#54

After finishing the heat therapy by alternating between the thighs and calves for ten minutes each, the physical therapist began to attach the electrode pads. It was electric therapy.

“If it’s too uncomfortable, please let me know.”

“Yes.”

Instead of the sleeping man, Tae-heun answered.

The time for electric therapy was longer than for heat therapy, but it was not boring at all. Tae-heun stared intently at the man’s face. He carefully examined how many freckles had appeared, where the moles were, as if he were playing a hidden picture game. It was fun. Every time the man’s long eyelashes fluttered, he felt a slight thrill at the thought of the deep, dark pupils he would soon encounter. However, the man remained sound asleep, even when Tae-heun touched or looked at him.

The man did not wake up even after the physical therapy was over. Tae-heun wanted him to sleep longer, but the physical therapist shook him awake with rough hands. The man slowly opened his eyes. Tae-heun stood beside him, gazing down at him.

When the man’s eyes met Tae-heun’s, he smiled faintly.

“Were you bored?”

He asked in a hoarse voice.

“No, not at all.”

Tae-heun replied.

He almost said it was enjoyable, that he hadn’t known the man’s thigh flesh was so tender and soft, and that the freckles on his nose were quite cute. Instead, he just smiled.

Before returning to Dongjam-ri, they stopped by the city of Chungju to shop. At the large supermarket, the man chose pink sausages and spam that could also be bought in town for the child he had left unattended for two days.

“I really like eating this with kimchi stew. If you pack it as a lunchbox side dish, I like it even more.”

Then he picked up some snacks to feed the child. They were mostly things that were hard to find in town, and most of them had Pokémon characters on them. Most were bread. The man was pleased, saying the child had never even seen them since the local supermarket didn’t stock many.

“You should have said that earlier. Then I would have bought a whole box.”

“If you buy that much, who will eat it? The expiration date is short.”

The man laughed.

The man’s shopping basket was filled only with things for the child.

Tae-heun bought a can of beer and three bottles of soju to drink with the man. He also added two squids. Snacks couldn’t be left out with beer, so he looked around for some.

“What kind of snacks do you like, Ki-beom?”

Tae-heun asked, rummaging through snack bags around the man. He inquired about the man’s preferences. Whatever he picked, the man shook his head.

“You like sweet things, right? How about this? Do you like it?”

He shook his head again.

“What about this? It looks delicious.”

He persistently asked. As he blocked the path of others, the man finally picked up a Nune-tine. It was amusing to see that the man, who liked sweet things, was still the same. Tae-heun added two bags of savory snacks.

After finishing their shopping, the man went to a clothing store near the supermarket to pick out summer t-shirts and shorts for the child. They were white shorts and a pink t-shirt with glittery hearts. Tae-heun wondered if it would suit the child, who was as dark as the man, but considering the child’s room, which was filled with pink, it was an obvious choice. After some back and forth, Tae-heun paid for the clothes.

The journey back to Dongjam-ri felt much shorter. Just like on the way there, they sat side by side on the intercity bus, chatting the whole time. This time, Tae-heun also drank the can of coffee the man had. The sweet and slightly bitter taste in his mouth made him think the man felt the same way, and he didn’t mind at all.

The short three-hour round trip brought them much closer together. Tae-heun felt the distance between them had significantly decreased. Even though the man wasn’t drunk, he smiled more often in front of Tae-heun and spoke quite a bit more than before. Tae-heun often thought his voice was really pleasant. The way his lips stretched into a silly grin when he laughed felt endearing.

As time passed, the man’s lips became increasingly unsightly. The bitten areas were a mess of bruises and scabs. Tae-heun was in no position to comment on that. Occasionally, the man’s gaze would touch on Tae-heun’s wounds and then drift away. Tae-heun’s gaze also often lingered on the man’s lips.

They sat closely together, smiling secret smiles that only they understood, as if afraid their bodies would separate. It was a dreamlike time.

As they got off at the bus terminal, which reeked of urine, both returned to reality. The man’s face, which had been smiling continuously, became serious again. However, the closeness they had achieved did not revert to how it was before. A familiarity that only the two of them knew lingered in the air. It felt overwhelming, and thus, he couldn’t collect his thoughts.

“I guess the Let’s Be is sweet.”

“Why?”

“I feel dizzy.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s too sweet, so I feel dizzy.”

The man didn’t understand Tae-heun’s words. Tae-heun smiled softly and said, ‘That happens.’

* * *

The child was very happy to see the man and Tae-heun come together. But for a moment, upon seeing the state of the two, the child immediately glared at them. Throughout the way home, the child nagged incessantly. After nagging to the point where it felt like the ears would get calloused, the child slammed the door and went into their room.

