Chapter 24

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: At the End of Her Gaze
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“What are you staring at? Because I called you a dummy?”

“……”

Despite Taeseo's remark, Yuna didn't look away. Taeseo continued his barrage of harsh words.

“You idiot. If you don't like being called a dummy, then stop living like a pushover.”

Taeseo didn't understand why he was saying such things to Yuna.

Was it because he was drunk?

No. He was sober enough to walk to the convenience store. He swore he wasn't that drunk.

Having concluded that he wasn't drunk, he looked at another emotion stirring within him.

That emotion was anger. Anger toward those who preyed on the weak.

Once he recognized the anger, he couldn't understand why he was feeling it.

As the son of a corporate family, he was accustomed to a system that exploited those poorer and of lower social standing than himself.

For someone like him to feel anger at the injustice faced by the weak was a foreign experience.

He had no way of knowing why he had become so emotional over An Yuna's situation.

He'd had too much to drink. He could walk, but the alcohol must have made him emotional. That's how Taeseo defined his feelings.

“…Where are you coming from?”

“Your village.”

“Have you been drinking?”

“Yeah. The village chief asked for a hand with the pesticides. I helped out and had a little with dinner.”

Yuna gave Taeseo a surprised look, then nodded and started walking. Taeseo reached out. His hand touched the eco-bag slung over her shoulder.

“What are you carrying that makes the bag look like this?”

“Zucchini.”

“Zucchini?”

“Some zucchini grew in the field next to my house… You helped me. I wanted to make you some soybean paste soup…”

Taeseo didn't wait for Yuna to finish before taking the eco-bag from her shoulder. It seemed to hold more than just zucchini; the sound of a plastic bag rustled from inside.

“What all are you carrying in here?”

“I bought some enoki mushrooms, and some meat… Please give me the bag. I'll carry it.”

“It's fine.”

Taeseo slung the bag he'd taken from Yuna over his shoulder and walked past her, taking the lead.

Was it the high temperature and humid air of the tropical night? Taeseo roughly rubbed his face, flushed red from the alcohol, with the back of his hand and forged ahead.

It was a night filled only with the sound of steady footsteps, the croaking of frogs from the rice paddies, and the chirping of insects.

The two walked in silence. They walked for twenty minutes, maintaining a constant distance as if walking in a line, neither one falling behind or pulling ahead.

Their formation broke only when the convenience store came into view.

The convenience store, the sole beacon of bright light in the dark country town. An Yunho was fuming in front of it.

“What the fuck took you so long?”

“I'm sorry!”

Taeseo stopped in a spot untouched by the convenience store's light and watched An Yuna's slender back as she bowed subserviently to An Yunho before entering the store.

Soon after, An Yunho sped away from the convenience store on his motorcycle.

Inside the brightly lit store, An Yuna, looking terribly busy, pulled on her uniform vest while peering at the POS screen and tapping at the keypad.

Taeseo entered the convenience store once the sound of An Yunho's motorcycle had faded.

The wind chime tinkled.

Placing the eco-bag on the counter, he recited his usual line.

“Cigarettes.”

An Yuna, who had been looking at the POS screen, rubbed her tired eyes and met Taeseo's gaze.

“Smoking after drinking like that is bad for your health. Would you like a hangover cure?”

“Forget it. Just get the cigarettes and ring me up.”

“No, don't do that. Really. If you drink and smoke too much, you'll end up like my uncle…”

“What a load of bullshit. No matter how recklessly I live, I won't end up like that bastard.”

Perhaps because of what he'd heard at the village chief's house, his words were even harsher today.

“You shouldn't talk like that. He's an adult. He's old enough to be your father.”

“My father is much older than your uncle.”

“Still.”

Yuna took out the brand of cigarettes Taeseo smoked and scanned the barcode. Watching her, Taeseo brought up something he had forgotten.

“Your uncle told me to give next month's rent to him.”

A crease formed between An Yuna's brows. With her brow deeply furrowed, Yuna shook her head.

“That would be a disaster. You absolutely cannot give the rent to my uncle.”

She says even the rent can't go to her uncle; how would she react if she knew the compensation for the land was going to him?

Would she say it was a better outcome than her grandmother being stubborn and having the land forcibly expropriated? Or would she say that Taeseo had deceived her and done something unforgivable?

If her family got a lump sum of money, even like this, could An Yuna free herself from this convenience store, from these shackles?

The conclusion he had thought so clear was starting to feel less certain.

“Here are your cigarettes.”

Taeseo placed his card on the counter, avoiding her hand. Yuna paused, her hand hovering over the card.

“Tomorrow's Saturday, so you're off, right? I'll bring you some soybean paste soup, so you can have it with rice. I'm indebted to you for so many things, I want to repay you somehow. I heard you eat at Seongwoo Diner for every meal. I thought you might want to rest on Saturday.”

“Yeah. Okay.”

Taeseo paid for the cigarettes Yuna handed him and stepped out of the store.

Was it because he'd suppressed his craving for a smoke while drinking at the village chief's house? Or was it because of his complicated feelings? The cigarette didn't feel as satisfying as he'd expected.

