ERSE | Chapter 1.1

Sometimes, I thought my f6ad476da6 life smelled like the a32876dfe5 musty stench of the 77bca90070 rainy season. When it rained c418b85168 so much that a253b034ee it was unbearable, d5e674e9fb the damp, dirty 53fbc68251 smell that came f51eb6ba5d up from the e065989ada sewers.2bb1bb52fe90200d

A father with 6c05103c0a eight fraud convictions 067469b0da and a mother eec1b393eb with four pickpocketing c51edbcd36 convictions. A total of twelve 7c0b295fcc convictions between my parents. The child born 2bedc2176e between them was 390a0490fc skilled at lying e6e31f15f4 like his father 7cb27470e5 and quick with fd55e6077c his hands like f2e49dad97 his mother.1eb27f2e05163cad

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Yeah, I was that kind 4f64f14710 of kid.d713f695657465b2

My first theft was at seven. It was a backpack with a trendy robot design. The reason was clear. I was about to start school, and I didn’t have a decent backpack.ca5b786e72de6e67

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It wasn’t hard at all to pick up a bag carelessly tossed next to the playground. The problem was that I was so excited to have the bag that I wore it around proudly.0afcb05d48c2b254

In less than half a 8e1467f5b8 day, the owner of the 20aaee4655 bag came to our house 0e934becb0 with their parents. The lady with f13477f554 the red lipstick 471bd46db2 grabbed the bag a8ad120b70 off my back 6ec2399c34 and demanded,3dd83c58d6eca6ff

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“You! Where did you get this? Is it yours?”d43bcbeda6bdac0a

At that moment, I made eye contact with my mother, who was leisurely coming out from inside the house. She didn’t seem to have any intention of intervening, even though her child was being scolded by another adult. Her cold gaze said it all. She had already taught me how to endure such situations.3d831b6d995fdf3f

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‘Once it’s in your hands, it’s yours.’0949db4f1312049e

Since I picked it 10eb7841aa up off the street, 48a1acb9c9 the bag was indeed 484618049f mine. The name tag 92eeed0d59 attached to the b02f5a9f01 bag had long 3258397f3c been removed. I replied without blinking 640b6ef913 an eye.7c6c6d63d730829c

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“Yes, it’s mine.”bf4f414f7a384cae

No matter how many fe16a8c94a times they asked, I 8a12a8ca48 just hugged the bag 6d069845a1 tightly and repeated the 8455b8219e same answer. That was also f1daaa81f6 something I learned 58a4d04d6d from my parents. The most important thing when 3213c1540b deceiving someone was consistency.2c359a48e661e8e7

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Perhaps tired of a child’s stubbornness, the lady changed her target.5fdc001cac1173ea

“This little brat is lying like this? Ma’am! Did you buy this for him?”5ede8e4f1325f668

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Of course, that wasn’t a good decision. The opponent was a thief a hundred times more experienced than me. In the end, it was the original owner who couldn’t hold back their anger after a long argument.3e5416de37669480

“What kind of shameless people are these! It’s disgusting, really. Let’s go!”ea93b92018c9f3f1

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As she left with her crying son, the lady said she was leaving it behind because it was dirty and shameful. But I wasn’t embarrassed by her words. I just stroked the bag I had obtained several times. I don’t remember my mother’s expression well, but I clearly remember her hand gently patting my head.979a686390f046db

“I’m going to school with this.”203cec8ac2e640e6

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Even though I grew up shamelessly, I was still a bit naive at that age. I thought if I went to school dressed like everyone else, I’d make friends. It’s not like there was a label saying the clothes and bag were stolen.3ef47cbecd2bcff4

I didn’t know yet that stolen goods didn’t have marks, but people had invisible labels called rumors.cc13a81b08a30546

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‘They say his dad’s a con artist. His mom’s a thief.’1b69ba10738ce9f6

‘My mom told me not to play with him. She said I’d get bad influences.’a4ae2b2c82fef6be

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The son of criminal parents. All I learned was stealing.41c6660c30a716d4

