Chapter 25: Beneath the Surface

In front of a house, a mother was busily moving around with her son and daughter.

The daughter, who appeared to be around six years old, seemed rather indifferent, but the son, who looked like a high schooler, was clearly displeased with the situation, his lips tightly pressed together.

Eventually, he spoke up.

“Mom, do we really have to go?”

“Yes, your dad must be feeling lonely too.”

“I don’t really want to see Dad.”

Hearing his words, the mother felt a tinge of sadness.

But she didn’t blame him. After all, it was the adults’ fault.

Unlike her son, the daughter seemed quite excited.

“Really? I’m happy about it!”

The daughter bounced up and down, clearly thrilled with the new suspender skirt she had recently received as a gift.

The son, irritated by her enthusiasm, threw out a grumpy comment.

“That’s just because you’re a little kid—ow!”

“Watch your language!”

The mother gave her son a light tap on the head.

“I’m sitting in the front seat!”

“Hey, you’re too young to sit in the front!”

“You said when I turned six, I could!”

The daughter pounded her fists against her brother’s waist in protest.

The son, flustered, hurriedly tried to push her away.

He knew he had said that before.

But… today, he just wasn’t in the mood.

The mother, watching them, approached her son and softly said,

“She really wants to sit in the front seat. How about letting her this once?”

“No.”

There wasn’t anything particularly special about the passenger seat, but because he was already in a bad mood, the son whined for no reason today.

“Alright, son.”

Understanding how he felt today, the mother gently patted him and then got into the driver’s seat.

The son stood still for a moment, looking at his younger sister, who seemed sulky.

He sighed heavily and opened the door to the passenger seat.

“So petty,” his sister grumbled, heading toward the back seat.

“Hey.”

“Huh?”

“What are you doing?”

“What?”

“Why aren’t you getting in?”

The son pointed at the passenger seat he had just opened.

In an awkwardly embarrassed and cold tone, the son spoke faster than usual.

His blunt words left the sister confused for a moment.

But her face quickly brightened, and she rushed toward him.

“I love you, oppa!”

“I told you not to cling to me!”

But despite his words, a slight smile appeared on his face.

The car came to a stop at a red light.

Since it was a long drive to see their father, the son and daughter were passing the time by playing a word chain game.

“Goose.”

“Train tracks.”

“Directionally challenged.”

“Cheapskate.”

“Disqualified. Only standard words are allowed.”

When the son cut off the game, his sister pouted for a moment, then made a “hmph” sound and looked out the window.

There was a telephone pole right beside the car.

The daughter, seeing it, rolled down the window and stretched out her hand.

Her small hand touched the pole.

She laughed gleefully.

“Telephone pole! It’s cold! Hehe.”

“Ji-yeon, that’s dangerous. Put your hand back inside!”

The mother, alarmed, tried to stop her.

“Ugh…”

Watching the scene, the son sighed and returned his attention to his phone.

Then.

Crash!

A tremendous noise rang in the son’s ears.

Then came the impact.

It was over in an instant.

Debris scattered, leaving small cuts on his face and a slight stiffness in his neck.

“Mom?!”

Struggling to clear his hazy vision, he called for his mother.

But there was no answer.

His vision slowly became clearer.

And the scene in front of him came into view.

Where his mother and sister should have been sitting.

Moon I-hyun’s mother and sister were crushed between the truck and the telephone pole.

“I-hyun?”

Song Chae-hyun stared blankly at Moon I-hyun, who was lying on the road.

Moon I-hyun was trembling, clutching her head.

Unable to comprehend what had just happened, Song Chae-hyun stood frozen.

Then, realizing the situation, she ran toward her.

“I-I-hyun!”

She shook her shoulder, calling out to her.

“Snap out of it! What’s wrong!?”

But Moon I-hyun didn’t respond.

She turned her body to face her, trying to look at her expression.

The sight of her face made Song Chae-hyun’s heart sink.

Tears and saliva smeared her face, which was contorted in terror.

“Ah…”

For a moment, her heart ached at the sight of her, but she quickly regained her composure and dragged her onto the sidewalk.

There, she checked her condition.

It wasn’t good, not at all.

Her breathing was erratic, her pupils dilated in fear, and she bit her lips tightly from time to time.

“S-sob… I-I can’t… b-breathe…”

“It’s okay. Take it slow. Let’s breathe together. Inhale, exhale.”

“Sob, sob… Huff, huff…”

Moon I-hyun tried to follow her breathing.

Song Chae-hyun intertwined her fingers with her’s, brought her face closer to her’s, and watched her breathing.

“Huff… Huff… Haah, haah…”

Gradually, Moon I-hyun’s breathing began to stabilize.

“Are you feeling better now?”

Song Chae-hyun asked, looking at Moon I-hyun.

Moon I-hyun appeared a bit more composed. She forced a smile and replied,

“Yes. Thank you.”

“And… I’m sorry for showing you this side of me… it’s disgusting, isn’t it? Hehe…”

“Disgusting?”

Song Chae-hyun was startled, her voice rising slightly in surprise.

“Why would I ever think that about you, I-hyun?”

At her words, Moon I-hyun fell silent for a moment before speaking again.

“If you knew me better, you’d be disgusted with me too.”

“No, I wouldn’t.”

Song Chae-hyun said firmly, letting go of her hands and pulling her into a hug.

A warm embrace enveloped Moon I-hyun. She gazed at the sky over Song Chae-hyun’s shoulder.

