Chapter 26

 

<Half of a memory>

The first thing Taek-in did when she woke up was to be held by her crying mother and taken to the hospital for a check-up. I was hospitalized for 2 days and 1 night, received a detailed diagnosis, and the results showed that I no longer had problems sleeping. Mom, who thought she had no more tears left to cry, cried again. Taek-in couldn't stop her mother. She was so confused about what had happened to her that it was hard to recall her memories.

He clearly has no memory of himself, and his last memory is jumping in front of a car in a state of insanity after seeing his friend being kidnapped by the class president. But when I woke up, I realized that more than a month had passed since then. And I also went on vacation. Of course, she says she went to school just fine. And the most surprising thing is:

“The report card came out?”

It was this person. A very, very handsome older brother who lives upstairs. The person whose looks made me realize that people can shine became close friends with me. His hands were shaking. My heart also trembled. He couldn't make eye contact. Contrary to his appearance, Jangni Hee-chan, a handsome man, spoke harshly and was rough in his actions. But it all looked cool and cool in Taekin’s eyes. It wouldn't matter if his personality was dull and petty. He made friends with someone he admired, so what more could he need? However, there was a part of his behavior that I did not understand. Like showing excessive interest in one's report card like now.

“The score…what is the score?”

Taek-in lowered his head with a dark face. I was embarrassed to have to talk about my grades like this in front of him.

“It’s shit.”

"............"

“I don’t know what happened while I don’t remember. How I got this ridiculous score…”

“Hey. Shut up, what about English? What’s your English score? You know English isn’t shit, right?”

"English isn't shit, but it doesn't really..."

“What score is it?”

English? Taek-in compiled his report card and checked it again. What was your English score?... Oh, here it is. This is the best score.

“78 points.”

"!"

“I’ve never gotten below 80 points in English... huh?”

Suddenly, Heechan's hand flew down like an eagle and snatched away his report card. He checked his report card with wide eyes and his eyes trembled.

“7, 78 points........78 points.......78 points!”

Why do you do that? Is there some bad trauma behind the score of 78? When I was worried, the other person shouted.

"It's over 70 points! It's ridiculous! I..."

I? When Taek-in was surprised, Hee-chan hesitated and changed his words.

“I’m so proud of you because you achieved a miracle of over 70 points, man.”

I patted him on the shoulder, but he never took his eyes off the report card. Taek-in was thankful for him. Maybe my scores were all the way down, but it seemed like they were trying to praise me in a harsh way for my good English skills. Even though his mouth is harsh, if you listen to his mother, she says that she picked him up whenever he fell and helped him a lot along with teacher Jecheop. Physical education teacher. Taekin's face blushed as he remembered another object of his admiration. Then he heard Hee-chan's faint murmur.

“The total score has never exceeded 78 points...”

"yes?"

"what?"

Didn't you say anything? Taek-in just laughed awkwardly. At that time, Heechan, who had been looking at her report card as if it were her gold, turned around with a serious expression.

“Can I have this?”

“My report card?”

"huh."

I was embarrassed. Why are you looking at someone else’s report card? It wasn't even that good, and my grades were at the bottom. When Taek-in was conflicted, Hee-chan asked once more.

“If you need it, you can just ask the school to pick one more. Even if that’s not the case, it doesn’t matter since you’re not going to that school anymore, right?”

"Yes. There is no need..."

“Okay, I’ll take it.

Heechan folded the report card in half with trembling hands and stuffed it in his pocket. Of course, his behavior must have seemed strange to Taekin, but the smile on his face at that moment was so beautiful that he had no doubts. Then, the other person noticed the gaze and raised his head. Taekin was embarrassed that he had been spying on him, so he quickly avoided his eyes and said something as if making an excuse.

“I came out to say hello to all the teachers and classmates at school. Maybe it was because I was taking supplementary classes, but everyone was there.”

“Did you say hello to Hakju?”

yes. Taek-in nodded his head loudly. Although he still cannot remember, he says that Hakju helped him greatly. In particular, Heechan emphasized it so that nails would pierce his ears. He is the only one who believed in you. Always remember to be grateful. So he went to visit this time and offered his greetings along with the bread he had prepared. Hakju tilted his head as if it was strange looking at Taekin, who was too shy to make proper eye contact, but supported his future work.