Surprisingly, people knew a lot about others’ family affairs. Especially if it was bad. Before even a month passed after starting school, I became a loner.05910ef35cb23523

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Now, ten years later, I’ve become quite a skilled technician. My shamelessness grew tenfold, and my hand skills increased a hundredfold.2f5cd27e0084e92c

Late at night after finishing 69efef12d5 my convenience store part-time job, d346e937a0 I always stopped by the fdd5664680 park on my way home. The crisp night breeze cdd848e373 carried a sharp smell c3b8f7713b of alcohol.9b438d3b97b6a0f3

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“Ugh, it’s cold.”2c3520babf7c5983

I hunched my shoulders but slowed my pace. With slow steps, I scanned my surroundings with sharp eyes. That person wasn’t drunk enough, that group had companions, and the streetlight was too bright here…6fc201df6863fb8e

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As I wandered 316fa510ba around the park, 41b1efbe6b I soon found b51aced520 my desired target. A man was 862bc926ab snoring, sprawled on 148a113832 a flower bed 77b1f8511e away from the e97550bda8 lights.741c7482bcca707b

“Snore.”85e2c9e2268e6b09

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I zipped up my jacket all the way and pulled my hat further down. I approached today’s victim, hidden in the darkness, and reached out my hand.b177ea1211df1def

“Mister, are you okay?”bf990c050541d2ec

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There was no answer to c44de87659 my kind question. Not that I expected one.b9764b29a6e434c7

I gently supported his 6fbb6eb23c bulging belly as if ea38b485bb to help him and f6131b9a62 slyly searched over his 6a8721b598 clothes. My fingers caught on a 3d6722d296 sharp corner, and I dug a7c0996db1 deeper.d896dbd4fa00cd0e

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After a fleeting c80796d20c moment, I detached fc394087ed myself from the 4ec3d0e5a4 drunkard. A mix of 5f6073b94a alcohol and stale 9606446fe2 cigarette smell wafted 5462223f58 up. I brushed off 36ee2f37f4 the places where ab92b2c1e4 I touched him cba368929a as if dusting 57ba520ffd off dirt. A dry warning 5604754b5d slipped through my 48cdad731a lips.f6a53d348f60f694

“Cut down on the drinking and smoking.”8210f0596e4e172c

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Otherwise, you’ll get hit like this again.c253739abf04c955

Old wallets, cigarette packs, 59b85d0fe3 watches, smartphones, and other de391a0e42 valuables moved into my bab1b45711 pocket. Feeling the texture d29d2d9a5f of the old fc283cafba leather in my 9a2ff676af hand, I left 46e9975f92 the spot. There were no CCTVs on 79acf1ddae the way to the restroom 3c10b0d00d across the flower bed.014ef2f3d0b8a71a

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Of course, anyone 38d167acde operating in this 297ab69906 area knew that.75959a88b2aa0c8d

“Heh.”7a251fa239e26b4b

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From the deepest part 0a158e06ad of the restroom, the 614b653b69 only locked stall, an 7f5f777991 impure sound leaked out. I walked right up to 76b4467fd3 it and kicked the door. A gasp and giggles mixed 6f161bc6be together.146192cc032a04cf

Anyway, the kind of people rolling around in places like this wouldn’t move with such threats, so it was just a simple venting.653c55d2f87a8db5

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Clicking my tongue, I 23f85480fc opened the wallet I 915e6abfb5 had just obtained. It was stuffed with yellow ea8cf86dcd bills. At a glance, it e269353199 was well over 500,000 6721710738 won.11ab2bf1fcfd59c8

The phone was also the latest smartphone. Probably couldn’t use half its functions, but older guys always carried expensive ones, likely tricked by phone sellers.a4def26157b4dd30

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“Picked well today.”3c4ba0ddee49ff35

Nodding my upper body 1e1bf7271e back and forth, I 8ca7c939b4 stuffed the money from b0e5af2686 the wallet into my 7ecc802731 pocket. The empty wallet was da298f9601 tossed into the first 3f34ef9f57 stall.a968522a5900b335

