Chapter 60
[Joo Kwon-oh: (photo)]
A few minutes later, the photo arrived. As soon as I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, I immediately stopped organizing the display and checked KakaoTalk.
Joo Kwon-oh was wearing khaki work clothes and was outside. The bright blue sky and piles of wooden materials were vaguely visible in the frame. A safety helmet, cigarette pack, and takeout coffee cup were placed on top of the materials.
I could understand why Joo Kwon-oh had described helping his father’s work as manual labor. But even those work clothes looked stylish on him, as if they were intentional fashion.
[Me: You look cool]
I couldn’t understand why he had been hesitant to send a photo.
[Joo Kwon-oh: Yeah, I’m pretty cool lol]
[Joo Kwon-oh: I’m going back inside now]
[Joo Kwon-oh: My replies might be slow]
[Me: Okay, be careful and contact me later]
The conversation ended soon after. I focused back on the store work.
Thanks to finishing the urgent tasks as soon as I arrived, I was able to leisurely reply to inquiries on the smart store bulletin board. This was usually the boss’s job, but I sometimes managed it within my capacity to answer.
Today, everything felt tedious knowing I wouldn’t be able to see Joo Kwon-oh even after work. So I deliberately looked for extra tasks that didn’t necessarily need to be done and cleaned various parts of the store. I also organized the packaging materials in advance for the next incoming orders.
“Good work today, Jeong-ha.”
“You too, boss.”
“Did you clean the store’s glass window? I think there was a stain there, but it’s gone now.”
The boss, being quite meticulous, quickly noticed the changes in the store.
“Yes. I did it when there were no customers.”
“As expected of an art student. You have different standards from others.”
I didn’t understand what cleaning the glass had to do with being an art student. But I didn’t want to disturb the boss’s satisfied mood, so I just nodded.
“See you tomorrow. You can go now.”
“Yes, have a good evening.”
As soon as I finished my part-time job, I checked my phone. I thought there would be a message from Joo Kwon-oh, but there was only a text from a classmate in the painting department asking how my summer break was going.
It was past 9 PM, so Joo Kwon-oh should have finished work by now. Even if he was helping his father and brother, he wouldn’t work this late, would he?
I considered sending a KakaoTalk message but decided to call instead because I wanted to hear his voice.
— The customer’s phone is turned off. After the beep…
But instead of Joo Kwon-oh’s expected voice, an unfamiliar guidance message played. Surprised, I stopped in my tracks on the way home.
His phone is turned off? At this time? That can’t be right.
Hoping I was wrong, I called again, but the same message played.
Maybe his battery died. If he’s too busy, he might forget to charge it.
“That could be it…”
I muttered to myself, but I couldn’t help feeling uneasy about the continuously turned-off phone.
After arriving at my studio apartment, showering, and eating dinner alone, I tried calling again, but Joo Kwon-oh still didn’t respond.
After a moment’s hesitation, I decided to leave a KakaoTalk message.
[Me: Your phone is off ㅠㅠ Did work go well today? Contact me when you see this]
[Me: Good night, Kwon-oh]
After sending the messages, I turned off the lights and lay alone in bed.
Having to end the day without even hearing his voice once. If I had known, I would have woken up early to at least have a short call. I felt somewhat gloomy.
I don’t know how I used to spend time alone every day before. Suddenly, I missed Joo Kwon-oh with a sharp sense of loneliness.
It’s only been a day since I last saw him… Maybe it’s because we’ve been spending time together so freely lately.
I tossed and turned in bed, closing my eyes and trying to fall asleep. I just need to endure until tomorrow. He said he’d be back the day after tomorrow, so there was no need to feel too disappointed.
Thinking that way, even this situation of temporarily being unable to contact him seemed like no big deal.
*
The next day. When I opened my eyes in the morning, I felt much better.
I stretched in bed. In a refreshed mood, I checked my phone that I had left by my pillow. Of course, during the night while I was asleep, there was no… contact from Joo Kwon-oh.
There were no notifications at all.
“……”
I felt deflated with disappointment. Pouting, I called Joo Kwon-oh. Surely he must have charged his phone by now.
— The customer’s phone is turned off…
This can’t be. His phone is still off?
I glared at the screen in disbelief.
