By Zephyria Seo Jeong-won burst into laughter. Anyone listening would think he was just a worker, not the owner of the apple orchard.
As he took the empty basket and walked away, Kang Da-hyun trotted after him. He examined each apple Seo Jeong-won picked, constantly talking to him.
“Eat it, or not?”
“Not eating it. I’m going to rest.”
“Ah, why? Then let’s have dinner together.”
“Can’t. A few of the ladies said they’d come to the flower shop, so I have to go as soon as I’m done here.”
At the firm refusal, Kang Da-hyun couldn’t press further and backed off a step.
“I’ll just give you a ride.”
“……”
“You said no to dinner. It’s awkward to walk. And it’s a waste of money to take a taxi.”
“……Thanks. The drinks are after the harvest, then.”
Kang Da-hyun smiled at the reluctant answer. He decided to try something different to develop their relationship a little then. Like a sexual appeal, or skinship.
“By the way, when are you going to tell me about that?”
“What?”
“The Pheromone.”
“……That’s later. I’m not sure how to explain it right now.”
Seo Jeong-won reflexively raised his hand to cover his neck. He checked the part hidden by the handkerchief and smiled apologetically.
He had been quite drunk that day too, but he hadn’t revealed even the smallest truth about Kwon Tae-hee.
“Make sure you tell me.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Kang Da-hyun was convinced that something was definitely going on with that man who had come there. After encountering the owner of the Pheromone, he began to feel impatient for no reason.
He was anxious that his plan to stay by his side for a long time and eventually be together naturally would fall apart.
Seo Jeong-won said they didn’t like each other, but friendship is also a kind of affection. It meant that it was an emotion that could change enough. From friends to lovers, isn’t that quite a romantic development?
“Betas really can’t feel Pheromones?”
“Yeah, nothing at all. But this year’s harvest is good, right? The apples are big and the color is pretty.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. We didn’t get much rain this year. And it was hotter. If it’s dry, the fruit is sweeter. But a lot die too.”
“You go and hurry up. They’re having lunch now. Is it because you’re the owner? You really don’t work. Is it because you’re the one who pays?”
Kang Da-hyun knew that the words he said as a joke meant that he wanted him to leave. He was about to linger a little longer, but he straightened up from leaning against the tree.
“I’ll come when they have a snack.”
“Okay.”
Seo Jeong-won, who had been snipping off the apple stems, climbed up the ladder. He had picked all the apples that had grown on the lower branches, and he was going to pick the fruit that had grown on the upper branches.
He took off the straw hat he was wearing, as the brim was blocking his view, and held his breath each time he snipped off a stem.
“Haa……”
Seo Jeong-won moved the basket. As he picked, he checked each apple for any scratches, and occasionally stopped to check his phone. There was still no contact. He knew that not hearing from him was the best thing for him, but he was caught up in a strange feeling.
The unsettling feeling felt unfamiliar. Seo Jeong-won, who was organizing the apple basket, stopped and rubbed his chest, then looked up at the presence he felt in front of him.
“Ah, hello.”
“Yes, Jeong-won’s here.”
Kang Da-hyun’s mother smiled and strode over.
“I brought the snack, I was on my way to tell everyone. I brought it earlier than I thought.”
“Da-hyun is over there. Over there where the ladies are gathered.”
At the quiet voice, she frowned slightly. Each time Seo Jeong-won moved, her son’s Pheromones and those that weren’t mixed and scattered.
“Anyway, it’s been a long time, Jeong-won. You closed the flower shop and were busy, but now you seem to have more time?”
“Ah……”
“Those strange thugs came and set up camp there.”
She shuddered as if she was scared just thinking about it.
“The atmosphere in the neighborhood was so rough. Is that all resolved?”
He didn’t know what had happened, but Seo Jeong-won nodded awkwardly at her words of concern that he must have suffered too much.
“It’s resolved. I put the flowerpot you left inside. I thought you brought it to repot it, but I was going to ask you about it.”
“Oh, that’s right. I have to go get that too. I’m so out of it. Am I too busy trying to marry off our Da-hyun these days? It’s good to do farm work quickly.”
“That’s right.”
