85 – Because you are somewhere in this world (4)
He was my second father.
Just as the goddess who gave her second life was worthy of becoming my mother, he was also worthy of becoming my father. Because he gave me death, not life. Just like my first father did, he led me, buried in the cradle, down the path to death.
Therefore, he was closer to my stepfather than to my older brother.
When I looked at him for the first time in a long time, I thought that he resembled my real father. My brother, the day I came to bury her mother, he looked at me with the same expression as my father.
Nevertheless, I gave him a warm greeting.
“So, how have you been? Well, it looks like you’ve been doing well. You have a nice face and you’ve gained quite a bit of weight. You look very good.”
“Don’t tease me unnecessarily and just answer me. Why are you looking for me all of a sudden?”
“I was looking for you. It’s been a while since I wanted to see you, so I contacted you.”
“So you contacted dozens of crime reports? And that in one day?”
“hahahaha…”
I just laughed because I had nothing to say in response. But he still stared at me with an indifferent expression. There was even a hint of wariness in his eyes, which were dark red like a bleeding cliff.
“By the way, you reacted very quickly. I thought it would take at least two days.”
“You’d be surprised to know how quickly word of mouth spreads in this industry.”
“But why did you ask to see me here?”
“Because it’s run by someone I know.”
“That’s not it. I was asking why you came to meet me in person instead of over the phone.”
This time he kept his mouth shut. I pulled up a nearby chair and leaned against its back.
“I didn’t expect you to come in person. I thought you would either have people kidnap you or ask you over the phone first. So I thought it would take a little longer to see you.”
“Anyway, it’s true that you were trying to find me.”
“Of course. And you were also missing your lost younger brother, right?”
“hahahaha…”
It was only then that he smiled bitterly for the first time. His frozen face cracked ever so slightly.
“…I missed you.”
He even repeated what I said one more time. My brother let out a light breath for a while and then repeated that word again.
“I missed you. Oh my god.”
“At least I’m serious, bro.”
“I know.”
My brother suddenly raised his head. And he continued his words very calmly.
“And that’s the biggest problem.”
“I’ve been a pain in the ass to you more than once.”
“Yes. It’s always been like that. It’s always been like that. You’ve always been an unpredictable asshole.”
Remorse was already evident in his tone of voice. My gaze, which had been wandering aimlessly, stopped at my feet and swept over his entire body. The review flowed out with a faint sigh.
“You bought clothes. You also cut your hair.”
“I made some money recently, so I paid some attention.”
“But the body is so thin that it doesn’t look good. It feels like a corpse is being stuffed into nice clothes.”
“It’s all thanks to my brother.”
“Yes, I guess so.”
The older brother calmly nodded his head. Then he suddenly gave me a sharp look.
“Is that why you came?”
“Yes?”
“Are you here now to try to get some belated revenge?”
It was subtle, but the voice was clearly shaking. But rather than feeling fear, I thought it was because he wasn’t confident in his own words. Instead of answering, I pointed out the point.
“If you thought that way, you wouldn’t have come here in the first place.”
“But when you think about common sense, it’s also the most valid reason. How much money did I take? About $30,000?”
“I don’t even remember it anymore. It’s been more than half a year.”
“I don’t even remember.”
At that point, I burst into laughter. He laughed helplessly and leaned his back on his desk.
“So what’s your business? If it’s not revenge, what on earth do you want from me?”
“It’s simple, bro.”
“Can what you want be simple? What is it?”
“Please find just one person.”
“…What?”
At my words, my brother opened his mouth as if in vain. Then he absentmindedly repeated what I had said.
“Ask me to find someone?”
“Yes. You just need to find one person.”
“Is that really why you were looking for me?”
“The method was a bit loud, wasn’t it?”
After entrusting a request to a criminal investigation office to find a person, the person is asked to find the person again. It was definitely not a normal way of thinking. But there was no other way for me as I only had two options.
Earn the commission fee somehow. Or find someone who will accept the request for free.
Of the two, the one I could choose was of course the latter.
“But I couldn’t help it. Out of all the people I know, you are the most adept at this sort of thing. You are the one who found the identity of the orphan boy on the streets, and you are the only one who will accept my request for free.”
“How can you be sure of that?”
“Is $30,000 not enough for a down payment?”
“You…”
This time, a look of bewilderment appeared on my brother’s face. He asked me again with his eyebrows furrowed.
“Is that really all you have to do?”
“Yes. You know best that it’s not a lie.”
“…”
“Please just find one person. Please, brother.”
“Ah…hahahaha…Ha…”
He burst out laughing at the word “Please.” Then he suddenly took something out of his back pocket and slammed it on his desk. There was a sharp knife stuck where I looked.
“…”
At that moment, I was a little nervous and clenched my fists. Unlike the crown prince of that world, my brother was always ready to wield a sword.
But instead of swinging his sword, he shook his head.
“Crazy bastard…”
My brother uttered those words and immediately sat down completely on the desk. Then he took out his cell phone.
“What’s your name? Let’s hear it.”
“I’m Yuna Kim.”
“Kim Yun-ah… Are you a woman?”
“Yes. I’m 25 years old and I was a child actor. I’m currently hospitalized. Just tell me which hospital I’m hospitalized in.”
“What is your relationship with this woman?”
