SHN Chapter 3

The moment that voice reached him, Lee Daon felt a rapid sense of calm within him.

“Yes. H…hello.”

“Hello, senior.”

This time, however, he couldn’t hide his surprised expression at all. He quickly turned around with wide eyes.

Unlike his own expression, which was undoubtedly foolish, Hyun Seonwoo was wearing a refreshing smile.

“Hey, hi.”

It really is Hyun Seonwoo. He had thought he couldn’t bear to face him, but now that he was actually facing him, his heart pounded. It was a conditioned reflex from harboring unrequited love for so long.

The earlier feeling of being covered in filth also lifted. His gaze kept returning to Hyun Seonwoo’s cheerfully upturned lips.

Come to think of it, he thought he had been inconspicuous, but how did Hyun Seonwoo find him?

“Do you have a minute?”

“Yes, I do.”

His question melted away quickly. He answered immediately without even taking a breath, and Hyun Seonwoo chuckled again.

“Don’t the freshmen have a class right after this?”

“Ah, …right.”

He suddenly came to his senses. He shouldn’t be doing this right now, should he?

The classmate who had borrowed his pen was now staring intently at him. His lips were moving as if he had something to say.

Since he always suggested eating together and going to the next class, it was probably something similar.

“Let’s step out for a second. I’ll buy you a drink. I won’t take up too much of your time.”

“Okay….”

He couldn’t help but hesitate a little more than before in responding to Hyun Seonwoo’s continued words. The guilt he had forgotten crept back in. The things he had done while thinking of Hyun Seonwoo, and yesterday’s strange lunch.

Lee Daon was confused because there were too many things pricking his conscience.

He quickly gathered his belongings and followed Hyun Seonwoo’s broad back.

🍥

The two of them headed to a bench in front of a vending machine. Perhaps because people didn’t come here often, it was deserted.

Contrary to his worries, Hyun Seonwoo brought up the topic of the team project from today’s lecture.

Could he be trying to offer to do the team project together? Could it be that he really just happened to find him again and spoke to him?

“But about yesterday. Did anything feel strange?”

The hope he had desperately clung to shattered at Hyun Seonwoo’s words, spoken after a slight pause.

“Uh, yesterday? I don’t… know.”

The answer came out almost reflexively. He had no peace of mind because of his guilty conscience.

It would be nice if he could probe to find out what Hyun Seonwoo thought was strange. It was a shame he didn’t have that kind of conversational skill. Moreover, his heart was beating so loudly that he felt like Hyun Seonwoo could hear it.

“Really?”

Perhaps because he diligently hid his fidgeting, Hyun Seonwoo simply replied.

Then, his eyes crinkled as he smiled gently, captivating Lee Daon.

“You should go have lunch with your friends, right? It’ll be tight if you want to make it to the next class. Let’s see each other again later.”

As he said, there were only about 40 minutes left until the next class. His expression was completely carefree as he patted Lee Daon’s shoulder.

Thanks to this, Lee Daon felt a slight sense of relief.

“……Yes. Goodbye.”

Fortunately, it seemed Hyun Seonwoo hadn’t noticed anything about the hypnosis. In the first place, it was structured in a way that he wouldn’t know unless Lee Daon said something.

His chest ached again with guilt, and Lee Daon left the bench with his head lowered.

🍥

An uneventful week passed.

Fortunately, the new part-time job suited him. He only had to organize things in a warehouse, without having to deal with people.

Originally, as soon as he turned twenty, he looked for part-time jobs that paid well. Most of them were in entertainment districts like bars or clubs.

While such places paid well, there were many problems. Often, there were no employment contracts, and they wouldn’t even pay his wages properly. Sometimes, they would try to exploit him for things other than his kitchen assistant duties.

Because of that, Lee Daon had to revise his plans. The warehouse work was much more physically demanding, but he liked it because he earned a lot of money for the time he put in.

Most of all, he was fortunate that the owner was old. Due to his memories of being ostracized, the people Lee Daon found most difficult to deal with were his peers.