After exhaling a few puffs of stale smoke, Taeseo stubbed the cigarette out in an ashtray and headed upstairs.

* * *

Knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock. The sound of knocking woke Taeseo.

The sight of the plain white ceiling brought home the fact that another day had begun in Seongwoo Township.

Knock, knock, knock. The knocking came again. Taeseo turned his head to look at the wall clock.

It was just past five o'clock. Despite the early hour, the world outside the window was brightening. Still, it was that time of early morning when a bluish tint lingered in the air.

His question of who could be visiting at this hour was answered by the voice from outside the door.

-Excuse me. Could you please open the door?

It was An Yuna's voice. Only then did he remember her promise from last night to make him soybean paste soup.

It seemed An Yuna's day started at five in the morning. It might be a diligent and good habit, but it was not an hour that suited Taeseo.

He found it absurd that she would assume others were awake at five just because she was, but at the same time, he found it admirable that she had made time in her busy schedule to keep her promise.

“Hold on a minute.”

Taeseo called out loudly enough to be heard through the door and pushed himself up from the bed.

As he sat up, a severe headache washed over him. A predictable hangover. He had never in his life drunk so many different kinds of infused liquor as he had yesterday.

He slapped his aching head a couple of times with his palm before getting up to open the door. Yuna, standing in front of the door, blinked as she looked at Taeseo.

A smile touched Yuna's previously expressionless face. Taeseo looked down at her, dumbfounded.

“What are you smiling at?”

“Your hair is a complete mess. I don't think I've ever seen you like this.”

He had just woken up and hadn't even washed his face. Besides, Taeseo's fine, light-colored hair tended to get hopelessly tangled if not properly styled.

“If you wanted to see me looking decent, you shouldn't have knocked at this hour.”

“This look isn't bad either.”

“Of course not. A handsome face is still a handsome face.”

“Wow, it can't be easy to say something like that about yourself.”

“It's not like I'm wrong.”

Yuna chuckled as if she found this side of Taeseo amusing and held out the tray in her hands.

On the tray were a small pot and some zucchini pancakes.

As Taeseo reached for the pot, Yuna suddenly pulled the tray back.

“Aren't you giving it to me?”

“I just made it, so it's hot. You shouldn't touch it with your bare hands.”

“You made this?”

It was a question he asked knowing the answer; there was nowhere to buy soybean paste soup at this hour in the countryside, and no shops were open, so of course Yuna had made it.

“I told you I wanted to repay you for all your help. It seemed like you were always eating out, so I tried making some.”

Taeseo reached out and took the tray. As soon as he had it, Yuna pulled her hands back.

“Well, enjoy your meal.”

He spoke to Yuna as she was about to leave with just a farewell.

“Are you going to open the convenience store now?”

“Yes. It's time. The contract says I have to open at 5:30 AM and close at 1:00 AM, so I need to stick to it.”

“You haven't eaten yet, have you?”

“Eaten?”

“Yeah. I don't want to eat alone.”

“But I have to open the store…”

“Then open up and come back. It's not like you'll have any customers at this hour anyway.”

Without waiting for Yuna's reply, Taeseo took the tray and went inside.

In truth, what he needed wasn't someone to eat with, but sleep. His head was still throbbing, and every word he spoke echoed inside his skull.

Infused liquor wasn't his forte, and his stomach was churning, but the words inviting An Yuna to eat with him had slipped out before he knew it.

Puzzled by his own actions, Taeseo placed the tray Yuna had brought on the table and heated two single-serving rice bowls in the microwave.

Around the time the microwave beeped to signal the rice was done, Yuna returned to Taeseo's room.

As she entered the room, Yuna looked at Taeseo's face and spoke with concern.

“You look like you need more sleep. I brought it early so you could go back to sleep…”

“I'm an early riser. I live a disciplined life.”

“Ah… I see.”

Frowning at Yuna's doubtful reaction, Taeseo went into the bathroom, splashed his face with cold water, and looked in the mirror.

He really was a sight to behold, enough to make An Yuna laugh. His face was red from the hangover, and his hair was a bird's nest…

“Ah, shit…”

He wet his hair with cold water, smoothed it down with his hands, and came back out. In the meantime, An Yuna had opened the window and turned on the air conditioner to air out the damp room.

Though the air was still hot and heavy, a fresh morning breeze entered the room.

“Have a seat for a minute.”

After seeing An Yuna sit at the table, Taeseo took the rice bowls from the microwave and heated up some grilled short rib patties he had in the fridge.

While Taeseo moved about, An Yuna sat at the table, stiff and unmoving.

She had come up to eat at Taeseo's suggestion, but he could feel how awkward she was being alone with him.

In the silence, Taeseo looked at Yuna.

His gaze rested on her hands, white and neat on the narrow table, on her eyes fixed on her fingertips, and on the slight rise and fall of her chest with each breath, before falling away.

He swore he had never watched her so intently before. He'd never even noticed that she got nervous in front of him. Taeseo was not the type to pay much attention to others.

But was it because he had noticed her obvious nervousness? Or had her tension somehow transferred to him?

For no reason, a lump formed in Taeseo's throat.