Chapter 156

< Walk (3) >

***

Late at night when even the neighborhood dogs were asleep, Jin-hyuk wandered around the rooftop.

The only one keeping Jin-hyuk company as he swatted mosquitoes was Jang Gun-i, who was munching on moths. Jang Gun-i, lured by the rooftop light, swatted the moths with his front paws, showcasing his one-shot-one-kill skills. To an outsider, his movements might have been mistaken for those of a cat or even a tiger.

Huuuu-.

No matter how many times he sighed, his chest felt heavy, as if layers of ash had piled up.

‘What on earth is this about?’

No one would understand Jin-hyuk’s feelings. His once rebellious, almost wild older sisters—or rather, the people who used to be his sisters—were now model students, the likes of which the world had never seen.

“Jang Gun-i, does this make any sense to you?”

After swallowing a moth that seemed to suit his taste, Jang Gun-i tilted his head and looked up at Jin-hyuk. His expression was eerily similar to the one he had when he looked at nine-year-old Jin-hyuk, who had just realized he had returned to the past and was lamenting.

“People don’t change. Look at me. Even though my body is younger, my mental age is still that of an old man.”

He was clearly getting younger bit by bit.

But who could truly feel themselves getting younger, even if men are said to stay young at heart? There’s no absolute measure to judge mental age.

Jin-hyuk recalled the words of Choi Mi-kyung, a married woman who had warned him: “You should be especially careful. You’re limited in who you can meet, so how easily could you be influenced?”

Ah, maybe it’s because he hung out with Min Yong-rak back in the day that he’s acting like such an old man now.

Anyway, Jin-hyuk hadn’t changed much in personality since before he returned.

“But my sisters have become completely different people…”

Ah, could it be?

Is it because of me?

What if those people don’t know me, and without any connection, they’re living out a different fate? Jin-hyuk’s thoughts went there.

‘Then, in the past, was I the bad guy who turned them into villains?’

Am I the only trash here?

It was a strange conclusion.

To correct the logic that was veering off course, Jin-hyuk tightly closed his eyes and shook his head vigorously.

‘There’s no problem with the logic.’

The premise was wrong.

There was a variable Jin-hyuk hadn’t considered.

‘Hwang Yeong-mo.’

From what he had gathered from his mother, it seemed that Hwang Yeong-mo was the only one who hadn’t changed.

He was still using violence against his aunt, taking the money she had earned.

‘When I lived there, he must have gotten bolder.’

Because there was land he could sell off at will.

Like someone with a lump sum who keeps raising the stakes, his greed must have grown, and he might have become even more violent, desperate for the land documents Jin-hyuk had hidden.

‘Yeah, he was definitely that kind of person.’

Hwang Yeong-mo often took out his anger on Kim Eung-nyeo and her daughters.

He was the reason Hwang Ga-yun and Hwang Ga-young, who were at a sensitive age, had grown distant.

Like a crackling radio, the angry voices of that time seemed to echo.

The voice of Hwang Yeong-mo, drunk and screaming at his aunt, accusing her of hiding the land documents with Jin-hyuk.

At an age when Jin-hyuk didn’t even know what land documents were, Kim Eung-nyeo had entrusted him with some papers and a seal, whispering urgently even though no one was listening. She had told him not to take them out or tell anyone about them until he was an adult.

‘I don’t think my aunt ever looked me straight in the face.’

Maybe it was because my face reminded her of her beloved younger brother.

Even when she took away our family photo, she said she’d return it later. Maybe she hid it in plain sight so I could see it if I wanted to. If she really wanted to take it away, she would have torn it up, right? If she wanted to torment me, why would she entrust me with important documents?

‘Maybe I misunderstood my aunt back then.’

Even so, it wasn’t Jin-hyuk’s fault.

He didn’t have the luxury to look around.

Now, the Kim Eung-nyeo of the past no longer exists. There’s no way to confirm her true intentions.

