#149

I overslept. If I were to make an excuse, it was because of the weather. The clouds were so thick from the morning that I didn’t even realize the sun had risen. Of course, waking the man up in the early hours of yesterday, while he was sound asleep, to kiss and suck him again also contributed to my late wake-up.

Man, who claimed he could wake up at 4:30 AM without an alarm, seemed unable to believe he had overslept. He kept bringing his wristwatch to his ear, wondering if it was broken.

“You did oversleep. The watch is fine,” Tae-heun chided, throwing him clothes to change into. “Wear this.”

“Where did this come from? I haven’t seen it before.” the man looked up at Tae-heun, fiddling with the light blue checkered shirt. Tae-heun, already wearing the same style shirt in a different color, answered while buttoning his own, “I bought it in town a while ago but forgot about it. I bought it so we could wear them together.”

Then the man smiled shyly and said, “It looks refreshing.” He insisted on wearing an undershirt before putting on the shirt. His pants were faded light blue jeans.

“Ki-beom, you seem to have lost weight. Your waist is a bit loose,” Tae-heun said, subtly putting his arms around Man’s waist for no reason.

“It’s because I didn’t eat breakfast. I should have had a snack by now,” the man said, smacking his lips. He really had no sense of romance.

“Let’s go quickly. I’m hungry,” the man urged.

“Alright, alright. We’ll find a restaurant on the way,” Tae-heun replied. He acted like he didn’t have a destination in mind, even though he did.

Even though he was in a hurry to leave, the man insisted on neatly folding the blankets and bedding they had slept under before leaving the room.

The front desk of the inn was still closed.

“Is there no owner here?” the man muttered to himself, tilting his head.

Tae-heun was also curious. When they had arrived, the front desk window was open, and there was definitely someone there. But since dawn, the window had been closed. It didn’t seem like anyone was around. It wasn’t Prosecutor Jeong’s style to pretend to be operating a closed motel just for Tae-heun, and it felt rather grand. Anyway, it was a strange inn.

The two went to the empty parking lot and got into the Korando. the man put the handbag containing his clothes in the back seat and then sat in the passenger seat.

They drove down the narrow, steep mountain road and encountered an unpaved road. Using the signs as landmarks, they navigated through small roads, finally reaching the entrance of National Route 45 after an hour. Both were starving.

Following the Helper’s instructions, they entered a village adjacent to the national route and immediately saw a restaurant. The sign was newly installed, but the exterior was old and worn. The menu had only two items: Cheonggukjang set meal and a whole native chicken. It was an awkward time of day, so Tae-heun and the man were the only customers.

An old woman, who had been dozing on a chair in front of the counter, greeted them.

“Two Cheonggukjang set meals, please,” Tae-heun said, looking around the restaurant.

The public telephone was opposite the counter, and the bathroom was outside the restaurant, with a wooden block tied to the doorknob with the bathroom key.

Soon, the smell of Cheonggukjang filled the restaurant. It was so pungent that he wanted to cover his nose, but strangely, it made his mouth water. The number of side dishes was plentiful. There were more than four types of seasoned vegetables, and chili peppers seasoned with soybean paste, kimchi, and stir-fried anchovies whetted their appetites.

Tae-heun first served the man the Cheonggukjang and then filled his own bowl. Hunger was the best sauce, and everything tasted delicious. Even the barley tea was so flavorful that he wondered if there was a secret recipe.

After satisfying their initial hunger and their spoon movements started to slow down, the table shook. It was because of the pager’s vibration. the man and Tae-heun looked at the pager at the same time.

“Ki-beom, check it,” Tae-heun said.

man carefully picked up the pager and looked at the screen. He widened his eyes and exclaimed, “There’s a voice message!”

He said to Tae-heun with an excited face, “This. It’s Yong-jun, right? 505!”

man was so excited that he held the pager right in front of Tae-heun’s eyes.

“Ah. It is Yong-jun,” Tae-heun said, pretending to be nervous and looking around. Then the man pursed his lips and made a determined expression.

Of course, Kwon Yong-joon would never leave a voice message. It was a setup between Tae-heun and Prosecutor Jeong.

“Check the voice message,” Tae-heun said, handing the pager to Man.

