By Zephyria Kim Jae-sik bowed his head and opened the back door of the waiting vehicle. Seo Jeong-won felt awkward at his polite attitude and sat down. Kim Jae-sik even checked that his small hand had fastened the seatbelt clip before closing the door.
Seo Jeong-won placed his empty bag on his lap. He looked at the middle-aged man with graying hair and bowed his head several times before relaxing his stiff expression at the driver’s voice, signaling their departure.
“Thank you.”
There was no reply to his quiet greeting. The huge mansion slowly receding felt like a midsummer night’s dream. He couldn’t believe he had been there just a moment ago.
Seo Jeong-won took a long sigh and carefully mulled over the words he had heard from Song Hae-seop. He had said that if nothing went wrong, they would get married and live happily ever after, having children.
Then, would I become an intruder?
Seo Jeong-won returned to the flower shop, lost in thought about how to define himself.
After thanking the driver who dropped him off, he inserted the key into the locked door. It was past 5 o’clock, but the sky was still bright.
As soon as he arrived at his familiar place, the tension drained from him, and his legs gave way. He stood there, unable to open the door, clutching it for support before collapsing to the ground.
The throbbing had definitely lessened a bit, but now the area below his waist ached as if it would fall off.
“Haa…”
As soon as he got out of the car, the sweltering heat hit him, and sweat beaded on his skin. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, barely managing to open the door and enter the flower shop, where the familiar scent greeted him. The smell of soil and grass.
The stagnant heat, making the temperature inside higher than outside, and the humid air felt welcoming.
Seo Jeong-won, who had been standing still at the door, moved and first turned on the ventilation fan. The second thing he did was take care of the fish. Seo Jeong-won, limping towards the small fish tank placed in a shaded spot, moved his eyes busily.
“Sorry. Were you hungry?”
He tapped the fish tank and observed the lively tropical fish. He had worried that they might have died from the heat, but the fish were moving around actively, making his concern seem unnecessary. The fry nibbled at the sinking food on the bottom.
Thinking that he should bring in some plants that could be grown hydroponically and separate the fish a little, he refilled the fish tank with fresh water, replenishing what had evaporated over the past three days.
“I’ll give you more next time before I leave. Sorry.”
Seo Jeong-won plopped down on a steel chair and put down the phone he was holding. Leaning against the hard, old chair, he stared blankly into space.
There was so much to do. He had to go around and check the flowerpots, water the plants with dry soil, open the doors to let out the hot air, and check the bills…
“I don’t want to do anything. Should I just go?”
He wondered if he could just take care of the flower shop tomorrow since he had already fed the fish, and rested his head on the table.
He must have slept so deeply that he didn’t even know Executive Director left, but he didn’t know why he was so sleepy.
The moment Seo Jeong-won’s eyes, which had been blinking slowly, closed tightly, his phone vibrated as if it had been waiting for that moment.
Startled, he trembled and opened his eyes, checking the name on the screen. He quickly moved his finger to pull the green button.
“Hello?”
—It’s me.
“…Hello.”
—I was wondering if you got home safely since I didn’t hear from you.
A voice as handsome as his appearance came through the phone. Seo Jeong-won swallowed hard and nodded his head, even though Executive Director couldn’t see him.
“Thanks to your concern, I got here comfortably. Thank you.”
—I heard you woke up late. How are you feeling?
“I-I’m okay. I really… don’t hurt anymore.”
—I applied medicine while you were sleeping, Seo Jeong-won, but call me if it still hurts. I’ll come and apply it for you.
His face flushed instantly. Wouldn’t it be strange to call and say it hurts there? Seo Jeong-won lowered his head as if trying to hide his reddened face.
“I-I think I’ll be okay.”
—You’re not good at lying, you know.
“……”
—How about going home early today? I told them to take you to the flower shop, but I didn’t know you’d actually go there.
Seo Jeong-won scratched his flushed cheeks and lowered his head. It wasn’t that he had asked to be taken here. To make a small excuse, when he got in the car, the driver started driving without asking where he wanted to go or saying where he was going. Should he have asked? When he came to his senses, he was in front of the flower shop.
“I just thought you wanted me to come here…”
He heard a laugh over the phone.
—How are you planning to get home?
“It’s close. I can walk.”
—What about dinner?
