Lie Again! Chapter 73

Chapter 73. A New Face (3)

 

As if the answer had been unexpected, James widened his eyes before breaking into a bright, easy laugh.

 

“Hahaha.”

 

As the man continued to laugh for what felt like an eternity, Jin sucked on her remaining smoothie with a grumpy expression.

 

‘The weather is too nice.’

 

It was annoying that the sun shining down on the beach was so pleasant. She also had the useless thought: Why are the men who take an interest in me always so self-centered? The ideal type Jin had always dreamed of was someone serious, diligent, reticent, and kind—that sort of person.

 

Ever since she was in Korea, the boys who approached her were always the smooth-talking, fox-like types. And the foxy-est of them all was Evan Butterfield.

 

At that thought, Jin bit down hard on her straw with a crunch. She was disappointed in herself for thinking of Evan again. The straw, chewed flat in the middle, bore clear teeth marks.

 

“Then how about friends? I promise I won’t make you uncomfortable.”

 

Jin glanced at him as he finally stopped laughing and let out a small sigh.

 

“Only if you promise you won’t keep poking at me.”

 

“I promise.”

 

There was a certain sincerity in the way his eyes curved as he smiled, but somehow it still annoyed her.

 

* * *

 

‘I like you.’

 

The baseball shot up so high it nearly seemed to brush the white-painted ceiling, then lost its force and dropped with a dull thud into a large waiting hand.

 

‘I’m stupid enough to like someone like you.’

 

Thud. Once more, the ball that had shot upward retraced its path and settled back into his hand. 

 

Tears had pooled and dripped down her chin as she laughed hollowly, saying she was stupid to like someone like him. Every drop that sparkled white in the moonlight before losing its luster made his throat go dry.

 

If she cries like that, her eyes will be swollen tomorrow.

 

He wanted to wipe away the tear tracks on her pale cheeks and her eyelashes, which were heavy and wet, but strangely, he couldn’t move a single finger. 

 

‘But I won’t do it anymore. I want to stop.’

 

The hollow laugh that had burst out like a cough quickly faded. The tired-faced girl looked straight at him, still standing there like an idiot, unable to speak.

 

Evan’s thumbnail dug into the side of his index finger. Even then, tears kept welling up and spilling along the long curve of her eyes.

 

‘I hate you.’ 

 

With those words, the girl turned around. In an instant, his heart plummeted. Feeling as if something had struck him over the head, Evan closed his eyes tightly and opened them again to steady his dizzy vision.

 

In that short span, she had already moved farther away. The way she kept wiping her face with the back of her hand looked unsteady, yet her retreating steps held no hesitation.

 

Thud, thud, thud.

 

Evan’s fists trembled as he watched her hair drift further away. A warning sound rang incessantly—he couldn’t tell if it was coming from his chest or his head. Someone screamed inside him to go after her right now. 

 

That girl won’t look back.

 

Yet like a stone statue that had forgotten how to breathe, Evan could only stare at her back and failed to take even a single step. Only after she disappeared from view did he finally release the breath he had been holding.

 

Thud.

 

The worn baseball with frayed stitches dropped into his hand. Staring blankly at the ceiling, Evan flicked his wrist and tossed it upward again.

 

The events of that day replayed in his mind like a strip of film cut and looped. The sensation of flesh collapsing beneath his fist. The red marks on Jin’s wrist. The eyes stained with hurt and betrayal before they finally spilled over with tears.

 

At the same time, older memories overlaid the present like a faded scar. The cherry tree cut at its base. His father pounding against the glass like a madman. His mother gasping for breath. Thump, thump. Sob, sob.

 

All of it tangled together until he could no longer tell one from the other. He knew, rationally, that the two incidents were separate, yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was tracing the same track as his parents.

 

“Hey.”

 

Like this baseball.

 

The ball, having lost its force at the highest point, followed the same arc back down. Accelerated by gravity, the sphere dropped straight into his hand.

 

“Hey, Ev.”

 

Veins stood out along his hand as he sent the ball up again. He tracked the spinning stitches with his eyes as it rose and then inevitably began to lose strength. For a brief second, it seemed to hang in the air before starting to fall.

 

“Hey!”

 

Just before the ball, now picking up speed, could land in Evan’s palm, another hand shot out and caught it first. The straight trajectory abruptly snapped off course. Only then did Evan turn his head to look at Jonathan.

 

“Are you deaf? Or have you finally lost your mind?”

 

“What.”

 

Jonathan was losing his patience, seeing Evan lying on the bed ever since he came to this room, not moving an inch and acting like that. 

 

Jonathan irritably threw the ball he held. He had aimed for Evan’s face, but seeing him catch it nonchalantly made his blood boil again. 

 

Jonathan’s lips quivered before he let out a heavy sigh, “Ugh,” and sat on the floor, leaning his back against the bed. Picking up a joystick, he resumed his paused game. The frozen screen came to life, and a character with a bow on its back rolled around according to Jonathan’s finger movements.

 

“Hey.”

 

When the boy with pointed ears on the screen had climbed halfway up a massive cliff with his bare hands, Jonathan spoke once more. This time, Evan actually responded.

 

“Stop stammering like someone who lost his tongue and just say it.”

 

“…You b*stard, even when you talk—! I’m asking if you’re okay!”

 

“About what.”

 

“What do you mean what, your first lo—!”

 

Jonathan, shouting with the veins in his neck bulging, paused. He made a humming sound as if considering something, then cut himself off flatly, “Whatever, never mind.”

 

Regardless of what Jonathan said, Evan remained in an attitude of utter indifference, continuing to toss the baseball. Watching that meaningless action, Jonathan shook his head. With all the rumors reaching his own ears, this was no time for Evan to be acting so unbothered.

 

Whatever. It’s your relationship, not mine.

 

It seemed better not to interfere. Besides, that would probably be more entertaining.

 

‘I’m just going to sit back and enjoy the show.’

 

The character in green began rolling across the screen again. Beneath the swelling background music of the game, the steady sound of the baseball landing in Evan’s palm continued without pause.

 

* * *

 

“Hey.”

 

A head of curly hair intruded into the long line of people waiting for food.

 

“Hey, James.”

 

“Yo.”

 

Ruth and Dustin lit up like kids spotting a candy store and bumped fists with James. They immediately began bantering about last week’s football game, their familiarity so effortless it felt as though they’d known him for a year. Jin clicked her tongue inwardly.

 

‘Haven’t they only seen each other for about a week?’

 

Aside from Joey, the others hadn’t known about James either. As Amanda had put it, “He’s always off playing matches, so we hardly run into him at school. Why bother mentioning it?”

 

“Hi, James! But shouldn’t seniors be in class right now?”

 

“I exist beyond such rules, my friends. It’s the price of being too talented.”

 

At Joey’s question, the twelfth grader who had no business appearing during sophomore lunch puffed up proudly. At the same time, groans spilled from the boys’ mouths.

 

“Wow, I’m so jealous.”

 

“Should I just become a tennis player?”

 

“You’re late to class every day without being one.”

 

Ruth and Dustin started bickering. Watching them with faint exasperation, Amanda cut off the chatter before it could drag on and jerked her chin at James.

 

“So. Why are you here.”

 

“Ah, I’m here to borrow Jin for a bit.”

 

His eyes, curved into fox-like crescents, turned toward Jin.