He had a very hard time adapting to stores where he had to interact with his peers, rather than working in the kitchen. He often failed job interviews at places with young managers.

Nothing happened with Hyun Seonwoo after that.

He didn’t ask him out to buy him a drink, and they didn’t eat together. Since he hadn’t entered anything into the hypnosis app, it was only natural.

Even though he knew that, Lee Daon had to spend many sleepless nights trying to soothe his inexplicably empty heart.

He had definitely done something unnecessary. If he hadn’t known anything, he wouldn’t have known what he wanted.

Still, the frequency of their greetings had increased significantly compared to before. Perhaps because Hyun Seonwoo now recognized him, their eyes met more often.

Every time, Lee Daon would bow deeply, wanting to hide his blushing face. On lucky days, he could see Hyun Seonwoo smiling and waving back.

Thanks to this, Lee Daon was gradually overcoming his strange thirst.

Even when the weekend came again and he went to work his part-time job, he thought so.

“Daon, you’re here? So, is your mother doing alright? It’s good that it’s payday today.”

“Yes? Sir, what are you talking about?”

It was exactly one month since he started the part-time job before entering university.

He had been told that the money would be transferred to his account in the evening. Lee Daon had opened a bank account as soon as he became an adult so that he could write his account number on the contract.

But his uncle had come and taken his wages.

“Didn’t you talk about it with Daon? His uncle even showed me a text message.”

“A text message? What text message?”

Seeing Lee Daon’s pale face, the owner’s complexion also darkened. Like someone who sensed that something had gone terribly wrong.

Lee Daon, being an orphan, didn’t understand anything about mothers or anything like that.

“He said his mother needed to be hospitalized urgently, but they didn’t have any money, so he sent his uncle in a hurry.”

“…….”

“The text message that came from Daon’s number also said to entrust his uncle with receiving his wages……”

It was clear that his uncle had pulled a trick, but he didn’t understand how. As the blood drained from Lee Daon’s face, the owner fidgeted nervously.

“I should have double-checked… This is a big problem. That uncle called Daon several times, but he didn’t answer at all. I thought his mother was really sick….”

Listening to the rest of his words, Lee Daon thought that the owner couldn’t be blamed. He had acted out of goodwill, thinking that Lee Daon was in an emergency.

Lee Daon was truly exasperated by his uncle’s methods.

His uncle had a criminal record for fraud. He would have properly scammed the kind-hearted owner with his graying hair after figuring him out.

Knowing this well, Lee Daon gradually lowered his head. He was ashamed and suffocated by his situation, by the fact that the only family he had was such a person.

“……My uncle and I… are not on good terms. We’ve been estranged for a while……”

Amidst the suffocating shame, Lee Daon stammered.

He didn’t even want to call him family, so he had blocked his uncle’s number long ago. So, it was natural that his uncle couldn’t reach him no matter how many times he called.

“I didn’t know that……”

His throat tightened as he finished speaking. And did he really have to say that he was an orphan without a mother?

In the end, all that came out after a long while were self-deprecating words.

“No, it’s… not your fault, sir.”

“Shouldn’t we report this to the police?”

At his worried words, Lee Daon let out a soft sigh and shook his head.

This had happened repeatedly since high school, and he had been too careless. It was his fault for not informing the owner beforehand, thinking that his uncle wouldn’t be able to find him here.

Perhaps he had wanted to turn a blind eye.

Since he had to maintain his grades, he could only work part-time on weekends. However, even working like that, his monthly rent and living expenses were tight.

Because of that, he really didn’t want to cause any trouble at this part-time job with good conditions. If they knew his situation was a mess, they wouldn’t want to hire him.

“I’ll get it directly from my uncle.”

“…Sigh. I hope you can……”

No owner liked having the police called to their business. He was the most considerate owner he had ever worked for, but he might already be thinking that he had been burdened with a troublesome matter.

Thinking about that made his future seem even more bleak. If he lost this job, his next month’s meals and rent would be a problem.

