PS | Chapter 2.1

Jehyuk’s parents passed away when he was thirteen, right at the start of summer vacation in July. The cause of death: an instant fatality in a car accident. Statistically, one out of every hundred people dies in a traffic accident, so while the odds were slim, it wasn’t exactly unheard of.

But the where and what happened after were anything but ordinary.

Their bodies were transported back from a foreign country. The location? Nebraska, USA.

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Jehyuk’s parents had always been a loving couple. To celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary, they decided to take a road trip after wrapping up a business trip in the U.S. It was originally supposed to be a family vacation—including Jehyuk. But he had declined. He didn’t want to intrude on their special time together.

Since he would be alone in Korea for quite a while, his aunt and uncle had promised to check in on him. Thirteen seemed old enough to manage by himself, so Jehyuk had no objections. If anything, he had been happy about it—especially since he was close with his aunt. She had always looked after him when he was younger, and they shared a strong bond.

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At least, that was before everything went wrong.

The trouble began after the day his parents were supposed to return.

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Until then, they had kept in touch every day, sending photos and messages. But on the day of their scheduled flight, all communication stopped.

It felt off. Jehyuk tried calling through the messaging app, but they didn’t pick up. Anxiety crept in, and he started checking the news, searching for any reports of a plane crash. But there was nothing.

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After a few hours of overthinking, he convinced himself they were just busy.

How long did it take to fly back from the U.S. to Korea again? He vaguely recalled them saying the return flight would take a full day. They’ll be back soon.

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Jehyuk decided to wait.

He had always been a loved child, raised with care. Maybe that was why he had matured faster than other kids his age. He had faith in his parents.

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They would obviously come back. They always did.

His father, a skilled software developer, and his mother, an executive at a major Korean conglomerate, had met at work, dated, and eventually married. Because of frequent collaborations with foreign headquarters, they traveled abroad often. Jehyuk was used to it.

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But the feeling of unease only grew stronger on the second day without contact.

That morning, he called them dozens of times. At night, he paced by the front door, waiting, checking, waiting again. The hallway outside the apartment remained eerily silent.

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Eventually, practice time rolled around, and he had no choice but to leave for soccer training. When he came back, the house was still empty.

Left with no other option, he called his aunt.

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A terrifying thought crossed his mind—What if she doesn’t answer either?

But then, the call connected.

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Only, it wasn’t his aunt.

It was his uncle.

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As if fate wasn’t done messing with him, his uncle broke the news that his aunt had suddenly been hospitalized with acute pancreatitis the night before. He sounded exhausted, and in the background, his cousins were crying.

Jehyuk hesitated, gripping the phone tightly, before finally saying just one thing.

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“Mom and Dad still aren’t back.”

His uncle sighed heavily and replied.

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“Jehyuk, now’s not the time for that. Your aunt is sick. We’ll talk tomorrow. You’re thirteen—you can handle it. Your cousins are crying their eyes out because their mom is in the hospital. I don’t have the energy for this right now. You still have the allowance I gave you, right? You didn’t spend it all already? Use that to buy yourself food.”

Jehyuk lowered his gaze to the kitchen table.

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A single 5,000-won bill lay there.

Two days ago, his uncle had given him 20,000 won. They had originally planned to stop by every day, but with his aunt in the hospital, it seemed like they wouldn’t be coming anytime soon.

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“…Okay.”

A wave of anxiety and worry crashed over him, making him want to cry—but Jehyuk held it in.

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He couldn’t afford to think strange thoughts. If he did, he might not be able to stop.

So, he endured another day on his own.

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His parents still hadn’t responded.

The number 2 on the messaging app remained unchanged, mocking him with its silence.

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And yet, Jehyuk kept typing.

A conversation with no replies.

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[Mom, Dad, I miss you.] 2

[When are you coming home?] 2

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[Aunt is sick. Mom, you need to come back soon and take care of her. You know how much she adores you.] 2

[I’m scared.] 2

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On the fourth day, his aunt finally called. Her voice was weak, as if she was barely holding herself together. As soon as Jehyuk answered, she asked about his parents.

“Jehyuk, your mom and dad still haven’t come back?”

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“Yeah…”

“I tried reaching out to them too. Don’t worry too much, okay? I’m not well enough to come over right now, but I’ll send your uncle instead. I’m sorry, Jehyuk.”

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His aunt had always been good to him, so Jehyuk forced himself to sound okay.

“It’s fine, Auntie.”

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Even though he was terrified, he pretended he wasn’t.

“Where do you think Mom and Dad are? Why haven’t they contacted us?”

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Maybe she had a bad feeling too—because there was a brief pause.

Then, in a deliberately bright voice, his aunt reassured him.

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“Your mom isn’t the type to extend a trip without a plan. I’ll check with their company. They’re probably just caught up with work or having some flight trouble. You know how amazing your parents are—they’re always so busy. Maybe the trip got extended, or their SIM cards stopped working. Either way, I’m sure they’re fine, so don’t be scared, okay?”

”…Okay.”

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“Have you been eating properly?”

