Chapters
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“…Your mother contacted me.” I hadn’t expected to hear about my mother from my father, so I paused for a moment to process that fact. I recalled my mother’s expression when she had spoken about my father just hours before in this same place. Did my mother feel she had to do this because she knew my father too well, recognizing his lack of responsibility? People had told me about responsibility in various ways. One person, who came to mind first and left my side the quickest, used to say the…-
437.3 K • Ongoing
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Lee Jihoon returned only after an hour had passed since his roommate left. He looked surprised as if he didn’t expect me to be awake, but he approached me without saying much. He suddenly thrust a large bag into my hands. “What is this?” Instead of answering my question, he reached into the bag and turned around to show me. I was left speechless the moment I saw the thick padding in his hands. Could it be? But as he put the new padded coat with the tag still attached over my shoulders, I began to…
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437.3 K • Ongoing
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What Lee Ji-hoon bought was not just tacos. "Tada." "...What is it?" "What do you think? It's a cake." "......." "Tomorrow is Christmas. We should do what everyone else is doing." He nudged me to wash up first, suggesting that he had secretly prepared this. Lee Ji-hoon suddenly thrust a chocolate cake with a cute candle stuck on top right in front of me. The candle flickered as if it were about to go out with every word we spoke, since all the lights in the room were off. I could barely see only Lee…
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437.3 K • Ongoing
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As I entered the theater, it had already started snowing, but it wasn't this severe. The amount of snow that piled up in just a few hours was enormous, leaving the roads nearly paralyzed. Even the subway experienced a blackout, forcing me to walk home. Fortunately, it was a walkable distance. The snow didn’t seem to be old enough to be hard-packed, so rather than slipping, I had to worry about sinking through it as I took each step. Each time I found the courage to move forward, the soles of my shoes…
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437.3 K • Ongoing
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“…….” The MP3 that Lee Jihoon requested is that one, not the one I am holding. I had this MP3 for a long time without giving it away or even thinking of using it. I had even forgotten whether I bought it, but every year on Lee Jihoon’s birthday, I remembered this gift. It had been less than thirty minutes since I had sobbed like a child in front of my grandfather and emptied a bottle of Cheongju. Whenever I exhaled deeply intermittently, I could smell the alcohol coming from me. As time…
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437.3 K • Ongoing
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"Hospital." - Why the hospital? "For my grandfather's regular check-up." - Already? Wait, let me check the calendar. "...Why the calendar?" "Why else, you idiot? If I don't write it down, I forget. I think I wrote down the last check-up date. Since today is December 10... ah, right. Last time was in June. The day after your exam." I could hear the sound of paper flipping as someone was presumably turning the pages of the calendar. I listened to Lee Jihoon flipping the calendar back to December from…
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437.3 K • Ongoing
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As if recalling that moment, my mother looked at a corner of the table covered with plastic wrap and smiled bitterly. “Do you know what your grandfather said back then?” For a moment, I thought I saw my mother getting choked up. It was very brief. After swallowing hard and brushing back some fallen hair, she quickly concealed any trace of her agitation and appeared unfazed. “He said he was relieved. At least he saw you as someone who would take responsibility for you. Then he told me to make sure…
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437.3 K • Ongoing
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--- Five by Five (5x5) Volume 6 “The air here is definitely nice. It seems well-maintained too.” That was the first impression of the caregiver auntie as she opened the window and tidied up around the hospital room while looking around. It wasn't equipped as well as the hospitals in Seoul, but as she said, it had its advantages. Today, all I had done was transport my grandfather from Seoul to Taean via ambulance, and the sun was already setting outside. I had a consultation scheduled with the…
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437.3 K • Ongoing
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“Begging me to say it like this is pathetic, you know? To someone I was with just twelve hours ago!” Lee Jihoon, pointing at my room where we had lain together until dawn, seemed unable to accept that the person I was yesterday and the person I am now were the same. Veins bulged in his neck, and his eyes were red. His arm, grasping me with more strength than he intended, trembled in the air. I couldn’t tell if it was my body shaking or his. “Even if I know everything about the people around you,…
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437.3 K • Ongoing
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“Can you see it like this… right here?” Should I be relieved that the doctor sitting in front of me isn’t my grandfather’s attending physician? Nevertheless, the calm expression of the doctor explaining while bringing a thin pointer over the X-ray carries the fate of a medical professional, who must remain composed while discussing tragedy. This too is something I have grown tired of seeing. I just never imagined that the subject would turn out to be me. I turned my head very slowly towards the…
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437.3 K • Ongoing
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