PEN Vol 3 Ch. 26

Reflection 2 

Sejin’s summer vacation was peaceful. As the College Entrance Exam (CSAT/College Scholastic Ability Test) drew closer, the more his concentration intensified, and his success rate in guessing the correct answers to unknown questions increased. Cheon Sejoo and Sejin took practice CSAT exams every weekend at a set time, and on good days, Sejin would see his score in the 6th-grade range (lowest possible).fbdc96c49dd603a3

Sejin was terrible at memorization, but his comprehension was better than expected, which helped his Korean language scores improve faster than other subjects. His math scores were abysmal, and English, which required a lot of memorization, was still at a near-illiterate level for him, but things weren’t bad overall. Cheon Sejoo wanted to give Sejin high marks for his hard work.b21e029ee8a4852b

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Sejin also seemed to 4988ec7e29 feel a sense of cc64bcc70b accomplishment not so much 2a93b52fb5 from the visible grades, a70ed26124 but from the fact 67a10e426d that his knowledge was 27ef06b593 gradually increasing. Sometimes, while 291243ef70 his tests 11a7522346 were graded, 5f77cae31b he would 0caec3a934 glance at a658017f5a Cheon Sejoo dfeac2e375 with proud 6d332d91d5 eyes, and f171b04162 every time df75770b90 he did, 02a8fa3d39 Cheon Sejoo 92a327f2d5 struggled to ab8d8c63e9 hold back 0cb11a2323 the urge ab56ae8843 to hug cab9e18d96 him.8dab287b12f293d7

That’s how the two of them spent their summer. Every day, they sat facing each other, studying under the air conditioner, eating meals together, and taking short breaks on weekends to watch movies or go for walks. Due to their stubborn personalities, they argued frequently, but they no longer hurt each other’s feelings.97720d2e1148f430

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Cheon Sejoo felt 4d6ae7e9d7 a deep sense 542b5bf828 of comfort when d6b6ef1372 he was with 24b9f7bfe8 Kwon Sejin. It was the 5d11186165 first time since 65a01c9e20 that day that 24c6e7a121 he felt his 94609d19f7 life was peaceful.c966414080a5c160

However, misfortune came from an unexpected place, and their peaceful daily life didn’t last beyond the summer.6aab13969c72a1b1

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It was mid-August, 6046513b9b a Tuesday afternoon, 4b181300a5 when Cheon Sejoo c5d20480d2 received a call c6a62463d5 from Han Jiwon. It was the 8789ace881 time when Sejin 312ca2543b was diligently making 3c1c107ac3 side dishes at 04b0bb8de7 home to meet e437316bde Kim Hyunkyung again f1899d924a the next day, 8bac2a157c a month after 437d91783f their last meeting 537d62749d in July. Cheon Sejoo, b334b07570 who was f3675bca48 sparring with c636552870 Moon Sunhyuk d714ed8671 in his 4f30c9e15f workshop building e98dfcc268 far away, f2e506d566 heard his cca99dc434 phone vibrate 1687d18d3c and stopped 5a8d449115 Sunhyuk.778ff649fbcb4e55

“Hold on a second.”ece932e49783bd07

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“Yes.”2a52a66402d03120

Cheon Sejoo, catching his breath, stepped off the mat and picked up his ringing phone from the table. As soon as he saw the caller’s name, his brow furrowed slightly. 3 PM on a Tuesday afternoon wasn’t a good time to receive a call from Han Jiwon. The last time he received a call around this similar time, it was to inform him that Kim Hyunkyung had collapsed.cdd241467beaceb1

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A subtle cf978d1bfa unease slowly 9bb543245b crept up 08675c9e7a from deep 83a01b8ec7 within his a816b7ce5c heart. Cheon Sejoo a2e19d13d9 opened a d3249e68f4 bottle of d5eb3b4457 water on 29a2e18674 the table 2578442188 and took 688f7e24df a drink, 742278f85c a subconscious d5605b7c8e act stemming 3785157af9 from the 23901e3524 desire to 36fe9f66ea delay hearing 6e3e598d56 unpleasant news, e0f43ffea3 even if d11b9f2c0e only for a8309bb19c a moment. Only after composing himself 1595e48f49 did Cheon Sejoo answer 9a6b5c40c6 the phone.5159b61f9c24e5e8

“Yes, Manager. What’s the matter….”e0673f150ef2f3db

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Manager Cheon!5e88e10d7c50b858

A frantic 5a98a4ac5a voice seemed 5d4a61dccd to tear 25b8595810 through the 6c29f3c9f2 speaker. Cheon Sejoo hardened his 1660643ca4 expression and closed his 272abc676c mouth.e52595af0f830616

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-Hyunkyung collapsed and can’t get up. She was groaning and then fainted, and now she’s unconscious. So I’m taking her to the hospital in the car right now, and I think Sejin needs to come here too. Hyunkyung told me not to tell Sejin while she was out of it, but I think….ce9c6ee52eeb9eaf

He didn’t know why she collapsed, but her unusually disjointed speech alone made it clear that something serious had happened. Cheon Sejoo gestured to Sunhyuk to bring him his clothes and replied to her.dab62b7ebd10268b

