Lie Again! Chapter 36

<Chapter 36. To hide, to hide, to hide (2)>

 

“But where are we going?”

 

As the gray buildings gradually gave way to greenery, Jin suddenly asked. It was definitely not the way to her homestay.

 

“You ask quickly.” 

 

Evan glanced sideways at Jin in disbelief, who had been calmly sitting beside him without even knowing where they were going. 

 

“I thought we were going home?”

 

“The weather is nice.”

 

He gave an unexpected answer to Jin’s question, lifting the corners of his mouth. Regardless of Jin’s sulky glare, Evan kept his eyes on the traffic light and hummed along to the song playing on the radio. 

 

Watching him for a moment, Jin turned her head back toward the window. Anywhere was fine, as long as it wasn’t school. And, as he’d said, the weather was nice.

 

“Just wait.” 

 

Not long after, the car slowed and came to a stop in front of a store. Evan, who had unbuckled his belt, got out of the car before Jin could even answer.

 

Jin watched the boy disappear into the building through the car window. No matter how many times she asked where they were going, Evan would only answer, “You’ll see when we get there,” so she had given up on getting a proper answer from him.

 

‘I don’t know. Do whatever you want.’

 

Thinking that he probably wouldn’t kidnap her, Jin slumped over on the seat. The disco funk beat still played on the radio, and Jin’s day seemed like it was never going to end.

 

Tuk, tuk.

 

Not long after waiting for him, Jin glanced over at the sound of a tap on the window. Evan, holding an ice cream cone stacked like a tower in both hands, gestured toward the window. As soon as Jin rolled the window down, his hand suddenly reached in.

 

“Hold it.”

 

Without warning, he handed the ice cream over to Jin’s lap and moved over to the driver’s seat. In a daze, Jin, now holding the cone with both hands, looked at Evan in confusion.

 

“Why is this?” 

 

“Ah, if that falls on the seat, we’ll have to replace the whole thing, so be careful.”

 

The car owner, however, was completely nonchalant, while Jin, on the other hand, stared at the stacked ice cream with anxious eyes, feeling quite uneasy.

 

Evan saw that and giggled.

 

“…Where was I supposed to go again?”

 

“The ice cream is melting! Hurry up!”

 

Only after Jin raised her voice did the dark green Mustang roar to life with a growl from its exhaust.

 

* * *

 

After a series of twists and turns, they arrived at a quiet lakeside. The blue, rippling water trapped the sunlight, making the surface sparkle, and in one corner of the lake, a group of swans gathered in small clusters, drifting peacefully.

 

Behind the swans, who occasionally flapped their wings, a family out for a picnic had spread a blanket and sat down, enjoying the serene atmosphere.

 

The sound of children laughing came drifting from afar. It was a peaceful scene, like something out of a painting.

 

The two of them were sitting on the car hood, eating ice cream. The sunlight, now more warm than hot, wrapped around their bodies.

 

Jin spread her hand to shield herself from the sunlight and glanced sideways at Evan, who was on the phone with someone.

 

The low voice of a man, presumably Jonathan Hanson, echoed through the phone.

 

“I don’t want to go. You go on your own.”

 

Evan said calmly.

 

“No.” 

 

It was a careless and indifferent tone, different from the gentle way he usually spoke at school. So that’s the kind of voice he uses with someone he’s really close to.

 

“Because there’s something more fun to do?”

 

She kept sneaking glances, curious about this unfamiliar side of him, until her eyes met his—though she wasn’t sure when he’d started looking. Jin quickly turned away, pretending she hadn’t been watching.

 

“Mhm. I’m with someone.”

 

Is he talking about me? Jin wondered who the subject of Evan’s sentence was, but she suppressed her curiosity and silently took another bite of her ice cream. She had a feeling that if she looked back now, their eyes would meet again.

 

“Well, I think it’ll be soon. A month?”

 

Evan’s words sounded half-hearted, with a certain abruptness, making it hard to grasp the full meaning.

