–Just listen without hanging up.
As Inho was about to end the call, Hyo-jeong stopped him with her uncanny intuition. Inho listlessly put the phone back to his ear.
“Yeah.”
–I’m just saying this in case. Don’t be upset.’
“About what?”
–From the perspective of people who have raised Haon since he was little, it’s natural for them to be wary of you.
Hyo-jeong tried to make Inho understand, saying their reaction was understandable. It seemed she was worried about Inho being left alone in the remote countryside.
“I know.”
However, there was no need for that.
‘I’m thinking it’s a relief I wasn’t beaten up.’
Inho had already expected Seong-gu wouldn’t welcome him. He had spent the entire bus ride imagining the worst-case scenarios. Thanks to that, he truly felt nothing.
–Well, that’s a relief. Sleep well.
–Be careful of ghosts.
Hyo-jeong added as a final joke, which he casually ignored as he hung up.
Inho took off his clothes first, then took out a blanket from the closet. The strong scent of fabric softener suggested it had been washed recently.
That wasn’t all. Inho could tell that the house was well-maintained. It didn’t feel like a space that had been neglected without an owner for a long time.
It seemed everyone had done a big cleaning because Haon was coming. The traces of careful sweeping and wiping showed their affection for the homeowner.
A smile spread across Inho’s face as he leisurely looked around. He felt relieved that Haon seemed to have grown up receiving a lot of love in this small village.
Perhaps that was why he could always smile brightly even after going through those terrible things. Inho was happy that there were people who recognized Haon’s worth.
It was affection he deserved to receive. Their Haon deserved to be loved wherever he went.
Inho briefly organized his luggage, then took his toiletries and headed for the sliding door. Thanks to the small size of the room, he could go outside with just a few steps. He looked at the simple structure with interest and grabbed the doorknob.
Thud.
At that moment, an unfamiliar sound was detected. Inho didn’t immediately move his foot but tilted his head, focusing on the sound that brushed past his ear.
Rustle.
This time, he heard the sound of something crawling.
He looked around, trying to find the direction of the sound. He had clearly heard it, but he couldn’t pinpoint the location. That was because.
Thud, rustle, crackle, rustle.
Noise echoed from all directions. It was to the point where he couldn’t identify the source.
‘There are so many….’
There was something worse than ghosts. He wanted to call Hyo-jeong and tell her that he should be careful of something other than those trivial ghosts.
Inho let out a dry laugh and lightly brushed his lips and cheeks. He would have preferred a ghost to appear.
After a moment of hesitation, he gave up on showering and put on his clothes first. He had seen rats the size of his forearm while living in the States, but he wasn’t used to bugs.
Pat-pat-pat. Tap-tap-tap.
Actually, he wasn’t even sure if they were bugs. Inho, who had been born and raised in the city his whole life, was learning for the first time that bugs could make such diverse sounds.
He thought it would be better if he couldn’t see them, so he turned off the light. Then, the rustling and crackling noises from all directions subsided a little. It seemed the bright light had attracted more of the unidentified creatures.
The stillness that harmonized with the darkness made Inho comfortable. Thinking that it was the space where Haon had stayed, it didn’t feel strange somehow.
Inho naturally lay down on the blanket as if he had lived in this small house with no place to hide his whole life. Even the stained ceiling and the hard floor that felt like it would break his back weren’t bad.
What could be bad about it? It was the space where their Haon had grown up.
Rustle!
Just as he was about to close his eyes, something brushed against the back of Inho’s hand. Inho simply shook his hand off without bothering to turn on the light to identify it.
Then, this time, a large flying insect from outside rushed towards the door and flung its body forcefully.
Thud! Thud! With each sound, he had the illusion that the sliding door was shaking.
Inho scratched his forehead, looked at the door, and then shifted his head towards the closet and lay down. He wasn’t sleepy yet, but since there was nothing else to do, he closed his eyes.
Creak.
It didn’t end there; now he could even hear the sound of the front gate opening. At this point, he couldn’t ignore it any longer.
Where was the flashlight?
***
In the night when everyone was asleep, the living room light was still brightly lit at Seong-gu’s house.
Even though it was long past their bedtime, Seong-gu’s family was all wide awake. They were unwrapping the gifts that Haon had brought all the way from Seoul.
“Haon-ah, what is this? Where do you apply it?”
“Ah, aunt. They say you apply it under your eyes. It’s eye cream.”
Haon explained how to use it and took out other cosmetics. His face was very serious as he relayed the explanation he had heard from the department store employee.
“And this is for your neck.”
“Aigoo, the eyes are enough, why the neck too!”
“I bought a lot of facial masks too. I’m going to share them with the other aunts tomorrow.”
“Why did you buy so much? Just you coming is enough for your aunt.”
Myeong-hee, Seong-gu’s mother, cherished Haon as much as her son did. The mother and son had been discussing what to feed Haon every day since they heard the news that he was returning to the countryside, filling the refrigerator to the brim.
