Lunar New Year Holiday
Time had slipped by since his contact with Kim Su-hyeok, and the Lunar New Year holiday was drawing near.
The year before last he had been shooting Master Plan; last year it had been Sketch. Around this season he was always too busy to see the relatives for the New Year.
Come to think of it, this is the first real break I’ve had in a long while.
The distance had closed once he moved up to Seoul, yet this would be the first time he had gone to the main house since high school.
Ziiing—
He pressed the smartphone to his ear and So-hyun’s voice came through.
“Oppa, where are you? We’re already here—in the parking lot.”
“Yeah. I’m just pulling into Uncle’s apartment complex now.”
“Mom’s waiting, so come up with us.”
The moment her words reached him he rounded the corner and saw his parents unloading luggage from the trunk.
He rolled down the window and called out.
“I’m here.”
“Oh, good. There’s an empty spot over that way.”
“Okay. I’ll park and come.”
He drove in the direction his mother had pointed, parked, and lifted the box from the passenger seat.
The passenger seat was not the only place stacked with gift boxes; the trunk was full of them as well.
When Yeon-woo came over carrying a box, his mother asked,
“You brought presents?”
“Yes. The agency handed out a few Hanwoo beef sets to give to family and acquaintances.”
“I see. It’s cold—let’s hurry inside.”
Yeon-woo and his family rode the elevator up.
Having already received the call that they were almost there, the older relatives had come all the way out into the hallway to greet them.
“Aigoo. Look who it is—our family’s proud movie star.”
Yeon-woo smiled as his eldest uncle and aunt came toward him with open arms.
The last memory he had of his eldest aunt was of her flying into a rage after his younger uncle had smashed the potted plant she had brought with her when she married into the family, snatching up a broom with her ailing arm and brandishing it.
“Have you been well? How’s your arm, Aunt?”
“Oh, fine. An old body is nothing but broken parts to begin with. I had the surgery at the hospital, and for what it is, I’m holding up.”
Beside her, his eldest uncle clapped Yeon-woo and So-hyun on the back and ushered them forward.
“What are you standing around for, leaving the precious kids out in the cold? Come on in. It’s freezing out here.”
Yeon-woo and the relatives filed into the house.
Meanwhile, Kim Jun-su’s family had come up to Seoul the day before and were already preparing. When morning arrived they set out the ancestral rite table.
The aunt’s family, visiting for the first time in years, kept up an endless stream of bragging that made Jun-su’s expression sour by the minute.
“Where did our boy apply again?”
“I already told you—Yonha University and Korea University.”
“Oh, Mom just can’t keep it straight.”
There was no way she could not keep it straight. This was the fifth time she had told the same story since yesterday.
“Was the exam hard?”
“Mom. It wasn’t an exam—it was an interview.”
“What questions did they ask you again?”
“Like I said, the first one was…”
He had heard this story so many times his ears were growing calluses.
By now he could recite every question from the interview and every answer his cousin had given, word for word.
“Oh, Jun-su. You’re heading off to the military soon, aren’t you?”
“Yes, Aunt.”
Jun-su nodded under the sudden arrow of a question.
“And I hear you got a girlfriend right after starting university.”
“Ah—yes.”
His aunt studied him for a moment, then turned her head.
“Jun-ha, don’t you go starting a romance the second you set foot on campus like your cousin, you hear?”
“Come on, Korea University’s so intense just keeping up with school that there’s no time for that.”
“That’s right. Our boy’s going to be someone important someday, so he can’t go wasting time on useless things.”
Listening to the exchange, Jun-su shook his head slowly.
Now I get why Mom can’t stand Aunt.
He looked at his younger cousin and asked,
“So which department did you get into?”
“Me? Economics.”
“Oh ho. I’ve got a friend in Economics.”
His cousin regarded him with a faintly displeased look.
“…Really? One of the seniors in our department is the actor Ryu Yeon-woo.”
