ACJY C72

As Taeheun brought the tray to the counter, the bakery owner, who had a round face, greeted them with a wide smile.

“Could you please cut the bread? Four pieces is okay, right?”

“Of course. Is there anything else you need?”

“No. That’s all.”

The owner was kind. Starting with the weather, he made pleasant small talk. As he spoke, his gaze kept drifting to Taeheun’s face, and whenever their eyes met, his already round face would stretch into an oval as he smiled. Taeheun figured the man must like his face. It’s not like it’ll wear out, so look all you want. He gave a bright smile back.

He received the neatly cut bread, two forks, and the drinks he ordered, along with a glass of water, and sat at the table. The man stared at the items on the tray with eyes full of anticipation.

“Is the bread here good?”

Seeing how happy he was, Taeheun wondered if he was excited because it was his first time here, and asked indirectly.

“Yes. It’s delicious. I come here sometimes with the guys from the youth association, and I’ve been here a few times with Jihye, too. The current owner is the second generation, and it’s famous enough that people come all the way from afar just to visit.”

“I see. So that person is the son, then?”

“Yes. I heard his father went to Japan forty years ago to learn baking techniques. They said it took him five years just to get his license.”

The man said with a proud expression.

“That’s amazing.”

Taeheun responded half-heartedly.

Inside, he was thinking something else. So, the reason he’s so happy is because he came here with me. That was the thought. Otherwise, there was no reason to be so thrilled when it wasn’t even his first time here, right? For no reason, his heart started to pound, kong-dak kong-dak.

The man stared intently at Taeheun, as if urging him to try it quickly. So, he picked up the red bean bread and took a large bite. It was sweet. 

Nom nom.

But it wasn’t an unpleasant kind of sweetness. Chewing away, he gave a thumbs-up.

Pretending his throat was dry, he took a sip of coffee. The sweetness was neutralized by the bitter coffee. The coffee wasn’t bad either. It was better than the watery stuff from the coffee shop.

The man, as if he had completed his task, put his mouth to the straw stuck in his milkshake. Then he sucked, making a slurping sound, his cheeks hollowing. He winced as if it was very cold, but his mouth was smiling. When he pulled his lips away from the straw, some white residue he hadn’t managed to suck up dripped down the straw. The man quickly brought his mouth back to suck it up.

This is driving me crazy.

Taeheun furiously took another bite of the innocent red bean bread. For some reason, it felt even sweeter than a moment ago. He gulped down his coffee. Even the coffee tasted sweet. It was so sweet he felt like his teeth would melt. And it was all because of the man.

The man, oblivious, carefully picked up his fork and poked the soboro bread. As he was bringing it to his mouth, his eyes met Taeheun’s, and he offered the fork, asking, ‘Would you like some?’

He was just so damn clueless. If you offer that to me now, I’m going to get a full-on erection, you man. He wanted to scream.

He kept his lips pressed firmly together and shook his head.

“Mr. Gibeom, you eat.”

His voice trembled. He felt an urgent need to change the atmosphere. Otherwise, he might repeat the unfortunate incident from the shower earlier.

“The restroom is…”

Of all things, that’s what came to mind.

“If you go outside and turn left, it’s there. You can ask the owner for the key.”

Taeheun went to the counter and said, “The restroom key, please.” He took the key and rushed out of the store. The humid air greeted him. Deciding to wash his face with some cold water, he went into the restroom. He washed his hands first at the sink. The man in the mirror had a lovely pink hue around his eyes. His cheeks were flushed, too.

“You bastard, you sure are pretty.”

He washed his face with cold water and looked in the mirror again. Perhaps because his wet hair slightly covered his forehead, he looked sexy.

If you’re born a human, you should be born with a face at least this good. With a smile that bordered on arrogance, he slapped both his cheeks with his palms. He wiped his wet palms on his pants and left the restroom.

He returned the key to the kind owner and sat back down at the table.

The man looked at him with concern.

“Do you have an upset stomach?”

