“…”
From Yeonwoo’s perspective, he needed to keep working. The monthly living expenses from Lee Jonghoon weren’t enough to live on. Yeonwoo soon recalled the check he had received from Ho Munbeom and the contract they had exchanged. If he fulfilled the agreed period, he would have a substantial amount of money that he couldn’t earn in a lifetime. Perhaps Ho Munbeom had this in mind when he made such remarks.
Feeling heat rising to his throat, Yeonwoo pulled the blanket up to just below his chin and mumbled:
“I’d be bored if I didn’t do anything.”
“That’s exactly what this elderly person I know says.”
The “elderly person” expression brought Ho Munbeom’s grandfather to mind. But surely it wasn’t appropriate to refer to the Chairman as an elderly person. Not knowing how to respond, Yeonwoo chose to keep quiet. After tapping the steering wheel a few more times, Ho Munbeom spoke again:
“I somewhat agree that you’d be bored if you didn’t do anything. Still, for your health’s sake, rest when you need to. Yeonwoo is too thin.”
As if on cue, a growling sound came from Yeonwoo’s stomach.
Ho Munbeom glanced at Yeonwoo, who was trying to hold his breath in embarrassment, and his eyes narrowed.
“Seems like your stomach is also demanding food.”
“…”
Yeonwoo’s head sank lower at the soft laughter that followed Ho Munbeom’s words.
If he had known this would happen, he would have eaten better usually. Thinking he should have taken better care of his body, Yeonwoo couldn’t raise his head for the rest of the journey.
The place they arrived at after climbing a hill was a pretty, cozy villa that looked like a painting.
Seeing the charming two-story villa, unlike anything he had seen even in dramas, Yeonwoo stood still. While he was dazedly looking at the villa and its front yard, Ho Munbeom began to move, and Yeonwoo hurriedly followed. As they left the parking lot adjacent to the front gate and headed toward the building, a middle-aged man came out as if he had been waiting.
The man was wearing worn clothes with a towel around his neck. Though short in height, he had a sturdy body with healthy tan skin and a rugged appearance. His firmly closed lips made him look almost angry, causing Yeonwoo to unconsciously look at Ho Munbeom.
In response, Ho Munbeom patted Yeonwoo’s back reassuringly and strode toward the man. The man moved his hands and opened his mouth, trying to communicate something. Ah, he can’t speak. Since there had been someone who used sign language in his former neighborhood, this sight wasn’t unfamiliar to Yeonwoo, and he relaxed his tense shoulders.
After making a few more gestures, the man took the bag Ho Munbeom was holding. Yeonwoo was surprised to see the man take his bag, but seeing Ho Munbeom turn to look at him, he couldn’t say anything. Then Ho Munbeom, pointing to the man entering the villa, said:
“He has difficulty speaking. Though his expressions may be a bit rough, he’s a good person.”
Then Ho Munbeom took Yeonwoo’s hand and led him to the side of the building.
In front of a large window overlooking the living room, barbecue preparations were complete. Seeing the appetizing fresh meat, shrimp, abalone, and other items placed next to the grill, Yeonwoo unconsciously swallowed. Wondering if Ho Munbeom had heard him, he glanced up, but Ho Munbeom had already taken his wrist and seated him in a chair.
“Stay seated, I’ll grill it right away.”
The spacious wooden table was laden with seasoned acorn jelly, steamed eggs, soup, rice, and plenty of vegetables for wraps. The side dishes already laid out seemed enough for a full meal.
When Yeonwoo saw Ho Munbeom putting on gloves, he stood up awkwardly.
“I’ll help…”
Before he could finish, the middle-aged man appeared again.
The man saw Ho Munbeom holding tongs and, startled, rushed over. He tried to take the tongs, but Ho Munbeom smilingly evaded him and said:
“You’ve already prepared the meal, I can’t ask you to grill the meat too. We’ll leisurely grill this ourselves. Please tell your wife thank you for the pickles, we’ll enjoy them.”
Then Ho Munbeom took out a folded envelope from his pocket and handed it to the man.
“And please give this to your wife. She’ll understand when she sees it.”
After a few more attempts to take the tongs from Ho Munbeom, the man seemed to give up and drooped his shoulders. Then, opening the envelope Ho Munbeom had given him, he was even more surprised than before and made loud, incomprehensible sounds of “Uh, uhh.”
“It’s fine. I thought of you two and prepared it. This year, don’t forget to get health checkups and take at least one course of herbal medicine each. Understood?”
Who could refuse when someone smiles so kindly while saying such things? The middle-aged man seemed to feel the same way; he hesitated, looking back and forth between the envelope and Ho Munbeom, then made some sounds and bowed deeply. As he tried to express his gratitude several times, Ho Munbeom told him not to do that, saying he was thankful for the meal preparation.