The man looked at the door with a sullen expression.

“It’s okay. That can happen.”

Tae-heun comforted the man and knocked on the child’s door while holding the shopping bag filled with clothes. There was no response.

“I’m coming in.”

He gently opened the door. The child was sprawled on the low desk, making a show of it.

“Ji-hye, from now on, Uncle will keep an eye on your dad so he can’t drink. I’m serious. Calm down.”

He then set the shopping bag down.

“This is the clothes I bought for Ji-hye. Try them on to see if they fit.”

The child flinched. Tae-heun silently smiled.

“And your dad will fry spam and sausages for you. It’ll be really delicious with kimchi stew, right? I’ll call you when the rice is ready.”

After saying everything he wanted to say, Tae-heun closed the door quietly and came out.

By then, the man had changed clothes and was looking at Tae-heun with a worried expression. Tae-heun winked at the man. He approached him and said, ‘It’ll be okay.’ The man let out a light sigh and gathered the groceries he had bought, heading to the kitchen.

“Do you need help with anything?”

“No. Just change your clothes and wash up first.”

“I’ll just change and come out. I’ll fry the spam and sausages, so wait for me.”

Tae-heun said this while unbuttoning his shirt.

A smile appeared on the man’s lips. Even though it wasn’t the first time he had seen him smile, it made his heart flutter. It felt like a pleasant shiver, as if he were touching something soft and tender. His face heated up, and he awkwardly scratched his eyebrows.

He went to the bathroom to wash his hands and splash cold water on his face. He should have come to his senses, but the heat that had risen once didn’t seem to want to settle down. Fortunately, he didn’t turn as red as the man.

With that feeling, he went to the kitchen and stood next to the man. While Tae-heun peeled the pink sausages and opened the spam can, the man cracked eggs for Tae-heun. Before long, the child came out of the room and sat at the dining table. The man turned around.

“It suits you well.”

The man was kind but didn’t know how to give a proper compliment.

“Ki-beom, you look great too! Yoon Ji-hye, you’re super pretty!”

Tae-heun gave a thumbs up. The child, feeling shy, twisted their body and smiled bashfully.

The child sat at the table, resting their chin on both hands, gazing at Tae-heun and the man. A satisfied smile spread across the child’s face. The child looked as happy as Tae-heun.

“I’ll fry the spam first.”

“I’ll fry the spam first.”

The child echoed Tae-heun’s words.

The man blushed and stepped aside for Tae-heun.

“Should I fry it crispy?”

“Should I fry it crispy?”

“…Yes.”

At the man’s answer, the child urgently interrupted.

“No! Don’t fry it crispy. I like it soft!”

“No! Don’t fry it crispy. I like it soft!”

Tae-heun seized the opportunity and echoed the child’s words.

“Hey, why are you copying me?”

“Hey, why are you copying me?”

The child, unable to contain their anger, jumped up from their seat. With loud footsteps, they went back into their room.

The man looked at Tae-heun with a slightly pitiful expression.

“But Ji-hye said it first.”

He protested in a sulky tone.

“Still, you’re an adult….”

“Can’t adults joke around?”

Tae-heun, feeling a bit hurt by the man siding with the child, fried the spam with a rough touch. Half was fried lightly until golden brown, and half was fried crispy. Meanwhile, the man added tofu and green onions to the kimchi stew and held the plate for the spam, ready to serve. Their movements were well-coordinated.

After standing in front of the fire for just a few minutes, beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He raised his arm to wipe his forehead with his short sleeves. Seeing this, the man handed him a towel. Tae-heun shamelessly leaned forward. The man hesitated but then wiped Tae-heun’s forehead and face with the towel. Their eyes met, and Tae-heun smiled. The man smiled back.

Dinner was peaceful. The child chattered about everything that had happened over the past two days. The man listened attentively to the child’s words. Tae-heun was responsible for responding. After sharing everything, the child began to pry into what Tae-heun and the man had been doing, excluding the drinking part.

The man pretended to listen casually and dodged the questions. This time, Tae-heun didn’t say much either. Nothing significant had happened, but it wasn’t as if nothing had happened at all. A significant change had occurred between the two. He wanted to keep that secret to himself.

While the man was doing laundry in the washing machine and went out to clean the yard, the child spread out a study sheet in the living room and continued studying.

The phone rang, and the child answered. It was a call for the man. The man kept saying no, that he didn’t have time, but eventually said, ‘Okay,’ and added a note to the calendar. The man sighed and went back out to the yard, while the child watched their father’s back and then lowered their gaze to the workbook.