Chapter 571: The Hole(2)
Chapter 571: The Hole(2)
Everyone is bound to have a turning point in their life—a moment or an event that changes a person by a full 180 degrees.
In this life, my turning point was, naturally, the writing of Xenon Biography. To be more precise, it was the release of Volume 5, which completely overturned the public's perception of the Demon Clan.
From then on, not only my life but the entire world began to fluctuate. That was the moment I drifted away from a normal, quiet life.
So, where was the turning point of my previous life? It is unfolding right before my eyes.
"Yoo-hwan! Where are you going?! Yoo-hwan!"
It was during my third year of middle school, when puberty had hit me like a freight train. I had decided to run away from home to escape the constant friction with my parents.
The cause of the conflict was actually quite trivial. I already hated going to my after-school academies, and they were trying to add even more to my schedule.
As anyone knows, at that age, the mere feeling of being restrained is unbearable. It’s a time when one's sense of self is being established, so it’s somewhat inevitable.
Besides, I was heavily into computer games with my friends at the time, so the last thing I wanted to do was sit in a classroom.
"Whew... It’s freezing out here."
The problem was that I chose to run away during a winter cold wave. Since I’d stormed out in a fit of rage, I hadn't even put on socks.
I suppose I should be glad I at least grabbed my padded jacket, but that didn't change the fact that it was bitterly cold.
"It’s refreshing to see Isaac like that, isn't it?"
"It really is. He was always such a well-behaved child who listened to everything we said."
My parents seemed to find the sight of my past runaway antics quite novel. The others felt the same.
I might be impulsive at times, but the current me isn't reckless like that. I’ve never even had a proper argument with my parents in this life.
Run away? Where would I even go? Unlike now, the old territory was the definition of the middle of nowhere, where wild beasts or monsters would occasionally wander down.
Unless I wanted to die in a ditch, I spent my days cooped up in the mansion, doing nothing but reading books. And, of course, writing Xenon Biography on the side.
Ring, ring—
"...Ugh, dammit."
My mom’s caller ID flashed on my brand-new smartphone. The past version of me irritably blocked the number.
Just to be safe, I didn't forget to block my dad’s number as well.
"...Maybe I'll just go to a PC Bang."
It was 5:00 PM. Since it was the dead of winter during a cold snap, the sun was already beginning to set.
I happened to have my wallet on me, so a PC Bang seemed like the perfect place to kill time. I turned my steps toward one.
Naturally, I chose a place as far away as possible—not near my house, school, or academy. My retreating figure looked quite lonely and pathetic...
"Ah, shit! You goddamn losers! How can you be this bad at the game?!"
...Or not. I was far too busy gaming at the PC Bang.
Regardless of the fact that I’d run away, I was thoroughly enjoying my games, completely oblivious to the fact that my parents were desperately searching for me.
However, the law only allowed minors to stay until 10:00 PM. Once the clock struck ten, I had to leave. I was no exception.
Stepping back outside, the bone-chilling wind greeted me. It was clear that if I tried to sleep on the streets like this, I’d freeze to death.
"Hey, Seungchan. It’s me. By any chance..."
I started calling my friends one by one, asking if I could stay over for just one night because I’d fought with my parents and was out on the street.
My friends were shocked to hear I’d run away, but they all turned me down. It was too sudden, and they said their parents wouldn't allow it.
Though disappointed, I understood and began to wander aimlessly. My feet, lacking even socks, must have been incredibly numb.
"Sigh..."
Eventually, I found myself back near my house. They say there’s no place like home for a reason; because I’d run away on a whim, I had no plan whatsoever.
I’d spent all my money at the PC Bang, it was freezing cold because it was winter, and it was pitch black outside.
It was the moment I began to miss home. I loitered near the house and pulled out my phone.
Perhaps because I’d blocked their numbers, there were no missed calls or messages.
"...Let's unblock them."
With hands turned bright red from the cold, I unblocked the numbers. I probably couldn't bring myself to call them first out of sheer pride.
As soon as I unblocked them, a flood of messages poured in—not just from Mom, but from Dad too.
[Yoo-hwan, where are you? Please come home. I'll cancel all the academies.]
[Yoo-hwan, come back quickly. It's very cold outside.]
Surprisingly, there weren't that many texts. Between Mom and Dad, there were barely ten.
Perhaps because of that, my expression wasn't great. I figured they just assumed I’d eventually come back on my own.
Just as I was about to walk away from the house again, a new message arrived. I thought it was from one of my parents.
[Hey. Your mom is looking for you.]
[Video]
[Just go home already, you brat. It's freezing out; why are you making her suffer like that?]
It was from one of the friends I’d been close with since childhood until the moment I died.
The video my friend sent showed my mom searching for me late into the night.
It wasn't a chance recording. He said he’d asked her to come inside, but she’d refused, saying finding me was more important.
"..."
My expression grew complicated as I watched the video. How desperate must she have been to be searching on foot instead of just sending texts?
While I was warming myself up in a PC Bang, my mom was out there doing nothing but looking for me.
It wasn't that she was trying to force me into anything. The relationship between a parent and child doesn't always click perfectly like gears.
Her methods might have been slightly flawed, but the 'love' my parents poured into me was sincere. If it weren't, she wouldn't have rushed out like that.
"...Dammit."
Even so, my pride kept me from calling first. I simply sent a text.
Leaving a short message saying I was heading home, I trudged along.
My sockless feet were freezing, but my mind was too restless to notice.
By the time I arrived in front of the house...
"Yoo-hwan!"
Having received the text, my mom was already waiting in front of the house to greet me. Behind her, my father stood with a look of immense relief.
