PHUW 98

Haeri was already lying on the sofa and Jeong Mok was on top of him. The heavy weight made it hard to breathe. Or maybe it was because of the kiss that had not yet broken.

“It’s hard to breathe.”

Panting, he tapped Jeong Mok’s arm. The other man reluctantly lifted himself up, then suddenly pulled up Haeri’s shirt and planted noisy kisses on his nipples.

“Ugh! What are you doing!”

“It’s because you’re cute.”

“At least give some warning first. You scared me.”

When Haeri flinched and turned his body away, Jeong Mok laughed playfully and stood up completely.

“Meeting your friend is fine, but not this week. Tell them next week. I’ll take you there myself then.”

“Really?”

“Yes. How would you get on a train with that leg.”

“Alright.”

Haeri beamed and began typing a message to Kim Isak, asking if they could change the date. It was disappointing, but Kim Isak also said next week would actually be better. They agreed to decide the time and place later and asked the others to spread the word too.

In the middle of sending messages, Haeri suddenly noticed Jeong Mok was gone. Instead, Gom-i had gotten up and was quietly approaching, pressing his nose forward. Then, besides Kim Isak, other classmates began replying too. Some had blank profile photos and no posts, so they had ignored Haeri’s messages until they heard from Kim Isak and only then checked.

“I should post something too. Gom-i, come here.”

Animal photos were the best content for SNS. Especially Gom-i, who was a magnificent Bunny…

“What was it again. Bunny Bunny Mix, let’s go with that.”

He chose photos where Gom-i’s size and fur showed well and uploaded them, changing his profile picture to Gom-i too. He also posted one of himself with Gom-i and wrote “Bunny Bunny Mix” underneath. Right away, Kim Isak and the others liked it and left comments.

–The dog’s really cool, better looking than you

–That dog hyung has insane presence lolol

–What’s this? Ahn Haeri, did you really go to America? Did you find your dad?

“Dad?”

America, out of nowhere? A comment popped up that matched Haeri’s own thought. Since Gom-i clearly didn’t look local, the failed joke stretched into “America,” then into “he went to America, so he must have found his dad.” Haeri replied that it wasn’t America, just a hyung’s house.

But the word “dad” stuck with him. So he gathered the classmates into a group chat on Outstargram and asked.

–Does anyone know my dad? I’m an orphan though?

–What kind of new self-roast is this?

–Isn’t he a U.S. soldier?

–What’s this? Whoever made fun of him for not having a dad, get on your knees now

Old classmates, reunited after years, were already brawling, accusing each other of dropping crude jokes.

“An American soldier? Was I mixed? Looking at my face, it kind of seems possible.”

But Haeri wasn’t curious about the parents who were already gone. He wanted to know where he had lived and what he had been doing before he lost his memory. To do that, he would have to explain a bit about his circumstances.

“I was going to say it in person. But maybe it’s better than things getting awkward when we meet?”

After a moment of hesitation, he explained that he had been in an accident, suffered a severe head injury, and now had some memory problems.

–What, memory loss from an accident? Damn, that’s not drama, that’s real?

–If you’re bullshitting, you’re dead later, bastard

–Crazy asshole, why would you even make that up?

–This is that bastard Lee Sangjin’s doing, right?

–Yeah, if it’s him, he’d definitely pull a prank like this

“Ah, Lee Sangjin.”

Haeri shot up from his seat. Then his thumbs flew in a rush.

–Anyone have Lee Sangjin’s phone number?

–Still lying to the end

–If you don’t know it, who would?

–Was I even close with him?

–Lolololol you’re insane

–Are you crazy?

–The amnesia’s real?

–It’s real. Damn, answer already, you bastards

–You two hung out together and even dropped out at the same time

–And now you’re acting like you weren’t close, what the hell do you want us to say?

“Huh. I dropped out?”

Haeri typed the message exactly as he spoke it. By now the others could not tell if he was joking or serious, and they pressed him to stop. When they told him to prove it if he was really injured, he recorded a video showing his face and his injured leg. He even struggled to take a picture of the scar on his head. That was not enough, so he uploaded the medication he was taking and various photos from the hospital. Of course, anything with Jeong Mok in it was left out.

–Looks real?

–His head really got smashed?

–I told you, you crazy bastard

–Have you idiots been gullible your whole lives

–When someone tells you something, try believing it, you crazy fucks

–From the way he talks, it’s definitely Ahn Haeri

Then Kim Isak and the others started spilling what they knew. Altogether, it turned out he and Lee Sangjin had been inseparable friends, terrible at studying, and played at being gangsters. But instead of fighting, they cut class, rode secondhand motorbikes, and messed around like throwaway punks. They were constantly suspended, and eventually Haeri ran away from home and vanished. By graduation, his attendance was so low he was naturally expelled. In short, he had dropped out of high school.

“What the fuck. How did I live such a wrecked life? Dropping out means I only graduated middle school.”