“Well, I guess I should say that he’s the person I like. That’s how it is. If things go well later and we have a formal ceremony, you might have to hold my hand and enter. No, men don’t need to do that, right?”
“…What?”
At my words, he stopped tapping his cell phone and looked at me.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, I will call you, brother. As long as you give me a lot of congratulatory money.”
“No, that’s not it. There’s a girl I like.”
“Yes. It’s true.”
“Push…”
Suddenly, my older brother burst out laughing as if it was genuinely funny. I didn’t know what to say, so I just tilted my head.
“Are you going to do something like that now?”
Cynicism flew towards me. My brother dropped his cell phone on the desk and opened his mouth.
“Wake up from your dream, Boris. I don’t know what kind of dream you had, but you and I cannot escape. We are mold that cannot go out into the sun.”
“I’ve changed, brother.”
“Then what, is it blue mold? Once a person sets foot in the shade, he has to live in the shade forever. What on earth are you going to do with that scarred face? Can you even go to the bathroom with that body?”
“I may be ugly, but that doesn’t matter…”
“And. Does the girl you like know that you created her like this?”
That shouldn’t have happened. At that moment, I found myself speechless. My brother looked at my expression and shook his head.
“I knew that. Are you acting like a stalker or something?”
“It’s not like that.”
“Well, okay. Let’s say it’s not because I gave in a hundred times. So what? Do you really think that girl can love you? It won’t matter at first. But how will she react when she sees your scars? Huh?”
“…”
“Seriously, she’s a celebrity. Well, since I haven’t heard of her name, I guess she’s not that famous. Even so, would you be able to love a girl in a sunny place like this?”
“I…”
From Noble mtl dot com
“Are you really serious about that?”
“…”
I bowed my head. Suddenly, she remembered the words she had said before when she confessed to Yoona. She might have big burn marks on her face. She might be ugly.
…
Actually, I was the one who really had burn marks.
For no reason, she rubbed the back of her neck with her hand. I traced my wounds with my fingers and then looked up.
“I just. She just needs to see him once.”
“…”
“So are you going to teach me or not?”
“…Ugh.”
He sighed towards me. Then he lifted his cell phone.
“Okay. It’s not my concern anymore. Just wait. It’ll come out soon.”
“…”
“Shall I write it down? Do you know how to read? By the way, I taught it myself.”
“That’s right.”
“Up until then, I thought I could turn this idiot into a human. He was a bit smart and smart, so I thought I could put him to good use once I taught him.”
“Thanks to you, I grew up to be a good and upright child.”
“That’s your problem, Boris. You’re trying to imitate a human being when you’re a trash person like me. Seeing you act like you can be rehabilitated in this world, it makes me think that if I’m around you, I’ll get screwed someday too. Sure enough, like this. “You were acting like a b*tch.”
“…”
“It would have been better if you had said you had come to seek revenge. You said you had forgotten all the money you had earned in your life, and now you have come here to try love…”
You’re crazy. An eternal loner who cannot blend in with the world.
…
There was only one person who understood me like that.
I knew that fact very well, so I deliberately cut off my brother’s waist.
“Did you get the address?”
“Okay. Here it is.”
My brother threw a piece of paper at me. I opened the half-folded paper and checked the address inside. Then he raised his head and made eye contact with him.
He was still my father. From my scars to my past, I resembled him too much to deny it. So sometimes I was afraid of him. I wonder if what I’m seeing now is the blueprint of my badly crumpled future.
…
And just like my real dad. That person is such an asshole too.
I laughed and said one last thing.
“Thank you, brother.”
“Crazy bastard.”
He shook his head as if he was fed up. Then he burst out laughing like me and said something.
“Go.”
That was enough of a parting speech from my father. I turned back without hesitation. I had a feeling that this moment would be my last with him, but I didn’t want to add another moment to it.
“…”
After coming out the door, I opened the paper I had received once again. The address of a hospital was written on it. I stuffed it deep into my breast pocket as if it were a precious treasure. And this time, I took out my cell phone.
As I diligently tapped the now familiar keyboard, the novel site with my story written on it appeared on the screen. I wonder if there is a reply now. I checked, but the only thing left under episode 1 was my comment.
Nevertheless, I moved my hand once again. It didn’t take that long this time. Soon, pitch black letters spread over the empty reply box.
[Yoona.]
…
…
…
A ray of wind seeped into the compulsively closed room. In the dark space, the computer monitor was the only source of light, emitting a dull light. The blood from her wrist was still thick underneath it.
After roughly wiping away the blood, she raised her head and a glowing screen came into view. There was a copy of the novel the girl had last read. There, the comment that the girl had written with all her might was hanging there, pitifully.
Just that one comment. That was the only response to this novel.
Just as I was thinking about it and was about to pass by, a comment on episode 1 suddenly caught my eye. When I moved the mouse to turn the screen in that direction, clearly written comments filled my field of vision.
[Yoona. It’s me, Ellen.]
“…?”
I frowned at her, wondering if I had misread it, but it was clearly the girl’s name written there. The owner of this room, my precious flesh and blood. I refreshed the screen just in case.
Then another comment appeared below it.
Her name was revealed there again. Although it was a short sentence, the emotions contained within it were so clearly revealed that the period at the end seemed like it was going to jump out of the screen. I read the comment out loud with parched lips.
[Yoona. I’m on my way now.]