Unrequited Love Thresher-Chapter 4: An Uncomfortable Morning

"Yaaawn..."

Ha Giyeon yawned as he got off /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ the bus and gave his aching back a tap. His body still hadn’t adjusted to the part-time job. After clearing dishes at a wedding hall all day, every muscle in his body throbbed with fatigue.

"Still... there's nothing better than this."

The job was tough, but just thinking about the money that would soon be deposited into his account gave him a sense of pride. As he walked home, his mind wandered to the things in his room.

"Maybe I should list some stuff on Piman Market."

He’d already bought his workbooks at a steep discount from a used goods app. Maybe it was time to try selling something himself. To be honest, none of the things in his room had been bought with his own money, so it felt a bit like stealing... but—

Well... they were going to throw it all away anyway.

The day after it was revealed he wasn’t their biological son, his parents had ordered someone to clear out everything in his room. Said it was going to be turned into the real child’s room and planned to bring in new furniture. So all his things were dumped in the trash.

They’ll do the same thing again, won’t they? Wouldn’t it be a waste?

Better to donate or sell them than watch it all go to waste. People could call him a money-obsessed thief, but he didn’t care. Ha Giyeon lived with constant fear. He had no idea what would change next—he could be kicked out tomorrow.

And morals? Conscience?

What were those even worth? Once you’re thrown away, that’s it.

"First, I should find my old phone..."

Lost in thought, he found himself already standing in front of the house. He passed through the gate and crossed the yard. His phone was dead, so he had no idea what time it was. Not that it mattered—no one was waiting for him. They wouldn’t even notice if he stayed out all night.

Click.

He passed the front door and headed straight for the stairs when a familiar voice stopped him.

"Ha Giyeon."

It was Ha Dohoon.

He didn’t call him "hey" or "you little shit" like usual, so Giyeon responded a bit slowly.

Wasn’t the living room always empty at this hour?

Turning around, he saw Ha Dohoon rise from the living room sofa and drag his slippers toward him.

"...?"

But it wasn’t just Dohoon. Right behind him, Kwon Jongseok and Choi Mujin appeared as if they’d been waiting.

Why are all the hyungs still here at this hour?

Not only had they stuck around late into the night, they were all now glaring at him like they were annoyed about something. Giyeon was confused and slightly stunned.

"Uh... why are you guys still..."

"Why didn’t you answer your phone? Is it just for decoration?"

"My battery died... Did you call me?"

"..."

They all tilted their heads, wearing sour expressions. Giyeon scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"...Hey."

Mujin asked, frowning at his nonchalant face.

"What’s with your expression?"

"What about it?"

"I said we called you."

"Oh... sorry I didn’t see it?"

"No, that’s not... ha..."

Mujin sighed in frustration and rubbed his face with both hands. Dohoon let out a breath but then suddenly paused. His eyes scanned Giyeon from head to toe—and his face scrunched up hard.

"Where the hell were you?"

"Shit—what’s that smell?"

Mujin leaned in, sniffed near Giyeon’s chest, then recoiled and pinched his nose.

That’s when Giyeon noticed the smell on his clothes.

"Ah."

Even though he’d changed clothes, the scent of food from work had clung to him.

"Giyeon, did you eat something?"

"Not really..."

"Then where the hell were you?"

Dohoon pressed, his tone sharp and accusatory. Giyeon rolled his eyes, trying to think of a plausible answer.

Where would a kid my age go that’d make him smell like food and keep him out this late...

There was really only one answer—somewhere kids his age were known to hang out.

"...PC bang."

"What?"

"You?"

"You went to a PC bang?"

One after another, they all echoed the question, like they couldn’t believe what they were hearing. Watching them, Giyeon just felt tired.

"I’m going upstairs."

"What? Hey, wait—"

He turned to head up the stairs, but—

"Ha Giyeon."

Dohoon’s flat voice rang out behind him.

"If you want attention, just say so. Don’t pull this bullshit."

Giyeon stopped mid-step and turned his head.

They were all standing there, arms crossed, glaring at him like they were deeply offended. Even Kwon Jongseok, who always smiled, looked cold now.

What’s wrong with these people...

They had never shown any interest in what he did before. In fact, they’d gone out of their way to push him aside. And now they were talking about attention?

He didn’t even feel like denying it. Too tired, too done.

They wouldn’t believe him anyway.

Forget it. Just ignore them.

He pressed his fingers against his temples and resumed walking up the stairs.

Behind him, watching his retreating back, Dohoon blurted out impulsively:

"We’re going to the villa tomorrow, so pack—"

"Have fun."

Giyeon cut him off and disappeared upstairs.

That answer—so dry, so indifferent—left them stunned. Jongseok called out to him again, but no reply came. The same kid who used to come running whenever they called.

