It smells like oil.
It was a smell I often smelled when I was young. A solvent used for dry cleaning. The solvent, which is cheap, has a strong petroleum smell. I smelled that smell so much in a small laundry shop that even after decades, it was still vividly etched in my mind. What's more, the smell will still sting the tip of my nose until the moment I die······.
But now I miss that smell that I hated so much when I was young.
There was no pain of death. I only feel sorry for the subway driver. I hope he doesn't feel guilty. If there is a regret that lingers in my life that has ended, it is that I didn't get to see my parents. I was so cruel to the country boy who had spent his whole life looking after his son. Despite that, death came easily. It was as soft as lying in a quilt.
At that moment.
"Hyun-ah, you have to wake up!"
With a questioning voice.
The cold wind blew against my face. I cautiously opened my eyes. The incandescent light dazzled my eyes, and I saw the wallpaper that had turned yellow like a ginkgo leaf. The smell of oil was carried by the wind and stung my nose. I turned my head to confirm the owner of the voice and opened my eyes wide.
iced coffee······.
The hair that had turned white had turned dark again, and the face that was full of wrinkles was as beautiful as a virgin. Not even the common lentigo was visible. A face I missed. Although it was a picture from decades ago. I felt tears flowing unceasingly. It must have been a revolving lantern that I faced at the end of death, but I never thought the tears would feel so hot.
Just once.
I wish I could hug you just once.
That was when.
"Son, what's wrong?"
My mother opened her rabbit eyes and comforted me. Then, her warm hands caressed my head. Tears soaked the quilt and pounded my chest hard. I had been unfilial all my life. I really didn't know that I would meet my mother at the end of death. As if I had become a baby again, I cried and hugged my mother with all my might.
sorry.
I'm sorry, mother.
Those words kept lingering in my mouth.
* * *
Back to the past.
After a week, I could finally admit that I had returned to the past. It was a story that seemed like something out of a science fiction novel, but it was not a fiction in my memory. Everything was vivid and lively. The cherry blossoms, announcing the beginning of spring, were in full bloom, brightening my eyes. It was ironic. At the end of death, I had returned to the time I missed the most.
"Thank you."
I said as I looked at the sky. It was a life full of regrets. I thought it was a successful life, but when I stripped away my vanity, it was a life more fleeting than anyone else's. I will never regret it again. I vowed and vowed again that I would not waste the gift that someone in heaven had given me. For a moment, an unknown bird flying across the sky made a sharp turn as if responding to my vow.
"Kang Hyun, go get your midterm report card."
He is a teacher with short, sporty hair and a square jaw. He has a strong impression, just like his name, Kang Bong-du. I got up from my seat, adjusting my cumbersome school uniform. He was wide compared to his size. It wasn't just Kang Hyun. It hadn't even been three months since I entered middle school. Most students my age chose a large school uniform for the future.
"Inma, from now on, let's study harder."
Kang Bong-doo clicked his tongue and handed over his report card. Kang Hyun accepted the report card with a blank expression. The report card was in such a bad condition that his nickname of being a monopoly in his past life seemed meaningless. If someone who didn't know saw it, they would mistake it for a sports club.
'Tsk.'
I clicked my tongue inwardly, just like my homeroom teacher. The moment I became obsessed with studying was when I was in my second year of middle school. It was clear that I was still at a stage where I had built a wall between myself and studying, but I still felt uneasy. The one who even the prodigies who were once considered 'flying high and mighty' would stick out their tongues and admit was me, Kang Hyun. A week had passed since I returned to the past, but I was more unfamiliar with this last-place report card than my smaller body.
"Hyun-ah, don't you want to join our club?"
He was a boy who still had baby fat. Kang Hyun checked the boy's name by looking at the name tag on his chest. 'Kim Dae Woo' He was a friend who hung out with him a lot during elementary school. He was the only child who had a place as a friend in Kang Hyun's life, who had poor interpersonal relationships. Of course, that was also forgotten as time went by.
"Hey, are you upset because I didn't lend you the game console last time?"
"what?"
"You haven't been to our class once in a week. I told you back then that it's not my game console, it's my cousin's, so I can't lend it to you······."
Kim Dae-woo looks quite aggrieved. It seems he had some trouble with me in the past. I didn't look for him for a week.
"I'm not angry."
"Then, come join our club!"
"club?"
Kim Dae-woo quickly smiled and nodded his head vigorously. The younger he is, the quicker his emotions change. Especially when it comes to something he likes. I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of him nodding his head so hard that his chubby cheeks rippled.
"Classic!"
Kim Dae-woo proudly told the name of the club. As the name suggests, it was a music-related club. Now that I think about it.
"Hyun-i, you played the violin when you were in elementary school!"
