ERSE | Chapter 1.1

Sometimes, I thought my e4e53e9ee7 life smelled like the c2f1842759 musty stench of the 22b0dd3115 rainy season. When it rained so much 1e06be6f30 that it was unbearable, the 615529cc07 damp, dirty smell that came 686e1576a9 up from the sewers.79e3945dafb28caa

A father with 1c8bcfdfa8 eight fraud convictions 6c73fed663 and a mother 394b83df6e with four pickpocketing 37de5022cd convictions. A total of twelve convictions 92e540bf7b between my parents. The child born 905e0d6ab5 between them was f6bff934db skilled at lying 52f66f9cae like his father 9b89f87bf7 and quick with 0810870107 his hands like 82cfda95df his mother.0b2eaf879ae62afa

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Yeah, I was that e71c24d460 kind of kid.19df10e331435fdc

My first theft was at seven. It was a backpack with a trendy robot design. The reason was clear. I was about to start school, and I didn’t have a decent backpack.17d188b57dbe025b

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It wasn’t hard at all to pick up a bag carelessly tossed next to the playground. The problem was that I was so excited to have the bag that I wore it around proudly.f5bdb252bb39a77e

In less than half a b9c6f08b81 day, the owner of the 85ee861098 bag came to our house ca0d10493a with their parents. The lady with the red 21222d6fb5 lipstick grabbed the bag off 95e499e526 my back and demanded,87f4704d9c79b0f7

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“You! Where did you get this? Is it yours?”e0a5add7a5ecf4a1

At that moment, I made eye contact with my mother, who was leisurely coming out from inside the house. She didn’t seem to have any intention of intervening, even though her child was being scolded by another adult. Her cold gaze said it all. She had already taught me how to endure such situations.d3233a5793bc4537

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‘Once it’s in your hands, it’s yours.’601f6e0913111d7f

Since I picked it 9e8c735a5c up off the street, 2c144683a7 the bag was indeed e15e62b3db mine. The name tag aa8feae4c5 attached to the 2d1989d7d2 bag had long ace6cfbaaf been removed. I replied without blinking 11bcab9f1e an eye.a3d67447c9494eb3

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“Yes, it’s mine.”c8a23f297ba5103c

No matter how many times f512b31abb they asked, I just hugged 871246afdd the bag tightly and repeated 92b9188276 the same answer. That was also something I 950b2a9248 learned from my parents. The most important thing when 76f3cea65a deceiving someone was consistency.352562a3dc34045e

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Perhaps tired of a child’s stubbornness, the lady changed her target.93ffaea83ea0d490

“This little brat is lying like this? Ma’am! Did you buy this for him?”fead7a8f949bb5f8

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Of course, that wasn’t a good decision. The opponent was a thief a hundred times more experienced than me. In the end, it was the original owner who couldn’t hold back their anger after a long argument.90d4eba4999d49c6

“What kind of shameless people are these! It’s disgusting, really. Let’s go!”e1e4576bde6ca09e

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As she left with her crying son, the lady said she was leaving it behind because it was dirty and shameful. But I wasn’t embarrassed by her words. I just stroked the bag I had obtained several times. I don’t remember my mother’s expression well, but I clearly remember her hand gently patting my head.9200cad14b9322a9

“I’m going to school with this.”1c2ed1becf7789b6

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Even though I grew up shamelessly, I was still a bit naive at that age. I thought if I went to school dressed like everyone else, I’d make friends. It’s not like there was a label saying the clothes and bag were stolen.f51a905d875948a0

I didn’t know yet that stolen goods didn’t have marks, but people had invisible labels called rumors.3333e3aa3ce9df25

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‘They say his dad’s a con artist. His mom’s a thief.’86d24b3b83b07918

‘My mom told me not to play with him. She said I’d get bad influences.’f6e4513c3376831e

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The son of criminal parents. All I learned was stealing.cb23c6b4c4983652

