#17

Naturally, he thought he would be home, but the Man’s truck was nowhere to be seen. He tried to open the gate, but the damn dogs were unleashed. As soon as they sensed his presence, they rushed to the door and barked threateningly. He was grateful they didn’t charge out.

“Ugh, you damn mutts. So noisy. Can’t you remember my voice? Must be dumb dogs.”

He kicked the sturdy fence in frustration.

Tae-heun returned to the Benz and reclined the seat. He felt disappointed. Although he wasn’t expecting a red carpet welcome, he at least thought someone would be waiting for him. Had Detective Oh forgotten what he said? Or was the man too busy to remember? Lost in various thoughts, he eventually turned on the radio.

Just as he was getting tired of the music and the DJ’s chatter, a van approached from a distance. It was a Damas. Tae-heun stretched his long body and adjusted the seat back to its original position. He quickly got out of the car, eagerly anticipating the man who would be getting out of the Damas. The kind of man who would leap out before the car even came to a stop, like a child.

The Damas parked opposite Tae-heun’s Benz. Contrary to his expectations, a slender and agile figure stepped out. He was wearing the trendy clothes popular among young people these days. The Air Jordan sneakers on his feet looked particularly oversized.

Tae-heun felt a wave of disappointment. Damn it. He cursed inwardly.

“I was sent by Brother Daeho. By the way, I’m Kwon Yong-joon.”

Kwon Yong-joon extended his hand. Tae-heun barely managed to compose himself and shook hands with Kwon Yong-joon’s small, soft hand. Kwon Yong-joon’s gaze lingered briefly on Tae-heun’s watch before moving away.

“Good to see you again. But it seems Ki-beom isn’t coming?”

“Ki-beom hyung usually goes out for work and comes back in time for lunch. These days, he’s busy and sometimes goes straight to another job after lunch.”

A voice that suited his build replied.

“Shall we go inside?”

“Yes.”

As he received Kwon Yong-joon’s gaze, he took out his bag from the car.

“You’re tall.”

“Yes. I’m about 184 cm.”

“Similar to Ki-beom hyung. I heard you’re from Seoul?”

“Yes.”

“I lived in Seoul for about five years too.”

As Kwon Yong-joon said this, he pushed the gate open. The dogs greeted him happily, wagging their tails, as if they were familiar with him.

“But Seoul really isn’t a place for people to live. It costs a lot, it’s noisy and crowded, and the people are unfriendly.”

He didn’t tie the dogs up like a man would; instead, he stood in their way to let Tae-heun pass. Tae-heun set his bag down on the porch and said, “I agree.”

“Still, there are many conveniences. People wouldn’t gather there for no reason.”

Kwon Yong-joon replied, “Yes, well,” and slowly walked toward the porch.

“I’ll open the door for you, so just drop your things inside and come back out. The village chief asked me to bring you for lunch.”

“The village chief?”

“Yes. It seems Brother Daeho didn’t mention it to you. He knows you’ll be staying briefly, but he said there might be times you’ll need help coming and going, so he informed the village chief in advance.”

It was either that Detective Park had forgotten to mention it or Detective Oh had. Since he wasn’t a fugitive, there was no need to live with his back to the villagers. That was why he had deliberately acted politely toward the old man who had given him directions earlier. He was surprised at how instinctively he was assessing the situation and calculating his moves.

Kwon Yong-joon, who had passed Tae-heun and hopped up onto the porch, took out a key from his pocket. He inserted it into the flimsy sliding door, but it didn’t fit well, so he lifted and lowered the door several times.

“It’s not opening at all.”

Kwon Yong-joon grumbled.

“Ki-beom hyung usually doesn’t lock the door. Even when I tell him it’s dangerous with kids around, he just shrugs it off. But it seems Brother Daeho told him he shouldn’t do that since guests are coming.”

After finally managing to open the door, Kwon Yong-joon gestured for Tae-heun to enter.

Tae-heun, feeling too lazy to stand up, crawled in and placed his bag inside. Kwon Yong-joon tried to lock the door again, but it didn’t seem easy this time either. After struggling with the door several times, he sighed. After about five minutes of wrestling with the door, he finally locked it, his face flushed red. He had quite a handsome face.

“Is Kongguksu okay with you?”

Kwon Yong-joon asked, slightly out of breath.

“Yes, that sounds good.”

“Would you like to go together, or would you prefer to follow in your own car?”

“Let’s go together.”

Tae-heun climbed into the passenger seat of the Damas, and the car jolted.

“But why specifically to Ki-beom hyung’s place?”

Kwon Yong-joon asked.

“I was recommended by Detective Oh. I mentioned that I was a bit worn out and needed a quiet place to rest, and he suggested this place.”

He tried to sound casual, as if it were no big deal.

“Still, Brother Daeho is something else. He asks for everything from a widower with kids.”

Kwon Yong-joon seemed quite displeased with the idea of Tae-heun staying at the Man’s house.

