Chapter 8: The Strange Boy, Lee Hwi-jun(8)

“Let me see, if I subtract the 300,000 won for the phone repair…”

On the first day of transferring schools, after finishing my classes and returning home, the first thing I did was calculate my living expenses for the month.

Sigh… if this continues, I’ll have to tighten my belt this month.

After finishing the calculations, I couldn’t help but look troubled.

The living expenses I had calculated in advance when I moved here, minus the 300,000 won phone repair fee for Yoo Da-hyun, left me with a sum that made me sigh deeply.

First, I’ll have to cut down on food expenses…

So, I decided to tighten my belt and save as much as possible on food this month.

Actually, there is a way to borrow some living expenses from next month…

But given the circumstances, it’s not easy to find a part-time job, and I might end up spending money on something unexpected, just like today.

So, I wanted to stick to the budget I originally planned for this month.

I guess ramen is the answer if I want to keep it cheap…

In that sense, I decided that for the next month, I’d have to rely on ramen for all my meals at home.

The reason for ramen is simple.

It’s the only food that comes to mind that can fill my stomach at a relatively low price right now.

Although I’m not entirely sure, I think if I buy large quantities of ramen noodles and soup separately, and adjust the portions, I might be able to get through the month with the remaining food budget.

It’s not the most nutritious meal, but I guess I’ll have to make up for that with the school lunches.

Sigh…

As I was thinking about that, it was time for dinner, so I sighed and opened the pantry.

There were two instant rice packs left that I had bought recently.

Since I hadn’t bought a rice cooker yet, I planned to make do with instant rice for now, but it turned out this would be the last meal I could eat at home this month.

As a Korean, I believed in the power of rice, so I felt a bit melancholic about it.

Anyway, I took one of the instant rice packs, added water to a pot, and heated it up for dinner.

Actually, one pack wasn’t enough to fill me up, but since I couldn’t go to school hungry, I saved the other one for breakfast tomorrow.

It’s ready.

After waiting for a while, the rice was heated, so I opened the fridge and took out some side dishes and kimchi that I had brought when I moved in, just in case.

In a few days, this would all be gone, and the thought of only having ramen left for meals made me feel a bit empty.

I’ll eat well.

Before starting the meal, I muttered my usual phrase, “I’ll eat well,” and began eating.

The dinner was finished in no time.

With just a few spoonfuls, my plate was completely empty.

…I ate well.

Although I had finished my dinner, I still didn’t feel full.

Given my body size, the amount of food wasn’t particularly small, but having lived with my grandmother, who used to give me several bowls of rice every time, I couldn’t help but feel that way.

My stomach had expanded over the years, so I couldn’t help but feel unsatisfied.

If my grandmother had seen me eat this little for dinner, she probably would have been shocked.

I’m not especially skinny; I just have a body that doesn’t gain weight easily.

She always worried about me looking too thin and urged me to eat more until the day she passed away.

If I had been built like a soldier, I wonder if it would have eased her worries…

Thinking about that made me miss my grandparents dearly.

It hasn’t been long since I said goodbye to them, so every now and then, I miss them.

…To be honest, even as time passes, I don’t think this feeling of longing will fade, but I’ve decided to stay composed, so I shook off my thoughts and cleaned up the dishes from dinner.

I need to show my grandparents, who are up in heaven, that I’m doing well, not worrying them.

…I should study or go to bed.

With that in mind, I sat down at my desk and opened my books.

After attending classes today, I realized that if I want to do well in this field, I can’t afford to slack off in my studies.

After all, my grandfather sent me to a good school, so I can’t be a useless grandson.

Since I can’t work part-time, I have no choice but to focus on studying in my spare time.

It’s already this late.

As I thought about this, I noticed that it was already late at night.

Since it was getting close to bedtime, I cleared my desk and spread out my bedding, lying down.

I should sleep…

But maybe it was because I had thought of my grandparents earlier, but tonight, lying alone in bed, I felt especially lonely.

When I lived in the countryside before, I used to talk with my grandparents until I fell asleep.

Back then, if I said, “…Good night,” I’d always hear “Sleep well” in response.

Now, I know I can’t hear that anymore, but I still miss the old country house.

It hasn’t been long since I came here, but why am I already feeling homesick?

I guess I’m more suited to rural life than city life.

No matter how good the school is, what does it matter?

The city can never compare to the countryside.

The air wasn’t great, and the cost of living was high.

“…Sigh.”

More than anything, it was just way too noisy when I tried to sleep.

I just wanted to sleep, so I wished they’d stop crying and be quiet.

***

The next morning, I had breakfast with the last instant rice I had left from yesterday.

I packed the 300,000 won to pay Yoo Dahyun for her phone repair and left the house early.

Even though it was 6:30 a.m. when I stepped out, it didn’t matter.

Today, I really just planned to head to school early and study.

“…Hmm?”

On my way to school, at the same deserted bus stop from yesterday—empty due to the early hour—if I hadn’t seen that thing suspiciously repeating its odd behavior, the one that had tried to push Yoo Dahyun toward the bus yesterday, that really would have been all.

“…That thing.”

But there it was—standing at the bus stop, facing the road, stretching its arms forward and then pulling them back in again and again—

As if it were practicing pushing something.

After seeing that, there was no way I could just walk past.

So I turned around and walked toward the bus stop where that thing was.

I pretended to be waiting for a bus, planting my feet firmly just in case someone tried to push me from behind.

Vroooom.

Soon, a bus came down the road toward the stop.

I braced myself, hyper-aware of everything around me.

Hiss—the bus stopped at the station without any incident.

The door opened, and the bus driver asked, seeing me just standing there:

“Student, what are you doing? Not getting on?”

“…Ah, sorry. I just remembered I forgot something at home.”

I gave an awkward smile and waved the bus off.

Then, glancing sideways, I peeked at that thing.

It didn’t even glance at me—just kept stretching its arms out and pulling them back in, over and over again.

So I sat down on the bench and quietly observed its behavior.

Ten minutes passed.

Then twenty.

Then thirty.

As morning broke, people came to the stop and boarded buses.

But that thing never acknowledged any of them—just kept repeating the same motion.

…Could it be that it only repeats strange behaviors without actually harming anyone?

If I hadn’t seen what happened yesterday, I might’ve assumed that and left.

But yesterday, I definitely felt it—the malice it had directed toward Yoo Dahyun.

So I stayed seated at the bus stop, continuing to watch it.

Another ten, twenty, thirty minutes passed.

Then, around 7:30 a.m.—Flinch.

That thing, which had been facing forward the whole time while stretching and bending its arms, suddenly stopped.

Then it slowly turned its head to the left.

Seeing something, it suddenly got excited and started moving its arms faster.

I looked in the direction it had turned.

“…Sigh.”

And I couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh when I saw a familiar face walking toward the bus stop.

…This thing really seems fixated on just one person.

How did she end up catching the attention of something like that?

While I was thinking that, Yoo Dahyun reached the bus stop, looked at me, and asked with a mix of confusion and disbelief:

“…Didn’t you say yesterday you weren’t going to take the bus anymore?”

“…I wasn’t going to, but I overslept.”

That’s what I said in response, then quietly stood behind her, like I was guarding her.

Ignoring the sharp glare from that thing that seemed to say “Don’t get in my way,” I let out a sigh inwardly.

Sigh… How much am I going to have to cut back on food expenses if I keep commuting by bus?

Now that I can’t exactly stop playing bodyguard, I might have to start filling my stomach with water instead of ramen for a while.