## Chapter 156 – Distance (12)
“…..”
Alone on the balcony, I quietly gaze at the horizon, now draped in a darkness much deeper than before.
Just as I thought, summer is almost here, but the night sea breeze is still chilly.
After finishing my conversation with Chaeyoon and returning to the beach, the sea was already dark.
The hour grew late, so I returned to the lodging with the others and washed off the salt with warm water.
While everyone else was pondering the dinner menu, I quietly slipped out of the room and came alone into the next room.
Being alone in this large room brings back memories of my daily life going back and forth between my studio apartment and school.
I didn’t realize it, but my room was this lonely. I can’t hear anything.
All I hear is the slightly cold wind and the voices of people from a distance.
If I listen carefully, I can hear Seohee and Nabi shouting in the next room.
“…I wonder if they’re still awake.”
Now that I’ve confirmed I’m completely out of everyone’s attention, I quietly stare at my phone screen.
My father’s phone number is displayed on the screen. It’s the number of the father who knows the place I need to go.
What I need to do now is press the call button and ask for the location of the place where I was born.
“…But how am I going to persuade him…”
The place where I was born is none other than the rural village where my father was born and raised.
And it’s also the village where my paternal grandfather currently resides.
Three generations all have ties to the village, but I don’t know where it is, or even its approximate location.
When I was young, my grandfather abandoned me in the mountains, and my father cut ties with him.
Since then, I haven’t heard anything about my grandfather.
Except for hearing from my mother that he’s still healthy this year.
Come to think of it, it was always my mother who heard news about my grandfather from other relatives.
My father didn’t want to hear about him after that incident.
…This is daunting. No matter how much I think about it, I can’t come up with a way to persuade my father.
My mother doesn’t like me being involved with my grandfather either, so she wouldn’t tell me…
As I worry, I suddenly look at my phone screen again. Another 10 minutes have already passed.
“Ugh, whatever…!”
I close my eyes tightly, press the call button on my phone screen, and bring the phone to my ear.
If I drag this out and my father falls asleep, I’ll have to postpone it until tomorrow anyway.
I can’t just waste time like this, and it’s better to get it over with sooner rather than later.
Whether I call him tomorrow or today, I’m going to get an earful anyway…
The ringing tone feels like it’s been going on for half a day; I feel nervous for no reason.
Have I ever been nervous while making a call before… Oh, right. When I received the call about getting into college…
‘Hello?’
“Ah, h-hello? Dad?”
‘Hahaha! What’s this, my big boy? What’s going on at this hour?’
Startled by my father’s voice, which came after a long ringing tone, I flinched.
As soon as he answered the phone, my father greeted me with a hearty laugh and a welcoming voice.
My father has always been this kind of person. He has a cool personality and great sociability, so he’s a popular guy.
And this man, who is a generous and affectionate father to his family, is my father.
“Ah… well, it’s nothing much, I just came on a trip and thought of calling.”
‘Huh? A trip? Where to?’
“Busan. Why?”
“Isn’t today a weekday? Didn’t you go to school?”
Ah, I’m screwed. I forgot… that I was going to tell him I dropped out of school…
“…I didn’t have any classes today, so I came on a trip…”
‘…A day trip from Seoul to Busan?’
“…Ugh.”
Here I am, an adult, telling my parents a ridiculous lie like a middle schooler caught skipping cram school.
My father, who has obviously noticed that I’m lying, quietly clears his throat and tests me.
He’s putting unspoken pressure on me, demanding a quick answer. In times like this, I have to be honest…
“Sorry for lying. Can we talk about this later when we meet? I feel like I should tell you face to face.”
‘Okay, is something difficult going on? Your voice doesn’t sound good.’
My father coolly brushes off my lie and worries about me instead.
That makes my heart ache. The guilt is no joke…
The main topic hasn’t even come up yet, but I’m already sweating bullets.
‘Then come home sometime this week. It’s been a while since you saw your mom and your sister.’
“…Okay, I will.”
The suggestion to come down to the main house came up. And this week, too.
It seems my father… vaguely knows that I quit school.
He just wants to hear the reason and my future plans in person.
Maybe it’s for the best. If the first thing his son, who hasn’t called in a while, said was about his grandfather,
and that he dropped out of school without consulting him… I would have disowned him if I were him.
But even though my father vaguely knows what I’m going to say, he doesn’t get angry.
