Da Haram’s large eyes darted quickly at Tae-yi’s brief reply. But then he nodded and said,
“There’s some fruit liquor left over from when I made plum syrup at home…”
Homemade fruit liquor—at twenty-one. Tae-yi hadn’t even tried whiskey or wine at that age. The thought of Da Haram drinking something that strong was so hilariously unfitting that he couldn’t help but laugh. Setting down his spoon, Tae-yi looked over at Haram and asked,
“Want a glass of it tonight? Do you even drink?”
“A little… But you should only have one glass of fruit liquor. It’s pretty strong.”
Even the elders rarely had more than one. Though, of course, there were always exceptions.
“Guess I’ll be drinking with the squirrel too.”
“It’s a Sky Squirrel, thank you…!”
When Haram added that they were clearly different species, Tae-yi gave a half-hearted nod and picked his spoon back up. Watching him, Haram also grabbed his spoon and began mixing his bibimbap.
***
Opening the front gate to go pick some watermelon from the field, Haram froze in shock at the countless shopping bags lined up blocking the entrance.
“What… is all this…?”
As he instinctively stepped back, startled, Tae-yi gently held him by the shoulder and looked down at the neatly arranged bags. A satisfied smile quietly crept onto his lips as he glanced at Haram.
“Looks like gifts.”
Tae-yi began naturally hauling the bags inside, but Haram, alarmed, quickly grabbed his arm.
“Tae-yi! These aren’t ours!”
“They’re obviously meant for you.”
There wasn’t a single other house up on this isolated hill except for Haram’s old hanok. It was nearly impossible for so many bags to be misdelivered. Haram knew that too.
“…It’s probably a bribe.”
It must’ve been that debt collector who’d come at dawn—come back and dropped them off. He’d brought things before—nuts, fancy desserts. Clear bribes, with the obvious intent of pushing Haram to sell his land sooner.
“So what? A little bribery never hurt. It’s fine.”
Tae-yi calmly untied the gaudy ribbon attached to one of the bags and showed Haram what was inside. Haram squirmed with unease.
“Still… it looks expensive…”
These weren’t just one or two fancy bags—it was a whole pile of them. Haram had no idea why the debt collector had brought so many today, but the overwhelming sense of burden outweighed any curiosity. Seeing him hesitate, Tae-yi leaned down to meet Haram at eye level and gently said,
“It’s okay to accept it.”
“But we both know it’s a bribe…”
Haram was surprisingly firm. If this kept up, Tae-yi was going to have to lug all these clothes back outside. He sighed and tried to persuade him, this time with a more serious tone.
“So what? Just take all the bribes and don’t sell the land. Simple.”
“You can’t do that…!”
“But him showing up at the crack of dawn and harassing you is okay?”
“Of course not…!”
Haram’s voice trembled slightly, likely recalling all the trouble he’d been put through. Smiling in satisfaction, Tae-yi placed one of the shopping bags squarely in Haram’s arms.
“Then we’re good.”
Were they, really…? Tae-yi kept saying it was fine, but Haram only felt more confused. Was it really okay?
Watching Haram’s still-wavering expression, Tae-yi gathered all the remaining bags off the ground and nudged Haram toward the main wooden floor of the hanok.
“It’s okay. I won’t say anything later, even if you accept them.”
That is, unless he’s completely insane. Tae-yi, who had spent a lifetime bossing others around, was a good judge of character. The debt collector seemed to have at least that much awareness.
“You think so…?”
“Yeah. And if he does say something, call me.”
“Why? That guy’s basically a thug.”
Tae-yi patted Haram gently on the back and answered,
“So I can pat him, too.”
“…You mean the debt collector?”
Like how he was patting Haram now? What did he mean—encourage him? Appease him? Comfort him? Haram couldn’t even begin to imagine it.
With the bag in hand that he’d unwillingly accepted, Haram crossed the yard back toward the main floor. Tae-yi’s steady voice seemed to give him some reassurance, and he eventually gave a small nod.
“Clothes, huh.”
Standing beside Haram, Tae-yi peeked into the shopping bag and commented nonchalantly,
“Yeah. But they’re huge.”
Even Haram, who always bought his clothes oversized to accommodate his tail, thought they were big. The T-shirt, pants, even the sneakers—none of them seemed to be the right size.
And who puts a single T-shirt in a box with a ribbon? Haram, who usually bought cheap clothes from town, couldn’t understand this over-the-top packaging. He pulled out the overwrapped T-shirt, held it up to Tae-yi’s chest, and said,
“This’ll fit you. You can have this one too!”
His earlier awkwardness about accepting bribes had vanished without a trace. He was practically buzzing with excitement, pulling out every piece of clothing and every shoe from the bags and shoving them at Tae-yi.
“Feeding me, giving me a place to sleep, and now new clothes.”
