Chapter 61: The Boy in the Sea

Heesung realized for the first time that he was capable of that kind of impulse. The thought had never once crossed his mind before. And before he could sort through his confusion…

Splash!

The boy suddenly dove into the water.

He had been sobbing just before going in. The reason was easy enough to guess.

Was he trying to die?

Heesung stared blankly at him. A wave hit the shore with a slap. The round head sank beneath the seawater almost immediately.

For some reason, Heesung felt let down. But he had no reason to step in, so he only watched.

“……Huh-ack!”

That was when a thin arm rose up. It was as skinny as a tree branch. He began thrashing desperately.

‘Looks like he got scared now that he’s actually about to die.’

Heesung had seen people like this plenty of times in movies and books. They go through the trouble of deciding to die, but when they stand at the door, fear turns them back.

Heesung kept watching. Would he make it back to land safely? He focused without knowing why he was so intent.

Waves kept slapping painfully at the face that kept bobbing up. The boy sank down and rose back up, over and over. Then, somehow finding his direction, he began swimming toward land.

Maybe the water hadn’t been that deep to begin with.

It felt like a long time had passed, and like no time had passed at all.

“Huh-ack, hgk, ah…… huh-ack. Hah.”

Finally, the boy reached land. He practically crawled out of the water and collapsed face-first onto the sand. A wave washed over his calves one last time.

The boy trembled and coughed like he was trying to cough up his lungs.

“……”

Heesung stepped forward. The boy still didn’t seem to sense Heesung at all, his face buried in his arms as he sobbed and coughed.

Heesung took another step. Then another.

And finally, he stood close to the boy.

Heesung waited for the boy to speak first.

That was how the world had always worked. Wherever he was, people spoke to him first. They were all so interested in Heesung.

When he was young, he hadn’t known, but his looks drew people’s eyes. His background did too. It was no different from a honey-dipped snack set down in front of ants.

So this time, too, Heesung waited for the boy to make the first move.

“Haa……”

But once he caught his breath, the boy staggered to his feet on trembling legs and walked away from Heesung. He grew smaller and smaller as he walked off.

It was as if he hadn’t even registered that Heesung was there.

“……”

Left alone on the beach, Heesung sorted out his feelings.

What was this feeling?

Disappointment?

‘Over something like this?’

Heesung gave up on going into the water. He went back up to the road.

He wasn’t in the mood to go back to his earlier brooding either. Heesung decided to look into the boy.

He had never been curious about another person before, so even the first step was a hurdle.

What did you have to do to learn about someone?

First, you had to get close. Whether you actually came to know them would come after.

But how did you get close?

In movies and books, people always became close naturally, through some kind of opportunity.

Heesung came to a quick conclusion.

‘Then I’ll just make an opportunity.’

****

Heesung called Wonhwa’s secretary. Wonhwa had three secretaries, and he contacted whichever one.

“Secretary.”

“Young master. Did you call for me?”

When Heesung came down to the first floor, the secretary greeted him in a pleasant tone. The annex was off-limits except for cleaning and bringing food, so the secretary wouldn’t have come here at all if Heesung hadn’t called.

“I have something I’m curious about.”

At that, the secretary put on a good-natured smile.

The people who worked in this house knew quite a bit about Heesung. They knew about his cruel nature, how he was quiet but strange, and how his looks were fine enough to catch anyone’s eye.

Heesung had been in America for a while, so this was the secretary’s first time meeting him in person. He thought he’d add one more thing to the rumors.

His face still had a boyish look, but there was also something oddly pressuring about him.

But he was just a kid. Getting close to him would be easy as pie.

Even if he was cruel, he was a kid. The secretary thought so.

“Does a high school student live around here?”

“……Pardon?”

“Don’t ask back. Just answer what I asked.”

Heesung snapped irritably. At the fairly vicious words, the secretary hurriedly corrected himself.

“A high school student, you mean. When you say around here, how close do you mean?”

“Close enough to walk to the beach right in front.”

“The beach right in front of the villa, you mean.”

The word “villa” put Heesung in a bad mood for a moment. He was going to be stuck in this place until he graduated high school anyway. Nothing would change if he tore into one secretary.

But the boy who had been flailing in the water just moments ago weighed on his mind. He wanted to find out as soon as possible, even a little faster.

“As you know, the villa is far from the city. There’s no harbor here, so people mostly live in the city. The high school is near there too.”

