By Zephyria 
The fishing site, surrounded by mountains, was deserted. Contrary to expectations, there was no fishy smell, and the water quality was quite clean. Disposable chairs were lined up along the riverbank.
First, Tae-heun went to the management office to pay the entrance fee and ask about the rules. It was a so-called “hand-taste” fishing site, so he couldn’t take the caught fish but had to release them. For that reason, a keepnet or landing net was essential. Since he had no intention or way to take them anyway, he thought it was a good thing.
Because everyone brought their own fishing rods, the rods stored in the management office were covered in dust. The President quickly prepared two fishing rods and led Tae-heun and the man to their spots. They were guided to a quiet spot, passing a fisherman who looked like a long-time resident of the area.
“Just cast your line here, and you’ll get a bite.”
The President said that casting the line was all it took more than three times, but no one caught a fish while the two were moving.
“Is this your first time fishing?”
“Not the first time, but I’ve only cast a fishing rod a few times.”
“That’s enough. Fishing is nothing special. Just put the bait on well, cast it, and wait. Waiting is everything in fishing.”
The President spoke like a philosopher.
“What’s in season these days?”
“Chinese carp. But they only come out around three or four in the morning, so catch crucian carp or carp and play around until then.”
The President kindly showed them how to make bait and attach it to the hook.
Tae-heun and the man sat on the blue folding chairs and cast their lines.
Even though it was almost 4 p.m., heat radiated from the ground and water that had been heated all day. But it wasn’t unbearable. Perhaps because it was surrounded by mountains, the heat was pleasantly tolerable. A breeze blew occasionally.
Still, it was hot, so Tae-heun envied those sitting under parasols. Looking around, most people had set up parasols, seemingly prepared individually, on their chairs or had pitched tents next to them and were fishing.
If I was going to prepare, I should have brought a tent.
Tae-heun needlessly criticized Prosecutor Jeong.
man silently stared at the fishing rod with a peaceful expression. He didn’t look back at Tae-heun or observe the other fishermen. He seemed to be completely immersed in his own world, thinking about something.
Occasionally, there were short cheers from those who caught fish, but the fishing site was mostly quiet.
Tae-heun thought he was too idle to be the bait Prosecutor Jeong had mentioned. He had even boasted that he would have a great time, but far from having fun, he thought he would fall asleep. But then he quickly agreed that it was better to be bored if the man was safe. Anyway, his mind was restless.
How long had he been like that? A vibration rang. It was a pager. the man didn’t seem to hear it.
“Ki-beom.”
Tae-heun called Man. He whispered as quietly as possible.
“Yes.”
“Do you want some milk? I suddenly feel like drinking milk.”
“Sure.”
“And buy some iced water too.”
“Do as you please.”
“Wait a moment.”
“Yes.”
Tae-heun left the man and headed to the store.
As he walked, he turned back and saw the man still staring at the fishing rod without moving, like a still life. Can’t you look at me for a bit? He was such an indifferent man. He knew that, but he still made him anxious every time. He couldn’t help but smile.
First, he went to the public phone at the store and checked the voice message.
Stay at the fishing site until midnight and then go to the inn. As soon as you left, Kim In-sung’s hostess bars, nightclubs, and salons were all raided. He probably won’t be able to chase you right away even if he returns from Seoul. He’ll have to take at least one person off the pursuit team, right? And when you get to the inn, report the situation by public phone. From now on, neither I nor Prosecutor Jeong will contact you directly, so keep that in mind. Be careful.
It was the Helper.
Prosecutor Jeong only needed to step forward once. Prosecutor Jeong was already being wiretapped and followed everywhere, so it was difficult for him to directly order Tae-heun. The risk of being caught was that much greater.
The Helper was the same. It had been fine so far, but if there were too many eyes, the Helper would also be suspected. It was always better to be careful. The more you knew, the deeper you were involved, the better it was to be cautious and keep your mouth shut.
But the Helper’s voice was missing the most important story. the child.
Had he not met the the child yet, or was he deliberately not saying it?
He trusted that the Helper wouldn’t take Tae-heun’s request lightly, but he couldn’t help but worry. He held the receiver for a little longer and then put it down.
For now, let’s just think about the man and me.
Tae-heun vowed this and shook off the thought of the child.
He bought two cartons of milk for the man and himself and two bottles of iced water.
“President, is there a good spicy fish stew restaurant nearby?”
“Are you kidding? There are restaurants everywhere.”
With that, he recommended a restaurant he frequented and drew a map.
The scenery of the fishing site was amazing, but it wasn’t worth staring at all day in the scorching sun without a parasol. When the sun went down, that beautiful scenery would be useless.
No matter how he thought about it, it seemed too boring to endure at the fishing site until midnight. Tae-heun took the food and handed it to Man, suggesting they go to Hwajeong Temple.
