I waited for a long time
I was born to a mother and father of the same age who fell in love at first sight, under a meticulously planned second-generation plan. For me, my father quit smoking, which he had smoked for over ten years. He said he didn't even touch a sip of alcohol while preparing for me. Born that way, I was an only child who deserved nothing but love. But why? My father passed away in a car accident when I was in kindergarten. The man who was supposed to buy me chicken on his way home from work didn't even get chicken, but a hit-and-run accident on his way home. So empty. It had been ten years since I'd lived alone with my mother, without my father.My mom brought a new man home.
"hello."
”…“
“Lady, I must greet you. Hurry.”
My mother's new man had a son the same age as me. He was seventeen at the time. The day he, his son, my mother, and I moved in together, his son was the first to greet me, as if he was excited about something. No, he didn't exactly look happy, but he didn't seem to view the situation negatively either. In fact, he raised an eyebrow at me, as if he found me interesting. It made me feel quite uncomfortable. It was as if he was treating me like some kind of pet.
I don't think I ever said hello to my stepdad. It's not that I couldn't understand Mom. Ten years had passed, and Mom had missed him enough. And Dad wouldn't have wanted her to live alone until she died. Still, I... well, I still couldn't forget Dad. It's not that I couldn't forgive Mom when she said she was happy to find a new love. It's just that I couldn't hand over my father's place to a stranger I'd never met before.
“Sister.”
The unexpected ambush wasn't my mother's boyfriend. For some reason, his son, who was the same age as me, started calling me by that title every time he called me. It was a strange relationship because I was born in March, and he was born in December. I'd been an only child for over a decade.
“Take me too.”
“…Follow me.”
“Hold my hand too. Okay?”
"huh?"
Where in the world would you find a younger brother who asks you to hold his hand on the way to school? I didn't have a younger brother, a younger sibling who called me "older sister," or a younger sibling who walked to school with me. All of that was new to me. I thought it was normal. Ah, all siblings were like this. I thought that was how it was.
“…”
“Have you been waiting long?”
“A little. Is he your boyfriend?”
“What about your boyfriend?”
Even on the way home from school, there was no exception. I was always with his son. As always, he'd wait for me at the school gate, and I'd be like a younger brother, curious about all the men around me as we walked out of class. I felt secure. I didn't feel bad about it. I thought he was looking out for me. It felt like I was being looked after by my younger brother. I even wondered if it would have been like this if my father had been here.
He's a bit odd, no, he's a bit odd to begin with, but what's particularly concerning is his complete lack of interest in studying. I've never seen him open a book on his own. It might have been that way in first grade, but as he progressed through the grades, it became impossible to just watch. Still, IShe's my older sister.I had to save my younger brother, who only played soccer after school and occasionally got into fights with the kids from the next school. I took responsibility for it.
That day, just like any other day, I too climbed over the school fence to find my younger brother who had run away after stealing a coconut.
It was a particularly eerie back alley that day. The only streetlight that had been giving off light began to flicker and malfunction. At the end of the alley, a group of about fifteen people in school uniforms vaguely appeared. The dull sound of them hitting each other made me panic for a moment, and I ran towards them. Was Kim Taehyung any good at fighting?
“Sister?”
"hey…!"
As expected. The thick blood flowing from your eyes made your head turn pale. Why were your eyes so weak? Your school uniform shirt was already covered in dirt, as if it had been rolling around on the ground, and there was a bruise around your lips. Red. But…
“Who are you guys?”
They weren't the gangs I always fought with. They weren't the ones wearing the uniforms of the neighboring school. I hadn't noticed them when they came running from afar, but they weren't students either. It was a group of men, at least twenty-five, dressed in neat suits, facing Kim Taehyung. Eight of them. But it wasn't like they were fine. If I remember correctly, they were worse than Kim Taehyung. Not less. But back then, I trusted you completely. Your hand, bleeding as it clutched mine. Your rapid breathing along with the hot stream of blood.
You said this back then.Unidentified men beat you to death.
There was no time to think. I took you with me and ran as fast as I could while they were looking away.
“How nice of you to come. How wonderful.”
“You’re bleeding…!”
As soon as I spoke, you wiped it all away with the back of your hand. You made a couple of gestures, as if it were an annoyance. As if this were trivial enough to even be a topic of conversation. At the same time, I think I burst into tears. It was simply a sense of relief that you wouldn't die.
