Lie Again! Chapter 102

<Chapter 102. In the Middle of Summer (1)>

 

The summer came, with sunlight pinning down like arrows. As if time itself had been pierced somewhere along those summer arrowheads, a day, then a week, slipped away helplessly whenever she blinked. 

 

In the meantime, Jin visited the pool where the boys and Ruth worked, hung out at Joey’s cafe, and spent time idling about with Ivy.

 

She and Evan were together almost every day. The two of them read books at the town’s public library, watched movies, and even attempted jogging—though that didn’t last long.

 

Time flowed on until July 4th, and America welcomed Independence Day. Jin headed to Palm Beach. It wasn’t to celebrate independence from Britain, but to say her goodbyes.

 

A farewell trip—no, according to Joey, who insisted that word wasn’t right since it wasn’t a permanent parting but a temporary separation, a “temporary-farewell trip”—included Evan, the homestay family, and a great many of the kids.

 

As Ruth put it, it was a combination of every single person Jin knew scraped together. Since everyone had been gathered except Pablo, who had been invited but declined, it wasn’t a false statement. 

 

“Whoa…”

 

The moment the door opened, Joey dropped the bags she was holding at the sight of the refreshing blue sea visible beyond the massive floor-to-ceiling windows. Her mouth, which kept repeating “This is insane” as her eyes busily scanned the interior, showed no intention of closing.

 

A high, vaulted ceiling, an interior finished with wood and rattan that gave off the atmosphere of a luxury Asian resort, and a giant sofa that looked like it could sleep ten or fifteen people. 

 

Not only that, but beyond the balcony—which was opened wide across one entire wall of the second floor to create a sense of space—a large swimming pool sat just a step away, and a private beach owned by the estate was adjacent just one step further.

 

Joey’s eyes sparkled as she gazed at the sea billowing coolly right before her.

 

The others were not in much different circumstances. From the entrance of the labyrinthine garden filled with tropical trees, the boys had been running around like excited elementary schoolers, and as soon as they entered, they were busy wandering around restlessly to see everything.

 

“Did you see the yacht outside? If you go out to the pool, it’s just straight to the dock.”

 

“Dude, this view is killer. I’m claiming the end room.”

 

“Doesn’t your house have something like this?” 

 

“As if.”

 

Jonathan went around declaring every room he flung open as his own, while Dustin and Ruth began to argue over something trivial once again.

 

Watching Emily and Olivia, who were already preoccupied with taking photos by the pool, Riley smiled leisurely.

 

“I hope I’m not being an old lady, crashing the kids’ fun.”

 

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not you, Riley, but those guys who are intruding.”

 

Evan said, shrugging his shoulders. At that, Riley played along, grumbling about how much of a headache it had been to play the part of a teacher she had no relation to and call every single parent one by one.

 

“These kids aren’t even dry behind the ears yet. I only allowed it because it’s the last time; otherwise…”

 

“Mom, Mom. Let’s go look at the rooms too.”

 

Ivy, who had been running breathlessly after exploring the garden, cut off Riley’s impending lecture and waved her hand. She seemed to feel a sense of urgency at the sound of Jonathan’s voice announcing that every room was his.

 

“You want us to sleep together? Sweetie, you can sleep by yourself.”

 

“The rooms are huge, so it’s okay to sleep together.”

 

“I thought you said you were all grown up. What grown-up kid sleeps with their mom?”

 

“…The grown-up kid in our house does.”

 

It was a remark poking at a minor dispute between the mother and daughter that had occurred a few days prior.

 

Jin smiled slightly, recalling Ivy and Riley’s battle of nerves over summer homework. Usually, the child would have listened to her mother, but Ivy had shut her mother’s mouth by saying, “I can do it on my own.” Riley had narrowed her eyes but couldn’t say more at the declaration of independence.

 

However, things seemed different now. In front of a huffing Riley, Ivy eventually confessed she was scared to sleep alone and even made a vow to do her homework well before she was finally able to go look at the rooms with her mother.

 

Jin giggled, watching the V-sign Riley surreptitiously flashed behind her back. Then, she fell silent when her eyes landed on Evan beside her. Specifically, at what was in his hand.

 

Leaning his right elbow on the dining table and standing with a rakish posture, the boy smirked and habitually rolled a card key inside his hand. The heavy metal card spun around between his long fingers.

 

Jin, watching him intently, asked softly.

 

“…Was it really okay to borrow this place?”

 

“I wouldn’t know if I didn’t have it, but I’m not petty enough not to use what I do have.”

 

Evan shrugged as if it were no big deal.

 

However, Jin, who had only learned on the way there that he had contacted his uncle separately to borrow this place, couldn’t erase her worried expression. It was because she had watched from the sidelines how much he had hated attending the lunch meetings with his relatives.

