Lie Again! Chapter 104

<Chapter 104. In the Middle of Summer (3)>

 

In the end, the walk along the shore concluded with everyone, including Riley, getting completely drenched in salt water. The boys had made a game of grabbing anyone they saw and tossing them into the ocean, and eventually, everyone joined in on the fun.

 

Time flew by as they played like madmen in the pitch-black sea. Jin was certain that if Ivy hadn’t started yawning with a tired face, they would have stayed up all night.

 

And because she had come in dead last in the sprint for “showering rights,” Jin was the last one out, drying her hair as she stepped out of the second-floor bathroom. It was then that she spotted the kids huddled together on the terrace and approached them with a puzzled look.

 

“Is there something outside?”

 

“Shh.”

 

Joey placed a finger to her lips and gestured for her to be quiet and look down below the terrace. Following their lead, Jin cautiously peered over the edge and saw two people standing in a corner of the garden, framed by the U-shaped building.

 

The light leaking from the building’s windows cast a faint silhouette. A girl whose wavy blonde hair scattered gold even in the dim light, and a neat shadow with a tall stature and broad shoulders. It was Emily and Ruth.

 

Realizing what everyone was watching so intently, Jin glanced sideways. Every face was filled with intense interest as they focused on the pair.

 

The thought of stopping them crossed her mind for a second, but she gave up on it immediately. They weren’t the type to be stopped, and truthfully, Jin herself was curious about the situation.

 

“…Why do you keep pretending not to know?”

 

As they held their breath, the conversation floated all the way up to the terrace. Emily’s voice was a bit sharp and cold. It was clearly felt even by the listeners that she was furious, but Ruth, in fact, showed no reaction whatsoever. 

 

“You knew I was following you around. You knew, and you just ignored me.”

 

“….”

 

“Wasn’t it because you didn’t hate it? Because even if it wasn’t the exact same, you had feelings, so that’s why……” 

 

“You must be mistaken. The reason I didn’t say anything was because I didn’t feel it was worth the effort.”

 

Amanda let out a soft whistle. It was likely because Ruth’s tone was colder than ever before. This midwinter north wind blowing from him—a man who was always kind and sometimes friendly to the point of being clumsy—was unfamiliar.

 

It seemed the same was true for Emily, as the sense of strangeness she felt was conveyed clearly even through her faint silhouette. Standing blankly and staring at the boy in front of her, Emily spoke again.

 

“…Benny, it hurts. Every time you’re cold to me, every time you act like a completely different person from my Benny, it stings right here. I don’t want to give up, but the urge to give up keeps creeping in. So please, just stop it……”

 

Emily took a step closer as if pleading and grabbed Ruth’s sleeve. Her pitiful voice revealed her honest feelings so clearly that it was almost painful to hear.

 

But Ruth flinched as if he had been burned and yanked his hand away, taking a step back.

 

With a sharp slap, her white hand was cast into the air.

 

“….”

 

“….”

 

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air. Those watching from the terrace gasped, holding their breath.

 

Ruth, who had frozen as if surprised by his own actions, soon clenched his fists tight. The harsh words that followed were laced with even more sarcasm than before.

 

“…Stop calling me that. If you can’t stand it, why don’t you just quit? It would be easier for both of us.”

 

“Are you really, really sure you won’t regret this? There’s no one you’ve liked as much as me. I guarantee it, no one will ever like you as much as I do. Far from it, you won’t find anyone better than me for the rest of your life. If you lose me now, you’ll regret today forever. Just you wait and see.”

 

“Is that a confession or a curse?”

 

“The confidence is incredible.”

 

The audience offered silent applause in the air. Unlike the boys who were busy marveling, Joey crossed her arms and snorted, muttering, “What a bluff.”

 

To Jin, Emily’s words also sounded like a bluff. The claim that he would regret it for the rest of his life if he lost her was essentially the same as a plea for him to hold onto her.

 

“I’m sure there won’t be. Someone I could like more than you. I don’t expect there to be, either.”

 

“Then……”

 

Ruth calmly admitted to Emily’s forced argument. But before a faint glimmer of hope could bloom in Emily’s eyes, his blade-like words cut her down coldly.

 

“Even so, that person wouldn’t act as selfishly as you do. Throwing a tantrum when there’s something you want, and then discarding it as if it’s nothing once you’re bored. A ‘better’ person? That’s funny, Emily.”

