Hearing the voice falling on the crown of his head, Geun-yeong looked up. The man was frowning fiercely.
“I was planning to look for some part-time work.”
“What? What kind?”
“I’ll have to go out and see…”
“You don’t have a phone, right?”
He had said he left his phone behind when he ran away because he didn’t need to bring it. He thought it unnecessary to provide the detailed explanation that it was given as a bonus when he sold an expensive medical device, so he just made up that excuse. Anyway, the result was that Geun-yeong didn’t have a phone at the moment, and the man knew that.
“…Yes.”
In this world, a phone number is like an ID card. No one would give a job to someone without a phone, just based on their face. Having overlooked such an obvious thing and saying he would look for part-time work was embarrassing and again, he felt apologetic.
Ever since making that ridiculous rice for dinner last night, no, ever since readily getting into the man’s car when told to do so, he had been continuously doing and saying apologetic things.
It was strange.
Throughout his life, Geun-yeong had never been called stupid or shortsighted. Although he was just good at memorizing, everyone he met had said he was smart.
But he couldn’t understand why he kept saying stupid things in front of this man, uttering thoughtless, shallow words. He wondered if perhaps he had always been a fool with just a good memory, and only now was his true nature being revealed.
With Geun-yeong standing with his head lowered, seriously contemplating his own identity, the man said:
“I’ll bring you a phone, so just stay home today. Make cucumber side dishes and finish off that rice. And,”
The pause in the man’s speech grew a bit long, so Geun-yeong, whose head had already dropped, raised it. Since the man’s index finger was right in front of his nose, causing him to go cross-eyed, the man said to him:
“Don’t make dinner.”
Very slightly, with almost no noticeable movement, Geun-yeong withdrew his head and barely raised his eyes to meet the still unfriendly expression of the man.
“If I add a little more water—”
“Don’t do it.”
“Yes.”
Seemingly satisfied with the answer, the man withdrew his index finger, turned around, and left the house.
Kyung Jiho strode down the stairs, opened the door of his car parked a little distance away, and sat in the driver’s seat. He closed the door. And a moment later, he burst into loud laughter.
It was funny how, when he told him not to make that ridiculous rice, the guy raised his eyes, looking like a dog that needed to pee, saying he would try adding a little more water.
That wasn’t all.
Whenever something happened, he would startle like a deer released on a mountain, scurry like a sparrow, and crunch on cucumbers like a rabbit, but with a face like a frightened dog, he would twist his fingers while still saying everything he wanted to say.
It was funny. Really funny.
Throughout his life so far, most of the people Kyung Jiho had dealt with were similar. They were brutal, vile, and selfish. Sometimes they were in heat, and most were blinded by greed.
Having only seen such people, this was a completely new species of human. He was docile, simple, and had no greed. Yet, he didn’t easily give up on life, and for that reason, he had an obsession with three meals a day.
He seemed closer to an animal than a human. Like the small animals kept in open areas without cages at the zoo.
He also recalled the face of the guy quickly chewing and swallowing cucumbers with a crunching sound, then repeatedly saying “I’m in trouble” while checking his blood sugar. Despite having a timid and sensitive face, he remembered how the guy had slept until midday regardless of his changed sleeping place, then suddenly jumped up in confusion.
Again, laughter erupted.
Jiho started the engine while letting out laughter that wouldn’t easily subside once it had burst forth. Still giggling, he began to maneuver the car out of a spot that seemed impossible for ordinary people to exit without pushing another car aside. He had to turn the steering wheel while alternating between reverse and forward gears, paying attention to the angles of the front and back corners. However, because laughter kept erupting just when it seemed about to subside, today it took a little longer than usual to extract the car.
To be continued in Sugar Boy Volume 2.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