 

Though she had only seen it once, Evan couldn’t hide his reluctance at his uncle’s call. It was obvious even to her, seeing how the boy—who usually pretended not to care or be interested in anything—had collapsed against her as if his strength had vanished after hanging up the phone.

 

And how he had thoroughly ignored Jin, who was pinned under his massive frame and hitting his forearm to save her, while grumbling a non-grumble about how time flew too fast when he was with her. 

 

“Are you thinking about another man right now?”

 

“I didn’t realize your uncle fell into the category of ‘other men.’”

 

Even though she knew it was a nitpick to change the atmosphere, Jin glared at Evan in disbelief. Then, she just ended up laughing along with a grinning Evan. As the boy said, there were things that no longer needed to be thought about.

 

The only thing to do was to fully enjoy what this boy had done for her. That was all.

 

“Let’s put our luggage away quickly and go swimming.”

 

Jin, suddenly turning enthusiastic, grabbed Evan’s hand and joined the battle for the rooms. Her back looked spirited as she stood among the crowd and argued that the best room naturally belonged to the owner of the villa.

 

Unable to help himself, Evan grabbed Jin in a hug from behind. Regardless of that, Jin firmly pushed Jonathan away while carrying the man, who was twenty centimeters taller than her, like a keychain.

 

Jonathan was utterly disgusted.

 

* * *

 

“I want to stay here for just one more day—no, one more week.”

 

Joey, lying languidly atop a massive pineapple tube, said as she watched the fireworks being launched from the nearby beach.

 

The sparks were exploding simultaneously in various places, not just one. It was because every group that had come here to vacation was launching them left and right, supposedly to celebrate independence.

 

The sound of fireworks, exploding without rest even since broad daylight when they were barely visible, was reminiscent of a war zone. Ruth, the American, shook his head, saying that Americans definitely suffered from a disease that made them launch fireworks whenever Independence Day came around.

 

“I can feel the hot dogs I ate earlier floating in my stomach…”

 

Dustin, clutching the pool platform, let out a belch in sync with every bang, bang sound. He had headed out for a swim quite a while ago, gallantly claiming he would move his body to push down the twenty-six hot dogs, but judging by his still-pale complexion, his efforts seemed to have yielded little result.

 

For lunch, they had held a hot dog eating contest. It was the result of a few of the boys pushing for it, saying it was the highlight of Independence Day. Riley, clapping her hands and saying it sounded fun, had driven out and returned with a mountain of hot dogs—sausages tucked into thick buns.

 

Olivia and Emily’s dissatisfaction at having to eat cheap hot dogs for lunch at a luxury villa was considerable, but their complaining turned into a fighting spirit in the face of Joey’s sarcasm about leaving the boring kids out and playing among themselves.

 

In that haphazardly held 1st Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest, the glorious inaugural winner’s title was snatched by Dustin, who had crammed twenty-six of them into his stomach. Jonathan had followed closely behind, but he collapsed while clutching his belly at the twenty-third one.

 

Joey kicked the surface of the water, splashing it toward a repeatedly gagging Dustin.

 

“Don’t talk about hot dogs. I feel like I’m going to puke.”

 

“Then you should’ve eaten a reasonable amount. Why overdo it?”

 

Ruth clicked his tongue as he looked at his two friends whose conditions had worsened after lunch.

 

“I couldn’t lose to that Gwen girl.”

 

Joey, who had been glaring at a silently head-shaking Ruth, soon let her limbs dangle limply over the tube as if she lacked the strength even for that.

 

While she had cackled watching Dustin run to the bathroom, Joey had actually swallowed about three times her usual amount when it was her turn. The cause was her ignited competitive spirit toward Emily. The two of them had eaten eleven each before waving the white flag.

 

The moment Emily’s name was mentioned, Ruth’s mouth snapped shut like a zipper. However, the two who were busy managing their hot dogs didn’t notice him and just babbled about trivial things. Stories like how the President’s daughter had her wedding at a villa nearby, or how the families staying here still held debutante balls.

 

Leaving behind the various stories and the sound of fireworks that felt like they would shake the coast, Ruth dove deep into the water.

 

The noise of the world subsided. The sound of the kids chattering, and the rowdy, exploding flowers of light.

 

The dark blue water billowed quietly, leaving only the humming sound of the water.

 

It was Evan Ruth’s favorite moment. The moment the noisy world became exceedingly simple. When submerged in water, the world becomes simple, and thoughts become uncomplicated.

 

However, it seemed things would not be that way this time. Air bubbles flowed from his slightly parted mouth, which was set in a sigh, brushing past his furrowed brow as they floated upward. His mind, like a tangled ball of yarn, simply would not clear.

 

…It was all because of her.

 

The girl who approached as she pleased, made him like her as she pleased, and then cooled off as she pleased.

 

You, who does as you please when it comes to liking, breaking up, and even approaching again.

 

You’re mean. Bubbles of foam rose to the surface of the water.