 

“….”

 

“I guess you’ve already forgotten everything. Or maybe you just don’t know yourself very well. If I were to date you, what would be the excuse you’d use the next time you dump me? Friends again? Or family? Does your family still think a half-Asian is worthless?”

 

“Evan! That’s……”

 

“You’re a nightmare to me.”

 

“…Do you hate me that much? If you dislike me so much, why did you do all those things?”

 

After a long silence, Emily spoke in a voice that sounded like it was being wrung out. The end of her voice, carried by the wind, trembled uncontrollably. Despite her best efforts to remain composed, she couldn’t hide it.

 

Jin could easily imagine the jewel-like tears welling in her blue eyes.

 

“Why did you let me follow you around? Why did you help me when I fell? Why did you stop the weird rumors from spreading? Why did you save me when I was about to be humiliated? You should have just pre—pretended not to see me.”

 

“I couldn’t just ignore what was right in front of me. Don’t worry, it wasn’t because it was you. I would have done the same for anyone standing in front of me.”

 

“Then! Then why did you kiss me back then…… was that also just because I was in front of you?”

 

The words that started out sharp and accusing crumbled completely at the end. The sobs breaking through her voice interrupted her. But even as her breath hitched and tears flowed, her eyes were resolute as she stared directly at Ruth.

 

Jin thought she was remarkable. If it had been her, she would have thought of her pride and reputation before following someone around, and she would have overanalyzed everything alone before distancing herself as if nothing had happened.

 

She was also a bit envious. Even after going through so much, her own tendency to want to vanish like smoke in the face of difficulty was not easily fixed. Facing a problem directly without avoiding it was still something Jin had to wring out courage to do.

 

Where did that girl’s boldness come from?

 

Jin found herself cheering for Emily, waiting for Ruth to speak. But the answer came not from him, but from right beside Jin.

 

“What?!”

 

Joey, who had shouted without realizing it, covered her mouth with both hands and widened her eyes. Simultaneously, the two heads below whipped upward.

 

The kids hurriedly ducked, but on a terrace without a single potted plant to hide behind, there was nowhere to disappear.

 

“…You guys!”

 

The light flowing from the window illuminated the two faces. Unlike Ruth, who closed his eyes with a tired expression, Emily’s face cycled through shades of bright red and pale white.

 

The kids gave up on their attempt to hide and laughed awkwardly, avoiding her glaring eyes.

 

“The thing is, we didn’t mean to listen… Em!”

 

Jonathan, who was offering a lame excuse, suddenly called out Emily’s name. It was because she had abruptly bolted out of the garden.

 

The blonde silhouette vanished into the pitch-black darkness, swallowed up before anyone could grab her.

 

“We have to go after her. You can’t see anything out there right now; if she takes a wrong step and falls into the sea, it’ll be a disaster.”

 

Amanda’s voice awakened the dazed kids. Just as Jonathan was about to turn and follow her—

 

Ruth, who had been staring into the darkness where Emily had disappeared, suddenly sprinted out. When Dustin and Jonathan tried to follow, Joey quickly held them back. “Leave it to Ruthie.”

 

* * *

 

Her hand felt ticklish. Something firm and slender kept sliding across her palm. It felt as if someone was holding a feather upside down and tickling her hand with the quill.

 

When she instinctively closed her hand, something warm and large pressed firmly over her palm.

 

When she let out a sleepy moan, a low chuckle drifted into her ear.

 

He was laughing tenderly, but he wouldn’t stop tickling her hand. How mean.

 

Wandering between the boundaries of dream and reality in a daze, Jin finally opened her heavy eyes. As she blinked slowly, the first thing she saw was the bluish ceiling. The pale morning light from the dawn was coming through the wide living room window, tinting the white ceiling.

 

“What about Ruth and Emily?”

 

A voice half-clogged with sleep asked. The boy who had been teasing Jin was sitting below the sofa, laughing with her left hand trapped between his.

 

“They came back a while ago. They’re sleeping like the dead in that room.”

 

Jin nodded slowly. A small yawn followed. Trying to open her eyes, which felt as if they were glued shut, Jin looked around.

 

Across the large sofa and the living room floor, she saw the kids asleep as if they had collapsed.