BIA Ch. 68

“How is it? Pretty cool, right?”

Bona said, showing the completed tattoo in the mirror. As she had promised, the finished product was a hundred times better than the sketch.

“You can shower, but don’t rub it too hard. If you apply oil or moisturizing cream often, it’ll last longer.”

While generously applying soothing cream, Bona told him about a few other precautions he should take. She especially emphasized several times that he should be careful when sleeping on the first day, as there was a risk of staining the bedding.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Isaiah paid with the card he received from Bran, then put his jacket back on, which was hanging on the wall.

“Here’s your coat.”

“Thanks.”

“It’s a nice coat, even looking at it again.”

Isaiah burst out laughing at Bona’s genuine admiration.

“Take care. I hope your boyfriend likes it too.”

“He will.”

Isaiah said goodbye to Bona and left the henna shop. As he came out, he checked the time on the clock hanging on the store wall; it was ten past five. Isaiah quickened his pace towards the cafe where he was supposed to meet Bran.

Isaiah arrived at the cafe and went straight inside. Bran was sitting at the table furthest in the corner, with his back to the wall, not by the window as usual. Seeing him staring at his laptop screen with a rather serious expression, as if he hadn’t finished work yet, made Isaiah want to tease him. Isaiah approached, making as little noise as possible.

“Why are you still wearing those gloomy mourning clothes?”

But Bran was faster. He closed his laptop before Isaiah could even speak. Isaiah, deflated, sat down in the chair opposite Bran and grumbled.

“There aren’t any clothing stores around here.”

“Oh, dear.”

“I think I need to find out if there’s a Walmart nearby. I need to buy clothes, but I really need to buy underwear.”

“There probably is.”

Bran picked up his coffee cup. It seemed he hadn’t refilled it, as the coffee was quite cold.

“So, what did you do all this time if you didn’t go shopping?”

“Oh, I just walked around and looked at things.”

Isaiah mumbled vaguely.

“It must have been cold.”

“No, it wasn’t cold because I went inside places to look around.”

“That’s a relief then.”

Bran downed the cold coffee in one go and as soon as he put down the empty cup, he picked up the laptop on the table and stood up.

“Then, shall we go and carry out today’s mission?”

It was unusually quiet at Blue Shrimp, perhaps because the break time had just ended. There was only one other group of customers, so Isaiah was able to sit at the window table as he had wanted.

“Is this it? The seat you sat in back then?”

“Well, it’s not exact… but I think it was around here. The view outside and the inside of the store when I was sitting.”

Bran sat opposite Isaiah with a ‘I see’ expression. Soon, a staff member came to take their order. Isaiah ordered the signature open sandwich and a cola, which he assumed he had ordered in the past. Bran ordered the same thing.

“Do you need anything else?”

The staff member asked, confirming their order once more. Isaiah quickly spoke.

“Excuse me, do you know someone named Isaiah Diaz?”

“Isaiah Diaz?”

“Yes, I think he comes here often.”

The staff member tilted his head.

“I’m sorry. I haven’t worked here long. I’ll ask at the counter.”

The staff member first relayed the order to the kitchen. Then, he went back to the counter and spoke to a large middle-aged man sitting on a chair. After hearing what the staff member said, the middle-aged man loudly asked Isaiah.

“Who are you looking for? What’s the name?”

“Isaiah Diaz!”

Isaiah shouted back just as loudly.

“Diaz?”

The man asked back.

“Yes. Do you know him?”

“Not Isaiah Diez?”

“Huh…?”

Isaiah blinked as if asking what that was about, and the man pronounced it again clearly.

“Isaiah Diez! We have one among our regulars.”

“Uh… no. The person I’m looking for is Diaz.”

“Then I don’t know. I’ve never heard that name before.”

The man shook his head.

“I see….”

Isaiah was disappointed. Bran asked, as if it was all over his face.

“Are you okay?”

“Ah, yeah, I’m okay.”

Isaiah answered with a smile. Actually, even before the man answered, he had roughly guessed this would happen just by his reaction. If the man knew him, he would have recognized him just by looking at his face before asking for his name.

“Well, it’s all memories I manipulated anyway. It’s natural for it to turn out like this.”

