Chapter 20: A Late Night Call

“It was still pretty, though.”

The fireworks weren’t the real issue. What truly bothered Lee Yunwoo was the feeling that Yoon Heesung hadn’t enjoyed the movie.

Was it so uninteresting that he’d even mention it being “illegal” or whatever? Lee Yunwoo recalled the moment Yoon Heesung’s expression had been reflected on the darkened screen, and how their heart had inexplicably plummeted. His utter indifference, that complete lack of interest on his face, had been palpable.

‘Why does someone else’s expression weigh so heavily on me, even when it’s possible they just didn’t enjoy it?’ Lee Yunwoo mused, unable to find an answer.

Lee Yunwoo traced patterns on the sofa with their fingertips. “You didn’t enjoy it… did you?”

“It’s because I’ve seen it before,” Yoon Heesung replied.

Lee Yunwoo turned their body towards him. Deprived of his leaning post, Yoon Heesung straightened his head.

Yoon Heesung had been the one to choose the movie. Lee Yunwoo, unfamiliar with the options, had simply kept quiet, assuming Yoon Heesung would pick something good.

“Then why did you put on one you’d already seen, instead of something new?” Lee Yunwoo asked.

Yoon Heesung’s tone was nonchalant. “I just watch whatever’s chosen for me anyway. I always rewatch the same things, so it doesn’t matter if I see it again.”

“Chosen for you? Who chooses it?”

Just then, Yoon Heesung gestured towards the window with his eyes. “Yunwoo, shouldn’t you be heading home?”

The sun had already set, leaving the outside cloaked in darkness. Startled, Lee Yunwoo shot up from the sofa. Their mother must have returned from work by now, a fact Lee Yunwoo had completely forgotten.

Lee Yunwoo hastily slung their bag over their shoulder and checked their phone, but there were no messages or calls.

“…”

Their mother had never been particularly concerned with what Lee Yunwoo did, but to not receive a single call by this hour felt somewhat disheartening. Lee Yunwoo always thought of their mother first whenever they went to and from Yoon Heesung’s house.

Lee Yunwoo paused, a plaintive voice echoing sharply in their ears. ‘You have a mother, and you have friends.’

“…”

Suddenly, Lee Yunwoo felt a pang of guilt towards Yoon Heesung, even though they were actually going home later than usual today.

On another level, rushing home because of a mother who seemed to care so little felt strangely wrong. Yoon Heesung was always restless with the desire to spend more time together, yet Lee Yunwoo constantly pushed him away and left. It felt profoundly unfair.

It was Yoon Heesung who, surprisingly, urged Lee Yunwoo to go. “Your mother shouldn’t be alone. You should go quickly.”

He spoke with an ambiguous smile, a strange expression that was neither quite a laugh nor a frown. Feeling a blush of embarrassment for their earlier worries, Lee Yunwoo mumbled, “Right…” while touching the back of their head. Then, Yoon Heesung asked the very same thing he’d been pestering Lee Yunwoo about that morning.

“Instead, can’t you stay over again this weekend?”

Lee Yunwoo had clearly said no before, yet Yoon Heesung was asking again as if that conversation had never happened.

But… it was hard to shake their head this time.

Why? Was it because of the word ‘instead’?

Lee Yunwoo didn’t think so. It felt more like their own feelings had shifted considerably in the interim, unconsciously and unintentionally. They found themselves unable to refuse this proposition.

They had ridden bikes and watched a movie together just moments ago. And during all that time, their mother hadn’t contacted them once. This must be why their answer had changed.

Lee Yunwoo found themselves blurting out an agreement.

“…I suppose so.”

Anyway, their mother was indifferent to them. She wouldn’t care where Lee Yunwoo slept.

“Alright, I’m really going now.”

“Okay. Go carefully.”

Lee Yunwoo descended the stairs as if pursued. As they crossed the center of the living room and looked up, as always, Yoon Heesung was looking down at them from the second-floor railing.

Their eyes met, and he offered a wave. Lee Yunwoo instinctively returned the gesture, a habit that had become part of their daily routine.

The outside was shrouded in gloom.

“The sun has completely set.”

Only now did Lee Yunwoo understand why the house’s garden required so many lights. The subtle glow of the lamps was all that illuminated the night, where all colors had receded. The brightness wasn’t intense enough to be dazzling, yet it wasn’t so dark as to risk a misstep. It felt atmospheric.

However, that charm only extended as far as the main gate.

The sloping path beyond, devoid of streetlights, was pitch-black. The only light source was a slender crescent moon, no thicker than the white tip of a fingernail. Fearing a fall, Lee Yunwoo couldn’t bring themselves to run, instead descending the incline at a brisk walk. Lee Yunwoo felt more terrified now than they had during Yoon Heesung’s reckless sprint earlier.

Halfway down, a strong, salty scent wafted through the air.

“…”

Lee Yunwoo had never found romance in the sea like others did. Passing the path from school to home, though the shimmering blue below the horizon was visible, it held no appeal for them.

Yet, the sea viewed from here was different. Even though it was the same ocean, seeing it from this hill or through the villa’s windows felt distinct. Lee Yunwoo could almost understand why people loved the sea.

But now, it was entirely different. Discomfort? Unease? How could one describe it? The waves were ominous and fierce, carrying a distinct fishy stench. Lee Yunwoo swallowed hard.

