Ch.233Side Story – I’ve Come to End This Virgin (4)

“Did you pack all your luggage and passport? What about your phone?”

“Of course, I even made sure to leave plenty of space for souvenirs to bring back for our son.”

“Remember, no excessive spending even if it’s a company-funded trip.”

“Don’t worry, I have my ways.”

“You’re not planning to forcibly borrow money from your colleagues, are you?”

“Come on, I may have been a bit wild in school, but I’ve never stolen money from kids.”

“Huh…?”

On the last day of the year.

Hami, who had prepared to catch an early morning flight to the airport, was doing a final check with her son at the front door to make sure nothing was forgotten.

Though it was a short trip, being her first overseas journey meant there was much more to prepare than for domestic travel.

“Well then, Mom, I’m off.”

“Have fun, it’s been a while since you’ve had a good time.”

“Hehe, when I get back, you’ll be turning twenty, won’t you? I wonder if you’ll come back looking all grown up and dependable?”

“It’s only three days apart, come on.”

“You used to be so small, and now you’ve grown so tall. Come here, let me hug you once more before you grow any bigger.”

“…Okay.”

-Squeeze

When Hami opened her arms wide, Hamin, though embarrassed, stepped into his mother’s embrace.

It was their last mother-son hug before the year ended.

After their brief farewell hug, Hami gathered her luggage and left with a spring in her step.

Hamin waved goodbye to his mother as she left the house.

Until the door closed with a thud.

Only after hearing the front door lock click shut did Hamin lower the hand he had been waving.

“What is this silence?”

Though his mother was small enough to fit snugly in her son’s arms,

the house felt empty, as if a huge hole had appeared in her absence.

The quiet house felt strangely hollow and dark.

Surely it should be brighter now than when his mother was home, as the sun would be up.

Yet the shadows in the lit entryway seemed unusually murky.

While Hamin was used to being home alone when Hami was at work,

the fact that she would be so far away and for so long seemed to make the house feel even darker.

“Ugh… I feel like I should do something.”

Study perhaps?

No, that wasn’t it.

With college entrance exams over and even graduation behind him,

there was no reason to open his high school exam prep books anymore.

Besides, he was looking for something to do because he couldn’t bear the depressing silence in the house.

Sitting at his desk studying would only intensify that silence, not alleviate his anxiety.

“…What about calling Doyoung?”

Hamin unconsciously pulled out his phone from his pocket, then stopped mid-thought and scratched his head.

Even he found it a bit embarrassing.

“What am I doing… It hasn’t even been 5 minutes since Mom left. And I’m already thinking about bringing Doyoung over.”

Of course, there was nothing wrong with that.

For a couple approaching their 1000th day together,

inviting one’s partner over wasn’t that strange.

Especially on the day before his 20th birthday.

It wasn’t like they hadn’t visited each other’s homes before.

During exam periods, Hamin had stayed at Doyoung’s place to study all night,

and Doyoung often came over wanting to see both him and Hami.

“Right, at this hour Doyoung is probably still sleeping. If I really can’t stand it, I’ll call later.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Hamin put his phone back in his pocket.

He could still see his mother’s car leaving the apartment parking lot from the balcony.

It didn’t seem right to call Doyoung so early in the morning

just because he couldn’t bear this emptiness for even a moment.

“I-I guess I’ll clean a bit. That seems better.”

So Hamin started running the vacuum cleaner at 6 AM and began tidying up.

He needed to find something to do to drown out the lingering silence in the house.

Something as noisy as possible.

“Let’s clean the whole house thoroughly. I’ll move the bed and vacuum underneath since that area doesn’t get cleaned often…”

Wanting to keep the vacuum noise going as long as possible, Hamin deliberately rearranged furniture to reach areas the vacuum couldn’t normally access.

The bed and wardrobe that once required both him and his mother to lift

could now be moved effortlessly by himself alone.

“That went faster than expected… Ah, I know. Let’s mop the floors.”

In less than two hours, the vacuum had collected all the dust in the house.

In their cozy home shared by just mother and son, there simply wasn’t much area to clean, no matter how much he wanted to rely on the vacuum’s noise.

With nowhere left to vacuum, Hamin looked for another task.

