Hoshino POV
It was now 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, the final stretch of my thirteen-hour shift. My break had just ended, but there was still that brief five-minute window the workers took to get ready to start working again. Using that opportunity, I slowly made my way back to where I'd been working earlier with Uncle Hung, still on my phone the whole way.
While I may have been getting paid, it wasn't like I was loyal to the company. I was going to milk every second of freedom I had before I was forced back to work.
The sun had just begun to dip below the horizon, painting the sky in a vibrant, fiery orange. Opposite it hung the bright, white moon. It was as if the two were locked in a power struggle, each trying to assert its influence over the world.
Every second the moon rose, the veil of night crept further across the sky, allowing the first glimmers of white stars to bloom.
When I finally reached my station, I reluctantly sent Mei one last text—telling her that I had to go—before slipping my phone back into my pocket.
There, I found Uncle Hung still sitting on the ground, currently indulging himself in a cold bottle of water. Seeing that I had arrived, he greedily took a few more sips before letting out a satisfied sigh.
"Wow, you're here early. You could've taken a little more time! It's not like we have much to work on, anyway."
'Early'? I've used up five more minutes ever since break ended.
As a kid, I always thought that work meant slaving away until my shift was over. But now that I was older, I'd realized that actual jobs—not fast food chains—didn't really care all that much. As long as you did a mediocre job and got it done in a reasonable amount of time, management usually wouldn't care. And if they did, everyone you worked with hated them, which was fun to gossip about.
Uncle Hung excitedly tapped on the empty spot beside him.
"Come on! Let's talk for a little bit. We have a lot of time, anyway. If anything, the more time we waste, the better!"
Well, even if I get caught sitting around doing nothing, as long as I say Uncle Hung told me to, the management shouldn't care all that much.
Was it a little shady hiding behind him to reap the benefits? Probably. Did I care? Not really.
Following his instructions like the good nephew I was, I made my way over to the empty spot next to him and sat down.
The moment I did, he offered me his water bottle with a caring smile. Normally, I'd turn down an offer like that since I knew he was only doing it to be respectful. But seeing the condensation beading around the bottle, a sign that the water had at least been cooled, and with the sweltering summer heat pressing against my back, I found it hard to refuse.
So, succumbing to my desires, I gladly took the bottle from his hands and helped myself to a few greedy sips. Feeling the cool water slide down my throat was almost enough to trick myself into thinking that working wasn't so bad after all. Almost.
Seeing my reaction, Uncle Hung let out a small chuckle. "If you're that thirsty, you can just have the whole thing."
I took one last sip before setting it down and wiping my lips. "Are you sure?"
He let out a shrewd, childish giggle. "Hihihi, of course! I have a lot more, so it's fine. Take as many as you want."
"Well… if you say so."
If he said he had more, then there was no real reason to refuse. If I kept saying no, my politeness would just start coming off as offensive. I had to give in at some point.
"So," he said, leaning back on his hands and looking up at the sky. "Are you going to be coming to the family gathering next week?"
"Yeah," I replied flatly, taking another sip. "When is it happening?"
Uncle Hung pursed his lips, struggling to recall the date. "Hmmmm, I think it'll happen Thursday evening. So there's still a lot of time."
Thursday? That's perfect.
I was planning to meet up with Mei tomorrow. If the gathering was on the same day and my meeting with her was cut short because of that, it would've left a sour taste in my mouth. In fact, I'd just skip the whole thing. I was not going to miss out on seeing Mei tomorrow. That much was absolute.
Just thinking about meeting her tomorrow made me feel slightly restless, causing me to shift around, trying to get comfortable again.
Uncle, who obviously wouldn't have noticed, carried on. "Oh yeah, I don't think your Dad told you this since we just found out a couple of hours ago, but there's going to be a dress code."
At first, I thought it was a stupid idea. It was just a small house party between family members, so why the hell was there a need for a dress code? That was just plain stupid. But before I could judge too harshly, I asked for clarification.
