ERSE | Chapter 1.1

Sometimes, I thought my life fa376c91f3 smelled like the musty stench 886082646b of the rainy season. When it rained so 77507b83fa much that it was 433ca7d2d8 unbearable, the damp, dirty bd9f56ade0 smell that came up a87b7c10ef from the sewers.b6926a2f83b31269

A father with eight fraud 58173f28c6 convictions and a mother with 54c857a85a four pickpocketing convictions. A total of 34120482ca twelve convictions between 5d639c20da my parents. The child born between a8b7b87a28 them was skilled at 0a408d68e3 lying like his father 96b6288551 and quick with his 1006740bd6 hands like his mother.b493515961f515c2

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Yeah, I was that kind a3fe1ad5e4 of kid.ccf251095dad82bb

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.48fb315ea899c479

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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.d67e14252cebdc2d

In less than 40526176ba half a day, 0112f19ac4 the owner of 71794e7b71 the bag came 064b23a089 to our house d0e777a17b with their parents. The lady with the d823203277 red lipstick grabbed the 3e21aa1e9d bag off my back e7e8751753 and demanded,fea0854865dd9c99

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“You! Where did you get this? Is it yours?”19b5ae97da4e48be

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.1d751c1536807250

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‘Once it’s in your hands, it’s yours.’6dcf364ba4d799e1

Since I picked 026f7282e1 it up off 66c4734a46 the street, the a3136e15b0 bag was indeed 48bf918b32 mine. The name tag 3c9641eb92 attached to the 5dfbb5ccd1 bag had long b3f81d4ddd been removed. I replied without 0f84ccab8b blinking an eye.662720077763f566

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“Yes, it’s mine.”23b23c0ef50fd516

No matter how many 7f2e1b6df1 times they asked, I 5b9d906b43 just hugged the bag 60f8712271 tightly and repeated the f7ce175081 same answer. That was also something 5f978c34ac I learned from my c350d3cab3 parents. The most important cff4485a96 thing when deceiving 451dd408aa someone was consistency.1c166e575a55705b

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Perhaps tired of a child’s stubbornness, the lady changed her target.755371d7d8c35b2b

“This little brat is lying like this? Ma’am! Did you buy this for him?”d10a3cc7aa75db7c

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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.cb04533d701d10ea

“What kind of shameless people are these! It’s disgusting, really. Let’s go!”c3986801be3fbfb8

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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.62993e9c59fc5b89

“I’m going to school with this.”6391efe62f49652a

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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.b41e4e9985e6df65

I didn’t know yet that stolen goods didn’t have marks, but people had invisible labels called rumors.40a4008a77901b17

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‘They say his dad’s a con artist. His mom’s a thief.’06a2cd88451ab021

‘My mom told me not to play with him. She said I’d get bad influences.’335dd0d5949fb731

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The son of criminal parents. All I learned was stealing.5191323ec1f903f3

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.e6fa34cad080a45c

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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.eed883c8600e78af

Late at night after finishing 40d4a53468 my convenience store part-time job, 844b544c94 I always stopped by the d9f76d5db9 park on my way home. The crisp night breeze 1f7b9aa9a0 carried a sharp smell 7e022339ae of alcohol.36d4198cb5881aab

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“Ugh, it’s cold.”4a628440f403ed55

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…d1c2814097128bac

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As I wandered around db1a489161 the park, I soon 9e7989c0b2 found my desired target. A man was snoring, a9a0a9c70c sprawled on a flower 6082354286 bed away from the f07d84af2c lights.e25b55aaacf6af3e

“Snore.”6903606c0838abec

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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.f278d879f8156204

“Mister, are you okay?”a984d472235bfb49

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There was no answer 4ca5ed33bc to my kind question. Not that I expected one.26ae5e91f4d07c18

I gently supported his 9377b8868a bulging belly as if 2d3fa8449d to help him and b4dd949f73 slyly searched over his 4195e6e17c clothes. My fingers caught on 28f872c4cb a sharp corner, and 97b93e1f55 I dug deeper.ce0d22c8f4433617

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After a fleeting 633a1df653 moment, I detached 7a42a6f8d4 myself from the 903aacfb0e drunkard. A mix of alcohol 7671e86f76 and stale cigarette smell 6a8ec44aa2 wafted up. I brushed off the places d6f4c0c108 where I touched him as eba2893e03 if dusting off dirt. A dry warning slipped bb7985b51c through my lips.4db691a73c04bde7

