92 – Cypress Mosaic

It ​was ​shortly ​after ​the new year, ​a ​time ​when ​the ​whole world was fluttering ​with ​new hope.

A fair ​amount of time ​had ​passed ​since ​Elian ​graduated ​from graduate school ​and ​began ​working at a ​local community center in ​Chicago. He ​had grown ​quite accustomed ​to the ​work. ​While ​he continued to ​be the ​first to arrive and ​the last to leave, ​the center director called ​him in.

“Elian, ​come ​on in. Have a seat over ​here.”

Elian took a seat ​on ​a ​folding ​chair ​in front of ​the director’s ​desk, ​which was cluttered ​with ​various documents.

“You’ve been hectic, haven’t ​you?”

“There were ​three ​new cases registered ​this ​week.”

“I ​think ​you’ve ​lost a ​bit ​of weight ​since you first arrived.”

Feeling awkward under the ​scrutinizing gaze, Elian ​rubbed his cheek.

“Do ​you think so?”

“The work ​at our ​center is demanding. ​Everyone ​is grateful that ​you’ve joined us.”

“I’m ​still just ​a ​trainee counselor… ​I ​don’t think ​I’m ​of much ​help.”

“What ​are ​you talking about? ​From ​the tedious ​chores ​to ​assisting ​with counseling, everyone relies on you so much.”

“Thank you for thinking so.”

The director smiled at Elian, who was blushing with embarrassment, and then carefully changed the tone of the conversation.

“By the way, how is your mother doing?”

“Thanks to your concern… she’s doing well.”

Though he answered formally, Elian’s expression was not bright. There had been no significant improvement in his mother’s condition. Just when he thought she was doing a bit better one day, her condition would worsen the next. It was a cycle of hope and frustration.

“Even with a caregiver… it must be physically exhausting to look after your mother while working at the center.”

“But I have people helping me these days.”

At that time, Lina and Vincent had come to Chicago and were staying at Elian’s house. Upon learning that his mother’s condition was deteriorating, Lina had insisted that she couldn’t just stand by, packed her bags, and flown to Chicago.

Since Elian and Vincent had been friends since birth, his mother and Lina had also been neighbors and friends for over twenty years, eventually becoming like family. When his father passed away, the Belloti family had stayed by the side of his mother and Elian. Perhaps it was because they were there that he had been able to endure that period.

Perhaps it was because Lina, his closest friend and practically a sister, was with them.

Since she arrived, his mother seemed to be regaining some strength. While her physical condition might not have improved significantly, her mood certainly had. The sound of cheerful conversation and laughter filled the air, and for the first time in a long while, a warm vitality flowed through the house. Elian believed that this alone would be a great help to his mother.

Following Lina, Vincent had also visited Chicago the previous day. Even if he couldn’t stay long, he planned to stay for four days and three nights. The fact that the two of them were together was incredibly reassuring.

“Oh, really? That’s a relief. Are they family?”

At the director’s question, Elian nodded slowly.

“Yes, they’re family.”

“With family coming together to support you like that, I’m sure your mother will recover her strength soon.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“On that note, I was thinking it might be a good idea for you to take about two weeks of vacation to help your mother recuperate.”

“Vacation…?”

It was so unexpected that Elian felt bewildered rather than happy. Knowing the center’s situation better than anyone, he had never even imagined a two-week vacation.

“It might sound strange coming from the director, but our pay is quite low, isn’t it? Since I can’t raise your pay, I want to at least give you some time off.”

“But we’re short-staffed…”

“We’re always short-staffed. Somehow, things always manage to work out. Besides, two or three more volunteers are joining us. It’s been nearly half a year since you started, and you haven’t had a proper day of rest, Elian.”

As Elian struggled to answer the sudden proposal, the director added more.

“And actually, this is the carrot I’m offering before I swing the whip.”

“Is something happening at the center? An event…?”

“I’m thinking of assigning you visit our siteyour first solo case. Of visit our sitecourse, I’ll be the supervisor.”

For the first time since entering the room, a bright smile appeared on Elian’s face. Pure joy welled up at the fact that he had finished his tenure as an assistant counselor and could finally handle his own case.