"What kind of dress code?"
"For girls, Grandma wants everyone in dresses and stuff like that. For the boys, she wants dress pants and dress shirts—suits recommended, but optional."
As if to further emphasize that point, he reiterated, "Again, it's only optional."
I felt the urge to scoff, but I held it in.
Yeah, right.
I doubted it was actually optional. If I came in wearing a dress shirt while everyone else wore suits, then I'd look like a fool of the family and the only person who didn't respect Grandma. And then they'd talk behind my parents' backs, saying they didn't know how to raise their Son.
I could already hear the whispers as I walked into the house.
And I could already see Mom and Dad nudging me to wear a suit that day.
Worst of all, it wasn't that I hated wearing formal attire. I actually thought it looked good—and I was a fan of looking good. I just hated doing it when I was told to. And most of all, doing it for them.
…What a waste of time.
I let out a small sigh.
"K. I'll keep that in mind."
The two of us continued our little talk for a bit before we decided to wrap it up and get back to work.
As Uncle Hung and I worked out how to go about building the section we were working on, the manager came up to us and told us that he'd called someone over to help.
With the excuse of waiting for them to show up, Uncle Hung and I spent those minutes on our phones, doing whatever. Well, I was texting Mei, as usual.
After a bit, we heard the sound of gravel crunching under someone's foot, and we both looked up.
Even with the night slowly encroaching over the world, I could still make out his face clearly.
I kept it off my expression, but I couldn't help but be surprised the moment I saw it. Not because I knew him—but because of the deep red scab spread across his lips, as if they'd been split open. And it wasn't just his lips.
A deep purple bruise swallowed the area around his eye, and he dragged himself towards us with a heavy limp.
But most of all, even from where I stood, I could smell it clearly.
His putrid, foul odour. The kind that made me want to bend over and gag the second it hit my nose.
Uncle Hung shouldn't have been able to realize my disgust, but after throwing me a glance, as if it were another day for him, he stepped forward and closed the distance to the third man—putting himself between him and me.
With the same giddy smile he always had, he stretched his hand out toward the foul-odoured man.
"It's been a while since we've worked together, hasn't it, Han?"
Han took his hand with a dry, raspy laugh. "Haha. It really has, Hung. How have you been?"
From where I stood, I swore I felt his dry breath scrape against my skin, making me shiver.
…Just what the hell is up with this guy?
The two of them seemed to finish their introductions, as Han shifted his attention to me.
"Who's that? Is he a new worker?" he asked.
Uncle Hung's eyebrows twitched as Han looked my way, but his grin didn't falter.
"Oh, him? He's my nephew. He's just working here until the summer ends. He's been working here for the past two summers, actually."
"Is that so…?"
Han slowly pulled away from my Uncle and made his way toward me. Uncle took a half-step in my direction, then stopped. It wasn't like he could've done anything more. He'd already done all he could. And that was enough.
By the time Han was in arm's reach, the smell was absolutely unbearable. It was as if he radiated the very concept of "profane."
He stuck his arm out toward me and offered a kind, formal smile. "Hello. It's nice to be working with you. Can I ask for your name?"
With a polite smile of my own, I calmly reached out and shook his hand. "My name is Hoshino, Hoshino K. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, uhhhh…" I paused, not knowing his full name.
At that, he let out a loud laugh. His breath blasted into my face, and I felt my stomach acid churn. But I held it in.
Wiping tears from the corners of his eyes, he said, "Hahaha, sorry about that. You're just so respectful that you reminded me of someone…"
His laughter slowly died down.
The next time he spoke, he carried the same formal tone as before.
Except this time, everything seemed to stop. All the noise, the heat of summer, the battle of the sun and the moon, the flickering stars in the distance—even my own thoughts.
The only thing that didn't stop was the shiver in my spine, which had escalated into a full-blown, crushing pressure.
"My name is Han. Han Roi. It's a pleasure to meet you, Hoshino."
End of Volume 6: A Lover