unfinished short story

lemon

w. Haechan




Yoon Jung-han's hair was a pale yellow, its length reaching his neck. He'd never been properly dressed in his uniform. Like some kind of idiot, he'd have dozens of identical clothes piled up at home, always wearing a black T-shirt underneath his uniform, whether it was winter or summer. He played like a punk, but he wasn't that bad of a person. He didn't smoke, but rather picked up cigarette butts. He always had a lemon-flavored candy in his mouth, not a cigarette. No one had ever seen Yoon Jung-han's parents. For some reason, no one who looked like his parents showed up at his high school entrance ceremony. The girl who always hung around with him was the complete opposite of Yoon Jung-han. Neat uniform, jet-black hair. But she also had short hair. If I had to pick one thing about him, it would be that he always had a lemon-flavored candy in his mouth. I don't understand why these two kids, who had nothing in common—from their grades to their clothes to their personalities—would hang out together. That model student girl also seemed to have fallen for Yoon Jung-han, sometimes disappearing from class or not showing up at all. Oh, and her name was also very similar to Yoon Jung-ui's.



































You're not wearing your uniform properly? How many times has this happened, Yoon Jung-han?

But now my head is clear. Haha

What is it about you that annoys people?

Sorry. Don't be mad.







She smiles, her pretty eyes squinting. Every morning, she does this, so how could I not fall for her? Eventually, her face falls, and she sighs and turns away, and then a candy pops into her mouth. The tartness spreads like wildfire, and that's the flavor of lemons.





Another lemon flavored candy?

Yeah.

Do you like lemons so much that you dyed your hair like that?

It's up to you. But, we're late. We have to go in quickly.





Again. Again. On days when Yoon Jung-han is around, it's hard to avoid being late, so I end up slowly rolling candy while going in. Thanks to Yoon Jung-han, I realized that the record book I'd steadily built up since middle school had all been gone for a long time, so I decided to just live recklessly. I can't just hate this punk again. How could I kick out a kid who follows me around saying he likes me? What can I do about a kid who used to play with punks but tried to study and behave properly to get along with me? After all, he's not inherently bad. The kind-hearted Yoon Jung-ui eventually gives in to Yoon Jung-han again.










Finding Yoon Jung-han's house was easy. It was behind a small church, visible only after climbing a steep slope. The only drinkable item in the house was alcohol, not water, so the mere smell of alcohol hit you as soon as you approached. The church ladies would all click their tongues and show sympathy whenever there was a loud noise coming from the house. Yoon Jung-han, disliking this pity, began acting like a thug. He dyed his hair blond and walked around with his school uniform unbuttoned. While acting like a thug, he avoided alcohol and cigarettes, lest he become like his father. Still, the pitying gazes wouldn't go away.









Yunja Jeongja Chair. This child, whose name was similar to mine, I'd always run into at the school gate and in the classroom. With sharp eyes, he'd ask her what her clothes and hair were like, but they'd always seem so pretty. Yoon Jeong-han was completely captivated by the dimples that formed when she smiled. Yoon Jeong-ui was a model student, so he tried to be like her by being proper and studying, but it just didn't suit his personality. In the end, he decided to do things his way. If he stuffed lemon-flavored candy into her mouth, her already large eyes would widen even more. Yoon Jeong-ui, dumbfounded, asked what she was doing, and she'd tell him straight out, "I'm flirting with you." Then, kind Yoon Jeong-ui, soft-spoken Yoon Jeong-ui, would flush her clean cheeks.









The naturally blunt Yoon Jeong-ui would often push Yoon Jeong-han away without ever expressing her dislike. Having spent her entire life studying, she quickly falls for Yoon Jeong-han's advances. However, Yoon Jeong-ui would always become vulnerable when she was in pain. In such cases, Yoon Jeong-han would fall for her without hesitation. Yoon Jeong-han wishes Yoon Jeong-ui would never get hurt in front of anyone else. Although it's definitely better if she wasn't hurt.











Jeonghan-ah

why?

I'm so sick..









