Nomura Shui-ssi: Do you want me to come and get you? (21:16)

Nabi: Don't even think about it. (21:33)

Nomura Shui-ssi: ㅜㅜ (21:45)

Nabi shoved her phone into her coat pocket as she walked to the nearest bus stop. Class just ended for today but she really wished something would happen that would result in a class extension for just a few more hours.

But Nabi knew that's just impossible and really unnatural so she just stuck to the better option, wasting time at the café where Shui works at. She didn't even know why it has to be Shui again when she already wasted time at his other workplace just this morning. Everything went by so fast that before she even realized, Shui already said yes to helping her waste time tonight.

An unfamiliar place will be okay, I guess.

Going home was the last thing on her mind right now. She even planned in staying at a motel again just for tonight. Her father liked it but at the same time, he hated it. He liked it because he can forget about her existence for a day but he also hated it because some people in the press might spot her and put him in a disadvantaged position.

"Yoon Nabi!"

Nabi's eyes wandered in the direction where the voice came from. The lean man, who sat on the bench with his hands shot upward as a form of greeting, made Nabi roll her eyes.

"Why are you here?" She glared at him but he didn't seem affected at all. In fact, he leaned his back to the bench in a relaxed motion, his left leg crossed over his right leg. Maybe because of military service, he looked more mature and buffer than he did when he left two years ago.

"I...I just wanted to see how you're doing."

"I'm doing fi--"

"I know you're not. You should sit. I know your leg is killing you."

Even if Nabi already knew that lying to him would never work, she still gave it a shot. As usual, it didn't work. She sat beside him, just as he told her, but there was still a wide space between them.

"Maybe if things didn't go wrong, Hyunbi and I would probably be in the military together," he spoke as he glanced at her, studying Nabi's expression.

Nabi sat still, her eyes staring at the nothingness before her. If things didn't go wrong... She smiled faintly, bitterly. She used to wonder what her life would be like if that never happened. Since then, her life got fucked up so bad.

"Lee Euntae-ssi--"

"Euntae-ssi?" he snorted. "You used to call me Oppa, remember?"

Silence enveloped them when Nabi decided that that question didn't need an answer. She felt her phone vibrate from her coat pocket but she ignored it. Memories drowned her mind that she found it hard to swim out of it.

"Nabi-ya, Euntae is here!" Mrs. Yoon called, her hands busy preparing food.

Little Nabi screamed in excitement as she ran out her room towards Lee Euntae, who was glancing over the counter.

"Oppa! Euntae-oppa!"

"Wow!" Hyunbi exclaimed in disbelief. Laughing it off, he said, "Nabi's more fond of Euntae than her own brother!"

"It's because I'm more handsome than your brother, isn't it?" Euntae asked, lowering his head to match Nabi's height. Mrs. Yoon giggled at the sight of the kids just playing around.

Nabi nodded, her arms spread wide waiting for Euntae to give her a hug. Euntae noticed that so he gave her one. He stood with Nabi still in his arms, walking towards the coffee table where Hyunbi was arranging the books they needed.

"I'm very thankful you boys are okay teaching Nabi Math."

"I'll be very glad to help Nabi with anything, Ahjumma." Euntae placed Nabi between Hyunbi and him.

"Oh, stop calling me Ahjumma! You're just like a son to me so don't hesitate to call me Mom!"

Euntae gives Mrs. Yoon a shy smile as he muttered, "Sure... Mom!"

"Eu-euntae-oppa, Hyunbi-oppa is... doing bad things... to me," Nabi whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. She worked up the courage to tell the only one she could rely on right now even when her brother told her to tell no one.

"Eh, it can't be," Euntae shrugged it off with a laugh. "Why would Hyunbi hurt you? You know we both love you!"

"B-but..." Tears ended up falling down Nabi's face. Even Euntae, the boy she looked up to the most... The boy who loves her so much... Even he doesn't believe her.

"Oh." Through his hands, Euntae wiped the tears in Nabi's cheeks. "Why are you crying? Do you want more ice cream?"

Nabi didn't want more ice cream but she nodded. Maybe ice cream could make her feel a little bit better. Maybe her brother did that because he really did love her.

"I should've listened to you," Euntae whispered, breaking the silence. "I don't even remember why I didn't even believe you back then... I should've believed you."

Hearing that made Nabi snort. It was too late now. He was too late now. His indifference fucked up things so much. The great Lee Euntae could have told. He could have protected her. He could have saved her. But the great Lee Euntae wasn't so great after all. Nabi regretted looking up to him, loving him so much. The person beside her taught her to stop relying on other people since those people would end up hurting you in the end.

"Nabi-ya, you're my first love. Seeing you turn into someone so cold saddens me." His voice was so soft and full of regret. But that didn't stop Nabi from getting up to leave.

"Bullshit."

"It should've been me who pushed him off the fucking balcony."

"Your regrets can't save me now, Euntae-ssi."

"Do you want me to kill him for you?"

What he said made Nabi stop in her tracks. She always wished for her brother to die. He should've died because of that but that damn motherfucker clung onto his life so much that five years had past but he's still alive. Brain dead, but his heart was still beating. But she never thought of finishing him off by cutting off his life support. If she did which she failed to remember, she would never actually do it.

"Mind your own fucking business." Walking away, Nabi hoped Euntae wouldn't follow her. Her hands grabbed the phone out of her coat pocket. Tapping her finger on the home button, she unlocked it.

Nomura Shui-ssi: Are you riding the bus now? (22:01)

Nabi held her phone tight in her right hand. Right now, she needed to sort her mind out. Her asking Nomura Shui to waste time with her was so out of her character. For many years, she was completely okay with wasting time alone whenever she didn't feel like going home. Now, why did she felt like she needed someone to accompany her on a time like this? That she didn't understand.

The little moments that they spent together confused her a lot. Shui being kind enough to escort her home when she was sick was something that reminded her of Euntae back when she would faint in school because of fever. Both Euntae and Hyunbi would run towards the clinic with Nabi in any of their arms. They would wait until Nabi woke up. Then Euntae would help in accompanying her home even if his house was closer to school, unlike the Yoon residence who was five blocks away.

But unlike Euntae who thought of her as someone so fragile that anyone would end up feeling protective over, Nomura Shui saw her as someone who's strong enough to survive the harshness of life, stronger than he ever was. Because of that, Nabi wanted to know more. Why did he think that she was stronger than him? Why was he so kind to her? Why did she feel like he's the quintessence of warmth that she longed for so much?

Being curious about someone was never a good idea. Curiosity would usually end up with being sucked so much into someone's life that it would always hurt trying to get out of it. That's why Nabi stopped knowing more about certain people who tried to befriend her. Her shitty life and her shitty situation wouldn't welcome anyone in. When her friends found out that she tried to kill someone, they looked at her like she's the most disgusting person in the world without even fully knowing the story.

Would Nomura Shui do the same when he finds out about that?

Nabi tapped her finger on the home button. She stared at the pop-up message of Shui asking if she was already riding the bus. For tonight, maybe she'll spend the night in the twenty-four-hour sauna instead.