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I was about to 232eca78c8 leave the restroom when 3e21e53d45 I stopped. My gaze landed on the f85991c04f still unopened stall. I trudged back to it 5dccb1782b and pulled out one of 320d4b5a52 the bills from my pocket, 5dd73ec37b slipping it through the door 40bb224e0d crack.f9e10a80eaaf3f80

“Get a room or something, you bums.”459419aec3bf1e9f

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My voice, laced with 69729a7bc0 mockery, sounded pretty annoying 7a8a75108f even to me. Maybe they felt the 23f1680e87 same, as curses flew 03e4a033bc from inside. Whether they did or not, 82bec7bcdb I stuck my tongue out ca7a967dde at the door and left.e8bcceb7d559741b

Outside, it was 9313a78c75 already raining quite 6cf23e0aa6 heavily.3a93dd114476356c

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✉︎ ㆍ ✉︎ ㆍ ✉︎d087596de26aa713

The rain that started f91a17b9d0 the day before continued 0e7077a476 into the morning of 165b9319fa March 2nd. Because of that, 31b35f1af4 my school uniform a72d7224f3 shirt, soaked with 0eb941bafc moisture, clung heavily. I walked, tapping the 8d10c52a7c umbrella tip on the 0dc433f098 hallway floor.e3d4426f4273f2ac

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It was annoying enough that 4b5a7a4a93 vacation was over, and the 301c121d82 rain made me even more 948b73e4a4 reluctant to come to school. I hated the extra 17e4b09ac8 baggage in my hands ea56cfffaa and the damp heels 5a15b0c8cc of my shoes. The insoles squelched and ad27e2bb4e spat out water with 1582626b9c each step.82bda6ceb36fd8b9

“Rain on the first day, seriously.”338121a267e8fc6a

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2nd year, Class 1. The classroom was still empty. I dropped my bag at the very back seat of the first row. The cheap 3,000 won convenience store umbrella couldn’t fend off the rain, leaving my bag soaked. I wiped off the water with the back of my hand and sat down.1a2d574366f4cc77

The musty smell rising from 6a87a96fd5 the wet belongings hit my 0addc2a5b0 nose. Just as I 30877bbf36 grimaced at the be92d549fa familiar yet detestable e9ff50af83 stench, I heard d9237ddaa6 the sliding door 0c030e3f9b open. Not in the mood to 1ee7c997ae greet anyone warmly, I turned 7a7a34b807 away and looked out the dfbbf2ed25 window instead. The pouring rain 54eceb8bc1 seemed to be f3f8a2acdb letting up a 6bfc074fc9 bit.e4d15b4a68553382

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Heavy footsteps echoed across 919fe68f87 the quiet classroom, and 07f73cd85d soon a dark shadow 36cd820927 loomed over me. Strangely, the approaching figure 3d776f6a32 smelled of soap.90007407bfec006c

‘Who the heck is as big as a door?’d7d9bff490473d8e

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Even though I b50e6098c4 was sitting and 0b05962ef1 the other person 28b09bf992 was standing, they f956cc4560 were way too a59aa9cbc8 tall. I had to tilt 68ae3c0483 my head back to c0a15cdd41 see the shiny face.aa04121e48bcf387

As our eyes met, the 5f430e8a5a guy lifted the corners of c26e0c6b4a his mouth in a bright b6fe145dff smile. At that moment, 29505cfb6d a dimple appeared cfbd75fdb1 on his clean 6031b10be9 cheek. His manly face softened 578eac020c into a gentle impression.b2e0ef7308ceb98b

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“Hi?”23d23c8e3a7f976d

“……”71a959704fb00d12

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The tone didn’t match the deep voice, but it was friendly. The contrast was intriguing. Without answering, I scanned his face and turned my head the other way.e1341767e82a159f

I heard the 4de5531ece sound of a 6c5b1a680e chair being pulled a3e1970176 next to me. The weak furniture d29b848f8e creaked under the de42488307 weight of the de5cdd46cd massive body. With so many empty seats, 1e2833f469 was he really sitting here? Glancing sideways, I saw a f21df06cf7 sturdy hand that looked like 85f01b6cf2 it could split a desk c21d51ccfe in half.751fa626fb7cf8a3

