Chapter 5

"That's more like my son. You're still young, so all you think about is going out into the world. In a few years, you'll understand why I've done all this. Isn't staying here so much better? I can take care of you. If you move out of state, who's going to look after you?"

Dad's hand was warm as he held mine tightly.

In my previous life, he had held my hand the same way while telling me, "I'm only doing this for your own good."

Then I spent my days at an auto repair shop, working under the blazing sun in the summer and freezing winds in the winter. My hands cracked from the cold, and I earned only 3,000 dollars a month.

I was betrayed by the woman I loved. She smashed a vase over my head.

I let Dad keep holding my hand. I did not pull away. I simply lowered my head and answered quietly, "Okay."

For the next two days, I became the perfect son.

He checked my college application account at least twice a day to make sure I had not changed any of the enrollment decisions.

I never complained.

Sometimes, I even leaned over to look at the screen with him and said, "Dad, the medical program you picked actually looks pretty good."

Every day, I went grocery shopping with him, cooked alongside him, massaged his shoulders, and rubbed his legs whenever he asked. Whatever he told me to do, I did it without a word of protest.

Little by little, he finally let his guard down.

Whenever he called our relatives, he sounded happier than ever. He proudly told everyone that I had finally grown up, that I finally understood how much he cared about me.

On the night of the enrollment deadline, after dinner, I casually said, "Dad, my classmates told me there's supposed to be a meteor shower over the hills outside town tonight. I'd like to go watch it.

"If you're worried about me, you can even keep my phone, or you can come with me."

He blinked, clearly surprised that I was asking for permission to do something. He took my phone and spent several minutes going through it.

Finding nothing suspicious, he looked at the excitement on my face and finally nodded.

"Fine. I'll go with you, just to make sure you don't run off."

It was only a little after 9:00 pm when we reached the hilltop. Quite a few people were already there, waiting for the meteor shower.

I sat quietly beside him, chatting as usual. I gave away nothing.

At 11:40 pm, I tugged gently on his sleeve. "Dad, I need to use the restroom."

Afraid I might try something, he followed me and waited outside the entrance.

As soon as I stepped into the last stall, I locked the door. Then I reached into the hidden pocket inside my jeans and pulled out an old phone.

It was the one I had used in high school. The cellular service had long since been canceled, but it could still connect to Wi-Fi. I powered it on as fast as I could, connected to the public Wi-Fi at the scenic overlook, and opened a cloud-based notes app.

Inside was a complicated password… A phone number. I dialed it. The call connected after three rings.

"Hello?" A young man's voice answered.

"It's me." I lowered my voice. "It's time."

With that, I hung up.

My heart pounded so hard it echoed in my ears. My palms were soaked with sweat. After taking several deep breaths, I slipped the phone back into the hidden pocket, flushed the toilet, and walked out of the stall.

Dad was waiting outside. The moment he saw me, he looked me up and down.

"What took you so long?"

"My stomach wasn't feeling great." I rubbed my stomach.

He did not ask any more questions. He just urged me to hurry back.

By the time we returned to our spot, the clock had just passed midnight. Dad let out a long sigh of relief.

A victorious smile spread across his face.

"That's it. The application system is closed now. Everything's settled. Now, all you have to do is wait for the acceptance letter from the local medical school."

I turned to look at him. In the faint glow of the distant lights, his face looked soft and blurred, filled with the satisfaction of someone who believed everything had gone exactly as planned.

I smiled too.

"Yeah, Dad." My voice drifted into the night breeze, soft but unmistakably clear. "Everything's settled. I'm definitely going to that out-of-state college."