We walk in silent. I don’t know what’s going on between him and the three boys who are wearing the same uniform as Eunji unnie. All I can assume is their topic is related to Eunji unnie. I take a glance several times at him but all on the way to the supermarket, the same supermarket we first met, his face always looks down.

“Thank you for the ice cream!”

He looks up at me then smiles a bit but it’s not too long then the look on his eyes empty again. I sigh then eat the ice cream in silent. We’re so close yet so far, he’s like being in another world.

“I always run here” he says suddenly. “I rarely have breakfast at home so I always end up buying the bread almost everyday. As an athlete I can’t starve myself, you know…” he smiles while biting his ice cream. I just nod while continuing eating the ice cream as well.

He sighs, “I have decided that this match will be my last running…”

I nod but then stop and widen my eyes after realizing what he says. “What?”

He takes the last bite and throws the stick to the trash can. “If you’ve finished, shall we go now?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next two days, Youngjae sunbae doesn’t go to school. He’s absent for no reason. When I ask Jaebum sunbae, he also doesn’t know why Youngjae sunbae is absent. He doesn’t pick up his phone either, Jaebum sunbae says. I get worry when hearing this but Jaebum sunbae assures me that Youngjae sunbae will be fine.

It’s Sunday. I have an appointment with Inyoung to jog in the early morning with her. I usually don’t like doing this but she insists me to join her jogging and now we’re on the street. I yawn and follow her. Gosh, if she’s not my best friend, I would kick her for ruining my beauty sleep! We jog almost thirty minutes. I feel tired and decide to rest a bit when we arrive in a park, near my neighborhood. I gulp my water bottle in one go. Jogging is really tiring.

“Hey, who’s that?”

I turn my head to the direction Inyoung points to. There, I see a middle aged man is sleeping soundlessly on the bench. He’s sleeping by bending his body in order to fit with the bench. He’s still wearing his work uniform and using his bag as the pillow.

“I think we should go now, Boram” Inyoung says while taking my arm. I stand up then approach the sleeping man. “Ya, what are you doing?”

“It must be cold here” I reason. I come closer and watch him closely. I can see his tiredness from his face. I assume he’s about thirties. Then I take my finger near his nose. “He’s still alive. We should wake him up. He’ll get cold later…”

“I think I have a better idea” Inyoung says while looking around. There’s no one though. “We must go now to continue our jogging. This is not our business. Just let him sleep, Boram”. Then I see him stir in his sleeping. I venture to wake him up. “Ahjussi… please wake up. It’s not the place to sleep, you’ll be sick if sleeping here”. He slowly regains his sense and tries to open his eyes. “Ahjussi, you should go home”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“He’s too heavy, you know” Inyoung says while grumbling.

“I can…” hiccup, “…hear you” hiccup, “…young lady”

“Yeah, I know you can hear so that’s why I say it” Inyoung says while rolling her eyes feeling annoyed.

We help the sleeping ahjussi to go home since he’s not fully aware because of the effect of the alcohol he drank last night, he says. Inyoung tells me it’s not a good idea to do but I can’t help as I see his tired face. I feel like seeing my father’s. I remember he’s in this exact situation too. He had a meeting with some clients and ended up didn’t go home as he fell asleep in the park near my house. He got the deal and the clients asked him to have some drinks, so that’s why he had to do that, as a respect to them.

“Turn left… there, the second door… that’s my home”

I knock on the door for several times but there’s no one who opens it. I look at him who is snoring while leaning against the wall meanwhile Inyoung stretches her body.

“Ahjussi, there’s no one-“

Then the door opens and my eyes widen when seeing the one who opens it, with his messy bed hair and sleepy expression. “Sunbae!”

Youngjae sunbae’s eyes also widen automatically when I say that. “Boram? What are you-“

I quickly point at Ahjussi, “Is he your father?”

It takes several seconds to him to be aware of the situation. He scoots closer to Ahjussi. “Uncle, were you drinking again?”

“Uncle?” Inyoung and I say it at the same time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After taking him in to the house then to his bedroom, Youngjae sunbae walks towards Inyoung and I who are sitting in the living room. I examine the house. The apartment’s not big or small but it’s comfortable place. There are a small kitchen on the right side and two bedrooms. The bathroom is on the left side.

“Sorry, I just have water” he says while bringing two glasses of water.

Inyoung and I smile. “So, Ahjussi is your uncle?” Inyoung asks while drinking it.

He nods. “Yes, we both live here”

“Where are your parents?” I wonder why he has to live with his uncle then.

I see his face changes for a minute but then he smiles while pointing upward, “They’re over there”

I imitate him. “There? Do you mean they already…”

He nods while smiling sadly. “Yes, they have gone to the beautiful place”

Inyoung and I gasp and look at each other. “We’re sorry sunbae… we don’t know-“

He smiles but I can see a sadness from his eyes. “It’s okay. It has happened four years ago. Don’t be sorry”

When I ask about his absence, he says that he had to do something important two days ago. He couldn’t reply Jaebum sunbae’s message cause his phone’s also missing. He reassures us that tomorrow he’ll go to school.

“Thank you, anyway”

“It’s nothing, sunbae. Is your uncle will be okay?” I frown.

He smiles, “Don’t worry, it’s not the first time he did it… and sorry for interrupting your jogging tho..”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I feel bad for him”

I frown hearing Inyoung’s words. “Why?”

Inyoung folds her arms. “Seriously? You don’t see his face when you asked him about his parents? He looks so sad… and now with the accident that affected to his feet which made him run not as fast as he used to…”

And now he also has some problems with his girlfriend. I continue Inyoung’s words in my heart.

“Where’s his girlfriend when he needs to?” Inyoung continues her rambling. “Gosh! I knew there’s something uneasy from her when we met her at the first time… do you remember?”

I’m not listening too much at her as my mind occupies with something else. What is ‘something important’ that he talked about and also I remember he said that he the match will be his last running… did he mean it? I couldn’t ask anything as he changed the topic quickly. My curiosity is on the peek! Goodness, what’s wrong with me? I’m thinking about him again. I shake my head repeatedly. It’s enough Boram!

I feel a tap on my shoulder, “Ya! Jeon Boram, you don’t hear me?”

I look at her confused. “What?”

She sighs and stops walking. “I say…” then she runs “…the loser has to treat breakfast for the winner” she yells backwards at me.

“Hey, thatt’s cheating…”