94.
There seemed to be no one inside the house now. Just in case, he tried turning the doorknob, but it wouldn’t open. He had lost his keys at some point. Given the situation, it might be better to visit the landlord first. As he was thinking this and about to turn around, Choi Mujin grabbed Haseo’s arm. He slowly unfurled his tightly clenched fist and placed something on his palm.
“A key?”
“Your house key.”
“Why do you have it, Mujin-ssi?”
“I’d prefer if we used consistent forms of address.”
Before Haseo left Korea, he had called him “hyung.” But now, it felt awkward to address him that way again. As Haseo kept his mouth shut, Choi Mujin changed the subject.
“I bought the house before you left Korea. I understand what you’re thinking, but if you go looking for the landlord now, you won’t find them. They left this neighborhood after selling the house to me.”
Haseo gave Choi Mujin a suspicious look, wondering if he had forced the landlord to leave.
“I know what you’re thinking, but that’s not it. I paid above market price for the house, and with that money, they went to find a new life.”
“How much did you pay?”
Choi Mujin whispered the amount in Haseo’s ear.
“What? Are you crazy?”
It wasn’t just above market price—it was far more than that. With that kind of money, no wonder the landlord had happily sold the house and moved elsewhere.
“You said that person had helped you before.”
The landlord had been someone who rented the house to a homeless grandmother at a low price. And even when the rent was overdue, they never evicted the grandmother who was raising her young grandson. Still, why would Choi Mujin repay that kindness on Haseo’s behalf?
‘Why.’
He seemed to know the answer, but he didn’t want to say it out loud. Haseo used the key to open the locked door.
He fumbled for the light switch, and the bulb hanging from the ceiling lit up. It seemed Choi Mujin hadn’t just bought the house, but also made sure the electricity and water weren’t cut off.
The house hadn’t changed. It was exactly as it had been when Haseo left. Because of this, dust had accumulated, but Haseo didn’t mind as he entered the room.
The wallpaper had yellowed with dirt and was peeling, and the floor was cold. Still, Haseo’s memories remained there. He looked again at the belongings he hadn’t been able to take with him.
His grandmother’s clothes, the bowls they used for meals, some shriveled food in the refrigerator. Looking at these things, memories came flooding back. Haseo calmly sorted through the remaining items. Now that his grandmother was no longer in this world, these things were no longer needed.
“But about the money you used to buy the house. Will that become part of my debt to you?”
The sudden question made Choi Mujin’s face contort.
“No, I’m the registered owner of the house.”
“I see.”
In the end, this was no longer Haseo’s house. Haseo nodded and folded boxes to put the items in. He didn’t have much, so after filling two boxes, the room became empty. The small table they used for meals, the closet made of synthetic material, blankets—these remained, but they would need to be sorted separately.
“What are you planning to do with those?”
“Throw them away.”
“Throw them away?”
“My grandmother is gone now. And this isn’t my house anymore.”
“If you want, I can transfer ownership to you.”
“That’s not necessary.”
Although Haseo had received a lot from Choi Mujin, he didn’t want to increase his debt.
“But isn’t this house full of memories for you?”
“It’s time to leave those memories behind.”
Haseo said with a smile. When the house disappears, he would miss it a lot. His affection for his grandmother was deep, and the emotions clung tenaciously, refusing to let go. Still, it was necessary to move forward.
“And I’m planning to start working.”
“What kind of work?”
“Anything. I need to repay my debt to you. I’ll be moving out of your place soon too.”
“What?”
“I feel bad staying for free.”
“Have I ever made you feel unwelcome?”
At Choi Mujin’s question, Haseo shrugged. This was something he had been thinking about since he decided to return from Finland.
“Don’t leave.”
An authoritative voice settled in Haseo’s ear.
“I won’t allow it.”
“What will you do if you don’t allow it? Lock me up somewhere again?”
To this calm retort, Choi Mujin replied, “I could if I wanted to.”
“Forget it. I’m not trying to run away. If you’re that worried, I’ll give you the address of my new place. You already have my phone number. Since the debt is large, I’ll repay it in installments.”
“Haseo.”
“I’ll call you occasionally, so make sure to answer, okay?”