"I'm sorry. Mom is sorry. I won't send you to the academies anymore..."
Her voice was hoarse, likely from shouting my name while searching for me. Tear tracks were vivid on her face.
But there was something else that shocked me even more.
"M-Mom. Where are your socks?"
"Yoo-hwan, my son..."
"No socks, and your clothes..."
Like me, she wasn't wearing socks, and she hadn't even put on proper winter gear.
At least I had warmed up in the PC Bang, but Mom hadn't. Her hands and feet were already turning blue.
It was clearly the early stages of frostbite. Yet, she had wandered everywhere just to find me.
"Let's go inside for now. It's cold."
"...Okay."
I followed my father's blunt request without a word. Even as we walked into the house, I couldn't take my eyes off Mom's hands and feet.
Mom just kept crying, calling my name over and over.
Having grown up in a broken home herself, she must have been terrified of losing the family she had worked so hard to build.
"You go warm yourself up. As long as you stay warm, you'll be fine. And Yoo-hwan..."
"..."
After putting Mom to bed—she was exhausted from searching for me—Dad watched me silently.
Was it because I’d seen Mom's hands and feet on the verge of frostbite? I couldn't say a word out of guilt.
Compared to my impulsive runaway, the price of my return was far too high. I had made my mother suffer terribly for a moment of rebellion.
Pride was gone; only guilt remained. I waited silently for my father to yell at me.
"...Yoo-hwan, you must be cold too, so go inside and rest. Don't go to the academies for a while."
"...Is that it?"
But the scolding I expected never came. He just spoke calmly, as he always did.
When I asked timidly, slightly surprised, Dad gave a warm smile.
"Of course. What would I scold you for now?"
"..."
"You've had a hard time too. Go inside and get some rest."
"...Can I sleep with Mom?"
The fifteen-year-old boy still wanted to be pampered. Dad readily agreed to the boy's request.
Without even washing up, I headed to the bedroom where Mom was sleeping. She was sound asleep, having exhausted all her energy searching for me.
Shuffle, shuffle—
I crawled in like a caterpillar, careful not to wake her.
It was the first time I’d lied down next to her since I started sleeping in my own room in elementary school. It felt awkward yet cozy.
"Mmm..."
"..."
I stared at Mom's face, still marked by tears, and gently took her hand.
Her hand felt even colder than mine. Her feet were the same—cold as ice.
She could have easily gotten frostbite. Yet, she had braved the danger just to find me.
Calling my name until her voice went hoarse, undeterred by the biting cold, all for me.
"...Mom."
"..."
When I called out softly, Mom smiled. Even in her sleep, she seemed happy just to hear me call her.
"My son..."
"..."
Why did those few words tug at my heartstrings so much? I bit my lip at her call.
But I couldn't stop the surging guilt. Eventually, I gripped her hand tight as my emotions exploded.
"Ugh... hic..."
That day was the turning point of my life—the moment I truly began to realize my parents' love.
After that day, I started listening to them faithfully. If they gave me love, I tried my best to give it back.
I didn't go to the academies everyone else attended. They allowed me to live freely, out of consideration for my happiness.
"Yoo-hwan."
"Yes, Dad."
"If you don't have anything you want to do later, come work at my company. But at least take classes related to that in school. Got it?"
Ah, of course, they did worry about my future. If nothing else, I really didn't study.
Instead of obsessing over grades, they decided to let it go. That was the mindset our family adopted after the runaway incident.
Fortunately, thanks to my constant reading of fantasy novels, I was able to develop my writing skills.
"Our Yoo-hwan has such talent! I used to write a bit in my younger days too!"
"The contract doesn't seem to have any issues. I'm proud of you, son."
When I signed my first contract, Mom was the happiest, even clapping her hands, and Dad, though stoic, couldn't hide his joy.
I was just as happy, of course. But instead of the contract itself, I focused on the fact that I’d made my parents proud.
Of course, the beginning wasn't easy. Balancing university and writing a novel was incredibly taxing.
Still, I slowly got used to it and managed to finish the series. The fact that my military enlistment was slightly delayed was a minor drawback, but it wasn't a problem.
"A trip? Just the two of us?"
"Are you sure it's okay?"
After my military service, I sent them on a trip with the money from a new contract.
It was a very expensive package—the kind of trip one couldn't even dream of with an average income.
I had saved up diligently with the plan to send my parents on that vacation.
"Yes. You should go on a trip at least once."
"What about you, Yoo-hwan? Don't you want to go?"
"I'm fine. Just go and have a re~laxing time."
"I don't know if we should accept this... I haven't done anything for you..."
After the initial joy of receiving the travel package, Mom murmured softly with an apologetic look.
Hearing that made my heart ache. She had sacrificed her entire self for me, yet she claimed she’d done nothing.
That was why I had to send them. For the sake of their memories.
"Oh, stop it. What do you mean you haven't done anything? I’ve made all the plans, so you and Dad just go and enjoy yourselves."
"Let's do as Yoo-hwan says. He put a lot of thought into this for us, didn't he?"
"Thank you so much, son. I'm going to brag about this later."
Seeing their happy, smiling faces brought a smile to my own. I felt a deep sense of pride, as it was a rare act of filial piety.
Just as I was about to smile while watching them...
"...Huh?"
I sensed something strange. A sudden confusion arose in my memories.
After that day, my parents' faces...
Those happily smiling expressions...
"Wh-what...?"
Did I ever see them again?
As far as I knew, I hadn't. To be precise...
"..."
Even amidst the confusion, the memory continued to play. What unfolded before my eyes next...
"This place is..."
"It looks like... a funeral hall."
It was a place filled only with grief, a place I never wanted to remember again.