By Zephyria Song Hae-seop habitually saved the recorded conversation naturally and stood up abruptly. He wanted to continue the conversation a little longer, but he thought that if he defended Kwon Tae-hee too much, it would seem strange, so he decided to stop here.
“By the way, it’s too cold here. Aren’t you cold?”
“Yes? Ah, yes. It is cold. But it’s not unbearable…”
“Let’s go, let’s say hello to Noona first instead of staying here. No, if Uncle said he was coming today, he should be at home. Making people wait like this. Ugh, it’s cold.”
Seo Jeong-won felt uneasy about the conversation that ended vaguely and slowly got up. A suspicion sprouted, but he shook his head to shake it off. He repeated that it couldn’t be, that he had to trust Song Hae-seop, and quietly followed behind him.
“I told him to stay home, is that so difficult?”
“……”
“The wind is blowing so hard, aren’t the fishermen scared? They’re crazy, aren’t they? Fish is just fish, huh? What’s so great about it that they go out to sea like crazy and catch it?”
Seo Jeong-won quietly added to Song Hae-seop’s complaints, saying that fishing must be a highly addictive hobby, and silently moved his feet.
The two walked along the coastal road again. Just as the grumbling about the cold subsided, they spotted a car driving slowly.
“Be careful.”
“Ah, yes.”
Seo Jeong-won moved to the inside of the sidewalk with the force pulling him and glanced at the car. The tint was so dark that he couldn’t see inside. Soon, he shifted his gaze, which he hadn’t paid much attention to, and was busy looking at the sea again.
“They must be here for a trip.”
“Yes?”
“They’re going so slow. There’s nothing to see.”
Song Hae-seop muttered as if he was letting it slip. Perhaps because the speed of walking and the speed of the car were similar, he was unnecessarily nervous. He was secretly worried about what to do if they came on to him to play with them.
“Ugh.”
He would refuse anyway, but it wouldn’t be good for Kwon Tae-hee to receive such a report. He was on edge, worried that the window might go down, but ridiculously, as if the sightseeing was over, the car slowly picked up speed and drove away.
“What is it? I was wondering how to refuse, thinking they were going to ask me to play.”
At the voice muttering like a monologue, Seo Jeong-won shifted his gaze from watching the crashing waves and looked at the car that had become a small dot.
“Does that kind of thing happen?”
“Hasn’t it ever happened to Jeong-won?”
“No, I… I’ve never had that happen.”
“…Healthy and good, I guess.”
The situation was awkward often today. Seo Jeong-won took his hand out of his pocket and stroked his cheek, and Song Hae-seop rubbed his eyes, saying that the wind was making his eyes sting.
“We only have a little further to walk, so tell me if you’re tired, okay?”
“Yes, I’m really okay.”
Apart from his heavy body, he wasn’t tired at all, perhaps because the scenery was beautiful and the wind was cool. After walking down from the guesthouse for about 5 minutes, he saw a restaurant specializing in clam kalguksu with a worn-out sign across the street. In fact, Seo Jeong-won didn’t expect Song Hae-seop to go there, and when he suddenly changed direction and crossed the street, he was flustered and quickly stepped onto the road.
“Jeong-won, not now—!”
It was the moment when Song Hae-seop, who had crossed alone without thinking, turned around in surprise. The car, which was clearly far away, was already in front of Seo Jeong-won.
“Watch out for the car!”
Screech! The sound of tires screeching and the car horn that stopped just barely in front of Seo Jeong-won rang painfully in his ears.
“Ah…! I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
From the driver who lowered the driver’s seat window and revealed himself, a barrage of finger-pointing and vulgar curses poured out without a break. Song Hae-seop quickly crossed the road again, grabbed Seo Jeong-won, bowed his head, and apologized together. He was about to go up to the sidewalk after that, but the driver was urging him, asking where he was going.
“Who are you trying to ruin, you son of a bitch! Did you leave your eyes at home! Are you crazy bastards!”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
Seo Jeong-won apologized repeatedly, but Song Hae-seop thought the man’s curses were excessive. He participated in bowing his head together, but soon couldn’t stand the annoyance and raised his head stiffly.
“Hey, mister. Go easy on it.”
“What? What did you say? Mister?”
“Then what, are you a student? I’ve apologized so many times, and if we haven’t caused each other any harm—.”
As Song Hae-seop asked sharply, Seo Jeong-won grabbed his arm in embarrassment. He had never experienced such a situation before, so he was just terrified. The man opened the driver’s seat and was about to jump out at any moment.
