By Zephyria 
To Jang Ui-geon, who was blinking and stroking his chin as if genuinely curious, the man’s blunt words flew back at him.
“Why else? Because you’re acting so pretentious. Was Jun-young watching nearby, by any chance?”
“If he were, that brat would have dragged me to the hospital on the spot.”
At Jang Ui-geon’s immediate shake of the head, Seo Chi-young nodded as well. Right, and the situation where no one could properly remember the license plate number wouldn’t have happened either.
Why did I do that…? Jang Ui-geon seemed lost in thought, frowning as if something was bothering him, but in the end, he just scratched the back of his neck and shook his head. “I’m not sure.”
“That fellow had some wit when he was young, but now his memory is a mess. What a disaster,”
“That’s enough, just go. It’s time to close the shop.”
Whether he couldn’t stand the man continuing to babble nonsense any longer, Jang Ui-geon stood up and hugged the man from behind to pull him up. The man grumbled, asking why he was trying to kick him out, but since it was already late and there were no other customers in the shop, he seemed to decide it was time to leave.
“Well, it’s been a while, and the food was delicious, CEO. See you later.”
“You have to pay before you go, Hyung.”
However, Jang Ui-geon grabbed the man’s shoulder just as he was about to step away. The man turned back with a confused “Huh?” and looked troubled.
“That’s… I only have a check…”
“I’ll give you change.”
“It’s a million-won check…”
“I’ll give you change. I’ve prepared for this.”
“Including the soju, it’s nine hundred and ninety thousand two hundred won, right?” Jang Ui-geon opened his wallet. The man looked at Jang Ui-geon in shock, then, with a face like he’d chewed something sour, slowly pulled out his own wallet.
“Uh… no. It’s okay. Just give it to me next time.”
No, Chi-young. What are you doing, giving credit to a nuisance? He shouldn’t do that elsewhere, so you can’t let him get into that habit. It’s a public nuisance.”
Jang Ui-geon spoke so firmly that Seo Chi-young couldn’t say it was okay anymore. In front of the hesitating Seo Chi-young, checks were exchanged, and the man grumbled, “I hate it when my wallet gets thicker,” as he took the change Jang Ui-geon handed him.
“Then I’ll be going. …Next time I come, don’t call this guy…?”
The man made a joke with a very serious face and turned away. Seo Chi-young watched his receding figure and accidentally locked eyes with Jang Ui-geon. Jang Ui-geon, who was tucking the check into his wallet, smiled with a lightened expression, as if a weight had been lifted.
“Now that we’ve sent the person we needed to send, shall we clean up… are all these piled-up things going to be put out for recycling?”
“Ah. Yes. … Oh, wait, just leave those. They’re heavy, so I’ll put them out later.”
“Heavy? Which ones?”
Jang Ui-geon asked, effortlessly lifting a plastic crate filled with empty liquor bottles.
“Over there, those. They’re heavy, so just leave them. I’ll…”
Chi-young, you’re surprisingly weak.”
Jang Ui-geon gave Seo Chi-young a small smirk and walked out of the shop. There was a separate area for stacking things by the alley, and his steps toward it were light.
Seo Chi-young looked at Jang Ui-geon, who always rolled up his sleeves to help every night, with eyes full of apology and gratitude, and walked back into the shop. He needed to tidy up the interior. Since it wasn’t very messy today, he figured he just had to wash a few dishes and give the floor a light cleaning.
Who threw trash like this? he heard Jang Ui-geon grumbling outside. Seo Chi-young smiled at the sound. Since it was an alley for stacking recyclables in a corner of the market district, there was always a lot of miscellaneous trash thrown about carelessly. Because there were many stray cats, they often tore into the trash and scattered it, so whenever Seo Chi-young went to throw things away, he would pick those things up and dispose of them properly.
I should go out with a trash bag later. It was just as he was moving the dishes to the sink. He thought he heard a small “Meow” of a cat. Simultaneously, there was a short “Oh” from Jang Ui-geon, and then—Crash!—a loud noise shattered the silence outside.
“──!”
Startled, Seo Chi-young practically threw the dishes aside and rushed out. In his field of vision, he saw a small kitten scurrying toward a corner. But what he saw next were sharp shards of glass bottles, shattered into a mess and scattered countless times at the entrance of the alley, and Jang Ui-geon sitting there, having fallen flat on his backside in the middle of it.
