< Chapter 39 >
※ This chapter contains some graphic descriptions of violence and profanity. Please read with caution.
“…….”
Sitting on a park bench, I checked the time. It was 11 AM. The agreed-upon time had already passed by an hour, and I sat there silently staring at the void, waiting endlessly.
‘He said he has a meeting in the morning.’
Yubin went to a meeting in the morning and works part-time at a convenience store in the afternoon. Of course, she told me it was administrative assistant work in the morning and convenience store work in the afternoon.
Regardless, since I knew she had a meeting in the morning, I thought she would come around lunchtime, considering our usual meeting times.
We hadn’t exchanged numbers, so we had no way to contact each other. Since yesterday’s arrangement started with my words, I decided to wait a bit longer while sitting quietly.
The night before.
As soon as I got home, I opened the closet. Looking through the few clothes I had, I wondered what to wear tomorrow. Although the appointment was sudden, I felt no reluctance; I was excited for tomorrow.
“Ah…”
While examining the clothes, it suddenly occurred to me that there was a meeting in the morning. Since it’s Friday, Pink won’t come, and Blue or Yellow have unpredictable schedules. Is it okay to contact them if I can’t make it to the meeting?
I couldn’t contact A. Due to the sudden appointment and rushing back home, I didn’t get her number.
After much deliberation, I decided to contact Red and sent a text message by tapping the smartphone keys one by one.
[Red. I might not be able to make it to the meeting tomorrow. Is that okay?]
I waited anxiously after sending the text, and the phone vibrated immediately. Quickly, I turned on the screen.
[That’s unusual. Green can’t come either.]
[It’s fine. Just for a day. But what happened?]
I pondered how to respond when another line of text arrived from Red.
[Male?]
Although it was just a text, I could almost feel Red’s tone and expression, making me wonder how to reply. On the surface, it seemed like I was meeting a man…
Only then did I realize this might be a date. My mind became even more heated.
“No, no, it’s not. It can’t be.”
It’s just two friends going to an amusement park once.
No matter how I think about it, I can’t stop imagining all sorts of scenarios.
[No, I’m just meeting a friend.]
I sent the reply, but then I wondered if my relationship with A is really just a friendship.
In truth, A is too good to call just a friend. With good communication skills, she must have a smooth social life and many friends. Comparing myself, who only causes damage, to her is not right.
“Clothes…”
Since I couldn’t go shopping right away, I decided to pick the best among what I had. Not knowing what to wear for a trip, I searched online and found a white floral dress and a light blue cardigan.
It seemed suitable for someone plain like me.
Though it’s not a date, I looked up what people do on dates. There are countless ways to have a date, and seeing so many happy couples made me feel like I had missed out.
But today, I had a chance to create a page of my own. Even if it’s just an ordinary outing for A, it felt special to me.
Still, I shouldn’t let myself get carried away thinking it’s a date. It’s just a casual outing. But if it were a date, wouldn’t it be a significant moment for me?
Unconsciously, I thought about A. What kind of person is she? She listens well and seems like someone who can converse easily with others. Though she’s beyond me, being with her feels enjoyable. I wanted to spend more time with her.
Even though it was past my usual bedtime, I lay on the floor, gazing at the ceiling’s pattern, thinking about tomorrow. My heart wouldn’t stop racing. Imagining walking around an unfamiliar amusement park, I couldn’t stop smiling.
My anticipation shattered in an instant.
The door opened, and I saw Dad’s eyes. Before I could say anything, my vision blurred. When I regained consciousness, I was on the floor.
My cheek was numb. Dad had just swung his large hand.
Only then did I realize Dad had hit me again.
I wasn’t numb; confusion slowed down my pain response. The pain came later, but it didn’t matter.
“What? Getting out of bed in the morning? Planning to run away and find a guy?”
Dad grabbed my collar, lifted me, and slapped my cheek repeatedly. One, two, three… He cursed, but I didn’t hear him.
All I could think about was getting ready on time.
My clothes were grabbed. What should I do with them? I don’t have any other clothes to change into.
“Damn girl. After raising you, you want to run away? Go outside! Find another brat like your mother!”
Dad pushed me, and I hit the wall, falling back to the floor. If I could just endure this moment, the day would surely be filled with joy. I believed this and clenched my lower lip, enduring.
“You lazy girl. Can’t even earn money. Useless!”
“AAAAH!!”
I screamed involuntarily as Dad grabbed my hair. A long-held scream escaped, and my vision spun again.
I am a hyper-human with a different body from normal people. My recovery rate is much faster than regular people, something Dad knows.
Dad’s hand threw me to the floor, and his worn shoes kicked my face. My mini-bag spilled its contents, and I cried uncontrollably.
I just need to endure. Soon, Dad will pay attention to me, and then I can leave.
“What?”
When I picked up my wallet, I realized I couldn’t let this happen.
“That’s not allowed!”
“Shut up!”
I tried to take Dad’s wallet and got hit again. This time, it was a fist, and the pain was worse than usual, leaving me dazed. Fights often hurt more, but now it felt unbearable.
“Look at you? Hiding money?”
The wallet contained only 50,000 won. It was money I saved, but it was taken in an instant.
“Hiding more money, huh? What?”
He grabbed my hair again and dragged me to my room. No matter how much I screamed and pleaded for forgiveness, Dad rummaged through my belongings, searching the room. Of course, no money was found. All my money was in the wallet.
