The Trash Wants to Live

as 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…”

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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?”

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“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.