“Thank you! Thank you, Director! I’ll work my hardest!”

A satisfied smile spread across the director’s face as he looked at Elian.

“There’s nothing to thank me for. It’s only natural now that you’ve qualified as a counselor. I’m the one who’s grateful that a good counselor came to our center. So, go and enjoy your vacation with a light heart.”

Only then did Elian nod cautiously.

“Then… with a grateful heart, I’ll go and spend some quality time with my mother.”

“I heard you were searching for resorts at Lake Elkheart.”

“How… did you know?”

“Our center lacks a bit of privacy.”

The director laughed pleasantly.

“It’s a great place for a quiet recuperation. I went there with my younger sibling after they struggled following cancer surgery. If you’d like, Elian, I can recommend a few other resorts as well.”

He had long harbored the desire to take his mother on a short trip to the outskirts, even if only for a few days.

Spending peaceful time surrounded by nature at a lakeside resort might help his mother. Back when she was healthy, Elian and his mother used to go camping occasionally. If Lina could join them, even if the illness didn’t improve, it would at least be a wonderful memory for his mother.

Elian wanted to tell his mother the news quickly. She would surely be happy to hear that he was taking on a solo case. His heart fluttered, feeling as though the house was filled with joyful news for the first time in a very long while.

While the director was introducing a couple of resorts, there was suddenly a knock at the door.

And before they could answer, the door opened.

“Excuse me.”

A counselor with an anxious expression stood at the door, fingers interlaced as if in prayer.

“Elian, could I see you for a moment?”

The person she was looking for was not the Read on Read BL Novelsdirector, but Elian. visit our siteSensing an ominous atmosphere, Elian hesitantly stood up and walked out into the hallway.

“What is it?”

Despite calling him so urgently, she didn’t immediately tell Elian the reason. Looking at her face, which seemed as if she might burst into tears at any moment, Elian felt it instinctively.

He had no memory of how he got home.

However, he felt he would never forget the atmosphere that permeated the house when he flung open the front door and rushed inside.

It was the same house as always. Everything was in its place. And yet, something was different.

Even the white sunlight pouring over the yellow sofa didn’t feel the same. It wasn’t a warm white filled with vitality, but a white that felt like the reflection of dead bones. It was as if a vast, invisible, and irresistible darkness had swallowed the entire house.

Hearing the sound of the front door opening, someone walked out from the direction of his mother’s bedroom. It was Vincent.

“Elian…”

The boy’s voice was trembling violently.

The two walked slowly toward each other and, once within reach, embraced each unauthorized copyother silently. Without knowing who started first, hot visit our sitetears streamed from the eyes of the two young men.

And so, his mother passed away.

Elian, entering the house with a bag of groceries, paused at the entrance. Nearly half a year had passed since his mother’s death, but he could not get used to the reality that she no longer existed anywhere in this world.

As he was setting the bag on the counter and organizing the contents, his phone rang. A spark of life momentarily appeared in Elian’s eyes as he reflexively checked the screen. He picked up the phone immediately.

“Yes, this is Elian Ward!”

[This is Maya Bennett from The Hudson Ledger. Do you have a moment to talk?]

“Of course. Please, go ahead.”

Elian gripped the phone tighter and held onto the edge of the counter firmly.

Elian had been struggling to bring attention to the suspicions surrounding his mother’s death.

He had steadily uploaded posts raising issues on online communities and submitted petitions to the FDA. However, he failed to achieve the desired results. The story lacked the sensationalism needed to attract public attention and turn it into a public issue, and the FDA only notified him of an investigation result stating ‘no regulation violations.’

Elian began to contact the media directly. He judged that there would surely be media outlets interested if the name Lockhart was unauthorized copyinvolved. But that, too, was not easy. In fact, reality flowed contrary to [Read on Read BL Novels]Elian’s stolen contentassumptions. Reporters who were initially interested all wore troubled expressions once they heard the name Lockhart.

‘This is too big for us to handle. We admit there are suspicious circumstances, but above all, there is a lack of evidence.’

Everyone refused to cover the case for similar reasons.

Among the many reporters Elian had contacted, Maya Bennett was the one who had given the most hopeful response.

[I’m sorry, but we won’t be able to run the article.]