Chapter 59: Epilogue
by GideonHe’d grown used to getting blood on his hands. It had become as effortless as smoking a cigarette. Just as one strikes a lighter, he would wield his tools; just as one draws deeply on a cigarette, he would tighten his grip on a victim’s throat. Then, like a wisp of pale smoke scattering in the air, a human life would faintly fade away.
After sending a client off with his own hands, Taemo would grab only a pack of cigarettes and head to Juhyeon’s neighborhood. Though it was the dead of night, where shadows and darkness were indistinguishable, Taemo pulled his hat low over his face. Visiting Juhyeon’s neighborhood every time had now become a habit.
All he did there was watch Woo Juhyeon from a distance before leaving. Today, Juhyeon was sitting at a table in front of a convenience store with friends, sipping beer. A single, tall can of beer sat lonely in front of him.
It wasn’t that Juhyeon couldn’t drink; he was just choosing to save his money. This was a habit Taemo had only noticed after watching him for a long time.
“Seriously, man. You’re backing out again?”
“You guys go without me.”
“The ski resort is gonna be fucking awesome, for real. We need an even number of people to make the most of it.”
“Have fun with an odd number, then.”
Juhyeon showed no interest, continuing to sip his beer.
“Why are you saving money so desperately? There are plenty of kids here with no parents or connections. No one’s as broke as you.”
“Hey, he’s not even broke. I heard he’s got a fucking stash hidden away.”
“This bastard is so damn shady.”
The friends kept taunting him, but Taemo, watching the scene from a distance, knew the truth. It wasn’t that Juhyeon wasn’t interested in the ski resort—he was just holding back.
Juhyeon waved his hands dismissively at his friends, whose voices were growing louder. “Hey, it’s because I have family to support.”
“Family? Ah… that guy again?” one of them groaned, his tone dripping with exasperation. The friends had heard the story so many times they were sick of it. Even Taemo, who had been quietly observing Juhyeon, was well-acquainted with the tale.
“He’s my benefactor,” Juhyeon insisted. “I was about to freeze to death in a one-room apartment, and he showed up at the perfect moment and saved me. He’s the one who kept me alive.”
“Here we go again. Keep it to the first verse today.”
“Fine, fine. I’ll start from the beginning.”
Despite their lukewarm reactions, Juhyeon pulled his chair closer and began his story in earnest. It was always the same: how much the older man had endured for him, how he had cared for him when he was young, and what he had meant to him.
“But hey, didn’t that guy go to prison? I heard he got mixed up with some bad crowds.”
One by one, his friends rested their chins on their hands, blinking slowly. The cold weather combined with the alcohol seemed to be dragging them into a deep drowsiness.
“Who knows,” Juhyeon shrugged.
Though his friends collapsed onto the table one after another, Juhyeon kept talking.
“Whether he ran away, went to prison, or…”
He trailed off, taking a deep breath. When he exhaled, his breath formed a white mist in the cold air. It looked like cigarette smoke, or perhaps the final breath of a dying man.
“Even if he’s completely forgotten me, it doesn’t matter. I’m going to save as much as I can.”
One of his friends, now half-sprawled across the table, let out a wide yawn. His eyes fluttered, looking as if he were about to drift off to sleep at any moment.
“What if you’ve collected all you can, but he never shows up? What are you going to do then… yawn… what then?”
“I’ll just leave a note saying you can have all my money, and then I’ll die.”
His voice sounded desolate, far too old for his years. Taemo, who had just crushed his short cigarette butt, felt a bitter taste in his mouth. He hastily pulled out another cigarette and lit it with a click of his lighter, his gaze never leaving the back of Juhyeon’s head.
“I’m going to die groveling like this anyway. If I do at least that much, won’t you remember me?”
“Hmph…”
“That someone was in my life, even if only for a moment. That Woo Juhyeon wasn’t completely alone. That he wasn’t alone his entire life. You’ll bear witness to that, won’t you?”
People become honest and pathetic when they’re on the verge of death. They’d often babble their life stories to him, even with a knife held to their throats, but Taemo had never felt a shred of sympathy. He was too busy struggling to pity his own wretched fate.
Yet, hearing Juhyeon’s words, he felt a sudden, powerful urge to run over and pull the boy into an embrace.
“…”
His lips were dry and parched as he kept smoking, the cigarettes tasting bitter.
Only after he’d chain-smoked three of them did Juhyeon’s story finally end. Like the cigarette butts piling up and the smoke mixing with the cold winter air, Juhyeon’s tale settled in layers upon Taemo’s heart.
“What? Are you guys seriously asleep? Ah, you bastards.”
Juhyeon shot to his feet after confirming the others had all collapsed.
“Your faces are gonna freeze. Get up, now.”
He smacked their backs with a firm, efficient hand, hauling his friends up from their chairs as they stumbled to their feet.
“Let’s go. Home.”
“I’m too tired. Call a cab.”
“What cab? Your place is less than a ten-minute walk from here. Walk. Your legs work fine.”
He even snatched the phones of the friends who were trying to call a cab, shoving them back into their pockets. Then, he led the group, intending to drop them off one by one, starting with the closest house.
“…”
Taemo’s gaze drifted in the opposite direction of where Juhyeon’s group was headed.
Woo Juhyeon’s house is that way, Taemo thought. He’ll drop his friends off one by one to save them money, but that means he’ll have to walk even farther himself. And in this freezing winter weather, he’ll refuse a taxi just to save a few more coins.
Taemo longed to intervene, to step into Juhyeon’s life, but he knew the time wasn’t right. He squeezed the nearly empty cigarette pack in his hand and turned away.
Still, he watched. He watched as Juhyeon walked his friends home, one by one, until he was finally alone, continuing his journey toward his own house. He watched Juhyeon’s small frame hunch against the cold, his breath forming white puffs as he blew on his frozen fingertips to warm them before jogging inside.
The darkness surrounding them was gradually giving way to the first light of dawn.
I can at least be the witness, Taemo thought. The one who can say that Woo Juhyeon wasn’t always alone. That someone was in his life, even if only for a moment. That he wasn’t completely alone in the world.
Strangely, Juhyeon’s voice lingered in his mind.
A sudden thought struck him: What if I were the only one for Woo Juhyeon?
Not the delivery driver who had already passed away, but Lee Taemo. What if Lee Taemo was the one to stay by Woo Juhyeon’s side, leaving him no time to feel lonely?
“…What the hell am I thinking?”
Taemo shook his head, hissing a breath through his teeth. The faint, stray thought quickly vanished.
He turned his back on Juhyeon’s villa and walked away. He kept walking without rest, even as the sky brightened and the cold deepened.
Perhaps that was the moment. The moment Lee Taemo resolved to stay by Woo Juhyeon’s side and reach into his life.
[ End of Epilogue ]
Translator’s Note: Hi! This is Gideon your fan translator. I did my best translating it hehe, I hope you like it, If you like my translations please leave a rating review in Novel Updates, I also appreciate it if you could donate or leave a tip, just click the Support Us button in our website, its for our site maintenance and buying raws in legal platform, we would also appreciate it if you could buy the raws directly in a legal site to support the authors. 🙂 Thankyou, I will do my best to provide quality translations, I would also love it it you can pinpoint errors in my translation, I will fixed it asap if ever. Thankyoou!
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