She grabbed Seo Jeong-won’s arm, who was standing awkwardly, and led him away, telling him trivial stories as if she was complaining about Kang Da-hyun.
“Do you know how surprised we were when he said he wanted to marry you? I told him not to say such things even as a joke. Of course, we’d be so grateful if it was our Jeong-won, but your types don’t match. Huh? Do you understand? It’s a pity, but what can we do? We have to find him a matching partner.”
Seo Jeong-won listened quietly to the gentle voice. The voice, full of concern, had a faint hint of apology.
“Who gets married to help a friend? You guys are too close.”
“……Da-hyun is just kind. Mother, don’t worry. Da-hyun doesn’t really mean it either.”
“Really? I was worried because our child is too serious.”
“You really don’t have to worry.”
Only after receiving a definite answer did her expression soften. They walked together, listening to her say that the soybean soup was delicious and that she had seasoned the kimchi well.
As they crossed the orchard, they could see a group of people sitting together at the entrance, starting their meal.
“You came out with Mom? I was going to go look for you.”
“Yeah.”
“Come and sit down. Aren’t you hungry?”
His flushed face softened gently. Seo Jeong-won avoided Kang Da-hyun’s eyes and sat down among the ladies who were gathered in groups of three or five.
“I’ll eat here. Mother, I’ll enjoy the meal.”
“Okay—, Jeong-won, eat slowly and have a lot.”
Seo Jeong-won held up the bowl with his palm. He dipped the noodles topped with cucumber and cherry tomatoes into the broth and took a big bite. He couldn’t help but say it was savory.
He also ate the spicy and sweet kimchi and smiled reflexively whenever the ladies laughed.
In his head, he was fiercely debating whether he should pick apples, even pretending not to notice everyone’s discomfort, just to earn a day’s wage.
Even then, Seo Jeong-won only had Kwon Tae-hee in his head, and he didn’t remember that he had told him not to do anything else. He had completely forgotten.
* * *
The work ended after 4 o’clock. Perhaps because the weather was good, they picked later than the time they had talked about in the morning.
Seo Jeong-won massaged the back of his neck, which had become stiff from being held up to the sky all day, and approached Kang Da-hyun.
“You worked hard.”
“……I didn’t pick much.”
“You know it. I put some more in your bag.”
Kang Da-hyun leaned over and raised his hand to Seo Jeong-won’s ear. At the end of the words he said quietly, he added that it was a secret from the ladies.
Kang Da-hyun, winking, put his arm around Seo Jeong-won’s shoulder and started moving at the same time as he said let’s go. He first climbed into the truck parked in front of the orchard, adjusted the radio volume, and hummed.
“It was hot during the day, but after 4 o’clock, the wind is cool.”
“I know. But please turn on the air conditioner. It’s too hot.”
Seo Jeong-won, who had taken off the straw hat he was wearing, swept back his hair that was clumped with sweat and demanded. Kang Da-hyun, who had been opening the windows wide, quickly rolled them up and pressed the air conditioner button. He adjusted the strength and stepped on the accelerator.
“It’s been a year since you picked them, but you haven’t lost your touch.”
“You were scolding me to pick a lot earlier. Make up your mind, CEO.”
At Seo Jeong-won’s retort, Kang Da-hyun burst into laughter. The orchard and the flower shop were not far apart. It was a 20-minute walk, but they arrived in 5 minutes.
“Oh, I think we have a customer? There are a few flower shops in this neighborhood.”
“Huh?”
Seo Jeong-won, who had been looking out the window listlessly, widened his eyes as soon as he recognized the rather familiar sedan.
He quickly lowered his head and checked his clothes. His shoes were a mess with dirt, and so were his clothes. He had been picking apples all day and was covered in sweat and dust, and of all times, he was so dirty……!
“Why are they even waiting? There are a few flower shops in this neighborhood.”
“Pull over, quickly.”
“Well, you have to sell even one. I’m just saying things too easily. Hyung is also lying down.”
Kang Da-hyun scratched the back of his head and stopped the car away from the sedan. Seo Jeong-won jumped out of the passenger seat as if he had been thrown out. Kang Da-hyun, who had left the driver’s seat without turning off the engine, took the apples that were loaded on the truck.