Why (1)
"Why?"
What did she mean, why?
Back then, I had only held onto them to clear up the misunderstanding...
No, that wasn't it.
It was because I couldn't hold onto them back then.
That single, freezing word—"Why?"—echoed in my ears like tinnitus, catching me off guard on my way home from school.
"Ah..."
I covered my ears and grimaced.
Even when I pretended to have forgotten, memories of them would occasionally...
Suddenly surge back.
Opening my eyes again, I waited for the bus to take me home.
Right, Jeong Min-jae had told me that the student council president, who claimed he had something to say to me, had left early due to personal matters and would come back tomorrow.
What a pain.
I could just deal with Kim Do-hun tomorrow.
As for Yu Min-su...
I would visit him once he had calmed down a bit.
I was just sorting through these thoughts when—
"Hae-in, right? It's been so long... Do you have a moment?"
A timid but fluent voice spoke in Korean behind me. I turned around.
Standing there with platinum blonde hair and distinct red eyes was Sato Ayaka, Cha Sang-hui's mother.
...This was incredibly awkward.
"Mrs. Cha... instead of looking for me, shouldn't you go home first and beg for forgiveness?"
"H-Hae-in... could you help me? You're the only one I can ask..."
"How could I possibly help you..."
Before I could finish my sentence, she dragged me into a nearby cafe.
Ayaka sat me down at a table, looking utterly dejected. She hesitated, lingering in silence.
She still hadn't said a word.
She just kept her head bowed, drowning in her own gloom.
If she was going to be like this, why did she even drag me here?
In the end, I was the one who spoke first.
"Mrs. Cha. Is there something you want to tell me?"
The moment I spoke, she looked ready to open her mouth as if she had been waiting for the cue.
She was as timid as ever.
"If I go back like this... I'll be beaten to death... *sniff*..."
"Don't start crying. You got hooked on host clubs and ended up committing fraud under Mr. Cha's name... *Sigh*, Mr. Cha scraped together every penny he didn't even have to settle with the victims. How could you run away instead of reflecting on what you did?"
"But still... he makes me feel so lonely..."
Angered by her excuse, I cut her off.
"You used to live comfortably, being called a wealthy lady. But now, Sang-hui's family is in the Cha-sang-wi bracket! The second-lowest income bracket!"
At my words, Ayaka hung her head in dejection again, weeping silently.
Two years ago...
After I found out that Ga-rang's parents were biological siblings...
Sato Ayaka's secret addiction to host clubs and her fraudulent activities almost came to light.
But Sang-hui's father shed tears of blood, handing over their entire fortune and borrowing money he didn't have to pay off the victims, barely keeping the scandal from breaking out.
Originally, Sang-hui was a rich girl who grew up to be incredibly upright. It was embarrassing to say, but...
She was everyone's angel.
She had always been our angel.
But after Ayaka's fraud forced Sang-hui's family to move into a semi-basement...
She began to fall into delinquency.
And it was all because of her own mother.
"But... Hae-in."
"Yes, go ahead..."
I waited for the next words from Sato Ayaka, who looked thoroughly exhausted.
She kept hesitating.
Seriously.
"Um... you see..."
"Yes, take your time."
I wanted to tell her to hurry up and spit it out, but I held back and coaxed her. Finally, she spoke properly.
"Since you posted about our family's situation on the internet, Hae-in, and made everyone find out... wouldn't it make sense for you to pay me settlement money too?"
What did I just hear?
Even if the world misunderstood me as a school bully...
This...
This woman...
I barely managed to swallow the curses rising in my throat.
Running a hand through my hair, I suppressed my temper and replied.
"Regarding that settlement money, I already spoke to Sang-hui's father... There isn't a single penny meant for you, so wake up from your dream."
"What... is that true? No, that can't be... *sob*..."
Watching her cry like a child in the cafe, I wondered if she was really Cha Sang-hui's biological mother.
This woman was unbelievable.
Sang-hui wouldn't welcome me, but I decided to take her mother back to her.
This mother of my former friend, who was just sitting here crying in front of me.
"Let's go. I'll take you home... so get ready to face the music."
"...What did you just say?"
I grabbed Ayaka's wrist gently and led her out of the cafe. She began to plead with me in terror.
"Hae-in... you shouldn't treat an adult like this...! If I go to my husband and Sang-hui right now... I might actually die...!"
"Mr. Cha is such a kind man that he hasn't even brought up divorce yet... There is truly no one else like him in this world. Just beg for forgiveness and live together."
"I can't... *sniff*."
What do you mean you can't?
I boarded the arriving bus with my former friend's mother, who was under the delusion that she was a pitiful victim, and headed toward Cha Sang-hui's...
New home.
The semi-basement.
Ah, Yu Min-su's relative's house was near here too...
Though I didn't plan on visiting him right now.