“Isn’t this too expensive? It’ll just get dirty soon anyway.”
Jin, who was walking back and forth between the living room and the main room wearing the new sneakers, grumbled that Haon had bought unnecessary things. It was his awkward way of expressing his gratitude.
“Don’t buy things like this next time. If you go to the market, you can buy three pairs of sneakers for thirty thousand won.”
“Dad, then give them to me if you’re not going to wear them.”
“The color is alright. The soles are sturdy too.”
Jin ignored his son and carefully put the sneakers with excellent cushioning back into the box. Even as he grumbled, his hands handling the sneakers were gentle.
“I’ll buy you more when these get dirty. Please wear them comfortably.”
“Oh my, look at our Haon talking. He’s become such a grown-up after living in Seoul.”
Myeong-hee, who burst into hearty laughter, patted Haon’s butt hard. Seong-gu scolded her not to hit a grown adult’s butt so carelessly. Whether he did or not, she completely ignored her son’s words and even stroked Haon’s smooth cheeks as if she were kneading dumplings.
“Your skin has gotten so much better. Haon must have eaten well in Seoul.”
“Yes, I ate a lot of delicious food.”
“Did your boyfriend buy it for you?”
“He’s a really great cook. He can make Korean, Western, and even Chinese food. There’s nothing he can’t do.”
Myeong-hee’s eyes sparkled with delight at Haon’s 자랑 about his boyfriend, which she was hearing for the first time in her life. Unlike her son, she liked Inho very much.
“Let’s see the picture one more time.”
It was largely thanks to Haon introducing Inho and showing them the photos together that the initial awkwardness eased.
“Oh my, oh my, what in the world is this.”
Myeong-hee narrowed her eyes and stared intently at Haon’s phone. The moment she saw Inho smiling and making a heart shape with his hands at the aquarium, she had the face of a girl who had fallen in love.
“Hey Haon-ah, he’s so handsome. Seriously handsome. How tall is he?”
“He’s a little taller than Seong-gu hyung.”
“What’s taller! He looked the same height as me!”
Seong-gu, who was sitting in the corner, shouted, but no one listened. Haon smiled shyly, as if he had received a compliment, and showed them more photos. He could boast about Inho all night long.
“Oh my, good. So good. He’s perfect for our Haon.”
“What’s so good about it! You haven’t even met him in person!”
Myeong-hee clapped her hands at her son’s outburst, looking disappointed.
“That’s right, Haon-ah. Why didn’t he come with you? You shouldn’t make a guest who came from far away sleep alone.”
“I wanted to too…..”
Haon, who was clinging to his aunt, glanced at Seong-gu. When he whispered that his hyung had said no, a fire lit up in Myeong-hee’s eyes. To her, Inho in the photo was already the number one prospective son-in-law.
“Jin Seong-gu, what the hell are you doing again! Why are you making such a fuss!”
“Oh, Mom! If you treat him too well from the start, he’ll take advantage of you! Don’t you know about establishing dominance?!”
“Establishing dominance my foot. Look at this picture! You’ve already lost because of your face!”
She slapped her son’s broad back and warned him to just welcome Inho. Jin hugged the sneaker box and went to bed.
“See, even your dad is staying quiet!”
Myeong-hee continued to side with Inho. She even hummed a song, saying she would prepare a breakfast spread that would break the table tomorrow. She was already excited at the thought of seeing Inho, who was completely different from the dull countryside men.
“Seriously, Mom, you just like anyone who’s handsome!”
“Of course! Do you think I married your dad for no reason?!”
Myeong-hee snorted and went into the main room with a pile of gifts in her arms. Before closing the door, she briefly came out and pressed a firm kiss onto Haon’s cheek. Ever since Haon was little, she couldn’t resist his soft cheeks.
“Sleep well tonight. Let’s talk more tomorrow.”
“Yes, Aunt. Good night.”
“Call me if Seong-gu bothers you.”
She slapped Seong-gu’s back once more and went in. Seong-gu huffed and tore off a piece of tissue to roughly wipe Haon’s cheek.
“How old are you to be getting kisses? You should say you don’t like it too. Don’t just stand there.”
The one who received the kiss, Haon, actually looked happy. Seong-gu lightly tapped Haon’s cheek, who was grinning, and told him to go wash up.
“Hyung’s going to lie down first.”
“Okay, I’ll wash up quickly.”
Haon quickly washed his face and brushed his teeth, eager to lie down. His body felt heavy because he had been outside all day. He felt like he would fall asleep as soon as he lay down.
Inho-ssi… was he sleeping well?
Actually, he hadn’t been able to fully concentrate on his conversation with his aunt because he had been worried about Inho the whole time. He felt like he wanted to go back to Inho’s house right now.
Haon checked the living room clock while drying his face with a towel. It was late, but he thought Inho-ssi would still be awake.
Should he go see him now?