“What are you thinking? You could be in danger.”
“Because there are many people who hold grudges against you?”
“Yes.”
“Then protect me as you see fit. You’re good at hiding people, aren’t you?”
“Haa…”
Haseo showed no signs of changing his mind no matter what was said.
“Well, I’ll be going now.”
After tidying up the house, Haseo stood up.
* * *
After arriving at Choi Mujin’s house, Haseo packed his belongings and went outside. He carefully took the urn containing his grandmother’s cremated remains.
‘Eat properly three times a day. I know you’re busy, but don’t overdo it.’
Then, saying he had already found a place, he headed there.
“How can that even be called a home?”
The place Haseo had found was a small, shabby gosiwon (one-room accommodation). It didn’t have a private bathroom, and all it provided was rice, kimchi, and ramen. Even those weren’t properly stocked, out of fear that residents might secretly hoard food. Choi Mujin had lived in such a place when he was young. That’s why he was even more worried about Haseo.
‘I wish I could just drag him back.’
Drrrr. His phone, set to vibrate, rang. Checking it, he saw it was a call from Haseo.
— What are you doing?
At the abrupt question without any greeting, Choi Mujin swallowed a sigh. This was the issue. If it had been the old Choi Mujin, he would have disregarded Haseo’s wishes, confined him, and loved him in his own way. But Haseo’s attitude had changed. He called Choi Mujin as if he had forgotten everything that had happened, chatting about his daily life.
“Working.”
— Ah, you’re still working. By the way, are you free on Saturday?
“I can make time if you want. Why?”
— Let’s go on a date.
It was because of this attitude that Choi Mujin hesitated to force Haseo. He wasn’t sure what Haseo was thinking, but it seemed like he wanted to try something with Choi Mujin. And he had a feeling that this “something” wasn’t a bad thing for him. It wasn’t the form of love he desired, but it was so sweet that he didn’t want to give up this situation.
“Okay, where do you want to go?”
— How about the Han River?
“It’ll be crowded.”
— That’s because it’s fun. Let’s meet at Han River Park at 11 a.m. Dress nicely!
As soon as he finished speaking, the call abruptly ended.
“Haa.”
Choi Mujin sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Haseo was living in the gosiwon and working part-time jobs. In the morning at a cafe, and in the afternoon at a convenience store. Just in case, Choi Mujin had someone keep an eye on him. According to the person, Haseo seemed to be adapting well.
“He seems to have memorized all the cafe menu items and is good at serving. Since he’s handsome, some customers seem to come just to see him,” Seo Miso reported, reading from her notebook.
“What about the convenience store?”
“It’s a night shift, but there don’t seem to be any issues. It’s not a place with many customers. He studies in between work. Should I find out what he’s studying?”
“No, I already know.”
One day during a call, Haseo had said:
— I think it would be good to study something. First, I’ll take an English test, and if I do well, I’ll try for a certification.
“What kind of certification?”
— An excavator operator’s license.
“…What does that have to do with studying English?”
— It doesn’t. The English study is for the future. I might go to an online university, and when I was abroad, I realized how important English is. I’ve forgotten most of what I learned in school because I didn’t study much.
After saying that, it seemed he was consistently studying. Still, Choi Mujin wanted to dissuade him from getting an excavator license. Haseo, who had only done quiet jobs before, didn’t seem like he would adapt easily to that kind of work.
“What is he thinking?”
After sending Seo Miso away, Choi Mujin placed his hand on his forehead. He understood that Haseo wanted change, but… He took out whiskey from the cabinet and poured it into a glass. As he drank, he thought about Haseo.
For now, he needed to focus on dressing nicely for Saturday as Haseo had instructed. By spending time together, he’d get to know Haseo better.
Fortunately, the weekend had clear weather. The issue was that because of the good weather, many people had come to Han River Park. Still, it wasn’t hard to find Haseo among them.
“Over here, over here!”
Haseo spotted Choi Mujin and waved. In jeans, a light shirt, and a cardigan, he looked exactly like a young man of his age group. Well, Haseo was now in his mid-twenties. He gave off a different vibe from Choi Mujin, who was over thirty.
As Choi Mujin approached, Haseo smiled and twirled around.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
