chapter 24

I could hear the sounds of rain as I stepped out after getting ready. I opened my umbrella and held it over my head while carrying another one folded beautifully. Though it wasn’t raining that hard, nor were the raindrops that big, yet I would have gotten wet without an umbrella.

I walked leisurely while looking at the surroundings. Since these days I didn’t go out that much, it felt a bit different. As the rain continued drizzling, the alley revealed it’s quaint beauty. The tranquil locality was filled with the sounds of raindrops. It was strangely soothing. Though the hem of my trousers became a bit damp, yet the smell of the fresh rain in my nostril was pleasant. I appreciated the streets in the shower while strolling. When I finally got out of the alley, I saw the cars passing by, honking loud.

Following this street was our school. Right ahead of our school was a driveway.

Slowly recalling my memories while walking, I abruptly laughed. Not long ago, I wouldn’t have wanted to think anything regarding this subject of my life, yet now, I have no problem connecting this place with it. I was going to that place, which used to occupy most of my life. It was truly ironic.

However, it didn’t matter since I’ll be returning home after giving him the umbrella.

I walked a bit fast, not paying too much attention to my thoughts. When I reached the school gates and stared at the school, I felt strange somehow and stood blankly for a while.

“…….”

Suddenly, I realised. I didn’t know which class he was in.

If I stood in a daze in front of the school gate, I would stand out…….

I decided to enter the school first. Since vacation was going on, there would be only one place where people would gather. So it would be easy to find him.

I decided and went inside. The damp sports ground could be seen through the raindrops littered windows. I walked to the window and stood motionless. The unceasing rain permeated the sand without a sound.

……It was desolate.

Lost in thoughts, suddenly my breath hitched as I felt a bit stuffy in my chest. That vast sports ground which was devoid of people felt unusually solitary and lonesome. It was as if the emptiness I felt this morning had been transferred into this view. That moment when I felt alone and desolate when I came into the living room. As if I was the only one left in this world.

“…….”

Strange. Why do I feel this way……?

I didn’t know why, but I felt so overwhelmed by the feeling of endless melancholy that I moved away from the window.

Suddenly, I terribly missed Jun Hyung. I wanted to see his face which I had seen just the night before; I didn’t know why I missed it so much, but……. I just did. The desperate need sprang up from the corner of my heart.

I walked a bit faster through the corridor.

Some guys were cleaning the corridor. Seeing the busy movement of the mops, I looked for him but couldn’t find Jun Hyung. Was he cleaning upstairs? Or in the classroom? While walking, sometimes the guys stared at me, but since they didn’t recognise me, they seemed to care less about me.

I walked faster, looking through the vacant classrooms trying to find his class. I finally found a classroom with people gathered at the end of the corridor. But still no trace of Jun Hyung. I slowly moved to the second floor.

“……?”

When I came to the second floor, I stopped when I suddenly heard voices. Puzzled, I quietly leaned. The sounds of people talking, running around and moving desks could be heard. It seemed to be quite a large number of people……. Weird. Wasn’t it the middle of a break? I felt quite uneasy, and I thought that the sounds weren’t different from the sounds that I used to hear during the semester. I tried to go downstairs again. Unfortunately, just as I was about to turn around, someone ran out to the corridor, and our eyes met.

“You…… Kang Hagil?!!”

Come to think of it……it’s been a long time since I heard my real name.

I stared blankly at the guy who didn’t call me ‘Happy’.

Who was it?

That was my first thought. A neatly cut hairstyle and well-dressed uniform. I don’t know why that guy said it excitedly. He looked astonished.

“.……”

“…….”

I kept staring at his face. Suddenly, I remembered who this guy was. Aaa… right. If my memory is right, this guy was…… our class president.

Why was he in the school during the break? And why was he wearing the school uniform?

I was very puzzled, just when my mind was filled with many thoughts… a word stopped by.

─Supplementary classes…!

So it was like that! Why didn’t I think of that? Our school has a policy of making supplementary classes semi-mandatory during the Winter vacations for the second years!

Panicked, I took a step back. He was startled when he realised I was about to run away and attempted to approach me. I turned around and hurried down the stairs.

“Kang Hagil!!! Wait a minute!!!!!”

His voice resonated through the corridor.

“Why aren’t you coming to school?!! Wait a minute!!! Hey, listen to me!!!”

The voice continued to echo as we went down to the next level of stairs.

“Kang Hagil!! Can’t you wait a minute?!! I have something to tell you!!”

I ran like crazy.

“Kang Hagil, wait!! You, Your mother wa─….”

………

………………

…………… mother……?

Haahaa-

Gasping heavily, I indeed ran like crazy. The guys who were cleaning gave me weird stares as I passed them. I continued running. My thoughts were tangled, my knees trembling, and I was almost out of breath. As I ran frantically, I came across a dead end and turning around, I ran outside. Once outside, the still falling rain hit my face mercilessly. However, I didn’t even open my umbrella.

“.…..!”

While I was running so frantically, my eyes widened when something familiar entered my line of sight.

It was Jun Hyung!

I almost ended up crying the moment I saw his face.

I ran to him like crazy. He was gathered with his friends in front of the snack stand. Maybe he got hungry and went out to buy something. I ran while inwardly calling him.

Jun Hyung!

Jun… Hyung…!

He stood quietly with his expressionless face beside his friend, who was eating. Suddenly, he turned to me. His eyes widened when he saw me running.

I was dashing straight towards him. My legs wouldn’t stop. He kept looking at me with astonished eyes as I ran to him like a madman…… I crashed into him.

─thud!!!!

“…!!”

“Ack…!”

The sound of his low groan mixed with the sound of two bodies crashing together. Then his body awfully wobbled and we almost fell over.

“Haaa…… Haaa……”

“…….”

Fortunately, the moment Jun Hyung and I had collided, he managed to find his footing by spreading his legs, grabbed one of my arms in the process—so that I don’t fall from his embrace—and stood safely. My gasping was exceptionally loud in the otherwise silent surrounding.

Confusion. I was so disoriented that I felt my head would explode. The last words I heard from that guy continued echoing in my head.

Mother…

Mother………

Mother………………

What was that about my mother!

I gasped for air, my face buried inside his chest. He seemed to be flustered by my behaviour for a moment, but he soon came to his senses and tried to move me away. However, I thoroughly resisted. Neither did I want to show him my messy face, nor did I have the confidence to face him.

“Happy……?”

He called me with a questioning voice. I didn’t answer.

“What… Jun Hyung…? Who’s that?”

“That really surprised me. Who’d come running out of nowhere and throw himself in your arms?”

“Exactly, such intense embrace.“

The voices of his friends were filled with amusement. I couldn’t raise my face even more.

“What’s wrong? Happy…… Did something happen?”

He didn’t pay any heed to his friends and instead asked me in a worried tone. I felt like crying, I tightly bit my lips. His hand rubbed my back while tenderly embracing me.

“Happy? You mean that kid you picked up that time?”

“I didn’t see his face at that time. So it’s that guy.”

“No way! You actually took him to your house?! You always sang Happy, Happy and we didn’t even see a peep of you, so I doubted it.”

I could hear his friends. But I closed my eyes and tried to compose myself. In the process, I also tried to forget the voice bothering my mind.

His embrace had a pleasant scent. It wasn’t perfume or anything, just a pleasant scent that put me at ease.

I just wanted to concentrate on his scent.

I closed my eyes and stayed like that for a while. He didn’t budge and hugged me until I pulled myself away.