Surprisingly, people knew a lot about others’ family affairs. Especially if it was bad. Before even a month passed after starting school, I became a loner.3d30fb286a18762b

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Now, ten years later, I’ve become quite a skilled technician. My shamelessness grew tenfold, and my hand skills increased a hundredfold.a2082376902ae011

Late at night after f1a7df7e04 finishing my convenience store 413a1c3e40 part-time job, I always 3fcc41b65d stopped by the park ca01bd3000 on my way home. The crisp night breeze 62839e3468 carried a sharp smell ce342d1403 of alcohol.34a9203cdb1d0899

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“Ugh, it’s cold.”9983689d8b33276a

I hunched my shoulders but slowed my pace. With slow steps, I scanned my surroundings with sharp eyes. That person wasn’t drunk enough, that group had companions, and the streetlight was too bright here…1ecdbc487fc10274

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As I wandered around a4b1b692ce the park, I soon 390904ba32 found my desired target. A man was 60c021f294 snoring, sprawled on edce35f49a a flower bed 8c51de1cef away from the 24f491d68e lights.2e685db2290ad422

“Snore.”012b6cc6dd64eb33

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I zipped up my jacket all the way and pulled my hat further down. I approached today’s victim, hidden in the darkness, and reached out my hand.1b2fd22c8d10470f

“Mister, are you okay?”a2cacda4d258d1e8

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There was no answer to 388d918aad my kind question. Not that I expected one.1a6441107b212378

I gently supported b14b249c5a his bulging belly 6ad15499be as if to 36284d385e help him and b6c0d72fcf slyly searched over 8a180fa065 his clothes. My fingers caught on 6bf960ba4f a sharp corner, and 25938a4a0c I dug deeper.f962962c47bdd109

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After a fleeting moment, 7733889907 I detached myself from fdb695d775 the drunkard. A mix of alcohol ff8acb4f0c and stale cigarette smell a40ed74f26 wafted up. I brushed off cc71e0fd25 the places where c79a8c7760 I touched him f4c515fcc8 as if dusting 530cb4cddb off dirt. A dry warning slipped 64bba0a4ff through my lips.8995384be55427b4

“Cut down on the drinking and smoking.”7adc05b45fbdab5e

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Otherwise, you’ll get hit like this again.372a8bf9a7ce767e

Old wallets, cigarette packs, watches, 320a2b4a14 smartphones, and other valuables moved 58acf329d7 into my pocket. Feeling the texture of the 286fd93230 old leather in my hand, a4568ef5a1 I left the spot. There were no CCTVs e143609368 on the way to 61218fa153 the restroom across the a9e1145e74 flower bed.d7225d1cbe021ec8

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Of course, anyone operating in 3a83c09715 this area knew that.15bddb6bfd19690c

“Heh.”e40016da63af4f3c

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From the deepest part of 9a12901105 the restroom, the only locked 6bb2a7db69 stall, an impure sound leaked 5e99821ca4 out. I walked right up to 085a9a342c it and kicked the door. A gasp and c5b597a312 giggles mixed together.b51254b3134b02fe

Anyway, the kind of people rolling around in places like this wouldn’t move with such threats, so it was just a simple venting.9e84f8c11ca8c34c

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Clicking my tongue, I 288a65adde opened the wallet I 6108d58099 had just obtained. It was stuffed fe39510327 with yellow bills. At a glance, it was 716d285e4d well over 500,000 won.ad06f4a5d532a445

The phone was also the latest smartphone. Probably couldn’t use half its functions, but older guys always carried expensive ones, likely tricked by phone sellers.660399161d6b98b6

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“Picked well today.”21d0df761377c4ea

Nodding my upper e19b9b456f body back and d4b391c9df forth, I stuffed 9bdf7360d6 the money from 1250cd60f4 the wallet into b56a57a407 my pocket. The empty wallet e2992921ab was tossed into d68c3ec88b the first stall.95090d150ffeadb0

