UBC Ch13

My body, balanced precariously on my toes, swayed. The man’s voice, which I had thought I had misheard, once again shattered the summer night.41fcefcd0dfb8cdd

“You stupid bastard.”ae68d2d3140d6c32

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Whether he was talking to Eui-joo or to himself, I couldn’t quite tell. And those words, like a glass, filled my heart to overflowing with pity. The man, who had seemed to be sleeping soundly on the wooden floor, had his chest rising and falling. Seeing him unable to hold his head up, flailing his arms like a broken person, I couldn’t bring myself to leave.44b6b160d9caa600

Just pretend you didn’t see anything.fa1658922ec963c9

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

I lowered my head from the wall and surveyed the quiet alleyway, as silent as a graveyard. Getting involved with the man as a neighbor, especially after the trouble I had had last time, was a bad idea. The man didn’t want the help or kindness of a fickle high schooler. I was the only one feeling sympathy, the only one feeling sorry for him, the only one clinging to lingering attachments. Continuing a relationship that was uncomfortable for both of them would only lead to me being the one who crumbled and suffered.9b9d443c4a3b4327

The saying that being too nosy is a disease resonated with my life. Was I really trying to add a mysterious man to a life already struggling to cope with my mother and aunt’s nagging? Just as I was about to put my pity back in my heart and leave the alley, adjusting the crooked bicycle seat, I heard a loud crash from inside the gate. All my dozens of worries and resolutions were for naught, as my surprised feet were already crossing the threshold of the gate.fd59011dae7f542a

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Standing in the 4989d68ceb yard, my conscience 178a6a4b76 became a pebble 36e92cedfe on the riverbank, 03c559f1bd rolling into a 8131f521b7 blank white page. I saw the fallen 3f400e14b0 man and the overturned 4e4fad759b table, a result of 29a56e1526 his actions. The table, with 11180b10f3 its unfinished meal, 767e066094 the broken dishes, f01d6c19e1 and the man, db038f2ba4 panting heavily after d40619a104 failing to stand, 1a72992df3 were all in 7701a9d077 view.e0c6e0fa11a6448a

“Hey.”d79c08ad7ba1aa10

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

The resolution 43545f7129 to just 325d0b0809 take a 7895abf849 look and 72d69aae13 leave might 9fe4cb3730 have been 06754d3a61 a deception 0404d926f7 I had 46fff14389 thrown at 63446bb2aa myself from df01300432 the start. Summer must have come, 009c16e764 melting away the frost 35c7d94cbf of the past. My heart, freed 87232aeaf9 from the shackles fd2ae97fbe of hypocrisy, was cc19376bfe urging me to ef3d8a7404 interfere. The neighbor who 92d168eed4 wiped away the 7f9a0e472a tears of the 6c2f4d882c little kid who f9fff46a9f said he wished 5b4a252d39 ants had many 503f458461 friends, Eui-joo smiling 2799622f71 with rosy cheeks d50e237722 by the river. So, the 206cd302ef reason I c48124f62d wanted to 23ed7d9126 get involved 5c5882821c with the 271b68e010 man, to 8a46a546e2 interfere, was 172650383a because of 06ae4151a0 those people feadcf078e from back 0063fe18ed then. Those who had trimmed 8f8f4225d7 the thorns of my e033b69dd0 childhood and watered them 99c4ff5b61 had pushed me toward be66f7a021 the man.4fb53ea8922adc51

“What happened to your face?”2ad7d81ec55aab4a

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

I reached out hesitantly and turned on the light on the wooden floor. As soon as the house brightened, gnats that had lost their way gathered around the light. Scenes that I would normally have frowned at unfolded in stark detail. Things like the spilled table and the man’s face, covered in blood. It was the first time I had seen someone’s eyelids so swollen that they couldn’t even open their eyes properly. If his visible face looked like he had disturbed a beehive, his body probably wasn’t in good shape either.a928ebe521ccaa51