“Don’t move. If you try to escape, I’ll catch you.”
Dad, exhausted from alcohol, pointed at me and left the room. The door slammed shut, and TV sounds from the living room echoed into the room.
My clothes were a mess, and my hair, which I had carefully styled, was disheveled. I couldn’t leave as long as Dad was here. Time passed, but I could do nothing.
……What did I want to do?
“……Am I winded?”
Checking my phone, it was 1 PM. I had been sitting quietly for three hours. Today, the sun was particularly hot, and just sitting still made me tired.
I texted Yubin if she finished her morning work, and she replied that she did. She planned to rest a bit and then go to a café.
“I should have known.”
Much time had passed. Not only did I miss the appointment, but the meeting had ended some time ago. It was unreasonable for her not to have arrived.
“It’s over.”
Meeting someone I only knew for a week at the park and asking to go to an amusement park was a big mistake. It was my fault, and I couldn’t blame anyone else. All I could do was sigh.
“Why can’t anything go smoothly?”
I thought maybe I could learn more about the HunterKiller from Green, but that became secondary. Watching Green change every day was more interesting.
Someone who can live brightly while finding their true self. For a hyper-human, that’s probably the best thing. Of course, it’s just my speculation. Other hyper-humans might be doing well. But seeing the difficult lives of those around me, I wished they could find their true selves.
Although it’s not something a invader should do, I can’t help it. This is just my nature.
Back to reality, it seems difficult to meet Green in the future. To a shy girl, asking a stranger to go to an amusement park seems too presumptuous, like a date proposal.
“There’s no other way.”
With a deep sigh, I stood up from the bench and looked around the park, then walked out.
Time kept passing. One hour, two hours…
Sitting alone in a dark room, I waited for the living room noise to stop.
Maybe it’s not too late. If I hurry to the park, A might still be there. If I apologize sincerely, maybe we can still enjoy the rest of the time together.
She must be very angry. Maybe she’ll forgive me after hitting me a few times?
……That was a foolish thought.
The clock showed it was past 7 PM, and nine hours had passed since the appointed time. There’s no way she’d still be waiting. My wish for a normal outing was over.
“I want to go…”
What do I want to do?
Where do I want to go?
What do I want?
I don’t know. Lost in thought, no matter how much I ponder, I can’t find an answer. Only questions repeat in my mind, and the painful silence continues.
“!!”
When I regained consciousness, I noticed the TV sound in the living room had stopped.
Is Dad gone? Quietly opening the door, I found my wallet on the floor.
Carefully picking up the wallet, I looked around the living room but didn’t see Dad.
I knew it was useless, but I went to the entrance, put on my shoes, and opened the bathroom door.
“What are you doing sneaking out at this hour?!”
Dad’s loud voice startled me. As I tried to open the front door, Dad grabbed my mini-bag.
“!!!”
I gasped and pushed Dad, breaking the old bag’s strap.
“Don’t stand there?!”
Dad’s voice came from behind, but I didn’t turn around and ran. Clutching an empty wallet, I ran toward the park in a panic.
Was I nervous? My breath caught in my throat, and I stared blankly at the deserted park at night past 10 PM.
Walking slowly, I headed toward the bench where I usually sat.
The bench was empty.
Seeing the empty bench, I felt everything was over.
Just one day. Expecting a normal day was so pathetic.
Wishing for the same as others while not knowing what to do myself was a luxury.
It’s natural that no one would be there when I finally arrived twelve hours late.
My hands were weak, and the wallet slipped from my grasp.
I couldn’t lift my head. I lacked the strength to even raise my head. My powerlessness and embarrassment made me unable to cry.
“Ha… ha… ha…”
A hollow laugh accompanied tears that fell to the ground.
Tears blurred my vision, and I felt like disappearing from this world as soon as the tears dried.
If I’m just causing trouble and can’t help anyone, it might be better not to exist.
“My wallet dropped.”
A familiar voice appeared in my blurry vision.
It’s a dream. I must have lost my sanity, believing what I imagined was real.
Lifting my head slightly, I saw a person kneeling in front of me, holding out my wallet.
Ordinary black hair and eyes. A faint smile on their lips, looking at me intently with those clear eyes.
My mouth opened, but no words came out.
“Ah, I…”
“It’s nice you came on time.”
“Huh?”
The man standing up after handing me the wallet smiled awkwardly and looked at me. He must have seen me in a terrible state, yet he didn’t ask about it. Instead, he spoke warmly.
“But what now? I couldn’t find any amusement parks open at this hour.”
Twelve hours had passed. It wasn’t the morning 10 AM appointment, but evening 10 PM, and I had no way to contact him, yet he was waiting for me here.
“Ugh, ugh…”
Silent sobs rose to my throat, making it hard to breathe. He looked at me with concern.
“It’s late, but do you want to go somewhere? Or do something?”
Despite not keeping the time and arriving in a mess, A spoke to me in the same tone as always and held my hand.
“Help… me…”
“…….”
No response came to my strained plea. Thinking I didn’t hear properly due to crying, I gathered my strength and spoke again.
“…help me.”
“Yes, I’ll help you.”
Hearing that, the tears I had been holding back poured out. The pain I thought I hadn’t felt flooded back, and I cried out loud for the first time in years.
I wanted someone to help me.
I wanted to go somewhere no one would blame me.
I wanted a safe place where I could be at peace.
