“Is this hell…….”
The speed was so fast that by the time the same song had repeated about four times, we arrived in front of my house. Thank goodness. There was no highway on the way here. I thought we were going straight to hell like this. My head was completely dizzy and my ears were stuffy.
Before I knew it, dawn had broken and I looked up at the blue sky as a complete morning had arrived. It was so clear without a single cloud that I was so happy I almost burst into tears. Ah, I thought I’d never see you again. Sky…….
“I’m starving to death, he was whining so much next to me…….”
Joel grumbled while sweeping back his still-damp hair. That bastard! Then aren’t you scared driving like that, huh? I thought I was going to die! ……Forget it, let’s not talk. Would it even be possible to have a proper conversation with that primitive mutt?
I grabbed my pounding chest and barely calmed down, then moved my trembling legs to try to get out of the car. With a clunk, as I opened the passenger door and was getting out,
“July?”
“…….”
Hyung, wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt and shorts as if going jogging, was looking at me with a bewildered face. And hyung’s gaze passed over me and soon headed toward Joel’s old car and Joel sitting in the driver’s seat.
“That…….”
“……It’s not what hyung is thinking, okay?”
I hurriedly made an excuse first. I know what hyung is thinking—no, actually I don’t know! I don’t know but! But it’s not that! Absolutely not!
I must have made too desperate an expression. Hyung stepped back slightly frightened. When hyung’s back hit the door with a thud, someone else stuck their face out the window toward outside the house.
“August, going jogging…… Oh my!”
It was Mom. Mom alternately looked at Joel, who had gotten out of the car and was standing there swaggering, and me. Then she turned toward inside the house and shouted loudly, “Honey. Honeeey!” and called Dad. Dad came to the window rubbing his eyes, then,
“Eek!”
He opened his eyes wide.
“Mom, Dad. It’s absolutely not what you’re thinking. It’s not!”
This time I hurriedly waved my hands toward them. It’s absolutely not, okay? I don’t know what you’re thinking, but it’s not that, okay? I felt so wronged and frustrated. I patted my chest and looked toward Joel. Joel was raising one eyebrow as if he had no idea what I was doing.
“What.”
“…….”
……Right, what would I expect from you.
“No……. Just be careful going…….”
“I’m starving to death because of you, I can’t even go eat, what is this…….”
“Oh my! You haven’t eaten?”
Mom’s high-pitched, clear voice cut off Joel’s grumbling. Joel nodded without delay, and Mom covered her mouth, laughing “hohoho” while pushing Dad aside. Then she muttered something, and I only heard things like quickly, kitchen, cooking!
“Want to eat before you go? No, I’m also soo grateful you saved our July last time. And like this…… to be close enough friends to hang out with July from the morning. It’s nothing special, just what we’re eating anyway, but if it’s okay, eat before you go. We just need to set out one more spoon anyway. Ohohohoh.”
Mom spoke somewhat unnaturally, just like a voice actor dubbing a drama. I glared at Joel with a look that said, Eat what! Go! But Joel, who had been quietly rubbing his stomach, began walking with large strides toward the yard as if my house were his own.
“Where are you going!”
“You said to eat before I go.”
Joel raised his eyebrows toward me as if to say what are you even talking about. I hurriedly approached Joel, grabbed his forearm, and whispered with a smiling face.
“Go.”
“I’m hungry!”
“Food, I’ll buy you that later. Go.”
I spoke with deep breathing while clenching my teeth tightly. But Joel didn’t seem to get it at all. Instead, he was glancing toward our house’s window. I don’t know when they even entered the kitchen, but the smell of processed meat, whether ham or bacon, was wafting over. As if tempting him.
“Let go!”
Whether drawn by that smell, Joel strongly shook off my hand and walked with large strides toward our house’s door. Then he stared intently at hyung, who was still standing frozen.
“May I come in?”
“Y-yes! Of course, yes!”
When hyung hurriedly stepped aside, Joel flung open our house door and entered. Realizing I could no longer stop him, I shouted loudly from behind.
“Hey! Take off your shoes inside! We don’t wear shoes indoors in our house!”
Joel, who glanced back at me, demonstratively took off his shoes with just his feet at the entrance. I rushed to the door and neatly placed the shoes Joel had carelessly taken off to the side, then held out slippers. Then I frowned toward hyung, who was still standing there.
“Go jogging!”
“Huh?”
“Hyung, I said go jogging!”
“Huh? Uh…….”