I remembered. I happened to learn the violin while taking lessons after school when I was in elementary school.
My mother loved it very much. She said that her childhood dream was to become a violinist. However, it didn't last long. She was good at music, but she had no talent. She didn't have any money to learn music.
"Okay."
I shook my head. This was a life that was like a second chance. I couldn't waste my time doing music that I had no talent for.
"Then let's go to the arcade after school!"
Come to think of it,
When I was in my first year of middle school, I used to frequent the arcade. This was with Kim Dae-woo. Back then, I was crazy about arcades, but now it was different. My body might be young, but my mind was worn-out and middle-aged.
"it's okay."
"What? Are you the Kang Hyun I know······?"
Kim Dae-woo narrowed his eyes and looked at Kang-hyun. Kang-hyun had changed drastically in the past few days. His behavior and even his speech had become more refined than a week ago, and his eyes had also changed. It was like an uncle looking at his nephew.
"Then what are you going to do!"
Kim Dae-woo's angry question made me think of my report card. Even though it was a middle school midterm exam.
The grades that left a scratch on my pride, which was called a monopoly. Fortunately, the grades from the first year of middle school are not reflected in the selection of future high schools. I answered briefly.
"study."
* * *
"Son, take it easy."
Mother, worry appeared on Mrs. Yu Hyeon-ja's face.
Because my son's appearance has changed so much over the past few weeks.
My son who always went to the arcade as if it were his home.
My son hated the single room laundry, gritting his teeth at the smell of oil.
However, in just a few days, the child's appearance almost disappeared. Not only his speech, but even his actions became more mature. Fearing that his parents would have a hard time, he ran around the neighborhood with his small body and even collected laundry.
And it ends there. After dinner, she sits down at her small desk and doesn't even think about getting up. She's been holding onto her study book for hours now and hasn't gotten up from her seat. Mrs. Yoo Hyeon-ja's face was filled with complicated emotions.
"Honey, did you secretly feed Hyun something weird?"
"What does that mean?"
"No. I've never seen Hyun-i study like that in my entire life."
"This is."
My father and mother had a close relationship. My father was not the blunt person I remember. He joked around a lot, and he loved hiking with his son more than anything. I guess the blunt person he was in the past was created because of me. My heart ached for no reason.
"Hyun-ah, you should go to sleep now."
"Okay, Dad."
"Oh my, now our Hyun even calls me father. The sun will rise in the west tomorrow. Hehehe."
It was a single room. It was a small room that could fit three family members if they laid down, so I could hear my father's laughter more clearly. I was old enough to sleep between my father and mother, but I felt good. The comfort was incomparable. It was more comfortable than sleeping in any luxurious mansion.
"Turn your test papers back over, and if you get caught cheating, know that you'll tear them up on the spot. Everyone, be prepared."
The day of the final exam arrived. Kang Bong-du walked between the desks, looking at the students with his usual intimidating manner. How much time had passed?
Bam.
He stopped in his tracks when he saw a student. Kang Bong-du's square jaw slumped and his eyes narrowed. It had only been five minutes since he had handed out the test papers. While most were struggling on the first page, there was a student who had already turned to the second page. The speed at which he was solving the problems was so fast that I wondered if he had even read the entire text.
'Oh my.'
Kang Bong-doo checked the student's face and sighed inwardly. It was Kang Hyun. The one who had ranked last in the class during the midterm exam. Then, it was clear that he was going to die on this exam as well. Even if the first-year grades were not reflected in the high school selection, I wondered if it was okay for him to solve the problems like that. I wanted to scold him harshly, but I couldn't help it because of the other students who were diligently solving the exams.
one side.
'It's easy.'
Kang Hyun was checking the correct answers. To others, it might seem like he was guessing rather than solving the problems, but it was that easy. He was at the top of the college entrance exam war in Korea. He even boasted of passing the bar exam, which is known for its extreme memorization skills. His concentration and perseverance were already unparalleled. Even if it was a middle school level problem, it was no different from swimming with your feet on the ground.
Tick tock.
There were no more test papers left, but the clock hand was still ticking. Less than twenty minutes had passed since the test began, and the other students were busy solving math problems. Kang Hyun, who was checking the time, turned his head and made eye contact with Kang Bong-du.
what?
Kang Bong-doo's eyes were blazing. It was as if he was saying that he would see him after the exam was over. If it were before, he would have avoided eye contact because he was afraid of the tiger teacher's gaze, but Kang Hyeon had been a prosecutor for a long time. Far from being scary, the teacher who once seemed so mature now seemed young. Kang Hyeon met Kang Bong-doo's gaze roughly and turned his head away. Hehehe. If you want to wait and see, then wait and see, because I will make you fall over in surprise.