Lie Again! Chapter 45

<Chapter 45. On the fence (5)> 

 

Suddenly, a scream broke the lively chatter around the table, plunging it into silence. Ruth, who had been happily talking, rubbed his shin where he had been hurt.

 

Beside Ruth, Evan chuckled quietly and then parted his lips toward Jin.

 

‘Ouch.’

 

Jin, frozen with wide, startled eyes at the unexpected scream, shot him a glare.

 

“What is this…” 

 

But when Ruth turned his gaze across the table, she quickly looked away, pretending to know nothing.

 

Ruth looked around blankly, seeing that there was someone who had been hit but no one who had hit him.

 

“Are you okay, Ruth? What’s going on?”

 

“It’s nothing. I think Freckles hit me and went away.”

 

At Riley’s concerned question, Ruth shook his head as if he had no idea either.

 

Meow. 

 

Freckle, who had been sitting quietly under the table, let out a sharp meow as if protesting the injustice. The clever cat then leapt onto Jin’s lap in a single bound.

 

All eyes turned to her, and Jin gave an awkward smile while waving her hand dismissively. Evan almost burst out laughing at her stiff, robotic movements, but quickly pretended to rest his chin on his hand and turned his head to cover his mouth.

 

Jin’s cheeks flushed red as she glared at him, then firmly kicked forward with her foot. This time, her aim was precise—Evan’s shoulders jolted as he stifled a laugh with a cough.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“It’s nothing. Freckle hit me here too.”

 

At Ivy’s question, Evan straightened up with a casual smile, pretending nothing had happened.

 

“But Freckle is right here, though?” Ivy said with a confused look, glancing back and forth between Freckle sitting on Jin’s lap and Evan across the table.

 

The black cat, who was once again pointed out as the culprit, cried in discontent.

 

* * *

 

Late at night, when darkness had settled thickly outside the window and even the neighborhood—once bustling with their own Thanksgiving celebrations—had fallen into silence, Jin sleepily opened her eyes.

 

As she sat up from being deeply buried in the sofa, the blanket that had been covering her neck slipped off softly.

 

“….”

 

Jin rubbed her eyes and looked around. Ivy, who had dozed off in a beanbag in the corner of the living room, was nowhere to be seen. On the small couch, the two Evans were curled up, fast asleep with their arms crossed.

 

Jin stepped down, careful not to step on the game board and cards scattered under the sofa.

 

After the boisterous dinner came to an end, the kids gathered in the living room to play games. As if she had been waiting for this very moment, Ivy brought out a flood of board games from her room—piling up in a mountain of mysteries, co-ops, card games, chess, and more.

 

‘Ruth, draw two cards!’

 

‘Ah, oh my.’

 

And they were in the middle of one last game, thanks to Ivy’s persistent pleading. Having not won a single round in any of the previously mentioned games, Ivy was thoroughly riled up.

 

“Again! One more round, just one last time!”—that chant had already led them through more than five different games.

 

Riley, who had been watching the game, had long since nodded off and gone to bed, while the three teenagers’ eyes were glazed over and empty.

 

‘UNO1)!’

 

At Ivy’s joyful declaration of “UNO,” the three of them exchanged glances.

 

Jin’s hand was full of attack cards that could make Ivy draw a bunch, and judging by their expressions, both Evans seemed to be in the same situation. However, despite having plenty of cards they could play, they quietly drew new cards from the pile and added them to their hands.

 

‘I won!’

 

And as promised, Ivy played her last card and raised her hand high.

 

‘Congratulations, Ivy. I can’t win this.’

 

Evan shrugged his shoulders and skillfully shuffled the cards in his hand back into the deck, keeping them hidden from Ivy’s view.

 

Jin and Ruth also congratulated Ivy on her victory, subtly moving their hands to erase any evidence of the rigged game.

 

Ivy, who had been losing to her older sisters and brothers throughout the game and had won her first game, finally felt tired and fell down on the sofa. She had a proud smile on her lips.

 

The last thing Jin remembered was falling asleep while watching a famous sitcom’s Thanksgiving episode that Ruth had turned on the television.

 

Jin got off the sofa, stretched out her stiff back, and looked at the two Evans.

