Chapter 5
The next day came, and even the day after that, Yuwon couldn’t forget Jeonghyeok’s retreating figure. While eating, while walking down the street, while wiping tables at the restaurant—he would suddenly recall that broad back.
That wasn’t all. A low, heavy voice circled in his ears all day long. “Uh, no.” Those sharp words of rejection like an awl tormented Yuwon a dozen times a day.
It was just one meal, what was the big deal? There was no reason to speak so coldly. Even as he cursed inaudibly and grumbled, it had become a habit to wait for Jeonghyeok beyond the restaurant’s large window whenever he had a chance.
The window had semi-transparent film attached to it, which was high enough to cover and hide most people completely. Only quite tall people had their heads poking out above that film. Yuwon would quickly turn his head and stare in that direction whenever he saw a black figure above the film. Of course, it had never once been Jeonghyeok’s head.
Longing alone for a man whose name he didn’t even know from morning to night was now quite heartbreaking. His shoulders inevitably kept drooping.
“Yuwon.”
“……”
“Yuwon.”
“……”
“Kim Yuwon!”
Sohyeon, who had grown tired of calling Yuwon several times, tapped his back. Only then did Yuwon look at Sohyeon with a dazed face.
“Ah… noona, what?”
“Do you know how many times I called you? Why are you so out of it?”
“Ah, sorry. I’m just a bit tired…”
“Are you okay? You’re not sick, are you?”
Looking closely, Yuwon’s cheeks seemed a bit redder than usual. Sohyeon placed her palm on Yuwon’s forehead with a worried face.
“You don’t seem to have a fever…”
“I’m not sick. I just haven’t been sleeping properly, I think.”
“Really? That’s strange. Your face is red.”
His face was red—could it be that just thinking about that man now showed on his face? Feeling embarrassed, Yuwon pressed both cheeks firmly with his palms for no reason. The part that touched his hands felt a bit warm, confirming Sohyeon’s words were true.
“Take it easy. If you’re not feeling well, tell me right away.”
“I really only have noona. Thank you.”
Sohyeon took careful care of Yuwon, who was the same age as her younger sister. They had grown close working together under the nasty Boss Park, but ever since hearing about Yuwon’s family circumstances—growing up alone without parents—she was even more concerned. She wanted to be good to him for no particular reason.
The two went around the hall together, filling chopsticks and tissues at each table. This was work they mainly did during times when there were no customers.
“Noona, what’s happening with your return to school this time?”
“I decided to just do it. If I delay any more, I don’t think I’ll be able to graduate.”
“So you’ll only work until next month.”
“Yeah. I have to.”
Sohyeon, who was twenty-six this year, was still a university student. Right after entering university, her family’s finances had declined, so she had repeated taking leaves of absence and returning to school to maintain her livelihood, and now she had reached this age.
However, she couldn’t delay returning to school any longer. She felt it wouldn’t be fair if she didn’t at least get a diploma from the university she had worked so hard to enter. She also had to start preparing for job hunting soon.
When they reached the table farthest from the kitchen, Sohyeon looked around to check Boss Park’s movements and said to Yuwon,
“And even if I wasn’t returning to school, I was going to quit here soon anyway.”
“Why? Because you can’t stand the sight of Boss Park?”
“If that was the reason, I would have quit long ago.”
“Then why?”
If it weren’t for Boss Park’s nasty personality, Cheolpan-jip wasn’t a difficult place to work. It wasn’t very big, the customers were limited, and it only got a bit hectic on busy days—it was quite leisurely on rainy days or weekends.
There was no reason she could think of other than Boss Park. The only thing that came to mind was whether Sohyeon, with her rough personality, had gotten into a fight with the kitchen auntie without him knowing.
However, what came out of Sohyeon’s mouth was completely unexpected.
“We don’t know when this place will close now.”
“What do you mean?”
At Sohyeon’s words, Yuwon’s eyes widened. Then Sohyeon asked with a puzzled face instead.
“Huh? You don’t know?”
“No. This is the first time I’m hearing this…”
“They’re tearing down everything around here these days. So this place will probably have to close soon too. The psycho seems to be keeping it quiet, but the kitchen auntie has already caught on.”
