ACJY C43

The man handled the machine skillfully. Taeheun trailed behind him like a five-year-old. Even though the loud motor made conversation impossible, he walked alongside. As soon as the man finished a row, Taeheun shouted that he would take over, even raising his hand. The man laughed.

“It’s not difficult, but be careful. You could get hurt.”

The man stood close behind him, explaining how to use the machine. He placed his hand on top of Taeheun’s, gripping the handlebar together. The heat radiating from the man transferred directly to Taeheun. Perhaps flushed by that heat, Taeheun’s face may have reddened like the man’s. But there was no sexual tension. He had expected it, but he hadn’t realized he’d be this indifferent.

Not everyone can be a homo.

Taeheun brazenly turned his head towards the man. They were close enough to feel each other’s breath. The man’s black pupils, catching the sunlight, shimmered a soft brown, just like his skin. The man, focused on his explanation while holding the handlebar, only belatedly realized Taeheun’s face was right in front of him.

He flinched, stepping back and releasing the handlebar. Taeheun had been pretending to hold the machine, so it started to tip sideways. The man quickly moved back behind Taeheun, grabbing the handlebar. Just as Taeheun registered the heat of their bodies pressed together, the man swiftly turned off the power.

“Hyung, you’re here already?”

Kwon Yongjun, appearing seemingly out of nowhere, was watching them from close by.

“Oh? Uh… what are you doing here at this hour?” the man asked awkwardly, still standing close behind Taeheun. If the man didn’t move, Taeheun had nowhere to retreat. The machine was small, and the two men were large. And they were pressed together, leaving no space between them.

Playfulness sparked within Taeheun. He deliberately pressed his hips closer to the man. He felt the man’s arousal. This time, the man shuddered. He was probably flushed to the neck. The man quickly pulled away from Taeheun.

“I had to go to Seoul, so I came out for a bit since I was up early. Hello, Manager Kim.”

“Yes, hello. Hyungnim, I’m a year younger than you, so please feel free to call me comfortably.”

“Later. Oh, hyung, I’ll bring snacks at 10. I only prepared for one person, thinking you’d be alone, but I’ll add Manager Kim’s portion too.”

“Thanks.”

“Take care. Take care.”

Kwon Yongjun’s attitude was quite cold. His tone and expression were frosty, but the man seemed completely oblivious.

Even after Kwon Yongjun left, the man kept his distance from Taeheun. He wasn’t angry, but he seemed flustered. Had Taeheun’s prank been too much? He should have known better.

“Watch me from the side to see if I’m doing it right.”

Taeheun turned on the machine. The loud motor roared to life, and vibrations coursed through him. A moment later, the man approached and walked beside him, just as Taeheun had done earlier.

“The vibration is intense. It’s like those massage chairs in bathhouses. Don’t you think?”

“…Yes.”

“Have you been close with Mr. Yongjun since childhood?” Taeheun shouted over the noise.

“He was closer to my younger brother. They were the same age,” the man shouted back.

“Ah, I see. Is your brother far away?”

Come to think of it, Taeheun knew nothing about the man’s family. He knew he lived with his child, but he didn’t know whether his wife had died or run away. He hadn’t asked about his parents, siblings, or how many siblings he had, if any. He hadn’t even been curious. Consumed by self-pity, he had been ignorant about the person he was living with.

“He died. When he was ten.”

The man spoke calmly, while Taeheun was taken aback.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“It’s okay. It was a long time ago.”

Despite his words, his face darkened considerably.

“I have an older brother and a younger sister, but it’s all meaningless when you grow up. They’re worse than strangers. It’s better not to have any,” Taeheun blurted out without thinking. This was what it meant to speak without engaging your brain. He squeezed his eyes shut. He should have been offering condolences, but instead, he said it was better not to have siblings. He was an idiot.

He was thankful for the loud noise of the machine. Otherwise, the awkward silence would have suffocated him. Taeheun kept his mouth shut like the man and continued tilling the field, returning the machine as soon as his turn was over.

As they worked, alternating rows, the tense atmosphere gradually dissipated. Taeheun started joking with the man again, and the man responded with a subtle smile. He was a kind person.

“Oh, let’s go to town after we finish. I got a call saying Mr. Taeheun’s boots arrived, but I forgot to tell you,” the man said.

“Great. Let’s have lunch in town while we’re there.”

“Okay.”

“Do you like hamburgers?”

“Yes. I’m not picky.”

“Then let’s have hamburgers for lunch.”

The man reached out to take back the machine from Taeheun. Taeheun pretended to give it to him but then tightened his grip on the handlebar. The man looked at him quizzically.

Aren’t you curious about me?