The man looked at Yeonwoo rather than Ho Munbeom, then slowly retreated. While moving away, he looked back at Ho Munbeom several times, bowed once more, and then disappeared.
As Yeonwoo was watching the direction where the man had disappeared, he was startled by a touch on his cheek and turned his head.
“The fever seems to have subsided, but how’s your stomach?”
Despite surely having seen Yeonwoo’s startled reaction, Ho Munbeom continued to stroke his cheek unconcernedly. As the touch naturally moved down to his chin, Yeonwoo’s lips parted slightly.
“…It’s better now.”
“That’s good. I’d like you to eat well, but don’t force yourself if you’re not feeling well.”
Then Ho Munbeom skillfully placed meat, shrimp, abalone, and mushrooms on the grill. Seeing the smoke rise with a sizzling sound, Yeonwoo swallowed dry saliva and reached for a cup. As he sipped water, Ho Munbeom said while grilling the meat:
“I thought we’d arrive around lunchtime, so I asked for preparations in advance. The man grills meat well, but I can do a decent job too.”
Adding that he wouldn’t serve burnt meat, Ho Munbeom made Yeonwoo nod dazedly. While keeping his eyes on the meat and occasionally looking at Yeonwoo, Ho Munbeom’s eyes narrowed.
Whether it was because this was Yeonwoo’s first visit to the place, or because Ho Munbeom was dressed casually with a relaxed hairstyle, he seemed kinder than usual. Because of this, Yeonwoo couldn’t take his eyes off him. After looking at Yeonwoo, who was sitting quietly and just watching him, a few more times, Ho Munbeom went inside the living room through a glass door on one side. When he came back shortly after, he was holding a blanket.
The blanket was, of course, for Yeonwoo. As it was naturally wrapped around him, Yeonwoo couldn’t say anything. While he just sat quietly, Ho Munbeom flipped the meat once and then scooped out two servings of rice from the rice cooker on the side.
Unable to do nothing anymore, Yeonwoo carefully stood up. Ho Munbeom predictably told him to stay seated, but Yeonwoo discreetly filled soup bowls with stew and rearranged the side dishes.
Standing up, he saw that there was also a variety of pickled vegetables. Seeing some that he liked, Yeonwoo swallowed again. A soft laugh was heard. Thinking that he must not have hidden the sound of swallowing this time, Yeonwoo blushed and sat back down in the chair.
Whether it was because the meat was good or the heat was just right, the meat cooked quickly.
The meat, cut into bite-sized pieces, was moved to Yeonwoo’s plate. Yeonwoo held out the plate with the meat, suggesting they eat together, but Ho Munbeom said it was fine and placed salt and wasabi nearby.
“It tastes best when eaten right away. Go ahead and try it.”
“But still, together…”
“I can eat while I’m grilling.”
As if wanting to prove it, Ho Munbeom picked up a thick piece of meat, examined both sides, and put it in his mouth. Almost an entire chunk disappeared into his mouth. Unable to believe what he saw, Yeonwoo stared blankly, but when Ho Munbeom pointed at the plate with the tongs, Yeonwoo suddenly came to his senses and put it down.
Perhaps because he had seen Ho Munbeom eat first, Yeonwoo was able to comfortably put a piece of meat in his mouth. Then, surprised by how the meat seemed to melt in his mouth, Yeonwoo looked up at him. Having similarly swallowed a large piece of meat, the corners of Ho Munbeom’s mouth curved upward.
“…It’s delicious.”
“Try it with the pickled vegetables too. The man’s wife makes them, and they taste good.”
At that, Yeonwoo picked up a pickled garlic and put it in his mouth. With its appropriately sweet and sour taste, along with a crisp texture, his jaw naturally moved quickly.
“Makes you want rice, doesn’t it?”
It was indeed a taste that made one think of rice.
But instead of getting rice for himself, Yeonwoo took a bowl and filled it with pickled vegetables, placing it near Ho Munbeom. Ho Munbeom laughed out loud as Yeonwoo suddenly half-stood up and loaded the plate with various types of pickled vegetables. Wondering why he was laughing, Yeonwoo looked at him, and Ho Munbeom said while picking up meat:
“No, it’s just that Yeonwoo filling the plate with pickled vegetables for me looks exactly like a squirrel.”
Like a small animal trying to store food, Yeonwoo had diligently filled the plate and inevitably handed it to him.
With all these delicious things, he would naturally want to fill his own stomach first, but it was so obvious that he was suppressing that desire to take care of Ho Munbeom first that Ho Munbeom couldn’t help but laugh.
Ho Munbeom placed additional freshly cooked meat on Yeonwoo’s plate.
“Go ahead and eat. At this rate, we’ll just have a pile of meat.”
Yeonwoo used his chopsticks on the meat that now seemed to exceed the amount of rice.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