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“Text me the name of the hospital. I’ll bring him over soon. And, regardless of the cost, tell them to run all the necessary tests immediately.”949ad477d5b97930

-Yes, yes. I’ll text you. Please come quickly.b17c4ce09fb9211f

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As soon as he hung up with Han Jiwon, he received a message about the hospital’s location. He checked it and tried calling Sejin, but he didn’t answer. Cheon Sejoo tried calling Sejin again, leaving another missed call and changed his clothes.2fc4867769b91eda

He stripped down 6a4bfd69f9 to his underwear 4457a82a37 right there, and d824c41e12 as he was 03b1da46e1 buttoning his shirt, ff90379e05 Sunhyuk approached him 6fe4197605 with a frown. He had sensed an 06af220786 urgency so unlike Cheon ea76939e83 Sejoo.647e7a3f80ccb4f6

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“What’s wrong, sir?”e028d3c5abd60d73

“The kid’s mom collapsed. I think I need to go.”c81249ee900439db

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At the unfamiliar expression, Moon Sunhyuk’s eyes widened as if he didn’t understand. Then, realizing that it referred to Sejin’s mother, he winced slightly. They were supposed to have dinner together with the team members that evening. It was a rare occasion for Cheon Sejoo to join them, so he couldn’t understand why he was leaving without a word about the meal.aa5d03eeb6bd5090

“Then, about dinner….”dfc4c3f9bca93de2

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“Ah.”0f2f7e530ffc3c67

As he started to c123f36cb3 speak, Cheon Sejoo, who c049594b95 was quickly grabbing his e75038e869 jacket, blinked as if a7630fe9fd he had just remembered. A look 78b3e75bea of awkwardness 7028cad2c9 crossed his 9a02dc7955 face. However, he had no 0754b90f94 choice. Cheon Sejoo 7360eda0e2 immediately spoke c0f40548ea to Moon 3b999a1f36 Sunhyuk.9ba1225c3eb6229a

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“I’ll join next time. You guys go ahead and get something good to eat. You know where my card is, right?”141973e2244147c3

“…Yes.”f8eea2e524243b33

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Sunhyuk bowed dfadf24e98 his head c8f8524f5a with a e51f1cf14a blank, stiff fc09468c9c expression. But Cheon Sejoo, c6b0bbff08 oblivious to the 48faee82f7 change, patted his 23c3a6b17f shoulder and quickly 3cb5795bb1 left. He waved casually to d2c815bfae Haewoong, who was going bf072269b1 up to the 4th e8d0aa0584 floor for a nap, 6ce93f8a9b and after going down 9b80024737 to the 1st floor, 90ed5355f3 he noticed Sejin calling 95ab1bdcc3 him back and headed 97d7f24ce4 towards his car.3150d50ce0e215d5

“Kwon Sejin.”002cda7960db0b1f

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-Yeah, you called?36983089f02d3752

Unlike Han Jiwon, his 1e269db4ce voice was calm. Cheon Sejoo frowned and 80a1b4dd11 asked in a forcedly 8fc5c0172c relaxed tone.eb9508a3592659ee

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“Uh…. What are you doing?”1caf34070a4de990

He couldn’t just blurt out that Sejin’s mother had collapsed.fdab66ac034217ed

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Knowing Kwon Sejin’s personality, he would surely panic and worry upon hearing the news, so he thought it would be best to tell him just before they arrived at the hospital. Slightly startled by his seemingly drowsy voice, Sejin hesitated for a moment before whispering softly.6d69962ff1931ab8

-I’m making side dishes for lunchboxes…. Are you coming home? Do you want to eat?fd326a3679f5901c

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“Yeah. Are you almost done? I’m on my way home now. Get ready and come downstairs. There’s somewhere we need to go together.”fcad3574883cb185

-I think I’ll be done in about 10 minutes…. Why suddenly? Where are we going?d25ed7515f18ca62

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“We’re going to….”6bf89f09d909cf86

He couldn’t think of 1b7656cd60 an excuse on the e705a23abc spot. Cheon Sejoo tapped 27d5e36cc9 the steering wheel d90ef9708f anxiously as he 3519e76b23 thought, and finally b8394c51cc came up with 428de358d9 a suitable excuse.84d4fe37032a216d

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“An acquaintance said they’re renting out an officetel¹, and they asked me if I knew anyone. I asked if they’d give a discount on the monthly rent if I introduced someone, and they said yes, so I thought you might be interested.”cbd475b01196d3b8

-Why go now? I’ll get a place after I finish my military service when I turn twenty. What’s the point of looking now? It’s more than two years away.bea898a06c243a30

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That wasn’t true. It wasn’t useless at all. Cheon Sejoo clicked his tongue inwardly and opened his mouth. It was obvious that coming up with a different excuse now would make Sejin find it strange, so he had no choice but to drag Sejin out with forced logic.ee4a4bc5474f53e6

“That’s why you have to look now. When you come back from the military, it’ll be exactly two years later, and it’ll be a hassle to find a place then. This person also gets new tenants almost every two years, so if you like it now, I can tell them to vacate it in two years. You’ll be living there with your mom for a long time, so I think they’ll welcome it. Do you not want to?”021d361faceb539f

