Seok-ho tossed out that single word and went into the room. When he came back, he was carrying a long padded coat and a thick hoodie, which he shoved into Kang-woo’s arms.
“Put it on.”
“But this is yours, hyung.”
“Instead of shivering because you’re cold, just quietly wear it when I lend it to you. Layer more clothes underneath too.”
“But you don’t look like you’re dressed very warmly yourself.”
That was true. For someone lecturing about clothing, his own outfit didn’t exactly match the weather either. What he was wearing was a fleece jacket—slightly thick, but still just that.
When Kang-woo pointed it out, Seok-ho replied with a relaxed expression.
“I naturally run hot. I wear short sleeves even in the middle of winter.”
“……”
“Hurry up.”
Does he have unusually thick skin or something?
With Seok-ho urging him on, Kang-woo had no choice but to return to the room. Just as he was told, he layered another short-sleeved T-shirt underneath and changed into the roomy hoodie Seok-ho had given him.
Compared to Seok-ho’s large build, it was only natural that the clothes were big on Kang-woo. The thick hoodie covered all the way past his hips. Fortunately, the padded coat he had borrowed was just as large, so he could still move comfortably.
“Is this enough?”
After finishing his preparations, Kang-woo stepped out into the living room and stood in front of Seok-ho. Seok-ho looked him up and down, then disappeared silently into the room again.
When he returned a moment later, he was holding a black hat and scarf.
“Stay still.”
Seok-ho stepped closer and wrapped the scarf tightly around Kang-woo’s neck. The soft scarf rose all the way up beneath his nose.
Even if the temperature was below freezing, wasn’t this a bit excessive? It wasn’t like he had a cold.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, the hat was suddenly pulled down firmly over his head. His head naturally tilted downward from the pressure.
When he lifted his gaze again, he saw the corner of Seok-ho’s mouth twitching as if he were suppressing a smile.
“…You can’t just push it down like that all of a sudden.”
Muttering softly, Kang-woo adjusted the cap that had been forced onto his head. Seok-ho stepped back and checked his outfit again, then finally nodded with satisfaction.
“Let’s go.”
The two of them went down to the officetel parking lot and got into the car. Even seeing it again, Seok-ho’s jet-black car was intimidating—much like his own build.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Kang-woo kept sneaking glances toward the driver’s seat. Seok-ho skillfully turned the steering wheel. The car smoothly left the parking lot and sped down the main road.
Despite the speed, the ride was steady. The car eventually came to a stop at a red light. Outside, people bundled up in layers hurried across the crosswalk.
“Hyung, did you know?”
Kang-woo suddenly began talking about whatever came to mind.
“The ‘CSAT cold wave’ is actually kind of like an illusion created by people’s psychological expectations.”
Seok-ho’s gaze shifted toward him.
“What do you mean?”
“They say that unusually cold weather often hits on the day of the CSAT. But actually, since 1993, the number of times the temperature really dropped below freezing on the test day isn’t that many.”
Come to think of it, Seok-ho remembered hearing something like that on the news before. People always talked about whether there would be a “CSAT cold wave” each year.
But that aside—why bring that up all of a sudden?
A hint of confusion appeared in Seok-ho’s eyes.
“But today there’s actually a really intense cold wave.”
Scenes from the news came to Kang-woo’s mind: students wearing padded jackets gathered in front of school gates, cheering on the examinees. And the backs of the test-takers entering the exam halls while receiving their encouragement.
It was November, so although it was late autumn, it was technically still autumn. Yet people were already bundled up in thick layers before December, when winter truly began.
It was cold enough to be remembered historically.
“So today is actually a special day. We’re not feeling some fake cold—we’re feeling real cold. Not an illusion, but something real.”
After talking for a while, Kim Kang-woo arrived at a somewhat silly conclusion.
Seok-ho listened to him, not entirely sure what to make of it, and studied his dry-looking face. Today, Kang-woo seemed strangely absentminded, saying oddly random things.
The car in front received the signal and began moving slowly. Seok-ho lifted his foot from the brake and followed at an easy pace.
“Then if we’re already feeling the cold, let’s feel it properly—deep in our bones. Make today even more special.”
At the calm voice that responded, Kang-woo turned his head to look at him.
Seok-ho continued driving silently, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.
After watching him for a moment, Kang-woo nodded and turned his gaze out the window.
About thirty minutes passed with Kang-woo quietly entrusting himself to Seok-ho’s car without knowing the destination.
The vehicle that had been speeding smoothly along the highway soon exited onto a national road. A narrow one-lane road appeared—barely wide enough for a single car—and massive trees dyed yellow rushed past the window.
The scenery felt both lonely and serene, and it captured his gaze.
Resting his head against the window while watching outside, Kang-woo began to feel hungry.
Right on cue, the car came to a stop.
“Get out. We’ll eat here before we go.”
Following Seok-ho as he stepped out of the car, Kang-woo unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door.
Whoosh—
With the sound of dry leaves brushing together, cold wind swept past his ears.
But the crisp air didn’t feel unpleasant. Beneath his feet, rough pale-gray gravel crunched.
Behind the cozy-looking Korean set meal restaurant stood tall trees surrounding the place. Carried by the cool breeze was the faint smell of firewood.
It was a scent that made the heart feel at ease.