Yes, after vacuuming, the floors needed a good mopping to make them shine.

With that thought, Hamin grabbed the mop that was drying on the balcony.

“Come to think of it, whenever we had to mop during cleaning time, Doyoung would always say ‘I’m still a virgin’ as her template respoooonse!”

-Thud

Unconsciously mentioning Doyoung’s name, Hamin dropped the mop he was holding.

The comment had slipped out without him even thinking about what he was saying.

Though he had started cleaning to scold himself for immediately thinking of calling Doyoung when left alone,

his mind was still connecting everything to Doyoung at the slightest opportunity.

“I… when I’m alone with nothing to do like today, all I think about is Doyoung.”

Whether this was good or bad, he wasn’t sure,

but Hamin decided he needed to focus even harder on mopping, which made less noise than vacuuming.

“Sigh… This is troublesome. Really.”

Hours later, Hamin, wearing rubber gloves and an apron, collapsed onto the sofa with a deep sigh.

“Vacuumed everything… mopped everything… cleaned the window frames and bathroom too…”

The winter sunlight streamed through the spotless windows, now free of fingerprints and water stains.

It was 1 PM. The sun was at its peak.

There were still two days and eleven hours until Hami would return home.

“At least Doyoung should be awake by now…”

Since it was certainly a more reasonable time to call than the crack of dawn,

Hamin nervously dialed Doyoung’s number.

.

.

.

[Ah, sorry. I’ve been working part-time since early this morning.]

“R-really?”

But Doyoung’s answer wasn’t what Hamin had expected.

[Since today’s the last day of the year, there are all these clothing site orders that need to be completed today, so I’ve been working at Teacher Jung’s shop since morning. I’ll probably be here until late tonight.]

“I-I see… Sorry. I didn’t know you were busy…”

[Nothing to be sorry about. Besides, we’re seeing each other tomorrow anyway, right?]

“Y-yeah…”

Tomorrow was not only New Year’s Day but also Hamin’s birthday.

Naturally, the couple had already made plans to meet on his birthday.

[Doyoung, our supermodel! It’s time for the next photoshoot! Let’s go!]

[Ah, break time’s over. I have to go now. See you tomorrow, Do Hamin!]

“Oh, okay. Good that you’re working hard…”

-Click

Doyoung ended the call rather abruptly.

Hamin sat motionless on the sofa, still holding the phone to his ear.

As if hoping to hear something after the call had ended.

“…I-it’s fine. Our plans for tomorrow aren’t canceled. And I heard that Doyoung is working hard. What could be better news than that.”

It’s okay, this was actually good news.

Though Hamin tried to reassure himself,

after the call ended, he remained sitting on the sofa for a long time, unable to get up.

.

.

.

“H-hello.”

Sometime after noon, when the sun had started to set,

Hamin, left alone in the dark living room with no lights on, quietly dialed another number.

[Hello. Ah, Hamin.]

“Ah, Dad. I’m sorry for calling when you must be busy.”

[It’s fine. I have enough time to take a call.]

The person Hamin called was none other than his father, Sangmin.

Though they had become a proper family, Sangmin was still living separately from Hamin and Hami due to his busy work schedule.

[What’s the matter? Calling at this hour.]

“Just… you know.”

Hamin couldn’t bring himself to say that he felt empty in the house with his mother gone,

that he had tried to call his girlfriend Doyoung but failed and was deeply disappointed,

and that he was looking for someone, anyone, to comfort him.

“Dad… would it be possible for us to have dinner together today…”

-Announcement sound

/Passengers for the 7:30 PM flight from Incheon to Narita Airport in Japan, please…/

Just then, an announcement from the other end of the line reached Hamin’s ears before Sangmin could respond.

“…Dad, are you at the airport?”

[Ah, yes. I have an overseas business trip scheduled from tonight. I just arrived at the airport.]

“I-I see…”

Coincidentally, on the same day Hami left for her first overseas short-term training,

Sangmin was also leaving for a business trip.

[By the way, you sound a bit down. Is something bothering you?]

“N-no, nothing… I’m just tired from cleaning since morning.”

[…If that’s all, then I’m relieved.]

“Yes, have a safe trip. I’ll hang up now.”

