#36

“I’ll fold the laundry and prepare breakfast for you.”

Feeling a bit embarrassed himself, the man changed the subject.

“Take your time. I’m not hungry yet.”

“Yes.”

Seeing the man grasp the last piece of laundry, Tae-heun got up.

“Um, should I make some porridge?”

As he was about to head down to the yard, the man asked.

Misunderstanding that Tae-heun had vomited yesterday due to overexertion, the man had been restless all morning. No matter how much Tae-heun insisted otherwise, he wouldn’t listen. Well, overwork could be one of the causes, but the main reason was the illness of the heart. The kind of heart that hates someone to the point of wanting to die.

“Porridge? No need. Just let Ji-hye and Ki-beom eat. I’m fine. Didn’t you see me eating tteokbokki yesterday?”

He joked as he slipped on his dirt-stained sneakers instead of slippers.

“I’ll take a lap and be back. I might be a bit late, so you should eat breakfast first.”

After saying this, he stepped out the front gate.

In front of the house, Tae-heun’s Benz and the man’s truck were parked side by side.

Looking up at the tall wall, he stretched out his arm. He had to rise on his toes just to barely touch the top with his fingertips. It couldn’t be less than 3 meters, and it was certainly over 2.5 meters high.

Why was the wall built so high? And why wasn’t the gate locked? Did the man build it, or did the previous owner? There were many questions swirling in his mind.

He turned his body and began to warm up. After loosening his ankles and wrists, he lifted his legs high and slowly rotated them front, back, left, and right. Only after repeating the same movements with both his left and right legs did he start to jump in place. At first, he jumped lightly with short steps, gradually raising his knees higher. After jumping in place until he felt warm, he shot forward like a bullet. In less than five minutes, he was out of breath. But he didn’t stop. He kept running.

Once he escaped the man’s house, surrounded by mountains, the surroundings opened up instantly. His view was filled with lush green fields. The wind felt warmer, and the temperature seemed to be a degree or two higher than at the man’s house. It could have been because he was still running.

As he continued to run, his breathing stabilized. When he was learning judo, he used to run dozens of laps every day. It was a time when he didn’t shy away from strenuous exercise to build his stamina. He missed those days. The days when he focused solely on training without a single thought. The image of his master, proudly looking at him and saying he was “gold medal material” as his skills improved day by day, came to mind.

Suddenly, Tae-heun raised both arms and clenched his fists. He ran as if he were a gold medalist returning home in triumph. That made him feel a bit better. Crazy guy. He laughed to himself.

How far had he run from the man’s house? He began to encounter local residents. They weren’t out for a leisurely stroll; they were elderly people heading out to work in the fields before the sun got too hot. The women he had met at the greenhouse, around his mother’s age, were nowhere to be seen, likely busy preparing breakfast.

Mother. Tae-heun frowned without realizing it. For some, it was a name filled with affection and overwhelming emotion, but for Tae-heun, it was nothing of the sort. Until she sold him to his uncle, his mother had been solely responsible for the family’s livelihood. She had stepped into the workforce to support her two sons and one daughter in place of her incompetent husband. She must have gone through a lot of hardship. Yet, he felt not even a fraction of affection for her because all her labor was solely for his brother.

Tae-heun still vividly remembered the day he was accepted into a prestigious university at the tender age of eighteen. A day he could never forget. The day he ate jajangmyeon alone without receiving any congratulations from his family.

Noticing his wandering thoughts, he felt he should run even harder. He picked up speed. He stretched his legs further. As he ran, the sound of the wind slicing through the air became audible, and sweat began to scatter. He ran until his underwear was soaked. His mind cleared.

Lonely. Tae-heun thought.

He had been lonely his whole life, and now he felt like he was going to go mad from the loneliness.

He stopped running and squatted down where he was.

* * *

It seemed like all the townspeople had gathered at the church. Most of the faces were unfamiliar, but Tae-heun knew who they were. They all referred to him as the “young writer” or “young actor.” They knew everything about him—his divorce, his two kids, and so on. It was all just gossip, though.

