Chapter Text
AFTER STORY
Chapter 48
He finished playing with his portable console, and then went down to the first floor, where he supposed that his mother was cooking.
But she wasn't there.
He returned to the second floor, but his search was just as futile.
He was about to go down to the first floor when through his bedroom window he saw the backyard, where he recognized the figure of his mother.
He quickly went down to approach her, feeling worried when he noticed that she was lost, staring at nothing, with her patio broom.
— Mom? What are you doing out here?
His mother took a couple of seconds to react, looking at him only out of the corner of her eye, to continue looking now in a fixed direction, the neighbor’s front yard.
— Nothing in particular… I was just thinking about your sister…
— Huh, her? Ah…it's true, she must be meeting her in-laws right now —Suho stopped, standing right next to her, to see what she was looking at—. You know, I always thought that she would be the kind that is kind of weird, that she wouldn't have a partner and would stay at home to take care of you until you're very old... —he stopped because his mother gave him a slight slap on the side — , but… now she seems to be so busy with her own life, that it scares me that one of these days, she's going to move out of the house and leave us alone… just like Seojin did, a few years ago…
— For a mother, there is no greater achievement than having her children achieve independence and fly from the nest. It brings us peace to know that they will be fine on their own... It happened to your brother, it may happen to your sister soon and I hope it will happen to you in the future too —his mother replied without looking at him, but extending her arm to hug him sideways.
—I'm not going to fly from here, I'll stay and make my nest here to accompany you.
—I hope not, I don't want you to sacrifice yourself for me.
— It wouldn't be a sacrifice, besides, I don't want to pay rent —he refuted before laughing.
Her mother gave her a few light slaps on the back again for making her angry.
— Stop... stop... I was just kidding... ouch… —he stopped defending himself when something caught his attention —Huh... I didn't know the house in the back had been bought…
— Yeah... I noticed it too —She stopped hitting him—. It was a house with a ridiculously expensive price for the area... now that I think about it, I have seen that there are always two men in coats and ties coming out of it and hanging around the area, they must be sellers...
.-.-.-.-.-.
Without thinking much, he put the diary in the inside pocket of that old-fashioned suit he was wearing, and then opened the window, closed it, and hid in the small shed outside.
He could feel the door open completely.
The firm footsteps echoed in the empty acoustics of the place. It was one of his aunt's servants, who brought another box with her.
— I had to pick up these stupid boxes from the attic... this isn't a job for a delicate woman, but the butler had to be absent just today —the maid growled, then brushed off the servant's dress she was wearing—. Luckily it's time for my break.
She was about to turn around and leave the room until she noticed a slight breeze blowing in through the window, through the piece of newspaper she had dropped on the floor. She went to it, closing it properly, and then finally leaving the place.
Demurely, Yoosung peeked into the room.
For a moment he almost felt as if his heart would jump at being found out.
He breathed a sigh of relief, then opened the window.
But it did not yield an inch to his pressure. He tried for several seconds and then glued his eyes to the glass and confirmed his fear.
It was locked from the other side, leaving him trapped.
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— As I was saying, I really like to read Biblical stories —I said before taking a sip of my tea and continuing. Although my favorites are those of Jesus...
— I see… —Mrs. Min simply answered, who seemed somewhat impatient, quite possibly due to the fact that Yoosung had been absent for more than 10 minutes from his visit to the bathroom.
—And it is that Jesus is a main character in Christianity. From the moment of his birth, he had to go through a lot… But he also had parts of his life with peace of mind. Did you know that he was the oldest brother in his family? He helped his father with his carpentry work and therefore became a carpenter too… Although it was not his biological father, I think it was nice that he passed on his knowledge to him. All parents should be like that with their children... it wasn't my case, but I think I would have preferred it too...
— Yes... Do you think Yoosung is having a delicate situation with his stomach? —the lady interrupted me again, denoting that she wasn't listening to me in the slightest—. I'll go look for him...
— Oh please, don't bother, I'll go. —I got up faster, noticing that I couldn't distract her anymore in his absence—. Yoosung was taking some supplements… you know… being a university student stresses you out and your stomach gets a little sensitive…
—Yes... I understand, please go get him, miss... What did you say your name was? Excuse me, it's hard for me to remember new names...
