Chapter 66
Chapter 66
Bom was startled. She hadn't realized they were playing Go-Stop for money amidst the typhoon.
No wonder the sounds were so boisterous; it was more than just a simple game of Go-Stop to forget their anxieties.
Following Jae-gyu into the living room, Bom stood and watched the people gathered around the TV, having spread out mats to sit on. The children had gone upstairs with Han-gyeol, leaving only the adults.
“Can we join after this round?” Jae-gyu asked, spotting an empty spot. The man, who had just laid down his cards with a sigh, looked up, then his eyes widened.
“The motorcycle from last time!”
It was the Green Photo Studio Owner, who'd had a motorcycle accident on the way home from Cheongseol Hanaro Mart. He'd been out on a shoot, got stranded, and decided to take shelter here.
“Oh, you two were the newlyweds, right? I said I’d take your picture for free if you came by, and I was just feeling a bit disappointed you hadn’t, but here we meet!”
What they hadn't been able to explain to the man, who'd mistaken them for newlyweds in the chaos, had now come back to haunt them. Behind them, the Vice Principal, who was in the middle of a game, perked up his ears.
“We’re not newlyweds…” Bom’s voice was clearly flustered, and Jae-gyu clicked his tongue.
“We’ll go once we’ve registered at the county office and become definite newlyweds. You’ll still take our picture even if we go a bit late, right?”
“Oh, of course!”
“Thank you. Will you be playing the next round too?”
The photo studio owner waved his hand, got up, and moved to a spot right in front of the TV.
“There’s a spot. Let’s sit.”
Jae-gyu quickly took the empty seat and made a space for Bom beside him.
Colorful cards were scattered haphazardly on the thick microfiber blanket spread tautly before them. The two remaining grandmas had only a few cards left in their hands, so the round seemed close to ending.
“That grandma with the permed hair is good, huh?” Jae-gyu mumbled, but Bom couldn't answer. In truth, she didn't know the rules of Go-Stop, so she couldn't tell what was going on even by watching.
She knew the basic rule of matching identical cards, but she didn't understand how strangely different-looking cards were grouped together, or how the scoring worked.
“Who should play the next round among us? My physical, intellectual, and emotional stats are all at their peak today.”
“How do you know that?”
“Biorhythm.”
“Huh? From what era is that...? No, then you play, Jae-gyu. I can’t play Go-Stop. I don’t know how.”
Jae-gyu blinked, watching Bom vehemently refuse and wave her hands.
“You’ve really never played?”
“No, I’ll just watch.”
She'd never had the chance. Her family had never gathered to play such gambling games, and even in college, she'd had to leave MTs early to go home.
“Then let’s have Bom-Bom play this round.”
“Why!”
“I’ll teach you.”
“Even so...!”
While they bickered, the scoring was finished, and a few hundred-won coins changed hands.
“Who’s playing, the maiden or the bachelor?” the grandma asked, skillfully shuffling a new deck of cards. Jae-gyu pointed at Bom with his finger, and soon cards flew towards her.
“Grandma. Our Bom-Bom is playing Go-Stop for the first time in her life today. It’s okay if I join in and help her, right?”
“Then shall we play this round for 10 won a point?”
“Yes.”
Bom held the cards she'd been dealt and quickly scanned them. Jae-gyu whispered in a low voice close to her ear.
“Look at your hand. Bom-Bom is rich now.”
“Huh?”
“Frown.”
It must have meant not to show her good hand with her expression. On impulse, Bom scrunched up her face and frowned deeply.
“There’s nothing... to eat.”
Awkwardly, she even mumbled a phrase she'd heard somewhere. Seeing Jae-gyu delighted, saying she was rich, she figured her hand was probably good, but the problem was how to use it.
Bom began to learn the rules, listening to Jae-gyu's coaching.
She learned that matching identical pairs didn't always yield the same score. Bom memorized the scores and made a mental note of the card sets that gave extra points when grouped together.
“If you group these guys, it’s a Godori; if you group those guys, it’s a Gwang...”
As she listened, it didn't seem that difficult. The clack-clack sound each time she slapped down a small plastic card was strangely exhilarating.
Bom gradually immersed herself in the game.
She collected Cheongdan cards, avoided Gwangbak, and gulped down the sikhye Jae-gyu handed her. Then, at a crucial moment, she slammed down three cards she'd been holding onto the blanket. The grandmas' faces turned ashen.
“It’s a bomb! What the heck?”
“Grandmas, quickly give her what you owe.”
The grandmas, whose cards had been taken, grumbled loudly. Jae-gyu's coaching was good, but her hand was even better.
Bom maintained a calm expression, but dopamine surged through her whenever a new card matched one of hers.
‘This is fun.’
She thought to herself, matching cards with a clack-clack, while the grandmas gnashed their teeth.
“Oh dear, she won, she won. If we’d played for 100 won a point, we’d have lost everything.”
Was it over already? She felt a pang of regret, wanting to play more. As she was about to put down her cards, Jae-gyu glanced over and interjected.
“If you want to keep going, say ‘Go.’ If you want to take just this and run, say ‘Stop.’”
Bom checked her remaining cards again and quietly said.
“...Go.”