Hyung nodded with a somehow dazed face, then started running shakily while glancing sideways at the house. Only after confirming he had started jogging did I close the door. I’m going crazy from the chaos. But…….
“But what was your name again?”
“Joel Gomez.”
That bastard who was already sitting at our dining table made my head throb.
“Oh my, Joel has such a solid, good body! How tall are you?”
“About 6.4 feet.”
Joel answered with his gaze fixed on the bacon Dad was cooking. Before I could even ask how much 6.4 feet was, the system window calculated it on its own.
6.4 feet = approximately 195cm
……195cm? Well, he was ridiculously tall……. Almost 2m. Even in Korea, I never felt short anywhere……. The fact that I was 12cm shorter than Joel hurt my pride.
“July! Baby! Why aren’t you coming!”
Mom, please don’t call me baby!
I sent telepathy inwardly while trudging toward the dining table. Joel, who was barely holding back laughter at the absurd nickname ‘baby’ since it was in front of adults, was ridiculous.
“But…… where did you two go from so early in the morning?”
“The lake.”
Joel said with garbled pronunciation while stuffing the bread Mom handed him into his mouth. Mom blinked toward me as if she hadn’t heard properly. I let out a deep sigh and plopped down in the seat next to Joel’s side.
“The lake. The place over theere.”
Even though I explained while pointing with my finger, Mom’s face showed she didn’t understand.
“You’ve lived in Bluedale your whole life and don’t know?”
“Of course. It was a secret place just for Mom and me.”
After gulping down the orange juice Dad poured, Joel said with a grin. Just looking at that, he seemed like a quite warm filial son and kind, gentle teenager who got along well with Mom. On the surface, that is.
“Does it suit your taste?”
“Yes, it’s delicious. Ah, I was starving to death but July kept throwing a tantrum about having to go home.”
“When did I……! throw a tantrum……!”
Joel, who even let out a sigh and shook his head as if it had been difficult, was detestable. It was also funny that he used the name ‘July’ for the first time in his life because it was in front of my parents.
“July, what did you do at the lake?”
“He was just diligently watching me swim in just my underwear.”
Mom asked while stroking my fallen hair, and Joel answered on his own. Mine, Mom’s, and Dad’s gazes all stuck to Joel.
Why are you talking like that! Even though I glared hard, Joel obliviously kept eating the bacon and eggs Dad brought over.
“You went, swimming?”
“Yes. I always swim when I go there. So I burned too many calories, ah. I’m really hungry.”
“Aah, taking our July to the lake from the morning, swimming too, spending time…….”
“Mom, it’s not like that.”
I couldn’t not know what word came up in Mom’s head. It must have been ‘date’. A date between me and Joel Gomez was absolutely not it. I grabbed Dad’s wrist as he was transferring bacon to my plate and shouted.
“Dad, it’s really not that, okay?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Dad answered half-heartedly while constantly glancing at Joel. Even while receiving the attention of the whole family except hyung, Joel shamelessly asked Mom if there was more bread. While Mom jumped up and rummaged through the freezer to pull out a blueberry bagel, Joel snatched and ate the bacon on my plate.
“Ah! That’s mine!”
I reached out toward the bacon entering Joel’s mouth without time to stop him. But Joel firmly grabbed both my wrists as if he wouldn’t let it be taken away obediently, then lowered his face toward me and annoyingly inhaled the bacon right in front of my nose. As I frowned in frustration at the appetizing smell of the bacon,
“What…… are you doing?”
Mom, who had already put the bagel in the toaster, asked cautiously in Korean. Ah, ah……! I shouted toward Mom again in Korean.
“Mom, it’s really not what Mom is thinking!”
“…….”
But Mom’s gaze was on Joel’s large hands gripping my wrists. Startled, I quickly shook off those hands. Mom cleared her throat with ahem, ahem, then smiled brightly at Joel.
“Right. Then…… are you the same age as our July? No, Koreans consider age quite important, you see.”
“Yes, eighteen years old.”
Joel nodded while spreading cream cheese on the blueberry bagel Dad handed him. Dad, who finally had no work to do, also sat at the dining table and asked.
“If I may ask, what’s your family situation…….”
“Daaad!”
I shouted urgently but Dad’s question was already 80% out. I anxiously looked back and forth between Dad and Joel. I only hoped that Joel wouldn’t lose to his displeasure and get angry.
Crunch, Joel took a bite of the crisply toasted bagel, puffed up his cheeks, and mumbled. Right when I felt anxious thinking Joel’s eyebrows seemed to twitch, Joel swallowed the bread with a gulp and opened his mouth.