But logic doesn’t always require direct evidence or recordings. Once the floodgates are opened, the heart leads where reason may not want to go.

‘Maybe my aunt was harsh on me because life was hard for her? Her husband was trash, and her daughters were drifting apart?’

The changed past and present. The circumstances of both worlds pointed to one person. A man addicted to alcohol, habitual gambling, and violence.

“I already knew, but this guy is really a piece of work, huh?”

Jin-hyuk’s heart grew unbearably heavy, knowing how the lives of the three women had ended in his past life. Even though their lives had changed in this life, there was no guarantee it wouldn’t happen again as long as Hwang Yeong-mo existed.

‘Well, even if he acts out now, it’s not scary.’

In fact, he almost hoped Hwang Yeong-mo would act out.

There were plenty of ways to teach him a lesson.

Woooor-.

Perhaps Jin-hyuk’s expression was too serious, as Jang Gun-i let out a worried warning.

But Jin-hyuk, having sorted out his thoughts, felt somewhat lighter.

“Jang Gun-i, let’s go. You should sleep too. If you sleep late, you won’t grow.”

Grrrr-.

As Jang Gun-i growled behind him, a chill ran down Jin-hyuk’s spine, and he quickly retreated to his room on the second floor.

‘I guess I’ve gotten younger.’

I keep teasing Jang Gun-i.

It’s a personality trait I didn’t have before.

*

Until the window turned a bluish light, Jin-hyuk sat leaning against the headboard of his bed, lost in thought.

“Ah…”

As he calmly thought about it, there were more than a few strange things that made him wonder why he hadn’t realized them sooner.

‘Why didn’t I recognize Ga-young noona at school?’

In both his past and present lives, Hwang Ga-young had attended the same high school as Hwang Ga-yun.

But the school’s name was different now.

From another school to Taeyang High School, from delinquents to honor students.

It was Jin-hyuk’s mistake to assume that people don’t change. They hadn’t changed—they were just different people with the same names. Comparing the sisters, who had been twisted by their greedy father in the past, to the sisters who now studied hard, feeling sorry for their mother, wasn’t fair.

If I had realized it sooner, maybe I could have acted faster for my mother.

Regret for judging people too quickly washed over him.

“Ugh! Stupid idiot!”

Thud thud thud-!

As if it were his own fault, Jin-hyuk mercilessly punched the belly of the stuffed bear.

It was a punch strong enough to kill a person with a ruptured spleen.

Even though it wasn’t really his fault, he felt strangely embarrassed.

Thud thud thud thud thud!

Jin-hyuk’s punches continued until the stuffing exploded from the bear’s side.

“Ugh, damn it. Why isn’t this thing sturdier?”

As he stuffed the stuffing back in, his grumbling voice was surprisingly light.

Even though no one was watching, it was a nervous chatter born from guilt for not understanding the situation of Kim Eung-nyeo and her daughters. It was also a sign that he had somewhat lightened his mood.

“Well, if they’re good people, I’ll find a way to help them.”

But not yet.

As long as Hwang Yeong-mo is around, there’s no telling how that help might be twisted.

‘There are plenty of ways to help if I think about it.’

Since his relationship with his mother had been restored, he would have to meet them sooner or later. It wasn’t a meeting he looked forward to, but since he didn’t live alone, he couldn’t just avoid them without a reason.

I’ll listen to what the adults have to say and discuss it with my dad.

Helping is about providing what’s truly needed.

‘Ah, I should throw this bear away.’

It was torn too much, and the stuffing kept oozing out like fat.

***

Clunk-.

As Park Sang-ki opened the bus roof and Jo Seol-chan opened the window, Yeom Byeong-taek’s scrunched-up face relaxed.

“Ugh, I might survive now.”

Even if it was hot air, it felt like he could live.

While intercity buses had strong air conditioning, the bus to Jin-hyuk’s house was unbearably hot. Even though there were only three middle schoolers on board, it felt like a sauna.

