36
Taein walked sluggishly with the expression of someone who’d been hit in the back of the head. He could make Gu Wanjae pay for the packaged dumplings later. That wasn’t the immediate problem. He needed to figure out why Gu Wanjae had shown such unexpected behavior. All I did was wrap dumplings and exchange a few words with him. Among those few words, Taein recalled the word “pervert” and squinted one eye slightly. That was the only word he’d said to Gu Wanjae. And that was just as a joke.
Don’t tell me he’s acting like that because I called him a pervert.
After entering the dumpling shop, Taein placed the packaged dumplings under the counter.
For now, I’ll pay for them myself and either eat them for lunch or take them to the officetel.
As soon as he went inside, he could see customers lingering around.
Taein approached the steamer and greeted them.
“Welcome.”
For now, his thought was to finish today’s work first.
Late in the evening, after finishing work, Taein left the dumpling shop with seven servings of cold dumplings. When the boss asked what he bought so many dumplings for, he just brushed it off saying there was a celebration at home.
The boss used to provide dumplings at a 50 percent discount as an employee benefit. Although Taein paid full price, the boss, thinking Taein had taken the dumplings at the 50 percent discount rate, kept wearing a sly smile throughout. He joked that if Taein kept buying like that, the dumpling shop would go out of business quickly.
The boss only talked like that but was someone who loved giving to his employees more than anyone. He didn’t get angry at employees who caused trouble and readily gave money when they requested advances. Taein had witnessed this several times. At first, he thought he’d have a hard time because the boss talked too much, but once he got used to it, it was fine.
And he’s not a pervert like Gu Wanjae suspects.
Sometimes he gives burdensome compliments or asks personal questions, but that’s just his personality. He was someone who interfered in other employees’ private matters and made a big fuss about them too.
With such thoughts, Taein entered the bakery and selected only freshly baked bread to pay for.
He usually doesn’t take this route. He normally steps on only the dark shortcuts to quickly head to the officetel.
Somehow he felt like he needed to buy something besides dumplings, so he came this way.
Taein also bought an armful of fruit from the fruit store right next door.
This should be enough.
His hands were heavy.
Taein walked out without minding the red marks left on his palms.
It wasn’t far from the officetel, so the main street soon appeared and building lights came into view one by one.
During the day, after Gu Wanjae showed his unexpected behavior, he had thought a lot.
While wrapping dumplings for customers, while Gu Wanjae’s ordered dumplings were getting cold, he naturally recalled what he had said to Gu Wanjae and tried to gauge the shock the guy might have received.
He was someone who lived with suspicion even normally.
That bastard has sharp eyes. That bastard looks exactly like a perverted bastard. He was the type to make such evaluations of innocent students whenever he was bored, so what he said to the boss today wasn’t unreasonable either. Even at first, when he heard the boss was a young man, he had said “isn’t that a bit suspicious?” He never used to be like that, but perhaps the incident with Lee Wuyong had become trauma, making him harbor groundless suspicions toward perfectly normal people.
Maybe he received more psychological shock related to Lee Wuyong than I did.
He felt sorry for saying “you seem more like a pervert” to such a guy.
If they were ordinary people, normal friends, what would have been wrong with those words?
But Taein reached the conclusion that Gu Wanjae had enough reason to be angry based on everything that had happened.
During that time, how many dumpling containers had he filled?
Although he had been uncertain for a long time, by late afternoon, around sunset, Taein nodded his head.
Anyway, my words were harsh.
Taein walked quickly toward the officetel that was beginning to come into view. Perhaps because there were many large buildings, the roadside was particularly bright. Glowing letters commemorating year-end and New Year were everywhere. Happy New Year. Something about the approaching year-end. Merry Christmas. Taein glanced at the frantically twinkling buildings and pressed the password in front of the officetel.
The glass door opened with a swoosh and Taein stepped inside.
Even though it was an area without much heating, his body melted smoothly.
It was because it was so cold outside. His frozen hands were both itchy and stinging. Even by the time he got on the elevator and reached the 12th floor, the tingling sensation remained. Taein stepped into the corridor and walked familiarly toward a certain door.
The 12th floor units’ front doors surrounded a wide circular corridor. Taein quickly arrived in front of the door, put his luggage on the floor, and pressed the password. Gu Wanjae had been using the originally set password, but changed it after his father’s lover visited the house. He set it to 121234 without any particular meaning. When asked what it meant, he said he just set it from December to April.
- Taein pressed the usual password and turned the door handle, then hesitated.
The number pad light should normally turn off to black, but it was glowing white.
