A Thousand Faces (Soon to be Published)

Chapter 2

"Junwoo! Your Father did something great!"

*Ruffle*

The sound of plastic crinkling. The familiar smell of fried chicken filled the air. It was Jinmi Chicken, Ilnam's favorite.

The place is a bit noisy. The voices of his fathers bickering with the faint sound of a TV in the background could be heard.

His fathers can't be in prison; also, there can be no TVs. I wondered if I was dreaming.

"You just ate that all up, and now you're having chicken again? You said it was going to be beef this week!"

The soft, familiar, and comfortable feeling of something enveloping his body. Strange. Just a moment ago, Junwoo was lying on the hard, cold floor of his cell.

Junwoo furrowed his brows, his eyes closed. The word "chicken leg" caught his attention as he listened to the noisy sounds. The sound of his fathers fighting overlapped.

"Hey, don't touch it. What have you done today to take it?"

"I didn't do anything. Let go of this. Are you going to let go?"

"So there are five people, but two are taking it? How have you been cheating all this time with such a small wallet?"

As the chicken leg was passed from hand to hand, Go Ilnam's hand, which had claimed it, was raised high.

"Junwoo!"

Ilnam quickly left the kitchen and ran across the living room. The footsteps were getting closer and closer.

"!!"

A chicken leg was swiftly thrust into the mouth of the sleeping Junwoo. Simultaneously, his eyes flashed open.

The first scene that caught my eye was a man leaning in closely, his face scrunching up as he chuckled. A faint scent of beer wafted from his slightly parted lips.

Everything felt odd. After Junwoo entered adulthood, Go Ilnam, who had been struggling with life, stopped drinking.

"Hehe. Is it delicious?"

Above all, his face appeared somewhat, no, much younger. The once-gray hair had transformed into pitch black.

How did this happen? Instinctively, he sat up. Junwoo was lying on the sofa, not in his solitary cell.

Junwoo turned his head. In the living room, the fathers were gathered, laying out fried chicken and beer. It was a familiar scene, but it felt like a distant memory.

"Why am I here?"

Junwoo started nibbling on a chicken leg, wearing a puzzled expression. An old movie from twenty years ago played on the TV.

Gulp.

It felt too vivid to be called a dream.

"Han Junwoo, quit watching that darn TV and come out right now! We're getting the table ready for dinner."

In the distance, a father who had his chicken leg taken away was making a commotion for no apparent reason. Ilnam quickly turned his head.

"He's trying to sneakily snatch that. Junwoo, don't go! Stay here and finish it with us! Got it?"

Throughout the entire process, Junwoo couldn't help but wonder what in the world was happening.

***

For the past few moments, the father had grown suspicious of his son, who seemed slightly off. He didn't speak up as much as he used to. During their usual meetings, he used to get excited, sticking close and eagerly asking who he would deceive this time. However, his son didn't approach with the same enthusiasm this time.