— My name? Hum... don't apologize, that's not important now, but Yoosung, I'll go get him... where’s the…
— Through the corridor behind you, turn in L and go up the stairs. It’s the room at the end of the corridor.
— Thank you. We'll be back soon.
I walked with complete tranquility both in walking and expression on my face, until I moved away and lost sight of her.
It was then that I started running totally worried.
Where the hell was he wasting so much time?
I arrived at the supposed place where I would have to find him, but obviously it was empty.
Still, l went inside and sat on the toilet with the lid closed.
What should I do now?
Look for him in the rooms on that floor or wait for Mrs. Min to knock on my door?
I don't know if it was due to stress or hunger, but my head was starting to ache.
Tum tum tum… crick… crick…
A noise from the window on one side made me jump out of the toilet.
A figure, somewhat blurred by the curtains that covered it, was on the other side.
Without thinking, I opened them, to run into Yoosung's scared face, who reflexively hid to the side.
— What are you doing there? —I said as soon as I could unlock the window to open it and get my head out—. You wasted a lot of time… Mrs. Min was coming to pick you up.
—I-I…I got locked in the shed in Rika's room. A servant came in and I had to hide and…
— Yes yes... you’ll tell me about it later, come in before any other servant sees you outside —I interrupted him to give him my arm and stretch him inside the bathroom.
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—Sorry for the delay... Turns out that Yoosung was locked in the bathroom. It seems that the door handle was closed from the outside...
—What a disaster... Please, I'm the one who should apologize. We are remodeling the doors for that very reason but we haven't reached the second floor yet. Excuse me nephew...
Yoosung nodded, then sat down next to me and focused on looking at his cup of tea with an expression of suppressed annoyance, while I went back to talking to aunty.
The truth is that he wanted to leave the place, to review the diary that he showed me and in which there was a possibility, although low, of knowing something more about Rika.
But we had to avoid leaving so abruptly and suspiciously, so I set my alarm, to go off in exactly one hour, where I would pretend it's an important call from my mother and we should leave.
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— Now that they've finished putting on the bandages, they'll inject you with an anti-inflammatory for the swelling —the doctor explained, writing in his record while the agency nurse took care of him—. For the next week I recommend you to avoid fried foods and alcohol... In the record it is noted that in your last blood test a considerable increase in glucose and triglycerides was noted... It is recommended that you stop consuming any food or drink that has sugars and start doing more cardio and less weight, or you could get diabetes in the near future. Come next week for a new study and immediately if you start to feel symptoms of stomach aches.
The patient nodded silently, to leave the room after receiving the injection.
His walk to the lockers was long and he preferred to hurry to avoid meeting his classmates, who did not appreciate him so much...
— Well, well, what do we’ve got here... —unfortunately a couple crossed their paths, when turning down the corridor that took him to the local cafeteria—, but it's the funny one who ruined our mission with the Russians," the unknown agent snorted —who, like the other two who accompanied him, were almost two meters tall—. Are you so pathetic that you let yourself be hit by a girl? I would’ve preferred to have died on that mission, rather than having to live with that forever…
— I also missed seeing you 606… —the redhead responded with slight sarcasm, following their march, surrounding them from one side.
But 606 blocked his way, resting his hand on the hallway wall next to him, blocking the rest of the way with the other two.
— Superior 606 for you, dainty little flower —he corrected as he pulled up the collar of his shirt to force him to look at him—. I know you're a disgusting orphan who didn't have a mother to teach you to be respectful, but you're lucky that's what we're for… —the two behind laughed—. Go ahead, I know you can say it right... —he released him, but when he saw that he just wanted to continue on his way, he stopped him again, this time grabbing him by his red hair, pulling him up so that he would look at him—. Say it... or I'll make you lick my shoes…
— What's going on here?! —an annoying voice, but familiar to all those present, interrupted him, approaching them with total imposition—. 606, release 707, or do you want to be put back in the punishment rooms?
606 reluctantly obeyed, letting go of the redhead, but pushing him at the same time, so that he fell to the ground on his knees.
