UBC Ch3

Just as the man, who had become silent, was trying out different kinds of drinks, the power went out. As it turned one o’clock, even the next room, adorned with five wreaths, saw a lull in the flow of mourners. As the man had said, I couldn’t just sit there comfortably. It was time to leave. The moment of departure, at least, felt like a proper funeral. I offered incense to Kang Eui-joo as I had learned, and performed two bows.234a066912695b909b94

The man, who had acted as if he’d eaten all the etiquette in the world for breakfast, followed me all the way to the front of the funeral hall. Inwardly surprised, I dismissed it, thinking he might be going the same way by chance, or perhaps he was heading to the restroom. But when the man started descending the stairs of the funeral hall with me, I couldn’t help but ask.21e351766de27bd82854

“Excuse me.”c6e93215d7a6cc3e3cb9

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I stopped halfway down the stairs, wondering how far he would follow. The man, who had been walking in a deliberately nonchalant manner, one arm dangling and the other in his pocket, also stopped. With only his left foot on the lower step, the man asked with a considerably subdued expression.81a72f7685a96fc7d82a

“Not going?”a4d9126eefe5f5165366

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“Me?”11f5a60b155085250a4c

“Yeah.”9bbb909bce36ef671970

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The man seemed particularly annoyed when he pronounced “yeah.” Clutching my bag strap tightly, I gestured with my chin towards the empty road where buses had stopped running and not a single car passed.27eebef943fbf2e1e92e

“I’m going to walk down.”15933c8f3a70f0110d9c

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“What?”c1ded42d118c8313cc6f

“Walk. I can use a public phone in the city. My mom will come pick me up from there.”fe9afdd612cd9b7e9e11

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There were times when I studied until 3 a.m., when the study room closed. When study time was over, I would use the public phone in front of the study room to call my mom. She would never sleep, waiting for me, and would come to pick me up in her old car. I could afford to be relaxed because I had something to rely on.ff2db01f09ef48c999e2

However, the man, who had no way of knowing this, lowered his right foot to the step, closing the distance. The dark winter night of the secluded funeral hall suddenly felt eerie.743d912ccc2ef071b394

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“Where’d you leave your cell phone?”432cdc1f452571fccea6

“I don’t have one.”eb29ef9edf57aa5af646

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I was envious of the other kids who exchanged texts or made calls. These days, it seemed like every kid had a computer at home and a cell phone of their own. I coveted those pretty flip phones, but they would be a distraction to my studies, so I could do without one for now. I had made a pinky promise with my mom to buy one when I got to college.3d59d2238218438cd0d7

The man looked at me as if I were a primitive alien. Instead of a cell phone, I took out the MP3 player I had obtained after ten days of fasting. I plugged the earphones into my ears and gave the man a polite bow.68239134029a0030e388

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In any case, I wanted to show respect to him, the chief mourner. I thought I had done my duty, considering he didn’t seem much older than me. There were no problems until I crossed the road and entered the slope. After passing a large pine tree with bent branches, a pedestrian bridge appeared. My pace slowed as I looked at the black stream flowing under the bridge.9e46ea1fe49abd46c22a

Kang Eui-joo, who used to hide from me as if he were teasing me. That kid who avoided me, saying nothing good would come of being involved with him. There was a day when I happened to run into Eui-joo swimming in the river. My heart ached at his words that he was planning to catch snails to fill his hungry stomach. It was from that day that I secretly brought side dishes to Eui-joo, without my mom knowing. If my mom found out that all the side dishes I had asked her to make a lot of, using my growth spurt as an excuse, had gone to Eui-joo’s house, I would be kicked out naked.b7bf74eb0f3cbdf9ede3

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Eui-joo, knowing this, refused the side dishes several times, but as the saying goes, if you chop at a tree ten times, it will eventually fall. Considering my sincerity in leaving the side dish containers in front of his mailbox, he eventually came out to receive them himself.54408ae2900275aee88a

You could call it meddling. I liked Eui-joo, who was calm and intellectual, unlike the other boys who giggled while flipping up the skirts of female high school students. The fact that he was pale, thin, and sickly was not an obstacle to our friendship. I wanted to show our case to those who said there was no such thing as friendship between a man and a woman.63eb51aef75babdb2665

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“With your brother?”6715e3729ad2f46ba579

“Yeah.”49369a43f52545f19c0d

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“Is that your dream?”7962b50436fb02e83728

“Yeah.”d2be432dba47f3562036

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A kid whose dream was to live in the same house as his brother. It wasn’t to get better from his illness, or to go to college, or to start a business. But considering he said his dream was to live with his brother, the brother himself didn’t shed a single tear at the funeral.634d8aa145d3265d29d0

I lowered the volume of the music that had reached the chorus and took out my earphones. I was about to sit on the bus stop bench and let out the tears I hadn’t been able to shed. But the sound of stones rolling, drr, drr, drr, broke the silence. It was the sound of the shadow that had followed me to the bus stop. As if he were playing a prank, he was kicking a stone. Eui-joo’s brother, who should have parted ways with me in front of the funeral hall, had followed me. The man who should be guarding the mortuary shouldn’t be here. Did the man not know what even I, who lacked a sense of reality, knew?97484603518e18584433

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“Excuse me.”14f616c80dbc05289790

I hated the man who made Eui-joo lonely, whether alive or dead, but his still atmosphere made my voice sound like a mosquito buzzing. Confident that the man had heard my voice, I continued.ff2cbde63f20edef9025

