AP CH 15 (Mighty Town)
by White LotusJin-young’s expression turned concerned as he asked, “You haven’t been dealing with anything troubling, have you?”
“No, nothing like that. I’ve just been busy with some work at school. It’s all sorted now.”
When Seon-woo answered with a smile, the worry on Jin-young’s face lifted.
“That’s a relief. I was actually planning to call you in case I could help somehow. Honestly, when I heard there was a chance you might not make it this time…… ha, I nearly blacked out. No one else can handle these kids the way you do.”
They were good kids except for being overly energetic. Thinking Jin-young was just flattering him to be polite, Seon-woo chuckled and joked in return.
“Your words alone mean a lot. You’re always so generous in your praise—it’s humbling.”
“I mean it, though……”
“Well then, I’ll take Hanna and Ina for their lesson now.”
“Bye, Dad! We’re going!”
“Bye.”
After a hasty farewell to their father, Hanna and Ina clung to Seon-woo, chattering away as he gathered their gear.
“Teacher, what are we learning today?”
“Where did we leave off last time? You two know how to parallel ski, right?”
“Yep! But last year, you were going to teach us short turns, and then vacation ended. This time, we’re supposed to learn short turns!”
“Ugh, I don’t like that. Teacher, can we start with carving instead? It looks way cooler.”
“Hey, Chae Hanna! Stick to the order! We were supposed to learn short turns next.”
“There’s no such rule, okay? And if we’re sticking to order, then I’m the older sister, so it’s only fair we learn what I want first. Right, Teacher?”
“Hey! Dad said there’s no such thing as older or younger between us!”
“Hmph, you idiot, do you really believe that? I’m Hanna, and you’re Ina, so obviously I’m the older one.”
Hanna flashed two fingers and stuck out her tongue, teasing Ina to the point where her face turned bright red with frustration. Sensing it was about time to step in, Seon-woo slid between them.
“There’s no need to rush. I’ll teach you everything this season. For now, let’s get your boots on. Let me know if they don’t fit properly.”
“Okay!”
“Yes, Teacher.”
Having taken expensive lessons from a young age, their skills were naturally impressive, but at the end of the day, it was just a hobby, and they were still just children. After correcting their posture and going down the slope twice, the twins’ earlier enthusiasm had completely vanished, replaced by groans of exhaustion.
“Teach…… huff, Teacher, my legs hurt.”
“Yeah, let’s take a break for a bit.”
If it had been other kids, Nam Seon-woo might have been fooled, but not after five years with these two.
“Didn’t you say you wanted to learn carving and short turns? If we go back up now, I can teach you.”
Seon-woo grinned mischievously, and as if they had never been fighting, Hanna and Ina suddenly teamed up to whine in unison.
“Our feet are freezing, and our thighs hurt!”
“It’s only the first day, and you’re already making us work so hard.”
“Alright, then how about this? We’ll do one more run, and then we can have lunch. But if we rest now, lunch will get delayed, and so will your dinner later.”
“I just want to sit dooown……”
“You can sit on the lift. Come on, let’s go!”
Reluctantly, the twins managed one last run before making a beeline for the snack bar at the base, not even pausing to catch their breath. Amused, Seon-woo followed them onto the deck. He brushed the snow off his boots and turned to Hanna.
“You’re not going to the restaurant? You want to eat here?”
“Yes! I want tteokbokki.”
“Alright, pick whatever you want.”
Exchanging a quick glance with Seo Rin, who was working behind the counter, Seon-woo lifted Ina, who was too short to see the drink options.
“What do you want to drink?”
“The grapefruit juice, over there. Hanna said she wants cider.”
“Got it. Go find a seat, and I’ll bring it over.”
Ina, still in her ski boots, stomped back to her seat with exaggerated steps. Leaning an arm on the counter, Nam Seon-woo watched the twins as Seo Rin glanced at them and spoke.
“The kids are here again? How many years has it been now?”
“Five years. It’s been a while.”
“Wow…… Back then, they were so tiny. It’s amazing how much they’ve grown. Here, take this. The popcorn chicken is on the house for the kids.”
Laughing at Seo Rin’s shared sense of nostalgia, Seon-woo thanked her and took the tray.
Sitting next to the twins, who were engrossed in their food, Seon-woo sipped on a bottle of Pocari Sweat, trying to stave off the urge to smoke. As he idly toyed with the straw in his mouth, Hanna giggled and innocently remarked that it looked just like a cigarette, prompting him to hurriedly set it aside.
****
After the lesson ended, Seon-woo took advantage of the rare opportunity to enjoy some night skiing alone. The sound of his skis brushing against the snow, the wind crashing against his body, and the rapidly changing scenery made him acutely aware of his speed. It was liberating and exhilarating, more than anything else. Regretful at how quickly the slopes ended, he decided to take the lift up to the summit to descend Mighty Town’s longest run.
The lift, nearly empty due to the early-season crowd, carried chair after vacant chair. By chance, however, when Seon-woo boarded, he found himself seated next to a man.