⋆★⋆
Jae-gyu-style Beef Radish Soup had a richer, slightly spicier broth than what she'd eaten at the rest stop.
People sat around low tables in the living room, eating gukbap and chatting amiably. For a moment, the conversation centered on Bom.
“That young lady earlier, not content with a ‘Three Go,’ even went for a ‘Four Go’! I thought I was going to flip out!”
“She said it was her first time today, but her head was spinning so well, huh?”
The grandmas sitting with them shook their heads in amazement. Bom had won a total of 7,400 won. This included money she'd won later playing Matgo with Jae-gyu.
When the story of Bom's sweep came up, Jae-gyu spoke as if he were even prouder.
“This person is an elite, a graduate of Seohwa Women’s University.”
“Really?”
“Why would I lie after eating such an expensive meal?”
As he said this, he subtly gave Bom a thumbs-up. He answered people's questions on her behalf to such an extent that anyone would think he'd gotten her admitted to the university himself.
When asked how to study, he added that she focused on Korean, English, and Math and was diligent in her school life, a detail Bom didn't know why he included.
‘It’s not wrong, so I’ll just let it be.’
As people were finishing their meal, the weather worsened. The wind outside grew fiercer, and sounds of things flying and crashing began to be heard.
Those who had finished eating flipped through TV channels. The regular terrestrial broadcast news had already ended. Since Seoul was only experiencing light rain with no significant impact, there seemed to be no special news report scheduled.
When they switched to a local channel, a headline read "Weather Special Report," and announcers were discussing the situation.
<Thanks to the typhoon beginning to make a sharp turn to the right, our country is rapidly moving out of its path. Next is the newly updated predicted path of Typhoon Mongoose...>
People breathed a sigh of relief at the news that they would soon be out of the typhoon's path.
“It’ll calm down in four or five hours?”
No matter how spacious and comfortable Jae-gyu's house was, everyone would want to return to their own homes.
The photo studio owner opened the bag he'd placed in the corner and took out a tripod and camera. Then he called out to the people.
“Since we’ve all found shelter from the typhoon here today, it’s fate, so how about we take a picture?”
At the photo studio owner's suggestion, everyone agreed it was a good idea and gathered tightly in a corner of the living room.
“The homeowner couple should stand in the middle!”
The grandmas pushed Jae-gyu and Bom forward. Teacher Noh's mouth dropped open as she looked at the Vice Principal, but the Vice Principal merely handed Bom-sik to Bom and smiled contentedly.
“Alright, alright, taking the picture. Say ‘Kimchi’ in 10 seconds!”
The photographer, having set the timer, quickly blended into the crowd. Bom sat cross-legged in the center of the front row, placing Bom-sik inside her lap. Han-gyeol and Jae-gyu were on either side of her.
The camera, which had been slowly blinking a red light, began to blink rapidly and emit a beeping alarm with three seconds left.
The moment the shutter automatically clicked, Jae-gyu tightly squeezed Bom's hand, which was resting gently on her knee. With a bright smile, click, the photo was taken.
Bom's expectation that people would leave early was wrong. Everyone, claiming to be full and warm, spread out blankets in Jae-gyu's living room and lay down.
‘Aren’t they uncomfortable in someone else’s house...?’
The wind and rain that had swept over Shinsu-eup had now largely subsided. Even the local broadcast was no longer airing weather special reports.
Looking at the living room, dimly lit with only indirect lighting, leaving a faint yellow glow, Bom recalled the day's events.
Jae-gyu, who had appeared when she was flustered by the sudden natural disaster, had been a reliable presence, and there had been many fun moments amidst the villagers.
Jae-gyu emerged from the kitchen holding two cups, navigating past the people lying or sitting on blankets with his long legs as if clearing obstacles, and approached the sofa where Bom was sitting.
“What’s this?”
She tilted her head, looking at the light brown drink in the ice cup. Smelling it, she realized it was plum tea.
Bom carefully sipped the plum tea, making sure the ice didn't clink. Sitting on the sofa and looking down at the living room, it felt like a refugee shelter or a jjimjilbang.
“Jae-gyu, you worked hard today.”
Some people were already asleep, so the TV volume was low. Bom also lowered her voice and looked at Jae-gyu.
“It’s fine. More importantly...”
Their eyes met. Jae-gyu downed his plum tea in one gulp, crunched the ice in his mouth, and set the cup down.
“Shall we go out for a bit once you’re done? The rain has stopped.”
“Okay, I’m almost done.”
Bom finished the last sip and rolled a piece of ice in her mouth. With the coolness, she felt the illusion that the day's fatigue was slowly melting away.
Quietly opening the front door, the two went out into the garden. Outside, it was already dark, and the area was somewhat messy with debris blown in by the typhoon.
But the garden, set to automatically light up at night, emitted a soft glow, and the rustling sound of the grass underfoot added to its charm.
The air after the typhoon was clear and cold. Bom straightened her chest and slowly inhaled the fresh air, then gazed at Jae-gyu's back as he cleared debris.
Her heart fluttered at his broad, sweat-dampened back, feeling both a desire to be embraced and to embrace him at the same time.
The moment of realization wasn't anything special.
The certainty that only this man's back could give her such a thrill suddenly came to her.
‘I... I like Jae-gyu.’