It was the first time he saw the man in a shirt. Dressed in a crisp white short-sleeve shirt and dark dress pants, the man had even polished his shoes. The child was similarly dressed. In a pink dress and pink shoes, she wore a pink headband despite her short haircut. The two looked like they had stepped out of the 70s or 80s. Still, Tae-heun found the man’s appearance very appealing. He looked neat, ascetic, and tall.

Tae-heun stopped the man from driving the truck and offered him a ride in his Benz. He seated the child in the back like a princess and sat next to the man. The man’s solid upper body made his shirt taut without a wrinkle. “Damn. I should wear a shirt too.” A competitive instinct arose within him. Although his polo shirt fit snugly, it felt a bit loose today. He chuckled inwardly at how he was jealous of everything.

The townspeople, excluding the man, were split evenly between those who dressed neatly and those who did not. The older they were, the more their fashion seemed stuck in the past, and occasionally, he could spot an elder in traditional hanbok. The gathered crowd exceeded forty people. Tae-heun, who had given up counting, spotted Damas and the youth leader among the crowd.

The two definitely looked like they belonged to the present. Their complexions were bright and radiant. Anyone could tell they were financially well-off. Tae-heun quietly observed their somewhat out-of-place appearance.

Kwon Yong-jun was scanning the crowd for someone when he spotted his target and broke into a bright smile. He approached the man and the child directly. Meanwhile, the youth leader came over to Tae-heun.

“You’re definitely from Seoul; you dress well.”

The youth leader, who was dressed better than anyone else, complimented Tae-heun.

“You look great yourself, hyung.”

“Oh, this?”

The youth leader began to mention the brand name without being asked, sharing details about the price and where he bought it.

“Are you feeling okay? Your face looks a bit rough.”

“I’m fine. Just bit my cheek.”

Tae-heun covered his unblemished cheek with his palm.

“If you want to eat meat, just say so instead of biting your own flesh.”

The youth leader chuckled at his lame joke.

This time, Kwon Yong-jun sat closely next to the man and whispered to him. While the elders were mostly talking loudly, he leaned in close to the man as if what he was saying was of utmost importance.

The child sitting next to him wore a sulky expression. It was unclear whether she was upset because her father was talking to Kwon Yong-jun instead of her or if it was because Kwon Yong-jun was separating her from her father.

The tedious conversation with the youth leader ended with the arrival of the pastor.

The pastor was a small, thin, passionate man. He raised his voice throughout, reciting the Bible and explaining its hidden meanings, prompting everyone to shout “Amen, Amen” loudly. The man remained as silent as ever, while the child only perked up when it was time to sing.

As for Tae-heun, he struggled to suppress a yawn. Having stayed up all night, his whole body ached, and sitting on the hard chair was torture. Whenever a familiar song played, he would sing along just to stave off sleep.

The church was a familiar place for Tae-heun. He had been to every religious facility that VIPs frequented. Churches were the most common, followed by temples. Most were normal, but some were cults. Cults were troublesome. Once you got in, it was hard to get out, so he avoided them as much as possible.

Anyway, thanks to his frequent visits to churches, he knew the Bible verses favored by pastors and most contemporary Christian music. Every time he opened his mouth to sing along, he could feel the man flinch in surprise. The child leaned forward, staring at Tae-heun with a curious expression. When Tae-heun winked, she turned her head away, pouting her lips.

As the pastor’s long sermon came to an end, he noticed Tae-heun was a newcomer and called him to stand.

“Brother, you seem to be new to our church; am I right?”

“Yes, Pastor.”

“You have a wonderful voice. What is your name?”

“My name is Kim Tae-heun.”

“Oh, that’s a nice name. Your face is so handsome that your name and voice sound even better.”

The pastor’s joke made the congregation laugh.

Tae-heun was a noticeable person. He attracted attention wherever he went. People often remarked that he would have been a huge success as a celebrity. Even now, there were those who left their business cards, offering to debut him. Maybe he should have become a celebrity. If he had, he would have been buried in scandals. He chuckled to himself, imagining running away from countless reporters and cameras.