I feel sorry and grateful for his consideration in making it easy for me.
‘When are you coming? I don’t mind if it’s tomorrow. I’ll clear my schedule for the day you come.’
“No, I can’t do tomorrow. I said I came on a trip. I’ll go this Sunday.”
‘Okay, so you’re coming down on Sunday? But…’
My father playfully drags out the end of his sentence in the middle of the call.
It’s the strange laughter I’ve always heard from my father whenever he played mischievous pranks on me since I was young.
I wonder what this guy is planning to say this time that he’s acting like this…
‘You didn’t go on this trip alone, did you? A friend? Or is it a girlfriend…?’
“…Dad.”
‘Why~ My son is still my son, and his face is decent enough,
and I sent him to Seoul with expensive tuition, so he should have gotten a girlfriend in college…’
One of the frequent topics that comes up when talking to my parents is the topic of friends of the opposite sex,
that is, asking if I have a ‘lover.’ I can feel the excitement in my father’s voice.
I didn’t know that this question, which has been tormenting my sister and me since high school, would get worse after we became adults.
I don’t know about my sister, but I’m sure it’s especially true for her since she hasn’t dated anyone yet.
Girlfriend… of course, I have one.
I even heard today that a new life has sprung up in my girlfriend’s belly.
How can I bring up something like that… I’m already bad at lying.
“…There’s no such th-”
“Oppa? What are you doing there?”
While I was frowning and acting with all my heart, embarrassed and groaning,
the door to the room burst open, and a familiar voice came in with the light from the hallway.
Chaeyoon, who came into the room and looked around, made eye contact with me standing on the balcony.
Unlike Chaeyoon’s smiling face as she approaches me, my face is turning blue.
‘…Who was that just now?’
“Ah, uh?! What are you talking about? Nothing just…”
“Oppa, what are you doing there? Aren’t you cold?”
My father immediately caught the loud, high-pitched female voice that came in through the open door.
The voice of my father, who had been teasing me until just now, faded away.
I turned my head and put my finger to my lips to tell Chaeyoon to be quiet,
but Chaeyoon, who had already opened the balcony door wide, shouted again with a smile.
‘…Oppa? Hey, you… not with a minor…’
“No! It’s a pet name!”
‘Oaaaaah! A pet name?!’
Ah, I’m screwed. I nicely took the bait my father threw.
I run my hand through my hair, trying to swallow my tears, and turn to look at Chaeyoon.
She’s tilting her head, looking like she’s wondering if she did something wrong.
And the man’s hearty laughter ringing from the phone in my ear is shaking my head.
‘I knew my son would do it! Can you put her on?’
“Ah, Dad, please… don’t do this…”
Chaeyoon, whose eyes are sparkling at the word ‘Dad’ coming from my mouth, slowly approaches me.
Then, she snatches the phone from my hand, which I was using to make excuses to my father.
“…Hey, wait…!”
“Yes, Father♡ Nice to meet you~ My name is Lee Chaeyoon!”
After clearing her throat once, Chaeyoon greets him in a lovely voice mixed with a coquettish tone…
And the loud laughter of my father, which can be heard from beyond the phone even though he’s far away.
My father’s cool laughter and Chaeyoon’s coquettish laughter are harmonizing.
“…I’m dizzy.”
“Yes, yes, yes… Ah, we haven’t been dating for very long yet! Yes, we first met in March of this year… Yes!”
What on earth are they talking about… I’m going crazy with anxiety.
I’m listening to the voices of the two people who are already talking, leaving me out of the picture.
“Yes! I understand! Then go in, Father♡”
“Hey, don’t just hang up…”
Ignoring my words, Chaeyoon hands me the phone that has been disconnected.
Her face is beaming with smiles.
Why… is she smiling…?
“…What did you talk about?”
No way, it can’t be.
“…Oppa, you said you’re going to see your father this Sunday, right?
My father invited me to come with you this time!”
“…”
Aaaaaah… so this is how it ends up.
“…Greetings with Father… and we even have our baby here…♡”
“…You absolutely can’t tell them about that at home, okay?”
“Aww~ I know that too!”
Dizziness sweeps through my head. Chaeyoon, as if she knows how I feel, smiles brightly and hugs me.
I’m just filled with anxious thoughts… I guess it’s just my imagination, right?
