FHO 117

Side Story 5.

– Wait, don’t hang up, just listen.

Just as In-ho was about to end the call, Hyo-jung stopped him with her ghost-like intuition. With an indifferent expression, In-ho put the phone back to his ear.

“What.”

-I’m just saying this just in case. Don’t feel hurt.

“About what.”

-From the perspective of the people who raised Haon since he was a child, it’s only natural for them to be wary of you.

Hyo-jung tried to make In-ho understand, arguing that their reaction was justified. She seemed concerned about In-ho being left alone in the remote countryside.

“I know.”

However, there was no need for that.

“I’m just glad we didn’t get along.”

He had already expected that Seong-gu wouldn’t welcome him. In-ho had spent the entire bus ride imagining the worst-case scenarios. Thanks to that, he felt truly unfazed.

-Well, that’s a relief then. Sleep well.

And watch out for ghosts. In-ho let Hyo-jung’s final joke go in one ear and out the other as he set the phone down.

In-ho took off his clothes first and then pulled a duvet out of the wardrobe. Judging by the strong scent of fabric softener, it seemed it had been washed recently.

That wasn’t all. Even to In-ho, it felt like the house was well-maintained. It didn’t feel like a space that had been left abandoned without an owner for a long time.

It seemed everyone had done a deep clean because Haon was coming. The traces of careful sweeping and scrubbing revealed their affection for the homeowner.

A smile spread across In-ho’s lips as he leisurely looked around. He felt relieved that Haon seemed to have grown up receiving plenty of love in this small village.

That must be why he could always smile brightly even after going through those terrible things. In-ho was happy that there were people who recognized Haon’s value.

It was affection he deserved. Because our Haon is someone who deserves to be loved wherever he is.

After briefly organizing his luggage, In-ho grabbed his toiletries and headed toward the sliding door. Thanks to the room being cozy, he could step outside in just a few strides. He gripped the door handle, looking at the simple structure with curious eyes.

Tock.

Just then, he sensed an unfamiliar presence. In-ho didn’t move his feet immediately; instead, he tilted his head and focused on the sound that brushed past his ear.

Ssssk.

This time, he heard the sound of something crawling.

He looked around, searching for the direction of the sound. He clearly heard it, but he couldn’t pinpoint the location. And for good reason.

Tododok, sssk, trudeuk-trudeuk, ssssk.

Noise was echoing from all directions. It was to the point where he couldn’t identify the source.

“There are a lot of them…”

There was something worse than ghosts. He wanted to call Hyo-jung and tell her that ghosts weren’t the things he should be worrying about.

Letting out a hollow laugh, In-ho lightly brushed his lips and cheeks. To think he would actually wish for a ghost to appear.

After standing and contemplating for a moment, he gave up on showering and put on his clothes first. While living in the US, he had seen rats the size of his forearm, but he wasn’t used to bugs.

Todododok. Tadadak.

Actually, he wasn’t even sure if they were bugs. Having been born and raised in the city his whole life, this was the first time In-ho realized that insects could make such a variety of sounds.

Thinking it would be better if he couldn’t see them, he turned off the light. As he did, the scratching and skittering noises from all sides subsided slightly. It seemed the bright light had attracted the mysterious creatures.

The silence that harmonized with the darkness made In-ho feel comfortable. Thinking that this was the space where Haon had stayed, it didn’t feel strange for some reason.

In-ho lay down on the duvet as naturally as someone who had lived their whole life in this narrow house with nowhere to hide. Even the stained ceiling and the hard floor that felt like it would break his back weren’t bad.

What could possibly be bad? This is the space where our Haon grew up.

Ssssk, thud!

Just as he was about to close his eyes, something hit the back of In-ho’s hand. In-ho simply shook his hand off and didn’t bother turning on the light to check what it was.

Then, this time, a large flying insect from outside charged toward the door and threw its body against it with force. Thump! Thump! Every time the sound echoed, he had the illusion that the sliding door was shaking.

Scratching his forehead, In-ho looked at the door and then shifted his head toward the wardrobe to lie down. He wasn’t sleepy yet, but since there was nothing else to do, he closed his eyes.

Creeeeeak.

As if that wasn’t enough, he now heard the sound of the front gate unauthorized copyEND: unauthorized copy -->opening. At [unauthorized copy]this point, he could no longer ignore it.

Now, where was the flashlight…

---

In the dead of night while everyone else slept, the living room light at Seong-gu’s house was still brightly lit.

Despite it being a time when they should have been asleep, Seong-gu’s family were all wide awake. They were unpacking the gifts Haon had brought all the way from Seoul.

“Haon, what is this? Where do you apply it?”

“Ah, Auntie. They say that’s for under the eyes. Eye cream.”

Haon explained how to apply it while taking out other cosmetics. His face was very serious as he relayed the explanations he had heard from the department store employee.

“And this one is for the neck.”

“Goodness, the eyes are enough, why go all the way to the neck!”

“I bought a lot of face masks too. I’m planning to share them with the other aunts tomorrow.”

“Why did you buy so much? For me, just you coming is enough.”