“Summer is supposed to be hot, but why are you making such a fuss?”

“I’m used to air-conditioned houses, so going back to our stuffy house drives me crazy. The structure of our house is just weird.”

As the two friends talked, Park Sang-ki nodded.

The scorching summer was special because, despite the tough training, they could eat delicious food, shower comfortably, and relax under the air conditioner. Even at the soccer team’s training camp, they had survived the summer with just a few wall fans.

“For me, my grandma really liked it. I used to have diarrhea and all sorts of trouble in the summer, but now I eat well, even without side dishes, and don’t have stomachaches. She was really happy.”

At Jo Seol-chan’s words, the friends who had also experienced the effects of the training nodded in agreement. Muscles they didn’t even know they had were twitching, and not everyone could experience the sensation of flexing individual muscles at will.

Even on weekends, their eyes would open on their own, and despite the heat and humidity, they felt refreshed after a short nap.

Thanks to their tight abs and obliques, the slight stomachaches they used to get from running vigorously had disappeared.

“You know that feeling, right? It’s like when the five-spice pork is perfectly braised.”

“You mean your five organs, right? If you braise your organs, you’ll die!”

Hahahaha-.

Jo Seol-chan, raised by his grandmother, often used old-fashioned words and dialects that the other kids didn’t use, which was one of the reasons they avoided him. Yeom Byeong-taek, who had trained with him for a long time, would correct him and just laugh it off. Jo Seol-chan was his only friend.

Park Sang-ki, who had gotten used to their chatter, smiled quietly.

“…That’s just regular training for athletes… We’ve been living comfortably.”

Under the fancy name of elite sports, Park Sang-ki knew well how much blood, sweat, and tears students dreaming of becoming athletes shed through high-intensity training. He himself was just taking a break, having come from that background.

Seeing Park Sang-ki, who rarely spoke at length, Yeom Byeong-taek and Jo Seol-chan had no choice but to agree. Despite being called the track and field team, this was the first time they had done any real training. It was only because of their natural talent that they could compete as the fastest middle schoolers in the region.

Even the wrestlers accepted the tough training as a given.

Every morning, they would walk like ducks around the field ten times, climb ropes, do pull-ups, and pull tubes. Even now, the wrestlers were sweating buckets at the training camp, regardless of weekends.

You only realize the effects of training after confirming that your body has improved. The problem was that at the time, it was so tough that you wanted to run away.

As they soothed their muscles, which were eager to flex even on weekends, the friends understood Jin-hyuk’s intentions.

That the training camp was a program prepared solely for them.

“Looking back, last week wasn’t so bad. We ate well and slept well, so the tough parts were just brief. When I went home, my stomach was tight, and my grandma’s eyes went wide. I even carried her on my back for a walk around the neighborhood. It wasn’t hard at all.”

“My thighs got thicker, and the girls kept trying to touch me, saying I looked like a bodybuilder. I was running away all the time.”

“But what kind of training did you do at the beginning?”

“Jin-hyuk will tell us when we get there.”

These carefree guys. It feels more like we’re going to a friend’s house to hang out than to train.

Thinking that, Park Sang-ki held back his words.

He was in a similar situation as his friends.

‘…What did I do again?’

It felt like all his brain functions had been diverted to his muscles, and all he could think about during the weekend was training. Despite the grueling process, he had so much energy left that he went hiking with his dad over the weekend. His usually stoic dad, though panting, had such a happy expression that it was a big win for Park Sang-ki.

Yeom Byeong-taek changed the subject.

“Jo Seol-chan, you’re going to vocational school, right?”

“Of course. I’ll learn a skill, make money, and throw a big 60th birthday party for my grandma.”

Jo Seol-chan’s grandmother wasn’t even that old, but her knees were bad.

She had worked hard to raise him, and now that her health was failing, Jo Seol-chan’s only concern was his grandmother.

