The Trash Wants to Live

Is it high blood pressure?

Was his hypertension acting up because he didn’t like being hugged? 

Sure, it was strange to be hugged by a fellow man. I was thinking of letting go, but then someone grabbed my waist and pulled me away and towards them. I could only assume the solid sensation against my back that was accompanied by a refreshing scent was someone’s body.

"What are you two doing?"

It was Kwon Jae Hyuk. He smiled while he had his chin resting on the top of my head. I didn't know because I couldn't see his face, but he seemed to be in a good mood.

What's wrong with him?

Jung Yi Joon was angry about something else, he didn't look so good. Since he was angry all the time, it was natural that he’d get high blood pressure. And at such a young age… I'm so sorry for him.

"He wants to go out.”

"Out? Like, ‘outside’?"

With Jung Yi Joon’s answer, Kwon Jae Hyuk's voice lowered. I was getting a very bad feeling, he could prohibit me from going out.

No, but come to think of it, am I not in a higher position here? So what if they ground me?

If I want to go somewhere, shouldn't they say, "I'll take you!" and get ready before they judge if I'm acting like myself?

In my anger, I made a sullen expression. But rather than empathize with me, Jung Yi Joon was just further provoked. Isn't this a rebellion? Is this okay? 

"Hmm… do you need to go out?" Kwon Jae Hyuk asked me.

"Uh?"

Noticing that he hadn’t said no right away, I had hope. 

Ignoring Jung Yi Joon, who stared at me with a look of betrayal, I clung to Kwon Jae Hyuk.

"Yes, Hyung. I-I want to go out…”

I clasped my hands together with a wretched expression on my face to make me look as pitiful and compassionate as possible. Jung Yi Joon, who was complaining as if he was surprised, was still being ignored.

“If Yoon Jae wants to go, he just should.” 

Kwon Jae Hyuk gave a satisfactory answer.

…It's funny that I’d need to get permission, but it was better than him telling me no outright.

"Go with me instead."

"Eh?"

"Huh, really, what nonsense is this?"

"What are you talking about? You'll need a car to get out of here. Yoon Jae can't drive."

Ah… Come to think of it, I was still sixteen. Before I possessed this body, I had a car and could drive, so I thought I'd drive myself…

But isn’t Kwon Jae Hyuk a minor too?

“Do you have a driver's license?” To my question, Kwon Jae Hyuk chuckled.

"I got it right after my birthday when I turned nineteen."

“So, how long ago did you get your license…?”

Kwon Jae Hyuk's smile widened. He once again answered my question as my pupils shook in anxiety.

"It’s been, what? Three months?"

Haha, Kwon Jae Hyuk's fresh smile was like that of the Grim Reaper.

…Save me.

* * * 

Unexpectedly, Kwon Jae Hyuk was a good driver even though he said he had only passed the test three months ago.

For some reason, Jung Yi Joon said that he “couldn’t let the two of us go alone,” so Kwon Jae Hyuk drove and Jung Yi Joon sat in the back seat.

Jung Yi Joon kept murmuring and complaining as if he was in a bad mood even though he’d followed me because he wanted to, not because I asked him to. 

“Fuck…”

What's with his attitude…?

I don't know what there is he's not happy with. As I was clicking my tongue, Jung Yi Joon suddenly turned his head and looked at me.

I almost bit my tongue in surprise, but Jung Yi Joon gave me a determined smirk. 

“I’ll get my license after my nineteenth birthday, too!”

"…Go ahead.”

"I'm going to buy a better car than this!"

"…Sure thing.”

Who's stopping you? I don't even know why you’re talking to me.

Kwon Jae Hyuk, who was driving, heard our conversation and laughed. Jung Yi Joon turned his eyes back to Kwon Jae Hyuk, staring at him.

"Don't laugh!"

Bang! A foul-tempered guy who couldn’t stand some teasing kicked Kwon Jae Hyuk's seat with his foot.

I had no choice but to stop him.

"Don't do that!"

Right now, your life and mine are entrusted to the person driving! 

As I tried desperately to stop him, he once again turned his gaze to me to see what he was mistaken about.

"Are you taking his side?”

"What are you talking about…?”

There is only one ‘side’ in this world, and I’m the only one on it, so what is he talking about? If I could, I’d like to throw both you and Kwon Jae Hyuk out of the window and disappear from this world, but I mostly hoped he would stop talking nonsense.

"Yoon Jae, where do you want to go?" Kwon Jae Hyuk asked. 

We’d just left the mansion and were driving without a destination. At that moment, I was going to say that any place would have been fine. I felt comfortable just being away from the house.

