episode_0014

“Hmm….”

“Jina, are you okay? Should I carry you?”

“I’m fine… Ugh… Hmm… Well….”

Jin, wearing the school uniform top with indoor shoes, yawned loudly and tightly held my hand. She seemed completely unconcerned about her strange reflection in the window. It was fortunate, if anything. There was a slight unease at the thought that there might be someone else in the corridor, but nothing out of the ordinary.

“Hold on a little longer. Let’s go home and rest. If you’re really tired, we can just skip school tomorrow.”

“Should we…? Yeah… Let’s sleep together… Don’t leave.”

“I won’t go anywhere. I’ll always be by Jin’s side.”

“Hehehe… Mm-hmm….”

Fortunately, Jin seemed to wake up feeling very good.

Whether it was due to being half asleep or not, she was even smiling faintly, which was a pleasant sight to see. The problem was that if Aunt knew she was waiting in the car, she would immediately change her demeanor… But for now, I wanted to enjoy this happiness even just a little bit.

The strained relationship between Jin and Aunt wasn’t always like this from the beginning.

Now that I think about it, before the Red Devil fire incident, the three of us used to play soccer or hang out at Hwadojin Park often. Even after that, we at least exchanged words. But now, even that was gone. Just seeing each other’s faces led to growls or simply ignoring each other. In short, it was only me who got caught in the middle and suffered.

Of course, I realize this cannot continue.

But I don’t know what to do. The cause of this situation in the first place was unclear.

Roughly three years ago… probably around winter, things started going downhill. Jin had to decide whether to go to high school, which sparked a debate between Aunt and the teacher.

“…Ah.”

“…Hmm?”

“Just a moment. I got a text.”

The sender was obviously Aunt.

I thought it would be full of curses and harsh words, but surprisingly, it was just a mundane message saying she was waiting in front of the Dream Tree Hall 1st floor entrance. The fact that the way home was well lit was an added bonus.

Yes, Jin as well, but Aunt is not a bad person after all.

Of course not. She’s my only family. That’s why I’m really worried. Once Jin graduates from school, she will also become part of our family. So naturally, Aunt and Jin will become family too. But will the parties involved accept this? Can legal boundaries untangle long-held emotions? I wasn’t sure.

With a worried heart, I cautiously looked back at Jin.

Her exposed bunny girl outfit and cute rabbit ears bobbed with every nod. Yes, definitely not. Today is not the time for such talk. Let’s go home, take off this outfit… shower together. And then sleep. Maybe we can skip school for a day. We still have plenty of leeway in terms of the minimum attendance days required for graduation. Assuming Jin doesn’t get into any accidents…

“Stop.”

“Huh?”

It was at that moment when I was about to say assuming Jin doesn’t get into any accidents.

Jin suddenly lowered her voice abruptly, grabbed my hand firmly, and stood me up. Due to the sudden stop, Jin’s strange earring, which she always wore, made a loud rattling sound as it swung back and forth.

“Why, Jin?”

“It’s there.”

“What… where?”

“There, it’s there.”

As always, the subject had run away. So, the remaining anxiety was mine to bear.

Could Aunt have noticed she was here? Is she angry because of that? That wouldn’t be good… If I insist on walking home from here, I’ll end up fighting with Aunt again. Just thinking about it made my heart pound anxiously.

“Oh, um… there’s nothing there, right…? Look, it’s so bright. You can’t see anything.”

“It’s there. A bad person.”

“Uh-oh….”

Although the subject had returned, I wasn’t particularly happy about it.

Jin’s sense of boundaries had long reached its limit. The evidence lay in the way her clenched hand bones were tightly gripped, almost creaking. Her greatly contracted red pupils were also a clear sign that her anger had already reached its peak.

What should I do? Should I send a message now?

No, but why did she come all the way up here when Auntie said she was waiting downstairs? If she had thought about extending her hand first for reconciliation, it would have been fortunate, but of all days…

“No, wait. Jinah? Why all of a sudden…!?”

“I have to kill.”

“What? What, what!?”

“Quickly.”

Due to the excessive force she exerted while walking, Jin’s slippers made a loud scraping noise on the empty corridor. Her staggering steps, though admirable as she led the way without stumbling, could not be praised due to the rising anxiety.

I can’t kill her.

If Jin kills Auntie… What should I do? I’ve never even thought about such a thing. I don’t want to think about it. My stomach churned. The only remaining sight was entirely filled with a bright red hue. The smell of blood, the taste of torn flesh kept coming back to my mind, making my tongue tingle as if my stomach lining would burst out like Jin’s.

“Just… wait… Jinah. I-I’m going to… vomit…”

“Endure.”

“Ugh….”

There was no room for refusal.

Actually, we were already at the central staircase. Moreover, I could hear it now too. The slow sound of footsteps. Coming up. From below to here. Clearly, slowly. And surely.

“Cell phone.”

“Uh, yes?”

“Lend it to me.”

“Huh… here. But why? Oh, if you’re trying to call the police… then stooop!”

The momentarily hopeful feeling I held was abruptly shattered along with Jin’s leap off the corner as soon as she reached the stairs. There was no hint of hesitation. The immense force was so strong that even I, holding her hand, was dragged along.

I couldn’t resist.

A thousand thoughts raced through my mind, but I didn’t even attempt to stop Jin. Not that I couldn’t, I just didn’t. I simply closed my eyes tightly. I was scared. Afraid. Despite the pain felt from the impact on the ground, I trembled with clenched teeth, fearing they might break rather than shatter.

“Stop, djr…?”

“Haa… haa….”

“…What?”

Perhaps, without a doubt.