[Wait, Hamin.]

Just as Hamin was about to hang up, realizing that even Sangmin, his only remaining family, couldn’t be with him right now,

Sangmin stopped him.

[If there’s something you desperately want to say to someone but are holding back because you feel it’s presumptuous, or because you’re afraid of looking pathetic or shabby, don’t hesitate to speak up. This isn’t… necessarily from my own experience, but I wanted to tell you this.]

“But what if I think, and they think too, that I’m asking for too much…”

[At least, the people who care about you don’t just like you because you’re perfectly polite and considerate. At least from what I’ve seen, the people who care about you are all capable of honestly accepting those flaws or shortcomings, and even what might sometimes seem like stubbornness. Sometimes it’s okay to be honest about what you want.]

“Is this… something you learned through your experience with Mom?”

[D-didn’t I say this wasn’t from my own experience?]

Hearing his father’s advice, which contained a lifetime of wisdom, Hamin felt lighter and a smile escaped his lips.

“…Actually, Dad.”

[Just a moment, Hamin.]

Sangmin interrupted Hamin as he was about to confess something following his advice.

[Isn’t there someone else who should hear your honest confession before me? Speak to that person first.]

“But… it was your advice.”

[I’ve heard endlessly from Hami that I shouldn’t be the first person you turn to. If I want to avoid a marital dispute, I’d better follow her wishes.]

“O-okay… I understand.”

[…When you return, you’ll be a proper twenty-year-old. Happy birthday in advance… son.]

“…Thank you, Dad.”

The father and son ended their slightly awkward conversation with these new terms of address.

Immediately, Hamin, carrying his father’s life advice in his heart, dialed another number.

“Hello.”

[Yes, this is your beloved.]

“Y-you never miss a chance for that, do you?”

The number, of course, was Doyoung’s.

[What’s up? It’s the first time you’ve called even after hearing I’ll be busy until late evening.]

“Yeah. I’m not sure if I should be doing this or not. But… I feel like I have to.”

Hamin calmed his racing heart and called out to Doyoung, who was listening on the other end.

Not caring if others might hear through Doyoung’s phone, Hamin shouted what he wanted with all his might.

“I…! I want to be with you today, Doyoung…!”

[….]

“I miss you…! Even though we promised to meet tomorrow, and if I just wait a little longer, I can see you without bothering you… But still, today… right now, my desire to see you won’t subside! I want to be with you all day today!”

A childishly selfish wish, no matter how nicely it was phrased.

Normally, Hamin would never have revealed such feelings, even to Doyoung.

He wanted to be someone who supported Doyoung,

not someone who depended on and clung to her.

He wanted to be someone Doyoung could fall for,

not someone who was just obsessively attached to her.

But now, Hamin was calling for Doyoung who wasn’t there.

Without any justification or greater purpose.

Simply because he wanted it.

Because that’s what he desired.

With all reasons centered on himself,

Hamin called for Doyoung.

“I don’t care how late it is… can you be with me today?”

Barely holding back the lump in his throat while pretending to sound calm,

Hamin held his breath after asking his question, waiting for Doyoung’s answer.

[…Okay.]

And Doyoung’s answer came back with what seemed like a satisfied smile.

“…Sniff!”

Hearing the answer he so desperately wanted, Hamin unconsciously tried to hold back the tears streaming down his face.

[What’s that sniffling sound? Do Hamin, were you crying?]

“N-no! I wasn’t crying!”

[Really?]

“R-really!”

Hamin wiped his eyes and nose with his collar and rushed to the entrance.

“Forget about that… what time can you come? I’ll meet you at the station!”

Even though Doyoung hadn’t mentioned what time she could arrive,

Hamin was already putting on his sneakers from the shoe rack, speaking with an excited tone.

[No, it’s okay. You don’t need to.]

“I-I want to see you as soon as possible, that’s why…!”

[It’s really okay.]

“W-why?”

[Well…]

-Clunk

Just as Hamin was hurriedly changing his shoes and opening the door,

“Because I’m already here.”

“Huh?”

For some reason, Doyoung was standing at Hamin’s doorstep, despite having said she had work scheduled until late.

“See, you were crying after all.”