Outing, and a Visit
“You worked hard today.”
“Not at all.”
With the day's work finished, Seong-min took his daily wage from the supervisor in charge.
“So why didn't Min-hyeok show up?”
“I don't really know either... Maybe something came up?”
“Is he coming tomorrow?”
“I'd have to call him to find out...”
“Then give him a call yourself.”
“I will.”
The supervisor had clearly expected Min-hyeok to come in today. When he didn't, the man seemed puzzled.
On the way home after clocking out, Seong-min dialed Min-hyeok's number.
The person you are calling is unavailable. Please leave a message after the tone...
The call went straight to voicemail.
Did something happen?
When they had parted ways on Friday, Min-hyeok had definitely said he would be there today. Barring something truly serious, he had seemed certain to show. The fact that he hadn't left Seong-min uneasy.
He must have his reasons.
Seong-min left a text and headed for the gym.
The next day.
Just like the day before, Seong-min clocked in and discovered Min-hyeok was still a no-show. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday passed the same way. Min-hyeok never appeared at the courier distribution center. He never answered his phone either. He had gone completely dark. Seong-min couldn't help but worry.
“Could I get Min-hyeok's home address?”
“His address?”
“Yes. I think I should go check on him...”
Seong-min knew they kept basic personal information on file, so he asked. The supervisor gave him the address where Min-hyeok lived.
“Thank you.”
“Don't mention it. He seemed like such a solid kid. Suddenly vanishing without a word has me a little concerned too.”
“I'll go look for him.”
“You do that.”
After finishing work for the day, Seong-min wrapped up another successful week. The money he had earned came to 850,000 won. Because he didn't have to put 300,000 toward debt this week, every last bit of it was his.
Ordinarily he would have headed straight to the gym. Today he did not. Instead he set out for Min-hyeok's place.
Why did he suddenly cut off all contact?
From Seong-min's perspective, none of it made sense. Min-hyeok might have been a little eccentric, but he seemed good-natured and easygoing. He was sociable enough that the two of them had hit it off right away. No matter how Seong-min turned it over in his mind, Min-hyeok's sudden disappearance refused to add up. They had sat in a pub drinking and talking. Min-hyeok had said that even though loading and unloading packages was hard, it felt rewarding and he liked it. He had promised he would definitely be back the following week.
Then, in an instant, every line of contact had gone dead. Texts went unanswered. That was why Seong-min was going to the house in person.
In a way it was meddling. But after spending a full week working alongside him, Seong-min knew the kid well enough to find it strange that he would simply vanish without a word.
He transferred buses twice and finally reached the neighborhood where Min-hyeok lived. Showing up empty-handed felt wrong, so he stopped at a nearby café and bought two coffees and five macarons.
“Thanks for your hard work.”
With the takeout bag of coffee and macarons in hand, Seong-min turned into the alley.
Min-hyeok lived in a multi-family housing area. Once inside the alley, rows of multi-unit houses lined both sides. Seong-min walked deeper in and found the address he had been given.
This should be it.
The place was a three-story multi-family brick house painted a soft reddish hue. Min-hyeok's unit was on the first floor.
It was already past seven in the evening. The sky had gone dark, and streetlamps glowed along the alley.
Is no one home...?
Beyond the large glass front door, the interior was dark—lights off. It looked empty.
Should I wait?
Leaving now felt wrong. Seong-min decided to hang around a while. He pulled out his phone and stood off to one side, killing time while he waited for Min-hyeok to appear.
How long had he been standing there?
Someone who was not Min-hyeok stopped in front of the entrance.
A woman?
She looked to be in her mid-twenties, with short hair. She reached up and untied something from around her neck.
That's a key?
What had looked like a necklace turned out to be a house key. She quietly unlocked the door and started to go inside. Seong-min, who had been staring blankly, snapped out of it and stepped forward as she opened the door.
“Excuse me.”
The woman flinched and spun toward him, eyes sharp with wariness. A stranger approaching her had put her on guard.
She's pretty.
The moment their eyes met, that was what struck him. She had large eyes with dark, obsidian-like pupils and a cute face.
“Um... are you by any chance Min-hyeok's family?”
At the sound of Min-hyeok's name, her wariness only deepened. Seong-min offered an awkward smile and held up the café bag.