— You're lucky that your boyfriend came to defend you, but it won't always be like that, little flower —he snapped, before leaving along with his companions.
Seven got up from the ground, to begin adjusting the bandage on his head that had been moved by the pull on his hair.
— Idiot, I told you to wait for me outside the infirmary —Vanderwood scolded him, who brought his things with him in a bag, because he was still dressed in a patient's gown and pants— You know very well that half of the agency wants to hit you for your "jokes" and you start walking alone…
— Yes, but I didn't want to cause you any more inconvenience —the redhead replied, while he accepted his bag and took out his glasses to put them on and pretended that the above did not happen—. You must have been scolded a lot by the higher ups after we arrived with two Russian spies.
— They didn't just scold me because of you, asshole —Vanderwood sounded angry again when he remembered where he came from—. I might get demoted and end up in debt because my salary won't be able to pay my bills anymore, you know?
—Okay, now, don't be angry, I'll invite you to eat as an apology.
— What? You're going to have to sell some of your luxury toys to give me the money I lost, idiot... but yeah, let's get out of here and eat somewhere else. The cafeteria is packed with spicy things and I want some noodles, with Bolognese sauce, grated Parmesan cheese, and an ice cream.
And so, both went to the exit of the institution.
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The drive home was silent.
Mrs. Min had offered us to be taken by her car and driver, but a couple of minutes before, he was leaving the garage of that elegant and mysterious mansion, in a black Porsche, carrying in the back seats, who supposedly was Mrs. Min's husband, A man of average build, in his fifties, blond as pre-harvest husks, and eyes as green as the olives my mother ate, accompanied by a woman much younger than her. Mrs. Min mentioned as his secretary.
No wonder Yoosung would never have suspected before that Rika was adopted, having a foreign uncle.
And we had to walk back. In a place where there is no public transportation.
— Do you think your family will be upset that we haven't arrived for lunch? I broke the silence, already a few blocks away from arriving.
— No... or at least I hope so —he replied, somewhat anxious at the thought.
As soon as we arrived, we quietly walked towards Yoosung's bedroom.
The whole place was completely silent.
But as soon as we opened its door, a figure of our size came out of it.
— Little grandson! Where did you go? —The old woman took him by the arm to drag him out, having to follow them in silence—.You know… your dad gave me a cell phone so I can call them even if I'm in the bathroom —she showed it to him almost as if she were a preschool girl who shows off his new toy—. But... I don't understand this much... you're going to teach me, right?
— Grandma... When did you get here? —Yoosung could barely articulate, since she kept talking non-stop—. Wait a minute, I'm not alone…
— Oh... right —the old lady stopped for a moment, noticing me behind them—. I was just going to ask you about her, but I was moved when I saw you... —she stopped and walked towards me, to observe me for a moment—. So you are the girlfriend of my adored little grandson.
— Yes ma'am. It's a pleasure... My name is...
—Yes, I already know the basics about you. My son and his wife have already informed me —she interrupted me, to stretch my arm like Yoosung and continue walking towards the garden outside—. Now we are going to meet your grandfather, I left him sitting sunbathing...
— Grandpa came with you? –Yoosung seemed amazed at the latter.
— Of course. He's my husband. He goes where I go. Especially if that place is to see our little grandson who went to live in the capital —she smiled.
In the garden behind the house, there was a large tree with a small house on top and some garden chairs, where a very old man was dozing, sitting in a chair, while the light autumn sun warmed him and made his white hair shine.
— Honey, honey… —Grandma shook him slowly, reacting little by little—. Wake up… Yoosung is already home, and he brought his girlfriend…
—What… Who came who? Yoosung? Ah… my little star…
— Grandpa! —Yoosung interrupted him, somewhat embarrassed—. My name is Yoosung, I'm too old for you to keep calling me little star.
— Heh... heh... heh —the old man laughed—. Yes... it's true that now you're quite a man. How insolent of me to call you like that in front of your girlfriend…
I couldn't help but laugh too, albeit softly.
—Don't worry sir, I like that nickname. Very ingenious.
— Yeah? I'm glad you like it. In this house, everyone is very serious... I'm glad to meet someone with a sense of humor... miss...