“I plan to come back and say hello later when I make bread properly.”

“I thought well. But there’s no need to give me a lot of bread. I’m grateful, but on the other hand, I’m the one who put you through the most trouble, so I’ll pick out some bad bread and bring it to you.”

He didn't know how to respond, so he smiled awkwardly. Because it never sounded like a joke.

“How are the kids in your class?”

"that is....."

After returning from school, Taek-in had a crazy imagination. Could it be that someone else came and took control of my body while he had no memory of it? Because what they said back then was completely different from themselves. But I have no complaints about this. It's a miracle that the problem with the class president and his brother is even resolved. It felt like someone else ate the food I didn't want to eat for me.

“Are the kids in your class bullying you again?”

“Yes? No. Absolutely not. On the contrary, it was the opposite. A few people came and apologized. My partner even said that he was disappointed that we couldn’t become friends when he found out that I was leaving school.”

“That’s good. But why does your expression look like you chewed shit?”

“I was just dazed. I don’t remember doing anything, but the situation suddenly changed. I really think I wasn’t myself when I couldn’t remember.”

“You’re right. If not you, then who?”

but. Even so. Taek-in did not notice that the other person was watching quietly and looked down and nodded his head.

“True. But I heard something strange.”

“A strange baby?”

​

 

“My partner said that I picked the lock. Instead of opening it with a key, I pierced it a few times with something like a wire.”

“……”

"But I really don't know how to pick a lock. I've never even tried. That's strange..."

"wake up."

Suddenly Heechan helped him stand up. yes? Hee-chan took the lead with a stern expression.

"Where are you going?"

“To pick the lock.”

Taek-in was excited every day. Mom willingly supported Taek-in's dream, and she was able to change the school she thought she would never be allowed to into the vocational school she wanted. She wanted to improve her skills before going there, so she enrolled in an academy. Her mother, who worked hard every day at a supermarket, joined a large building management company through the introduction of her physical education teacher. At first she was extremely nervous, but after going for over a week she was now proud of herself.

'I was praised today for being the first to do what the manager asked me to do?'

‘Do you know what Excel is? 'Mom, can we do that now?'

Taek-in didn't know her mother was this cute. She was paid a good salary, was a full-time employee, and had good welfare benefits, so her mother was already going crazy saying she would give her all to work. She was amazing. She always looked listless and tired when she came home from work, but it was different here. Her working hours were shorter than before, and the work she did was sedentary, and the people she worked with seemed to treat her mother well.

'They said the group I came in was a huge group. 'How can I repay this favor to your PE teacher?'

She really wanted to return the favor. The physical education teacher and Heechan hyung. By the way, the employees at your store once went to the store early in the morning with late-night snacks. As I volunteered to help them in the midst of their busy schedules, carrying boxes, packing them, loading them into trucks, etc., the sky suddenly became brighter.

“Taekin, you’ve gained some strength.”

Chungyeon, with a friendly look, smiled and praised me. A sharp voice followed immediately.

“Of course. I spent over 10,000 hours just lying down.”

It was Heechan. Taekin opened his mouth again, hearing something he couldn't remember.

“I guess I really gained strength in my arms because of lying on my stomach. The head teacher said that he thought I went to school just to lie on my stomach.”

bang. It was the sound of Heechan hitting the desk with her fist. He was startled and turned around to see Chungyeon approaching him and stopping him as if telling him to calm down. However, an angry word came out of Heechan’s mouth.

“.......Hakju!”

When Taekin was surprised, Jiyong whispered next to him.

“Ignore it. He’s naturally nasty.”

I heard that Taek-in was a senior in high school, and he seemed to have a grudge against Hak-ju. I was so embarrassed every time.

“By the way, are you going to come cheer for the game this Sunday?”