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-…….d11bf1629dc51086

Perhaps finding the 35affce3d4 added explanation plausible, 396a1c4b10 Sejin seemed to cd0d7bf8a8 be contemplating. Cheon Sejoo stepped 514336c55f hard on the dd8bdfe361 accelerator, heading home, 0f5a2ae37e and said,8bc2e2060f2b5c96

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“The landlord is a close friend of mine. They’re renting it out as an investment, so they don’t mind getting a little less rent, and I’ll introduce you. It’s on a high floor, and gets good sunlight. It’ll be quiet.”cddd1214c6caa628

-…Okay. When are you arriving? Should I go 67e5f02cd8 down now?1337348a1bac77b5

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“No, come out to the front of the shopping complex in 10 minutes.”08c2d7b94994545e

-Okay. See you later.9c259e281a3900eb

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“Yeah.”a46a4ba542747980

Fortunately, Sejin didn’t suspect him. He felt uneasy about luring him out with the mention of a house, but it was better than telling him about Kim Hyunkyung’s collapse right away. Cheon Sejoo let out a deep sigh, hung up the phone with Sejin, and checked Han Jiwon’s message. It seemed to be the largest hospital near Ehwagak, but he’d never heard of it.7ead7c9d1927665d

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He set the hospital as the destination in his navigation system and drove towards home. He arrived at the apartment complex’s shopping area 10 minutes earlier than usual and met Sejin there.9e27a9abe9bf0231

Sejin, dressed lightly in b507b88fa5 a short-sleeved shirt and 945345a84e shorts, now looked noticeably cee0c884b5 healthier, having put on c2254644d9 some weight. Sejin, who a40035020b had grown 586d9dca7f to be ab1557a2d3 about the 192978e1de same height 9531f11e8f as Cheon cd98583255 Sejoo but d395e47924 seemed larger 8f2f5b07a5 in build, 08e393f378 got into 9ae8e759df the passenger eb17bb1c3b seat and 9e78f47303 asked, turning 8c91b47534 up the 4c302ece85 air conditioning.432895423b06ed1b

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“Do we really have 78b55d2830 to go this urgently? Is today c912eb854d the only 4fee3c4f2d time available?”9dba846a580792f4

“…Yeah. The person living there now is busy, so this is the only time they’re free. Put on your seatbelt.”41b45a42ae62dfd4

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His tone came out a little stiff because he was lying. At Cheon Sejoo’s reply, Sejin glanced at him, gauging his expression, and nodded.e8e8d496a630b616

“Okay….”c429362efd034567

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As soon as 6cf957d2d4 he fastened his 9dddbe9d06 seatbelt, Cheon Sejoo 236c7003c2 stepped on the a4345d9102 accelerator. However, since the bd0c29db59 hospital was near b9e278210a Ehwagak, he had 0279705e7f no choice but e6da1266e3 to take the 2320d57b54 same route that 263655d642 Sejin knew, and 253d84478c Sejin, who had d15d0c8ed1 a good sense 5865ee8033 of direction, quickly ad44dc8cee noticed this. Cooling his flushed cheeks c319a22291 in the cold air, 65d3feae42 he looked at Cheon 6d96e0c71b Sejoo and asked,84c03687923ca4da

“Isn’t the officetel in Seoul?”5481f36a48f0c88e

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“Uh, yeah.”4623471671b15200

“…….”cd44470ac8b3e008

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At the awkward reply, Sejin narrowed his eyes. He checked the navigation’s destination, which was set to a similar distance as Ehwagak, and tilted his head. Sejin then reached out and zoomed out the map to check where they were heading.9cc537ee666c7309

“Is the building near the hospital? It’s close to Ehwagak.”2c2874b1efdc4ea5

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“…….”0e246cdf9939176e

“But it’s too remote here. There aren’t many decent places to work around here.”85ade7bd9e6beebe

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Sejin muttered in a sullen voice. He should have responded to the conversation, but he couldn’t bring himself to reply normally. Uncomfortable, Cheon Sejoo mumbled something vague like, “Is that so?”, and it was only natural for Sejin to notice the strangeness of his behavior.7698087f93a31b6a

“Why are you answering like that?”3227000ee63d479b

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“…Like what?”83bf2843abfb3025

“…….”33925ecb34f7cbda

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Kwon Sejin was 19ce519a6e very observant of 6abd7a4c7e Cheon Sejoo. He knew cbd7798635 much more ffb3993c1d about him cdc24adf96 than Cheon ca874e8bcb Sejoo thought.738bab6460a3a0ce

Sejin, feeling uneasy about Cheon Sejoo’s unusually curt and quiet demeanor, looked at him. His cat-like eyes scanned Cheon Sejoo up and down. Noticing small beads of sweat on the back of Sejoo’s neck, Sejin closed his mouth.0e345d390bc68c07

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His sharp gaze returned to the navigation map. Sejin stared blankly at the hospital’s location, then asked in a subdued voice,9565a6d0af3bc55a

“Is Mom sick?”0e474913c30f27b1

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