Holding her stomach and groaning, holding her head and groaning, going to the infirmary would have been enough, but that day, I wanted to throw a tantrum at Yoon Jeong-han even more. Yoon Jeong-ui, who was born in the winter, is a child who ate heat very well, and it was currently July. This summer was already hellishly hot, so I was really worried, and of course, she ate heat. On top of that, she was also suffering from menstrual cramps, so it was hard to keep her conscious, so she grabbed Yoon Jeong-han's arm and groaned. Yoon Jeong-han was really worried. She is usually the type of child who doesn't say that she's in pain or express her emotions, but now she's grabbing my arm and saying that it hurts.





Let's go to the infirmary.

Yeah..





Yoon Jeong-han, who is quick-witted, quickly notices that the child is having difficulty walking. Then he asks cautiously.



Can you carry me?

It's okay. There are a lot of people here, so what? Let's go to the doctor quickly.





If you were to ask a passing student what they were talking about, they'd probably say it sounded like a conversation between lovers. Yoon Jeong-han cherished Yoon Jeong-ui, who was 20 centimeters shorter than him, so much so that he loved her so much that he cherished her even more and treated her with even more affection.



Let's delve into Yoon Jung-han's family history in more detail. Yoon Jung-han's father was an alcoholic who drank every night of the week, and his mother was a bad woman who ran away after giving birth to him. Without any relatives, grandparents, or grandparents to take him in, Yoon Jung-han doesn't know love. He's a child who learned anger before love, and then sympathy after anger. Before he learned to read, he learned how to protect himself. Furthermore, after his father took up gambling and borrowed money from private lenders, he rarely went home. He just stays at Hong Ji-soo's house, his best friend.



The women at the church in front of his house would often tell Junghan, whose body was covered in bruises, that God only gives him trials he can endure, and that if he just held on a little longer, good things would surely come. Junghan didn't believe them. He knew that the author, God, had clearly overestimated himself. Junghan didn't believe in God, but he would sometimes pray like this.



Please save me alone from the pit of hell.





Yoon Jung-han always carried around lemon-flavored candies lying around the house. The reason there were so many lemon-flavored candies in the house was clearly a sign of his father's failed attempt to quit smoking. Yoon Jung-han loved the bitter and sour flavors of lemons. Even though he was born in the fall, he loved summer, and lemons were like summer to him.





In his eighteen years, Yoon Jung-han had never truly been loved, let alone experienced it. Love was a no-no. Still, he wanted to try. He'd played the game of love, even if it didn't work out. He'd dated a few women who'd fallen for his pretty face, but they were just so-so. How on earth do you love? But isn't Yoon Jung-ui the answer? It was Yoon Jung-ui who taught Yoon Jung-han true love.

























When I opened my eyes, a yellow head was sleeping next to my arm. The air in my lungs felt damp, and my uniform was slightly damp with sweat, suggesting rain was imminent. It was already well past 5 o'clock. Has the school nurse arrived yet?





Yoon Jung-ha, wake up.





If you wake him up by tapping him, the light sleeper Yoon Jeong-han will wake up right away.





Let's go home.

Are you feeling a little better?

Yeah, it's colder than before. It looks like it's going to rain soon. Let's go.





At the sound of the house bell, Yoon Jeong-han's expression darkened suddenly. But that was only for a moment, and he quickly erased the gloom and smiled brightly as he spoke.





Okay, let's go home. Get up. Hey, be careful.





A question instinctively crosses my mind as I reach for Yoon Jung-han, who caught me when I nearly fell down while getting out of bed. Why is he so kind to me? I ponder, savoring the lemon flavor that has already permeated my lips. But Yoon Jung-ui isn't accustomed to love, so no matter how much I ponder, the answer remains elusive.









Yoon Jeong-ui was a child who, far too early, accepted the saying that love doesn't come without a price. Being born the daughter of a successful Korean company is more burdensome than you might think. Good grades are essential, and you have to bend your natural personality to survive. Even so, if you receive a lot of love, there won't be any problems. Jeong-ui's father had an affair early on and had long since lost interest in family, and her mother had long been obsessed with luxury. The love of a normal family, one that literally only cared about her, was something she never dreamed of.






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Hehehe, it's unfinished!! Kim Hae-chan, the rascal, doesn't know how to finish things he starts!!