“Um, sir, about my future work here…”

Lee Daon, cautiously observing the owner, spoke again with difficulty. If he was told to quit immediately, he didn’t have the social skills to persuade him otherwise.

“I would prefer it if you continued working here. …I’m truly sorry. I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

Fortunately, perhaps feeling responsible, the owner didn’t fire him immediately.

In the end, even though he might not have money for food next month, Lee Daon had to lower his head.

“……Thank you.”

Perhaps because he bowed so low, a surge of emotion welled up in his throat.

🍥

Perhaps because he was more considerate than he seemed, the owner took good care of Lee Daon’s lunch.

He had thought the amount of food he ordered was strangely generous, and the owner even packed the untouched leftovers nicely for him to eat for dinner.

For some reason, his eyes stung the whole way home because of that kindness.

Yet, no tears actually fell, and Lee Daon felt as if his insides had become completely empty.

“Ha……”

As soon as he arrived home, Lee Daon slumped down at his desk.

Now he had to do something he really didn’t want to do, like being dragged to the garbage dump behind the school.

His hand was steady as he unblocked the number. However, Lee Daon knew clearly that the lump in his chest, with nowhere to go, continued to accumulate and weigh him down.

—Well, well. If it isn’t my one and only nephew…. Why did you call your uncle, who you blocked?

A slimy voice answered, as if he had expected the call.

He remembered trembling as he told his uncle not to contact him again the last time he saw him. He had moved almost like he was running away to get a room where his uncle wouldn’t know, and it seemed his uncle had held a grudge against him for that.

‘I’m your uncle, kid.’

In his second year of high school, the sudden appearance of his uncle was a beacon of hope.

He introduced himself as his father’s older brother.

Lee Daon, who had no luck with parents, seemed to have no other luck either, as he had to move between three different orphanages.

The first place he lived went bankrupt due to financial problems. The siblings he had grown attached to since childhood were scattered. And the second orphanage, which he had barely adapted to, had to send some children to other orphanages due to capacity issues.

This time, Lee Daon volunteered. His body and mind were already worn out from the cruel bullying he endured during middle school. He thought something might change if he at least changed locations.

He moved cities three times. His life was like a drifting weed.

Thanks to moving to different areas, there was no one who bullied Lee Daon throughout his life. However, his lack always showed, no matter where he was.

He entered high school from the last orphanage he stayed at. Before even a month had passed since he started school, that place also became hell.

Still, thanks to Hyun Seonwoo saving him when he was being dragged away, he managed to endure his first year. Perhaps wary of Hyun Seonwoo, no one severely assaulted him.

Of course, once Hyun Seonwoo, who was a third-year, graduated, his second year became just like middle school. It was while he was struggling in the depths of his returning despair that his uncle appeared.

‘I can’t take you in right now, but we’re family, aren’t we? Let’s live together when you become an adult.’

In that situation, the existence of family seemed like a lifeline that would rescue him from this pit.

However, his uncle, who had won Lee Daon over with a few snacks and empty words, quickly revealed his true colors.

‘Just do me this favor, Daon. Your uncle will pay you back double later. Okay?’

At first, he took small amounts of the money Lee Daon earned from his part-time job while attending high school. Lee Daon couldn’t bring himself to refuse his uncle, who coaxed him with excuses of urgent matters.

By the time he was sending almost all of his part-time job earnings to his uncle, the incident escalated.

Children who become adults receive a self-reliance settlement from the government before leaving the orphanage. Although the amount is far from enough to get a room or anything, it was a large sum compared to what he had earned from part-time jobs so far.

His uncle stole that self-reliance settlement. With the excuse of finding a house to live in with Lee Daon.

If it had ended there, he might have wanted to stay with his family, making up any excuse he could.

‘Come on, Daon. Just sign here. Hey, don’t be disrespectful and ask questions when an adult is talking. If you trust your uncle, you’ll get a lot of money.’

