CI 1.13

As soon as Boss Won saw Son Yeo-il’s expression soften, he finally grinned. Looking at that face full of joy, Son Yeo-il wondered if he might be holding too rigid prejudices against the man in front of him.

If I set aside my prejudices, certainly…Ugh. No. What am I even thinking?

While Son Yeo-il pulled himself together and reported the situation to Representative Bae and Manager Kim via text, Boss Won tapped the gravel on the ground with his toes. Then, picking up a flat, round stone, he asked Son Yeo-il, “Attorney Son, do you know how to do this?”

“Do what?”

“This.”

He approached the water’s edge and threw the stone he was holding. The stone, which Son Yeo-il had expected to plunge in, bounced across the water surface three or four times as if jumping forward.

“Ah, this! What do you call it?”

“Stone skipping. You don’t know how?”

Long ago, when Son Yeo-il had visited a valley, some child was learning this from his father by the water. Son Yeo-il had also picked up a stone and ran to his mother, but his mother didn’t know how to skip stones, and Son Yeo-il had thought in his childish mind, If I had a dad, I would have learned this too.

Since then, he had even forgotten the term “stone skipping,” but the childhood disappointment and sadness suddenly came to the surface again. Without realizing it, his expression drooped as he replied, “I could do it if there was someone who could teach me.”

“Of course, of course. If you want to learn, I could teach you.”

Boss Won readily agreed and carefully selected a suitable stone to place in Son Yeo-il’s hand. From that moment, an impromptu stone-skipping lesson began.

It was a strange thing. Just a few months ago, Son Yeo-il’s goal had been to become a lawyer at a large law firm and earn enough money not to worry about his mother’s hospital bills. Who would have thought he’d end up learning how to skip stones from a gangster in a valley he’d never visited before?

In any case, Son Yeo-il practiced stone skipping diligently as if entranced. The trajectory, which initially wouldn’t cooperate at all, gradually began to form more regular parabolas the more he practiced.

“My, you’re improving by leaps and bounds. Finally, try it with this one. I picked out a really good stone for you.”

The rock Boss Won selected was just the right size and shape for skipping. Son Yeo-il held it in his hand, carefully positioned himself, and then threw it with a snap of his wrist as Boss Won had taught him.

Tong, tongtong. The stone, which began bouncing on the water’s surface, traced exactly seven parabolas before sinking with a gurgle beneath the water. It was Son Yeo-il’s best record.

“Did you see that?”

When Son Yeo-il turned around with an excited voice, Boss Won was looking at him with a contented smile on his face.

Crazy. Why aren’t you watching the stone but staring at my face instead?

He felt the flush that had just subsided rising again to his cheeks. Just as he began to feel the May sunshine was suddenly too hot, his phone rang.

[Oh my, that woman’s husband really was having an affair! How is it that Attorney Son can do everything?!]

It turned out to be Manager Kim. She must have seen Son Yeo-il’s message about getting the evidence about the husband’s affair. Son Yeo-il immediately replied, as if trying to avoid Boss Won’s gaze.

[It’s nothing. I reported to Representative Bae, but there’s no response yet. Should I return to the office right away?]

[Representative Bae is playing golf right now, so he probably won’t see messages even if a war breaks out~ Why return? You’ve worked hard, so go home early.]

While Son Yeo-il hesitated, wondering if he could trust Manager Kim’s words and go home, the other woman sent another message.

[You worked hard today~ I think Representative Bae felt quite sorry for sending you there, so he said he’s changing the volunteer activity to just one day this weekend, haha.]

Huh? Son Yeo-il’s eyes opened wide as he checked the message.

[Volunteer activity? This weekend?]

[Oh, didn’t I tell you? There’s something the Chungbuk Bar Association is accepting applications for, and Representative Bae signed up for it long ago. It’s awkward to skip every year, so it seems we have to go this year…]

It was a bolt from out of the blue. When he asked for details, the answer came back that local lawyers were gathering for a rural aid event.

Shouldn’t they have told me about this in advance? Though I don’t have anything to do on the weekend anyway, rural volunteering out of nowhere?

He’d have to go since it was already arranged, but he had no idea what he would do there. Son Yeo-il, a Seoul urbanite, had never been to the countryside. He wasn’t from a generation that went on rural volunteering programs during his school days, and without relatives to visit, he had spent holidays in his small Seoul room.