He was so stunned he could not speak. While Kim Isak and the others graduated and some went on to college or got jobs, Lee Sangjin stayed active on NeoStar, keeping in touch with them. They said the two of them had gone up to Gyeonggi and done all kinds of part-time work until Sangjin finally got a permanent position at a trading company.

–Don’t I have an account?

–You did, but you deleted it

–Said you were sick of all the DMs from muscle dudes and deleted it, yeah

–You were the President of Gyeongjin City

–That hyung you live with, he’s not that kind of hyung, right?

“Ah, fuck. I shouldn’t have asked that.”

The bastards really were classmates. Just from a few messages, they were already suspicious. At times like this it was important to act like nothing was wrong.

–What the hell are you saying, crazy bastard

–Shut your mouth, will you?

–But why can’t we reach Sangjin? Don’t you know his number?

He pretended not to know and changed the subject.

–We haven’t been able to reach him for months

–They said his number is out of service

–I DMed him and the bastard ignored it

–Ignored ChocoTalk too, ever since he started dating he’s been a shit friend

–You don’t have a phone?

–Yeah, I lost it in the accident

–Lost his memory and his phone too

–What do you have left then?

–Virginity?

–Fuck you bastards, I’ll kill you

–And who the hell stays a virgin at twenty-six?

–Oh, so you do get around?

–Fuck, it’s me, I’m this neighborhood’s Virgin Guardian

–Virgin loser bastard lolololol

In the meantime, Kim Isak sent a link to Lee Sangjin’s NeoStar account. It was locked, so they could not see it.

–But Sangjin’s account has been inactive since he disappeared

–Right, that bastard promised to buy me a meal and then went dark

–Piece of trash, what’s the point of becoming permanent staff at a trading company

–He threw away all his poor temp worker friends

–All he does is hang out with his girlfriend

Something was off. The timing overlapped, same time when he had been found at Jeong Mok’s construction site.

–When exactly was the last time you were in contact?

The dates varied by a day or two, but most of them were right before Haeri’s accident. Some were even from the very same day.

–Did he say anything in particular?

–He said the company was weird

–Who working at a company doesn’t complain about it

They sent over message logs and captures from Lee Sangjin’s NeoStar account. There was nothing unusual. Just silly banter like now, ending with a mention that he was going to meet Haeri later.

–If you don’t know, we wouldn’t either

–So how did you crack your head?

–It’s complicated

–Maybe that bastard Sangjin smashed your head and then disappeared?

–Oh, that actually makes sense?

–Wow, fuck, I always knew that bastard’s character was rotten

–No wonder, bastard without a dad

–That’s a savage joke, you crazy fuck

The foul-mouthed ones started fighting among themselves. Haeri thought more about whether something had happened between him and Lee Sangjin. Otherwise, why would he suddenly cut off contact and vanish?

–Does anyone know where I live?

–How the fuck would we know, you bastard

–Aren’t you living with that bastard Sangjin?

–If he was, would he be DMing us now to find his memories?

–True

–I don’t know Haeri’s place, but I do know a way to get Sangjin’s address

–How?

–His girlfriend is friends with my ex

–My ex probably went to her house before

–So you’re going to contact your ex?

–If he smashed my buddy’s head and went into hiding, damn right I will

–Now that’s manly

After that, they moved on to chatting about what to eat when they met next weekend. Nothing important, so Haeri just watched. Then the guy who said he contacted his ex sent a private message. Instead of directly reaching out to his ex, he had explained the situation to another mutual friend and asked if they could share Lee Sangjin’s address.

–They said they can’t give out the address

–But they gave me the name of a shop nearby

– They Said to ask the owner there

With that, he sent a link. When Haeri clicked it, a map opened to a motorcycle dealership on the southern outskirts of Seoul.

“Motorcycle?”

Had he been close with the dealership owner? He had no memory at all.

–But here’s the weird part

–That bastard’s girlfriend disappeared too

–What? Sangjin’s girlfriend too? Why

–She does manicures

–Apparently she took deposits for reservations and then disappeared

–People are threatening to sue her

–It was barely two hundred thousand Won at most

–Would you really ditch your friends over that much

–Birds of a feather, I guess

–Really?

–Anyway, they said if they hear from him or his girlfriend, they’ll let you know

–Got it, thanks for the info

After finishing the messages, Haeri looked up the phone number for the motorcycle dealership and tried calling.

–Yes, this is Gwanrim Motors.

“Hello, I’m calling to ask something.”

–Huh? Wait, aren’t you Ahn Haeri?

The middle-aged man who answered immediately recognized his voice. Haeri’s heart sank. He gripped the phone tighter, tense.

“You know me?”

–Hey, you bastard! How can you leave your motorcycle here for two months and not pick it up! Without even paying! Not answering calls! And that bastard Lee Sangjin even blocked my number! I even gave you a discount on the parts, and this is how you stab me in the back?

The man on the other end exploded in anger.