Blue Summer

Chapter 12: A dream of the future

"What it takes to be myself every day is paramount pain and agony, and I wish I could lie to myself. But you know what the hardest part of lying to yourself is that your truth turns into a demon that constantly agonises you and reminds you that you are nothing but a hollow liar with no depth of personality."

Faint was the debate about Rui's relationship with girls aside from his sister. His soft personality and passion-oriented mind would make him the dream guy of all the girls around him, but that wasn't true. He was probably the least visible guy of his time, being nothing but a classmate that one would know existed only on the day of graduation. Very vague his presence was and rarely did he mind it. Like his sister, he paid attention to building his career as a psychologist and building his relationship as a guy. But unlike his sister, who was known to everyone in the class, Rui was a shy person whom no one noticed except his close friends. His soft and calm nature made him approachable, yet he never approached so easily.

In his times in college, he had very slim luck when a girl approached him; only her conditions were too much for Rui to grasp, and he backed away from her. It seemed his life would be such that he would end up marrying a girl chosen by his parents and sister and have a simple married life. He had now attained a formal age, that is to say, an appropriate age to talk of his marriage. But he was still hesitant to talk about that to his father.

As Rui sat on the couch in the kitchen giggling at his laptop, his father grew somewhat concerned and asked, "Have you contracted some sort of a giggling disease, son?"

Rui looked up at his father, "No. Why are you asking?"

"You are giggling constantly. Now, either you share with me what the reason for this giggle is, or I will feel concerned."

"Nothing you need to know, Father, or something you would understand. Chill. Okay?"

Heechul gave him a frowned look and grabbed a magazine from the table, "'How to cook gossip?' What a title for a magazine!"

It was late evening when Misao came back home. She saw her family having dinner and her mother on her night shift at the hospital. Her father was reading on the couch, and her brother was working, or it seemed he was working.

She came in and greeted them. She then sat beside her brother, putting her head on his shoulder, "Father, why are you reading a gossip magazine?"

"So, all I need to do is stalk my colleagues to get some gossip. It's easy for me. Stalking, I wouldn't boast, is my skill," Heechul said, his head embedded in the magazine, for he had forgotten his reading glasses.

"Ah, father, I am sure stalking is not a skill to be boasting about. Especially in front of your daughter," Misao responded.

Heechul laughed, "Oh, dear. I am joking. I would never do that. God forbid me if I ever think of stalking someone."

Misao got up and went to her father, giving him a tight hug. Finally, all three went to their rooms to rest. Since Seo Yun wasn't present, no one really felt sitting in the kitchen late at night to chat. Rui was still doing something on his laptop, but Heechul decided to ignore it. He knew well his son and did not worry anymore.

The next morning dawned well to the expectations of Incheon with a clear sky and howling birds. Seo-Yun arrived early, and by then, Rui had also gotten up. He insisted on making breakfast so his mother could rest after a long night of work at the hospital.

"Mother, did Ibuki come for more tests?" Rui asked as he rumbled on the kitchen shelf for ingredients.

"Well, he told me that he had been taking regular tests at another hospital, and they all turned out good. He assumes he might have unknowingly consumed drugs," Seo-Yun replied.