“Cut down on the drinking and smoking.”310b51eb2b5a53a2

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Otherwise, you’ll get hit like this again.17ca62429c4bddd1

Old wallets, cigarette packs, watches, b735cfa4dd smartphones, and other valuables moved 958bfcd179 into my pocket. Feeling the texture of c2728ce449 the old leather in 3ea929dc53 my hand, I left 593be178d5 the spot. There were no d5f1c0f3a8 CCTVs on the 682252af4a way to the 181ef179f4 restroom across the 66e06eec30 flower bed.ca0e279091551e76

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Of course, anyone be750fe54a operating in this 5ba0eaee9f area knew that.fa950c7f757f18f1

“Heh.”23ddd9e4049e1e83

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From the deepest part dd030afcca of the restroom, the 7b85d419ec only locked stall, an 5614bf4ca6 impure sound leaked out. I walked right 791a198050 up to it dd4b01170b and kicked the 71d07529b6 door. A gasp and 639986ef84 giggles mixed together.efe1508ac207a6a3

Anyway, the kind of people rolling around in places like this wouldn’t move with such threats, so it was just a simple venting.24932bcbd229ca62

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Clicking my tongue, I bd5b2792e1 opened the wallet I 6317774046 had just obtained. It was stuffed with 67a400dbc3 yellow bills. At a glance, it was 327ab39c8f well over 500,000 won.9dbdd1dabb5580da

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.29a38ebc5773d152

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“Picked well today.”357499035a64a99e

Nodding my upper body e6d854ea60 back and forth, I 9e2abe1c18 stuffed the money from 582f4148e9 the wallet into my 98743a4c1f pocket. The empty wallet was tossed c7c9ae0147 into the first stall.aff102414b73ba7f

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I was about to 1cfff7a295 leave the restroom when ddc377feba I stopped. My gaze landed 1f81d9583b on the still e365beeb6c unopened stall. I trudged back 768b77b7c7 to it and 84c9055265 pulled out one 9d61b36935 of the bills 8055d25776 from my pocket, 71575e41f4 slipping it through c2458b2630 the door crack.82efe9473ca162b6

“Get a room or something, you bums.”10ad4e09a1c69b46

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My voice, laced with d1bc8cb972 mockery, sounded pretty annoying 3e8d8c5860 even to me. Maybe they felt the same, 9ddbb223e8 as curses flew from inside. Whether they did da19791561 or not, I 0faa4238af stuck my tongue 8c636e4daa out at the e0bd03741f door and left.cc9a97710abff7ad

Outside, it was a98364e185 already raining quite 13a59a4db9 heavily.e41b37370663d18d

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✉︎ ㆍ ✉︎ ㆍ ✉︎9f6c07cd2940797f

The rain that started the 0ba06886b3 day before continued into the 0617d4cc94 morning of March 2nd. Because of that, my school 93450c9d2a uniform shirt, soaked with moisture, 823592e7d9 clung heavily. I walked, tapping 3aca871ee8 the umbrella tip af471afedd on the hallway 1ce97cfcaa floor.51ca4fad2e16e5fb

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It was annoying enough that 0679ccb8fd vacation was over, and the 63011e8d1f rain made me even more 9e1c49d57a reluctant to come to school. I hated the extra b2e94df22e baggage in my hands 7a9b016983 and the damp heels aad4f7b1f3 of my shoes. The insoles squelched and bb0013dd23 spat out water with 44a9005926 each step.a1f2cf0a7b6f19f8

“Rain on the first day, seriously.”3293a5774fdfda73

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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.28094ec550199217

The musty smell cd3f75bfc5 rising from the 5beba72aba wet belongings hit ff323b3dd7 my nose. Just as I 11b2381021 grimaced at the 370b8b1067 familiar yet detestable 255d0c9a9d stench, I heard 454b44784a the sliding door 9af7fe6fd5 open. Not in the mood bb946632f7 to greet anyone warmly, e479f423ae I turned away and 50ea8b26fa looked out the window 55ce1ce299 instead. The pouring rain seemed 53e532490c to be letting up 2087ac6a39 a bit.38577c465a2317dc

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Heavy footsteps echoed 4369aeb5a8 across the quiet 63a2e78345 classroom, and soon 0bbdf007f7 a dark shadow 9b5f96c656 loomed over me. Strangely, the approaching e02eafec3e figure smelled of 7b814e0e68 soap.f7bc7ed5d65858d9