“No, you don't have to be so on edge. My name is Lee Seong-min. I worked with Min-hyeok at the courier job. He suddenly went dark without a word, and I got worried, so I came looking for him. There's no need to be so cautious.”
Even so, she kept her guard up.
“I'm not lying. Look at this.”
He pulled out his phone and showed her the texts he and Min-hyeok had exchanged earlier, along with the messages he had sent after Min-hyeok stopped coming to work on Monday.
“See? We got along well as coworkers. He never answered my texts, so I got worried enough to come here. I don't mean any harm.”
After seeing the message history and hearing him insist he meant no harm, the woman finally let her guard down a little. She blinked and looked at him.
“Are you... Min-hyeok's family?”
She slowly nodded.
“I see... He's not home right now, is he?”
She nodded again.
“Will he be back today...?”
Another nod.
That was a relief. If she had said he wasn't coming home, things would have gotten awkward.
“I'm sorry, but... would it be all right if I waited until he gets here? If it makes you uncomfortable, I won't go inside. I'll just wait out here.”
She studied him for a moment, then stepped inside. She did not close the door. Standing with her back half-turned, she looked at him.
“Does that mean... you want me to come in too?”
He pointed at himself with a finger. She gave a slow nod.
“Are you sure it's okay?”
He asked again. She nodded once more.
“All right, then. Excuse me for a moment.”
Seong-min carefully stepped inside. He took in the kitchen, the raised wooden floor where shoes came off, the sliding door that opened into what looked like the main room, and another door that seemed to lead to a bathroom.
“I'll just leave these here. You two can share them when Min-hyeok gets home.”
She nodded. After removing her shoes, she stepped up onto the wooden floor and walked into the main room. Seong-min sat casually on the edge of the raised floor and waited.
She must have set her bag down, because a moment later she reappeared in the doorway and simply stood there staring at him.
What is it?
Her behavior left him puzzled.
“Do you have something you want to say to me...?”
She pointed toward the main room.
“You want me to wait in there...?”
She nodded.
“Is that really all right? I can just wait out here.”
She nodded again, as if to say it was fine. After a brief hesitation, Seong-min found himself unable to ignore the way she kept looking at him. He rose with a resigned air.
“Then I'll impose a little.”
He crossed the wooden floor and stepped into the main room. Inside were a television, a wardrobe, and a stack of folded blankets off to one side. Another door led into a smaller adjoining room. Multi-family houses like this often had the main room and a smaller room connected. This place seemed to follow that layout. For someone who lived in a rooftop room, a place like this would have felt fairly comfortable for living alone.
Seong-min sat down on the linoleum floor.
“I'll wait here until Min-hyeok comes home.”
She nodded and left the room.
What is going on?
He found it strange that she never spoke and only answered with nods.
He looked around the main room. It was an ordinary home with ordinary little details. Then his eyes landed on a picture frame beside the television. In the photo, a younger Min-hyeok stood with the woman.
So she's his older sister.
Both of them were young in the picture, but Min-hyeok looked even younger. She was almost certainly his big sister. They were holding hands, smiling. Judging by the first-grade name tag pinned to Min-hyeok's chest, it had been taken on his elementary school entrance day.
Why on earth did he stop coming to work?
He still had no idea, but he planned to wait and ask once Min-hyeok arrived.
“Huh?”
He felt eyes on him and looked toward the doorway. Through the half-open sliding door, Min-hyeok's sister was peeking in at him.
“W-why are you looking at me like that?”
Startled, Seong-min stumbled over the words. At his question she pulled back and vanished from view.
What was that...?
He couldn't make sense of it. A few minutes later—
“Huh?”
She was peeking again.
“Do you have something you want to tell me?”
She darted back out of sight once more.
Why is she acting like this?
It made no sense. Then he felt her gaze again. Sure enough, she was watching him.
“Come on in. It's fine, really.”
He put on his friendliest face and spoke in a calm, coaxing tone. After a moment of hesitation, she stepped inside.
“Why were you staring like that...?”
She fidgeted for a second, then pointed toward the kitchen. Wondering what she meant, Seong-min looked in that direction—and suddenly thought of tea.
“Are you asking if I want a cup of something?”