“Let’s do it together,” the man replied.

“I still don’t know how to do it,” Tae-heun said.

man was embarrassed even though it was natural for him not to know.

“Alright. Let’s go,” Tae-heun said.

The two walked side by side to the public telephone opposite the counter.

Tae-heun put in a coin and explained to the man again how to check the pager’s voice message, pressing the keypad. Then, he deliberately hung up the phone and told the man to try from the beginning.

man swallowed hard and pressed the buttons with his thick fingers. He put the receiver to his ear and pressed the numbers according to the instructions. He succeeded on the first try, and the man shrugged his shoulders proudly.

Normally, Tae-heun would have been happy, but he couldn’t be. It was because of the voice message. Prosecutor Jeong, who had no way of knowing Kwon Yong-joon’s voice, had decided to find a voice similar to Kwon Yong-joon’s based solely on Tae-heun’s description. To guide the man from Pyeongtaek to Jecheon, it had to be more than just similar; it had to be the right voice.

Tae-heun listened to the voice message with more tension than ever before.

The voice was high-pitched, as Tae-heun had advised. Except for the one word, Hyung, the rest was whispered so much that even the man couldn’t tell if it was Kwon Yong-joon or not. Nevertheless, the man was convinced it was Kwon Yong-joon.

Hyung, I’m going to Pyeongtaek. Let’s meet at the Iljumun Gate of Mangi Temple at midnight. Don’t worry about me, I’m safe.

man pressed the replay button and listened to Kwon Yong-joon’s voice message twice. He frowned deeply and repeated the place name, “Mangi Temple.”

“Doesn’t he need money?” the man muttered to himself, placing the receiver on the public telephone.

“Worrying is a waste of time. Do you think he ran away empty-handed?” Tae-heun said.

“I guess so?” the man replied.

“Of course. He ripped off all the villagers, so he must have some money for transportation,” Tae-heun said.

Tae-heun pretended to worry about Kwon Yong-joon and spoke ill of him, and the man sighed.

“If he ran away, he should live well,” the man said.

Tae-heun thought, “That’s what you call a statement.”

“Ki-beom, aren’t you angry at all?” Tae-heun asked.

He wasn’t being sarcastic; he was genuinely curious. Did he really not have any anger, resentment, or rage?

“I am angry. But not at Yong-joon,” the man replied.

“Why? If it were me, I’d be angrier at Yong-joon for knowing everything and not telling me anything,” Tae-heun said.

“He probably didn’t know. He’s so naive about the world,” the man said nonchalantly.

“He’s thirty-two years old. Not a child,” Tae-heun retorted.

“Whether he’s thirty-two or three, Yong-joon is like that. He’s innocent, unlike what you see. He trusts people easily,” the man said.

“Look who’s talking,” Tae-heun glared at Man, who made a sulky face.

“Let’s finish our meal,” the man said.

Tae-heun nudged Man.

He thought he was full, but he wasn’t. As soon as he picked up his spoon again, he felt hungry as if he hadn’t eaten anything. The two added another bowl of rice each and filled their stomachs, then took care of their personal needs.

While the man was taking care of his business, Tae-heun texted that he had arrived at the restaurant. There were no special instructions, and neither texts nor pager messages came.

The two got back into the Korando. This time, the man drove.

There was plenty of time until midnight, but the man didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping anywhere. He immediately checked the location of Mangi Temple and drove there. The temple Kwon Yong-joon mentioned, or rather, the temple Prosecutor Jeong had designated, was about a 40-minute drive away.

man got out of the car and checked the Iljumun Gate first.

“He’s saying we should meet here, right?” the man asked.

“Yes. It seems so,” Tae-heun replied indifferently.

“Should we go to the temple, just in case?” the man asked.

“We went there yesterday,” Tae-heun said.

“Is it the same as that place? This is the place Yong-joon mentioned, so there might be something there,” the man said.

“What could there be?” Tae-heun said.

Because the man insisted, Tae-heun had no choice but to follow him through the Iljumun Gate, the entrance to the temple. The two large pillars supporting the signboard were quite magnificent.

Come to think of it, they kept visiting temples. Tae-heun wondered if Prosecutor Jeong was Buddhist, thinking silly thoughts as he slowly climbed the mountain.