“Are you okay?”f1dd5e7bdd323a91

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

I put my hand under the man’s arm, as if I could move him by myself. There were only two empty, abandoned houses nearby. Three numbers suddenly popped into my head in my blank mind. My hand went inside the man’s pocket, soaked with barley tea. A small, rectangular cell phone caught in my palm.4c7b25169bfb8097

To a, a cell phone was something I wanted but also felt I could do without. But only after today’s events did I realize its usefulness. A cell phone was a necessity. I pressed 119 on the scratched keypad. Just as my hand was about to press the call button, a strong grip seized my wrist.7e0fe4603b0e0a81

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Ah! You scared me.”a2282e5a306815ff

“…Don’t.”7d42abb9395a75f0

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

A short scream echoed throughout the house, and the man’s hand fell away. His eyes, barely able to overcome his swollen eyelids, were unfocused as he looked at her. Having come this far, feeling like I had seen everything I needed to see, I put down the phone and met his gaze.025e29c96c7c952e

“Still, this is too much. You need to go to the hospital.”85772e6e27ed0716

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“No.”e63613adcabb684d

There were no other words, but the voice saying he didn’t want to go to the hospital was full of strength. The man didn’t even seem to realize whose wrist he was grabbing and shaking. With his lips torn, the man only repeated that he didn’t want to go to the hospital. Watching him, my head started to throb.1cdfae8fb04de42d

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

I wasn’t strong enough to drag the stubbornly resisting man to the hospital. I didn’t have the heart to wait for him to wake up at the hospital, to act as his guardian and talk to the doctor. I also couldn’t bear to hear the man resentfully asking why I had brought him there.67428a07d3fe7bdc

My heart desperately wanted to help him, but my body wouldn’t cooperate. Still, I couldn’t just leave a person who looked like they were going to die, so I became anxious.5ed0ce0aca7f7e5b

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Why don’t you want to go?”850575355381d800

Until then, his eyes, which had been staring blankly at the light, slowly fell downward. I entered the world of his dull eyes. As if he recognized me then, his eyes widened slightly, before returning to their original size. But since his eyes were so swollen, it wasn’t very noticeable.69d81fc95c7e44b1

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“I don’t have money for the hospital bill.”2ac514f577587d32

Then, as if annoyed, he covered his eyes with his wrist. The emotion conveyed by his barely visible lips seemed to be regret and sadness. At least, that’s how it looked to me.d2c1793238d60b8d

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Leave.”6524c6d0943575e9

Seeing him worrying about his situation even with his face bruised, the man seemed to have more pride and stubbornness than I thought. But if I left the man as he was, I would worry about him for a while and wouldn’t be able to do my own work. Then who would be at a loss?a7b45f4165e2f433

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Hey.”23ecfe263f015bbe

“I said leave.”907da9dd915fe86e

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Do you have any medicine at home?”83742c2c9e0b1c66

When his words that I should leave didn’t work, the man irritably lowered his hand. I took the timing to say something before he could.5bf0f0d4449f9fcd

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“I’ll just give you the medicine and leave. I’m not hoping you’ll die.”18a7f25dedacea70

When I spoke with sincerity, the man’s firm gaze wavered. Without saying anything else, he turned away, his stubbornness leaving me helpless. The man’s breathing, oblivious to his heart’s desires, was rough. Worried, I gently grabbed the man’s shoulder. I hadn’t even applied much force, but the man’s entire body followed my hand. The man, unable to even open his eyes and suffering, had already lost consciousness.49b7b159e069b497

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Hey.”9af9624563000af3

His body under my hand swayed as if caught in a large wave. My attempts to wake the man grew more intense, but his arrogant voice had disappeared. In a desperate state, I opened the man’s cell phone again. All I had to do was enter 119 and press the green call button.9149117e5dff1242

