ACJY C23

The village hall was a two-story cement building, plastered with posters that spoke of bygone eras. According to the directory, the main hall and small hall were on the first floor, while the offices were all on the second. Upstairs, the Youth Association, the Women’s Association, and the Village Council each occupied a room. The children’s playroom seemed unused, its sign covered with black tape.

“Our village hall was selected for a national pilot project. See that camera? That’s a security camera. Our village was the first in the county to install it. Everyone praises me and the head of the Youth Association for our efforts to ensure the safety of the residents.”

The village head, after his self-praise, puffed as he climbed the stairs to the second floor.

The second floor consisted of offices facing each other across a narrow hallway. The Village Council and the playroom were at the back, while the Youth Association and the Women’s Association occupied the front, near the stairs.

The village head opened the door to the Youth Association office and ushered Taeheun in first. A desk with a computer monitor and CPU faced the door. To the left of the desk, two tall metal cabinets stood side by side. Further inside, two worn three-seater sofas faced each other across a table. Someone was napping on one of the sofas, covered with a dark green army blanket.

A water dispenser stood near the sofas, and a small display cabinet beside it was cluttered with disposable cups, instant coffee packets, green tea bags, and other assorted items. A crammed-in TV completed the scene.

“The chairman’s here too.”

At the village head’s words, a face peeked out from behind the computer monitor.

“Father, you’re here?”

“Yes. This is Mr. Kim Taeheun, the director I told you about. He’s been staying at Jihye’s father’s place since yesterday.”

The man who called the village head “father” rose from his chair, the scraping sound echoing loudly.

“This is my son, Choi Gicheol. He’s the head of the Youth Association.”

The medium-height, stocky head of the Youth Association stepped out from behind his desk and extended a hand to Taeheun. His hands were smooth, as if he’d never done a day of farm work in his life. His face, which looked to be around forty, was oily.

Taeheun, wearing his usual business-like smile, shook his hand. The head of the Youth Association looked up at Taeheun, his eyes narrowed as if trying to assess him. He had small, beady eyes, much like his father.

“You seem older than me. Would it be alright if I called you ‘hyungnim’ (older brother)?”

“Of course, why not!”

The village head answered readily on his son’s behalf. The head of the Youth Association frowned slightly.

“Hyungnim, I’m not familiar with rural life. Please don’t hesitate to correct me if I make any mistakes.”

As Taeheun feigned deference, the head of the Youth Association reluctantly said, “Alright.”

“You can speak informally.”

“I’ll see.”

“See what? Mr. Kim said you could speak informally. You should, at least out of courtesy.”

The village head slapped his son on the back.

“He’s a bit shy.”

At his father’s insistence, the head of the Youth Association reluctantly switched to informal speech.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.”

The village head beamed at the two of them.

“Mr. Kim, while you’re here, feel free to visit the Youth Association office as if it were your own living room. I’m usually in the Village Council office, so if you need any help, feel free to come find me. If you have any questions, our chairman here will be able to answer them.”

The village head continued talking until he finally left the Youth Association office.

Left alone, the head of the Youth Association awkwardly gestured towards the water dispenser.

“There’s coffee and green tea, so help yourself and relax.”

“Yes, I will. Hyungnim, don’t mind me and go about your business.”

Taeheun went over to the sofa and sat on the unoccupied side. The cushion sank deeply, bringing his knees up to his chest. He had no choice but to stretch his legs out under the table.

The person lying on the opposite sofa was curled up tight, fast asleep. He must have been quite tired, as he hadn’t stirred even with the village head’s booming voice. Taeheun’s gaze naturally fell upon the sleeping figure, and he noticed something familiar at the foot of the sofa: faded red boots.

So he’s here instead of working.

Taeheun smiled, the corners of his lips turning up.

The man didn’t move for over two hours. He had woken up at 4:30 a.m. and worked until he met Taeheun, so it was understandable. Still, he should at least toss and turn a bit. Taeheun lightly touched the blanket, wondering if the man was dead. The body underneath twitched faintly.

A blanket in this heat? Taeheun clicked his tongue, but less than twenty minutes later, he was also wrapped in a blanket. The air conditioner was very close to the sofa, and the temperature was set so low that he was getting goosebumps.

The air conditioner remote seemed to be on the Youth Association head’s desk. The desk happened to be furthest from the wall-mounted unit, and the temperature, while freezing to others, seemed just right for the stocky man sitting between the computer monitor and CPU. That’s why he wasn’t complaining about the cold, even in shorts and a t-shirt.

