Chapter 35

  The restaurant was quiet when I stepped inside. The wall clock above the counter showed exactly ten o’clock. Most of the lights had been turned off, leaving only a warm yellow glow near the counter. The smell of freshly wiped tables lingered in the air.

  At the corner table, Auntie and Uncle were sitting together, sharing tea. They looked up right away when the door closed behind me.

  “Oh, you’re finally back,” Aunt Miyeon said with a teasing smile. “We almost thought you ran away.”

  Uncle let out a chuckle, folding his arms. “So? Did the young lady treat you well, hm?”

  I froze for a moment before clearing my throat. “It’s not like that.”

  Auntie tilted her head. “She came in a fancy car, picked you up right outside our restaurant. Tell me, doesn’t that sound like a date?”

  Uncle gave me a knowing look, shaking his head in amusement. “Ah, youth these days… our Haemin is growing up fast.”

  Just then, Jiwon peeked his head out from the kitchen, grinning wide. He waved a spoon in his hand as if it were a microphone.

  “Hyung is still a youth, Dad. But that noona is already a mature adult!”

  “You brat!” I glared at him, but he only laughed louder.

  “So, Hyung, was it romantic? Did she hold your hand? Tell us, come on!”

  “Yah!” I snapped, but my voice cracked at the end, which only made them laugh harder.

  “Honestly, I was shocked. First time in my life seeing a girl drive all the way here just to pick up our Haemin. She even asked permission before taking him out. Such a polite lady.”

  “What do you mean, Mom? When hyung was in high school, he was super famous. It’s just that he was so introverted that people thought he was arrogant. I lost count of how many seniors came to me, asking if I could introduce them to hyung.”

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  “You guys,” I groaned, dragging a hand down my face.

  But that only gave Uncle more fuel. He slapped his thigh as the memory came back. “I remember one time when Haemin was helping in the shop. A beautiful lady eating here called me over secretly and asked if I could introduce her to him. When I told her he was still a minor, she nearly choked on her food apologizing! Hahaha!”

  Jiwon gaped. “Is that true, Dad? Uwa, Hyung! I never knew you were famous among noonas.”

  “Enough already!” My face was burning. “Why are you digging up all this nonsense?”

  Aunt leaned forward, chuckling softly as she patted my hand. “You two, stop teasing him. Can’t you see he’s already blushing to death?”

  That only made them laugh harder, and even I couldn’t hold back a helpless smile. For a few minutes, the restaurant filled with the kind of laughter that wrapped around me like a blanket — warm and loud.

  But slowly, the mood shifted. Uncle cleared his throat, his laughter fading into a softer smile. “Jokes aside, Haemin… we’re really going to miss you. Tomorrow, you’ll be back in Seoul. Who knows when we’ll see you again?”

  Aunt’s eyes glistened as she nodded in agreement. “You should stay longer next time. Three days feels too short.”

  Jiwon chimed in quickly, his grin slipping into a small pout. “Mom’s right. You barely got here, hyung, and now you’re already leaving.”

  I felt a sting behind my eyes after hearing that.

  “…You guys,” I whispered, swallowing hard. “Thank you. Really. I’ll try to come back as soon as I can.”

  Aunt reached over, squeezing my hand gently. Her voice was soft, almost breaking. “Don’t thank us, Haemin. Just promise us you’ll come back, even if it’s only for a short while.”

  I forced a smile and nodded. “I promise.”

  The heaviness eased a little after that. We lingered for a while, trading small stories and silly comments to keep the mood from sinking. But eventually, I excused myself and climbed the narrow stairs to my room, their laughter and voices still echoing warmly behind me.

  ____________

  When I finally reached my room upstairs, I closed the door gently behind me and leaned against it for a moment. The quiet was heavy. My heart still hadn’t fully calmed down from earlier, from everything that had happened with Sera.

  I ran both hands over my face, trying to shake off the memory of today. I didn’t want to think about it anymore.

  Exhaling slowly, I sat down on the edge of the bed. My phone felt heavier than usual in my hand. For a brief second, I thought about putting it away and pretending I had already fallen asleep. But I knew that wasn’t an option.

  With a deep breath, I pressed the call button. The screen lit up, and almost instantly, the line connected. She had been waiting.

  “Haemin,” Yuna’s voice came through, low and sharp. “Do you realize what time it is?”

  Her tone made my chest tighten. I swallowed before answering. “I… I’m sorry. I was helping Auntie with the restaurant. We closed late, so—”

  There was a long pause.

  “Helping your auntie?” Her voice dropped colder.

  “Yes,” I said quickly, forcing my voice to sound steady. “She needed an extra hand with cleaning up, so I stayed behind. That’s why I’m late.”

  Silence. I couldn’t tell if she believed me. My back began to sweat.

  “Haemin… you know what I hate the most?” Her voice was low, quiet, but it carried the kind of sharp edge that made my chest tighten.

  I hesitated. “…What?”

  “Being lied to.” Her tone was calm, too calm. “If you lie to me again, I won’t forgive you. And I don’t mean something small, like scolding you or ignoring you for a few days.” She paused deliberately, her voice dropping even colder. “I will make sure you’ll never be able to look me in the eyes without fear again. Do you understand?”

  My breath caught in my throat. My fingers gripped the phone tighter. “I—I’m not lying.”

  “Really?” she asked softly, almost mockingly. “You’re willing to bet everything on that answer?”

  My lips parted, but no sound came out.

  There was a long stretch of silence again, heavy and suffocating.

  Then—

  “If you were really just helping your auntie,” she continued slowly, “then why has your GPS been moving around since early evening?”

  Shit.

  Of course… it’s because of that.

  My blood ran cold. The phone almost slipped from my hand.

  I couldn’t say a word. My mind went blank.