〈Chapter 20〉 

The Ex-Boyfriend Sorts Through His Memories

* * *

Not long after the MT trip ended, summer vacation began.

The sound of cicadas drifted in through the window. Avoiding the heat under the cool breeze of the air conditioner, Sihyeon was busy rummaging through his closet and drawers.

“…There’s more than I thought.”

A sky-blue album filled with photos they’d taken together.

A dolphin-shaped keychain he’d received during their aquarium date.

Plus, the wallet he got for his birthday, and various other items.

Si-hyeon gazed at the box—medium-sized and packed to the brim with mementos—with a complicated look in his eyes.

‘Guess it’s about time to throw all this away…’

Thinking he should also seriously consider Ye-rin’s feelings, Si-hyeon wanted to erase the traces of his first romance.

Sure, being pushed around had been the norm…

But there were still good memories mixed in there.

Now that he was actually about to clear them all out, it felt… strange.

‘No. Some of these things were pretty expensive; maybe it’s better just to return them?’

According to what he’d looked up on breakup forums, there are apparently cases where exes ask for the gifts they gave to be returned.

He thought it was incredibly pathetic, but… what if she asked for them later and he had to say he threw them away? He felt like that would be awkward in its own way.

‘I’ll just leave it for now and deal with it once I start dating someone else.’

With a sigh, Si-hyeon kicked the box, shoving it into the corner of the room.

His mind grew heavy with complicated thoughts, and he sprawled out on his bed. As he closed his eyes, the sound of the clock’s second hand ticking reached his ears.

And as he focused on that sound, his consciousness gradually began to fade.

* * *

Sihyeon’s parents ran a Chinese restaurant.

It wasn’t wildly successful, but it had built up a loyal customer base—

especially because their fried rice was well-known for being delicious.

As an only child, Si-hyeon used to wander around the restaurant alone whenever his parents were busy. Even with his small frame, he would carry around water pitchers and pour drinks for the customers.

“Our little Si-hyeon, helping your parents with work again today?”

“No… I’m just doing this because I’m bored.”

Young Si-hyeon was adored by the regulars and often received pocket money from them. Since he wasn’t greedy for money, he would tuck it into his parents’ pockets whenever he received any.

It was just another ordinary day. The dinner rush had passed, the shop had grown quiet, and just as his parents were about to catch their breath…

Jingle~

A girl who looked to be about Si-hyeon’s age walked into the restaurant alone. She was a child with natural brown hair and cheeks that puffed out adorably.

Si-hyeon’s mother went out to greet her.

“Where are your parents, dear?”

“I came by myself.”

“Huh?”

She looked like a kindergartner at best—maybe an early elementary schooler. For a girl like that to come to eat alone this late at night?

Sensing that something was off, his mother decided to feed her first and ask questions later.

“What would you like to eat?”

“Fried rice, large portion please.”

“A large? That’s quite a lot of food, will you be okay?”

“I can eat it all!”

The girl shouted vigorously. His mother didn’t know whose daughter she was, but in that moment, she really wanted to see the parents’ faces.

Besides, there was no way she could take money from such a young child. Sighing that there was bound to be a ton of leftovers, his mother went to the kitchen to pass the order to her husband.

Si-hyeon, who had been wandering around the restaurant, walked over to the girl and sat across from her. Pouring her a glass of water, he spoke.

“Did you come alone?”

The girl ignored his words and gulped down the cold water. When the cup was empty, Si-hyeon refilled it, just as his mother arrived with the yellow radish and onions.

“Si-hyeon, she looks about your age. Chat with her and keep her company, okay?”

Since there were no customers and he was bored anyway, Si-hyeon agreed.

But the girl let out a scoff at the mention of being “kept company,” then stared at the TV while nibbling on a piece of yellow radish.

“Where are your parents?”

“What’s it to you?”

“Just… I asked because you’re here by yourself.”

The girl knit her brows and asked.

“Whether I eat alone or with someone else, isn’t that my business?”

“True. I eat alone sometimes too, when my parents are busy.”

The girl’s gaze shifted from the news to Si-hyeon. Wearing a coy, aloof expression, she tapped her water cup and spoke.

“You could just ask your parents to eat with you.”

“By the time we’re ready to eat, a ton of customers show up. Even if we say we’re eating together, they end up leaving in the middle to go back to work.”

The girl looked at Si-hyeon, who spoke in a flat, indifferent voice, with a meaningful glint in her eyes.

Soon, the food they had ordered arrived. A double portion of fried rice was placed in front of the girl, while a small bowl of fried rice was set before Si-hyeon.

“Si-hyeon, Mom is going to go do the dishes, so eat together, okay?”

Si-hyeon nodded obediently. The girl, watching this as if she didn’t quite like it, gripped her spoon. She then stared quietly at the fried rice topped with a fried egg.

“I heard the fried rice here is really delicious. Is that true?”

“I eat it so often I don’t really know, but that’s what the customers say.”