Ah…

The view outside the window was familiar. It was the neighborhood where I had worked part-time. My heart suddenly started beating. There was no difference between the neighborhood in my memory and Ki Yoon Jae's neighborhood in the present. 

I wonder if it -is- here?

My former residency was so small that it's embarrassing to compare it to Ki Yoon Jae's house, but it was the house where I would lie down and rest.

I thought there would be no way it was actually there, but I couldn't stop the small hope rising from the corner of my heart.

"237-1 Gaun-dong…”

As I told him my former address, Kwon Jae Hyuk typed it into the GPS system without asking where it would lead.

The navigation system began to cheerfully guide us with, as Kwon Jae Hyuk turned the wheel according to the navigation instructions.

The closer we got, the height of the tall glass buildings sunk as the old buildings rose higher. Jung Yi Joon's expression changed along with the scenery.

There's no way Ki Yoon Jae would know a place like this…

Ki Yoon Jae, who grew up only looking at high quality, expensive things, could not have known about this so-called shanty town. I wondered what my response would be when asked how I knew about such a place, but neither Kwon Jae Hyuk nor Jung Yi Joon asked.

"Here… Cars won’t be able to enter from here…”

Kwon Jae Hyuk turned around with a troubled face. The alley to reach their desired destination was steep and too narrow for a car to enter.

"Then, drop me off here.”

"Well, I'll park in the public parking lot down there then. Wait here with Jung Yi Joon."

"Okay."

Even though I answered, Kwon Jae Hyuk also said something to Jung Yi Joon as if he wasn't relieved.

"Jung Yi Joon, keep Yoon Jae safe."

"Fuck, who are you to commands me what to do?"

Jung Yi Joon kicked Kwon Jae Hyuk's seat again, spewing out more abusive language. Jung Yi Joon also pulled my arm as I stared at the spectacle he was making out of himself.

"Hey, get off."  He said.

I was stunned by Jung Yi Joon, who demanded that I not command him, but was the one ordering me around. Kwon Jae Hyuk drove away without making a noise, assuming that he’d agreed. Standing at the spot where I got off, the cold air swept across my cheeks.

Come to think of it, it's winter…

Normally, I'd have been busy preparing briquettes as kindling around this time of year… There was no need to prepare for such a thing while I lived in the mansion, it was always so pleasant… but I’d forgotten about it.

I must have already adjusted well to Ki Yoon Jae's life, even though I have not been in this body for a long time. My mouth tasted bitter.

"Hey, d’ya know you're really strange?"

"What?"

"Everything you've been doing lately. How do you know about places like this?"

Jung Yi Joon looked at me with a sullen face. He was curious, but I kept my mouth closed. It was too hard to explain.

When I refused to answer him, Jung Yi Joon turned his head and clicked his tongue. There was a prickly air hovering between us.

I couldn't stand the awkward atmosphere and opened my mouth.

"I want to eat some ice cream."

"Huh?"

Jung Yi Joon looked back at me, wondering if I was in my right mind. Well, we were in the middle of winter after all.

Just standing here made me feel cold enough, but ice cream? Normally, I would act like Jung Yi Joon, but unfortunately I couldn't because I was the one who’d made the remark. Instead, I spoke confidently.

"A Melona one."

“…”

"Hurry up and buy it."

I reached out my hand and pointed to the corner shop down the hill. Jung Yi Joon alternated his gaze between me and the corner shop, clicking his tongue when I urged him to “Hurry up,” once more.

"I'll buy it, so you stay here. Okay?"

"Okay."

“Haa… fuck. He's never eaten it, how does he know about Melona?"

Jung Yi Joon grumbled and went down the hill. What the hell is he thinking of me?

He must have never eaten Melona before…

I'm assuming that Ki Yoon Jae had definitely eaten Melona when he was younger. But I've only known him as a young adult, and as I followed him in the novel, I noticed I hadn't seen him snack much.

Ki Yoon Jae seemed like someone who should eat Yubari Melon Sherbet rather than Melona. He’s literally a young master who grew up nicely.

Because of Jung Yi Joon’s absence, I could look around and see an alleyway up in my view. I chuckled.

Go up here and turn right…

Turn left once, turn right once again, then go straight. Enter the alley next to the blue gate and find the third house with a green roof. That was where I lived.

T/N: Sorry for waiting long and here is it. Happy reading! ❤ For anyone who is curious what's happpen next, chapter 11 is available on ko-fi! Thank you and have a great weekend! 🤗🍦