Chapter 6

The start of March was too breezy to be called spring.

The mansion located in Pyeongchang-dong was as quiet as an empty house. Perhaps because of that, the well-manicured garden felt all the more desolate. At the edge where the yellowing, dead grass ended, a black sedan waited for Ju-shin, just as it always did.

Compared to his peers, nine-year-old Ju-shin had a remarkably small build.

His fleshless, thin arms and legs were so lean they felt emaciated. His white skin was pale enough for his blood vessels to show through, and his lifeless face bore no particular expression.

He only spoke when it was absolutely necessary. It was safe to say that simple expressions of intent like yes or no, or greetings like hello, I’ll be going, and thank you, were all that ever came out of his mouth.

The description of being reticent didn’t quite fit a nine-year-old child, but Ju-shin was precisely that.

“Then I’ll be going, Chairman.”

The young man addressed as Chairman. Ju-shin’s father, Kim Sangho, lightly patted the shoulder of the driver, Jung Youngwon, who was greeting him.

The two of them, in an employment relationship, were fairly close, proving the years they had spent together. One could tell just by seeing Kim Sangho, who suffered from pathological germaphobia, touch another person’s body.

Soon, both of their gazes lowered. Ju-shin, who barely reached around his waist, folded his waist politely. Then he got into the car without lingering attachment.

Having fastened the seatbelt around the small body and closed the door, Youngwon watched Kim Sangho’s receding back for a moment without any lingering attachment either, before getting into the driver’s seat.

“We’ll be heading out, Young Master.”

It was an affectionate voice, no matter how many times he heard it. Ju-shin gave a small nod toward Driver Jung, who was smiling splendidly.

Outside the square window, the scenery continuously changed. Since they passed by it once a week, it wasn’t a novel sight.

Ju-shin lived alone with his mother in an apartment near the main family home. It had been that way since birth. If his father, Kim Sangho, didn’t have any particular schedule, he would go to the main house and show his face. That was an obligation. Even though there wasn’t anyone who particularly welcomed him, and nothing special to do, it was something that had to be followed like a rule.

Whenever that happened, it was Driver Jung who transported him.

He would show the elementary school grounds to Ju-shin, who was homeschooled, and take him to parks where there weren’t many people. He was also the one who taught him how to ride a bicycle.

Every time they did that, Driver Jung would call his mother to ask for permission. That was how he knew. The bothersome-seeming things were entirely his voluntary actions.

Among the people employed in the household, there was no one who wasn’t kind to him, but Driver Jung’s goodwill was as warm as a chick’s down. That was why he liked him.

By the time he turned nine, Ju-shin had never attended kindergarten or school. Even though he had never made a fuss asking to be sent or questioned the reason, the adults preemptively decided it so. This was a game of hide-and-seek. Not even a single shadow could be caught.

That was the demand of Kim Sangho’s legal wife, Shim Nakyeong, who made a name for herself as a domestic science professor. Instead of condoning the mistress and her child, she wanted them thoroughly concealed. To her, her husband’s conduct was more important than his love, and prestige was more important than wealth. Because she was a person who lived by self-respect and fame.

So the strange game where there were no seekers, only hiders, never ended. Since the mistress’s child had no choice.

When the car stopped at a traffic light, the mobile phone mounted on the holder vibrated. The four letters “Princess Woojung” popped up on the screen. Youngwon answered the call using his earphones.

Asking Princess Woojung to wait a moment with a gentle tone, Youngwon scratched his head as if troubled.

“Um, Young Master. My daughter happens to be nearby. Would it be alright if we let her catch a ride with us?”

Ju-shin only gave a small nod. In a quiet street away from the main road, the car stopped once more.

Thump-thump-thump, a young girl running noisily as she approached pulled the passenger seat door wide open. Then, discovering a peer in the back seat, she hopped into the back. Along with Princess Woojung’s appearance, a sweet scent swept in abruptly.

“Hello. I’m Jung Woojung from the 3rd grade.”

“……”

Ju-shin stared as if fascinated at Woojung, who was out of the blue holding out her hand and starting with formal introductions, before turning his head to the opposite side. Even with the distance between them, a warm body heat seemed to be palpable.

She was a kid who spoke a great deal.

Unfazed by the rejected handshake, Woojung chattered on and on about this and that. Then, sensing that her dad was reading the room, she glared at Ju-shin with primly squinted eyes.

“Hey.”

This time, Ju-shin didn’t avoid her gaze either.

“Wanna go to the playground? A round on the seesaw?”

“Woojung-ah. You need to speak nicely.”

“That’s not the style for kids these days.”

Smiling narrowly while telling the mister to stay out of it, the child pulled a backpack shaped like a turtle shell onto her lap. Then she swiftly pulled out a transparent bag from the very front pocket. It was packed tight with short, thin straw-like things.

“Eat up.”

