Tres drove to the store. Rosalia and Andy, sitting in the backseat, were amazed at how the car moved.
Andy said, "This is like a carriage! And it's so cool, right, sister?"
Rosalia nodded. "It's so much faster, though."
Luke, who was sitting beside Tres, said, "I didn't know you had a car."
Tres kept his eyes on the road and sighed. "It's just a family car… My father… He bought this, saying he loved family cars, and his only family was me."
Luke looked at him. "Your dad? I'm surprised. Back in middle school, I really thought you had a mom. It reminds me of it… Why do you hate him so much?"
Tres passed another car as Andy excitedly watched the road outside. Tres thought about it.
Why do I hate him? Isn't it because he named me Trash? Isn't it because he couldn't even keep a marriage? Isn't it because he always laughed and looked around like a fucking idiot?
"I hate my dad," Tres said. "He was a piece of shit who couldn't even save his relationship with my mom. I doubt she wanted to live with a piece of shit like him… And I don't blame her. I wouldn't either."
Luke sat in silence before saying, "But your dad did seem nice, you know… It's just that… high school was different."
Tres didn't respond. He knew exactly what Luke was talking about—his high school days, when Luke used to bully him.
One day, while he was in class being targeted, a teacher had entered and saw Tres sitting on the floor, covered in water. The teacher didn't bat an eye at the boys laughing and keeping their feet on him as he said to them, "His dad is here. He's calling for him."
Tres's eyes widened as he got up and walked toward the teacher. He could hear murmurs and chuckles—the girls calling his dad an abuser, the boys laughing. His dad must hate him for naming him Trash… I mean, who wouldn't?
Luke laughed awkwardly.
…
"What do you need?" Tres said, looking down in front of him.
"Hey, buddy!" his dad said cheerfully. "I was thinking whether you wanna go to an amusement park? I actually got tickets."
Tres stared at him in disbelief. His dad was smiling. Had he not noticed that his own son was covered in dirt and water?
His temper boiled as he stormed away. He hid on the rooftop for the rest of the day, until school was over. When he returned to the classroom to grab his bag, he saw them—his bullies, with his dad, all laughing.
His dad noticed him. "Hey! Come here. You didn't tell me you had so many friends?"
Tres stared at them. His bullies glared at him while smirking. Apparently, they had used Luke to get closer to his dad—and they succeeded, only fueling their abuse of him.
"His dad is really fucking dumb, dude. He was talking about his wife despite her leaving him."
"I mean, I can tell why she left him," they laughed.
"Dude, I doubt he can even fight. Fuck, we should totally fuck him up for money."
"Too far, you dipshit. Not the parents, one of them argued. I doubt he earns much."
"Oh, c'mon, man, I was joking. Besides, we can indirectly get some money, right, Trash?"
Tres stayed silent, looking down, and nodded.
He only had bad memories of his past. Tres blamed his father, since he was the one who caused all of it. Each time, he made it worse, didn't he?
They reached the market.
"I'll park. You guys wait outside," Tres said.
As they left, he found a parking spot and parked the car. He sat there for a moment, sighing, thinking about his past, before getting out. He saw Luke with Andy and Rosalia, Luke explaining modern things to them.
Tres looked at them as the wind blew past him. He was reminded of the one time his dad talked about his car.
"You know, buddy, this car I bought? It was before I met your mother. It was a dream of mine to drive in a family car with my family. And I'm totally living it."
"Dad… you're dropping me to school," young Tres said. "And I'm the only one you've got. This six-seater car is only for two people. How is your dream fulfilled?"
"It is," his dad said.
Tres turned his head and looked at him. Light covered his father's face at that moment.
"I never said I wanted a big family. You're enough. And if that's less to you, then bring your friends someday. Even they can be our family. After all, family doesn't have to be of blood. If the day comes you think you have some people you consider family, then use this car for them."
Tres looked at Andy, who ran up to him.
"Mister Tres, let's go! I wanna see the supermarket!!"
Tres bent down and smiled. "Instead of calling me 'mister,' you can call me Tres. That would be better for me."
Andy looked confused by the sudden smile but nodded. "Can we go now?"
Tres picked Andy up. "Sure. Ask me any questions, and I'll answer them all."
Luke and Rosalia noticed them, and the group walked toward the supermarket.
…
The headless body finished tying up Runa as she stared at him.
"What?! So you're just gonna tie me up in the middle of the underground catacombs? You do realize the Demonic Guild might already know about you?"
The headless body of Tres didn't respond. He tapped his fingers on the ground and used sand to write:
How do we get back
Runa scoffed. "Even if you do, you'll get killed anyway. They know who you are—Trash Ivam." She smirked. "You think we wouldn't realize? Did you really forget we have CCTV cameras? In a billion-dollar guild, you think we can't afford cameras?"
She continued, her smile widening. "You might be here safely, but your family, your parents, your home? They're going to destroy everything—including your friend. Luke, was it? We implanted a parasite inside him as well. It will soon blossom. He'll provide us something good, you know? So stay here happily while everything you love dies."
She looked like a maniac.
The headless body bent down and wrote in the sand:
Ha ha ha
Runa stared at it. "What the hell do you mean, 'ha ha ha'?"
She looked confused.
Back at the supermarket, Tres smirked while holding a shampoo bottle.
"Thanks for the information beforehand."