 

However, Jin both wanted to know the hidden story and, at the same time, found the half-said words strangely appealing. It was the kind of thing she wanted to quietly observe. There was something captivating about this boy’s nonchalant ease.

 

“Get ready to say goodbye to your Jordans.”

 

The call ended with an unknown word. Evan clicked his tongue and put his phone away. When the call ended, Jin awkwardly glanced at him at the sudden silence.

 

“Mm, thanks for the ride. Your car’s really comfortable.”

 

As soon as she said it, she regretted it. Was this really the only topic? “Your car’s comfortable?” Jin squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them again.

 

Evan, who turned his head to laugh at Jin’s regret for saying that, answered obediently.

 

“It was my maternal grandfather’s car.”

 

“If it was your maternal grandfather, then…”

 

“That’s right.”

 

As Jin recalled a story she had once heard and trailed off, Evan flashed a smile and raised his hand, pretending to shoot with a finger gun.

 

“I inherited it after he passed away. Mom wasn’t really that interested in the car.”

 

“Oh. He passed away…”

 

“If they knew I was driving this car, they’d be pretty upset. Since my parents divorced, they’ve openly treated me like my dad. But I actually look just like my mom.”

 

“….”

 

Your parents… they got a divorce. What should I even say… sorry? I heard divorce isn’t such a big deal these days… No, that’s not right.

 

Jin, caught off guard by the unexpected information, panicked and didn’t know what to say.

 

Describe the proper reaction upon hearing about a friend’s parents’ divorce. This was something never taught in school. Noticing Jin repeatedly opening and closing her mouth, Evan shrugged his shoulders.

 

“It’s nothing. It’s much better now than when we were living together.”

 

Still unable to find a proper answer, Jin simply nodded instead of saying anything.

 

“What about you?”

 

“About what?” 

 

“How did you end up in America?”

 

At Evan’s question, Jin recalled Minchae’s calm face and the noisy, laughing atmosphere of the class. Almost a year had passed, yet the memory of that day hadn’t faded; it was still vivid in her mind.

 

A long, cliche, and stupid story. However, instead of talking about it all, Jin summarized it all in one sentence.

 

“I just… ran away.”

 

She’s not sure what answer Evan found in that short sentence, but just like Jin, he simply nodded. 

 

After that conversation, the two of them focused on eating ice cream, enjoying the gentle breeze that brushed through their hair and the warm sunlight that softly embraced them.

 

Meanwhile, Jin felt the events of the day with Mr. Wayne fading away. Just like a stain on white fabric slowly disappearing under the sunlight, the unpleasant feelings gradually dried up under the warmth of the sun.

 

“…Thank you. I feel much better.” 

 

Jin, who had been hesitating, opened her mouth and thanked Evan. Evan turned his head at the sudden voice and looked down at Jin without saying a word, then smiled.

 

“Exactly what for? There are so many things you could be thanking me for.”

 

“…This is delicious.”

 

Jin sullenly looked at the mischievous dimple that formed on Evan’s cheek, then changed the subject. Now that Evan was acting so shameless, she didn’t want to say what he clearly wanted to hear.

 

“What does it taste like?”

 

When Jin changed the subject to ice cream, Evan bent down and grabbed Jin’s wrist, pulling it towards his mouth.

 

“Hey…!”

 

Jin flinched and pulled back as the large hand wrapped around her wrist felt hot. But instead of pulling away, her arm—firmly caught in Evan’s palm—was drawn even closer to his side.

 

His face was suddenly far too close. Close enough that she could see the shadow cast by his golden-brown eyelashes over his lowered eyes.

 

Evan took a bite of Jin’s ice cream and licked his lips.

 

Then, as if that was all he wanted, he let go of Jin’s wrist as lightly as he had come closer and pulled his body away.

 

“It’s delicious.”

 

Ironically, in front of that smiling face, Jin’s ears turned helplessly red.

 

Both of their ice creams were the same flavor.