#26

Hoo.

He exhaled deeply. While chewing on his cigarette, he remembered that the man was waiting.

Tae-heun rummaged through the glove compartment and console box, looking for something to take. Two chocolate bars, a recent map book, a notebook flyer he had picked up at the Sony dealership he visited not long ago, and the latest issue of a sports newspaper and Maxim from three days ago were all he found. If the the child or the man saw the Maxim, it would surely cause a stir, so he hid it under a bamboo cushion. The rest didn’t seem urgent enough to take with him.

Maybe the newspaper was better. If he said he was going to read it out of boredom, it might be understandable. Tae-heun picked up the newspaper and got out of the car.

The area around the house was truly dark. He felt a sense of distance. Looking up at the sky, dozens of stars were shining brightly.

Ah. There are still stars.

He turned his back and looked toward the house. Although he couldn’t see inside due to the high wall, the incandescent light the man had turned on was faintly glowing.

Was the man waiting for him in the same position as before?

Tae-heun put the cigarette back in the pack and opened the gate. The gate creaked loudly as it opened. The the man was outside in the yard. Despite clearly hearing the noise, he stood still, looking up at the sky like Tae-heun had just moments ago.

“Do you know?”

The the man asked. Tae-heun thought he was going to say something trivial about the constellations, so he didn’t respond. The the man lowered his head and looked directly at Tae-heun this time. He whispered softly.

“I don’t know anything about you, Chief. I didn’t ask. I just heard from Brother Daeho that you are a very important person, someone who has staked his entire police career on this. I thought someone like me would never have the chance to serve an important person in my life, and since Brother Daeho, who sees the police as his calling, said you are someone who has put his life on the line, I accepted it to repay my debt to him. Ji-hye knows nothing. She’s just a company employee who came through Brother Daeho’s introduction, and she only knows that she’s living here temporarily while the upstairs is being repaired. She’s very curious and will likely ask a lot of questions, so please just tell her that until the day we leave.”

The the man looked exhausted, as if he had said everything he needed to say for a week. He took a deep breath and added, “If there’s anything uncomfortable, please let me know anytime.”

“It’s not Chief, it’s Tae-heun. You can call me Mr. Tae-heun.”

Without responding, the man went to the porch and squatted down.

“Go upstairs quickly. You’ll wake the kids.”

Tae-heun looked at the Man’s back for a moment before quickly going up to the porch.

As he headed to the room, the man sat below the porch, watching the dogs. He almost asked, “Aren’t you coming in?” but stopped himself. He couldn’t even say goodnight before closing the door. He threw the sports newspaper onto the blanket. He had even prepared an excuse to bring it, yet he had no chance to speak.

Detective Oh was someone who had staked his police career. He felt grateful to Detective Oh for saying that about him. At the same time, he felt sorry for the Man. The Man, who accepted him without asking anything, was completely unaware of the dangerous situation. This was how the police operated. Detective Oh had ultimately drawn in an innocent hometown junior for the important “Kim Tae-heun.”

Tae-heun vowed that he would never harm the man and the the child. What right did he have to put a peaceful family in danger? It had been a long time since he felt the desire to protect someone. His heart swelled for no reason, and strangely, he felt at ease.

He lay down on the table and opened the crossword puzzle in the newspaper. He rummaged through his bag and pulled out a pen with the hotel’s name on it. It was the same place where Uncle had thrown a party to celebrate his early graduation ten years ago. Perhaps it was more fitting to say that it was the place where Tae-heun’s life was mortgaged. On the day he decided to do this work, he stayed at that hotel and wrote the word “traitor” at a large desk.

The first question was easy. He quickly scribbled down the answer. He faintly heard the sliding door close. He turned off the fan and perked up his ears. He gauged the direction of the Man. He imagined, perhaps he would come this way, come to his room, and say goodnight.

The sound of footsteps echoed on the porch. After a moment, the house grew quiet. It seemed the man had returned to his room. Tae-heun let out a small laugh and turned the fan back on. Then he tackled the second question of the crossword puzzle.

The Man, just out of the shower, looked as if he had seen a ghost.

“Why? Am I not allowed to wake up early?”

The the man shook his head. He stepped aside at the bathroom door for Tae-heun.

Tae-heun quickly took care of his urgent business and showered. He knew the water would be cold, but it was colder than he expected, which surprised him. He hadn’t brought any underwear from the room, so he hurriedly wrapped a towel around his lower body and dashed back into the room.

