A contractual promise

# Chapter 7 - I wanted to hide it because it was a wound to me (2)

Jong-in's perspective (Jong-in's story of that day, two years ago)

So, that day was particularly cloudy. Because my parents set up their headquarters there, I lived in the US since I was young.

That day marked my 17th birthday. Rather than hanging out with friends, I wandered the streets alone, and for some reason, an alley I didn't usually frequent caught my eye.

There, I felt a mixture of anticipation, excitement, and fear, wondering if I'd make new connections. And then, I made up my mind and went in.

What could be at the end of the alley? I took each step, and when I was halfway there, I heard a scream. It wasn't a high-pitched, piercing scream, but rather a scream of agony, consumed by evil.

I fearlessly searched for the source of the sound. Walking a little further, I saw a man, his hoodie pulled over his head, crouched on the ground, clutching his knees, crying.

나

Are you okay?

??

...

The man who had been staring at me stopped me in my tracks and asked for help. Not in English, but in Korean.

나

Korean... What, are you okay? Does it hurt?

When I asked if it hurt, she shook her head from side to side. It wasn't that she was in pain, but the sight of her clutching her chest and sobbing made me feel suffocated.

She cried and wept for several minutes, then gradually stopped and answered my questions.

나

You're Korean, right?

??

That's right. Are you Korean too?

나

yes.

??

...I've been hearing Korean all the time, so it's nice to hear it in a foreign country.

나

How old are you?

??

I'm seventeen years old.

나

What the- We're the same age. I'm Kim Jong-in, and you?

??

...

이현

Kim Lee-hyun.

나

Your name is pretty. Nice to meet you. Let's be friends and say it's nice to meet a Korean.

He seemed wary of me, but soon nodded. When I asked for his phone, Kim Yi-hyun pulled it out of his hoodie pocket and handed it to me. He personally dialed my number, handed it back, and added a few words.

나

Call me when you're having a hard time. Seeing you cry makes me feel so bad too. I won't ask right now. Call me later. I'll listen whenever you want.

Kim Yi-hyeon nodded in thanks and turned around and left the alley he had entered.

Kim Yi-hyun gradually began to talk to me. Whenever he did, I would listen silently.

And about a year and a half passed,

Kim Lee-hyun, who called me out saying he was at a cafe, started telling me his story by saying he would be there soon.

이현

I'm going to Korea soon. So listen carefully. You'll understand why I cried so much the day we first met.

(The next episode returns to Lee Hyun's point of view.)