Every single moment of the past five days had passed over him like centuries.
Fear in every second. The dread of the secret being exposed. His skin crawling at every ring of the phone. His heart thumping at every knock on the door. There was no peace, even in sleep. Mr. Noe's blood soaked corpse would chase him, and he would keep running, running… pleading his innocence… and so, when he woke up, instead of feeling refreshed, he felt like a traveler who had traversed the distance of ages.
The mere thought of leaving the house filled him with horror. He didn't want to set a single foot outside. For two days, a fever had acted as a shield, but then, the terror of Mr. Kang had overpowered every other fear, forcing him to head to the academy.
During this entire period, he hadn't seen Noe Sia anywhere. He didn't want to see her, either.
Taking a cold breath, he rested his head against the back of the chair. What a strange turn his life had taken. He hadn't imagined in his wildest dreams that a time would come when he would be restless like a criminal. A criminal of murder! And a murder that he hadn't even committed…
In a state of anger and restlessness, he stood up and opened the window. Breathing felt difficult. He took a few deep breaths. The pleasant scent of plum blossoms, carried by light gusts of cool air, had a soothing effect on his strained nerves. He sat down by the window, picking up a book. Evening was melting into night. A blueness dissolved into the sky. The half moon looked clear and bright.
"I like the half moon more than the full moon." A lost, familiar voice startled him. Darting bewildered glances outside the window and inside the room, he stood breathless when he realized Noe Sia was nowhere around. Then that voice???
"There is nothing so surprising about it. She was my one and only friend. It's normal to remember her... It's not easy to lose an only friend, is it!?"
Pressing his temples lightly, he reasoned with himself. For the hundredth time in the last five days, he reasoned with himself.
Apart from all the terror, deception, and fear, there was also a sense of pain that left him silent. The pain of losing a friend. He was never going to see her again, and this realization was saddening him from within. After completely ignoring this feeling of pain for five days, today, it was as if he had decided to remember her for the last time. He had decided to mourn their friendship. Sitting right there, he tossed the book toward the bed and leaned his head against the window frame, eyes closed.
The rowdy street kids bothering him, and then Sia beating them up with all her heart.
Mr. Kim's pet dog chasing them. The two of them running through strange streets… the difference was, Sia was laughing then… screaming… as if it were a game to her, while Iseul was yelling "Papa, Papa" at the top of his lungs.
He remembered once Mr. Kang had banned him from eating as a punishment. He had secretly called Sia and told her, and Sia had brought some strange sandwiches for him. She didn't know cooking back then, but she had tried for him.
Sia's grandfather, he was a wonderful man. Whenever they bumped into him while playing, he would always get them ice cream, juice, chocolate, or something.
And… that jumping and splashing in the rain…
Proving themselves a "big shot" by telling fake ghost stories…
They were just ordinary children…
Innocent, playing, running, laughing.
Then, as their age turned serious… life became serious too.
The bitterness of circumstances moved beyond just scolding and slaps… mental stress, confusion, future responsibilities… the fear of failure…
If you look at it, all these are part of a normal person's life, then…
What had happened that turned Sia into a killer…?? His head began to throb with the weight of his thoughts. Once again, anxiety and apprehension began to dominate his mind. He quickly stood up, opened his book, and closed the window. The chill had increased significantly.
"Whatever happened, happened. From today on, I don't know any Noe Sia." This was one last thought, an intention, or a promise he made to himself before drowning in the words of the book.
********
It was a rainy night on the 28th of February when he stood helpless, leaning against the wall of the house. The bag was still on his back, while he held a yellow umbrella over his head.
For some unclear reason, Mr. Kang had changed the lock of the house, and now he was neither picking up his calls nor replying to his messages.
After calling him once more, he met with failure again. The rains of childhood were one thing, but now he had no affection for them… he had begun to hate the nights anyway… rain at night meant double the trouble!
Scared, Frustrated, he looked for a place to sit. His legs were becoming numb from standing.
Despite searching a lot, he found nothing to sit on, so in a fit of frustration, he threw the umbrella away and sat on his haunches by the trunk of a plum blossom tree, hiding his head in his hands.
What if Sia came here right now?? What would she do??
Iseul shuddered at the mere thought. Right now, he didn't find enough energy in himself to face that cunning girl. He had to get inside at any cost. He wanted to stay away even from her shadow.
He intended to call Mr. Kang once more when he suddenly felt the rain stop. He was confused… no, the rain was still going on. He could hear the sound. Then??? In this confusion, he raised his head and jumped in fear upon seeing an indistinct silhouette holding an umbrella over him in the damp darkness. A scream escaped him involuntarily. His first thought was of Noe Sia. Noe Sia, who was a killer, a manipulator, a fraud, and a monster!! Who wouldn't be afraid to find a monster standing over them?
"Get away! Go away from here. I don't want anything to do with you anymore… stay away from me! Leave me alone for god's sake!"
"Excuse me! Excuse me, Mister! Are you alright? I just came to help you. Calm down. If you want me to leave, I'll go." An unfamiliar, soft voice emerging from the other side pulled him back to the world of consciousness. Removing his arms from his eyes, he tried to see the girl standing in front of him. It wasn't Sia… The first thing he noticed, after the tinkling voice and kind tone, was the bob cut hair, which couldn't belong to Noe Sia. His heart calmed even more… Remembering his previous outburst, he felt intense embarrassment.
"That… excuse me, oh... I mean... forgive me. I thought you were someone else."
Clearing his throat, he took his umbrella back from the girl. She was holding her own umbrella in her other hand, which she held over herself.
"It's okay. It's normal to get scared in such darkness. And I am called Park Ara. I moved into the house across from yours a few days ago, which is probably why you didn't recognize me. Actually, I had been watching you from the window for quite a while. No one stands outside their house late at night in such heavy rain for fun. Then seeing you check your phone repeatedly. And finally, when you threw your umbrella away, I became concerned… so I just came to see if everything was alright." The girl spoke non stop. By then, Iseul managed to see her face in the light of his mobile phone. And now, there was no room for doubt that she was definitely not Noe Sia.
His confidence returned. He gave a formal smile.
"I am perfectly fine. Actually, my father changed the house password and forgot to give me the new one. I was just calling him for the password."
"Mr. Kang is your father? He is such a wonderful man. My father met him on the very first day of our shifting. Your father is a very refined and cheerful person. But you… you seem quick tempered and… and you seem a bit of a scaredy cat too." She laughed, tapping his shoulder with familiarity. What could he do in response except pass an awkward smile....
"Now that you've turned out to be the son of our very good neighbor, Mr. Kang, my heart doesn't agree to leave you here alone in this weather. Come to my house. My dad will be very happy to meet you." After saying her piece in one breath again, she grabbed his hand and headed toward her house which was indeed the one right across from theirs, without giving him a chance to answer.
Pulled along with her, Iseul was so weary of the situation that he couldn't refuse even if he wanted to.
Before going inside the house, he called Mr. Kang once more, which proved to be meaningless.
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