To make matters worse, as soon as Lee Daon became an adult, his uncle tried to sell him to loan sharks.

In front of the suspicious documents, Lee Daon ran away with all his might. He blocked his uncle’s number and made sure no one around him knew how he got his room.

One fortunate thing was that, already somewhat exhausted, he hadn’t told anyone which university he was going to.

“How did you find out where I work?”

—This little brat should apologize first for disrespecting an adult….

However, even that information must have leaked.

Even at the orphanage, he didn’t have any close friends because of his characteristically gloomy atmosphere. The orphanage director, who knew Lee Daon’s circumstances well, would never have given his number to his uncle. So how did he find out where he worked?

“Give me back my wages. …Otherwise, I’ll report you to the police.”

He knew his uncle wouldn’t comply easily. As someone with a criminal record for fraud, his uncle sometimes had the ability to subtly extract information from somewhere.

He gritted his teeth and said it to at least get his money back, but it backfired.

—Ha. Try it. Huh? Try it. You think the police in our country would move for something like this, an uncle receiving some pocket money from his nephew? Huh? Try it! Don’t you dare threaten me!

“It’s my living expenses. I don’t even have money for food right now. …Please give it back.”

—Kid, you’re just a flea, no matter how high you jump. I can find out where you work in no time just by asking a friend for your number!

He wanted to appeal to his uncle’s presumably non-existent compassion, but it didn’t work. He wanted to argue back, biting his lip repeatedly, but he cursed his poor eloquence.

As if he couldn’t even hear Lee Daon’s voice, his uncle kept talking without pause. About how great he was, how easily he could find someone like Lee Daon.

So he should just give in and come back while he was being nice.

—Think of this as a valuable life lesson. Trying to act important with such a measly amount of money, tsk.

“…….”

—Well, if I multiply it several times today, I might be able to return the principal.

“…….”

Every word that followed hit Lee Daon like a physical blow. It felt like he had returned to the most ragged moment of his life. The moment when he was falling from a bottomless cliff, with nothing to hold onto.

Actually, even now, his life wasn’t much different.

—I’ll come visit you soon, so tell me where you live. I’ll give you the money back then.

Lee Daon, blankly enduring the verbal abuse hurled at him, suddenly came to his senses. His uncle clearly hadn’t given up on his plan to burden him with debt.

Goosebumps rose all over his body. He suddenly found it difficult to breathe, as if someone was strangling him.

“…….”

With trembling hands, Lee Daon quickly hung up the phone. He even turned it off in a hurry and threw it away.

“Ha… ha…”

He hunched over in his chair. Curling up into a ball, he barely managed to breathe in and out. There was nothing else he could do right now.

There was nothing among his prescribed medications that he could take in this situation. Nevertheless, he suppressed the urge to shove a handful of pills into his mouth.

Instead, he racked his brain incessantly. Desperately trying to find a way out of this situation.

He might have to change part-time jobs. But what if his uncle found him even at the new place?

He didn’t know how his uncle had found his number. If only he knew how, he could run further away.

He would have to ask his landlord to allow him to pay his rent later, starting next month. He was sure he had heard about that option when signing the contract.

So now, all he had to do was figure out how to get by until his next paycheck arrived.

“Ha……”

He managed to organize his panicked thoughts, but he didn’t feel relieved at all.

All he had left was enough money for food for a little over two weeks. If he ate only one meal a day, he might be able to manage somehow.

Especially on Fridays, he could go without food. He would get a meal at his part-time job anyway.

Despite mechanically arranging the best course of action, his heart didn’t feel at ease at all. On the contrary, the more he thought about it, the more he felt like he was being pulled into a deep swamp.

“…….”

Lee Daon’s gaze, lost in thought, fell upon the desk drawer.

He was in desperate need of comfort. He thought of Hyun Seonwoo, who had comforted him more than any pill he could swallow.

As if possessed, he took out the hypnosis app he had shoved deep inside. As if the impulse he had been suppressing had burst forth, Lee Daon couldn’t control his hand.