He asked in a low voice.

It was infuriating that he would ask such a question after seeing a face that had clearly just been washed.

“Hey, what upset stomach? I may have a small appetite, but my stomach is strong.”

He denied it with a serious face.

“I washed my face. It was too hot.”

He emphasized, pointing to his face.

“I was just wondering.”

“I’m telling you it’s not true. I’ve never had diarrhea in my entire life!”

“…Yes.”

“Look closely. I told you I washed my face. You see it, right? My face and hair are wet?”

The man nodded, but he still looked unconvinced. It was enough to make him go crazy. He chugged the rest of his coffee.

The man ate only half of the soboro bread. He didn’t ask to have the rest wrapped up, and instead, unbeknownst to the owner, he brought his nose to the red bean bread Taeheun had left behind and sniffed it.

“The bread hasn’t gone bad. I don’t have an upset stomach.”

Somehow, his tone became pleading.

“It’s okay to buy some for Jihye.”

“Yes.”

“Should we get going?”

“Yes. Let’s go.”

Taeheun stood up, feeling drained.

In the end, the man bought just one red bean bread, the child’s favorite.

Teodeol-teodeol, he walked alongside the man. They were heading back to the truck when something felt unsettling. It felt like he had forgotten something important. Then he barely managed to remember what it was.

“Mr. Gibeom! We have to buy mackerel.”

“Ah.”

“Let’s go. Quickly.”

The man navigated the maze-like market alleys and stood in front of a fish stall.

The fishy smell was overwhelming. Because of the smell, Taeheun was momentarily under the illusion that he was back in the Ilgwang Financial office. A chill ran down his spine. Not to mention, his stomach was churning.

“What can I get for you?”

The fishmonger spoke to them.

Taeheun endured the fishy smell he hated so much, all for the man’s sake.

“Sir, could you please clean five mackerels for me?”

Taeheun placed the order, having the man stand behind him.

“You’ll take out all the guts, right?”

“Of course. You’re asking the obvious.”

“By any chance, can you debone them too?”

“You want me to fillet them? Why, you gonna make jeon with the mackerel? Or sashimi?”

“Ah. I guess it would turn into that. Then just clean them nicely, please.”

At the words ‘clean them nicely,’ the owner laughed out loud.

“I’ll clean ‘em up as pretty as you, young man. But where are you from? You don’t look like you’re from around here. You’re quite a looker.”

Taeheun introduced himself as the ‘new guy in Dongjam-ri.’

“What’s there to see in Dongjam-ri for a young man like you to go there? Such a waste of a handsome face.”

“Why? I find it a nice place to live.”

“Oh, what’s so nice about it? It’s the most boondocks place in this whole area.”

“So what if it’s the boondocks? As long as I like it, that’s all that matters.”

When he said something that sounded like an old man, the owner heartily agreed and laughed boisterously.

“But how tall are you? My, look at those arms. Did you do sports?”

“Yes. When I was young. But it didn’t suit my aptitude, so I did it for a bit and quit.”

“Yeah, sports are just tough and useless for anything else.”

Snip, snip, with one slice of the knife, the mackerel’s belly was split open, spilling its guts.

“My, your face is just glowing. You should be a model or something.”

“I tried that too, but it didn’t work out.”

“Then be an actor. Your voice is pure honey.”

“Should I?”

He played along.

“So how old are you?”

“Thirty-one.”

“Still a baby. Want me to slice them into pieces for you?”

Before he knew it, five gutted mackerels were lined up in a row.

“Mr. Gibeom, should we have them sliced?”

He asked, turning to the man.

“Just two of them.”

“Sir, please leave three as they are and just slice two of them.”

The fishmonger, perhaps not knowing there was someone behind Taeheun, peeked his head out and looked at the man.

“Oh my, there was another young man back there. How are you both so well-built?”

Chop, chop, with disciplined knife work, one mackerel was quickly cut into three pieces.

“If I hide him from view, doesn’t that mean I’m bigger? Right?”

