Chapter 29
Chapter 29
I remembered how much we had enjoyed the shabu-shabu last time.
I sat on the sofa, trying to come up with a decent dish to prepare this time. I had some bell peppers, frozen pork belly, mackerel, enoki mushrooms, bacon, and cabbage left in the fridge. It seemed like they would all taste fine if I just stir-fried them together.
Maybe we could watch that show we saw before while we ate. Was it called Transferring from Solo to Couple? That was actually quite entertaining.
I was curious to see how Ms. Moon’s feelings had changed after the occupations were revealed, and I wanted to see with my own eyes just how terrible Mr. Park’s "event" from the preview would turn out to be.
How should I bring it up?
As I sat there debating how to ask, watching Jae-gyu’s back as he observed the sleeping Bom-sik, his phone on the coffee table lit up.
It was Jae-gyu’s phone. My eyes drifted toward it instinctively, and I ended up seeing the message that popped up.
[I heard she came to town earlier. Did you find her?]
The sender was Philip. It had to be Gu Philip, the employee at Jae-gyu’s company. My heart plummeted to the floor once again.
If even his acquaintances—his employees, no less—knew about this Lee Hee-yeon person, then their relationship was likely far from casual.
Forget it. I’m not doing this. When Bom-sik fell fast asleep, Jae-gyu stood up, and I spoke to him.
"Thank you for today. I think I need to get some rest because I’m a bit tired. I’m sorry."
I expected him to linger, but Jae-gyu headed straight for the front door. Even though I was the one who told him to leave, I felt a pang of disappointment.
Seriously, what is wrong with me? My mind was a mess, but I decided to see him out. Outside, the darkness was slowly beginning to settle.
Jae-gyu told me not to bother and to go back inside, but I insisted on walking him a bit further. My excuse was that I had to go out anyway to pick up the village newspaper left near the stone bridge.
However, instead of going straight to his car, Jae-gyu said he would wait to make sure I got the newspaper and made it back home safely.
Because he was being so stubborn, I had no choice but to keep walking, but then I came to a sudden halt. A large, deep puddle had formed across the road, making it impossible to cross.
That was when Jae-gyu suddenly scooped me up. It happened so fast that I started flailing.
"Ah! Put me down!"
"Can’t you see how muddy the ground is? You’ll ruin your shoes. If you don’t want to fall, wrap your arms around me. There you go."
I wanted to squeeze my eyes shut out of sheer embarrassment. This was a position I had only ever seen in dramas.
Since there was such a significant size difference between us, there was no danger of him dropping me, but I still gripped him tightly out of nervousness.
One of Jae-gyu’s hands supported my shoulders, while the other was hooked under my knees. His face was close, and our bodies were pressed together.
This position is way too awkward.
I was hyper-aware of my chest touching him, and the fact that our faces were close enough to hear each other breathe was mortifying.
"Just put me down. If you walk through here, it’ll get on your shoes too, Jae-gyu."
"Don’t you see I’m wearing hiking boots today? They can handle it."
Now that I thought about it, Jae-gyu’s unique scent was particularly strong today. It was because he had been hiking for a long time.
I didn't mind the smell. In fact, I actually liked it. Just as I was losing myself in that deep, masculine scent, Jae-gyu came to a dead stop.
"Haa..."
His face, already close, moved even closer—close enough that I could see him clearly despite the growing darkness.
"...Jae-gyu?"
"Bom."
His Adam's apple moved slowly as he spoke in a low voice. My eyes trembled with flustered confusion. The atmosphere felt strange.
Jae-gyu’s lips hovered at a precarious distance from mine. My heart began to race as if I had just finished a full sprint.
No way. Is he really going to kiss me? Right here, in this position?
A "princess carry" kiss in front of the stone bridge in Cheongseol-eup was a far cry from romantic.
Wait, did that mean I’d be okay with it if the location and position were different? My thoughts were a tangled mess.
"Do I... smell right now?"
"Pardon...?"
"You keep sniffing. It’s making me really self-conscious... I should have showered first. Dammit."
Jae-gyu let out a deep sigh and began to berate himself. I shifted in his arms and spoke.
"...You do smell a lot. Please put me down. The newspaper is right over there."
He wasn't trying to kiss me. I felt relieved, but at the same time, a sense of unease lingered.
I was becoming afraid of how easily I was getting swept up by him.
⋆★⋆
Meem, meem-meem, meem-meem-meem.
The cicadas had already begun to cry. I shielded my eyes with the back of my hand and looked up at the sky.
A single white cloud was perched like a painting against the vivid blue sky.