“So?”

Get to the point. Heesung pressed the secretary.

The secretary found him harder and harder to deal with. Forget getting close, even keeping him happy was a struggle.

The secretary’s tone became even more polite than before.

“I’ll look into the high school students who live near the villa.”

“How long will it take?”

“I’ll contact you within the day.”

“Don’t come find me. Send a message. Don’t call either.”

“Yes, I understand.”

With that, Heesung went back upstairs. He felt a little gloomy.

‘……Gloomy.’

Why was he gloomy?

Lying still in his room, Heesung rummaged through his mind. People had always come to him first. They’d talk without being asked, act like they were close. Even that secretary was like that.

It had always been that way. Everyone wanted to be close to him.

But that boy hadn’t even known Heesung was standing next to him.

This was a first in his life. That was probably why.

There was no other reason. The boy’s first appearance must have been so striking that it wouldn’t leave his head.

The secretary’s reply came faster than Heesung expected. There was only one high school student living close enough to qualify. It really was the countryside, with people scattered far apart.

Heesung checked the information he’d received by message.

Lee Yunwoo. Age 19. Transferred on June 21. Attending Changgang High School, 3rd year, Class 1.

Heesung studied the small, square photo. The boy looked like a cowed puppy. Heesung zoomed in.

He could tell the boy was delicate and pretty, but he couldn’t tell if he was the same kid who had been thrashing in the sea.

‘I could tell if I saw his legs.’

With that thought, Heesung read through the rest of the information. He lived with his mother. His father’s whereabouts were unknown. His older brother was a mess.

They had moved here because the brother had piled up a lot of debt, and his mother still couldn’t find a job.

Here, Heesung thought he could create a connection with Lee Yunwoo. An opportunity to learn about each other and grow close, as depicted in movies and books.

Life really was ironic. If he treated him well, the boy would probably come to like him in no time.

He should be kind to him. Heesung made up his mind.

****

“……You’re going to school?”

“Yes. Put me in Class 1.”

Wonhwa’s eyes went wide.

Heesung hadn’t done anything since returning from America. She knew it wasn’t that he had calmed down; it was the calm before the storm. So she had been treading carefully, reading the mood, and now he suddenly said he’d go to school.

Wonhwa’s mouth opened and closed before she finally responded.

“Th…that’s right! Good thinking, Heesung. A year will pass in no time. With everything you’ve studied, studying abroad will be easy even after a year off. Mom will find a way to send you. You know your father calms down quickly, right? He loves you the most.”

Heesung was the late-born youngest son. He knew his parents treasured him.

Not that it mattered.

“And there’s something else I’d like to say.”

Heesung moved on to his other main point. They probably would have agreed if he’d said this first, but he calculated it would go more smoothly after saying he’d go to school.

“Hire one more person to work here.”

“In the building you’re staying in? What’s lacking?”

“No, it’s not that. She’s my friend’s mother, and she doesn’t have a job. Have her work in the building where she’s staying.”

“Your…… friend? Did you have a friend here?”

“Someone I’ll be friends with soon.”

That was all Heesung said. They weren’t friends yet, but they would be. In movies and books, that kind of relationship usually developed into friendship.

“Ask the secretary and you’ll see. I’m going to school from today. The paperwork?”

“Oh, oh. Okay. I’ll tell the secretary about the paperwork. So…… starting today, you’re going to school today?”

How many times was she going to ask? He had just said it.

“Yes. I’m about to leave now.”

“Alright. Then Mom will have everything ready for you. Go to school comfortably. You said you want Class 1, right? Ah, should I have the driver give you a ride? It’s your first time, so it might be difficult.”

“I’ll ride my bike.”

Heesung said that and went straight back to the annex. He packed his bag, got on his bike, and rode down the slope.

Instead of slowing down, he pedaled harder. The wind rushing against his face felt pretty good.

Summer was almost here. Heesung didn’t particularly like or dislike summer, but when he thought of shorts, it seemed like it might be nice.

The transfer process was smooth. A few yeses here and there and it was over. Heesung was placed in Class 1, and the moment he entered, he searched for the face he remembered.

The face that looked like a scolded puppy.

‘He’s not here?’

But he didn’t see him.

Had the secretary messed up? Heat crept up from inside him.

Heesung was about to storm out and grab the secretary by the collar.

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