Was it because they were heading home, not towards the villa? It felt as if their time at the villa had been a dream, and they had suddenly woken up, cast back into reality.

To some extent, that was true. The destination Lee Yunwoo was returning to was the humble home that awaited them, the harsh reality of their world.

For someone like Lee Yunwoo, the night sea could never be a beautiful place.

Lee Yunwoo had once seen the night sea up close. The night sea differed greatly from the daytime ocean, which glittered as it reflected sunlight. It swallowed all the mundane sounds of the world, replacing them with the raw, guttural roar of the waves, like a cry. The ‘whoosh’ sound, seemingly peaceful at first, resembled the ominous calm before a storm.

Standing before it, a primal fear would surge to the very crown of one’s head: that the waves undulating beneath their feet, the waves fiercely lashing at the land, would immediately claw their way to engulf them.

It was the same now. Despite the considerable distance from the surging waves, the terror they had once felt washed over them, and their body stiffened. The memory of cold water, seeping through their shoes and between their toes, was vividly clear.

That day, driven by a momentary impulse, Lee Yunwoo had stepped into the sea and found there had been no escape. It had been terrifying. Frightening and fierce. The crashing waves, deafening and sharp, hammered at their ears. The cold water had encased their body heavily, and the ceaseless waves had surged in, threatening to swallow them whole. There was no escape.

It had been one of those days when Lee Yunwoo had realized it was already too late to flee.

“…”

Lee Yunwoo forgot their careful descent and began to run. They ran and ran, like a child who had seen a ghost. Lost to the memory of the past, they sprinted wildly.

“Hah, hah…”

By the time they reached the villa, their school shirt was soaked with sweat, clinging to their body. Exhausted, they climbed the stairs again. It was then, upon arriving home.

“Mom, I’m home…”

In the hallway in front of the kitchen, a thin line of light pierced the gloom. It was the fluorescent light seeping through the gap of a sliding door that hadn’t been fully closed.

“Mom?”

Lee Yunwoo gently pushed the door open and stepped inside, calling out, but their mother was nowhere to be found. They checked the veranda and their own room, but she wasn’t in either.

‘Did she go out for a bit…?’

Yet, there was nowhere to go in this vicinity. The only supermarket closed early in the evening. Lee Yunwoo considered calling her, but first, they headed to the bathroom to wash their hands.

“…So, it’s okay, right?”

At the sudden voice, Lee Yunwoo’s grip on the doorknob slackened. Their mother was in there. A strange premonition made them hold their breath.

“I said I’d send it as soon as it’s ready, didn’t I? When have I ever lied to you? …Hold on a second.”

However, their mother had also sensed Lee Yunwoo’s presence. The bathroom door slowly creaked open, and Lee Yunwoo caught a glimpse of their mother’s eyes, wide and startled, through the narrow crack. Their mother spoke into the phone urgently.

“I’ll… I’ll call you back.”

Uncharacteristically flustered, their mother shoved her phone into her pocket. “You’re back? Have you eaten?”

She brushed past Lee Yunwoo, emerging from the bathroom.

“Mom, who were you talking to?”

“You don’t need to know. I asked if you’ve eaten.”

From her question about food, it seemed she didn’t even know what time it was. She probably didn’t realize Lee Yunwoo was home later than usual. The lack of contact hadn’t been due to trust, but simply ignorance. There seemed no need to mention having been at Yoon Heesung’s house.

“What time is it? Of course I’ve eaten. What about you, Mom?”

“…Oh, I always eat before coming home.”

Their mother ran a hand through her hair, her face etched with fatigue.

That was the end of it. Their mother pushed Lee Yunwoo out of the room. It was a clear signal that she wanted to speak no further.

“If you’ve eaten, go in, wash up, and sleep. Mom’s tired today too, so I need to sleep early.”

*Thwack*. The door closed. Lee Yunwoo stood still, merely touching their sweat-dampened neck. ‘You don’t need to know,’ she’d said. At those words, a single suspicion began to sprout in Lee Yunwoo’s heart.

The suspicion had begun to bloom the moment Lee Yunwoo saw their mother secretly on the phone, and it solidified into certainty as their mother spoke curtly and evaded their questions.

‘Could she be in contact with Lee Sunwoo?’

Suddenly, their heart hammered. Blood rushed to the center of their chest, and the heat that bloomed there spread to their face. Sweat beaded on their cooling back once more. The ominous feeling Lee Yunwoo had experienced on the way home from the villa now felt like a premonition.

It couldn’t be anyone but Lee Sunwoo. It had to be him.

Their mother was in contact with Lee Sunwoo.

Only recently, she had asked Lee Yunwoo if they had heard from Lee Sunwoo. This implied that contact had been re-established somewhere in between.

Lee Yunwoo bit their fingernails with a sharp clicking sound.

Would Lee Sunwoo know what kind of situation they were in now? Would he know that they had been chased by creditors and forced to move here, that their mother had lost her job, and that Lee Yunwoo couldn’t even finish school and had fled here?

‘What did he say after hearing all that? Did he even apologize?’

They didn’t know what Lee Sunwoo had borrowed money for. Even though Lee Sunwoo was the one who had borrowed money at an absurd interest rate, merely because of their familial connection, they had been forced to repay it month after month. Until their mother had fortunately found a job here and started receiving a salary, their household had remained in constant hardship.

In truth, their family’s circumstances had been similar even before that. It was all because of Lee Sunwoo.