Jehyuk hesitated and glanced at the dining table. Yesterday, he had eaten instant ramen from the pantry. The 5,000 won was still there.

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He thought about saying he needed more money but stopped himself when his uncle’s sharp tone echoed in his mind—“You didn’t spend it all already, did you?”

Something about his voice had felt… irritated.

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“Yeah, I’ve been eating.”

“I’ll tell your uncle to drop by and give you more allowance. I wish I could come cook for you. Your mom’s going to scold me for this.”

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“No, it’s okay. You’re sick.”

Despite everything, Jehyuk had never felt upset with his aunt. Their bond had been built over years, and he didn’t want to add to her worries.

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“I’ll figure things out and call you soon, alright?”

“Okay, Auntie.”

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“Oh, and about your soccer practice—”

Just as the conversation started to calm him down, his uncle’s voice cut in from the background.

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A muffled argument broke out.

“You’re sick, and you’re worrying about someone else?!”

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“What do you mean ‘someone else’? She’s my sister! Don’t you think this is weird? There’s no way she’d be out of contact for four whole days!”

“They’re fine! They’re always on top of things! Just let them be!”

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The shouting escalated.

The small sense of relief Jehyuk had felt crumbled instantly.

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“Jehyuk, don’t listen to your uncle. I’ll call their company and let you know what I find out, okay? Just eat well and hang in there. I’ll get discharged soon and come see you. Until then, your uncle will check in every day, alright?”

“Nayoonhwa, hang up the phone! You need to take care of yourself first instead of worrying about someone else’s kid!”

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His uncle’s angry voice rang out before the call abruptly ended.

Jehyuk hesitated, then slowly lowered his phone.

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And so, the waiting began.

For an entire week, he was left completely alone.

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By the time his aunt finally came for him, he had already skipped several days of practice. She found him curled up in his room, crying.

When his uncle and cousins saw him, their first reaction wasn’t sympathy.

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It was disgust.

Seeing Jehyuk in his state, they called him dirty.

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He hadn’t bathed, hadn’t changed his clothes, hadn’t eaten properly. His hair was greasy and matted, his face swollen from crying. His uncle had sneered, calling him a filthy brat who didn’t even bother to wash himself. Maybe because his aunt’s illness had put their marriage on edge, or maybe because they had been on the verge of a divorce—whatever the reason, Jehyuk must have been an easy target for resentment.

And honestly… his uncle wasn’t wrong.

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He was filthy.

All he had done was hold onto his phone, sleep, wake up, and repeat. He had cried so much that his clothes were in shambles. His body reeked. His uncle had even said the stench was unbearable.

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But when his aunt saw him, she didn’t hesitate.

She pulled him into her arms without a second thought.

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And with a trembling voice, she just kept whispering—

“I’m sorry, Jehyuk. I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry…”

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The resentment, the injustice, the loneliness—all of it had nearly suffocated him. But hearing his aunt break down like that—it almost made it better.

Almost.

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“How could you leave such a young child behind, unnie…?”

And then she, too, started to sob.

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Holding him close, she cried like she was the one who had been left behind.

Jehyuk blinked blankly, unable to understand.

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Standing behind his aunt, his uncle watched coldly before finally speaking in a stiff voice.

“Get up. We have somewhere to go.”

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His aunt’s face twisted with anger.

“Don’t talk like that! Who do you think you are?! What right do you have to—!”

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She broke down completely.

She clung to Jehyuk as if she was afraid he would disappear.

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His uncle forcefully pulled her away, dragging her out of the room.

Jehyuk, not understanding what was happening, numbly followed.

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After that…

Everything blurred.

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The rest of that day—the things that happened next—

He couldn’t remember.

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The only things he could remember were the faint afterimages lingering in his mind. His aunt and uncle dressed in mourning clothes, his parents’ colleagues, black suits, wailing cries, somber faces, the heavy scent of incense weighing down the air.

In the midst of it all, Jehyuk crouched down, staring blankly as the words reached his ears, forcing him to face reality.

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His parents died instantly in a collision with a truck on their way to the airport.

That was why he never even got to see their bodies. Apparently, they had been so mangled that it was nearly impossible to recover them. Only a few salvaged belongings and their cremated remains were brought back to Korea. Two urns—those were the last remnants of his parents that Jehyuk could see.

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Would it have been any easier to bear if there had been some grand reason behind this tragedy? He didn’t know. In the end, what was handed to him was nothing but a cruel, meaningless truth.

A massive freight truck, constantly traveling between Canada and the U.S., crashed due to the driver falling asleep at the wheel. It happened just before he could stop at a gas station. From what Jehyuk heard, such accidents were fairly common. And sometimes, truck drivers hit people, kill them, and just keep driving like nothing happened.

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Seeing two East Asians who were clearly tourists, the truck driver simply chose to leave them behind. He left the stiffening veins, the crimson gasoline pooling on the pavement—he left everything behind and kept driving.

This was the first injustice Jehyuk ever faced.

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What was obvious to one person was not necessarily so to another.

Conscience, morality, guilt—

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