Isaiah said it playfully on purpose.

“Not manipulated, but ‘reconstructed’ seems like a more appropriate expression.”

Isaiah chuckled, seeing Bran’s nonchalant comeback. Then, wondering if there might be any traces of disappointment he hadn’t managed to erase from his face, he turned his head as if looking out the window.

The sun was quietly sinking beyond the horizon. Isaiah, who had been gazing at the sea turning red for a while, finally mustered his courage and conveyed the words he had kept in his heart to Bran.

“Anyway, thanks for coming all the way here with me, even though you knew there wouldn’t be anything. I mean it.”

“It’s nothing.”

Bran chuckled as if it was no big deal.

“Still. You’re so busy you have to work even on weekends, but you made time to come.”

Thank you. Isaiah said once again.

“Oh, and thanks for this too.”

Thinking of it, he was about to take off the coat when Bran shook his head.

“Just keep it on.”

“Huh? Why?”

“It’s not that warm in here.”

He was right. Maybe they had ventilated during break time, but the inside of the store was quite chilly. The heater was on, but the air hadn’t completely warmed up yet. Plus, it was a window seat, so it was a bit drafty.

“Then, should I?”

Isaiah smiled shyly and buttoned up the coat again.

“This coat is really warm.”

“Is it?”

Bran smiled faintly. The setting sun, fading red at the edge of sunset, dyed his eyes a beautiful color. Maybe it was because of the shadow cast at the end of his eyelashes. It was as if a red jewel was shining nobly through the thin layers of curtains.

“Ah, yeah. I was surprised.”

Isaiah quickly continued, as if he was about to unintentionally express his admiration.

“It was really light when I first put it on. It doesn’t feel heavy at all, but it’s warm. Usually, coats that are too thin and light aren’t warm. But this one isn’t like that.”

“I’ll give it to you.”

“Yeah, thank… what?”

What did he say? Isaiah asked back, his eyes wide.

“I said I’ll give it to you.”

It’s yours now, that thing. Bran said, gesturing with his chin towards the coat.

“This… isn’t it expensive? It looks like a really expensive coat.”

Bran neither denied nor affirmed.

“It’s a gift.”

He just said that and picked up the water glass on the table. And after taking a sip of water, he put the glass down and said.

“Is there any country you want to visit?”

“What? Out of the blue?”

The change of topic was too sudden, and Isaiah couldn’t keep up at all.

“Wait a minute, I’m dizzy right now.”

Isaiah laughed and touched his forehead with his hand. Please give me some time to adjust to the conversation, he thought, but Bran nonchalantly said,

“No, there’s no time for that. Hurry up and follow.”

“What’s the rush?”

“Because it’s almost the end of the year.”

I need to make a plan. Bran said, leaning back in his chair.

“If you were to go on vacation, where would you want to go?”

“No, it’s too sudden.”

Isaiah said, flustered. It seemed like he was changing the subject to not give him a chance to refuse the coat, and if that was the case, it was a very appropriate measure. Being flustered was one thing, but just the fact that Bran was thinking of going on vacation with him at the end of the year made his heart pound and his mind go blank.

“I don’t know. I can’t think of anywhere right now.”

“Still, tell me.”

He laughed, dumbfounded at the unreasonable demand, when the open sandwich he had ordered came out.

“I’ll think about it while I eat.”

Isaiah used the food as an excuse to postpone his answer. But as soon as he took a bite, Bran said as if he had been waiting.

“How about Korea?”

“What, I don’t know anything about Korea.”

Isaiah burst out laughing.

“Then Cuba?”

“Do you think I know about Cuba?”

“It wouldn’t be bad to learn this time.”

“Are we going on vacation, or are we filming ‘Finding Your Roots^[1]’? No, more than that, why are you in such a hurry?”

When he said that since they were going at the end of the year anyway, couldn’t they think about it slowly, Bran said, cutting his sandwich with a knife.

“Because I have to book the plane tickets.”

Ah, plane tickets. That’s right. It’s already late to book them now.

Isaiah nodded, and with the sound of a bell, the restaurant door opened and a customer came in. It was a young black man.