“Ui…”
For a moment, his mind went blank. Seeing Jang Ui-geon sprawled among the countless glass shards reflecting the light jaggedly, he knew he had to run to him, but his feet wouldn’t move. A sudden, overwhelming sense of dread swept through his body, and it felt as if his heart had plunged deep into an abyss.
His eyes met Jang Ui-geon’s. Jang Ui-geon was staring intently at the pale, bloodless Seo Chi-young. His expression was strangely peculiar. As if he had been caught off guard, as if he had momentarily lost his soul.
“Ui-geon.., are you o…”
His tongue froze, and the words wouldn’t come out. He stammered a few more words, but Jang Ui-geon just kept staring blankly at Seo Chi-young, as if he were dazed. As if he had been hit hard by something.
It was when Seo Chi-young, staring blankly at Jang Ui-geon, unconsciously took a step forward. Crunch. The moment the sound echoed under his foot, expression returned to Jang Ui-geon’s face.
“Don’t come over!”
“──.”
That voice woke Seo Chi-young up. However, the content didn’t register. Seo Chi-young rushed toward Jang Ui-geon. Glass shards crunched under his sneakers.
“Are, are you okay?”
“I told you not to come… I’m fine. I’m okay, Chi-young.
Frowning, Jang Ui-geon’s expression softened slightly when he saw that Seo Chi-young was at least wearing thick sneakers. However, seeing the pale Seo Chi-young, a look of apology crossed his face.
“It was dark, so I didn’t know there was a cat under my feet. I almost stepped on it, but I’m glad I didn’t… I’m really okay. The liquor bottles spilled over me when I fell. I got hit by some empty bottles, but I’m not hurt anywhere. Really, really, just step back for a moment.”
“Don’t come close, move further back, further,” Jang Ui-geon gestured for Seo Chi-young to stay away and stood up. With glass scattered everywhere and the alley being dark, he rose carefully. But once he stood up and brushed off the glass shards that had splashed onto his clothes, Jang Ui-geon held out both hands toward Seo Chi-young.
“See, I’m perfectly fine, right?”
The sound of glass crunching followed Jang Ui-geon’s feet as he approached the light of the shop. Ah, I’ll have to rinse the alley with water, he muttered, standing before Seo Chi-young with a grin. He truly seemed to be unhurt.
After scanning Jang Ui-geon thoroughly, Seo Chi-young let out a long sigh only after confirming that he was fine, except for a small cut on one of his palms. His heart, which he thought had frozen, finally began to thrum wildly.
“I’m glad.”
Muttering this, Seo Chi-young held Jang Ui-geon’s hand and looked down at the wound with a distressed face. Jang Ui-geon had been staring intently at Seo Chi-young for a while now. For some reason, he looked at every corner of Seo Chi-young’s face with a fresh perspective. As if he were thinking of something very far away.
“Something just occurred to me.”
With a face still lost in thought, Jang Ui-geon suddenly muttered as if talking to himself. When Seo Chi-young looked up, Jang Ui-geon was silently, very intently, gazing at him. After a moment of silence, Jang Ui-geon chuckled.
“No, it’s nothing… but I’m really okay. Truly.”
“Something like this will heal in a day or two even if I leave it, so it’s not even an injury,” Jang Ui-geon laughed brightly and waved his hand. His beaming face almost looked as if he were in a good mood.
“……….”
Only then did Seo Chi-young let out a long sigh and slump his shoulders. Seeing Seo Chi-young lean against a nearby utility pole as if suddenly drained of energy, Jang Ui-geon spoke up, sounding surprised, “Chi-young?””
“It’s nothing. I’m just… a bit shocked. I’ve lost my strength…”
As Seo Chi-young muttered in a fading voice, Jang Ui-geon’s expression dimmed. It seemed he only then noticed the pale, washed-out face.
“…I’m sorry.”
Please don’t get hurt, Mr. Ui-geon.
Jang Ui-geon leaned in toward the quietly muttering Seo Chi-young and softly rested his forehead against the other’s. Then he whispered “I’m sorry” once more. A silence flowed for a while. The two stood there blankly for a moment, foreheads pressed together in front of the dark alley. A slow air of relief drifted between them. Suddenly, Jang Ui-geon smiled.