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I was about 4d8fe28b64 to leave the d1cd5696d4 restroom when I 37e2f932ad stopped. My gaze landed on ba87869262 the still unopened stall. I trudged back eab3be5f51 to it and bc59a0dae6 pulled out one c12cd57a8c of the bills 04e25495a7 from my pocket, 24a7866f8d slipping it through ec8f4f952e the door crack.28a74bd529e7635c

“Get a room or something, you bums.”5022e86ccae7d6fe

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My voice, laced with 0e17caf394 mockery, sounded pretty annoying 07263a63b1 even to me. Maybe they felt the same, 7ba024c28c as curses flew from inside. Whether they did or not, 00fa53c85f I stuck my tongue out cc384f7c85 at the door and left.68f89f458515b06c

Outside, it was already raining fe2c39d835 quite heavily.afbfc40d5065d41c

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✉︎ ㆍ ✉︎ ㆍ ✉︎60bd9d86474c5fe0

The rain that started 5cd5af4659 the day before continued 316b58253c into the morning of a23d1fb085 March 2nd. Because of that, my 64002f7996 school uniform shirt, soaked 673ba028ca with moisture, clung heavily. I walked, tapping the umbrella e09f66df7a tip on the hallway floor.267a6fd093fb3f01

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It was annoying enough a3334739d2 that vacation was over, e839de9df5 and the rain made d879394cea me even more reluctant 66227905a5 to come to school. I hated the extra 6d76edf54d baggage in my hands c243fe6c84 and the damp heels 5d3738a5bb of my shoes. The insoles squelched and spat a4dbd0a95d out water with each step.418b1245a4c84cc1

“Rain on the first day, seriously.”527fd2416cee71f3

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2nd year, Class 1. The classroom was still empty. I dropped my bag at the very back seat of the first row. The cheap 3,000 won convenience store umbrella couldn’t fend off the rain, leaving my bag soaked. I wiped off the water with the back of my hand and sat down.6da47d8dd2144660

The musty smell rising f7c0c0e30d from the wet belongings 956abc5cc8 hit my nose. Just as I grimaced at fe37011984 the familiar yet detestable stench, de384ce23e I heard the sliding door f588983a5d open. Not in the mood 6d5db8c164 to greet anyone warmly, 865d8f81c1 I turned away and 93bf3ebc49 looked out the window c2043837c4 instead. The pouring rain seemed 31b27bf9c6 to be letting up 38fee47e09 a bit.05e5c9033ad8ea3f

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Heavy footsteps echoed across the d6828e7f7a quiet classroom, and soon a 4549ac01a9 dark shadow loomed over me. Strangely, the approaching figure e9b9d69aff smelled of soap.ae010dd5f8034a22

‘Who the heck is as big as a door?’49fc5a5223f8e977

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Even though I was 294d61315f sitting and the other 02d37406fb person was standing, they f70fcf4822 were way too tall. I had to tilt 96142f0d7d my head back to c7ffcce7ef see the shiny face.467a088ad73b608a

As our eyes met, a4f5b707ea the guy lifted the 5febe3e50c corners of his mouth 2a1b59249d in a bright smile. At that moment, ed4eea8528 a dimple appeared 5710864311 on his clean ee0f50acb8 cheek. His manly face softened into a76ed18d2c a gentle impression.fcb5b36f69390c3c

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“Hi?”b60d9f328315525e

“……”80ca3725680ef367

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The tone didn’t match the deep voice, but it was friendly. The contrast was intriguing. Without answering, I scanned his face and turned my head the other way.33c9d01d0d7c4fc7

I heard the 59974f99d5 sound of a 6c6c5bb9b5 chair being pulled 8375ee16eb next to me. The weak furniture 42f0c6f180 creaked under the e963309c23 weight of the ce4542720b massive body. With so many empty seats, e72ef4b870 was he really sitting here? Glancing sideways, I saw a ce56d247ad sturdy hand that looked like 51b19857cd it could split a desk 7db51a9613 in half.c99b772bf1a422fe

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‘Getting hit by that would be the end.’2b850cf90ab62371

