A Sunny Day and a Thief
Seriously. Another day just like any other. Time flowed by lazily. I sprawled across the bed, waving my arms in the air. "I'm so bored."
There was no one to answer my complaints. My voice echoed hollowly in the empty room, scattering into a lonely silence.
"Baeksi~" I nudged the plushie lying on the bed with my foot. Baeksi, who was wearing a witch hat, tumbled backward from my kick. I rested my legs on its soft belly and let out a deep sigh.
"Shine~"
"Yes?"
"Let's play."
"Not right now."
Shine flatly rejected my plea. I stared blankly at her back, utterly defeated.
"When do you think Amy will be back?"
"Who knows. Probably another few days."
Two days ago, Amy had received a phone call. The moment she answered, her face went rigid. Leaving us with only a brief warning that she wouldn't be back for a few days, she vanished. While it was nice not having to study in her absence, her empty spot felt incredibly vast.
To make matters worse, I had already used up my computer time for the day, rendering it off-limits. And Shine refused to play with me, claiming she had to study.
"Is studying actually fun for you, Shine?"
"Yes."
Her voice, entirely focused on her work, sounded dry and detached. I felt a little hurt.
Fidgeting with my fingers, I suddenly sprang out of bed. I needed to go to the park. Surely, the fresh air would clear away this stifling boredom.
I glanced warily at Shine. She was furiously scribbling in her workbook, seemingly too absorbed to pay me any mind. *Tip-toe, tip-toe.* I lifted my heels, moving as silently as possible.
"Jeff."
"...Yes?"
"Amy told us not to go outside."
"...I wasn't trying to go out?"
I pivoted on my heel and ducked into the bathroom. Then, I poked my head out slightly to spy on her. Shine's body was facing the exact opposite direction of the door. Her back was definitely turned to me. How on earth did she know I was trying to slip out?
I slowly calmed my breathing. I hadn't made a sound. If so, she must have realized my intentions simply by listening to the change in my breath.
I began to move again, my eyes locked onto Shine's back. She definitely wasn't looking at me. The relentless scratching of her pen proved she was still focused on her studies.
"Jeff."
Just as I reached the doorway, Shine's voice rang out once more.
"Yeah! I wasn't trying to leave. I was just... organizing the shoes!"
Feigning innocence, I pulled my head back from the door. I kicked off the shoe I had halfway slipped on. The slipper flew off my foot, landing untidily in the entryway.
"Let's go together."
Shine set her pen down and stood up. It seemed her studying was finally over. Standing there awkwardly, my eyes lit up and I waved my hand.
I immediately grabbed my small bag. The yellow backpack Amy had bought for me was the perfect size to hold a sketchbook and colored pencils.
"To the park!"
"Okay."
Shine and I slipped out of the room in light clothing. Now that the Christmas season had passed, the park had returned to its usual warm climate, sparing us the need for heavy coats.
"Where are we going today?"
"Hmm..."
I pondered Shine's question as we walked down the hallway. We went to the Rabbit Farm last time, so skip that. Where would be good?
"How about near the Silver Pond today?"
"Wherever you want to go, Jeff."
And so, our destination was decided. We traversed the long hallways and stopped by a convenience store. I bought some sandwiches to eat for lunch, stepping out with a black plastic bag in hand. If I had made them myself, they would have been much tastier, but the ingredients available at the convenience store were limited.
"Whew..."
Arriving at the foot of the seemingly endless staircase, I took a deep breath to steel myself.
"Jeff."
"Yeah?"
"If climbing the stairs is so hard for you, why do you insist on going to the park?"
"Because it's suffocating inside."
Even as I answered Shine, I thought to myself: It wasn't just about feeling suffocated. There was an inexplicable urge, a feeling that I absolutely had to do something. That intuitive pull was what drew me to the park.
Shine nodded at my response, though she didn't seem entirely satisfied with it. We began our ascent. Perhaps it was thanks to the vitamins Amy made sure we took, but this small, fragile body of mine was finally starting to build up some stamina.
Before, I would gasp for air after climbing just ten steps. But things were different now. My body had grown healthy enough to climb fifteen steps, even more! I reached the top of the flight and panted heavily.
"*Huff... puff...*"
Shine panted right beside me, sticking close. Her stamina and mine were identical.
"Should we rest for a bit?"
Shine nodded at my suggestion. We sat on the hard steps, watching the passersby. Those walking past stared back at us as well.
Our ragged breathing slowly quieted down. Once the thumping of my heart subsided, I stood up. Shine, who was holding my hand, rose with me and we continued on.
