Chapter 374: Ryu Won in Chapter 100 (Above) |
I don’t remember exactly when it was.
I just know it was during my elementary school days, back when I was still an innocent child.
Something terrible happened to me.
“Sniff, mom... dad...”
A traffic accident, one of the hundreds that happen every day.
Something I thought only happened to others, happened to my family.
“A drunk driver crashed into them.”
“Sniff, sniff...”
“He didn’t realize what he’d done until he sobered up.”
Through my endless tears, I saw the figure of my older brother.
How could he be so calm?
I was overwhelmed with grief.
‘How insensitive. It’s like he doesn’t feel anything.’
That’s what I thought at the time.
Imagine the situation.
A teenager who just entered middle school, losing his parents in a traffic accident, talking calmly about it at the funeral.
How could he not seem cold?
‘Oh, now that I think about it...’
Later, I realized my brother wasn’t being insensitive.
His voice trembled slightly as he talked about the accident.
‘He was just pretending to be calm. He was shattered inside too.’
He probably felt responsible as the older sibling.
He knew he was the only one who could take care of his younger brother, so he tried to keep it together.
If he broke down, he wouldn’t have the strength to face the life that awaited us.
I, being a child, didn’t understand this until I entered middle school.
‘My brother is strong. He’s already a full-fledged adult.’
Although there was only a four-year difference, my brother always seemed very mature.
Especially after our parents died.
“Ryu Won, we’ll have to live on welfare, but for that, we need to save. We won’t be able to afford things like academies, and we’ll have to eat less and resist the temptation to buy things. Can you do that?”
“Yes! I can do it, brother!”
“Fortunately, the landlord won’t charge us a deposit and has adjusted the rent to the minimum rate, so we don’t have to worry about being evicted. You won’t have to change schools either.”
“Understood.”
“Be brave. Now it’s just the two of us to survive.”
“Yes, brother.”
—————
From then on, my brother and I lived in an old house, saving as much as possible. We went to school as usual, living a life that seemed normal in the eyes of others.
But in reality, our life was far from normal.
Beep beep beep beep!
“Ahh... mom, let me sleep a bit more.”
“Ryu Won, wake up. The alarm went off.”
When I opened my eyes, I saw my brother instead of my mother.
“Oh... it’s you, brother.”
“You have to go to school.”
“Yeah...”
My brother was the one who always woke me up in the mornings, not my mother. He was also the one who made breakfast in the kitchen, made sure I had all my supplies, and did everything mom used to do.
“Eat.”
“...”
“What’s wrong? It’s your favorite fried egg.”
“Brother... I miss mom and dad. Sniff...”
The fried egg on the table made me cry as I remembered our parents. I knew I shouldn’t, but I cried like a child.
“It’s okay. You can cry. Cry as much as you want.”
“Waaaah...!”
With my brother’s comfort, who hugged me and patted my back, I cried without holding back.
Now, my only family was my brother.
Even though I knew I shouldn’t, I depended on him.
—————-
He was always busy, but when my brother started high school, he became even busier.
To earn more money, he started working various part-time jobs, handing out flyers and doing other tasks.
“Brother, are you okay?”
“Of course.”
“You’re going to destroy your body. You only sleep four hours a day.”
“I sleep at school, don’t worry. Besides, the human body is more resilient than you think. It doesn’t break that easily.”
While other students received support from their parents and focused on studying without worries, that was a luxury for us.
Without money, going to university was out of the question. Seeking scholarships wasn’t an option either because I couldn’t compete with students who went to academies.
While others dealt with the stress of studying, we worried about survival and tightened our belts to save every penny.
‘It’s not hard for me. The one truly having a tough time is my brother.’
I only helped with household chores, but my brother took care of almost everything. Earning money, managing household expenses, and taking care of the house were my brother’s responsibilities.
“Ryu Min, brother. I want to help you.”
“You’re already helping by doing the chores.”
“I don’t mean that, I want to help by earning money.”
“What can a high school student do? Leave that to me and focus on your studies. At least you’ll go to university.”
Whenever I said I wanted to help, that was his response.
You’re young, so don’t worry about that.
Although it frustrated me, he was right. There wasn’t much a high school student could do to earn money.
‘I want to help my brother... I don’t want to see him suffer...’
My brother, who sacrificed himself for the family, was the pillar of our home.
I wanted to be helpful, but there wasn’t much I could do.
‘I wish he wouldn’t talk about sending me to university. Does he think I’ll be happy going to university and leaving him alone?’
But I only thought that. I never said it out loud.
I knew my brother was doing all this for me.
I didn’t want to disappoint him.
Is that why?
I always tried to show myself cheerful in front of him.
Even though at school they saw me as a depressed, timid, unconfident kid and a target for bullies, at home, I tried to be the opposite.
