Which in turn was low-key truth.
Not long after both of them left the shop too. To talk about the time, two of his friends were still there. God knows what they're doing on another nearby family mart.
Seeing them once again, john dashed over to them and wrapped his arms each on one of them and squeezed it hard,
"Now, now, are you two trying to ace the exam?"
He bluffed it up.
"From when you're this determined huh?"
Slipping through the grip of his hands, one of them replied in a tired tone, "Do you think we're doing this from the heart?"
"Either way!"
John shrugged his shoulders.
"It's good to start early. However, don't you two think it's a bit way early than that?"
"…"
At this point, he was no longer the detached, cold, and introverted person that Aiden knew.
It was different. His voice was sugarcoated with honey and every word sounded concerned and sweet.
"Listen..there is still 1 week and more for the exams. Plenty amount of time. What are you gonna do if you start now? It's no use. With the little brain, we have all got here..we gonna eventually end up forgetting everything anyway at the end."
"…"
As though his words hit some part of their brain, the twins looked at each other with a wonder eye.
John swiftly his gaze towards them real quick and conclude further, "So, Ahem! If you want a piece of advice then.."
He cleared his throat and crossed his arms around his chest, his tone calm and collected,
"Just like me, you should only study a night before the exam day. Only then, you would score it like me."
For some reason, the last phrase sounded somehow a little proud compared to the first one.
"But- we aren't like you!"
"Shh~ you never try that's why!"
Those twin guys pursed their lips as if they wanted to protest and proved john wrong but the relentlessly swayed by his persuasive point made them give up.
Seeing the buying face hung upon their expression, john slightly smirked. It was just a split second but aiden saw it.
"?"
Pulling a huge smile on his face, john happily patted his friend's shoulders, "Now then, let's forget about it for a while, and let's focus on the gaming part we're discussing earlier in school. I'll make sure we gonna upgrade to the new level."
Caught up on his suggestion, those two guys couldn't help but sigh heavily as they nodded at him. They seriously were tightly torn down by the two options. Heavy eyelids, sad gaze, and glued lips were seriously giving off the hint of how they were themselves against their decision. But was unable to deny it.
He pushed further them to the opposite road path and reminded him, "And remember. Leave tomorrow's problems to the tomorrow you!"
Turning back at him, both of them nodded. And the only thing they spouted was "You too!"
Then they left.
John and Aiden who were standing silently at the side of the open ground glanced at them until those two figures disappeared in thin air.
Out of blue, john began to stretch his body from left to right, crouched down, and strengthen his legs.
"Btw that was an epic quote you dropped just a few moments ago."
"Nah! I picked it up from somewhere else."
"Where?"
"From an anime called 'One-Crunch men'!"
Aiden made an 'oh' sound of understandable. Just when he was about to give it another thought, he heard john asking him something,
"Hyung? Are you a good runner?"
Aiden nodded without thinking much. His brows slightly raised in surprise.
"Then get ready! Let's reach home by running!"
"?"
Only then did aiden understand his purpose.
Circling his toes, john exclaimed in an excited tone, "You know what hyung, jina noona and I always used to race in this sort of moment. Whenever it was late or in hurry we would run as if our life is on put. And the loser always used to buy tasty ice cream."
"Jina noona?" He muttered under his breath. Without questioning back he maintained his position and does a here and there a bit of body warm-up exercise.
One..!
Two…!!
Three..!!!
They ran off.
Meanwhile back at the newmoon's house, mum, dad, and newmoon were having some deep conversation while Aiden and john were away.
"So, How is the mother-in-law of Jina?"
Mum asked in a worried tone.
As soon as newmoon heard it, his face faltered at once. It was the question he was secretly praying not to hear from her and kept on avoiding the possibility of encountering it. However, deep down he did know but who knew it would be this soon?
Such heavy words affected the whole atmosphere as well. Dad too was perking his ear silently in a calm manner as if he was waiting for his answer too.
"I mean you saw and stayed with her right? So, by this time you must know more or less how she is. Is she nice or not? Does she treat our Jina better or not? Do they have a good relationship like a usual typical mother-in-law and daughter-in-law?"
A lot of questions were blurted out from mum's mouth. Maybe it was bottled-up feelings and emotions that she was hiding from years ago. Apart from it, her reaction wasn't normal too. It wasn't a given thing of her to blabber such a long question about somebody else. But what would she do? The fact she has the heart of a mother tells everything.
"On top of that, Does she like Jina as her daughter-in-law?"
These are the main sentences that fell on newmoon's heart like an atomic bomb. Thinking about the several assumptions and circumstances newmoon was already at loss for words and now the direct last question made his heart immediately drop dead.