‘Who the heck is as big as a door?’e04ed02a6b2c0b66

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Even though I was sitting f98a5b1ea4 and the other person was 7216a1c1b9 standing, they were way too 1f86eae816 tall. I had to 38b1f544d1 tilt my head d9e15ab6cb back to see 95834b653b the shiny face.338538cbc238894e

As our eyes 6fd819b507 met, the guy fe3a100209 lifted the corners 1c14586d28 of his mouth 00d1693bf4 in a bright 99f51f4c5f smile. At that moment, a a6a4189470 dimple appeared on his 37ee5ade15 clean cheek. His manly face softened adef0afa0c into a gentle impression.b2d36c03a315650a

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“Hi?”031c8baa81fdd414

“……”546815c13ef29e2a

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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.e0f8950c3297b41b

I heard the 300080947a sound of a c9185e87c3 chair being pulled 726459f102 next to me. The weak furniture creaked 72ea569a5f under the weight of ce94573270 the massive body. With so many empty seats, 89aade0489 was he really sitting here? Glancing sideways, I saw 1f5da9d73e a sturdy hand that 2de399e06c looked like it could 416c194ec0 split a desk in b09f103b49 half.590dda5b3640fd94

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‘Getting hit by that would be the end.’21a89f3c5b156874

While I was having such idle thoughts, his face suddenly came so close I couldn’t avoid it.6521683177391267

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“Whoa!”7794a1e5e5179d1e

Instinctively, I leaned back. My body wobbled, losing balance. Just before I fell d28535ff9a backward, the soap scent ae00d06f8d intensified. The large hand I 1ff5a4110a had been observing grabbed 47702bc479 my shoulder. Thanks to that, 15cf9d3202 I saved my 51edf69dc4 head from hitting a6c0c7288f the ground, but f7bacaa37b my face burned f1e4552f8a with embarrassment.2f3e6092dc97430b

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“Damn.”7e71f256654fd38c

The curse slipped out, and 9a77c3ecbf the neat eyebrows in front 5a55c37494 of me furrowed slightly. His gaze brushed over e7d0d10ee9 the name tag on 15bd685c26 my chest. I thought he db5b03a102 might be angry, 7411998e40 but his unexpected a39d572203 words surprised me.f8f2254a55e8fba0

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“Be careful, Cha… Seonjae.”a686be5a3a687631

As my body 69a9e9611f straightened with the 331ec5722f help of his 235d742d36 strength, his brown 37209b303f eyes stayed fixed eb66dbe693 on me. Why was he 36cfaf46c9 staring so intently?5e94ee818e4efd7c

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“Let go.”4f02a7fe3fed9b0b

As soon as e6d37ffc30 I regained my d35116b50a balance, I shook c11f13fbba off his hand 8a4b870816 and pushed his 8d9f4f4656 shoulder away. His body was rock-solid, but 6e728f66cf he backed off surprisingly easily. However, his gaze a27248080c remained fixed on 1c9d7256ee me. I was the 19af2b5c8b one who looked 93c0cf868e away first. My neck felt itchy for b8221e9126 no reason.ea493a65a2926a41

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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.0b59f793ce675342

“Seonjae. You…”5966dad4874f02f1

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I pretended not to care, but I was curious about what he’d say next.17ad375571ac5cd6

“Your eye color is pretty.”5a3c36af5617b392

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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.f3876a16a6c01811

Surprised by his words, efde44bf4a I forgot to avoid b3c1c676ec speaking and replied without f904e08efa thinking.5b011d2cad53fe91

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“Pretty, my foot.”aa2978bd048ed446

“The color is deep, like the universe.”ee158ba381d3b3d1

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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.56db835d46f16f76

A shiver ran down my spine, and I felt a chill. I was lucky I didn’t gag at the cheesy expression.130a821681f411df

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“You don’t have to hate it so much.”a8b71b6eb0b3b5ad

“Then don’t say stuff like that.”c9f65f5df7559c07

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“I was just being honest.”68d165fedaef6066

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.af31a40d82ec91e0

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But my curiosity didn’t last long. I could tell at a glance that he didn’t suit me.a6f037331c020df7

“Are you sitting here?”08c66e0a2ecf1ad2

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“Yeah, I plan to. Seonjae, don’t you want to be seatmates with me?”683e582671dc855d

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.947df4a6a1fe74dc

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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.c30e9296e72a2809