The Supermoon and the Secret in His Eyes
The Supermoon. Rows of shelves with gaps here and there, the humming of the refrigerator, and the part-timer sitting at the counter. Ihyeon stared straight ahead with a vacant expression.
'I'm bored……'
She used to like this stillness, but now, it didn't feel quite so welcome. When her hands were idle, they naturally drifted toward her pockets. She pulled out her phone, unlocked it, and scrolled aimlessly.
Webtoons? Finished them all yesterday. The news? Boring. Social media? It just gives her a reality check watching other people live their best lives.
She yawned, opening and closing apps repeatedly. Eventually, her hand landed on her contacts. She pressed a name out of habit.
'Yoon Taegon'
The conversation history stretched upward.
“This man, really……”
That was his intention…… She felt a bit indignant, but she couldn't help but let out a soft laugh, making it impossible to stay upset. The corners of her lips crept upward.
She scrolled down a little more.
She remembered the day she hummed while searching for tteokbokki recipes, clinging to those four words: 'I'll look forward to it.' Back then, she had been quite serious, finding three different recipes and even doing a comparative analysis.
“Kikikik.”
Laughter leaked out. She scrolled further, browsing through the trivial conversations she’d had with Taegon. Talks about deciding on a meal, the weather, and bickering over what to buy at the convenience store. There was nothing special about them, but every time she read them, her smile deepened.
'……What is this.'
It wasn't like she was peeking at someone else's conversation; she was laughing while reading her own. She felt embarrassed once she realized it, but she couldn't stop. Besides, at this hour, the only things watching her were the triangle gimbap on the shelves. There was no one to judge her for laughing to her heart's content.
Ihyeon clutched her phone with both hands and giggled like a fool. Taegon's texts on the screen played back in his voice. A calm, yet affectionate tone.
'I like it……'
What did she like? She liked everything. She liked every single message, she liked the person who sent them, and she liked the fact that she lived right next door to him.
Just as she was burying her nose in her phone, savoring the conversation—
— *Ding-dong!*
She reflexively straightened her back. Shoving her phone into her pocket, she immediately switched into "part-timer mode."
"Welcome—"
Her greeting cut off before she could finish. The moment she saw the person standing at the door, her mind went blank.
"I'm here, Ihyeon-ssi."
Taegon raised a hand in greeting.
'Why, why, why?!'
Her heart drummed against her ribs, sounding the alarm. His usual time to visit the convenience store was after 1:00 AM. But it wasn't even midnight yet. Most of all, there was no plastic bag in his hand. That meant he wasn't here to buy chicken breast. So why was he here?
She fumbled for a moment before managing to squeeze out some words.
"What brings you here at this hour?"
She felt a cold sweat, wondering if he’d seen her grinning like an idiot earlier.
Taegon walked slowly toward the counter. His shoelaces were tied in perfect symmetry. Perhaps because she was looking down, she even noticed that.
"D-did you run out of chicken breast?" she asked.
Nine times out of ten, it was chicken breast. What other reason would he have to come to a convenience store at this hour?
Taegon smiled.
"No, I came to hang out today."
"……Pardon?"
At one in the morning. At a convenience store. To hang out. She combined the three words, but they didn't form a coherent sentence.
"Hang out at the convenience store?"
To her question, Taegon tilted his head slightly and replied.
"I came to see you, Ihyeon-ssi…… is that not allowed?"
For a moment, she thought she’d gone deaf. The POS machine stopped talking, the refrigerator's noise vanished, and every sound in the store faded away. All that remained was that one sentence.
'I came to see you, Ihyeon-ssi.'
To see. Me.
"……!"
Her face burned red, starting from her neck. She felt the heat and covered her cheeks with both hands, but her palms were just as hot, offering zero cooling effect.
"T-that…… to see me, suddenly, why……"
"Why, you ask? I just wanted to see you."
He said it so casually. It was a light tone, like saying, "The weather is nice, so I went for a walk."
She hid behind the counter and fiddled with her phone. It was just an action to keep her hands busy. 'Whew…… let's calm down first. He probably just came to hang out because he was bored.' Her mind, telling her there was no big reason, fought fiercely with her heart, which desperately wanted it to be true that he came to see her.
Taegon leaned his arms on the counter and stepped closer.
"Ihyeon-ssi, do you know it's a Supermoon today?"
"A Supermoon?"
She looked up. He must have clearly seen her ears turning red, but whether he was pretending not to notice or truly didn't see, he let it slide. She felt both grateful and slightly disappointed.
"Yes. They say the moon rising today is the biggest one this year."
"Really? I had no idea……"
"They say it looks really big from outside. Do you want to come out for a moment?"
"Yes? N-now?"
"Yes. There are parasol chairs outside, right? You'll be able to see it well if you sit there."
