"My name is Han. Han Roi. It's a pleasure to meet you, Hoshino."
The moment I heard his name, the world grew still, and the invisible strings that had been lingering in the back of my head slowly pulled themselves into place—forming the full picture that I'd been so close to grasping all this time.
Han… Roi?
Where… have I heard that name before?
But I wasn't stupid. It didn't take me too long to remember. After all, I'd just spoken to someone with the same last name. And that person was…
…Mei's Mom. Yae Roi.
I slowly lifted my gaze from our joined hands to his face—the face of the person named Han Roi.
Is he… Mei's Uncle?
While I would've liked to believe it, it just seemed too coincidental that I'd meet the man I was most intrigued by at work, of all places. It wasn't like I could base it solely on his last name. While the odds were low, there was a chance they just shared the same last name.
But maybe—just maybe—such coincidences did happen. And on the off chance it was her Uncle, I refused to let that opportunity go to waste.
My mind raced, scrambling through all the previous deductions I'd made through my conversation with Mei as I studied his face.
From the state of it, it didn't take much to figure out those injuries came from a fight. Maybe if it were just a cut lip, or a few bruises, I could write it off as an accident, especially since he worked at a construction site. But the whole thing? If an injury that serious happened while at work, Uncle Hung would've surely told me about it. Therefore, it could've only happened outside of work. And the only way someone could get those injuries was from a fight. It also helped that I'd seen Julie with those same injuries from all the fights she'd been in, so I was sure I wasn't mistaken.
Furthermore, a fight that big couldn't have gone unnoticed, either. Someone—or something—had to have been there. And that was when it hit me.
…The cops.
The cops that I'd brushed past walking Lily home after I'd seen Mei off.
Our neighbourhood was quite boring—nothing criminal ever happened. It was always a quiet, nearly desolate place. And yet, on the same night Mei came running to my house in tears, wrist bleeding, without even a pair of shoes—that same night, cops showed up in our neighbourhood.
Yeah, right. Like I'd believe a coincidence like that.
The only problem was—let's say he was her Uncle—how did those scars and bruises even show up? Why? And who gave them to him?
For starters, it couldn't have been Mei. If she could've done that much damage, she'd never have needed to run to my house in the first place. She'd have stood her ground and continued fighting him.
Which only left her Father and Mom.
I didn't know much about her Father, so I could hardly comment on what he could and couldn't have done. The only thing I knew—from the little Mei had let slip—was that he resembled my Mom to a scary degree.
Back then, when Lily got child protective services called on our family, Mom was the one who controlled the whole situation—telling us what to do, how to act, and what to say when we were questioned. So I could only assume that her Father would've done the same thing. He would've kept the situation—whatever it was—entirely under his control.
Which meant that under his rule, Mei wouldn't have been able to even run to my house in the first place. That would only attract unnecessary attention. In fact, that was probably the reason why the cops were called in the first place. If she ran out, forgetting even her shoes, then it was likely she forgot to shut the door too—which would have alerted the neighbours and gotten the cops called.
My Mom wouldn't make a mistake like that. And because of that, I was sure her Father wouldn't either. Most people wouldn't, really.
Which only left one person remaining…
Auntie Yae.
And with that conclusion, all my thoughts stopped. Not because I'd figured it all out—but because this was where things stopped making sense.
…Could she really… do that?
The scars and bruises on Han Roi's face right now were nothing short of disturbing. And it'd been a week since that incident. Which meant they were even worse initially.
The impression I had of Auntie Yae from our one conversation was of someone frail, weak—but also kind and caring.
But maybe…
That in itself is a mistake.
She was nice, and she was frail—but that didn't mean that was all she was.
What I should have been asking instead was: what would push someone like her to do something like this to Han Roi?
And with that change in perspective—everything clicked.
…Because she loves her Daughter.
Even knowing as little of her as I did, I was certain of that much. Throughout our whole conversation, one thing never wavered—how she always put her Daughter first.
And because she loved her Daughter, it meant that if anything happened to her, she'd do whatever it took to protect her.
Suddenly, a cold, nauseating sensation swirled in my stomach, snapping me back to reality and bringing the world into focus.
