OMLN | Chapter 9

Cha Hyuk did not specify anyone, but Kang Yebon immediately thought of someone.

Kang Yebon’s slightly parted lips closed tightly. The person Cha Hyuk was thinking of was surely the same as his.

Was Cha Hyuk being sincere? Kang Yebon stared at him, then looked down at the detective agency’s business card at that moment.

With a creak, Cha Hyuk stood up as his chair was pushed back.

“I’ll get up first. Make sure to keep in touch?”

Cha Hyuk tucked his laptop under one arm and made a phone gesture with his other hand by his ear. His other fingers were clenched into a fist with only the thumb and pinky extended.

Kang Yebon watched Cha Hyuk’s leisurely departing figure and looked down at the two business cards clenched in his hands.

After a moment of contemplation, Kang Yebon saved the detective agency’s number in his phone. Somehow, it made his phone feel more secretive.

Having finished all his assignments for other classes, Kang Yebon returned home at 10 p.m.

He entered the passcode for the front door and found the living room lights on.

“I’m home.”

Kang Yebon announced as he took off his shoes, entering the quiet room where the lights were on, but no one seemed to be there.

Curiously, Kang Yebon peered around the entrance partition, spotting his mother sitting on the sofa, looking at a small frame.

Kang Yebon knew what picture was in the black-framed desktop photo frame without seeing the front.

“Mom.”

He called out again, and his mother, who had been lost in thought staring at the frame, looked up in surprise. Next to the frame on the coffee table was an open can of beer.

“Son, you’re back? How was the assignment? It’s getting chilly at night, so make sure to dress warmly.”

“Yeah, well…”

Kang Yebon’s voice trailed off as his gaze went to the frame. His mother, noticing this, gave a weak smile.

“I’m so silly, aren’t I? I still think of him when the weather starts to get cold.”

She caressed the frame with affection. In that frame was a picture of Kang Yebon’s father, who had committed suicide when Kang Yebon was in his second year of high school.

Without a word, Kang Yebon watched his mother, who missed his father, then escaped to his room.

Only after closing the door did Kang Yebon let out the breath he’d been holding. He almost asked why she missed that man.

“You’re the reason! I became a laughingstock because of your stupid head! Who’s your dad? Who’s your dad, huh? You think you can look down on me? Look down on me, huh?”

As if the ringing in his ears was painful, Kang Yebon grimaced. Then, his phone in his pocket vibrated.

He pulled it out to find a message from Jung Woochan.

Kang Yebon sat in the corner of an indoor tiered seating, staring off into space. In his hand was an unopened can of soda.

“…Yebon! Kang Yebon!”

Only when the girl next to him poked his arm did Kang Yebon snap back to reality and turn around.

Four people huddled near him were all looking at him.

Under their focused gaze, Kang Yebon fluttered his eyelids, then smiled awkwardly.

“Oh, sorry. What did you say?”

“Are you going to do the volunteer work with us?”

“Ah, Kang Yebon definitely isn’t doing it. He and I have been friends since high school!”

Lee Seunggu shouted, but Park Sujung, sitting next to Kang Yebon, ignored him and kept looking at Kang Yebon.

Not having a clue about what volunteer work it was, Kang Yebon glanced at Seunggu for an explanation.

“It’s for an orphanage.”

“Ah, I’ll pass.”

With a firm refusal, Sujung looked surprised, and Seunggu puffed out his chest, nodding at Sujung.

“Kang Yebon never did these things, not with kids.”

“Whoa, why? I think Yebon would be good at taking care of kids.”

“Does he not like kids because he looks like he could be a kindergarten teacher? Or does he not want to do it with us?”

Kim Jeonghyeon, sitting next to Lee Seunggu, looked like he’d caught something. Kang Yebon thought he’d let this one slide today.

If he didn’t explain why he didn’t do volunteer work at the orphanage, it seemed like Jeonghyeon wouldn’t let it go easily.

How annoying. Kang Yebon put down the soda can and awkwardly rubbed his arm.

“It’s not that I dislike kids, it’s just that I have volunteer work at the church, so I think that’s enough.”

That was a lie. He really didn’t like kids.

Or rather, being around children made him uncomfortable. Kids are pure, and sometimes they do bad things without malice.

Their honesty and freedom always made Kang Yebon feel like his insides were twisting.

“So, you don’t want to do it with us?”

Kim Jeonghyeon’s words made Park Sujung frown.

“What are you saying? Even so, doing it at church would help with volunteer hours.”

“Ha, right. Sometimes I wonder why I came to this department.”

Fortunately, the conversation quickly moved on to another topic, but Kim Jeonghyeon still had a sullen look on his face.