Myeong-hee, Seong-gu’s mother, adored Haon just as much as her son did. After hearing the news that Haon [unauthorized [stolen stolen contentcontent]copy]was returning to the countryside, the mother and son had discussed every day what to feed him and filled the refrigerator to the brim.

“Isn’t this too expensive? It’ll just get dirty quickly anyway.”

Mr. Jin, who was walking between the living room and the master bedroom in his new sneakers, grumbled that he had bought something unnecessary. He was only doing so because saying thank you felt awkward.

“Don’t buy things like this next time. If you go to the market, you can get three pairs of sneakers for thirty thousand won.”

“Father, then don’t wear them and give them to me.”

“The color is alright. The soles are sturdy too.”

Ignoring his son, Mr. Jin carefully placed the sneakers, which had excellent cushioning, back into the box. Despite his grumbling, his touch with the shoes was gentle.

“I’ll buy you more if they get dirty. Please wear them comfortably.”

“Oh my, look at the way our Haon speaks. He’s become a real adult after living in Seoul.”

Laughing heartily, Myeong-hee gave Haon’s backside a firm pat. Seong-gu nagged her, telling her not to hit a grown child’s backside so carelessly. Regardless, she completely ignored her son’s words and stroked Haon’s smooth cheek as if she were shaping a dumpling.

“Your skin has gotten even better. Haon must have eaten a lot of good things in Seoul.”

“Yes, I ate a lot of delicious food.”

“Did your lover buy it for you?”

“He’s a great cook. He makes Korean, Western, and even Chinese food. There’s nothing he can’t do.”

Myeong-hee’s eyes sparkled with joy at hearing Haon brag about his lover for the first time in her life. Unlike her son, she liked In-ho very much.

“Let me see the photo one more time.”

It was largely thanks to Haon introducing In-ho and showing the photo together.

“Oh my, oh my, goodness, what is this.”

Myeong-hee narrowed her eyes and stared intently at Haon’s phone. The moment she saw In-ho smiling and making a heart shape with his hands at the aquarium, her face looked like a girl in love.

“Haon, dear, he’s so handsome. He’s seriously handsome. How tall is he?”

“A bit taller than Seong-gu hyung.”

“What’s taller! He’s the same as me!”

Seong-gu, sitting in the corner, shouted loudly, but no one listened. Haon smiled shyly as if he were the one being praised and [stolen content]aria-label="visit our site">visit our site[unauthorized copy]>showed more photos. He could brag about Mr. In-ho all night long.

“Oh my, wonderful. Just wonderful. He’s a perfect match for our Haon.”

“What’s so wonderful! You haven’t even met him in person!”

At her son’s angry words, Myeong-hee clapped her hands and made a disappointed face.

“Right, Haon. Why didn’t you come together? We shouldn’t let a guest who came from so far sleep alone.”

“I wanted to, but…”

Haon, clinging to his aunt, glanced at Seong-gu. When he whispered softly that his brother said it wasn’t allowed, a fire lit up in Myeong-hee’s eyes. To her, the In-ho in the photo was already a top-tier son-in-law candidate.

“Jin Seong-gu, what kind of nonsense did you pull again! Why are you making a fuss!”

“Ah, Mom! If you treat them too well from the start, they’ll think you’re a pushover! Don’t you know about establishing dominance?!”

“Establishing dominance, my foot. Look at this photo! You’ve already lost in the face department!”

She slapped her son’s broad back and warned him to just welcome him. Mr. Jin hugged the sneaker box and went in to sleep.

“See, even your father is staying quiet!”

Myeong-hee continued to take In-ho’s side. She even hummed a tune, saying she would prepare a breakfast table so lavish tomorrow that the table legs would break. She was already excited at the thought of seeing In-ho, who was completely different from the drab country men.

“Anyway, Mom just likes anyone as long as they’re handsome!”

“That’s right! Do you think I married your father for no reason!”

Myeong-hee, who snorted, hugged a pile of gifts and headed into the master bedroom, but before closing the door, she stepped out for a moment and planted a firm kiss on Haon’s cheek. Since he was a child, she could never leave his soft cheeks alone whenever she saw him.

“Get some deep sleep today. Let’s talk in detail tomorrow.”

“Yes, Auntie. Goodnight.”

“If Seong-gu bothers you, call me.”

She smacked Seong-gu’s back one more time and went inside. Fuming, Seong-gu tore off a piece of tissue and scrubbed Haon’s cheek vigorously.

“How old is he that you’re kissing him? You should say you hate it too. Don’t just stand there.”

In reality, Haon, who received the kiss, seemed to be in a good mood. Seong-gu tapped Haon’s cheek, who was grinning, and told him to go wash up.

“I’m going to lie down first.”

“Yeah, I’ll wash up quickly.”

Wanting to lie down quickly, Haon hurried through washing his face and brushing his teeth. His body felt heavy because he had been outside all day. He felt like he would fall asleep the moment he lay down.

I wonder if… Mr. In-ho is sleeping well.

Actually, because he had been worrying about In-ho the whole time, he couldn’t fully concentrate on the conversation with his aunt. In his heart, he felt like returning to that house right now.

Haon checked the living room clock while drying himself with a towel. It was late, but he felt that Mr. In-ho would still be awake.

Should I go see him now?