“I just sat down, you know?”
“It’s been over an hour. And temples close early, so we have to go now. It’ll be scary at night.”
man laughed at Tae-heun’s exaggeration.
“Why did you want to go fishing if you have no patience?”
man scolded him.
“Did I know it would be this quiet? Besides, we’re the only ones without a parasol or tent. I’m dying of heat.”
“It’s cool.”
“Let’s go, quickly.”
At Tae-heun’s urging, the man got up without even opening the milk he had bought for him.
“Let’s go to Hwajeong Temple, eat spicy fish stew, and come back to the fishing site.”
“You came to play, huh?”
“I’m enjoying it while I can. You’re secretly happy too, Ki-beom.”
Tae-heun nudged Man.
He swayed as he walked, deliberately bumping into him. the man pushed him away, annoyed, but eventually gave in and accepted Tae-heun’s playfulness.
“Is this the first time you’ve traveled alone without Ji-hye? Since Ji-hye was born, I mean.”
“Yes.”
“How is it? Is it good?”
Tae-heun asked the man as he walked backward.
man scratched his head, embarrassed, and said in a very small voice, “It’s not bad.”
“You like it. I like it too. I like it to death.”
With that, he walked side by side with the man again.
“Yong-joon will be okay. Don’t worry too much.”
“…Yes.”
“There’s also a saying that no news is good news. Don’t worry even if you’re late to contact him.”
“Yes.”
Tae-heun lightly hooked his finger on Man’s finger and then let go. the man scratched his nose for no reason and looked away.
“Are your shoes uncomfortable?”
“It’s okay.”
“Tell me if your feet hurt. I have sneakers to change into.”
“Yes.”
man wore his best shoes, the ones he owned, to meet Kwon Yong-joon. He deliberately brought those uncomfortable shoes that he didn’t wear often and hadn’t broken in yet. A while ago, he couldn’t stand being jealous of even that, but as time passed, his anger subsided a lot.
The years Kwon Yong-joon had known him were far longer than his own. It must be because of affection. the man was surprisingly weak to affection. He rationalized their relationship in that way.
They went back the way they came. He didn’t even know what kind of temple it was, but he recklessly moved the car. It was a short distance, but the road was narrow and rough. They drove up a hill for a long time and then encountered an unpaved road. The car shook violently. the man and Tae-heun couldn’t control their bouncing bodies and screamed like children.
The temple they arrived at was small and cozy. Like any other temple, there was a Buddha statue, but it wasn’t particularly impressive.
Man, who always said he was a Christian, went into the main hall with Tae-heun and prayed. Tae-heun deliberately put money in the donation box for the man to see and bought a candle in the hope of Kwon Yong-joon’s safety.
“The temple is too small, right?”
Tae-heun said awkwardly, and the man said, “Small is good too.”
“I hate small things.”
When he said it in a subtle voice, the man shook his head with a disgusted expression.
“Why? What were you thinking that made you look at me like that?”
“No, that’s.”
“I was just saying I was disappointed because the temple was small? I thought it would be bigger than this. The more magnificent a temple is, the better.”
When Tae-heun came out in a defiant manner, the man was embarrassed instead. His neck turned red, and he changed the subject, saying, “Let’s go quickly. The crucian carp must have been caught.”
“What were you thinking, Ki-beom? Huh? Tell me?”
He chased after the man and asked persistently. He burst out laughing as he watched the man running away.
Tae-heun momentarily forgot that he was being chased by Il-gwang. He was really excited, as if he had come on a trip with just the two of them. the man was also kinder to Tae-heun than before. He had shown signs of it since the fishing site, and when they ate spicy fish stew at the restaurant, he acted almost as friendly as before.
Perhaps because it was early evening, the inside of the restaurant was hotter than the fishing site in the open field. But the spicy fish stew tasted so good that he couldn’t complain about the heat. The two sweated profusely and even drank soju with the stew.
“I’ll call Ji-hye.”
Man, who was in a good mood, smiled and got up from his seat. It was barely past six o’clock.
“Now? Isn’t it too early?”
“It’s okay. She’ll be back from school by now.”
I want to hear Ji-hye’s voice too.
man muttered this.
“Do you want to use this?”
Tae-heun took out his cell phone and held it out, but the man shook his head.
“It’s expensive.”
“It’s okay.”
“Why use something expensive when there’s a public phone?”
With that, he went outside.
Tae-heun watched the man go to the public phone outside the restaurant and worried. It would be a big problem if the child was still at So-jin’s house, and it would be a big problem if she wasn’t there. The short time of less than three minutes felt like an eternity.
Fortunately, the man came back smiling.
“Is Ji-hye doing well?”
Tae-heun asked casually.
“Yes. But her grandmother is going to take So-jin to Seoul.”