“Hyung… Hyung, stop it. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
When Seo Jeong-won lowered his head again with trembling eyes, a white car waiting behind honked as if telling them to start. Seo Jeong-won, who bowed his head once more to the driver who was shouting with shaking eyes, grabbed Song Hae-seop again, and the man with a Yaksha-like expression shouted as if roaring.
“Who says you haven’t caused any harm, you son of a bitch!”
“What harm did you suffer, mister!”
“You son of a bitch, just wait! Huh? You’re just a young punk, where do you think you’re talking back and acting up, acting up!”
“Hey, mister, you’re not exactly aging gracefully either, are you picking a fight even though we’re apologizing?”
Seo Jeong-won wanted to cry. He was scared of the driver who was angry even though they apologized, and of Song Hae-seop who couldn’t be stopped even when he was stopped. Moreover, he was just miserable at the situation of constantly hearing curses. He was afraid that he might face a violent situation.
“Hyung…”
“No, let go. Did we commit a crime worthy of death? We’ve apologized so many times!”
Eventually, as he had feared, the driver’s seat door opened. Seo Jeong-won felt dizzy. The man, dressed in a shirt that seemed about to burst, strode forward and threatened Song Hae-seop. Seo Jeong-won held on with all his might as Song Hae-seop tried to step forward without backing down. In a desperate situation where he was begging for someone to help, the sound of car doors opening and closing was heard again.
The voices of someone calling out to the man moving with large strides, saying “Hey,” made the three people’s gazes turn to the source of the sound. A man who was much bigger than the man who looked like he was about to hit Song Hae-seop approached with a frown.
“Aren’t you going to move your car?”
“No, well…”
“Are you not going to move your car? The road is blocked.”
“I’m going to move it, I’m going to move it. Ha, jeez. You rude bastard. You, I’m just going because I’m busy. Huh?”
As Song Hae-seop tried to retort at the man who was threateningly raising his hand and making a gesture to hit him, Seo Jeong-won pulled his arm to stop his actions.
“Hyung, stop it. Okay?”
“No, that mister—!”
“Hyung…”
Seo Jeong-won, who was holding Song Hae-seop tightly with trembling hands, shook his head. Song Hae-seop, who confirmed his eyes that were red and bloodshot as if he was about to cry, finally grasped the situation and swept his hair back irritably.
Seo Jeong-won bowed deeply to the man who had resolved the situation. He was so grateful that he felt like he wanted to bow to the man.
“Thank you, thank you.”
“Be careful when you cross the street. Watch where you’re going.”
“Yes, yes. Thank you.”
Seo Jeong-won repeatedly thanked the man who was as huge as a bear. Song Hae-seop stared blankly at him and the car standing there with its hazard lights flashing, and suddenly felt uneasy.
Only after the man who had seen the car in front leave got into the driver’s seat and slowly disappeared did Seo Jeong-won stagger as if the tension had been released. Song Hae-seop quickly grabbed him and checked if he was okay.
“Sorry, ah… I’m really sorry. No, but that mister was saying too much.”
“I…”
Seo Jeong-won’s voice flowed out like a sigh. Even thinking about it again made him feel dizzy.
“I was so scared that Hyung would get hurt… I’m sorry because of me.”
“No, I’m more sorry. I shouldn’t have acted disgracefully in front of Jeong-won.”
Song Hae-seop held Seo Jeong-won tightly and, after making sure that cars were coming or not, crossed the street together. Then, he stopped in front of the restaurant entrance and recalled Go Jin-hee, who didn’t come out even during the commotion. He seemed like he would like to interfere, but he was a person who wasn’t interested in other people’s affairs. The glass door also seemed thin, so couldn’t he hear it?
“Are you really okay?”
“Yes, I’m okay. How about Hyung?”
“I’m fine.”
“Hyung, you seem really brave. My heart was pounding.”
Seo Jeong-won suddenly thought Song Hae-seop was amazing. The difference in size was also considerable, and he could stand up to it like that in a situation that could even escalate into a physical fight. He was even envious of him, who was so different from him.
“As I lived, I realized that enduring isn’t always the answer. It just makes me feel like I’m on fire inside. It’s not like I have to look good to that mister earlier, so who would benefit from me enduring those curses?”
“……”
“But I should have endured it in front of Jeong-won…”
“I’m really okay. Fortunately, another person passed by and helped.”
Song Hae-seop nodded as he listened to Seo Jeong-won’s story, then stared blankly at the empty road as if he was wondering. The car that had intervened earlier to resolve the situation was circling the same spot for the second time.