Tae-yi’s grateful smile made Haram feel sheepish, and he scratched the back of his head.
“…I didn’t buy them, though.”
“I’ll wear them well. Thanks.”
Being thanked for handing over something he’d gotten as a bribe—it felt… weird.
Tae-yi quietly watched Haram fall silent again, then reached into the smallest of the shopping bags and pulled out a box. As soon as he opened the lid, a rich scent of chocolate wafted out.
Tae-yi chuckled as he watched Haram’s tiny, twitching nose react. Then he picked up a piece—a chocolate square topped with nuts—and popped it into Haram’s slightly parted mouth.
“Mmph?”
Startled by being fed, Haram’s initial confusion melted away in an instant. The sweetness of the chocolate, the nutty crunch with every bite—he couldn’t even speak. Clearly pleased, he began gently wagging his flat tail back and forth. Tae-yi, smiling at the sight, picked up another chocolate and placed it into Haram’s waiting mouth.
“I can eat them myself… You should have some too.”
But Tae-yi just smiled and popped a piece of white chocolate into Haram’s mouth. Now with a piece in each cheek, Haram had to shift his tongue around to slowly melt them.
Tae-yi was the kindest person Haram had ever known. Too honest, never afraid to speak his mind, never seemed to worry about what others thought. Haram couldn’t begin to guess how someone like that ended up on the run from debt collectors.
Ah… come to think of it, it had already been a week. Tomorrow was the last day Tae-yi had said he’d stay. He’d mentioned needing time to think—had he made up his mind? Was he going to say goodbye tomorrow?
“What’s wrong?”
Tae-yi leaned in and met Haram’s eyes. His tail, which had been swaying with joy just moments ago, now hung limp and still.
If only… just one more week. Just one more week would be enough.
Haram gripped the waistband of his stretched-out gray sweatpants, which had been ruined in the wash, holding back the words threatening to escape. Instead, he answered,
“It’s nothing… really.”
***
Tae-yi hadn’t stopped feeding him chocolate, so even after he’d finished, Haram’s mouth still felt overwhelmingly sweet. He wanted to wash away the sugar with a cold slice of watermelon.
“Are they comfy?”
As Haram glanced down at the new sneakers Tae-yi was wearing, he asked.
“Yeah, what about you?”
“…Me too.”
Haram had also changed into the ivory-colored tracksuit Tae-yi had encouraged him to wear—another item from the debt collector’s pile. It was a bit big, but after tying the waistband and folding up the pant legs, it wasn’t uncomfortable.
As they walked down the hill toward the fields, Haram’s eyes stayed locked on Tae-yi’s shoes. He hadn’t bought them himself, but he felt oddly proud. Was this the kind of feeling Grandma had when she came back from the market with new clothes for me?
“You’re gonna trip.”
Tae-yi warned him, slipping an arm around his bony shoulder as Haram kept walking with his head down. Only then did Haram lift his gaze and smile awkwardly as he looked ahead.
They turned the corner at the bottom of the hill—and came face to face with the wealthy landowner grandmother. Haram froze.
“Grandma!”
It felt like ages since he’d last seen her. His voice came out loud and full of emotion. But even as Haram called out to her, the old woman’s eyes locked onto Tae-yi, standing beside him.
“And who’s this boy?”
The elderly woman, hands clasped behind her back, looked up at the tall Tae-yi, then turned to Haram with a suspicious tone. Seeing her displeased expression, Haram hesitated, but Tae-yi bowed his head first and answered politely.
“Hello, I’m Haram’s friend.”
The word friend only made her expression more doubtful. She squinted at Tae-yi again and muttered under her breath,
“Looks way older than that…”
Sensing the atmosphere turn awkward, Haram stepped closer to her and asked,
“What brings you out here? Your legs are still hurting…”
The grandmother paused, glanced at Tae-yi again, then finally spoke.
“…I’ll come back another time.”
“Huh?”
It seemed like she had something to say, but she turned and left without another word. Haram blinked in confusion as he watched her retreating back. Tae-yi, too, stared after her with a subtle, unreadable look in his eyes.
***
“Why would someone want to buy the peanut field?”
Tae-yi asked, turning to look at Haram as they headed toward the farmland. After a moment of hesitation, Haram decided it was safe to confide in someone from outside the village and replied quietly,
“The debt collector said a resort might get built here… But I don’t know if it’s true. It’s just something he said…”
“…A resort?”
Tae-yi suddenly stopped in his tracks. His eyes widened at the unexpected answer. Startled by the reaction, Haram looked up at him.
“A resort? Here?”
“Yeah… He said I’d have no choice but to sell, and that I should do it soon.”
At Haram’s words, Tae-yi’s expression hardened in an instant. The easy smile he always wore vanished, replaced by a chilling seriousness. Alarmed, Haram began mentally retracing his words, wondering if he’d said something wrong.