Taegon pointed toward the entrance of the convenience store. Beyond the glass door, a folding parasol and two plastic chairs were visible. A dawn without a single customer. A time when it wouldn't matter if she left the counter for a moment. Her hesitation lasted only a split second. Maybe 0.3 seconds?
"J-just a moment! I'm coming out now!"
She hurried out from behind the counter. She moved so fast that her knee bumped against the shelf, but she was in such a rush she didn't even feel the pain.
— *Ding-dong!*
As she stepped outside, the cool dawn air greeted her. Taegon pointed to a chair and said, "Sit here."
"Yes."
She sat next to him. The plastic chair creaked slightly. The distance between them was narrower than she thought, and her elbows felt like they might brush against his with the slightest movement.
Her gaze naturally turned to the night sky.
"Wow……!"
An exclamation escaped her lips before she could stop it. A moon, several times larger and more dazzling than usual, filled the night sky. It was as bright as if a giant spotlight had been turned on.
"It's really big……"
Her voice dropped to a whisper. She felt that if she spoke too loudly, that dazzling moon might shatter. "I've never seen a moon this big before." The moon was so bright it felt like she could reach out and touch it.
'Did he come all the way here just to show me this?'
A soft, mushy feeling bloomed in the corner of her heart. Not the chicken breast or protein drinks he always insisted on. But for me……
"Taegon-ssi, look at that. I can see a star next to the moon, too."
"Where?"
"There! The little one on the top right!"
As she pointed, he turned his head to follow her fingertip.
"Ah, I see it."
"Right? The moon is so bright it could have been drowned out, but if you look closely, you can see it. It must be a pretty impressive star to shine even next to such a huge moon."
"It might be Jupiter, not a star."
"You can see Jupiter with the naked eye?"
"Yes. When it's bright, it can look like a star."
"Wow…… Taegon-ssi, you know things like that?"
"I saw it on Tube."
Taegon replied playfully with a smirk. His smile, reflected in the moonlight, felt different from usual. It felt… soft.
'Soft? What are you thinking……'
She shook her head and looked back up at the night sky. The dawn breeze tousled her hair.
"So this is a Supermoon…… it's really beautiful."
A moment of silence passed, and a reply returned to her murmur.
"Yes…… it really is beautiful."
She nodded, unable to take her eyes off the moon.
"Thank you so much for telling me. If it weren't for you, Taegon-ssi, I would have missed it."
"I'm glad I came."
"Of course! Otherwise, I would have just been staring at my phone inside the convenience store all by myself right now."
"Were you watching something fun?"
"Ah, no! It was just…… nothing special!"
She could never tell him that she had been laughing like an idiot while savoring the messages they'd just exchanged. Taegon glanced at her as if he’d noticed something, but she pretended not to notice and stared intently at the night sky.
'Supermoon, please, get me out of this situation!'
"B-by the way, when is the next Supermoon?"
"Let's see, they say it usually happens three or four times a year."
"Three or four times? That's more often than I thought. But why haven't I ever seen one until now……?"
"Probably because you don't look at the sky much at night."
"……You're right. I was always stuck inside the convenience store, so I never had the chance to look at the sky or anything else."
Ihyeon bowed her head slightly and smiled bitterly.
"I should come out and look up once in a while from now on."
"That's a good idea."
"Taegon-ssi, you should look up at the sky once in a while after you finish working out, too."
"Yes, I definitely will."
The moon was pretty, and the breeze was just right. Above all, the person sitting next to her. Everything was perfect. The two shadows sitting side-by-side under the parasol stretched long under the moonlight.
It was the first time in her life she had seen such a magnificent night sky. And it was even more of a first to be looking up at the moon with someone else. The giant moon left an unforgettable memory in their hearts.
#
Moonlight settled on her face.
I was pretending to look at the moon, but at some point, I had started looking at her. I don't remember exactly when it started. It might have been when she exclaimed, 'It's really big……' or when she pointed at the night sky with her finger, saying she could see a star next to the moon.
Regardless, my gaze couldn't tear itself away from her. Her face, with her mouth slightly open, eyes fixed on the moon. She was truly captivated. As the wind blew, her long hair fluttered. Loose strands she had tucked behind her ears came undone and brushed against her cheek.
She didn't even think to fix her hair, too busy filling her eyes with the moon. A smile as pure as a child's.
The moon was reflected perfectly in those eyes. One in the sky, two in her eyes. Three moons had risen tonight.
"So this is a Supermoon…… it's really beautiful."
Ihyeon murmured softly.
As I looked at her, reflected in the moonlight, a reply slipped out before I knew it.
"Yes…… it really is beautiful."
Ihyeon didn't notice. That I wasn't looking at the moon. That 'it's beautiful' wasn't directed at the night sky. That I was saying it while looking at her, not the moon—only she didn't know.