“How about this? As a penalty for getting hurt, we’ll grant whatever the other person wants.”
“Including minor injuries, how about it?” Jang Ui-geon asked playfully. Seo Chi-young looked up at him and nodded, following suit with a faint smile.
“Alright, then starting today. Now, what should I do for you?”
“After all, a cut palm is still an injury,” Jang Ui-geon asked, saying something completely different from before. Seo Chi-young paused at the sudden request, letting out an “Uh.”
What should he ask for? He had never thought about such a thing, so nothing came to mind when the question was suddenly thrown at him. Seo Chi-young blinked, looking at Jang Ui-geon who was smiling and waiting for his answer, pondering with a troubled look.
“Uh… oh, today… don’t clean the shop and just rest…?”
“That’s not a penalty.”
Jang Ui-geon laughed in disbelief. Urged by Jang Ui-geon to pick something else, Seo Chi-young entered a state of untimely contemplation. In the paradox of why he had to be the one agonizing over it when the other person was the one who messed up, Seo Chi-young struggled and thought hard. Jang Ui-geon waited patiently, continuing to gaze at him. His eyes, nose, mouth, every single detail. With a faint, longing smile.
“Ah, then.”
Eventually, Seo Chi-young spoke as if something had suddenly occurred to him. Looking up at the smiling, curious Jang Ui-geon, he hesitantly spoke.
“Please… make me chive pancakes.”
“Chive pancakes?”
Jang Ui-geon asked back with a look of utter randomness, then suddenly muttered “Ah,” as if a memory from a while ago had returned. As he blinked and looked at Seo Chi-young, a smile slowly spread across his face.
“Will that be enough?”
Seo Chi-young nodded. Jang Ui-geon chuckled, his smile deepening.
“Don’t regret it. If you get even a fingertip hurt, Chi-young, I’ll make you do this and that, so don’t complain later that it’s unfair.”
“Uh… what kind of things would you make me do?”
“Things you couldn’t even imagine.”
Jang Ui-geon smiled mischievously and blatantly scanned Seo Chi-young from head to toe. Facing that playful gaze, Seo Chi-young didn’t quite know what it was, but he became a bit scared. What on earth is he planning to make me do? As Seo Chi-young sank into serious thought over something that hadn’t even happened yet, Jang Ui-geon burst out laughing.
“So, tell me anything while you have the chance.”
Jang Ui-geon smiled and asked Seo Chi-young again. Seo Chi-young pondered repeatedly. After thinking and thinking, he finally spoke gloomily.
“Chive pancakes. …Really delicious ones.”
Jang Ui-geon burst into laughter.
“Ah, seriously,” he laughed for a long time and then pulled Seo Chi-young into a sudden embrace. He hugged him tightly as if he couldn’t stand it and kissed the space between his eyebrows. He stayed like that for a long time. Until Seo Chi-young began to squirm in his arms.
“Alright. Then shall we make them now?”
“Now?”
“Yes. That grocery store you often go to, they stay open late, so they probably aren’t closed yet, right? Or maybe they are? Wait here, I’ll go buy some chives.”
“I wonder if they have any,” Jang Ui-geon muttered as he released Seo Chi-young from his embrace. Seo Chi-young felt Jang Ui-geon’s gaze falling on his face; the gaze that softly caressed his features seemed to be smiling more generously.
“Then I’ll be back,” Jang Ui-geon said cheerfully and turned away. Seo Chi-young watched blankly as Jang Ui-geon quickly distanced himself with long strides. His steps were brisk, as if he were in a great mood. Watching that back, Seo Chi-young sank into a thought from long ago.
His heart was still racing.
The moment his chest had turned cold upon seeing him in the middle of those massive glass shards, fearing he might have been seriously hurt. His body freezing. It was the same feeling he had long ago, when he had seen him collapsed under a truck.
Ah.
Only then did Seo Chi-young realize, belatedly, very belatedly.
I have liked that man so much since back then.
Seo Chi-young’s heart felt bittersweet. A longing and affectionate emotion flickered and passed through him.
“…Ah.”