“Yeah. Of course I know him.”
“You know the actor Ryu Yeon-woo too, hyung? Well, our senior is famous enough. Ah, the second I start school I’m going to get close to him right away.”
Hearing his cousin’s words, Jun-su let out a short snort of laughter.
“Ryu Yeon-woo’s on leave right now.”
“He’ll come back eventually. Want me to get you an autograph later?”
Jun-su barely managed to hold back a laugh.
“I’m good. Don’t really need an autograph. And you’ve never even met him—already calling him ‘senior’?”
“Of course. We’ll be at the same school. He’s my direct senior.”
“Well… if you say so.”
He had only ever seen the aunt’s family at the occasional wedding; there had never been much contact. That was probably why they had no idea Jun-su and Yeon-woo were friends.
They had only heard news secondhand, and this was the first long conversation in ages. The sudden New Year visit from relatives they barely saw was almost certainly because they finally had something to brag about.
“Anyway, when are you going into the military?”
“You already asked me that three times yesterday.”
Apparently his aunt had no intention of reining in her habitual meddling dressed up as concern.
When Yeon-woo put on his shoes at the front door, the adults all crowded out after him.
“Leaving already?”
“And look at all this pocket money you prepared. I should be the one giving it to you.”
“Well, the nephew earns more than ten times what his uncle does. Thank you.”
“Aigoo, is our Yeon-woo going?”
Even his eldest aunt came out of the kitchen. Yeon-woo smiled and pulled on a mask.
“I have a lot of places to stop by today. I’ll come again soon.”
“All right. Take care of yourself and make sure you eat properly.”
“Yes, Aunt.”
Seeing them off, he rode the elevator down to the first floor—and there, waiting to go up, were his younger uncle and aunt, who recognized him at once.
“Aigoo, nephew.”
Watching his younger uncle greet him with shameless warmth, Yeon-woo tilted his head slightly.
Bad memory, or just that thick-skinned?
Behind the couple, for once, their daughter was visible as well.
“Ah—yes.”
“Our Min-hee came all this way just to see her cousin.”
“I see.”
Honestly he had so little interest that he only learned today that the cousin standing behind them was named Min-hee.
“Heading out to buy something?”
“No. I have work, so I’m leaving now. The elders upstairs will be waiting—you should go on up.”
Yeon-woo gave a polite bow and walked toward the parking garage. Ryu Jeong-ung’s face twisted.
“No manners, that kid.”
“Dad! What is this? He just left. I didn’t even get a picture.”
Paying them no mind, Yeon-woo got into the car and dialed Jun-su.
“Jun-su. You said your family was coming up to Seoul for the holiday, right? When did they get in?”
“They already came up yesterday. We’re at Grandpa’s place now.”
“Ah, really? Send me the address. I’ve got a gift for you.”
“Huh? A gift all of a sudden? I didn’t prepare anything.”
Thinking of the Hanwoo sets in the passenger seat and trunk, Yeon-woo said,
“The company put together some gift sets for the members of our troupe to hand out.”
“They even prepared stuff like that? All right, I’ll send the address.”
When the call ended, a message with the address arrived from Jun-su.
I already gave Yu-han’s yesterday, and Ju-hyeong said he was heading to Gangwon-do, so that just leaves Jun-su and Seong-sik.
Yeon-woo drove to the address in the message and arrived.
“Hey, I’m here.”
“Already? I’ll come down now.”
After a short wait he saw Jun-su emerge from the apartment entrance.
Yeon-woo put on a hat and mask and got out.
“Yo, brother.”
“Here—take this.”
He held out the gift to Jun-su, who was approaching with a big wave.
“Whoa. What is this—Hanwoo?”
“How’d you know right away?”
Jun-su lifted the gift set and answered,
“Wrapped up tight in gold cloth and this heavy? It’s got to be Hanwoo.”
“There’s a lot. Share it with the relatives.”