Yeom Byeong-taek patted Jo Seol-chan’s shoulder.

“Jo Seol-chan, you’re a filial grandson.”

Yeom Byeong-taek had never been able to invite Jo Seol-chan to his house. Even though he had been to Jo Seol-chan’s house a few times. It wasn’t like they could play around in a tea house.

“Yeom Byeong-taek, what about you? Are you going to college?”

“I have to.”

Though he had never lived in the countryside, Yeom Byeong-taek loved trees and gardens.

If you opened Yeom Byeong-taek’s sketchbook, it was filled with drawings of trees, flowers, and fountains.

“Sang-ki, are you going to the World Cup?”

Who’s going to send you? You have to be selected. Though he thought that, Park Sang-ki just smiled and shook his head.

He had a feeling why they were suddenly bringing this up, but there was no need to ruin the mood.

“I just… do it because it’s fun. Playing soccer is the most fun.”

The two friends could understand Park Sang-ki, who had a happy expression as if he were imagining playing soccer. There’s no one more enviable than someone who gets to do what they love, thanks to various circumstances.

He had no talent for studying, but at least he was fast, which earned him some recognition until middle school. The kids who matured early knew that once they graduated from middle school, even that would end.

“Thanks to Jin-hyuk, we’re preparing for the last competition in style.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. Let’s go all out.”

“It’s my first track and field competition…”

The first and last.

Whether Park Sang-ki ruined the mood or not, Yeom Byeong-taek, sitting in the middle, put his arms around his friends’ shoulders.

“Let’s keep in touch even after we go to high school.”

“Sure.”

“You’ll see me every weekend anyway.”

“No, I’ll be busy too. I have to go to a technical school.”

Jo Seol-chan had already discussed his future with Han Yu-young.

With a serious expression, Han Yu-young had told him that if he was really worried about his grandmother, he should spend his weekends at the academy instead of playing around. She also told him not to worry about the tuition.

Park Sang-ki fumbled for his notebook.

He was planning to exchange addresses and phone numbers.

“Sang-ki, I’m getting carsick. Let’s write it when we get there.”

“Right. Looking at letters in the car makes my head spin.”

As the three friends chatted away in the back seat of the bus, the youth center near the bus stop came into view.

Beep-.

Park Sang-ki stretched out his arm and pressed the buzzer.

“Let’s go! Let’s burn it up!”

“Yeah!”

“…Tonight’s menu is braised short ribs.”

***

One, two, three.

All the friends had returned.

Jin-hyuk, who had been sitting on the porch sewing, got up to greet his friends.

Son Yoo-jin, who had been sitting with her arms crossed, keeping an eye on her brother, pointed at him.

“Hey! Finish what you were doing. Save my teddy bear!”

“Uh…”

Jin-hyuk obediently sat back down.

After the coffee incident, and now the teddy bear, Yoo-jin had two weaknesses over him.

Like Hong Soo-jung, there was no resisting Yoo-jin when she had him cornered.

‘A guilty man should just sit quietly and sew…’

Even my dad would curl up and fiddle with his toes when he got scolded.

When we lived in a mud house, he even sewed up my holey socks.

They say a man cries three times in his life and has three things he shouldn’t use carelessly. Seeing Yoo-jin’s sharp eyes, Jin-hyuk realized that one of those things was his fists.

‘I should’ve gone to the gym and hit the sandbag…’

He had been holding back on punching the sandbag because it kept tearing. If it tore, Myung Hyun-woo, who loved sandbags, would have a field day.

But seeing the terrifying Yoo-jin, he almost wished he had gone to the gym instead.

The tough No. 5 nylon fishing line began to zigzag across the teddy bear’s side, breathing new life into it.

“Put more in.”

“Uh…”

Yoo-jin, leaning on her crutch, pointed at the stuffing she had pulled out from the blanket.

“Don’t leave any scars. Finish before dinner. I’m going for