I was still in the middle of my handshake with Han Roi. I didn't have to respond right away, but if I waited too long, it'd get awkward. Furthermore, I was still at work, and I still had responsibilities.
So, with a polite smile, I quickly pulled my hand back and gave him a small, formal bow.
"I look forward to working with you, Mr. Roi."
The cold nausea swelled even higher, creeping up my throat. But I bit the inside of my mouth, forcing it back down into my stomach.
Seeing my formality, Han Roi let out a billowing, ear-splitting laugh. "HAHAHAHA! YOU'RE SO FUNNY!"
He turned back to Uncle Hung, wiping an amused tear from the corner of his eye. "Are you sure he's your nephew? He's way too proper to be related to you!"
Uncle Hung laughed along with him. "Hihihi. I'm sure. He's just a good kid. That's all!"
Uncle then turned to me and said, "Please, Hoshino, lift your head. We're all friends here!"
I slowly straightened my posture, still wearing the same polite smile. "Okay. If that's what you say, Uncle."
Uncle gave me a nod of approval before letting out a small, disappointed sigh. "Well, it's time to get back to work. The manager will be on our ass if we waste any more time. Let's go!"
Han Roi nodded along. "Yeah!"
The two of them started walking toward our station while I followed a couple of steps behind. I stared at the back of Han Roi's figure the whole way.
As I did, the cold nausea settled, then vanished. No—it wasn't just the nausea. The chilly night breeze, the crunching of gravel under my feet, the laughter of Uncle Hung and Han Roi ahead of me—all of it came to a stop as the veil of night overtook the world.
To make someone like Auntie Yae inflict wounds like that could only mean one thing…
In the wind, I could vaguely make out echoes of Mei's cries as she clung to me that night. And with it, in the depths of this standstill—was a spark. One that threatened to consume me and expand every second I let my mind linger on it. One that was all too familiar—but one I hadn't felt in a long time.
Whatever he did—or almost did—was something inhuman.
In fact, knowing that was already knowing too much. It felt like I was invading Mei's privacy when I hadn't even done anything. I still didn't know what exactly happened, and at this point, I didn't want to. Not anymore.
But since he was already here…
I might as well get some real confirmation, starting with the most obvious thing.
It was perfect timing. Uncle Hung had just left to grab a forklift, leaving me alone with Han Roi.
Usually, these brief moments when the middle person we both knew left would be spent in awkward silence. But, being the outgoing and polite coworker I was, I filled that space with conversation.
"If you don't mind my asking—how did you get those scars? Mr. Roi?"
Han Roi flinched, as if he hadn't been expecting me to talk to him first. Once the question registered in his head, he awkwardly scratched the tip of his nose.
"W-well, you see… I got into a bit of a scuffle. I was out one day, minding my own business, when this crazy lady suddenly came and attacked me."
So that's the excuse you're going with…
Hearing him describe Auntie Yae like that—casting himself as the victim—made me physically feel the light in my eyes go out, and the spark in my chest flare.
It was awfully ironic, how easily someone could lie to someone who already knew the truth. In a way, it was almost even funny.
And yet, I still managed to cover my mouth and sneak in a shocked gasp.
"Whoa, really? What happened after that?"
He grinned, as if waiting for this. "You won't believe it! It turns out, she was homeless and was trying to rob me! So, to meet halfway, I offered her a warm meal."
I let out an impressed whistle. "Wowwww. Even after she attacked you?"
He shrugged, as if it were no big deal. "What can I say? I just can't ignore people in need."
He laughed—so I laughed along, ignoring the part of me that wanted to rip out my own throat for going along with it.
Getting what I needed, I moved the conversation along to the next topic, and we spent a little bit of time talking about that until Uncle Hung finally came back with the forklift.
After that, we spent the rest of our shift working until the clock struck eight. The moment it did, everyone stopped what they were doing and started packing up.
I began packing up too—but I never once lost track of Uncle Hung. There was one last thing I wanted to confirm.
He spent a couple of minutes chatting with a few of his coworkers before stepping out for a little smoke break. Which meant that, right now, he was completely alone.
And that was when I approached him.