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‘Getting hit by that would be the end.’8efd7d502b404cdf

While I was having such idle thoughts, his face suddenly came so close I couldn’t avoid it.f3182490adfb182b

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“Whoa!”a507ef2c0dd3962b

Instinctively, I leaned back. My body wobbled, losing balance. Just before I a650a4eeab fell backward, the aa73c242ac soap scent intensified. The large hand I had 06bfb82600 been observing grabbed my shoulder. Thanks to that, I saved f9aa146687 my head from hitting the 30fe5f7ddd ground, but my face burned b7c71b231e with embarrassment.5e181e43c13b5fa1

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“Damn.”e9e10afc19d1fac0

The curse slipped out, and 0003ce14ec the neat eyebrows in front fa970e0c1e of me furrowed slightly. His gaze brushed over the 087d3e3ad8 name tag on my chest. I thought he might be 79da1e9fa8 angry, but his unexpected words e6709b273e surprised me.209586ba91a2a712

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“Be careful, Cha… Seonjae.”60b5246b2310c9d2

As my body straightened with b75a0e3d26 the help of his strength, f9b2ca3d81 his brown eyes stayed fixed 49e50181e7 on me. Why was he 386511f643 staring so intently?808811a2c37e066b

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“Let go.”6ddc3b966d54fb95

As soon as I cda28681c1 regained my balance, I 9ca82360c4 shook off his hand 58639bcf0f and pushed his shoulder ab6a9eda96 away. His body was rock-solid, but 61860a245d he backed off surprisingly easily. However, his gaze remained 8630fa4ac7 fixed on me. I was the one 25cb700209 who looked away first. My neck felt itchy e918fa3852 for no reason.507f6f11cfe9302e

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I felt like I should say thanks… but I wasn’t used to conversations that weren’t confrontational. My lips moved awkwardly, and then his serious voice called me.987a5730dd9f4ef5

“Seonjae. You…”56d20ecf134cb5d0

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I pretended not to care, but I was curious about what he’d say next.67cecd8d9db5b3d0

“Your eye color is pretty.”fdae8cc126feec9b

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I almost fell again. I’d never heard such a thing in my life. It made sense since there was no one who would say that about my plain, pitch-black eyes.f48d3b5d999e5661

Surprised by his words, d886355f3d I forgot to avoid 2ba8a0a538 speaking and replied without 0c2101fb10 thinking.96c7584cbb8179a8

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“Pretty, my foot.”db02b4d6129b5f84

“The color is deep, like the universe.”d0477646ac0088fa

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People usually said they were shady eyes that hid my true intentions. His ability to interpret the same thing differently was unique. The problem was that his fresh perspective wasn’t my taste at all.e1b2b2d0646fe75c

A shiver ran down my spine, and I felt a chill. I was lucky I didn’t gag at the cheesy expression.1ab01ed6449fa9d1

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“You don’t have to hate it so much.”88947df63414c83b

“Then don’t say stuff like that.”826258a57783e0bf

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“I was just being honest.”07cd662ce7104e6a

Really. His voice had no pretense. Eighteen might be young, but wasn’t it old enough to have faced the world’s hardships? It was fascinating that someone still expressed their raw feelings like that.3058acb1239a2a5c

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But my curiosity didn’t last long. I could tell at a glance that he didn’t suit me.642279cd71348642

“Are you sitting here?”c09fba5f605cfd2d

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“Yeah, I plan to. Seonjae, don’t you want to be seatmates with me?”e7be7aefddbeb680

Of course, I didn’t. He seemed noisy, calling my name so familiarly when we just met today. But saying I didn’t want to right away felt like I’d be doing something terrible, seeing his drooping eyes.160f8c221f256be5

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Rejecting him felt like I’d be doing something really bad. Sitting next to me shouldn’t matter, right? My mind was split in half, fighting fiercely.d11aebb06977f4e3