There were still so many stairs left. I couldn't even calculate how many more times we would have to rest. Climb, rest. Climb, rest. We repeated the cycle over and over. I hadn't realized it when Amy carried us up all at once, but the sheer number of steps was absurd.
"The last one!"
I gasped, stepping onto the final stair. My hand, clasped tightly in Shine's, was slick with sweat. We collapsed onto the wide landing, panting heavily. "*Huff... huff...*"
But the grueling climb was worth it. A vast, open blue sky welcomed us. Beyond the wide-open entrance lay a lush green lawn. A cool breeze swept over us, soothing the sweat on my forehead.
"Where is the Silver Pond?"
At Shine's question, I stood up. A massive map was displayed at the park entrance. With this, we could see the entire layout of the sprawling park at a glance.
"It's just below the Rabbit Farm."
I pointed my finger toward the bottom right corner of the map. Shine nodded and stood up. Now that the grueling stairs were behind us, all that was left was to have fun.
I reached out to Shine. Holding her hand in my right and the convenience store bag in my left, we walked. Strolling through the park under the refreshing breeze eased the heavy, suffocating feeling in my chest.
"Jeff."
"Yeah?"
"What is he doing?"
I had been walking with my eyes closed, enjoying the wind. At Shine's curious question, I opened them and looked in the direction she was pointing. There lay a wide, shimmering pond. Beyond it, a large pavilion cast a cool, inviting shadow.
But that wasn't what Shine was pointing at. It was a large boulder, and sitting atop it was a man. A long rod in his hand stretched out over the water. I squinted, examining him closely. Something glinted in the empty air. A shimmering line connected to the rod extended all the way to the center of the pond.
"Fishing?"
"What's fishing?"
"It's catching fish..."
I tilted my head. Was fishing even allowed in the park pond? Unable to contain my curiosity, I approached the man with Shine. His face was hidden beneath a wide-brimmed straw hat.
"Hello~"
The moment we drew near, a strangely familiar voice drifted over. Without even turning around, he continued, "Do you like the park?"
A strangely familiar question. I began to search my hazy memories. "Jin...?"
"You remembered my name?" he said, sounding deeply touched.
"Jeff. Amy told us not to talk to Jin."
"Ah..."
At Shine's warning, I quickly shut my mouth. With a rigid expression, Shine tugged on my arm, clearly wanting to get away from here as fast as possible.
"Amy said that? How harsh."
Jin, who had been sitting facing the lake, turned around. His long fishing rod swayed with the movement.
"..."
Shine and I clamped our hands over our mouths, terrified that a word might slip out unconsciously.
"Are you really not going to talk to me?"
Jin's expression slumped. He looked like a giant, dejected puppy. My lips twitched.
"Let's go, Jeff."
Shine glared at Jin and pulled my arm. I felt a wave of confusion at her intense hostility. Why did she dislike Jin so much? Sure, Amy had told us not to talk to him, but Shine's attitude toward him seemed excessively cold.
Jin merely wore a disappointed look but didn't follow us. Shine dragged me toward the large pavilion not far from the pond. Stepping inside, the cool shade shielded us from the harsh sunlight.
We settled down in a cozy corner of the pavilion and sat on the floor. I unzipped my backpack and pulled out the sketchbook. Colorful lines began to trace across the pristine white paper. We lay side by side, drawing for a long time. The blue sky, the green grass, the wide pond... As I was drawing the large boulder near the water, I noticed that Jin was gone.
*Rustle.*
"Jin is gone."
"He probably went home."
*Rustle.*
Shine and I focused even harder on our drawing, filling in the empty spaces with color to complete the picture.
"Finished!"
The completed drawing beautifully captured the Silver Pond. Now that our masterpiece was done, it was time to eat. I reached out toward the side of my bag, searching for the sandwiches we had bought at the convenience store.
"Huh...?"
But for some reason, my hand only grasped empty air. Confused, I turned my head—and froze in sheer shock.
"Ah!"
"Hello there."
My jaw dropped in shock. My tongue struggled to form the words. "My sandwich!"
Indeed. Jin, whom we thought had left, had somehow slipped right next to us. To make matters worse, this wicked man was currently devouring our lunch! I pointed a trembling finger at the sandwich in his hand.
"Ah!"
Jin took a massive bite right in front of my eyes, as if to show off. The sandwich vanished into his mouth. At his feet lay the discarded plastic wrapper.
"I happened to be quite hungry."
He stuffed the rest of the sandwich into his mouth. The sight of the white bread disappearing into his gaping maw burned into my eyes. My vision blurred. Tears welled up, threatening to spill over.
"Step back, Jeff."
Just then, Shine, who had been standing behind me, stepped forward. Her gaze was as cold as midwinter ice.