Both of them were sitting beside each other on the couch leaving dad on a few meters away at the table.
Without even bothering to look at her, newmoon predicted what kind of expression she would be wearing. So, from the moment the topic was raised, he was avoiding eye contact with her.
"Newmoon will you speak?"
The constant pressure was compelling him to open his mouth. But he was afraid of the dilemma he was having on whether or not he should confess the truth.
His eyes moved around randomly as if he was trying to figure out a way and his throat was completely champed with god knows what. At the same time, the continuous never-ending Jina's voices were ringing inside his head reminding him to stop.
After having a war inside his mind, he finally decided to lie about it.
"Mum, relax. You don't have to worry. She is undoubtedly caring, considerate and loving. Not only Jina, she even took care of me by cooking delicious food too."
He said it with a heavy heart. Suddenly, the weight he felt in his heart grew by millions, sucking every bit of energy from his body and leaving him weak. He constantly apologizes secretly.
"Sorry, mum sorry! From now on, this is the best decision I can take up with. As for punishment, I'm ready for anything in the future. But for now-"
On the other hand, he heard mum's deep sigh of relief.
"If it's like that then, it's good to hear."
Her tone lowered down after hearing it and she slightly leaned back in a much more comfortable position as if it has been pestering her for a long time.
Now witnessing it, newmoon's heart was drenched with guilt.
"Somehow, I had a bad feeling about it from the beginning. Your noona is the type to share every trivial matter with me both good and bad, but after marriage, she only talks about the decent side of her family life. That's why it was worrying me all this time."
"but now the fact you said it, I'm glad, and rest assured. You are much more intelligent, smart, and witty than jina so I predicted you might know the truth and the intention they hold in every move."
"…"
Newmoon didn't utter a single word. Not even showing any signs or gestures about nodding or shaking his head.
"She always gets in trouble with that bull-headed personality. Can't even fit with a circle. Although she is married now, she still worries me."
While mum kept on talking about Jina, on the other hand, Newmoon responded to her sentences,
"No mum. You're mistaken. she isn't like that anymore."
Only if he could say it like that. One thing was for sure. Either mum would be at the top of heaven knowing that or at the worse rock bottom, she would ever hit.
In the end, he could only wrap up an uncomfortable and sensitive topic by saying,
"Even if something is going on between them, trust her mum! She is our noona and your only daughter. She will figure it out herself."
And the rest he completed in his head, eyes reflecting the courage and belief, "She must! I believe in her!"
After figuring out how she had covered everything till now, somehow it isn't easy to handle the burden and pressure however she was able to. So, sliding the consequences out and keeping the truth hidden under her nose the whole time wasn't child's play. Oddly enough, newmoon was kind of optimistic at the moment.
Meanwhile back in Seoul;
"Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable at the moment. Please call back later!"
Haemin dazed into the bright screen of the mobile for a while, before he slowly put it down.
As if he put some thought, immediately afterward he flipped the phone and began to type the message to certain someone.
"Uncle, Any news so far?"
Ding!
The message was sent. Sighing out softly, he laid his back the head on the edge of the bench and leisurely relax his body. As he slid down, children's loud laughing voices, and shouting constantly echoed in his ears, leaving him unable to have peace of mind.
And why wouldn't it be too?
The fact he was in the park. It would be strange instead if it was silent. And the late evening timing made it more crowded, cramped, and noisy. Despite the hustle and bustle of the area, the figure of the lonely moon reflected in the dark eyes of haemin.
While he was deeply immersed in his thinking, suddenly his eyes shifted towards the right direction and stopped at somebody's balcony.
"…"
Once again, he dialed certain someone.
…
"Huff! Huff!"
Finally, john made it home alive.
He was drenched in sweat and drooling from top to toe. Sweating was understandable but drooling? Seeing the malnourished figure and condition of john, mum couldn't help but wonder.
"What happened? Why do you look so worn out?"
"W-We came b—back..ru-uning!"
John who was inhaling and exhaling like a desperate gorilla that was on the verge of dying answered shuttering while supporting himself and climbing up the stairs.
Hearing it, mum let out a short 'oh' of an understanding before she snapped out,
"W-Where is Aiden?"
She almost had forgotten about him.
"Probably somewhere lying dead in front of the door."
Surprisingly, around this time he sure was breathing fine as hell as his tone went smoothly.
As soon as she heard it, she get the point instantly. The meaning behind his cocky attitude. In a split second, mum's face reddens like the volcano was about to erupt but luckily newmoon stopped her.
"Mum, save that for later. First, let's look out for Aiden!"
John sneered silently. Maybe he read the room and predicted some outcome. Mum forcefully swallowed her words and instead gave a sharp glare to him as if she was giving him a last warning.