“Haa. There’s one relative I can’t stand looking at—feels like a waste to share.”
“What’d they do?”
Jun-su sighed and explained everything that had happened so far.
“I saw online that this is peak K-holiday behavior.”
“It’s basically the national rule.”
“By the way, he’s enrolling in our department?”
“Yeah. You should put a little military discipline into him.”
Yeon-woo snorted and continued,
“Military discipline in this day and age? And a guy who hasn’t even gone to the army yet talking about military discipline.”
“No kidding. Since yesterday they’ve been asking when I’m shipping out until my ears are callused. I’m dizzy.”
As the complaint shifted to the cousin, Yeon-woo tilted his head.
“You didn’t tell them I’m your friend?”
“I’m not that close with Aunt’s family. If I said anything they’d just pester you for autographs.”
A mischievous glint appeared in Yeon-woo’s eyes.
“Then since I’m already here, I might as well go say hello. It’s been a long time since I saw your parents and your noona.”
“Huh? Right now?”
Yeon-woo nodded.
“Why not? We’re practically family. Would it be rude?”
At those words, Jun-su’s eyes filled with emotion.
“Rude? The relatives are going to flip.”
In truth, Yeon-woo had spent all of senior year tutoring at Jun-su’s house, so he was fairly close with the family as well.
“Then lead the way. Let’s go pay our respects.”
“Okay!”
Yeon-woo followed Jun-su into the apartment.
Ding-dong—
“Jun-su, where’ve you been?”
“Yes, Grandpa. My friend came by just outside.”
“Hello.”
Yeon-woo stepped in behind Jun-su and bowed deeply.
“Oh-ho, so you’re Jun-su’s friend? I’ve seen that face somewhere.”
At the sound of that, Jun-su’s cousin came to the front door.
“What? Who’s here?”
And then his body locked up under a situation that exceeded the capacity of his brain.
Ryu Yeon-woo was taking off his shoes at the entrance and walking into the house.
“…Ah?”
Why is Ryu Yeon-woo here?
Because I got into Korea University’s Economics Department?
No— is this even realistically possible?
Is this some kind of school prank camera?
A flood of questions filled his head.
“What’s going on? Why is everyone standing around the front door?”
From the kitchen came Kim Jun-su’s older sister, Kim Yeon-ji.
“Wha—? Yeon-woo?”
“Noona, have you been well? I was nearby, so I thought I’d stop by and say hello after so long.”
“Wow. How many years has it been?”
“I’ve been so busy with work I haven’t even managed a proper greeting since high school graduation.”
Looking at Kim Yeon-ji in her apron, Yeon-woo tossed out a playful jab.
He still remembered the first time they met at Jun-su’s house—how she had suddenly announced she would peel fruit and then nearly destroyed every piece with her disastrous technique before serving it.
“Yeon-ji noona. You can’t even peel fruit properly—what are you doing wearing an apron?”
“Hey. I can cook just fine now, okay?”
“Your mom and dad are inside, right?”
“Of course. Mom! Dad! Yeon-woo came to say hello!”
Kim Yeon-ji ran into the living room.
Watching relatives who joked so freely with Ryu Yeon-woo and looked so close, the cousin’s head was mass-producing question marks.
“What on earth is…?”
The noise at the front door drew the aunt and her husband as well; they came over to see what was happening.
Jun-su grinned and introduced Yeon-woo.
“Ah, this is my closest friend. You know Ryu Yeon-woo, right? Well, he’s famous enough.”
His cousin’s face flushed bright red.
The words that had come out of his own mouth only an hour or two earlier flashed through his mind.
He’s my direct senior now. Want me to get you an autograph?
You know the actor Ryu Yeon-woo too, hyung? Well, our senior is famous enough.
And then, riding high, Jun-su added one more line.
“Yeon-woo, give my cousin an autograph. Looks like he’s a fan of yours.”