That man…somehow I feel like he would know how to farm.

Son Yeo-il glanced over at Boss Won, imagining him wearing flashy work pants beneath his gaudy shirt. If Son Yeo-il tried to do anything, he might take away his shovel or hoe, saying, “Attorney, just standing still is the best help you can give~”

Just as he was about to laugh at his own thoughts, he suddenly came to his senses. Son Yeo-il had unconsciously imagined himself with Boss Won even at that rural volunteer site. There was absolutely no reason for that.

I really must be out of my mind. Let’s try to stay alert, okay?

While saying “um,” he felt anxious that he had become too entangled with that person. Son Yeo-il unrolled his pant legs and gathered his suit jacket that had been draped over the parasol chair.

“I’m going now.”

“Huh? Already? At least have dinner before you go. This place has delicious iron-lid samgyeopsal too.”

“Why would I eat dinner with you, Boss Won?”

In his urgency to get away, the words came out sharply. He raised his voice abruptly and immediately regretted it. It was an embarrassing caprice. After happily eating lunch together and even playing in the water until now, what reason was there to raise his voice at the suggestion of dinner?

Inwardly flustered, Son Yeo-il continued up the stone steps, and Boss Won, hastening his steps even more, reached the platform where they had eaten before. After quickly tidying up, he neatly placed Son Yeo-il’s shoes in front of his slippered feet.

“Yes. You’re going home from work, right? Hurry to the car. We can go together.”

His tone was soft, without showing any signs of being upset. Son Yeo-il looked at the neatly arranged shoes, feeling like he wanted to hide in a mouse hole. His shoes, though polished diligently, were on the verge of falling apart, just like his narrow inner feelings.

This is really driving me crazy. Why did I lose my temper when I was going to join him in the car anyway?

The way back was even more embarrassing. Since he was going straight home, and Boss Won had even gotten a room in the building where he lived, they had no choice but to return together.

Two grown men sat in a pink convertible, driving through the sunlight that was now shining in their eyes. Not only was the attention they attracted a problem as the roads were busier now than at noon, but Boss Won’s silence was even more concerning.

He had seemed fine while driving on the outskirts, but after entering the city, Boss Won was just sucking on a lollipop with a somewhat heavy expression on his face. He definitely looked angry.

Of course, he can’t be in a good mood after I was acting so prickly. He’s human too.

Though it would be welcome if Boss Won lost interest and drifted away because of this, Son Yeo-il felt strangely uncomfortable. He had thought that he shouldn’t give away any opening, but that didn’t mean he should be mean toward the other man.

When Boss Won’s pink B*W stopped in the shabby neighborhood of studio apartments, Son Yeo-il felt a slight tension right then. Having thrown a tantrum randomly, he wouldn’t have any right to complain even if Boss Won exploded in anger at him.

“Oh my, there are quite a lot of cars. This tiny neighborhood has surprisingly many cars. Right?”

However, the sharp edge had completely disappeared from Boss Won’s face as he finished parking and looked at Son Yeo-il. There was only his usual smooth smile.

“Man, convertibles are really inconvenient. Everyone has eyes, you know, and every person who passed by gave our husband a long look.”

It seemed the reason he had appeared to be in a bad mood the entire way back was because he was bothered by other people looking at Son Yeo-il. Though trying to dismiss it lightly, thinking it was excessive fuss for someone he’d only slept with once, Son Yeo-il somehow felt pleased.

Thinking about it now, there was no reason to feel good about this, but it was probably because he could relieve the anxious guilt he’d felt after being snippy with him. Son Yeo-il immediately regained his usual aloofness and pointed out, “They weren’t looking at me—they were looking because there’s a pink convertible.”

“No. The treatment is completely different from when I drive alone.”

He said this while craning his thick, elongated neck until it made a creaking sound. It seemed that when he was alone, people were too scared to look at him. As he said, some people had glanced at Son Yeo-il’s side while waiting at traffic lights, but they quickly turned their gaze forward when Boss Won made that gesture.

“Then you should have closed the roof.”

“You’re right. I should have closed it before setting out. This thing makes a huge racket when opening and closing, so I was worried people would stare even more.”

