38
The travel schedule was set the very next day after Taein gave his definitive answer. He had heard they would leave Seoul on the morning of January 2nd. But he didn’t know it would be dawn. Because of Gu Wanjae tickling his feet saying “Hey, we gotta go,” he woke up quickly from sleep. Taein sat up saying “Ugh, shi” and looked at Gu Wanjae with a tired face.
“Hey… you said morning departure.”
“Yeah, it is morning.”
Taein checked the time which wasn’t even 4 o’clock and made a “tsk” sound. He didn’t know it would be like this from dawn.
Gu Wanjae was busy by himself. He was putting various things into the huge suitcase he had recently bought and brought a bunch of stuff from the bathroom too. It looked like he was packing everything he had and didn’t have. After watching that scene for quite a while, Taein thought he should also pack what he needed to pack and got up. Since he was still half-asleep, his mind wasn’t clear. Taein put on an outer coat over his pajamas then quickly took it off.
“Ah, this isn’t the right clothes.”
At that muttering, Gu Wanjae said “idiot” from behind. Taein ignored those words and took off the pajama pants he was wearing. Large trunk underwear was Taein’s preference. When wearing tight pants he wore boxers, but otherwise he usually wore trunks. Taein pulled up his pants and put on a hoodie over them. If he dressed like this and just brought an outer coat, it would be fine.
“Are you done dressing? You’re going to wear it like that?”
“Yeah, the weather wasn’t that cold.”
He had looked up the weather thinking it might be cold, but it was similar to Seoul. There were days when it dropped below -10 degrees, but there were also many days when it went above zero. He had only analyzed a week’s worth of weather so he didn’t know what would happen after that. But it probably wouldn’t get much colder. If he could endure just a few days, it would be fine.
“Hey, is there something like a heater there?”
“I haven’t been there either. There probably is.”
“You said you reserved a room.”
“Just verbally.”
“I’m not going to get kicked out by your hyungs or… those people when I get there, right?”
“Would I do that?”
Gu Wanjae looked back with a pathetic expression and stood up his suitcase. He had thought there wouldn’t be much luggage since they were guys, but the volume was considerable because of all the stuff Gu Wanjae had packed. Taein also moved his steps following Gu Wanjae who dragged his suitcase out first.
“Should I take that bread?”
“Yeah.”
There was leftover chestnut bread on the dining table. Taein put it in a bag and approached the wide-open front door. When he casually looked back, he could see the entire desolate house at a glance. He felt strange. He had a premonition that if he left like this, he would never be able to return home again. Was it because Gu Wanjae always talked about disposing of this house like it was nothing? Taein turned his head with regret.
He had lived more like the owner of this house than Gu Wanjae. Gu Wanjae, the actual owner, had lived like a ghost in the house. Whenever he had a chance, he extorted money from his father and requested all kinds of services needed for the house, but he himself was never at home.
Whenever he had a chance, he went to karaoke and slept there.
That karaoke room with its musty smell was more comfortable for Gu Wanjae than the spacious and comfortable officetel.
When they came down to the first floor, a car was waiting.
It was a long car that could easily fit ten people. Gu Wanjae loaded the luggage in the back and politely greeted the men inside. “Hyung-nim, and this is the friend I mentioned.”
Taein’s body stiffened when Gu Wanjae said such things while turning around.
Soon, because Gu Wanjae moved aside, he could see who was by the window.
It was a man with no hair at all. Was he around 40 years old? He wasn’t as young as expected. That bald hyung-nim?
Taein made eye contact with him and bowed his waist.
“Hello.”
“Oh my, how cute. Baby. Are you a celebrity?”
At first he said he was cute, then gradually as he watched Taein raise his head, he asked if he was a celebrity. Taein smiled awkwardly and said “Ah, thank you.” Next to him, Gu Wanjae was proud of his friend who gained favor with everyone through his appearance, his mouth full of smiles. Gu Wanjae looked back and forth between the hyung-nim and Taein, then turned toward the hyung-nim again.
“Hyung-nim, should we sit in the back then?”
“Yeah, yeah. Get in.”
“Yes.”
Taein looked at Gu Wanjae gesturing and headed toward the car. Would all of Gu Wanjae’s hyung-nims be like this? He thought they would take separate cars, but they’re riding together? Taein, who had various questions floating in his head, followed Gu Wanjae who had gotten in first. He thought there would be many people in the car, but there was only one person in the driver’s seat, one in the passenger seat, and two in the back seat.
“Hello, yes, hello.”
Even in that moment passing through the narrow aisle, he could hear sounds like “Hey, the kid is handsome,” “Pretty,” so Taein’s mouth was busy. As soon as he barely sat in the very back, cold sweat was trickling down. Sweat formed on this cold day, so Taein took off the outer coat he was wearing. He and Gu Wanjae had left the middle seat empty and were each sitting by the windows.