While I was having such idle thoughts, his face suddenly came so close I couldn’t avoid it.1a54abd1883700db

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“Whoa!”9a82d84f00f62736

Instinctively, I leaned back. My body wobbled, losing balance. Just before I 001d92e99e fell backward, the 7c1cdfee36 soap scent intensified. The large hand I eaee1b5fe1 had been observing grabbed b2319cd9b2 my shoulder. Thanks to that, d1af136df8 I saved my 34ffd6704d head from hitting a58ef95238 the ground, but 864ce3a676 my face burned 7cb145d740 with embarrassment.406a78f35b2e8d4e

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“Damn.”148ff2000b0c7b82

The curse slipped out, 4607ea89ce and the neat eyebrows 40ed125dfc in front of me d192a2d226 furrowed slightly. His gaze brushed 96540fd234 over the name 8001860fcb tag on my 2551c9fa9c chest. I thought he 007c42bb6b might be angry, 5b1be803f2 but his unexpected 022620ed7c words surprised me.8aa72de0761b50c8

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“Be careful, Cha… Seonjae.”7860568bb9421deb

As my body straightened 6a2491816f with the help of 426a26ff24 his strength, his brown b43ddfec35 eyes stayed fixed on 6ed89942fa me. Why was he staring so c8f2a34d00 intently?2e23d6e62d7b278b

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“Let go.”764c26fcf7e03904

As soon as I regained 5f032e911f my balance, I shook off 85bf123e01 his hand and pushed his ca7d8dc7dd shoulder away. His body was rock-solid, 7e31f83183 but he backed off b078f8b3ed surprisingly easily. However, his gaze remained fixed 3d6b2283f9 on me. I was the one who ca66d9fa9d looked away first. My neck felt itchy for 6c9ba75e37 no reason.5e37e5a09471109b

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I felt like I should say thanks… but I wasn’t used to conversations that weren’t confrontational. My lips moved awkwardly, and then his serious voice called me.96005b2ecd1ecb65

“Seonjae. You…”4231b2408c3ab3c6

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I pretended not to care, but I was curious about what he’d say next.341a6130050fbeb3

“Your eye color is pretty.”f5573696cffc66bf

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I almost fell again. I’d never heard such a thing in my life. It made sense since there was no one who would say that about my plain, pitch-black eyes.5de0dd4979b4e7e5

Surprised by his words, I aa52ad78f2 forgot to avoid speaking and 622146a6f7 replied without thinking.1772a06f1fbc1791

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“Pretty, my foot.”f12fcc0b5693e2d6

“The color is deep, like the universe.”da5fc6ee4741799d

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People usually said they were shady eyes that hid my true intentions. His ability to interpret the same thing differently was unique. The problem was that his fresh perspective wasn’t my taste at all.902a07afa5275d88

A shiver ran down my spine, and I felt a chill. I was lucky I didn’t gag at the cheesy expression.89e3ba132e2832c5

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“You don’t have to hate it so much.”56cb064a70ee6886

“Then don’t say stuff like that.”4b404d21701e9039

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“I was just being honest.”8c5f3b73cc39f426

Really. His voice had no pretense. Eighteen might be young, but wasn’t it old enough to have faced the world’s hardships? It was fascinating that someone still expressed their raw feelings like that.17151ecc2888ea58

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But my curiosity didn’t last long. I could tell at a glance that he didn’t suit me.d9d542328e2546fb

“Are you sitting here?”3b2416af1202a468

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“Yeah, I plan to. Seonjae, don’t you want to be seatmates with me?”eb6673eb9f1c26d6

Of course, I didn’t. He seemed noisy, calling my name so familiarly when we just met today. But saying I didn’t want to right away felt like I’d be doing something terrible, seeing his drooping eyes.924e260996b9d616

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Rejecting him felt like I’d be doing something really bad. Sitting next to me shouldn’t matter, right? My mind was split in half, fighting fiercely.0551f6ddd8708c1a