The weather is beautiful.
It was a bit hot, but I had dressed lightly to compensate.
I had come out wearing a loose white short-sleeved shirt, wide-legged cotton pants, and slippers. The breeze felt wonderful every time it brushed against my skin.
"It’s starting to feel like summer now..."
I stopped walking and took a deep breath. The clean air filled my lungs.
Today, more than ever, I realized how different the air here was compared to Seoul.
Today was Sunday, and the water was shut off in Cheongseol-eup.
The elderly couple who owned the house hadn't returned since they went up to Seoul. The owner's absence was felt at times like this. Since there was no one to manage the property, I couldn't draw water from the auxiliary tank.
So, I had gone to the bathhouse in town early this morning. At first, I was worried about running into someone I knew—like a student or another teacher—but fortunately, the bathhouse was quiet and empty.
After a refreshing bath, I didn't head straight home but instead took a walk around town. It was an impulsive, aimless stroll.
Last week, when I went to the Dog-Comfortable World animal hospital, I had only looked around the market. At that time, I realized that the Rodeo area near the market was more developed than I had expected.
I had also asked Teacher Jung and Teacher Seo in the staff room about cafes with good coffee and decent shops.
So today, I had made up my mind to explore the Rodeo district.
Since I had already finished writing the final exam questions, it was a rare, leisurely day. For some reason, Jae-gyu hadn't come by either.
As I looked around, I found that the town had more to offer than I thought.
There were many familiar names, including various fast-food joints, franchise pizza places, famous sports brand stores, and road-shop cosmetic stores.
I went to an old bookstore and bought a thin book of essays, and I bought some plant nutrients for my Money Tree at a seed shop.
By the time I finished looking around, it was already afternoon. I wanted to see more, but since I had left while Bom-sik was sleeping, I thought it best to get back before he woke up.
Life in Shinsu-eup didn't seem so bad after all. It wasn't as convenient as Seoul, but it had everything I needed. I should have come to town sooner, I thought.
I turned back, thinking about what to buy the next time I came to town, my heart light on the way home. After getting off the bus, I began walking toward the house.
What is that? Why are they doing that?
I was puzzled.
Across the stone bridge in Cheongseol-eup, there was a large ginkgo tree, and beneath it sat an octagonal wooden pavilion. It was a cool spot thanks to the shade, and a place where the village elders often gathered. Several of them were gathered there now.
However, the atmosphere was quite different from usual. There were too many people, and their voices were loud. They were all standing, even though it was a place where they usually lay down or sat to rest.
Something was definitely wrong. I approached the pavilion. I could clearly hear the commotion.
"I’m telling you, my heart is still racing!"
"Grandma Sun-i, what did the fellow look like?"
"He was small and scrawny, but his eyes were all slanted—he had a terrifying face. Oh, it was scary."
The conversation was thick with worry. It seemed the person at the center of the story was my neighbor, Grandma Sun-i.
Anxiety began to creep up on me. As I stood among them, listening, Grandma Sun-i spotted me and raised her eyebrows.
"It’s the young lady from next door!"
At her words, the elders began to voice their concerns with heavy sighs.
"You be careful too, miss! There’s a madman wandering around here!"
"We called the police, so they’ll be here soon. Make sure you lock your doors tight!"
"Grandma Sun-i, why are you calling them just now? You should have called sooner."
"I was so startled I didn't know what I was doing!"
I asked what had happened, but their answers were all different, leaving my head spinning. Meanwhile, Grandma Sun-i was shouting at me to get home quickly.
So, someone tried to break into Grandma Sun-i’s house?
Nothing was stolen, but a strange man had been caught loitering around her place. He had fled, and it seemed he hadn't been caught yet.
Since it had only been a few days since an "injury resulting in death" case had occurred in the neighboring village, everyone was on edge. My heart sank as well.
I bit my lip nervously and hurried toward the house.
"...It’s okay, I’m not scared. I have Bom-sik."
I muttered to myself to try and trick my mind, but my heart rate was accelerating rapidly.
Nothing will happen. As I climbed the outdoor stairs, fumbling in my pocket for my keys, my body suddenly froze.
The door was open.
Thud. I dropped the book and the plant nutrients on the ground, unable to move an inch.
This was the part of movies that always frustrated me.
Run away, quickly! What are you doing! I had always shouted at the protagonists in my head, but facing it in reality was different. Besides, Bom-sik was inside.
"..."
My muscles were paralyzed, and my breathing stopped. Just as my mind was going blank and the world felt like it was fading away, a voice reached me like a ringing in my ears.
"Bom!"