Given Joo Kwon-oh’s usual lifestyle patterns, the possibility of him not checking his phone until now was zero.
“Did something happen?”
At this point, I started to worry. Yesterday’s KakaoTalk messages were still unread, and there were no updates on his Instagram either…
…Let’s wait until today.
Since I had to go to my part-time job this afternoon, there was nothing I could do except wait for contact from his side.
To try and erase my anxious thoughts, I did some overdue housework. I quickly did the dishes, mopped the floor, and took out the accumulated trash.
Perhaps because I had moved around a bit, I felt hungry and made a simple breakfast.
After brushing my teeth and showering, I habitually picked up my phone as I came out of the bathroom. In the meantime, there was one missed call and one text message from an unknown number.
“Huh?”
Surprised, I immediately checked the text message content.
[Jeong-ha, it’s Kwon-oh. My phone broke so I’m contacting you from my brother’s phone. Call me when you see this]
As I had expected, it was Joo Kwon-oh. I immediately called back the unknown number in the missed call list.
— Hello.
“Kwon-oh!”
Joo Kwon-oh answered the phone before the second ring could even start. My voice calling his name came out very loudly due to my excitement.
— Jeong-ha. Were you surprised when you couldn’t reach me yesterday?
“What happened to your phone? You said it broke.”
— That, shit. I kept it in my pocket at the factory and dropped it on some materials, and the screen broke. Sigh.
No wonder, I thought it was strange that his phone kept being turned off.
“I see… I was worried something might have happened when I couldn’t reach you. Everything else is okay, right?”
— Yeah. But my dad and brother are complaining that there’s too much work here, so I think I’ll have to stay a few more days.
I, who had been sitting on the bed wiggling my feet, suddenly froze at Joo Kwon-oh’s words.
“H-how long?”
I had firmly believed he would return tomorrow. The sudden news made me feel completely deflated.
“Is it that busy?”
I asked another question without giving Joo Kwon-oh time to answer.
— Yeah, they say there are a ton of orders because it’s vacation season.
He said in a lower tone than usual.
“Then I guess it can’t be helped… How much longer do you have to stay?”
— Probably… four days? Five days? I’m not sure exactly.
“……”
It was a longer period than I had expected. Well, it’s disappointing, but there’s nothing we can do. It’s natural to help out when your parents’ business is busy.
I quickly resigned myself and pushed away the disappointment. Then I calmly counted the days. Suddenly, a good idea crossed my mind.
“Kwon-oh. I don’t have work from tomorrow until Wednesday… Should I come visit you there?”
— What? Why would you come here?
I thought he would obviously say to come, but his response was completely unexpected.
I was so taken aback by his serious tone that I forgot what I was going to say next.
— Don’t come. There’s nothing for you to do here, and there are only old men at the factory, so you’ll just be bored.
Joo Kwon-oh firmly insisted that I shouldn’t come.
“I could still come… I-I won’t bother you, can’t I just come see your face and leave?”
— I’m too busy for that.
“……”
— Anyway, it’s dangerous, so you can’t.
There seemed to be no room for compromise. My face flushed with embarrassment and disappointment, my cheeks burning.
I moved my lips, then answered a few seconds later.
“Okay.”
— I’ll come back as soon as I finish the work. How about you? Did you get home safely after your part-time job yesterday?
Only after hearing my answer did Joo Kwon-oh’s voice return to its usual kind tone.
“Yeah. What are you going to do about your phone?”
— I’ll try to get it fixed at the service center, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll have to buy a new one. I’ll contact you right away after I get it.
“Okay.”
— Make sure to eat properly.
“You too…”
— I miss you.
For some reason, those words didn’t sound as sincere as before. My mind was still complicated from the rejection I had heard earlier.
“Me too.”
After hanging up, my mood was more down than before the call.
Did I do something wrong? Was it crossing a line to say I wanted to come see him while he was busy working? Such regrets started to creep in.
Come to think of it, it seemed like nothing was going my way during this vacation. Getting the part-time job, not being able to see Joo Kwon-oh for nearly a week.
After sitting listlessly on the bed for a while, I suddenly wondered how much time had passed and checked the clock.
The hands on the wall clock had just passed 10 AM. That meant I still had four hours of free time before I had to go to work.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