Kang Yebon sighed in relief and stared off into space again. His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he pulled it out with a trembling hand.

It was just spam.

“What’s wrong? Is something up?”

Park Sujung asked, surprised. Kang Yebon gave a faint smile and shook his head.

“No, nothing. I’ll just go to the bathroom for a bit.”

Kang Yebon stood up and quickly moved away from the noisy area.

Once outside the building, he checked the message that had been bothering him all night.

[Jung Woochan: Yebon, can we meet for a bit?]

Kang Yebon still hadn’t replied. He couldn’t.

He didn’t understand why Jung Woochan was doing this.

Just when he was starting to sort out his feelings, why was he stirring things up?

Kang Yebon stared at the message window, then shook his head and stepped outside. The sun in the high sky was painfully bright.

Leaning against the building wall, Kang Yebon caught his breath.

Just as he was about to put his phone back in his pocket, he looked at it with wide eyes.

[Jung Woochan]

Each time the phone vibrated in his hand, Kang Yebon felt like he couldn’t breathe.

The call ended before he could accept or reject it.

“Ha, that scared me…”

Before he could even feel relief, Jung Woochan called again.

Kang Yebon instinctively knew Jung Woochan would keep calling until he answered, so he had no choice but to press the answer button.

“…Hello?”

“Ah, you didn’t block me. That’s good. I thought you did. Why didn’t you reply, Yebon?”

“Why are you doing this to me?”

“Just wanted to have a meal together, just the two of us. Are you mad?”

His casual, usual voice made Kang Yebon’s hand tremble as he held the phone.

After acting like they’d never see each other again at the restaurant, Kang Yebon couldn’t fathom why Jung Woochan was acting like this now.

“…Why are you doing this, hyung? Didn’t we end our conversation? I won’t say anything to your mom, and I don’t have any lingering feelings for you. Please, just be firm about this, hyung.”

His voice was painfully unstable.

“…How can I do that? How can I just cut off all those years we’ve spent together?”

Kang Yebon opened his mouth wide, then moved to a more secluded spot because of passersby.

“Then what? You want us to go back to being good siblings or something?”

“Yeah, just because we don’t love each other doesn’t mean we have nothing. It would be better to get along to some extent, even if not like before.”

What nonsense… Kang Yebon was momentarily speechless.

Jung Woochan really didn’t like him that much, did he?

Kang Yebon’s face contorted. All the memories he had with Jung Woochan seemed to shatter uglily.

“Stop talking nonsense, hyung. We’re strangers now.”

“Ha… My mom asked me on the way back last time what was going on between us. We’re bound to see each other at some point, we can’t just keep this up. You know that, Yebon. What happens between us isn’t just about us.”

Kang Yebon felt anger swelling within him.

Yes, this was anger. Justified anger… it must be.

“Hyung, do you really think what you’re saying is sane? Do you think I can be normal in front of you? How long has it been since then, and you’re already like this? That day too, did I call you? You came on your own and then why are you getting mad at me?”

A chilling silence came through the phone. Kang Yebon felt a pang of regret after his outburst.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“Kang Yebon. Why are you acting like a child these days?”

Kang Yebon bit his lip.

“I know you’re going through a tough time. But you can’t show all your struggles. We’re not kids anymore, and I’m not asking to be as close as before. Just to keep our parents from worrying.”

There was nothing more shameful than showing intense emotions in front of someone speaking calmly. Kang Yebon let out a suppressed breath.

He wanted to hang up just like that, but knowing Jung Woochan’s character, he would definitely contact him again.

“…Fine. I’m hanging up now, don’t contact me.”

“Saturday, you have time, right? Let’s meet briefly in the afternoon. If you really don’t want to see me, then this will be the last time.”

“…I don’t know.”

Even as Jung Woochan’s urgent voice came through, Kang Yebon hung up the phone.

He undid a couple of his shirt buttons and leaned against the cold wall of the building, his head hanging low.

Not long after, a message from Jung Woochan popped up on his screen with a meeting place and time.

Kang Yebon grimaced and shoved his phone back into his pocket.

He hadn’t managed to have a proper conversation with Jung Woochan again because he couldn’t hold back for that brief moment.

‘Why can’t I ever stay calm? Why do I always lose my composure with Jung Woochan and say things I shouldn’t?’

His emotions never listened to him; they acted on their own.

Jung Woochan was mostly calm except for that one time, and even that was because Kang Yebon had caused a situation where he had no choice but to get angry.

‘How many times have I failed to suppress my anger lately?’

Guess it shows, huh, with my half-baked, unstable genes.

“Kang Yebon?”

Kang Yebon weakly lifted his head. There stood someone he currently found uncomfortable. A gentle, heavy scent wafted to his nose.