episode_0093

“It’s time to switch, Junseok. Stop and go inside.”

The tension in my body loosens at the words of the staff member who came in for the shift change. When I was in school, I didn’t realize it, but now that I’m working so hard, I can feel how quickly time passes.

“Yes, then I’ll just move this and go inside.”

“You don’t have to work too hard. The work hours are over, why bother.”

“Hahaha… Yes, I understand.”

Smiling coolly, I stamped my leaving mark on the staff card and neatly stacked the remaining trays to one side, then entered the changing room to change into hygiene clothes, including a mask.

Refreshing.

Despite the physical fatigue from hard labor, my mind remains sharp, a feeling that never seems to fade no matter how many times I experience it.

It’s been over three months since I started this job.

Well, work is work, but the problems continue even when I get home.

“What should I eat for dinner today…”

I’ve been skipping breakfast so far, and doing a fairly strenuous job, so skipping a meal would make the day a struggle.

The problem is, I only know how to cook rice, my cooking skills are close to zero.

So far, it’s been ramen or cup ramen, a few triangular kimbaps, or just forgetting to bring a lunch box.

In terms of cost-effectiveness, it’s not a bad expense. But it’s much better than buying pre-cooked side dishes.

Besides, once I get home, my appetite disappears anyway, so there’s no need to put much emphasis on eating.

“Come to think of it, the incense is running out too.”

Before heading home, I stopped by the old traditional market not far away to buy some incense and a few triangular kimbaps for breakfast.

“Uncle is here again, the incense is over there, so buy some appropriately.”

He comes about once a week and is almost a regular customer, but the old man doesn’t even bother to greet the visiting customers and always seems annoyed.

The overflowing affection from the past has completely disappeared.

“Sigh, it’s the same today…”

Arriving home, instead of feeling relaxed when I see the graffiti on the walls, I can’t help but sigh. The walls and doors covered with various words and colors, from words like “murderer” to unspeakable insults towards parents, only make my tired body even more exhausted.

Still, it’s ironic that I feel relieved that there’s no argument or physical altercation like last time.

“Sigh…”

Taking a deep breath, I enter the house and put down my belongings. Even though the messy kitchen catches my eye, I head straight to my room without thinking about cleaning.

“Eunseok, I’m home.”

Announcing my return to Eunseok first, I change the incense. Even though it’s just talking to the urn containing Eunseok’s remains, it’s a natural routine that continues every day without fail.

Eunseok, my younger brother who came into my life when I was in elementary school.

Although he was adopted by my mom and brought home, he was like a close friend to soothe my loneliness, as I had few friends and was a stepchild. He was indifferent and expressionless, as if something was missing in him.

The day he first called me “hyung” is still unforgettable, and Eunseok was my prideful brother like no other.

That’s why when I heard the news that my parents had killed Eunseok while I was serving in the military, I couldn’t keep my sanity. In the end, I was dishonorably discharged before even getting promoted to corporal.

“Brother, let’s have a drink today.”

Embracing the bitterness in my heart, I took out a bottle of soju from the convenience store bag and poured it into a paper cup, placing it in front of the incense.

Come to think of it, this was the first time Eunseok and that guy were drinking together, right? I think they made a promise to drink together once they became adults when they were young, but who would have thought that they would actually keep that promise now…

What did Eunseok say back then?

— “Hey, hyung, if I find my little brother, can the three of us drink together?”

Right, he said something like that.

Eunseok. Even though he never talked about himself, he was the type to talk endlessly about his twin brother… He used to say that when he becomes an adult, he would find his twin brother first, and when that time comes, the three of them would drink together. He also often said that he hoped the girl who was his twin brother would also consider him as her brother, just like he did. It’s useless to remember all that now.

“…Today, the soju tastes even more bitter.”

I emptied the paper cup filled with soju and refilled it.

Eunseok is gone, and Mom and Dad have been taken away for a long time on murder charges. It’s ironic that Mom, the actual perpetrator, got a lighter sentence, but from the perspective of a child, all I can do is hope that she pays for her crime and comes out soon. Of course, even if she thinks she has paid for her crime, I will never forgive her.

Since a long time ago, Mom had been frustrated that she couldn’t torment Eunseok. When I was young, I thought he was just getting scolded because he did something wrong, but she slapped the face of a child who was barely 5 years old, stripped him naked, and kicked him out. When Eunseok was in middle and high school, she forced him to work part-time to repay the favor of raising him, right? And when I found out that he was using that money to pay for my college tuition, I seriously considered dropping out.

“If only I had realized a little earlier, would this have not happened?”

I finished the remaining soju while waiting for an answer that would never come. What’s the use of regretting now? Eunseok is dead, Mom and Dad are murderers. And as the son of a murderer, I have to bear the burden of their sins, as well as the responsibility of taking care of Eunseok’s remains as his older brother.

“Just wait a little longer, Eunseok. I’ll earn money and take you to a much better place than here.”

After saying that to Eunseok, I lit a new incense stick and got up from my seat to erase the graffiti outside the house. Even though it will probably be back to normal by tomorrow, as long as Eunseok is in this house, I want to keep it clean if possible.

…Speaking of keeping it clean, I suddenly remembered something strange. Was it about two months ago? There was a strange incident where the messy house was completely cleaned, as if it were a pigsty. If it wasn’t the room where I used to live with Eunseok, it wouldn’t have been maintained, so how did it happen? It’s really creepy.

“Honey, over here, this way.”

Lost in thought, I only snapped out of it when I heard a unfamiliar voice from afar.

That voice doesn’t belong to a resident here. Most of the residents have left because of the issues with our house.

That means this time too, someone related to Eunseok has come with ill intentions. Running inside the house would be safe, but my conscience doesn’t allow it. Instead of running away, I’d rather face the ill intentions head-on and try to ease the other person’s burden even a little bit.

“Excuse me, are you Junseok’s… No, I’m sorry.”

Before I knew it, a stranger had approached me and started talking. As I turned my head, I discovered a woman who had spoken to me, and my body immediately stiffened with wide eyes.

In front of me was a woman with a beauty that was beyond words, someone I had never seen before. She had shiny straight long brown hair that reached her waist, smooth white skin, and bright light brown eyes. Despite her cute appearance, there was a sense of complexity about her.

She looked like a high school student, but there was something indescribable that made her seem not underage.

“W-what’s going on?”

Although the words that came out were not what I had thought, I believed the meaning was conveyed well.

Who is this woman? Somehow, she didn’t feel like a stranger at all.

Could she be Eunseok’s girlfriend… no, that’s not possible.

After the incident where she screamed in front of the door like a crazy person and was taken away by the police, I never saw her again.

Wait, she called my name earlier, didn’t she? Who is she exactly?

“May I ask you something? Are you Ju Eunseok… I mean, Han Eunseok’s older brother?”

“…Yes, I am Eunseok’s older brother, but who are you?”

I didn’t know how she knew Eunseok’s original last name, but she must have come looking for Eunseok after all.

That smiling face will soon twist into a grimace, and she will probably come running to kill me. The man behind her seems to be on high alert, and now that I look closely, he doesn’t look innocent at all; his physique looks quite strong.

I look even more beaten up today.

“It’s nice to meet you. My name is Ju Eunhye… And I am Eunseok’s twin sister.”

Eunseok’s twin sister… sister…?

“You’re Eunseok’s sister?”

That day, Eunseok’s deceased sister came to find me.