When he pressed a button in the car, the trunk opened and a hard-top roof emerged with a clank. Following the movement of what looked like mechanical arms, the roof, divided into three sections, unfolded in sequence, covering the top of the vehicle.

This is like a Transformer!

Though Son Yeo-il usually showed a bland reaction to most things, this time he couldn’t hide that he was impressed. Boss Won said boastfully, “How about it? Want to see it again?”

Unable to resist the temptation, Son Yeo-il nodded his head. The two only got out of the car after opening and closing the hard-top convertible’s roof one more time. Concerned that Boss Won would again stay in the studio instead of going to his perfectly good house, Son Yeo-il decided to say goodbye early, feigning indifference.

“Well, I’ll be going in now.”

“Oh, wait a moment. Take this with you.”

Boss Won stopped Son Yeo-il, took out a shopping bag from the car, and handed it to him.

“What’s this?”

“You seemed to enjoy the chicken porridge there earlier, so I had them pack a to-go container for you. Seeing how you never gain weight no matter how many delicious things I bring you, I figured your wife takes care of lunch but you barely eat dinner. Enjoy it comfortably at home.”

Like he said, if Son Yeo-il had food at home, he would eat it–if not, he would often skip dinner. When he hugged the shopping bag to his chest, it was full of warmth.

“…I’ll enjoy it.”

Son Yeo-il answered as honestly as he could and went up to his room. Since Boss Won wasn’t following right behind, he was inwardly relieved, thinking he might be going home alone today.

Coming up the stairs and opening the door, Son Yeo-il’s small room was filled with darkness. For a very brief moment, he recalled the day he went to the valley with his mother as a child.

He exhaled the surging emotions with a sigh and walked into the room. The room was cold, but Son Yeo-il had hot porridge, so it would be fine.

After showering and putting a spoonful of porridge in his mouth, his insides warmed up. As he moved his spoon with a more relaxed expression, he sensed a muted presence from the next room.

That person didn’t go home?

Listening carefully, he could hear footsteps and the clinking of dishes as if he were eating something too. It was definitely the sounds of Boss Won moving around in his room. Had he secretly slipped into the next room, pretending not to follow up because Son Yeo-il kept being irritable?

What a strange person. Acting like a stalker.

While clicking his tongue in disapproval, Son Yeo-il continued eating the porridge provided by that stalker. With his left hand, which wasn’t holding the spoon, he fiddled with his phone. He was about to send a message asking “What are you doing there?” but stopped himself.

There was no need to speak to a stalker. Furthermore, if he casually initiated contact, he might end up saying unnecessary things. For example, presumptions like “Are you staying there so I can be comfortable?”

Basically, Son Yeo-il preferred being alone. That was why he had come to this place where he knew no one. But human hearts were fickle, and on dark nights when he returned to an empty home, he often felt suffocated. To the point where he felt he couldn’t sleep without alcohol.

But now, the noise from the next room coming through the thin wall gave him a strange sense of security. Was it because it was the presence of someone he knew?

Boss Won had previously brought food to Son Yeo-il’s room, telling him to eat comfortably alone. He seemed to think Son Yeo-il was uncomfortable when he was around.

That’s not exactly true.

In fact, it was better not to mention that being with him during meals was no longer so uncomfortable. Son Yeo-il himself didn’t want to accept that fact yet. Because while he wanted to relax in the gentle tranquility that spread when he was with him, he would also suddenly startle and want to run away.

Why are you so nice to me?

Yet, Son Yeo-il was curious about that. Not only had he come to think that the man was always there for him, but a question he would have previously dismissed with “Why else? He’s just trying to get with me once” kept circling in his mind.

Let’s not think about it. What does it matter? Right…? But that person keeps…Ah, enough. Let’s not think about it.

Why did he keep wondering about others’ feelings when he didn’t even understand his own? Son Yeo-il rationalized that his restless heart was simply due to the time of year.

Yes. I’ll be fine after visiting Mom.

Since the written briefs he had to prepare didn’t decrease just because he had spent a day on fieldwork or because he was playing hooky, Son Yeo-il worked until late the next day. On Wednesday lunch, while he was still feeling stiff, Boss Won handed something to Son Yeo-il as they were leaving the kimchi stew restaurant.