JayKay, Jinn, and Joon are three young boys studying in grade 4 at a popular school in Korea. The school had good students from good families.
JayKay and Jinn were siblings. They joined the school a few days back when their parents shifted to Korea.
Their father was in military service for two years for conscription. They are raised up to be disciplined citizens.
They met Joon at school. Joon had no one friend. He would talk with all his classmates. “All are my friends”, he would say. Nobody came to his desk as he himself would go and talk to other students.
JayKay and Jinn felt he was popular in class and friendly with all.
“I have had many toys in past. I don’t use the same toy to play twice”, he had once said to them. JayKay and Jinn being raised up in a middle class family, had not got new toys since their first toy.
They looked at each other.,” He is so luckily”, was what each felt in each other’s eyes.
“I have my own room at home. I study on my study table”, Joon had told them.
JayKay and Jinn felt they do their study in the dining area, attached to the kitchen platform, which their mother also uses when she needs an extended space while cooking.
And they have bunker beds, as there is not much space in their home for two beds.
“I have made my study area a mini library. I have most of the story books available in the market”, Joon had told them.
“Eomma”, Jinn said to his mother during their homework time, looking at his mother cooking for dinner. “Hmm”, their mother hummed.
“Can I get one book?”,his mother looked towards Jinn as he asked unexpectedly.
“Which book?”, his mother seemed lost while she asked back. “A storybook!”, she smiled as Jinn asked for a storybook. “I tell you the story myself. Why do you need a book for that?”, she could not meet up to Jinn’s eyes. It was not affordable for their expenses.
“Joon has his own room, a mini library with many story books”, as he said his mother just smiled and told “I will talk with your appa. Now complete your homework, dinner is ready”, she cut down on the talk.
“I heard you got a new friend!”, Jinn and JayKay’s father asked them while having dinner. “Yes, Appa! His name is Joon. He is a good boy. He has many video games and he has his own library in his room”, JayKay was describing Joon.
Their father just listened to it all and after dinner, getting up from his chair, “Invite him for dinner tomor at 7”, he said and left to his room.
Joon happily agreed to their invitation. He got a warm welcome from JayKay and Jinn’s parents. All the boys sat in a room and were talking about school, classes, games, and sports. JayKay and Jinn had more knowledge than Joon.
Joon sat there stunned seeing how actively, lovingly they spoke to their father. He was almost in tears.
But just then JayKay and Jinn’s mother called them all for dinner. They passed the dishes, served the dishes to each other, a merry time having dinner.
“This is how you have your every meal?”, Joon asked JayKay as he lift the empty dishes after dinner.
“Yes! Most of the meals.”, Jinn replied. “We make sure we have dinner together”, JayKay said as they looked at each other with happy faces.
Joon could not hold and broke down. “I wish I was loved so much at home”, he said in a stuttering voice. “My parents are always on business trips and meetings. I have dinner alone, served by our maid”.
Looking down at the floor “They do not have time for me!”, he cried his heart out. Jinn and his family gathered around him to console him.
“I keep telling lies so that people get attracted to me. I say things to show others that I am better than them just because I have no one to tell me that I do good”, Joon cried a lot. After a few minutes when he calmed down, Jinn’s father told Joon “It is okay Jinn. All lies are born from fear. You need not impress others if you are confident in yourself. Do not expect others to appreciate you, until unless you are working better than yesterday”. They all consoled him.
And prayed for him.
When a person makes a conscious decision by heart to be honest they Will Not Tell A Lie.