Starting a Reversal in Life From the Time of Release

4 – Regret and Resentment (1)

“Can we… live like we used to?”

Like we used to.

Seo Haneul wanted to treat me as he did before I was falsely accused.

Talking as we did before.

Hunting monsters together within the gate.

“For now… it doesn’t seem possible.”

Seo Haneul is a dear person.

When people simply did not believe in my innocence and turned away.

When they treated my belongings like filth, he protected the most precious memories to me.

However, I couldn’t erase the feeling of betrayal from the person who ultimately abandoned me.

“For now… it’s not possible?”

Seo Haneul asked with a trembling voice.

His eyes were shaking as much as his voice.

“I’m very grateful that you kept the fountain pen separately. I will show my gratitude in return. However, the feeling of betrayal I felt towards Seo Haneul is too great for me to accept you.”

“Well, that’s…!”

“I understand. At that time, it was such a perfect evidence, so I couldn’t believe in my innocence either. I would have probably done the same.”

I interrupted Seo Haneul’s words and closed my mouth for a moment.

I could understand why Seo Haneul and other people had reacted that way.

It wasn’t just empty words, but truly.

But I also thought it was natural for me to resent those people.

Because I was the victim of an injustice.

“So, please understand why I feel betrayed by you and others, and why I want to keep my distance.”

“Ah…”

Seo Ha-neul shook her head with a despondent expression.

It seemed like there was nothing more to say between us.

That’s why I stood up quietly from my seat first.

“Take care.”

I greeted Kim Ji-han with an unsaid greeting and left.

Since the coffee was prepaid, I just needed to leave the empty cup on the counter.

Afterwards, I walked out of the café and headed towards the parking lot where Alex was waiting.

“Um… Your expression is really pathetic, you know?”

Alex asked teasingly, laughing mischievously while opening the passenger seat door.

It seemed like he was both teasing and comforting me.

“He asked if we can go back to how it used to be.”

Thump. The sound of the car door closing faintly reached my ears.

“Go back to how it used to be? Let’s set that aside for now. What did you say?”

“I declined.”

“Why? You seemed s*xy and had a good personality.”

Alex wagged his head, using plain words.

With a solid body built from real-life experience and blessed with alluring curves, it was understandable that he caught people’s attention.

“In the end, I was one of the people who couldn’t trust me until the end.”

“Well… I guess there’s some sense in what you said.”

Alex nodded his head, folding his arms, as if he really understood.

Then, as if saying when did that ever happen, he smiled, twisting the corner of his mouth.

“On bitter days, it’s alcohol. Shall we go home first?”

“Yes. Please.”

Alex casually nodded, started the engine with vigor.

The car slowly, and sometimes swiftly, moved on the congested roads, exiting the public parking lot.

An absurd thought popped up, wondering if this was how clogged arteries felt.

“Hwi-yu. It’s my first time coming to your house… Is this really the right place?”

Alex looked up at the worn-out apartment building from the driver’s seat and asked.

The end result of driving all the way here with such excitement was rather unsatisfactory.

“What’s the problem?”

“Problem? Well, apart from the obvious signs of age, I thought I would be living in a more stylish apartment. Just looking at what I’ve seen so far…”

“It’s too expensive there. Anyway, let’s go up.”

I had arranged for the mortgage and taxes to be automatically deducted, so I still believed my house would be there in its original state as I got out of the car.

“Oh… this is… something.”

We climbed the main entrance and took the elevator down to the 10th floor, finally arriving at the door of my house.

Up until here, it was fine, but the dirty door was truly disgraceful.

Sloppy graffiti that looked like it was sprayed on.

Starting with messages telling me to die, and all sorts of curses written in red.

It was natural for Alex to be surprised by what he saw.

“At least the door lock is still intact.”

Even if it was a criminal’s house, there was still an owner, and it would be a crime to enter or damage it as one pleases.

So, I still lifted the intact sliding lid and pressed the numbers.

Click, and the sound of the lock opening was very welcome.

There was plenty of dust inside the house, but fortunately, it was just as I saw it last time.

There was no sign of a thief.

“Oh… Oops?! The dust is so thick, it’s starting to smell. It’s like a decaying…-“

“Oh, stop it. You should use more refined language.”

I covered Alex’s mouth, who was about to curse, and entered the entrance hall.

As Alex said, there was so much dust that my eyebrows furrowed.

“Hey, Yu. Should we call a cleaning company? This is too much.”

“It’s okay. The house is small, so it will be quick.”

Ignoring Alex’s suggestion to call a cleaning service, I first opened all the windows in the house.

Bathroom, kitchen, entrance, and even the veranda.

“Alex, sorry but can you go somewhere and have fun for a bit? I think I need to clean first.”

When I showed Alex the mop I had washed in the bathroom, he furrowed his brows and shook his head.

“What a pain.”

“…Where did you learn that expression?”

“To Logan. Anyway, if you need to clean, I can help too.”

“What? How can I ask a customer to clean?”

I can’t possibly ask someone who has already done me a great favor to clean as well.

So I refused firmly, but,

“I’m a sweet man. Sweet man, okay?”

