The Unwelcomed Summer

"Should I reach out to him? It's important that he knows," Sushi pondered, contemplating whether to call him.

"Why is she calling again? Is she trying to make me feel like a fool again" June mused as he glanced at his ringing phone.

"Is this really the person I married? I thought I could mend things after I pushed her to the edge and she attempted suicide. But she's so manipulative, always scheming," June seethed as he surveyed their newly decorated bedroom.

"He's not answering. Maybe I should send a message," Sushi thought anxiously, pacing outside in the pleasant weather.

"Sushi, what are you doing out here? Come inside, you'll catch a cold," Huan called out, concerned by her tense expression.

"Oh, Huan, you're still awake," Sushi acknowledged, joining him on the bench outside.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep. It's a new place," he explained, settling beside her.

"Me neither," Sushi admitted. "I'm worried about June. Have you heard from him? I've been trying to call."

"He might be asleep. If he's really worried, he'd call you," Huan reassured her.

"By the way, I've been meaning to ask you something," Huan said, changing the subject.

"What is it?" Sushi inquired.

"How do you know what June looked like when he was younger? I noticed how excited you were when you looked at his old photos," Huan questioned, curious.

"I've known him from before," she confessed.

"But how? I've known you since childhood. You never mentioned him," Huan pressed for answers.

"I've kept it a secret all these years," Sushi admitted, reflecting on her past.

"Can you tell me now?" Huan urged, eager to understand.

"Remember those summers when I'd keep to myself isolated for a few days? It wasn't me—it was Chloe," Sushi revealed.

"What?!" Huan exclaimed, taken aback.

"Yeah, Chloe and my mom would secretly visit me during the summers, without my dad knowing. My mom missed me, so she swapped me with Chloe and take me back to the city. Chloe agreed to it, but she mostly stayed in her room, afraid of being discovered," Sushi explained.

"Every summer, she'd switch us back and forth," she continued.

Huan was speechless, processing the truth revealed by Sushi.

"So, that's how you knew June. Do you love him?" Huan questioned, absorbing the revelation.

"Yes, I met June during those summer breaks. He used to stay at our home for few days. He mistook me for Chloe and treated me kindly.

That's when I realized his feelings for her, because every time he showed me that kindness, thinking I was Chloe, it stirred something inside me. Unknowingly, I fell for him," Sushi confessed.

"But why didn't you tell June about your presence in his past?" Huan inquired.

"I didn't want him to accept me just because I resembled Chloe. I want him to love me for who I am, as Sushi," she explained her perspective on her relationship with June.

"I thought that even though I initially married him out of my greediness, I could win him over. But it seems his heart still belongs to Chloe. I realized it when I saw the way he smiled at the mention of her," she added, her voice tinged with sadness.

As the clock ticked towards midnight, June found himself unable to sleep, his mind consumed by thoughts of Sushi. Strange scenarios involving Sushi and Huan played out in his mind, causing him to toss and turn in bed.

Finally, unable to bear the weight of his thoughts any longer, he reached for his phone and dialed a number.

"Hello,".

"Hey Bunny, what's keeping you up at this hour?" a girl's voice on the other end, teasingly.

"Just wanted to check up on you," June replied, his voice tinged with sadness.

"You never call just to check on me. Something's up. Is your little agreement not going as planned?" the voice taunted, recognizing June's underlying troubles.

She continued talking, "seriously I don't understand why you want to make her fall for you when you hate her."

"She broke my heart once, so now it's my turn. Before she leaves me for good, I'll break hers," June vented, his frustration palpable.

"But what about your plan? If you keep playing games with her emotions, she'll slip away before you even realize it," the voice cautioned.

"What should I do then?" June asked, desperate for guidance.

"Be genuine. If you're pretending to care, do it sincerely. Otherwise, she'll end up with Huan, just like today," the voice advised.

"How do you know about today?" June inquired, sitting up in bed, suddenly intrigued.

"It's a small world, June. Seems like fate has tied you two together," the voice teased once more.

"But how did you find out?" June pressed, his curiosity piqued.

"They're in our hometown, at your house," Nivi revealed.

"What? In our hometown? At my house?" June exclaimed, stunned by the revelation.

"Yeah, Dad called a while ago. Turns out your wife is his student. They came over for some paperwork and got stuck there," the voice explained.

"He also mentioned how nice she is and couldn't believe she ended up marrying you. I meant to tell you earlier, but I wanted to wait," the voice elaborated.

"How could they spend a night in my own house? Are they deliberately trying to taunt me, doing things behind my back? Do they think I'm oblivious?" June's voice rang out angrily through the phone.

"I can't say for certain if they're intentionally disrespecting you, but if you allow them to get away with it, you're certainly acting foolish," Nivi stated bluntly.

"It's getting late, Sushi. Let's go to bed. We have an early start tomorrow," Huan suggested.

They retreated indoors, and just as Sushi was about to settle into June's room for the night, she remembered the book on the desk. Making her way to the desk, she retrieved the diary and sat on the bed, preparing to open it.

"April 2008

I told my mom I didn't want to visit their house; instead, I wanted to go to Nivi's place and play. But for some reason, my parents left me at their home that summer.

I felt so frustrated being in someone else's house, especially when I didn't even know them. It was incredibly uncomfortable. That family is nice to me, I don't blame on them, but their daughter.. 

I regretted spending that summer there; that little girl annoyed me to no end. It was maddening; I couldn't even have my own space, she was always trailing behind me. And to make matters worse, she would come and sleep beside me.

Whenever she called me 'brother, brother,' I wanted to scream at her. I couldn't stand her. I never wanted to see her again in my life."

Sushi shut the book abruptly after reading the first page.

"He despised me. He never even wanted to see me again," she whispered with a heavy heart.