Mangi Temple had more to see compared to Hwajeong Temple, which they had visited yesterday. The most striking thing was the Buddha statue. Treasure No. 567. It was easy to remember.

man seemed quite impressed as well, standing in front of it for a long time before coming out.

“We should have brought a camera,” Tae-heun said.

“Let’s buy one at the supermarket later,” the man replied.

It really felt like they were on vacation. This escape, which had turned into a trip, was more enjoyable because he was with Man. However, he couldn’t let his guard down. They could be discovered anytime, anywhere. Just a few years ago, they had accidentally encountered a debtor they were chasing in a kimbap restaurant. There was no guarantee that wouldn’t happen to him.

After looking around the temple, the man returned to the car, sat firmly in the driver’s seat, and didn’t even think about starting the engine.

“You’re not planning to stay here until midnight, are you?” Tae-heun asked, just in case.

“Why? Do you have somewhere to go?” the man asked.

“Seriously.” the man really seemed to be planning to stay here.

“Are you crazy? You want to stay in the car for more than 10 hours?” Tae-heun asked.

“Then what?” the man asked.

“Not ‘then what,’ let’s move. What’s the most famous thing in Pyeongtaek?” Tae-heun asked.

“I don’t know,” the man replied.

“The US military base,” Tae-heun said.

man looked at him as if to say, “So what?”

Tae-heun splattered saliva as he emphasized how many delicious places there were.

“First of all, there’s budae jjigae, and there are plenty of places that make better burgers and pizzas than any famous restaurant in Seoul. Besides, how many stores sell clothes and shoes that big guys like us can wear!” Tae-heun said.

He finally coaxed the man into starting the engine. Of course, the man didn’t hand over the steering wheel.

“How do you know all that, Tae-heun?” the man asked, amazed.

“How do I know? I know because I’ve been wandering around,” Tae-heun replied.

“Weren’t you working in an office?” the man asked.

It seemed that the man had taken Tae-heun’s words to the police in the Sarangbang room at face value.

“I was. But our President was such a real estate fanatic that I had no choice but to travel often. Every weekend, he wanted to go to the countryside, and as a mere employee, could I refuse? I had to go, didn’t I?” Tae-heun said.

“I see. I’ve never worked at a company, so I didn’t know,” the man replied.

Tae-heun smiled bitterly at Man’s naivety.

“But Ki-beom, is this your first time in Pyeongtaek?” Tae-heun asked, probing Man.

man casually replied that he had been there before.

“Back then, it was all rice paddies,” the man said.

After saying this, the man took the road to Songtan, following the signs, without being told to. In other words, he knew that there were many things to see and eat in Songtan. He said he didn’t remember, but it was a complete lie.

“I went to Rodeo Street once and was so surprised. There were so many foreigners, I thought I was in America,” Tae-heun said.

man concentrated on driving without answering.

“Have you been there, Ki-beom?” Tae-heun asked.

“No,” the man replied.

“Then, have you only been to Songtan?” Tae-heun asked.

“Yes,” the man replied.

He answered well.

If the man had continued to stay in the orphanage, he would have moved to Pyeongtaek with them. Now, there are apartments built there, and there’s no trace of it.

“What did you do back then? Did you go shopping with your friends?” Tae-heun asked.

“No. I didn’t have money, so I just looked around,” the man replied.

“Ah…” Tae-heun said.

He wanted to ask more, but the man didn’t give him any room to do so.

Tae-heun was so focused on the orphanage that he belatedly realized that he was going to the biggest downtown area in the region.

Songtan was downtown Pyeongtaek and a transportation hub. That meant there was a large floating population, and therefore many eyes watching. Sometimes, there was safety in numbers. However, the debtor he’d met at the kimbap restaurant had also thought that way, visiting a kimbap restaurant during the busiest time, only to run into him by chance.

There was no excuse to turn back now. the man was behind the wheel, and he had been the one to suggest hamburgers and budae jjigae, making it awkward to back out.

Come what may.

Despite being on the run, he relaxed.

The Korando crossed the Jinwi River. Then, tall buildings slowly began to intrude on the landscape of rice paddies and fields.

150 – Chapter Title Without Number