Chapter 42
I considered forcibly detaching myself, but I remembered what happened outside. How much trouble had I gone through by not separating from Son Byung-chul in front of others? After thinking it over, I asked a question.
“Doyun-ssi?”
“Yes.”
How polite and proper his speech was for someone in such an awkward position… I briefly made a sour expression.
“Perhaps… attachment issues? Something like that?”
I asked seriously. Honestly speaking, if Kim Doyun had attachment issues, I could understand. In these chaotic times, the warmth of human contact would be sorely missed. It was a situation where we couldn’t even trust people, and besides, hadn’t Kim Doyun wandered the forest alone, separated from me? And for quite a long time on his own…
Thinking about that, my nose tingled with emotion, and I patted Kim Doyun’s back. But to my surprise, Kim Doyun burst out laughing. Uh… is that not it?
* * *
The cloudy weather continued the next day, but the rain had subsided considerably. The wind, too, like a capricious cat, had calmed down and laid its fur flat. The chilly temperature made me doubt what season I was in, but when the sun showed its yellow face, those doubts would fly away without a trace, and I’d surely end up sprawled out, exhausted from the heat.
The weather, with its drizzle reduced to light rain, brought visitors. Since Kim Doyun was standing by the window removing leaves, I was able to get up before the visitors arrived. I thought it strange how Kim Doyun was staring intently outside, so I approached him to see what he was looking at. Through the broken window, I could see two people in bizarre attire.
Their clothes, made of large leaves sewn together in layers, made forest sounds with every movement. And from a distance, they looked like bushes, reminding me of the camouflage uniforms worn in the military.
To think that even the dreadful military days could become a cherished memory as one lives on. I lamented, swallowing down the wavering nostalgia and wonder in my throat.
They shook the rainwater collected on their clothes while conversing. Because it was quiet all around and their voices were loud, the conversation was clearly audible even inside the building.
“Son of a bitch, where are you spraying that water?”
“I didn’t do it.”
“You just splashed me.”
“Ah, this guy’s starting again. It’s raining from above, rain!”
“You crazy bastard, does rain splash from the side? From the side?”
The sound of their bickering was very familiar. Though their tone was friendly, I couldn’t trust it at face value. I’d rather trust a passing dog… no, monster, than believe that. I chewed my lip, and Kim Doyun listened quietly to their conversation before tapping his chin.
“It’s the people from yesterday.”
“Huh? How did you know? We only met them briefly yesterday.”
“They both have distinctive accents that stuck in my ear.”
Is that really so? I pondered Kim Doyun’s words but couldn’t find any peculiarities distinctive enough to identify on first hearing. Rather, Kim Doyun’s clear pronunciation was more unique. He’d be well-suited to be a news anchor, and he’s good-looking too… I imagined him appearing on TV.
Thump, thump, thump.
While I was admiring how fitting that would be, they seemed to have reached the house. The sound of knocking on the door echoed loudly.
“Hey, are you up?”
The unwelcome visitor didn’t wait for an answer. The fist that pounded so hard made the door shake. I briefly considered pretending to be absent and hiding, but when the door was about to fall off, I changed my mind. They were poised to tear the door off and barge in at any moment.
“What business do you have so early in the morning?”
“Oh? Seems like we woke you up? Sorry about that.”
Han Jong-wook said that when he saw my face, puffy from lack of sleep. But there wasn’t a trace of apology anywhere. Instead, he looked around here and there like someone trying to find fault. Perhaps because I had become friendly with Jang Jae-gyeong, his scrutiny of me seemed to have become more sensitive.
“I was going to wait until after noon, but the sooner the better, I think. And the weather seems decent enough now.”
Son Byung-chul added while shaking his patchy leaf raincoat.
“About what I mentioned yesterday.”
“What’s that?”
“That person wants to meet you.”
Kim Doyun, who had been standing with his arms crossed, showed a reaction. I didn’t like it. What on earth was this ‘that person’ the villagers kept invoking, that even Kim Doyun was reacting this way?
“I don’t like it.”
For a moment, I thought my thoughts had jumped out of my mouth. I quickly covered my lips, but the grumbling sound didn’t stop. Fortunately, the owner of the voice wasn’t me but Han Jong-wook. He glared at Kim Doyun and poked Son Byung-chul in the side. Son Byung-chul promptly struck Han Jong-wook’s head and clicked his tongue.
“Are you a child?”
“I really don’t like it. Just look at that guy. His face is perfect for backstabbing. And his vibe is similar to that bastard, so unpleasant.”
No name had been mentioned. But it was clear without being told who Han Jong-wook disliked so much that he shuddered. It was Jang Jae-gyeong.