Could it be that Logan taught him that too?

Logan, what on earth…

“Hannam is the abbreviation for Korean men. It has a slightly derogatory connotation. And Alex is not a Korean man.”

“Oh? Then what should I call myself?”

“…Yankee?”

Since Yankee is the closest meaning, I just blurted it out, and Alex burst into laughter.

It seems that the term “Sweet Yankee” appeals to him.

Because of that, my mouth was tired from exchanging trivial jokes while cleaning.

It was enjoyable, but also tiring.

“By the way, do you have something to change into?”

“Me? Yes, I do. In the trunk.”

Alex tilted his head, as if wondering why he is asking such a question.

“I’ll go get it. Can you lend me the car key?”

“Go by yourself?”

“I feel bad for making you clean.”

“Oh? If you feel bad, then join our guild…”

“You’re going too far?”

When I murmured under my breath, Alex shrugged and threw the car key.

It was incredibly easy to catch, drawing a gentle parabola.

After receiving the key, I immediately headed towards the entrance.

Standing in front of the door, looking at the railing that I used to jump down instead of taking the elevator when I was in a hurry, memories resurfaced.

So, unintentionally, I stepped on the railing and jumped down to the bottom of the apartment.

As I fell, my speed increased, but just before hitting the empty floor, I lightly stepped on the air and jumped back up.

A transparent ripple spread widely at the spot I stepped on and disappeared as it collided with the apartment wall.

That way, I successfully stepped onto the floor silently.

“Ah.”

Approaching Alex’s car parked far away, I opened the trunk with the car key I had put in my pocket.

It was a remote-controlled one, so just pressing one button opened the trunk.

I couldn’t help but think about how technology had advanced in this day and age.

“Hey.”

As I was about to close the trunk and go up, a woman’s voice stopped me in my tracks.

Casually turning around, I saw a woman in a motorcycle suit with her arms crossed and her leg folded.

“When did you get here?”

This summer.

She was a member of our four-person team, including Seo Hanul, Nam Bora, and myself, but I still didn’t feel glad to see her.

Just like Seo Hanul wasn’t glad to see me.

“Just now. But why didn’t you contact me as soon as you were released?”

This summer, with her hair dyed orange, which reached her nape, asked while fidgeting her fingers.

She seemed cool and composed.

“Because I didn’t want to contact you.”

“Just because you didn’t want to contact me? Is that all?”

Not liking my answer, This summer widened her eyes as if she was dumbfounded.

Of course, it was genuine.

“Yes. That’s all.”

“Hey… Even though we spent several years together at the gate… “

“Yes. We spent several years together.”

This summer trembled as she trailed off with a trembling voice.

Since it was the right thing to do, I played along and started to brighten her expression.

“But still, why didn’t you trust the person you spent those years with?”

“Huh?”

However, as soon as I asked the question, This summer started to brighten her expression as if she had suddenly seen someone who had been lost.

It felt like looking at someone who had suddenly moved far away while being in a situation where I had achieved my goal.

“As This summer said, we have experienced a lot together. But despite that, when that person claimed innocence while vomiting blood, you never listened.”

“No, I… that… “

This summer reached out with a trembling hand and slowly walked towards me.

The person with dystonia had less trembling hands than that.

“I’m, I’m sorry. But still… still, just listen to me…”

“E Sum-ssi.”

Thud. When I called E Sum’s name, the pitiful footsteps that were approaching stopped.

“No matter what E Sum says to me now… it just sounds like an excuse.”

“Hey, excuse…? I didn’t mean to… I just wanted to apologize…”

“Is that so? Then go back since I’ll accept your apology.”

“Just wait a moment!”

As I turned my back, carrying Alex’s suitcase, E Sum’s voice echoed behind me.

It was a voice so loud that it made me turn around involuntarily.

There was desperation in it.

“Why?”

“You… why did you become so cold? You weren’t like this.”

E Sum asked with a face that looked like she was about to cry.

My cold attitude must have been quite shocking.

“Isn’t it strange to be warm towards someone who cursed me for a year in prison? And while I was suffering, you only watched. The one who proved my innocence was Alex.”

Only cursing me from behind for a year.

When I mentioned that, E Sum’s face turned pale.

Because of excessive bloodletting, she looked like a person on the verge of dying.

I looked into E Sum’s eyes and opened my mouth.

“The team member who risked their life with me didn’t believe me, but a person I only met once during a joint operation made an effort for me. Isn’t it natural for me to be shaken by that?”

“Well, that’s…”

Seeming unsure of what to say, E Sum stumbled and fell silent.

“And I heard from Seo Ha-neul that… did you curse me that much too?”

“Huh…?”

Now, she could barely speak and just stupidly asked back.

“Well, you must have felt a great sense of betrayal. I don’t think that’s wrong. But from my perspective, E Sum’s words, actions, everything was betrayal. I just want you to understand that.”

This time, I turned my back on E Sum and headed into the apartment.

Wait. Stop.

Although E Sum tried to stop me with a desperate voice that seemed like it would break, I pretended not to hear.

Even if I hear the sound of thump and slump.

Even if the sound of sobbing seeps into my ears.