The sunset had already faded, and the sky was now a deep navy blue.

They went back down to sit by the river, where they could see the pitch-black water.

Song Chae-hyun’s heart ached, seeing Moon I-hyun in pain over something she couldn’t quite understand.

So, she cautiously spoke.

“… I-hyun, would you be able to tell me what happened? Maybe just talking about it will help…”

“Ah…”

Moon I-hyun opened her mouth but then closed it again, shaking her head.

“I’m sorry… I really can’t say.”

“That’s okay. I’m sorry if it was a hard request. But please remember, I really want to help you.”

With that, Song Chae-hyun pressed her lips together, feeling deeply sad. Not because Moon I-hyun didn’t want to share. But because there was a painful secret inside her that she couldn’t tell anyone.

As Moon I-hyun leaned against her shoulder in silence, she suddenly spoke.

“… Unni.”

“Hmm?”

“What if… I’m someone who wasn’t supposed to survive?”

“…What?”

“What if I was meant to die, but someone else died, and I survived instead?”

Moon I-hyun’s voice trembled, and there was a faint, bitter laugh mixed in.

Song Chae-hyun remained silent for a moment, then turned around and hugged her again. Moon I-hyun didn’t resist.

“You have to live… for that person, too.”

Later, they went upstairs and ate cup noodles.

Song Chae-hyun wanted to lift Moon I-hyun’s spirits somehow.

Moon I-hyun picked at the noodles Song Chae-hyun bought for her, but eventually, she ended up eating them all.

Song Chae-hyun was desperate to brighten her mood.

And it seemed to work. Moon I-hyun spoke with a much lighter tone and expression than before.

She even laughed occasionally at Song Chae-hyun’s jokes.

When they neared Moon I-hyun’s house, she finally spoke, her voice heavy.

“… Unni.”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you. I must’ve been a burden…”

Moon I-hyun was worried, terrified, that after seeing her like this, Song Chae-hyun would start avoiding her.

But Song Chae-hyun grabbed her shoulder and said in a very serious voice,

“Not at all. In fact, I’m really glad if I could help you.”

Moon I-hyun looked at her, dazed.

This person, who wasn’t even family, was treating her with such sincerity.

“Ah…”

She felt deeply moved.

But at the same time—

Thump.

Her heart continued to pound.

Recently, for some reason she couldn’t quite understand, she had started feeling attracted to strong, dependable people.

Whenever she saw someone with a sturdy build, male or female, she would notice how different they were from herself, and her eyes would linger on them.

Song Chae-hyun fit into that category.

In fact, she was right in the center of the strike zone.

That’s why, even during workouts, she often found herself stealing glances at her.

And now, as Song Chae-hyun continued to be a pillar of support for her, Moon I-hyun began to recognize the feelings she had for her.

When Song Chae-hyun saw that Moon I-hyun seemed to be in better spirits, she patted her head and stepped back.

“Alright, I’m going to head out now. Make sure you shower after your workout and get some rest. See you tomorrow—”

“Unni.”

“Hmm?”

At Moon I-hyun’s firm call, Song Chae-hyun turned back, feeling a bit puzzled.

Moon I-hyun hesitated for a moment, her lips moving slightly before she finally spoke.

“Do you want to stay the night?”

‘…How did it come to this?’

Song Chae-hyun sat on the mattress, with a towel draped over her damp hair, lost in thought.

Beyond the door, Moon I-hyun had gone in to shower after her.

The sound of water hitting Moon I-hyun’s body echoed in the background as Song Chae-hyun pondered.

‘What does she mean?’

“Do you want to stay the night?”

The age where those words were taken at face value had long passed.

If that’s the case…

‘What did I-hyun mean? She made me shower first, then went in right after…’

-Smack!!

Song Chae-hyun slapped both her cheeks hard, leaving red marks.

“Get a grip, Song Chae-hyun, you crazy woman…”

She muttered under her breath.

‘She’s in middle school. She’s probably younger than Chae-rin by a few years…’

Feeling this way about a child like that…

She was overwhelmed with guilt.

“Unnie?”

“Huh!? What!?”

Song Chae-hyun jumped up in shock, looking up suddenly.

There, at the door, was Moon I-hyun peeking through.

Her face was slightly flushed as she spoke.

“Um, sorry, but could you hand me the pajamas on the mattress?”

Song Chae-hyun stood there, mouth slightly agape, staring at Moon I-hyun’s face peeking through the door and the glimpse of her shoulder and damp collarbone.

“A-Ah! Yeah!”

She stammered, hastily grabbing the pajamas and handing them over, her eyes awkwardly averted.

**

After Moon I-hyun finished her shower, the two turned off the lights and lay down on the bed.

Song Chae-hyun’s body was stiff with tension.

Then, Moon I-hyun spoke.

“Unnie.”

“Y-yeah?”

“As you can see, I’m not in great shape.”

“So, if it ever becomes too much of a burden…”

Moon I-hyun continued, her voice trembling.

“You can leave without saying anything.”

Song Chae-hyun remained silent for a while, then turned around and hugged her tightly.

“I would never, ever do that.”

“Thank you.”

Moon I-hyun slowly drifted off to sleep in her arms.

The next morning, I woke up amidst bright sunlight.

It was undeniably a warm morning.

But.

I looked to my side and saw Song Chae-hyun peacefully sleeping.

Memories of the previous night flooded back.

“Ah, shit…”

My face flushed with embarrassment.

“I want to die…”

Where’s the old man when you need him?