After asking the Youth Association head for a blanket, Taeheun lay on the sofa in a similar position to the man. He stared at the ceiling for a while, and when he got bored of that, he headed to the bookshelf. The books were arranged haphazardly, with no apparent system or preference, ranging from comic books to books about the Saemaul Movement from the 70s and 80s. Taeheun picked up Treasure Island and Monthly Champion.

The covers of the comics were stained with pot marks, as if they’d been frequently used as ramen coasters, and the pages inside were splattered with ramen broth. Not to mention the tears. Since he hadn’t picked up the comic books with the intention of actually reading them, he flipped through the pages indifferently.

He wasn’t anxious about idly passing the time. He felt at peace, enough to forget his anger from the conversation with Detective Oh.

However, the peace didn’t last long.

「Work starts tomorrow at 10 a.m. Key is under the flowerpot.」

The text message was concise.

Taeheun closed the comic book, the image of a blue roof flashing through his mind.

A rustling sound followed, and the blanket stirred. The man stretched his arms and legs, yawning. Then, his eyes met Taeheun’s. He blinked a few times with sleepy eyes, then startled, fell off the sofa. The sound made the Youth Association head, who had his face practically glued to the computer monitor, jump up. He clicked his tongue at the man sitting on the floor.

“Oh, be careful. Did you sleep well?”

“…Yes.”

The man, rubbing where he’d bumped himself, awkwardly got up. He looked at Taeheun with an expression that seemed to ask, “Why are you here?”

“You said you were going to work. Is this your workplace?”

Taeheun quipped. The man’s face flushed instantly.

“How was I supposed to go all that way alone?”

“Should I… give you a ride now?”

The man asked cautiously, his voice thick with sleep.

“No, it’s okay. Mr. Gibeom, you have to go back to work, don’t you? Why bother?”

At Taeheun’s reply, the man just blinked.

“What time do you start work?”

“…I was planning to leave at 3:30.”

Looking at his watch, Taeheun saw that there was about an hour left.

“Where’s your truck?”

“In the parking lot.”

“When does Jihye get here?”

“At 4.”

“Where is she when she arrives?”

“Tuesdays and Thursdays she studies at church, and Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays she usually studies in the playroom.”

The man added, sounding timid, that the days she studied at church often changed depending on the pastor’s schedule, like yesterday. He seemed apologetic for leaving Taeheun behind.

“Then I’ll wait here and play with Jihye when she arrives. You’ll come straight here after work, right?”

“Yes.”

“Try leaving me again, and I won’t let you off so easily.”

“…Yes.”

His meek reply was worse than an eleven-year-old’s. Taeheun chuckled in disbelief.

Seeing Taeheun laugh, the man seemed relieved. He awkwardly folded the blanket and went to the water dispenser for a drink.

“Get me a glass of water too. I’m thirsty.”

“Okay.”

The man, who had been pouring instant coffee into his used paper cup, immediately set it down and poured a fresh glass of water for Taeheun. Only then did Taeheun remember the snacks and instant coffee he’d bought for the man and Jihye. He had completely forgotten about them after leaving them under the ginkgo tree.

“Damn it.”

Taeheun jumped up and dashed out of the Youth Association office.

He quickly ran down the stairs and into the courtyard, but both the bag of snacks and the box of coffee were gone. He was annoyed, not at the person who took them, but at himself for forgetting the gifts. After looking around for a bit, Taeheun’s eyes widened as he remembered what the village head had said.

“CCTV.”

He checked the camera’s position. It was ambiguous, but he still needed to check.

Returning to the Youth Association office, Taeheun was met with puzzled looks from the chairman and the man.

“Hyungnim, can we check the CCTV?”

“Now…?”

The head of the Youth Association, having inadvertently slipped back into formal speech, cleared his throat.

“We can. But why the CCTV?”

“I left something in front of the village hall. I went to check just now, and it’s gone.”

“Really? Was it expensive?”

“No, not really. Just food.”

“Oh, then someone probably already took it.”

“Still, please check.”

Taeheun walked around the desk and stood next to the head of the Youth Association. Flustered, the chairman frantically clicked the mouse. He quickly closed the Go-Stop game, but every time he tried to close the adult website, multiple pop-up ads appeared, making it a futile effort.

“Not here, over there.”

Giving up on closing the windows, the head of the Youth Association jumped up and pointed at the TV.