The bus began to roll down the road.
Sitting next to me, Ayaka looked like she wanted to run away...
So I gripped her wrist firmly again. She gave me a resentful look and finally gave up.
Seeing her refuse to face her own mistakes...
I wondered if she was truly the mother of my kind, angel-like childhood friend.
During his studies in Japan, Sang-hui's father had fallen in love at first sight with Sato Ayaka, who was working part-time at a shop...
He used to proudly tell my childhood friends and me that they were each other's first love.
Those memories seemed to replay outside the bus window as the scenery rushed past.
He was such a kind man...
Who would have thought their love story would end in such a disastrous tragedy?
"Hae-in, my daughter... and my husband... are they doing well?"
"Mr. Cha became an alcoholic because of you, and Sang-hui gave up on studying and does nothing but drink and smoke."
At my blunt reply, Ayaka froze.
She probably couldn't believe it.
But whose fault was it?
The bus stopped, and I led Cha Sang-hui's mother toward my former friend's house.
Ayaka whimpered.
"Hae-in. I really... don't think I can go... Please."
"I heard you haven't shown your face since you stole his identity, not even to Sang-hui."
"...It's because I feel so sorry..."
"That's not feeling sorry, that's avoidance—"
In front of the old villa, police cars and an ambulance were parked.
Yellow police tape blocked the entrance of the villa, and neighbors were gathered around, whispering anxiously.
"Oh my... it looks like there's been an accident..." Ayaka muttered with concern.
But I saw him.
I saw the despair on the face of Yu Min-su's relative, the man who had taken Min-su in.
I approached him without hesitation, while Ayaka stood behind me, fidgeting anxiously.
"Excuse me... what happened?"
"Huh, who...? Ah, you're..."
"Yes, I'm Oh Hae-in. I was with Min-su on Saturday."
"Ah, it's you..."
"May I ask... what happened?"
The man patted my shoulder and spoke immediately.
"I shouldn't have left Min-su alone... I didn't know he would skip school and stay home..."
"Does that mean...?"
"He made an extreme choice... Truly... You, make sure you don't make that kind of choice. I'll text you when the funeral is set, so go on home."
Telling me to stay strong, the man walked away.
Cha Sang-hui's mother, Sato Ayaka, asked me worriedly,
"Hae-in... was that a friend of yours?"
I pulled myself together slightly and replied,
"Yes... it's so sudden..."
I stared at the whispering crowd for a moment, then quietly walked away.
Did Yu Min-su do this to himself...
Because of what happened to his parents?
Or did the Baekyeom Sect have a hand in this...?
...Maybe I, too, would...
As I walked in a daze, I bumped into someone.
It was Cha Sang-hui.
"...Sang-hui..."
"Why are you here... and why are you crying...?"
Crying?
Ah... I was crying.
Was it because I feared I would end up like Yu Min-su?
Or was it because I was afraid they would get dragged into this too...?
My tangled emotions spilled over.
In the end, in front of my former friend...
I broke down, sobbing pathetically.
Cha Sang-hui witnessed her former friend crying in the middle of the chaotic scene.
She also saw her mother, who had run away after committing a terrible crime, trembling and peeking out with a pitiful expression.
It was almost too much to bear.
She should have felt a sense of triumph seeing her former friend, Oh Hae-in, break down and sob, unable to hold back his tears.
Yet, her heart only ached.
You were the one who exposed our messy family history to people who didn't need to know...
So why are you crying?
With that damn handsome face of yours, what do you have to be sad about?
...We are the ones who should be crying.
Even more than the mother who just showed up in front of me...
I hate you so much more...
"Stop crying. I can't stand looking at you."
Oh Hae-in nodded, then replied with a shaky voice.
"I brought your mother here... I ran into her by chance..."
Cha Sang-hui's mother looked terrified of her daughter, wearing an apologetic expression, not knowing what to do.
Sang-hui had so much to say to her mother, but she couldn't bring herself to snap at her.
Foolishly...
She remembered how, when she was teased for her name as a child and cried, he had smiled and told her it was a pretty name...
How could I ever hate you...
You idiot...
If only you would come to me and hug me, saying you were sorry...
Please, just hold me.
Unfortunately, the girl's feelings did not reach the boy.
Wiping away his tears, he said goodbye.
"Take care, Sang-hui. Talk things through with your mother. And... things are dangerous right now, so please be careful. Tell Na-rin and Ga-rang too. Don't walk around alone late at night. Please."
Who do you think you are...
Why...
Why do you do this...
Cha Sang-hui stood frozen, watching Oh Hae-in walk away until he was completely out of sight.
Her mother stood beside her, unable to go anywhere, nervously reading her daughter's expression.
Sang-hui parted with Hae-in, left only with a lingering regret.
A regret that wished...
He would stay by her side.