“Seoul? Why Seoul?”
“So-jin’s mother will be in Seoul. I don’t know exactly.”
“What does she do in Seoul?”
“I don’t know.”
He didn’t seem to be holding back, but he really didn’t know.
“Actually, I’ve only seen her face a few times.”
“She’s not from here?”
“Yes.”
Tae-heun was momentarily confused. So-jin was going to Seoul at this point, so it couldn’t be helped.
“But she’s suddenly going to Seoul?”
He asked in an exaggerated manner on purpose.
“It’s not sudden, but she’s been thinking about it ever since the incident in the village. The atmosphere in the village is also unsettling, and since there are only a few days left of vacation anyway, she doesn’t want to show the children a bad side of things.”
Man, who had said this far, drank some water.
“What about Ji-hye?”
“She’s taking her with her.”
Man, who was flushed, didn’t seem to care that the child was going to Seoul.
Hearing this, it occurred to him that perhaps the Helper was trying to protect not only Ji-hye but also So-jin and So-jin’s grandmother. Frankly, it didn’t matter if that wasn’t the case. It could really be a coincidence that they were going to Seoul. Whatever the case, it would be much safer if not only Ji-hye but also So-jin’s family left Dongjam Village.
“Does Ji-hye have a place to stay?”
“Well, wouldn’t there be a place for a child to lie down?”
With that, the man smiled.
“Ji-hye is very excited. She’s thrilled that she doesn’t have to go to school, and she’s even more excited that she’s going to Seoul with So-jin.”
“I can see it now.”
man laughed at Tae-heun’s words. Then he made an “oops” expression.
“I didn’t get her Seoul contact information. How stupid of me. Just a moment.”
man hurriedly tried to stand up but staggered. He grabbed the table to avoid falling, accidentally knocking over the soju bottle. The soju bottle shattered with a loud crash.
“It’s okay. I’ll clean up, so Ki-beom, go make your call.”
Tae-heun stopped the man as he bent down. But the man felt sorry and insisted on cleaning up before leaving.
“Go quickly. What if they’ve already left?”
Only then did the man leave the restaurant at Tae-heun’s words. Then, realizing he didn’t have any coins, he returned to the restaurant to borrow some. After making the call, the man returned looking utterly dejected.
“Why, didn’t they answer?”
“No. I think they’ve already left.”
man looked like he wanted to kick himself.
“Don’t worry. So-jin’s grandmother will take good care of her. Besides, Ki-beom, you’ll be back in a few days anyway.”
“That’s true, but I need to know her contact information.”
Tae-heun felt sorry for the self-reproaching Man.
“Aren’t there any people in the village who were close to So-jin’s mother?”
“Probably not. She hasn’t been to the village in recent years.”
“What about So-jin’s grandmother? Doesn’t she have any close friends?”
“Not really… She’s a very quiet and gentle person.”
man replied with a worried expression.
Man, estimating how long it would take to get to Dongjam Village from here, looked like he wanted to return immediately. Then, he glared resentfully at the soju bottle, regretting drinking in the first place.
“Do you want to go back? You can leave the car here and take a taxi. Honestly, Yong-jun is an adult, so he’ll manage on his own. I don’t care either way, so just say the word.”
Tae-heun was gambling. Since the odds of winning were high, it was more of a provocation than a gamble.
Normally, if the man had to choose between Kwon Yong-joon and the child, he would naturally choose the child. But the situation was different now. If he had to choose between the safe the child and Kwon Yong-joon, who was waiting for Man’s help right now, the man would inevitably choose Kwon Yong-joon this time. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have left the child behind and set off with Tae-heun.
As expected, the man hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.
“So-jin’s grandmother will take care of it. It’ll be okay.”
He said the same thing Tae-heun had said a little while ago.
“Of course, she will. But if Ki-beom wants to go back, tell me anytime. Okay?”
“Yes.”
“Here, have some soju.”
A man who is easily deceived, a man who is easy to fool.
But unexpectedly, a man whose thoughts are hard to read.
Tae-heun smiled at the enigmatic the man as he handed him the soju glass. He poured the remaining soju into Man’s glass and emptied his own in one gulp. It was the last glass.
The two of them, feeling slightly tipsy, walked back to the fishing spot. Instead of playing with fingers, they held hands tightly this time. Even though it wasn’t dark yet, they held hands confidently, saying there was no one to see them, no one they knew. Man’s hand, flushed with heat from the alcohol, was warm and comforting.
Tae-heun scratched the back of Man’s hand with his fingers. Sometimes he scratched his palm. Then the man would do the same thing Tae-heun had done, but a little clumsily.
“This is nice.”
Tae-heun whispered softly.
“Yes. It’s nice.”
The the man replied.
147 – Chapter Title Without Number