“Ki-beom hyung can’t cook.”

“It was delicious, though. I had Young radish kimchi noodles.”

“Is that really good?”

“Have you not tried it? It was the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”

He exaggeratedly gave a thumbs up.

Kwon Yong-joon only glanced at him, but continued with his own thoughts.

“The room is a bit messy, even though I said I’d clean it up since it was used as a storage room. I helped clean it yesterday. He does his job well, but he’s not good at cleaning and such. Anyway, since it was a storage room, it might smell a bit.”

His tone made it sound as if he were the Man’s lover or wife.

“I shouldn’t have worried you for no reason. I can sleep anywhere and eat without being picky. You’ve seen how I look, so you know.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Kwon Yong-joon replied with a hint of reluctance.

“But how old are you, Yong-joon?”

“I’m thirty-two.”

“Oh, I thought you were younger than me. Since you’re a year older, feel free to speak comfortably.”

“When the time comes.”

His expression was cold, as if he had no intention of doing so.

A brief silence fell. Kwon Yong-joon was the type who couldn’t stand silence. He opened his mouth first again.

“Does Ki-beom hyung use honorifics with you?”

“Yes, for now.”

Tae-heun added, “I’m sure he’ll start using informal speech as we live together.” At this, a smile of disbelief appeared on Kwon Yong-joon’s face.

“He’ll keep doing that. It’s just his nature. You could say he’s a bit stubborn. He’s not obstinate, but once he decides something, he sticks to it no matter what others say. Sometimes he can be quite stubborn. Well, that’s his charm.”

Damn it. What do you want me to do about it?

Feeling irritated, Tae-heun shot a glare at Kwon Yong-joon before turning his gaze outside. Habitually scratching his eyebrows, he traced the area where the man had bandaged his wound with his fingers. He stroked the now smooth area, which he might not have even noticed had there been a wound, several times.

* * *

Lunch with the village chief, which started around noon, turned into a drinking session and continued past five in the afternoon. Kwon Yong-joon, who had no choice but to stay seated because the village chief insisted, called over two more members from the youth association. An old man named Hwang, who looked about three or four years older than the village chief and was a local elder, also joined in.

Thus, the six of them drank back and forth at a combined supermarket and tavern. At first, they pried into Tae-heun’s personal life, but later, they got heated over political discussions that had nothing to do with them, worrying about the country’s economy and other trivial matters.

Tae-heun waited impatiently for the man to come pick him up. However, the man did not arrive. As time passed, his anger boiled over, and he found himself cursing inwardly about the damn mutts and the calves. Surrounded by strangers, he drank like water and listened to their nonsense.

The the man finally appeared just before the drinking session was about to break up. It was only around six-thirty, but he suddenly walked into the store and nodded in greeting. He was wearing faded red rubber boots and had a towel draped around his neck, but he was still dressed.

“Ji-hye’s father. Did you finish work? Come sit down. Isn’t it hot?”

The village chief warmly welcomed the Man, pulling a chair over to make space for him.

“No, I should go home.”

The the man replied and looked at Tae-heun.

The anger that had filled his heart melted away the moment he saw the Man. Tae-heun waved his hand at the Man, feeling overly delighted. He smiled like a fool. The Man’s face turned red. For some reason, he seemed embarrassed and, without waiting for Tae-heun, said, “I’ll head in now,” and left first.

“Ji-hye’s father is a bit blunt.”

Old man Hwang chuckled and gestured for Tae-heun to go.

“Elders, brothers from the youth association. Thank you for the drinks.”

Tae-heun said loudly as he left the supermarket.

The the man was lingering around the truck parked in front of the supermarket.

“I have to pick up Ji-hye.”

The the man said this as he walked past the truck.

The bravado he had shown when blowing on Tae-heun’s foot was nowhere to be found; he seemed quite shy now. Tae-heun felt the same way. He didn’t understand why he, who had been born without fear or embarrassment, was feeling this way now, but he was just so happy to see the man that he couldn’t think of anything else. He simply walked behind him, admiring his broad back.

Despite wearing custom-made boots, the man walked with a slight limp. It looked like he was walking with a bowlegged gait, but his body definitely tilted to the left. Tae-heun followed the limping the man with his hands shoved into his pants pockets.

“Where are you going?”

“To church.”

“Why to church?”

“The pastor’s wife teaches the kids.”

“The pastor’s wife?”

“Yes.”

For someone so blunt, the man answered quite well.

“I guess there’s no service today since it’s Wednesday?”

“The pastor is on a business trip, so there’s no service.”

Tae-heun deliberately lagged a few steps behind the man to strike up a conversation.

“Does Ji-hye take the bus to school, or does Ki-beom take her?”

“The youth association takes turns dropping the kids off and picking them up.”

“How many kids are there?”

“There are five.”

“There are only five elementary school students?”

“Three elementary school students and two middle school students.”

“There are too few kids.”

He could see the man nodding slightly, as if he agreed.