Jiyong asked as if he was thinking of something, and Taekin nodded his head vigorously. Other people he credits with helping him. It was the ‘organic’ team of the early soccer club in the market. Taek-in couldn't help but associate himself with their relationship. I don't particularly like soccer, and I've never been to a stadium where soccer games are often held. When I went to say hello just like before, the guys were very welcoming. The organic members recognized Taek-in, who was working today, and pretended to know him one by one, which made him feel good. I've never really belonged anywhere or been part of a group. So I really liked the market people who treated me like family even though I wasn't the same age.

“I’m going to make some bread and take it with me.”

“Bread is good. Don’t do that, you should join the organic team later.”

Jiyong said excitedly about the bread baby. Taekin was grateful for the offer, but shook his head.

“It’s because I’m not good at sports. In fact, I’m completely out of shape. But strangely, I guess I’m good at dodgeball.”

Stop. The three of them, except Taek-in, stopped moving. Taek-in was so busy remembering the stories he heard from his classmates that he couldn't see the faces of the group.

“After the exam, we played dodgeball in physical education class, and they said I did really well. Everyone was surprised that I dodged the ball so nimbly....”

Quadang. Heechan jumped up and the chair fell over. When Taek-in stopped talking in surprise, Hee-chan pointed at him.

“You come out.”

“Yes? Why?”

“I’m going to play dodgeball.”

"!"

6:50 a.m. Sunday. In the past, Taekin wouldn't have been awake, but it was different now. There was an organic competition on Sunday morning. Taek-in was not satisfied with borrowing the academy's oven, so he stayed up all night making bread using the small oven at home. But it was worth it. Even though he was a little late, he brought bread and the members welcomed him warmly. In particular, the chairman gave a thumbs up.

“As expected, you’re a big fan of organic food!”

No matter how many times I heard this, I couldn't get used to it. Since when did I become a huge fan of my local early pursuit team? Moreover, listening to the men's words, it is said that they cheered so passionately that they incited the other person's anger. really? On the local early soccer team?

“Our skills are so good that we have huge fans. If Organic’s specialty, pressure defense, shows up, everyone goes crazy, right? I’m impressed.”

They just rush around leaving a ball behind. Still, there must be a reason why I cheered so hard. I thought about it while watching their match. And as I watched it, I felt it again. In the past that I can't remember, I may have truly had a different personality. I couldn't express my admiration right now. Instead, I made bread. I worked hard to make it. They made all kinds of food for you to choose from. Especially pizza bread and sausage bread, which are popular among people. I'm still not good at it, but with the teacher's help, it became edible bread. But it wasn't the reaction I expected.

“It’s pizza bread.”

“I heard sausage.”

“I also heard green peppers.”

Everyone said they ate well, but Taek-in felt something was lacking. And since I didn't have time the next week, I combined it with red bean bread and took it with me. I held out the bread with an apologetic feeling that it seemed like I was shirtless.

“Sounds delicious?”

“It’s red beans!”

“I’ll give you one more.”

Popularity exploded. Except for one person.

“I don’t eat red bean bread.”

It was Jiyong. Heechan, who was eating silently and expressionlessly next to me, said something.

“Then don’t continue to eat anything Taekin brings.”

The red bean bread disappeared in Jiyong’s mouth in 5 seconds. One week, another week, and the next week, making bread for organic members became a natural thing to do. And I also learned about each individual’s tastes. Some people preferred red bean bread and others preferred white bean paste. Jiyong liked cream bread and Heechan liked pizza bread. And one last person. One of the reasons why Taek-in always attends organic games.

“Is it delicious? Your skills have improved a lot.”

My physical education teacher praised me for eating anything. Taekin's face turned red with embarrassment, but he didn't forget to glance at him. After eating all the bread, the physical education teacher's eyes turned to one place. Taek-in knew that he often looked at Hee-chan. That's not all. Hee-chan's eyes were soft and he always smiled in front of him. The physical education teacher Taek-in knew was not there. He became a completely different person in front of Hee-chan. Heechan looked away. And for a moment, a smile spread in his eyes. Taekin's heart pounded for no reason as he watched the scene where the two people made eye contact. I just felt strangely embarrassed. Taekin quickly turned his head because it felt like he was secretly watching someone's relationship. it's a shame. The two really got along well, but Hee-chan's angry voice echoed through the playground behind Tae-in, who looked sad.

“There’s no need for it, just give me the credit!”