Having turned off his phone to avoid the calls he didn’t want to answer, Seon-woo was left alone with his thoughts. Yet, the quiet only seemed to amplify the uncomfortable fragments of his mind. Stealing a glance at the man beside him, he decided to break the silence and strike up a conversation.
“Do you usually ski at Mighty?”
At Nam Seon-woo’s question, the man glanced at him but didn’t remove his red goggles, simply shaking his head.
“I usually go to Gangwon, but I decided to switch things up this time.”
“Ah, Gangwon resorts have decent slopes too. How does this compare?”
“Mighty seems to have better snow quality, so I think I’ll be skiing here for a while.”
“……Are you an instructor or just a hobbyist?”
“What do you think?”
“Judging by that question of yours, you must be a hobbyist.”
The curt reply didn’t bother Seon-woo. He didn’t bother correcting him either, simply turning his gaze forward.
Skiing was an escape—his mind blissfully blank as he raced down the slopes. But on the lift, there was no such relief. As unwanted thoughts began to crowd his mind again, he sighed, pulled off a glove, and reached into his pocket for his phone.
A quick glance at the notifications showed several missed calls and unread messages, none of which bore the name he was waiting for. That’s when it struck him—every intrusive thought today had been nothing but a manifestation of waiting.
It had been days since Eun Hyeon-chae stopped answering his calls. Anyone else would have accepted the obvious conclusion by now, but here he was, stubbornly clinging to something that was clearly over.
He let out a bitter chuckle at his own foolishness. The man beside him gave him a sideways glance, but Seon-woo didn’t notice.
As the lift neared the summit, a sudden gust of snow whipped around them. Squinting against the flurry, Seon-woo adjusted his goggles before stepping off the lift. Forgetting about the man with the red goggles the moment his skis hit the snow, he immediately launched himself down the slope, heading straight for the base.
****
“Ah, but we’re paying! Dad gave us extra allowance so we could have hot chocolate with you!”
“Haha…… It’s fine, just go sit down.”
“Ugh, seriously! We’re loaded with cash right now!”
“So am I. Now move.”
Hanna and Ina didn’t listen, rushing to the counter with their kids’ debit cards in hand. However, their speed was severely hampered by their heavy ski boots. Nam Seon-woo, wearing the same boots but somehow striding ahead as if he were in sneakers, reached the counter first and swiped his card. A chorus of protests erupted from behind him.
“Wow! That’s so unfair!”
“You’re an adult; you could’ve let us win just this once!”
Even as the twins continued their attempts at cajoling and guilt-tripping, Seon-woo remained unfazed. He’d rather bite his tongue than let kids treat him to anything.
Knowing the twins often burned their tongues on hot chocolate, Seon-woo made it a habit to open the lids and stir their drinks to cool them down. By now, this routine was so familiar that Hanna and Ina waited patiently, but today they whispered to each other before blurting out a question.
“Teacher, can we ski with our friend too?”
“It’s dangerous, so no.”
“Ugh, it’s not dangerous at all…….”
Without even considering their plea, Seon-woo flatly refused. In response, the twins united and began their relentless persuasion campaign.
“Listen to us, teacher. He’s a classmate from our elementary school who started learning to ski last year. He keeps bragging about it in front of everyone in class, but we’re obviously way better than him.”
“Yeah, we even argued about it. He was going on about how no matter how much we practiced, we’d never match his skills. So I told him he couldn’t even keep up with my pinky toe, and then he got all defensive, saying his teacher is a former national athlete and that he’d eventually surpass us……”
“He even asked if we had any proof we’re good and totally dismissed us! That’s why we decided that when we came to the ski resort, we’d settle it once and for all.”
“……”
Seon-woo massaged his temples, exasperated at being dragged into an elementary school feud.
“Dad said we can’t ski without you around, so if we’re with you, it should be fine, right?”
“……Does your friend have a teacher—uh, I mean, an instructor—too?”
“Yes!! We even have their number. He was the one who suggested the race first!”
“I’ll ask, but if they say no, you drop it immediately. Promise me.”
The twins hooked their pinkies around Seon-woo’s outstretched finger and nodded earnestly.
Seon-woo made a call to Jin-young, the other instructor, to ask for permission. Contrary to his concerns, Jin-young sounded utterly exhausted from dealing with the kids all day and quickly agreed, as long as no one got hurt. He even promised Seon-woo a bonus for the extra work, thanking him profusely for his efforts.
At the appointed time and place, a boy walked toward them, backlit by the sun. His steps were clumsy, weighed down by his ski boots. From a distance, he trudged forward, his figure growing clearer as he neared.
Leaning lazily against the ski plates they’d propped against the storage racks, Hanna and Ina straightened up and spoke.
“He’s finally here. ……Han Yun-woo!”
“Pfft, let’s show him what we’re made of.”
So, this is how kids settle disputes these days. Media really is corrupting the youth.
Nam Seon-woo sipped his Pocari Sweat, wholly uninterested, until he spotted the man walking behind little Yun-woo. Slowly, he lowered the can from his lips.
Red goggles. It was the man from last night. Unlike before, when his face had been fully concealed by a neck warmer and goggles, the man now wore his goggles pushed up to his forehead, his features fully visible. Seon-woo studied him openly, raising an eyebrow.