Closing down—it was news to him. Although the neighborhood had been noisy due to redevelopment, Yuwon didn’t know exactly which area was affected or when it would proceed. There were no adults around him to tell him such things.
If Cheolpan-jip disappeared, he would have to quickly find a new job to earn rent and living expenses. Suddenly his heart felt urgent.
“Remember that scary man who came before? The one the psycho was bowing and scraping to.”
But the moment he heard Sohyeon’s whisper, his urgency disappeared completely. Instead, interest sparkled in Yuwon’s round eyes.
It had to be that way. The “scary man” Sohyeon was talking about now was Jeonghyeok, whom Yuwon had been waiting for day and night.
“The auntie told me that guy is a gangster connected to the construction company. The reason the psycho is crawling so low is because he’s trying to look good somehow and get things settled as late as possible, right?”
It was a fact Yuwon was well aware of—that gangsters had been swarming around this area since redevelopment began.
However, the man was too clean to be doing that kind of work. His neatly styled hair, smooth skin, sharp suit and coat. His natural appearance was quite flashy and eye-catching, but the atmosphere he gave off wasn’t unsavory. Even his companion, aside from having a dragon tattoo on his neck, would have looked like an office worker from some respectable company if not for that.
Boss Park’s attitude toward those men was definitely unusual, so that’s why. Yuwon listened to Sohyeon’s words with understanding.
“The psycho wasn’t here for lunch yesterday either. That’s all because he was meeting with those people. The reason he’s been so low-pressure lately is all because of that too.”
“What does the boss do when he meets with those people?”
“Probably butters them up by buying them at least one meal? It’s a kind of entertainment. The auntie complains a lot that he doesn’t work and just constantly goes in and out of the construction company office.”
Sohyeon clicked her tongue disapprovingly and imitated the expression the kitchen auntie often made.
“So Yuwon, you should stop reading the psycho’s mood now too. Even if this place closes, is he still the boss? He’s just a neighborhood ajeossi.”
Even after filling tissues at the last table, Yuwon stood still in that spot. And he carefully organized Sohyeon’s words.
So, the man he had been waiting for day after day wasn’t actually far away. The construction company office must be in this neighborhood, which meant he could meet the man if he set his mind to it.
His heart began to race anew. Yuwon held the empty bag that had contained tissues and called out to Sohyeon, who was walking away.
“Noona.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you happen to know… where that office is?”
His eyes, larger than usual, sparkled as if stars were embedded in them.
***
Monday was the only day Yuwon had off. Normally he would wake up late, laze around, then meet friends for a meal or go to a PC room, but not today.
Yuwon woke up at his usual time and spent longer than usual getting dressed. All he did was add a scarf to his usual coat, but he touched his hair several times and put effort into his appearance.
Hunching his body against the cold weather, he arrived at a low shopping complex with a supermarket on the first floor. It was a place not far from his house where he often bought snacks or drinks, and the construction company office Sohyeon had told him about was located on the third floor of this building.
Yuwon passed the supermarket entrance he always used and entered through the building entrance that was like a doghole. As soon as he entered the building, a musty smell hit him along with the cold air.
Since it was an old building without an elevator, Yuwon hurried up the stairs and arrived on the third floor, immediately spotting a small sign with the construction company’s name engraved on it.
But the office door was firmly locked. Yuwon stood pitifully while holding onto the door that wouldn’t open.
The interior of the office was visible at a glance through the glass door. Unlike the building’s exterior that was falling apart, the desks and chairs were all new, and there were several large congratulatory flower arrangements with ribbons. However, not a single employee who should have been guarding the office was visible.
Where did everyone go? As he looked around while peering about, he felt a presence behind him.
“What’s this?”
The moment he heard the voice, Yuwon quickly turned his head to check the man behind him.
“……”
The face he had been picturing only in his mind for days and days was there. Even though he was frowning intensely, his thick eyebrows and deep eyes combined to create a rather intense feeling. His tactless heart was pounding again.
Taeju was also there beside him as always, but Yuwon’s eyes could only see Jeonghyeok.
“How did you know to come here?”
Despite the sharp reaction, Yuwon didn’t care and brought out the answer he had prepared in advance.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