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Eui-joo…”0d8329738a9f4f32

At his mumbling, as if he had lost his mind, the thumb that had been on the call button slowly moved down. Right, he has no money. Eui-joo, or Eui-joo’s brother, or me, none of them were in a good financial situation. I couldn’t bring myself to make the call. The man had no money for the hospital bill, and I wasn’t in a position to pay it for him. With no one to help, the only option was to do it myself.9bdd76486f3efa3d

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Trusting only in 2e5edf8546 his youth, I a7511d36cf laid the man b7d6aabbd3 down properly, who e384786300 was carelessly pushing 904164f368 his body to 652064dfe0 the limit. With a creak, I 5587a3cb41 opened the sliding door 26b6c07c8e and entered a room 7ea3650fbb with a travel bag 2501a6e61a placed in the corner fd0c059b0a as if ready to 0f5ce8d5a3 leave at any moment, 4c63ba75f0 and a TV that b4614f5275 I doubted even worked. I ran to c26b407f0e the dresser and 8144d6b17c looked for the 7788615c98 first-aid kit that 02365aee9b every household had. After failing on the 8b6c84c7a7 first, second, and third 7630624c49 drawers, I found a 8d6cc445ea fever reducer in the 00e89d07ff last drawer. When I d27da002df opened it, e07a577ba6 there were 1d34dc068c only two b40b0680b6 pills inside. Biting my 850ea88ea2 lip in 1657464110 disappointment, I 93aee16d80 turned around.2a7f29d76a5e12a2

“Can’t you hear me? Get out.”7bc661439f578651

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

The books that the e4cfb93ae5 man had thrown into 54e294ac12 a puddle, rendering them ffe70e4142 unusable, were back in 7fbf1b6013 the room. My movements, which 19561c0aae had been frantic 69f24797f3 as I poured 4bfa1a6ea0 the two pills eb021c9fc9 into my palm, bbe948354e stopped abruptly. The pages, 4a333194ad spread out 7578b7e122 to dry, 53f90d71ec swayed in 1073db9cde the night a652b19396 breeze.6c163d16dbce10e2

My resolution to give him the medicine and fly away from the man’s house was forcibly extended. My gaze returned to the man, lying sprawled out and dying.8d7f71c4c7fe544d

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

I could do it. I lifted the man’s arm in front of the sliding door. With a do-or-die attitude, I pulled the man’s body. Displaying my tug-of-war skills, I slowly dragged the man, as heavy as a sack of flour, into the room. Walking and resting, walking and resting, it took my ten minutes just to get the man’s head inside the door.3ea5ca39c5175c86

By the time the man’s legs crossed the doorway, I was taking a sweat shower. Nevertheless, I was more worried about the man, who was running out of breath, than myself, who was panting. After successfully getting the man’s body into the room, I finally had a moment to catch my breath. I took out a neatly folded blanket from the dresser. Contrary to my expectation that it would smell musty, it was a blanket that smelled like bath soap.bd92be3601bd7cda

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Here, lie down.”05acea09612e2bf6

I put a pillow under the man’s head and spread out the thin summer blanket on one side. My exhausted body slid down the wall and collapsed.d8595fbe387d5982

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Let’s rest for 10 minutes, just 10 minutes.”0c1e49c140a02720

At times like this, I couldn’t help but regret not being a man. If I were a man, I would have gone to school with Eui-joo and protected him from bad delinquents, my mom and aunt would have worried less about me, and I could have easily lifted and moved the man who was dying in pain.f2fcf1ad5f25102a

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

I hoped that my f0ac00bccc body, which had stopped c9c17cdd7d growing, would become a 6eeeb849e3 little stronger as a 57d9ac5b29 result of today. The stars in the 8718fe27da night sky, visible through d9dd359cbc the unclosed sliding door, 46b6ea08a6 twinkled lonely.fb47972a25f84829

It would 5ca41f409b be nice 74ce7fe81c if the 45e3d04403 weather was ff71ed9447 cool. The man was just ebd0e03721 terribly unlucky.d436c9aecfa35312

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com