“Crying…?”
"No. Not at all."
"Noona, it just happens sometimes. I used to comfort you like that. In situations where you were physically fighting with adults and bloodshed ensued, you comforted me with words that felt a bit harsh. I didn't realize it then, but I couldn't ask. You were a cautious little brother to me. What if asking a question that didn't make sense and alienated you?
Just a few strokes of your cheek, and I felt calm. Despite the times, a single voice, a gesture, a single word brought me relief. Even though the days we didn't know each other were longer than the days we spent together, I felt so blessed to have a younger sibling. Simply, each and every one of those moments.
"cruel person…"
"I'm sorry."
“How could you…!”
Yes, it was that day in my nineteenth year. I lost my second father again. It's more accurate to say he simply vanished than lost. I never wanted him in the first place. My younger brother was already precious to me, but I didn't need a new father.
My stepfather was the leader of an organization. Not the big corporations we know, the normal ones. A dark organization that secretly supported the head of that conglomerate. It wasn't just about cutting down a single person; it was about the dark side of dirty money. It was like gangsterism, in a way that didn't seem real. So, we lived in abundance, without wanting anything. It was incomparable to when we lived alone.
My mother was shocked when she first discovered my stepfather's true identity. She said she became suspicious when she noticed blood stains on a few shirts she put in the washing machine after work. His work hours gradually got later, he had a foul odor, and culminating in a body being found in the trunk of his car and he was questioned by the police. Of course, he avoided arrest. Thanks to the intervention of a major corporation. I watched the whole scene quietly. It felt unreal. And soon, when I came to my senses, the thought that struck me was:
So, are we going to become strangers again? Like there was never a sibling in the first place?
“Hey, lady. The uncle.”
“…What about Taehyung?”
"huh?"
“Taehyung. Where are you?”
It's so strange. Whether this man in front of me is a murderer, a gangster, or divorced, I'm worried that you're not here right now. And I'm worried that you might get hurt again, like last time.
“…it’s in the parking lot.”
“…”
The house was already empty of the rich man's belongings. It was the end. My stepfather said he would leave the house we were living in, since it was in my mother's name. There was no time to delay any longer. I had to see Kim Taehyung. As soon as I finished speaking, I left the house, choosing the emergency stairs instead of the elevator. As I ran down the stairs two at a time, I kept thinking about that day. The image of you calling out to me, covered in blood.
”…“
Found it.
“You answer my questions.”
“Sister.”
“That day. The day you got terribly hurt.”
“…”
“Are those people related to your father?”
“…”
“Is that so? Answer me.”
Those lips that had sweetly called out to me, "Noona," remained. That face that had coquettishly called out to me, begging me to take her hand, was gone. Only smoke rose from the end of the cigarette butt wedged between those lips. Oh. Did you smoke? I'm sure you didn't.
“Sister.”
“…”
“Don’t look at me like that.”
“You too…”
“Sister.”
“…doing things like that, uncle”
It doesn't mean much to me that you're a murderer, but it does mean that you're his son.
“Sister.”
“…”
“We don’t change.”
“How is that so?”
How can we be siblings when our mom and dad are different? I screamed out of sadness, inexplicable anger, and resentment. Right in front of you. You must have seen me like this before. Your expression changed subtly. I threw the cigarette I was holding onto the floor and crushed it with my foot.
I wish you were my brother. You filled my father's void. But how can you do that now that it's come to this? We're strangers. ... Bad uncle. Why did you have to be that kind of person?
3 years later.
From then on, I lived alone with my mother. It was as if the two years we'd been a complete family had never existed. I felt my father's absence. So, I had to earn money early to fill in for my mother, who didn't have a stable job. I dropped out of college. I sold the house my uncle left me and moved into a smaller house. It's true that that money alone was enough to live on for the rest of my life.Still, the reason I got a job at the factory was... I just didn't want to stay by my mom's side for too long. I thought that if I worked hard, I'd be able to think less.
It was three years ago, but that guy still played a huge part in my life. He still does. I haven't heard from him since then. You might be learning under me, or maybe you've already killed someone. But at some point, I just wanted to see your face once. Even if you were that kind of person. That doesn't matter.
“…It was here.”
But I never thought I'd see you like this. In such a dirty state. You, now completely shedding your student image. In a place like this.
It's a mess
Anyone left here?