This time, Ju-shin just stared at her blankly. As if trying to demonstrate, Woojung picked one up and scraped along it with her front teeth.

She didn’t forget to open her mouth to show the contents inside. The straw, having spat out the white lump, was flattened and crinkled.

“I told you to try it?”

Suddenly, Ju-shin’s chin was grabbed, and something abruptly shoved into his mouth. The hard and bland foreign texture touched his tongue, and his previously expressionless face crumpled strangely.

Jung Youngwon, who was checking the rear-view mirror from time to time, smiled good-naturedly while warning his daughter not to do that. Figuring that even if expensive and good things were kicked around like pebbles on the ground, he probably had never even laid eyes on junk food like that, so experiencing it once wouldn’t be a bad idea.

The small lips biting the straw began to move in a chewing motion. A sweet, sugar-dough-like substance melted away smoothly without even being chewed.

“Isn’t it good? Isn’t it good?”

The little girl urging for an answer clapped her hands wildly and laughed out loud, as if finding something immensely funny. Ju-shin chewed over the lingering sweetness left in his mouth.

It felt like if this noisy kid were turned into food, she would taste just like this.

An addictive quality so hard to shake off once you tasted it, provided you hadn’t tried it before. Junk food that was sweet on the tongue even if harmful to the body.

That was his impression from their first meeting.

Ever since that day, Ju-shin started checking the calendar.

It was because he began looking forward to the day he went to the main house once a week. He had seen Woojung twice more since they first met.

The place was always the playground near the school, and doing little more than taking turns on the few pieces of equipment or playing in the sandbox was the extent of it.

Observing Jung Woojung was more entertaining than such trivial things. Her mouth that chattered endlessly, her eyes that laughed at nothing special, and her unpredictable antics.

Driver Jung, having dropped the two of them off at the playground, sat on a bench in the distance and read the newspaper.

“Hey. Young Master.”

Jung Woojung didn’t even ask his name. She called him Young Master, just like Driver Jung did. However, hierarchy seemed important to her, as she did ask his age. Upon finding out he was a year younger, she started acting like an older sister and tried to protect him.

Like clearing away bugs, opening water bottles, or holding his legs so he could hang onto the monkey bars. Sometimes she would watch him intently and then take off her outer jacket to give to him. Even though it was warm enough to break a sweat rather than be cold, he just let her do as she pleased.

When he adjusted the slipping clothes a little, she sniffled and broke into a beaming smile, as if satisfied.

It was truly strange. You looked colder than I did, so why did you take it off and give it to me? Was it because I looked weak to you? Or did you have a reason to be kind to me, just like the other adults?

“Dress warmly when you go out. Don’t worry about looking cool.”

On Jung Woojung’s arms as she said that, goosebumps had risen from brushing against the cold wind. Anyway, she was a funny kid.

During the two weekends that rolled by after their fourth meeting, Jung Woojung did not show up. The chocolate he had packed to give her if they met ended up tossed into the trash can.

The calendar rolled over into April. The weather, which had grown warm enough that a jumper was no longer needed, felt inexplicably regrettable.

Driver Jung’s phone mounted on the holder didn’t ring today either. A call ought to have come around the time they passed this intersection.

“Mister.”

At the call coming from the back seat, Youngwon checked the rear-view mirror and asked what he needed.

“Could you lend me your phone just once? Mine turned off.”

“Oh my. Use it to your heart’s content, Young Master.”

He handed over his phone right away. Since it was a model with a large screen, it felt burdensome in his small hands. Ju-shin tapped the recent call log. Then, he familiarized his eyes with the number of “Princess Woojung” found at the top.

If he happened to forget, he could check it again using this method, but for some reason, feeling like it had to be right now, he stared at it over and over, inputting it deep into his mind.

The car stopped where it always did. Driver Jung accommodated his words well about wanting to go to the playground. He wanted to ask about Jung Woojung’s whereabouts, but he didn’t. Somehow, it felt like he shouldn’t.

“Who are you? Do you go to school here? What grade?”

“……”

While he was scuffing the sandy floor with the tip of his sneaker, three boys approached and struck up a conversation. Turning his head to look at the bench, Driver Jung had his back turned, presumably in the middle of a call.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you mute?”

Thinking his lack of answer was a sign of ignoring them, one of the leading boys poked him on the shoulder. The others chimed in mockingly, mixing in strange, rhythmic chants.

Ju-shin was noticeably smaller and leaner than them, but he showed no sign of being intimidated.

He was simply annoyed.

“……you guys.”

When Jung Woojung who he was waiting for didn’t show up, and trash dared to speak to him.

“What?”

“What did you just say? Speak up a bit louder!”

Perhaps hearing his mumbled words, the three boys playfully brought their ears right up to Ju-shin’s mouth.

Then, lips that looked even redder against his pale skin said clearly:

“Piss off, morons.”

It was a chillingly distinct pronunciation.