𝑫𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 [ 𝚂𝚞𝚗𝚔𝚒 ] 「 18+」

27

Lying on the basketball court, his hair was damp and pushed back from his forehead. His clothes were sticking to his body, soaked in sweat. He was struggling to catch his breath after pushing himself to his limits.

His last attempt to score a basket had failed, causing him to lose his chance at victory. Despite his disappointment, he gracefully acknowledged his friend's skill, as his friend made a flawless shot during their one-on-one game.

The ball rolled to a stop on the court next to him.

"Looks like you'll be buying me lunch tomorrow!" His friend exclaimed. Nishimura chuckled absentmindedly, thinking it wasn't a big deal.

"I should go now, my mom must be waiting," his friend announced as he put on his school bag and walked away.

Nishimura stayed on the basketball court, lying back and looking up at the night sky of Okayama. He wondered if the sky looked the same in Korea.

His thoughts were interrupted by a 'ding' from his phone. He let out a sigh and reached into his pocket for his phone. It was from his uncle, though Nishimura always referred to him as his father since he had custody of him.

"Call me when you read this message, I have something important to discuss," the text said. He stared at his phone's display, emotionless. Without saying a word, he powered off his phone, put it back in his pocket, and decided to head home.

“ Okaerinasai.. ” Muttering to himself, he entered his house and noticed that the hallway light was still on. It was not unexpected, as he had intentionally left it on to create the illusion of a welcoming presence in his otherwise empty home. This way, he could avoid feeling lonely when he walked into the house.

However, as time goes on, this trick becomes less effective. Ultimately, he consistently finds himself eating dinner by himself, lacking someone to bid goodnight to. Similarly, when he wakes up to complete silence, there is nobody to greet with a warm good morning.

He had a habit of reading various comics after dinner, but this time he chose to go back and read his uncle's text. He realized he couldn't keep avoiding his messages forever, so reluctantly he decided to call his uncle, even though he knew it was late. However, it was the least of his worries.

After a few rings the elder finally answered, his voice warm and welcoming but Ni-ki felt nothing.

“ Hey Riki! You're still awake! sorry for not calling sooner, as I've been quite occupied lately...”

The sentence ended with the voice tapering off, which was then replaced by an eerie silence, with only faint sounds of movement and background noise coming from the other end of the line.

“ Are you still there? ”

The elder asked, the voice was a bit worried and Ni-ki let himself fall back on his bed before muttering a small “ I'm here ” for the elder's conformation.

Ni-ki can hear the other sighing before he starts again, this time getting straight to the point.

“ so you remember Soyeon san? ”

Certainly, he is well aware of his uncle's romantic relationship with a woman from Korea. To be more specific, she happens to be his colleague. He has had the opportunity to catch a glimpse of her through occasional video calls with his elder relative. During these interactions, he observed that she possessed admirable qualities, such as being warm, cheerful, lively, and kind-hearted. Additionally, her appearance exuded a sense of grace and she displayed a hospitable demeanor towards him.

“ your girlfriend? ”

Despite the obvious answer, he inquired, prompting the older on the line to chuckle before confirming with a concise "yes, her."