Kang-woo took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. A faint smile had already formed at the corners of his lips, which had previously been stiff.
“Let’s go inside.”
“Okay.”
Stuffing both hands deep into the warm pockets of his padded coat, Kang-woo hurried after Seok-ho.
***
“Welcome. How many people?”
“Two.”
“Please sit wherever you’re comfortable and place your order.”
As soon as they entered the restaurant, Kang-woo felt people’s eyes turn toward Seok-ho. Because of his appearance and massive build, he seemed to attract attention wherever he went.
Seok-ho behaved as if he were used to it. Without hesitation, he walked over to an empty seat by the window and pulled out a chair to sit down.
Warm air filled the entire restaurant. Because the weather had suddenly turned cold, the heating seemed to be running at full power.
Perhaps feeling stifled by it, Seok-ho took off his outerwear and rolled up his sleeves. When he did, even more obvious glances followed his jet-black forearms.
Among the customers, a few older people even stared at him openly with disapproving looks.
Seok-ho ignored those gazes completely and calmly ordered from the menu.
Meanwhile, Kang-woo looked around the restaurant. One wall was lined completely with small stone pots arranged in a row, which he found fascinating.
It seemed the restaurant operated with a system where dishes were prepared in advance so that they could be served immediately after an order was placed.
Before long, a middle-aged woman with a warm expression hurried toward their table carrying a tray piled high with side dishes.
“Could ya move them cups over to the side a bit?”
Following the woman’s cheerful request, Kang-woo slid the cups aside. Soon, steaming cheonggukjang and various vegetable side dishes were placed on the table.
“Careful, it’s hot.”
Next, braised galbi—the main dish—was set in the center of the table. Finally, a steaming pot of rice followed.
After telling them to enjoy their meal in a friendly dialect, the woman quickly returned to the kitchen just as briskly as she had come.
“Wow, there are so many side dishes.”
“Yeah.”
At a glance, the amount was impressive. The dishes holding the side dishes were all small and charmingly shaped, drawing his attention.
Where did they buy these? Kang-woo suppressed the urge to stop the owner and ask, and instead looked over the table.
The delicious smell of the food made his stomach growl and his mouth water.
He firmly scooped the nutritious rice from the pot into his bowl. Seok-ho picked up a long-spouted kettle and poured water into his pot, then did the same for Kang-woo’s.
“Hurry up and eat. You must be hungry.”
“Yes. Then I’ll eat well.”
As soon as Seok-ho encouraged him, Kang-woo picked up his spoon and took a large bite.
The moment it entered his mouth, the nutty and slightly sweet flavor unique to pot rice stimulated his taste buds.
Chewing the grains thoroughly and savoring them, he reached for the seasoned godeulppaegi greens. The sour and slightly bitter flavor was excellent.
Maybe I should try making godeulppaegi muchim when I get home too.
Thinking that, he immediately reached for the braised galbi.
“Is it good?”
As Kang-woo busily moved his chopsticks and picked up the side dishes, Seok-ho glanced at him and asked casually.
“Yes. It’s really delicious.”
Kang-woo nodded brightly with a wide smile.
Every dish on the table was clean-tasting yet packed with flavor. And beyond the taste, more than anything, he simply felt good.
After staying inside the house for so long, coming out and eating outside food like this made the suffocating feeling in his chest seem to clear away.
On top of that, they had come far away from Seoul, so there was no worry about running into someone he knew.
Seok-ho pushed the dish of side dishes closer to Kang-woo.
“Oh—hyung, you should eat too.”
With a flustered expression, Kang-woo tried to move it back to its original place, but Seok-ho blocked him with his hand.
“Leave it there and eat.”
“…It’s fine.”
“Eat a lot. It’s nice seeing you eat well.”
Seok-ho said it in his usual blunt tone as he placed a piece of meat into his mouth.
For some reason, Kang-woo felt embarrassed. He had never expected to receive praise from him over something like eating.
“Thank you.”
Scratching his cheek awkwardly, Kang-woo spoke.
Hearing words like that made him realize that he must have picked at his food quite a bit in front of Seok-ho before.
I want to show him that I eat well.
With a strange burst of motivation, he began energetically scooping up rice.
Seok-ho watched Kang-woo eat for quite some time. Only when Kang-woo’s bowl was about half empty did he begin focusing on finishing his own meal.
One bowl of rice was nowhere near enough for Seok-ho, so he ordered another.
Kang-woo, feeling oddly competitive, pushed himself harder. He moved his spoon diligently.
The seasoning of the food was perfect, and today his appetite was better than usual.
Not only did he finish every grain of rice without leaving a single one behind, he even drank all of the savory scorched rice soup made from the pot.
In an instant, he felt completely full.
After swallowing a sip of water, he let out a long breath.
He had eaten far more than usual, so he felt like he had overdone it—but he had eaten well nonetheless. His upper stomach was so full it bulged slightly, making it almost difficult to breathe.
“There was a café right next door.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Let’s go have a drink there before we leave.”
He had vaguely noticed another building next to the restaurant, but he hadn’t realized it was a café.
After paying the bill, the two of them left the restaurant and walked over to the café building a few steps away.
“Go in first.”
With both hands in his pants pockets, Seok-ho gestured with his head. It seemed like he was planning to smoke a cigarette first.
Understanding the hint, Kang-woo nodded.