He was planning to eat something simple. Like ramen or frozen food he had at home. But somehow, he felt like he shouldn’t say that.
“I’m going to… cook. I bought some side dishes.”
To be exact, they were retort foods like soup or stew that could be boiled by just tearing open the package, or that could be heated in the microwave for a few minutes.
“I’ll take care of myself…”
—……
“Executive Director, please take care of your dinner too.”
He couldn’t tell if he could hang up, or if Executive Director had something more to say. A silence followed for a while. It was quiet, with no sound coming from the other end of the phone.
It didn’t sound like he had arrived home. It was an awkward time to leave work. So, he must still be at the office.
—Are you going straight home?
“Ah… yes. I’m planning to clean up tomorrow.”
—Then come out, I’ll take you.
“Yes?”
Seo Jeong-won stood up as if he had been jolted. His hazy mind cleared instantly.
His feet moved without giving him a chance to think. He left the flower shop with the phone still to his ear. He stumbled as he rushed out.
The moment he opened the door, a man with a cool fragrance, unlike the humid weather, caught him as he fell.
“Ugh…! Haa, ah.”
“You’re sweating.”
“It’s hot… but I really didn’t expect you to be here.”
“What would I gain from lying?”
Kwon Tae-hee shrugged. Seo Jeong-won’s face quickly turned red. He couldn’t take his eyes off him for a long time before shyly lowering his head. He roughly rubbed his hot cheeks with the back of his hand.
“Clean up and come out.”
“Would you like me to get you some water…?”
“No.”
Kwon Tae-hee, who had been looking at the area Seo Jeong-won had been rubbing roughly, reached out and stroked his soft skin.
“I was thinking of getting dinner from Seo Jeong-won.”
“……Yes?”
He was overly flustered because he had been planning to eat ramen, unlike what he had told Kwon Tae-hee. Seo Jeong-won blinked as if he had heard something unbelievable.
“You said you’d take good care of yourself.”
“That’s, right, yes…”
“Wouldn’t it just be adding one more set of utensils? You’re stingy, more than I thought. Or was that a lie?”
“That’s, not… no. If you’re okay with it, I, I really don’t mind. I don’t know if it will suit your taste.”
Even though he knew he was flustered, Kwon Tae-hee didn’t care and said it was okay. He told him to take his time cleaning up and come out.
Seo Jeong-won, feeling like he was being pushed back into the flower shop, grabbed his empty bag. As he left the flower shop, he tried to remember what was in the refrigerator, but he was dismayed when he realized it was empty.
* * *
Kwon Tae-hee ended up entering his small, old house. Seo Jeong-won trembled and muttered, “Why is it so dark?”
It wasn’t that the sun had set, but the curtains were drawn, and the entrance sensor light had been out for a long time, so the house was dark.
Seo Jeong-won quickly said, “Wait a moment,” and moved swiftly. With a click, the light turned on. At the same time, he pressed the remote control to turn on the yellowish air conditioner. The whirring sound was loud.
Kwon Tae-hee stood in the hallway, checking the structure of the house. Two rooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. The sweet scent emanating from Seo Jeong-won filled the entire house.
“Just a moment… please come in, make yourself comfortable, and I’ll quickly prepare something.”
Kwon Tae-hee laughed at Seo Jeong-won’s almost solemn expression. He took off his shoes quietly and stepped into the house.
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
“Ah, that’s…”
Seo Jeong-won trailed off, looking troubled, and turned around. He took his bag to the bedroom, hurried out, and went straight to the sink.
Kwon Tae-hee spoke to his back as he washed his hands, and his slender shoulders jumped.
“Yes?”
“I was wondering if I could look around the house.”
“Yes. There’s nothing much, but you can look around. Have you ever had kimchi stew?”
As if he had heard something absurd, Kwon Tae-hee stopped moving and stared intently at Seo Jeong-won’s back. He seemed busy rummaging through the refrigerator. It didn’t seem like there was much, but why was he so busy?
“I’ve had it.”
“I’ll make that for you. What about rolled omelet?”
“I like it.”
“Ham, have you ever had it? Spam…”
He had eaten it sometime. It seemed like it was when he was a little younger. Was it when he was nine? Kwon Tae-hee nodded, trying to recall.
“I like that too.”
Seo Jeong-won smiled brightly at the answer. He was small and scurrying around, saying he would make it quickly.