Taein, who had pressed his body as much as possible into the corner, poked Gu Wanjae with his finger.
“Hey, I’m scared.”
Taein spoke quietly enough that only Gu Wanjae could barely hear and pointed to the front seat with his chin.
Gu Wanjae just nodded with an expression that said he knew everything. He also pointed to where the bald hyung-nim was and expressed the number one. First in hierarchy. It seemed to mean the biggest hyung-nim. And then that nasty impression. He could see Gu Wanjae distorting his face in a funny way, but it wasn’t very funny. It seemed to be because of nervousness.
The car that soon departed stayed on the road the entire time except for stopping at a rest area once in the middle.
The driver reported whenever there were bumps or situations where the car would shake greatly.
Hyung-nim! It’s shaking!
Hyung-nim! I’m going to speed up a bit!
Taein fell asleep from exhaustion, then occasionally woke up to his booming voice.
At the rest area they arrived at in such a dazed state, all the doors were closed except for the convenience store. It was supposed to open from 6 o’clock, but it was a little before 5 o’clock. Taein had no choice but to buy just one drink. It was disappointing considering Gu Wanjae had hyped up that there would be fun in stopping at rest areas even before traveling.
The booming voice also echoed in the car that departed afterward.
Hyung-nim! We’re departing!
Taein just moistened his throat with the drink and put his head against the window again.
Goseong. It was located in the upper part of Gangwon Province, so it took quite a while to get there.
Taein, who had fallen asleep at some point, opened his eyes to the feeling of being tapped with “Let’s go.”
Gu Wanjae was half up, bending his waist.
“Are you that sleepy?”
“Hey… I went to sleep after midnight.”
“Get out first.”
“I’m still fucking tired…”
Taein got out of the car muttering and took a deep breath. The car had stopped in a corner of an alley. It was a narrow roadside where only people seemed to walk. With that road in the middle, several low buildings stood. There was a single-story building with a blue roof, and there was also a place where ‘Guesthouse’ was written on the wall of a house that was all falling apart. Taein, who had been looking around for a while, opened his mouth.
“There’s an ocean here, right?”
“Yeah, go over there and look.”
Gu Wanjae pointed to the space between the alleys. Taein took a few more steps and peeked his head out. As he said, a vast ocean spread out at a glance. Shallow waves were hitting the sand and the sound was pleasant to hear. Taein was captivated for a while, then when Gu Wanjae said “Aren’t you coming?” he said “Oh” and took steps.
The building they arrived at was more modern than expected. There were parts that had turned yellow here and there from sea breeze, but the exterior was neat and above all, it seemed to have many rooms. There was a small store on the first floor and the 2nd and 3rd floors seemed to be all rooms. When they climbed the stairs at the end, Gu Wanjae turned direction on the 2nd floor.
“We’re in room 204.”
It was at the very end. At the end of the narrow corridor where the outside was clearly visible, there was one light blue iron door.
“Hey, this seems like the worst room here.”
“Ah, shibal. Is that so?”
“Probably… since you’re the youngest, it seems like you got played by the hyung-nims’ joke.”
When he said that with a laugh, Gu Wanjae also made an amused expression saying “Hey, words become seeds.” Why would they give you a good room in the first place? Even if you have a friend with you, Taein said up to that point and stared blankly at Gu Wanjae opening the door. The door with the red door lock opened when Gu Wanjae pressed 1234 in order. It was a truly simple password.
The inside of the room was more decent than expected. With a neat room at the center, a bathroom and kitchen were attached and the area was also quite spacious. Taein took off his shoes and headed straight to the window. Since the corridor side faced the ocean, it was natural that nothing could be seen from this side. Even considering that, the scenery from the window side was rather desolate. Taein turned his eyes away from the dirt road, rice fields, and small buildings.
“There’s nothing in the back.”
“Of course. The front is the ocean so what would be there?”
Gu Wanjae, while saying that, opened the guesthouse entrance to show. Instead, he said that if you open this, you can see the ocean, and stood occupying one side of the corridor.
Taein watched that scene from inside and nodded saying “Yeah.”
It was magnificent. The quiet winter ocean spread across the entire corridor window.
“Amazing.”
Taein also went near the shoe cabinet to look at the ocean. Clear seawater was rippling behind Gu Wanjae.
After looking at the ocean for a while, Taein turned his head back. It was to check the bedding he had glimpsed. He had never expected two beds, but he thought there would be at least two blankets to lay down. The half-open closet inside was completely empty, and on the floor there seemed to be just one blanket to lay down and one blanket to cover with.
Taein, who had been turned around for a while, opened his mouth.
“Hey, but.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