— Nice to meet you too sir...
—Yoojung Kim, Busan Public Court Judge, now retired. My wife is Hejeon and my only son is Yeosung. And my grandchildren are Sua and Yoosung… My only hobbies are playing Go and reading…
—Honey, you're not in a job interview, relax — interrupted Yoosung’s grandmother humorously, to then adjust the blanket that covered him—. Girl, forgive my husband, he's kind of shy and he ends up introducing himself as if in an interview with each new person he meets.
—I understand, it doesn’t bother me at all —I expressed somewhat calmly, sitting next to them—. In fact, I always wanted to play Go, but nobody taught me and learning it from books is a bit difficult…
—I can teach you Go, if you want —Mr. Yoojung offered when he noticed my interest—. It's not difficult... and I'm a good teacher, I taught my son and Yoosung how to play... right Yoosung?
— Yes… -Yoosung answered, while he looked at me with a certain subtlety as if he wanted to express to me not to accept—. My grandfather is a master at Go. He even won a championship at his club.
— Oh...then I'll be happy to be your apprentice…
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The afternoon passed quickly talking to Yoosung's grandparents.
Although I never knew where his parents and Sua had disappeared to.
At nightfall, the grandparents left and we were left alone.
Finally alone.
In Yoosung's room, we would stare at each other and then see the object that we had barely managed to steal from Mrs. Min's mansion.
Rika's diary.
It was a little dated, but still elegant, hardcover with lumpy folds in the shape of burgundy roses.
It could not be opened due to the fact that it had a lock that connected both lids.
—So… we read it to see what we find?
— I'm sorry we disrespected her memory, but I guess we need to know what she thought and this is the only way to find out now… —Yoosung said as he took it in his hands and looked at the lock—. But it will have to be tomorrow… I think there is a locksmith who can help us in the center…
I didn't let him finish, as I grabbed the diary and hit it against the edge of the table, to deform the lock.
— What are you doing?!
— Saving us the visit to the locksmith —I blurted out, to then remove the deformed lock with a lever, helped by a spoon that was on the table—. Ready, read.
I put the diary on the table, to pick up the pieces of the lock and throw them in the trash can.
— I thought it was a bit violent, but I can't complain about the result —Yoosung murmured, picking it up and checking its contents quickly—. It's definitely a diary...according to the dates, it looks like it's from about 4 years ago...
We both sat on the floor to start reading it.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
The office door opened, letting the patient out.
— Miss Serena, Doctor Who is going to see you, please come in —the secretary was heard, calling her out of all the people waiting at the reception.
She got up and walked straight to the entrance of the place, closing the door behind her.
—Hello Serena, I'm glad to see you, you missed your session last week.
— Hum... I'm sorry, Doctor Who —She sat down on the sofa, to accommodate her bag to one side, quite nervous. I had an impromptu meeting with work and I didn't arrive on time.
—I understand, you're not here for me to explain yourself... you work as a manager of a foundation, right? –The doctor continued speaking to her, while reviewing his reports and data—. It must be a very demanding job. You can tell that you do it with passion... I remember when you told me about it in the previous sessions. But let's focus on now... I see in your records, that you chose as an exercise to write in a diary, everything you remember and want to express... were you able to do it?
—Hmm... I... I hardly had time... —her anxiety increased as she squeezed the strap of her bag with both hands, like a nervous tic— I could only write one page…
— Oh really? To start, one sheet is quite, very good –the doctor praised her while he adjusted his glasses and prepared his notebook—. Could you read it to me?
— Read it to you? I thought you would read it later, when I leave...
—I could do that, but I prefer to hear it read by its own author.
— Hmm... this... I…
— But if you don't feel up to it right now, that's fine. You will read it to me when you feel comfortable…
—It's…okay…I'm going to read it –Rika changed her mind, to take the diary out of her bag and open it to its first pages.
She took a deep breath, as if to calm down, and then started.
“Today I woke up as always… with my right arm half numb.
My boyfriend Vue brought me breakfast in bed.
It's something he always does when he sleeps over. He is very attentive to me and I love that he is, but part of me feels miserable every time he does it… I don't know how to describe it… but…”
END OF CHAPTER.