But after his figure disappeared from sight, Seo Chi-young, who had unconsciously taken a step forward, felt a crunch under his foot and quickly snapped back to his senses.
Now was not the time for this; he had to clear the glass scattered in the alley first. Because when Jang Ui-geon returned, he would surely insist on cleaning it himself and force the broom away, so he had to finish it quickly before then. He would sweep first and then rinse it with water once more.
Seo Chi-young began to move hurriedly. Picking up the broom, he started sweeping meticulously from a distance where no traces of glass shards were visible. Hearing the dangerous crunch, crunch under his feet, he thought he should wash his sneakers thoroughly after finishing the cleaning.
“I shouldn’t get hurt, if I get hurt…”
Muttering to himself, Seo Chi-young tidied up busily but cautiously. Not only for himself but also for Jang Ui-geon, he had to stay unhurt.
However, in the midst of that, he suddenly wondered what those “this and that” things were that he would be made to do if he got hurt, and whether he had made a pointless promise, feeling a bit anxious. But no matter how much he thought about it, there was no way to know the answer, and after pondering while looking up at the night sky for a moment, Seo Chi-young shook his head and returned to sweeping diligently.
I really shouldn’t get hurt, if I get hurt, he muttered, meticulously sweeping the alley.
The grocery store was just about to close.
Jang Ui-geon had always wondered who would look for groceries at this hour whenever he saw the shop open this late, but today he was grateful.
Fortunately, there was exactly one bunch of chives left. They were slightly wilted, but for the last bunch bought right before closing time, it was quite decent. It was enough to fry up some pancakes.
Holding the bunch of chives in one hand, Jang Ui-geon couldn’t help but chuckle. He would have done something like this for him any time even if he’d just asked normally. Come to think of it, chive pancakes were originally meant to be the finale of the last holiday evening. However, because of the accident, they couldn’t properly conclude that peaceful and happy holiday.
The conclusion of a peaceful and happy day. Today is fine too. No, today was the best.
As he entered the street where Seo Chi-young’s shop was located, almost all the shops on both sides of the road had closed, and only the light from Seo Chi-young’s shop was leaking out in the distance. He must have lowered one side of the shutter in the meantime, as the light only flowed out halfway. But in the dark alley, even that was bright enough.
Jang Ui-geon gave a bitter smile as he saw Seo Chi-young from afar, spraying water in the alley and scrubbing the floor with a plastic broom. He knew it would be like this. When he left the shop’s entrance, he thought Chi-young would be busily moving around to tidy up in the meantime, but the grocery store was closer to go back to, and moreover, he saw the store preparing to close. He had hurried back after buying the chives, and sure enough, he was already spraying water.
Still, since it seemed the alley cleanup was almost done without any injuries, Jang Ui-geon slowed his pace, feeling satisfied. He walked forward, looking at Seo Chi-young who was gradually getting closer.
“……….”
Why hadn’t he known?
Even back then, that face had clearly entered his sight.
Jang Ui-geon recalled a moment from a very long time ago. It was a thought that had flashed through his mind for a very brief instant and then settled, a memory he had forgotten since then, as if it had never existed.
The moment the truck rushed toward them.
The moment he saw the truck surging toward him, his memory of the next few brief seconds vanished. When he came to, he was sprawled on the road, positioned between the front and rear wheels of the truck. It seemed the truck had run over him. He couldn’t remember clearly, but there had been a momentary sensation across his thighs.
It was a strange feeling. He couldn’t tell if it hurt or not. He felt as though something was definitely hurting, but when he focused his consciousness, he couldn’t tell what or how; it felt as if his senses had fallen into a momentary state of confusion. Yes, something hurt.
This is troublesome, Jang Ui-geon thought, knitting his brows.
He was alive and conscious, but he had an intuition that his body wasn’t entirely intact.
I’ll have to go to the hospital, he clicked his tongue. Despite the shock, he didn’t feel that distressed. After all, it seemed his life was not in danger, and when he tried moving his body slightly, he was able to move reasonably well. Though the sensation in his legs was a bit dull, they moved fine.
His only heavy concern was that if he told his father and brothers he’d been in a car accident while on his way to the billiard hall in the evening, they would probably mock him to death.
It was just as Jang Ui-geon let out a sigh and was about to slump back down.