Nodding, the girl broke the egg yolk. Then, the moment she mixed the black bean sauce with the rice and took a bite…

“Hwaa…!”

With a bright smile, she began to stomp her feet in delight. Then she started eating nonstop, shoveling food into her mouth.

Si-hyeon was stunned by, staring at her blankly.

“You really eat well.”

Regardless of Si-hyeon’s admiration, she kept drinking water whenever her throat felt dry and used the raw onions to cut through the greasiness of the meal.

“Thank you for the meal…”

Having cleared the plate completely, she stroked her stomach and let out a laugh full of pure happiness.

On the other hand, Si-hyeon, who hadn’t even started eating because he was too busy watching her, handed the girl a tissue and spoke.

“You’ve got sauce on your face.”

“Where?”

Even after being told where it was, the girl couldn’t seem to wipe it off. Unable to just watch, Si-hyeon took the tissue and wiped it for her himself.

The girl’s eyes went wide at Si-hyeon’s unexpected action, and just as she was about to speak…

“Goodness… you really ate it all?”

His mother, having finished the dishes, approached with a shocked expression. This was because a young girl had polished off a double portion that even adult men often left unfinished.

“You must have been very hungry…”

“I usually eat this much, though?”

His mother looked on with pity, while the girl tilted her head in confusion. His mother watched with a warm, satisfied face as the child praised the fried rice for being delicious.

“Where do you live? It’s dark outside, so I’ll walk you home.”

“That’s really not necessary. My house is close by…”

Whether the girl refused or not, his mother was determined to see her home. Regardless of the circumstances, there was something wrong with letting a child come to a restaurant alone like this.

If there were parents at home, she intended to give them a piece of her mind.

Step. Step.

In the end, his mother walked along, holding Si-hyeon’s hand in her right and the girl’s in her left. After about five minutes of walking through narrow alleys, a modestly sized detached house came into view.

All the lights inside were off.

Did that mean no one was home?

At the thought of the young girl being all alone until late at night, his mother’s heart grew heavy, and she tenderly stroked the child’s hair. After a moment, the girl flinched.

“O-oh, come to think of it, I forgot to pay… It’s a card, so I can’t pay out here, right?”

As the girl grew flustered, saying she had to go back to the restaurant, his mother soothed her with a gentle voice. Then, wrapping the girl’s small hands in her own warm ones, she spoke.

“You don’t have to pay, so whenever you’re hungry, just come to our restaurant.”

“What? But…”

“It’s okay. In exchange, I have a favor to ask of you.”

“What? But…”

“It’s okay. In exchange, I have a favor to ask of you.”

“What kind of favor?”

His mother spoke while tightly hugging Si-hyeon, who was clinging to her leg.

“When you eat… would you mind eating with our son? Since his father and I are so busy, we aren’t able to look after him properly.”

The girl quietly stared at Si-hyeon, who was just standing there blankly. To her, a girl who often ate alone, this boy felt like a kindred spirit.

Because she knew exactly how lonely being “alone” felt…

“I’ll definitely come tomorrow, too!”

She nodded her head with a look of firm determination.

* * *

Ring! Ring!

At the sudden, loud blaring of a ringtone, Si-hyeon’s consciousness gradually began to return.

‘Feels like I had some kind of nostalgic dream…’

Still groggy and unable to think straight,

Sihyun fumbled across his bed toward the sound.

Grabbing his phone, he answered the call.

“…Hello…”

[Were you sleeping?]

Judging by the voice, it’s Yerin.

“Yeah.”

[Pfft… Now that vacation has started, you’ve become completely lazy.]

Since the MT, Si-hyeon’s heart raced just at the sound of Yerin’s voice. He cleared his throat before replying.

“I think it’s because the weather is so hot. Anyway, what did you call for?”

[Uh… I have a favor to ask.]

“What is it?”

Yerin spoke in a timid, hesitant voice.

[My maternal grandmother is a farmer, and she said she needs some extra hands. It’s work that requires quite a bit of strength, so she told me to bring a man along… and since the only man I really have is you, Si-hyeon…]

“I can definitely help with that much, of course.”

[Really…? My grandmother’s place is out by the West Sea, so it’s far, and we’ll probably have to stay there for a few days.]

“It’s fine, so just pick a date and let me know.”

[Okay! Thanks, Si-hyeon. I totally love you!]

Yerin made a kissing sound into the speaker and hung up. At that, Si-hyeon leaned his back against the wall and let out a hollow, breathy laugh.

“Don’t thank me… I’m the one who’s grateful.”

In order to understand his own true feelings, he needed to see her. But once he became conscious of Yerin as a woman, Si-hyeon had felt too shy to ask her to hang out.

He was actually glad that he could see her through an opportunity like this.

‘Please, let this trip give me certainty in my feelings…’

With that vow, Si-hyeon began to carefully pick out clothes that would make him look good to Yerin.

* * *

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