Did I press the wrong number because my hands are cold?
Taein pressed 121234 once more and pulled the door handle.
“……”
After failing the second time, he didn’t think he had pressed the wrong numbers. Taein laughed “ha” and took out his phone from his pocket. There had been no contact from Gu Wanjae since the afternoon. Even when they had nothing to say, he was the type to send weird photos or curse texts, so he seemed thoroughly upset. Taein pressed on Gu Wanjae’s name at the top and sent a text.
[Hey what’s the password]
After sending that one, he immediately sent another.
[Don’t tell me you changed it?]
Even after 5 minutes passed, his phone remained quiet. He was the type to reply within a minute if nothing was wrong. Taein felt himself getting angry after coming to give in. No matter what, would he change the password? When was it that he blocked with his whole body, telling him to stay in this house, not to go to the facility? Taein kept letting out short laughs like “huh, ha, ha” because he was so absurd.
“Should I go?”
Should he go? Just imagining taking the bus with all this heavy luggage felt overwhelming. The people at the facility would be happy to see him bringing a whole bunch of stuff. Taein stared blankly at the elevator going up and down. People would be happy, and if the teacher was there, they would accept him without much to say. But going all the way there was bothersome.
Taein stared at one spot and then squinted his eyes. With stinging eyes, he turned around and pushed his luggage to the side. Since it was luggage he had already put down on the floor, it was easy to move aside. Then he sat with his back against the wall right next to the door. It would be a bit embarrassing if someone got off the elevator, but he planned to endure it for now. And think a bit too.
Whether going was right. Whether he should wait a bit.
Taein sat down and rummaged through one of the plastic bags. The croquettes he bought earlier still retained their warmth. Taein took out one of them to taste and thought it was delicious despite the situation. Warm steam was rising from the croquette in his hand. He thought it would cool quickly because it was cold outside, but it was still hot.
After eating one or two bites, the croquette in his hand quickly disappeared.
Only after finishing it did Taein feel embarrassed and quickly wiped his mouth with his hand.
That’s when it happened. There was some sound from the side and the door burst open.
Taein froze for a moment and only moved his eyes.
“Wow…”
It was Gu Wanjae who stuck his face out the door.
“Fucking left so fast, shibal…”
The corridor was neither bright nor dark. There was one bright light in front of the elevator, and one large ceiling light hanging in the middle. Gu Wanjae, who had been looking only around that area, kept complaining “shibal, did he leave already, shi.”
Taein’s whole body was frozen, then he unconsciously moved his hand. He touched the plastic bag that was right in front of him, making a rustling sound.
“Ah! Shibal!”
Gu Wanjae, who turned his head toward where the sound came from, discovered Taein and immediately shouted.
Perhaps embarrassed by the cursing and complaining he had just done, Gu Wanjae quickly went back inside the house. Taein looked up at the door that closed with a bang while holding his neck.
Just a few seconds later. Gu Wanjae’s hand shot out from the door that burst open again. He pushed the closing door once more.
“Just come in for now!”
The situation was a bit awkward, but he should go in first and see. Taein hastily gathered his luggage and put himself through the door.
Gu Wanjae had only pushed the door once and gone inside, so he was already near the living room. Taein looked at his back without much reaction and headed toward the kitchen.
When he put all the plastic bags on the dining table, a delicious smell wafted out.
It seemed to be because of the freshly baked bread.
Taein scanned the dining table and raised his head.
He could see Gu Wanjae, who had been standing just moments ago, now lying sprawled on the sofa.
His gaze was toward the window as if he wouldn’t talk to him.
“……”
It’s really hard to speak first in times like this.
No matter how often they fought, he couldn’t calmly accept even this kind of atmosphere.
Taein only touched the dining table surface and sighed deeply.
He’s still in such a bad mood, is it right for me to apologize now?
He was about to apologize right away, but getting caught eating a croquette and all, he felt the situation wasn’t appropriate.
“Hey…”
Taein finally spoke quietly and took his hands off the dining table.
“I brought this for you to eat and cheer up… I just came to say that.”
It was an angle where only Gu Wanjae’s crown was visible. He could see Gu Wanjae lying with his hands behind his head, not moving at all. He must be really hurt.
Taein turned around with a bitter expression.
“You’ll only feel bad seeing me anyway, so I’ll go for now.”
It was when he said that and was about to leave the house.
There was a sound of leather rubbing against the sofa, then he heard Gu Wanjae shouting loudly.
“Hey, man. Are you just going to say your piece and leave? Ha, fucking shibal.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