“Oh, you’re both great.”

Chop, chop, the other one was also cut into three pieces.

When the owner pointed a hose, all the blood pooled on the cutting board and fish was washed away. His hands were so fast that in the blink of an eye, the mackerels were in a black plastic bag. Since there were five of them, it was quite heavy. He quickly stopped the man who was about to pay. After taking the money from Taeheun, the owner saw them off warmly, saying, ‘Come again, young man.’

No matter how tightly the plastic bag was tied, the fishy smell was overpowering. Yet, he didn’t mind. The thought that all of this would be eaten by the man just made him happy.

“Is there anything else you need?”

He asked the man.

“I think we just need to buy a radish. We have everything else at home.”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

This time again, the man led the way. At a vegetable stall, the man bought a healthy-looking radish. Next to the radish were several bunches of young summer radishes.

“Mr. Gibeom, do we have enough young radish kimchi?”

“Yes. We have enough to last all summer.”

“Did you make that too, Mr. Gibeom?”

“No. The grandmother who taught me how to make kimchi gave it to me. I want to learn that too, but spring and summer are so busy that I can’t find the time.”

“Should I learn?”

When Taeheun asked this, the man’s eyes widened.

“I can learn, can’t I? Introduce me to that grandmother. That young radish kimchi was absolutely phenomenal.”

“Making kimchi is harder than you think.”

“I know. That’s why I need to learn quickly and keep making it.”

“Yes.”

The man smiled.

Just a moment ago he was debating whether he could go on a summer vacation, and now he was making a fuss about making young radish kimchi. Well, it wasn’t a complete lie. He could learn it quickly and make some, and before he leaves, he could make enough for next year. Taeheun imagined the man eating the young radish kimchi he made with his own hands. Not just the man, but the child would also eat it deliciously. Even if it didn’t taste good, they wouldn’t show it.

As he was smiling contentedly, his stomach suddenly twisted. It was because he wasn’t there beside the man in his imagination. It was a perfectly natural thing, yet it felt like he was going to die. His heart beat irregularly, and even his breathing grew ragged.

The man, knowing nothing, walked ahead, waddling slightly, holding the small bag with the red bean bread. Then, belatedly realizing Taeheun wasn’t following, he turned around. It seemed even to the man that Taeheun was not in a good state.

“Mr. Taeheun, are you not feeling well?”

The man approached with quick steps and asked with concern.

“You look pale.”

“I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine.”

He forced a grin.

“Should I drive?”

“I have to. You drank makgeolli, Mr. Gibeom.”

“I only had one glass, and it’s already been three hours, so I’m fine.”

“I’m not fine with it.”

Showing off that he was okay, Taeheun got into the driver’s seat.

“Are you really going to be okay?”

“Of course!”

As he pretended to be okay, he really did become okay. A survival skill he had ingrained in his body during his Lee Seonjae days thankfully worked. People don’t die from feelings. Feelings are illusions created by the brain. So, let’s never be swayed by them. Constantly repeating the same words to himself, Taeheun placed the mackerel bag, the culprit of the fishy smell, on the middle seat and started the engine. Turning on the air conditioner and the radio, he urged the man, ‘What are you doing, not getting in?’

The man thought for a moment, then walked around and got into the passenger seat. Seeing the car door close, Taeheun lifted his left foot from the clutch and almost simultaneously pressed the accelerator with his right foot. The car moved forward smoothly.

“Where shall I take you?”

He asked playfully.

“To the chairman’s house.”

“The chairman? You have a meeting with him?”

“Yes.”

The man answered rather indifferently.

“Is something wrong?”

“No. It’s not like that.”

The man was tight-lipped as usual. He was disappointed but decided not to pry. The truth was, he was dying of curiosity. He fought the urge to ask several times.

The man glanced at Taeheun nervously for about five minutes, then soon closed his eyes. He must have been tired, as he even snored softly. Then he fell fast asleep. He was so deeply asleep that anyone would think he had been day drinking.