————–
Sizzle!
“Aaaaah!”
“Ha ha ha, look at this idiot scream.”
“What a powerful voice he has.”
“He could be a singer. Ha ha.”
They say dying by burning is the most painful death, right?
I experienced a bit of that pain.
From a cigarette burn on the back of my hand.
“Ugh...”
“Hey, Ryu Won. With that loud voice, why do you usually talk like a mouse? See, you can do it too. Huh? Straighten up, you idiot.”
Every time he slapped my shoulders, my body swayed.
The slaps from the 185 cm tall guy were quite a blow for me, who was weak.
“You’re tall, but always slouching. Anyway, do you like it when your older brother helps you raise your voice?”
Older brother? We’re in the same class.
“What are you doing? Ignoring me?”
“Huh? No, sorry...”
“Ha ha, is this idiot a pervert? He says he likes it.”
“Ha ha! Are you a masochist? Do you enjoy pain?”
“If you like it, want me to burn you again?”
Seeing Bang Tae-gyu approach again with his lit cigarette toward my hand, my mind went completely blank.
I went numb.
“Don’t be scared. I won’t burn you again.”
Bang Tae-gyu was an opponent I could never beat, neither in size nor in a fight.
Unfortunately, I was targeted by him, and school life became hell.
“Yeah... I can’t call this hell. The real hell is living without my parents...”
Deep down, I just wanted to die and reunite with my parents.
But if I did that, I’d leave my brother alone.
“Stay strong. No matter what, it’s just you and me now, we have to survive together.”
My brother’s voice, with a determined expression, echoed in my mind.
“Yeah. I can’t give up so easily. I have to endure... somehow.”
It was tough, but I couldn’t abandon life for the sake of my brother.
How could I leave my brother who works so hard for me?
“I have to endure the pain. I can’t tell my brother.”
Even though Bang Tae-gyu, the bully in charge of tormenting me, constantly mistreated and beat me, I held on because of my brother.
My brother was my support.
“Ryu Won, you damn idiot. Why don’t you react? You’re boring.”
“Huh? Sorry...”
“Hide those scars on your hand well, okay? If you tell the police or gossip to your brother, you know what’ll happen, right? Then both you and your brother will really die. You’ll go up to heaven to see your parents, you damn fool. Understand?”
“...”
Even with insults about my dead parents, all I could do was nod.
I didn’t have the strength to escape this situation.
Nodding was all I could do.
“Don’t worry, Bang Tae-gyu. I didn’t plan on telling my brother or anyone else.”
He already had enough on his shoulders, I couldn’t add more worries to my brother.
———————
“I got a job at a meat restaurant this time. Although I don’t like the boss, I don’t have a choice. I have to be grateful they hired me as a student.”
“Wow, a meat restaurant? Does that mean you can eat meat every night?”
“No, the shift is from 6 PM to 2 AM, so I have to eat dinner before I go.”
“Huh? If you work from 6, that includes dinner time.”
“Even so, the boss said to eat before coming. He said he wouldn’t give me food since I only work on weekends.”
“...”
At most jobs, they’d give you something to eat if you work during dinner time, right?
I wanted my brother to eat meat so he’d have energy, but this is disappointing.
“Why? Do you want meat?”
“Huh? No, no. It’s not that.”
“I’ve noticed you look low on energy lately. Do you want to go to a meat restaurant and eat a bit?”
“No, no need. I’m not craving meat.”
Of course, that was a lie.
Since our parents died, I hadn’t tasted meat, how could I not miss it?
Then my brother asked me an unexpected question.
“Are things going well at school?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Of course. Things are fine. I get along great with my friends. Ha ha.”
I tried to act cheerful, but deep down I felt terrible.
It was my body, so I knew how bad things were.
“It’s almost New Year’s.”
“Yeah, it’s close. What wish will you make?”
“A wish, huh?”
“On New Year’s, people make wishes, right? Or maybe they’re resolutions, I’m not sure.”
“Well, I have a wish, but it’s impossible.”
“What is it?”
“To turn back time.”
Normally, at this moment, you’d laugh and say, “Ha ha! It would be great to have that power!” but...
“...”
I couldn’t do it.
I knew why my brother wanted to turn back time.
“He wants to see our parents...”
I do too.
I want to see them.
Desperately.
“It’s not far, why don’t we go listen to the New Year’s Eve bells?”
“Where?”
“To the place where the bells ring on New Year’s Eve.”
My brother really wanted to make a wish.
To turn back time.
“Do you want to go with me?”
“No, I don’t like crowded places.”
“That’s fine. I’ll go then. Eat something and go to bed early.”
“Yeah. Be careful, brother.”
That night, I didn’t know.
I didn’t know that while I was sleeping, the world would turn upside down.