As he looked toward his friends, who were shouting in a panic, “Ui-geon!” and “Are you okay?!”, he was about to tell them he was fine when something caught his eye.
A boy standing frozen before the crosswalk, staring this way.
He didn’t know why a complete stranger caught his eye so vividly. Everyone was looking at Jang Ui-geon, so it wasn’t strange for a random boy to be watching him, yet he simply stood out.
A face that had lost all color, turning pale.
Large, pitch-black eyes that stared at Jang Ui-geon without blinking, as if his heart had suddenly dropped.
Why did those eyes, looking at him with such vacant longing as if in a dream, penetrate his heart so deeply?
──I shouldn’t make him worry.
The thought suddenly occurred to him. He felt that he shouldn’t make the boy worry, that he shouldn’t let him make that kind of face. The moment he thought this, Jang Ui-geon was already springing up from the ground.
Without even knowing how he managed it, Jang Ui-geon shouted loudly to his friends, “I’m okay!” and decided he needed to leave the scene looking perfectly fine. And unexpectedly, his body moved perfectly. To a degree that surprised even himself.
It was only after the driver drove away with a somewhat subtle look of relief that he wondered why, but that didn’t matter now. When he glanced back casually, a bit of color had returned to the boy’s face. Seeing that, Jang Ui-geon felt an unnecessary sense of relief; the boy, who had been exhaling as if relieved as well, quietly turned his head away the moment their eyes met.
His eyes aren’t wide because he’s surprised; they were just as big as a calf’s to begin with. That was the last fleeting thought he had. Then the traffic light changed, and while responding to his friends’ incessant chatter, he forgot that momentary thought. Just like that, he forgot.
He never imagined he would see that same face again after more than a decade.
A faded complexion that he could recognize clearly even in a dim alley.
Lips that remained frozen as if wanting to say something. Those large, staring black eyes.
The moment he saw them, it suddenly came back to him. The reason why, while talking with his Hyung earlier, he had tilted his head and wondered, Why did I do that back then? but couldn’t remember. The image of someone whose identity—no, even the reason for the memory—had vanished, now overlapped with the Seo Chi-young standing before him.
──Ui-geon was hurt too. He was hit by a truck right in front of me. We were standing at the crosswalk together… I liked Ui-geon even back then, though not as much as I do now. I was very shocked.
The quietly whispered words returned to him. Words recalling a time from long ago, a “someday” that had already passed.
And Jang Ui-geon realized. He was certain without anyone having to tell him.
Ah, it was Chi-young.
The face that had caught his eye so vividly, even before his own injuries. The face that made his heart heavy with the thought that he shouldn’t make him worry.
Only now did he remember it──and it felt poignant.
We already knew each other back then.
It felt as if he had found a treasure. The fact that this person had been in his memories without him knowing, felt like rummaging through a dusty attic and finding a one-of-a-kind treasure. It was a memory so joyful and precious.
“……….”
Watching Seo Chi-young clear the alley and enter the shop, Jang Ui-geon quickly hurried his steps, which had unconsciously stopped. He saw Seo Chi-young stumble slightly as he tripped on the threshold while entering. Seo Chi-young quickly grabbed the door to steady himself and stroked his chest as if relieved. He had gotten close enough to see the shape of his lips as he muttered, He shouldn’t get hurt.
Jang Ui-geon smiled. His heart swelled so much that he couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Hearing the sound, Seo Chi-young looked back, and the moment their eyes met, Seo Chi-young—not knowing why Jang Ui-geon was laughing—simply smiled along, as if happy that he was smiling.
Yes, don’t get hurt. You mustn’t get hurt. I won’t get hurt either. Seeing you make that face… that one memory, remaining like a treasure, is more than enough.
Ms. Chi-young, I managed to get the last bunch of chives.”
Jang Ui-geon entered the shop, lifting the chives in one hand and waving them gently. “Now, flour, eggs, starch… what else did we need?” he asked as Seo Chi-young pulled ingredients from the shelf.
It was already past midnight and they weren’t hungry enough for a late-night snack, but the chive pancakes they were about to fry would undoubtedly be among the most delicious foods they had ever tasted.
It was a very peaceful and pleasant end to the day.