"...Fuck."

Dohoon stared at the silent living room, then grabbed the watch off the table and hurled it into the trash.

***

Ever since starting his part-time job, Ha Giyeon left the house early every morning and didn’t return until night. The job paid well, but it was grueling. After a full day clearing dishes at a wedding hall, he would collapse into bed and fall asleep like he’d been knocked out.

And whenever he slept... he dreamed. Vague, inexplicable dreams.

“Huff... haah...!”

A man was running somewhere in a panic—more like stumbling, closer to crawling than sprinting.

......

Suddenly, he came to a halt.

He staggered into an unknown space and stood there, breath ragged. Before him lay a photograph, though it was too blurred to make out whose it was. He stared at it in silence for a long time, then slowly approached.

His hand trembled violently as he reached out.

Drip. A tear hit the floor.

But he couldn’t bring himself to touch the photo—he only looked, endlessly. And for some reason... that image struck Giyeon as unbearably sad.

“...Hey.”

His vision flipped, and a faint voice echoed in his ears.

It grew louder.

“Ha Giyeon.”

Flinch. He shuddered and forced his heavy eyelids open. As his blurry vision focused, a familiar face came into view, looking down at him.

“...Dohoon hyung?”

“Stop sleeping and get up.”

It was Ha Dohoon.

Giyeon jolted up, fully awake now. His brother—who hardly ever came into his room—was suddenly here?

Worried he might have overslept, Giyeon checked the clock.

“7 a.m....”

“How long are you planning to sleep?”

...It was only seven. What?

He rubbed at his eyes and let out a deep breath. His body ached, and irritation started to rise. Today was his day off—he’d hoped to sleep until at least nine.

“You...”

Dohoon looked surprised at Giyeon’s irritated expression.

“What brings you here this morning?”

“...What kind of question is that? I need a reason to come into your room now?”

He never came in unless he had one. Giyeon nearly said it aloud but swallowed the retort. He didn’t want to start the day with a pointless argument. ƒгeewebnovёl.com

Blinking, he looked at Dohoon as if asking him to just get to the point. Dohoon clicked his tongue.

“Eat breakfast.”

“...?”

“What are you doing? I said come down and eat.”

“...You came here just to say that?”

Giyeon asked again, convinced he must have misheard.

Dohoon—his parents too—had never cared whether he ate or not. So for him to wake Giyeon up and tell him to eat? It didn’t make sense.

“Still half-asleep or what? Wash up and come downstairs.”

Even after Dohoon left the room, Giyeon remained frozen in confusion.

He woke me up... just to have breakfast?

This wasn’t like him. Ha Dohoon had been acting strangely ever since the regression. Before, Giyeon would’ve been overjoyed. Now, all he felt was suspicion. The thought of sitting at that table made his chest tighten.

“Hey! Hurry up and come down.”

Dohoon’s voice called again from the hallway, urging him. With no other choice, Giyeon climbed out of bed and went to wash up.

Come to think of it... I haven’t seen them since the regression.

He’d been seeing Ha Dohoon a lot lately, but not their parents. The ones who raised him—and threw him away. It felt more accurate now to call them Dohoon’s parents, not his.

“You’re here? Sit down.”

Entering the kitchen, Giyeon was surprised to see Dohoon already seated at the table. The housekeeper gave him a wide-eyed look as he greeted her and sat beside him. He’d told her yesterday that he wouldn’t be eating breakfast, so she was clearly surprised to see him here now—especially at the same time as his parents.

...Somehow I feel bad.

Before long, his father and mother arrived.

Giyeon looked at them blankly for a moment, then slowly opened his mouth.

“...Good morning.”

Just like in his final memories, they were still graceful, composed. And still cold—faces devoid of affection.

Clink. His father lifted his spoon, signaling the start of the meal.

“......”

Silence.

Giyeon picked up his chopsticks but didn’t move. Even though he hadn’t eaten dinner the night before, he didn’t feel hungry at all.

Just then, his eyes met his father’s.

As he instinctively looked away, his father spoke.

“Watch your behavior. I don’t want pointless rumors going around.”

“...Yes, sir.”

It was a warning to keep a low profile at school. His father rarely spoke to him outside of meals—so back before the regression, even harsh words like this made Giyeon desperate to earn his attention. He used to attend family meals for that reason alone.

Not anymore.

As he picked at his rice grain by grain, he could feel his mother’s disapproving gaze.

“If you’re not going to eat, then don’t bother sitting there. It’s unpleasant to watch.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

He immediately set his chopsticks down and stood from his seat.

“Then, I’ll excuse myself.”

He quickly left the kitchen—as if he’d just been waiting for the chance. His parents and Ha Dohoon were left staring after him in stunned silence.