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“Why are you here?”fde5b7874cc06ee6a916

Then the man, who had been defending and attacking as if he were playing soccer with the stone all by himself, lifted his head. His expression, seen in the dim light of the failing streetlamp, was incredibly indifferent.dba6205d9e192f3a59c0

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“What about the guests?”009c08440006a65fe722

The man leaned his back against the bare tree as if he had a leg injury. A very quiet smile appeared on his lips.35e73a385a105a86fd1c

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“Can’t you tell? You were the only one.”89b8377eb7edbd0f1d0d

“…Ah. Perhaps your brother’s friends or something.”b6ef560f8d0b82262d50

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The cold air that came out of the man’s mouth turned into laughter. It sounded mocking to me, who was easily frightened.c1362882789dc80a1f3c

“If there were any, they would have come. I’m telling you, you were the only one.”e4cfa5c2223f0312eb5a

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“Oh, okay…”d468298f14b52f186656

The fact that Eui-joo’s brother was still in the same place after 10 minutes only added to my sense of burden. Although I was scared of the night road, I knew the neighborhood well since I was a kid, so I knew better where it was safe to go. I cautiously spoke to Eui-joo’s brother, who was standing there looking at his empty cigarette pack.c691bf46651fcd90939b

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“You know. If it’s because of me-”7a4c0987acfc748be3af

Whether he was finally tired of kicking the stone, the man’s gaze finally returned to me. I put on a smile that adults often praised.084ee877747217e895cb

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“You can go now.”6e967578f14d05347b24

“I can go. And you?”dcdc8a0fe70ba1c2e817

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“If I go just that far, it’s the city. You don’t have to worry at all.”01ab20cb72648214ae3b

However, as soon as I finished speaking, the man let out a ridiculous laugh. The words that followed were like the man talking to himself.86f3e3a82dcb76c9267f

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“I don’t know if you’re naive or what…”16571a3185421a25e6ce

“Huh?”fe508690de07847ddf91

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As the man’s words faded, I looked at my wristwatch. I got up as if to avoid the man, who didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving. Relieved by the man’s reaction, who seemed completely uninterested, I turned around.80a6debfed62e44b0279

“Use this.”72f438f64281456d082e

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A hard object flew and hit my back. I reached behind to soothe my aching back. A gray cell phone lay lonely on the ground.c477224567d67584b9c3

“Why did you throw this? It’s a waste…”b19e9bb100191e7d41ba

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I picked up the cell phone and wiped the scratched surface with my palm. Just then, the heartless owner of the cell phone walked over and lowered his voice.5b05e0057168924b0823

“Call your mom. Tell her to come pick you up.”9b4ae38c4721396bcd3e

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“Oh, okay.”21dbaacc0295858e48be

I hurriedly dialed my mom’s number and made a call. My mom, who answered the phone after a long ringing, seemed startled to hear that I had borrowed someone else’s phone. The call ended with her saying she would come quickly. I listlessly returned the silenced cell phone to its original owner.b94d5139777b51d042c2

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Even though I bowed my head to indicate that he didn’t have to follow me, the sound behind me continued. The combination of the leaden pale moonlight and the rough footsteps was dizzying. To think that there was someone else protecting me besides the stars that lit up the night countryside. Even Eui-joo, though he walked this road every day, would worry about me and take me near my house. I had been constantly doubting whether he was really Eui-joo’s brother, but I became slightly interested as I discovered similarities between the brothers.db07c2ca1ea0607b1b71

Passing landmarks such as the uneven dirt road, the dark-colored stream, and the giant pillars supporting the overpass, I turned my head slightly. I asked the man, who was walking with a blank expression, looking only at the ground.252c4424eda860078536

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“Excuse me.”3316aeb5fae96c2a90d1

The man, who had been kicking nearby stones as if he were at odds with them, lifted his head.2ea4793c6710c683fd1c

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“What high school did you graduate from? Have you lived near Wari all your life?”94cef21274e0dca408a2

The man couldn’t hide his laughter whenever I asked a question. Of course, it wasn’t in a positive way.d89e3afd458ebceaf480

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“Watch where you’re going. Don’t be interested in me.”615b84cbd41435d433cd

“Why? Can’t I even ask these kinds of questions? Then you shouldn’t be following me either, should you?”856179e6178575e5e411

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“You talk a lot.”7162995ccbd7a2755819

“I don’t talk that much. I’m just asking because it’s uncomfortable for you to keep following me silently.”86890b34d57012043220

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I didn’t want to lose a single word, so I put strength in my eyes and retorted. The man’s deflated laughter became a sigh and fell to the ground.ebd280c295c708f37eb4

“I dropped out without graduating.”e0095607196b6996d0fd

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“…Dropped out?”d406047145628978bae7

I only heard that far and looked ahead again. The man’s soliloquy, which didn’t sound like a soliloquy, penetrated my back.dff9a797af6df9261729

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“Judging by the level of your questions, I can tell how you live.”fdc16d803e7e8b1e0de5

The man’s words, which I didn’t think were particularly offensive, stuck to my head like leeches. After passing through the overpass, I walked for about 20 minutes and arrived in front of a blue phone booth. In the meantime, the man provided a free service of escorting a mourner home and disappeared without saying goodbye.8898f9102e35eee71caf

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Eui-joo’s brother was a really strange person.4416714b3851659a2d08