was a moment of sheer coldness. Just as Yeoul, after some contemplation, was about to speak to break the frozen situation…
“Answer honestly. Geum Yeojin.”
Eun Sajun spoke first.
“What?”
“You’re pretending to have amnesia right now, aren’t you?”
At his direct question, even Yeoul’s body stiffened.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