Beyond Jin’s rough breathing, there was a voice… ‘a strangely low male voice.’ If it hadn’t been for that, I might have spent my life blindly following orders like a blind servant.

“The bad person hasn’t… died yet.”

“Ugh… Wait, Jinah? That’s not Auntie… What is that, exactly?”

“…Auntie?”

“Oh. No, uh… more importantly, step back! How dare you say that’s Auntie?”

“So, well… No, no… It’s not like she suddenly came to mind or anything, not that she’s actually here, so… So…”

Even thinking about it, it was an incredibly lame excuse.

It was a relief that the ‘bad person’ Jin mentioned wasn’t Auntie, but I couldn’t see a way out of this dilemma. There was clearly an extremely unrealistic presence in front of me, but all I could see was Jin’s pretty face pulling me by the collar. I really had no clue.

“Th-the, tlrks, and, rydp dlTdmaus, not… ehodo….”

“Hey, hey Jinah? There’s a bad person over there that you mentioned!?”

“Why didn’t we sleep together. We should have slept together. Did I sleep alone? Where did you go? Where have you been all this time? Did you leave me alone? Why, why?”

“No, no, that will never happen! Whatever happens, I’ll always be with you, so there’s no need to worry. Yeah, that’s right. Seriously. Do you believe me?”

“…Then this. Show me the text messages.”

“Ah… What?”

“Quickly.”

Cold sweat dripped down his back.

Enraged, he thrust his phone into my face. The phone, partially stained with gold from snapping a picture of the mysterious ‘film lump’ that Jin had secretly taken, was still functioning perfectly. Of course, our conversation with Auntie was vividly preserved inside, and even though my dyslexia was severe, there was no way Jin wouldn’t read it.

What comes next?

If Jin finds out that he sneaked around with us while pretending to sleep?

Even if it meant plunging a knife into his own body, he would never sleep again. I didn’t want that. I really didn’t want that. I wanted Jin to take his medicine without any worries and sleep soundly. I absolutely rejected staying up all night like that.

“Here, gkrtodaks, 들djdhf tn, 있… smsep 넌, 누rnwl…?

“Ugh…!?”

It was at that moment when I thought about it.

I was pushed against something and felt a strange sensation in my lower back. It was a very peculiar feeling. It was completely different from Jin’s warm hand that had been questioning me, cold and chilling like a corpse. It looked like a jumbled mess of film, and the sensation matched that. The only difference was that it was roughly the size of an adult male… I didn’t know what it was, but it felt dangerous─

“………………………………………………Ha?”

─Before I could even feel that way, such a hollow voice echoed emptily on the stairs.

Standing frozen in place, I collapsed, and Jin’s expression, watching me with his eyes, turned coldly indifferent. The phone he held in his hand fell weakly to the ground with a thud.

“Hakto, dnlgja… Kk…!?”

“……”

“Uh, kkeodmeor….”

And then, in an instant, Jin turned his back and his fist landed on the face of the film lump. Regardless of its identity as a person, he didn’t hesitate at all.

“Why….”

“Gkr life, dho, Keok!?”

“Why….”

“Jja, jamRks only….”

“Why! Why, why, why!!! Whyeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!”

Jin kicked the unbalanced film lump with all his might, stomping on it while screaming almost like a shriek. Although the film lump made incomprehensible sounds, it was drowned out by various unpleasant noises.

The school uniform top that Jin had draped over his shoulders couldn’t withstand his violent movements and fell to the ground─ scattering the chunks of the film lump everywhere. But Jin didn’t stop. Despite nearly losing his balance and stumbling several times, he didn’t cease the violence.

What if that wasn’t a film lump but a person?

Broken bones would have pierced through flesh, spilling intestines and blood everywhere, emitting a putrid smell. It would have been a truly horrific sight. Thankfully, it wasn’t a person. I was glad Jin didn’t kill anyone. So, I found myself laughing unintentionally.

“Ha… Ha… Why… Why… Ha… Why….”

“Hey, Jina?”

“……”

“It seems like it’s over already… But more importantly, I’m fine, so let’s stop now… Oh!”

“Yeah. Ugh… Huh… Sorry. Sorry, sorry… I’m sorry for hurting you while I’m here… Sorry….”

“Oh, no. I brought up Auntie for no reason, causing you to worry, so sorry…”

“Are you hurt? Are you okay? Does anything hurt? You’re okay, right? You shouldn’t be in pain. Yeah?”

“I’m totally fine. Thanks to our cool and pretty Jin.”

“Really? Really really?”

“Really really really. So, sincerely─ uh.”

“Um, uh… Um….”

Something burst, and Jin grabbed my cheek with a hand covered in ash-colored liquid, then kissed me fiercely. The warmth, from warm to hot, spread throughout. So, I cautiously embraced Jin’s empty back. It felt like going back in time. Though a bit further would lead to the outside world where Auntie awaits.

“Haha… Hm… Uh….”

“Jin, are you okay? You look really tired.”

“Mm… sleepy….”

“Well then, let’s just sleep in the reading room. I won’t go anywhere. I’ll stay by Jin’s side.”

“Oh… Okay. Let’s sleep together. Hug tightly, together.”

“Sure. Let’s go. Just wait a moment. I’ll carry you.”

“Hehe… Okay.”

Despite interrogating Auntie angrily or stepping on a film roll to death, Jin, with an innocent and bright smile, climbed onto my back, hugged my neck tightly, and playfully rubbed our cheeks together.

Thank goodness. I quickly calmed down.

Seeing Jin happy made me feel good too.

Perhaps it was thanks to the broken phone we stepped on while walking. But who cares. Just thinking about the peaceful night at school with Jin made me burst into laughter.