Was it the first or second day? The man had said he knew nothing about Taeheun and wouldn’t ask. He asked Taeheun to keep it that way, even if the curious child asked. It was the only condition the man had asked of him. Perhaps because of this, even when Taeheun volunteered information, the man never followed up with further questions.

“Aren’t you curious why I’m here doing this?”

“….”

“You must be curious, right?”

The man simply stared at Taeheun and then shook his head.

“Well, I’m not really curious.”

That’s possible. He could not be curious. Taeheun knew he had no right to complain, considering he hadn’t asked anything himself. Still, he felt a little disappointed, just a tiny bit.

“Why? Why aren’t you curious?”

He fired off questions in rapid succession. Having asked, he felt a surge of anxiety.

Am I that unattractive? He even questioned his own appeal to the same sex, a thought he’d never entertained before.

The man simply wore a troubled expression, keeping his mouth firmly shut.

“Jihye’s dad. Time to eat.”

Conveniently, the snacks arrived.

A middle-aged woman, perhaps in her 50s, called out, “Get your snacks,” while sitting on her motorcycle. The man hurried over and took the red basin from the back seat.

“Just put the lid on after you’re done. I’ll come back for it later.”

“Yes, we’ll enjoy it.”

“Okay, work hard.”

“Yes, you too. Get home safe.”

The motorcycle sped away before the man could finish his sentence.

The man placed the snacks on the edge of the field.

“Mr. Taeheun, let’s eat.”

“Okay.”

Taeheun wiped the sweat from his neck with the towel and walked towards the man.

As he approached, the man extended a hand towards him. Taeheun clasped the rough hand, leaning his weight on him. A playful impulse struck him again, and he exclaimed, “Whoa!” while hugging the man tightly. Instead of blushing, the man chuckled softly.

As if mandated by law, the snack was bibimbap. The yellow kettle contained makgeolli. They plopped down on the bare ground without a mat, eating and sharing the makgeolli. The makgeolli went down more smoothly than the food. The man never left any food uneaten, so Taeheun followed suit.

Whether it was the alcohol or the food, he felt his energy return.

“We’re running a bit late because of me, right?” he asked casually, taking a swig of makgeolli.

“It’s okay. With two people, it’s faster than working alone.”

“Liar. It’s obvious,” Taeheun chided. The man laughed.

With a smile, the man emptied his cup and shook it in the air.

As if by some unspoken agreement, they sat there staring blankly into the distance.

How long did they remain like that? It was the man who broke the silence.

“But why can’t you sleep?”

“Oh! The first question. I’m touched.”

At Taeheun’s words, the man scratched his head with an embarrassed expression.

“Well, I guess I have a lot on my mind.”

“You don’t sleep at all?”

“Sometimes, but I doze off for an hour or two.”

“Does that happen often?”

“Not really. If it did, I wouldn’t be able to maintain this physique.”

Taeheun flexed his bicep at the man, grinning. The man let out a soft chuckle and said, “You don’t have to show me that,” while extending his own arm. Taeheun’s arm was slightly thicker. Maybe it looked bigger because his skin was lighter.

“Mr. Taeheun, you don’t look it, but you’re muscular and have big hands. But you’re not a good worker.”

“What is that, an insult or a compliment?”

“Both.”

“You’re good at saying hurtful things casually.”

Taeheun grinned.

“If you really can’t sleep, watch TV in my room like yesterday. Once I fall asleep, you could carry me away, and I wouldn’t know.”

“Is that okay?”

“Yes.”

The man gave a short reply and then turned around with a groan, stacking the empty dishes neatly in the red basin. Taeheun watched him silently. The word “efficient” perfectly described him.

“Mr. Gibeom, if you were a woman, you’d be the perfect eldest daughter-in-law. You’d probably pop out babies like it’s nothing.”

“Is that a compliment or an insult?”

“Both.”

The man laughed.

They started working again. The man worked precisely until 12:30, leaving them with only about two hours.

While Taeheun tilled the remaining field, the man briefly disappeared and returned with a sack. Then he disappeared again and brought another sack. Taeheun turned off the machine and followed him. He stopped the man from shouldering the sacks and offered his own shoulders.

“Give me another one.”

“It’ll be heavy.”

“Want to bet whether I can carry it or not?”

“It’ll be heavy…”

Thinking Taeheun was bluffing, the man hesitated for a moment before placing another sack on his other shoulder.

Taeheun walked towards the field with the sacks on his shoulders.

“Put them down if it’s too heavy. You’ll get hurt.”

“It’s not heavy.”

It wasn’t heavy at all. In his current state, he felt like he could even carry the man and run.