“For breakfast, we have Soy Sauce Egg Rice.”

Realizing the man was there, he opened the door again.

“What did you just say?”

The the man looked startled, as if he hadn’t expected the door to open again. Seeing the Man’s flushed face, Tae-heun wondered if the person who had calmly given him advice last night was just a dream.

“Oh, um, I was asking if you wanted to eat Soy Sauce Egg Rice for breakfast.”

“Of course I should eat. Please, Mr. Ki-beom.”

Tae-heun winked. He closed the door as he watched the man fluster and turn away.

When he came out dressed, the the child, ready for school, was sitting at the table.

“Ah!”

The the child looked just as surprised as the Man.

“What brings you here at this hour, Mister?”

“What do you mean? I woke up, so I got up.”

Tae-heun replied nonchalantly and sat down across from the the child.

The the child scrutinized Tae-heun with suspicious eyes but prepared a spoon and chopsticks for him. Meanwhile, the man placed a pink lunch bag next to the the child’s school bag.

On the table, just like yesterday, there were two types of kimchi as side dishes. The bowl of rice was topped with two fried eggs and placed on the table. The the man sat next to the the child with a bottle of sesame oil in his hand, looking at the the child with a gaze full of affection.

Unlike Tae-heun’s house, where one couldn’t eat until the adults picked up their spoons, the man always picked up his spoon later than the the child.

“This looks delicious. It’s been a while since I’ve had Soy Sauce Egg Rice.”

Tae-heun exaggeratedly said as he poured two spoonfuls of soy sauce over the fried eggs. The the child, who had drizzled sesame oil first, handed the bottle to Tae-heun. After pouring a generous spoonful of sesame oil over the rice, he passed the bottle back to the Man.

Swoosh, clatter, clatter.

Everyone busily mixed and ate their rice in silence. Tae-heun was no exception.

Was there something in the rice? Or was it the kimchi, or the fried eggs?

Was it really that delicious just because the market provided the side dishes and he had skipped dinner last night? Following the the child’s lead, he asked for two more fried eggs and mixed another bowl.

Just like the last time with the Young Radish Kimchi Noodles, he felt embarrassed to devour it so greedily, so he offered to do the dishes, but the man didn’t spare him even a single glove.

While Tae-heun and the the child were wasting time with trivial banter, the man busily moved around, doing housework. Even tasks that an ordinary man might not do well were done without any fuss. Perhaps it was because he had done it for a long time, or perhaps he was just naturally capable. In the midst of it all, he finished getting ready to leave.

The the man sat on the porch next to the the child.

“Father, Uncle Yong-jun said he would take us to the movies in town tonight with the girls for the youth association fee. Uncle Gi-cheol gave his permission.”

“Our Ji-hye is lucky.”

“Do you want to join us, Father?”

At the word “join,” Tae-heun burst into laughter.

The the child, who was putting on sneakers next to the Man, made a sulky face at Tae-heun. Tae-heun mimicked the the child. This time, the the child pouted his lips. Tae-heun pouted his lips too. The the child raised his middle finger, but upon hearing the Man’s “Then you can’t do that,” he lowered it.

The the child often glared at Tae-heun or pouted his lips, frequently casting suspicious glances. None of those actions bothered him. In fact, they were cute. The the child was not too clever like Tae-heun’s nephews, nor did he act too childish. He was not so perceptive or mature that it felt off-putting. He was a well-balanced the child in many ways.

Tae-heun watched as the Man, fully dressed, tied the the child’s shoelaces again. The twenty-two-year-old young father was raising that the child with his life on the line. And he was doing it very well. Tae-heun felt envious.

Even at five-thirty, it was bright outside. The sunlight and breeze wrapped around the house just enough to feel pleasant. The dogs were wagging their tails incessantly, rushing toward the man and the the child. Dog hair flew everywhere.

“Is your father coming to pick you up tonight?”

“No. Uncle Yong-jun said he would take me.”

“Okay. Don’t fight with your friends.”

“I won’t fight.”

“Listen to the girls. Did you pack your lunch?”

“Of course.”

The the man patted the the child’s head.

The the child smiled and called out to the Man, who was heading down to the yard, “Father!” The the child gestured for the man to come over. When the man bent down to match the the child’s eye level, the the child gave him a peck on the cheek. The the man smiled broadly. The Man’s face turned red a moment later.

What’s this? It’s not just me, is it?