 

The two men—well, more precisely Evan Butterfield—who had acted as if the other barely existed all evening, were now peacefully asleep, their heads gently leaning against each other.

 

Click. Jin quietly took a photo of the scene with a soft chuckle, then draped a blanket over herself and headed toward the front door.

 

The daytime heat had faded, and a cool breeze blew through the night. Even though it was the tail end of November, the place remained warm, though at least now the nights could be called fairly chilly.

 

Jin, walking briskly across the lawn, perched on the swing set tucked away in the corner of the garden, sitting with her knees up.

 

Ivy said it was a swing that Riley had installed herself back when she was still a little child, before even starting elementary school.

 

The wood was rough and uneven, and when brushed by hand, its coarse texture was clearly felt. The nails weren’t properly hammered in, so the swing creaked with every movement. Yet, Jin liked this place because in that clumsiness, she could see Riley’s love.

 

After swinging for a while, Jin sensed someone approaching from afar and sitting down beside her.

 

“Why did you come out here?”

 

Familiar scent of soap and a large, familiar silhouette made Jin mumble without turning her head, burying her face in her knees.

 

The man suddenly appeared after a week of disappearance. She felt somewhat relieved after spending the noisy evening, but she hadn’t forgotten all the times he had been worried because of Evan. 

 

“Because you’re here.”

 

Evan shrugged. Then he looked at Jin’s feet and added.

 

“You’re wearing your shoes properly today.”

 

“When did I do that again?”

 

Jin looked at him sullenly at Evan’s teasing.

 

“Aha, you’ve never done that before.”

 

Evan grinned, showing his dimples, at Jin’s denial. Jin rolled her eyes, unable to bring herself to say she’d never done such a thing, as Evan had caught her barefoot too many times.

 

“…People wear shoes all day around here.”

 

“After all, shoes were invented 6,000 years ago.”

 

Jin lightly punched the boy’s thigh, who had so elegantly hinted that civilized people should wear shoes.

 

“When I’m at home, I just want to take my shoes off. Especially when I get on the bed.”

 

“I don’t get why people walk all over the sofa and bed with their shoes on,” Jin grumbled. Evan, who had been listening to her complaints with a smile, suddenly opened his mouth.

 

“There’s a holiday market next week. Do you want to go?”

 

They start turning on the lights from the cathedral in the old town. It’s quite a sight. Everything you picture when you think of Christmas—you’ll find it there.

 

Evan lowered his head to Jin, who hesitated to answer, and whispered like a devil.

 

“It’s a place where it’s appropriate to wear shoes according to social norms, but you can take them off if you want.”

 

Jin glanced at Evan, who didn’t forget to tease her even while trying to persuade her to go together, and said hesitantly.

 

“Um… I think it’ll be difficult until the final test. I don’t have enough time to study, and I also promised Ruth I’d learn swimming.”

 

As she spoke, Jin felt a twinge of self-reproach. Turning down an invitation to enjoy Christmas because she had to study—was she coming off way too much like a nerd?

 

“What?”

 

What should I do? He probably thinks I’m a nerd too, Jin thought, looking at Evan with a little sting in her eyes. But the words that came from his furrowed brow were nothing like she expected.

 

“Why did you learn that from him?”

 

“…Because I have to take the test?”

 

Evan sighed deeply at Jin’s bewildered answer.

 

“What do you think of me, Jin?”

 

Evan snapped his fingers and lightly tapped Jin’s forehead. Though he spoke playfully, his words carried a faint but unmistakable mix of disappointment, mild irritation, and coldness. Why did you ask him instead of me?

 

And that made Jin choke up. She had already spent quite a long time struggling with this very issue—the week Evan didn’t contact her. Alone.

 

Yeah. If we were anything like that, it might be embarrassing to ask Ruth. But you know.

 

“What are you to me? I mean… what are we?”

 

Jin glared at him. Evan rolled his eyes and shrugged, embarrassed by the way she looked at him like a burning fire.

 

“We… Of course ‘we’.” 

 

“What exactly is that ‘we’?”

 

We are just us, right? I’ve never really thought about it, so why ask?

 

Evan’s vague answer poured fuel on Jin’s anger. It’s so frustrating. Jin grabbed Evan by the collar and pulled him towards her, gritting her teeth.