“You seemed to like him when you first met.”
“I don’t know what time you’re talking about.”
“Your eyes were practically on fire.”
“Stop it. Anyway, he’s a person who’s of no help whatsoever to our village, I lost interest long ago.”
Han Jong-wook snorted.
“But doesn’t that guy really look like he’ll betray us?”
No matter how much you dislike someone, it doesn’t seem right to say it so openly to their face. Just as I was starting to feel cooperative, I wanted to run away. Son Byung-chul seemed to think the same, as he struck the back of Han Jong-wook’s head again.
“Augh, augh.”
“Ah, why are you doing that!”
“You young punk, think before you act. You’re all good except you can’t stand what you don’t like.”
Han Jong-wook, after being hit a few times on the head, turned around irritably. His bickering appearance was funny, and his sulking made him look quite young. However, having witnessed his hidden temper with my own eyes, it didn’t seem amusing. Sure enough, Han Jong-wook looked at me and smiled. A bizarre smile leaked through the gap of his missing canine tooth.
“Ignore this guy, just ignore him… what will you do?”
Son Byung-chul asked. He seemed satisfied with his own generosity in giving us a choice. Generosity? That’s ridiculous. I wanted to loudly mock the consideration he showed in his own way. But Son Byung-chul wasn’t looking at me and only stared at Kim Doyun’s face.
At that moment, Han Jong-wook rubbed his tongue over the gap in his teeth and approached me. Seeing his intimidating face, an ominous feeling clung to me like a leech. What scheme is he up to now? But his purposeful steps didn’t reach me. Kim Doyun, who had been contemplating Son Byung-chul’s proposal with crossed arms, moved. He stepped between me and Han Jong-wook. Han Jong-wook’s expression changed as if he had bitten into something unpleasant.
“Well, that’s some scary jealousy.”
“W-what?”
He threw a question at me, who was aghast.
“Isn’t it?”
“Are you crazy?”
“…Hmm.”
When I protested vehemently, it seemed to work as Han Jong-wook easily conceded. Nodding his head a couple of times, Han Jong-wook muttered to himself.
“Right. No matter how desperate, men with men…”
Han Jong-wook stuck out his tongue as if he had witnessed a disgusting vomit and shuddered. I considered it extremely fortunate that I hadn’t made excuses. What would have happened if I had delayed my answer even slightly or given room for suspicion?
Before I could breathe a sigh of relief, I noticed Han Jong-wook’s gaze scanning Kim Doyun and me. The way he was glancing back and forth didn’t seem like he would let it go easily. Yes, it would be strange if Han Jong-wook yielded so readily.
“So, are you going or not?”
Son Byung-chul asked again. Wavering beside Kim Doyun, who was staring directly at Han Jong-wook who was sizing up the situation, I suddenly raised my head. Kim Doyun would undoubtedly answer that he would go. Sure enough, he was opening his mouth.
“Before that!”
“?”
I shouted before Kim Doyun could answer. My heart leaped as all three men’s gazes turned to me at once. Each gaze was different. Han Jong-wook was examining me, Son Byung-chul was very displeased. Kim Doyun… I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. I felt the hair on my head stand on end, but I pretended to be unfazed.
“Before that, let’s eat first. Doyun-ssi hasn’t eaten anything since yesterday.”
Perhaps due to constant tension, I couldn’t even feel the acidity of an empty stomach. But I clutched my stomach like a starving person.
“I really feel like I’m dying.”
My performance, which I tried to make natural, worked on Son Byung-chul. He put away his displeased face and went outside, telling us to wait. Han Jong-wook immediately followed him out. I had been worried he might stay behind to monitor us, but thankfully he didn’t.
I sighed and looked at Kim Doyun. After watching my act, Kim Doyun had quite a concerned expression.
“Doyun-ssi.”
“Yes.”
“Can we talk for a moment?”
This was the purpose of mentioning food and sending them away. I sat down on the floor. Kim Doyun found it strange but obediently sat down with me. It must seem odd that someone who had just been complaining about hunger suddenly changed.
I rubbed my eyes, which were stinging from lack of sleep. The embers of the fire were quietly consuming the last log. As I basked in the warm fire, unrelieved fatigue pressed heavily on my eyelids. After rubbing my face to wake up, I spoke vigorously.
“I’m done here.”
Kim Doyun tilted his head and looked at me. I overtly showed my empty hands.
“There’s no need for me to stay in this village anymore. Since Jaekyeong-ssi has returned safely, I have no reason to hang on here.”
The moment I mentioned Jang Jae-gyeong, his face slightly crumpled.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