She nodded.
“Th-that's what you kept trying to ask me?”
She nodded again.
What... what is this?
He was thoroughly flustered.
“Uh... then... I'll have some.”
He gave an awkward smile and accepted. She smiled back, rose, and left the room.
Like brother, like sister. She's a little unusual too.
That was the thought that crossed his mind.
A short while later she returned carrying a single cup. It was cocoa. Seong-min had expected instant coffee and was surprised.
So Min-hyeok drinks cocoa at home too.
“Thank you. I'll enjoy it...”
He smiled, took the cup, and sipped. The taste matched the rich chocolate scent—definitely cocoa. Under her steady gaze he nodded.
“Yeah... it's good.”
The woman watching him broke into a smile.
“You only made one for me?”
She nodded.
“I see... My name is Lee Seong-min. I'm two years older than Min-hyeok. Are you his older sister?”
She blinked at him. He pointed toward the picture frame with a finger.
“I saw that photo. That's why I thought you might be.”
She turned to look at the frame, then back at him, and nodded.
“I see... What's your name?”
She did not speak it. Instead she began writing something on the floor with her finger. Seong-min leaned down to watch the motions.
Han... A... reum?
He realized she was writing her name.
“Your name is Han A-reum?”
She nodded.
In that moment Seong-min understood.
This woman... she can't speak?
The way she answered by writing her name on the floor instead of saying it made him think so.
By the time he finished the cocoa, Min-hyeok still had not come home. Eventually Seong-min could wait no longer.
“I think I should head out for today. If Min-hyeok comes home, could you tell him I stopped by?”
She nodded.
“And do you have a phone?”
She pulled one from her pocket. Seong-min typed in his number.
“Min-hyeok isn't answering my calls. If I still can't reach him after I leave, I'm thinking of coming back tomorrow. I'll text this number.”
She nodded.
Just then he heard the front door open and someone step inside.
Min-hyeok?
He turned his head. A moment later someone climbed onto the wooden floor, opened the room door, and came in.
“Min-hyeok.”
“Huh?”
The person who entered was Min-hyeok himself. Seong-min rose to his feet.
“You suddenly went dark, so—”
“Hyung, could you wait outside for a minute?”
“Outside?”
“Yeah. I'll be right out.”
Min-hyeok's expression was not good, so Seong-min simply nodded.
“All right.”
He stepped past Min-hyeok and out onto the wooden floor.
“Noona.”
Min-hyeok's voice carried from inside the room.
“I told you. Even if it's someone I know well, don't let anyone into the house when I'm not here...! Why do you keep ignoring what I say?”
The irritated edge in Min-hyeok's voice left Seong-min puzzled.
Why is he so on edge?
He stepped down from the wooden floor, put on his shoes, and went outside. A short while later the door opened and Min-hyeok came out.
“Sorry, hyung.”
“What for? More importantly, why are you so wound up? That was your sister, right?”
“...There's a reason.”
“Something you can't talk about?”
“......”
Min-hyeok did not answer.
“What happened all of a sudden? You wouldn't answer your phone. Going dark like that makes people worry, you know.”
“......”
Still no reply.
“Is something going on...?”
“Hyung...”
“Yeah?”
“I don't think I can come back to the courier job from now on.”
“You can't come?”
“No. So please don't ask why. I'm sorry for disappearing without a word.”
Min-hyeok's face looked grim. Watching him, Seong-min nodded.
“All right. You've got your reasons. I get it. Let's grab a meal sometime.”
“Yeah... Take care.”
Seong-min watched Min-hyeok go back inside, then turned away with a bitter feeling. He had started walking when he heard someone come out of the door behind him. He looked back. It was Min-hyeok's sister. She seemed to have come out to see him off.
“I'm heading out now. The cocoa was really good.”
As he said goodbye, she reached into her pocket, rummaged around, and held something out to him.
Candy?
It was a hard candy.
“You want me to take this...?”
She nodded. Seong-min carefully held out his hand, and she placed the candy in his palm.
“I'll enjoy it.”
Min-hyeok's sister gave him a bright smile, then turned and went back inside.
A hard candy.
Looking at the candy resting in his hand, Seong-min allowed himself a small smile, closed his fingers around it, and turned to walk home.