Chapter 73
Chapter 73
“Poison ivy allergy... I'm not sure?!!”
“...?!”
Jae-gyu turned on the barbecue grill, placing his palm over the red-hot coals to gauge the temperature. His hand was practically cooking over the intensely hot coals, but Jae-gyu didn't flinch.
Bom stood up, snatched Jae-gyu's reddened hand, and, with wide eyes, asked again.
“You really don't remember?!”
Seeing the clear disappointment on Bom's face, Jae-gyu quickly stammered, "I remember it perfectly," repeatedly, trying to explain.
“I just deleted it from my memory for a bit, 'cause I showed you such a pathetic sight back then.”
Was that the only pathetic sight he'd shown? If she went by that logic, he might have to delete all his memories with her. Bom was extremely puzzled but kept the thought to herself.
At least he remembers, so that's a relief.
“I can't guarantee the taste.”
What Bom pulled from her backpack was a long bottle, wrapped once in thin tissue paper and tied with a ribbon.
“What's that?”
Jae-gyu, who had just placed a honeycomb-patterned grill on the hot griddle, took a moment to sit on the wooden bench.
“First, say 'ah'.”
He took out a fork, speared a square-cut piece of watermelon, and put it into Bom's mouth.
“Ah.”
Bom naturally took the watermelon Jae-gyu offered and exclaimed.
“It's incredibly sweet.”
“Right? I tasted it while I was cutting it earlier, and it's a total sugar bomb.”
The watermelon the Vice Principal had bought was very sweet and cool thanks to the valley water. Perhaps because her throat was hoarse from groaning and crying so much before falling asleep, it tasted even better.
After swallowing the small piece of watermelon, Bom untied the ribbon and presented the transparent glass bottle to Jae-gyu. Jae-gyu examined it carefully, then tilted his head.
“Juice... or something? Can I open it?”
“Of course.”
As soon as Bom gave her 'okay' sign, Jae-gyu twisted the lid open, and his lips curved into a smile.
“Oh, this is!”
He brought the bottle closer to his nose, checked again, and then burst out laughing.
“Wow, when did you infuse this? Looks like it's been a while.”
“I told you earlier.”
“When I came to see the mountain because of the poison ivy allergy?”
He might not remember this, but it was from when they went to the garden. Jae-gyu had seen the Infused Liquor at the store, smacked his lips, and said they should try drinking it next time. Naturally, Bom had scoffed internally at the time.
But then, that weekend, when there were leftover fresh strawberries, for some reason, Infused Liquor came to mind. Using the leftover strawberries as an excuse, she looked up a recipe online and made it.
She hadn't drunk it, just kept it well-preserved in the fridge. But seeing how much Jae-gyu enjoyed strawberry lattes, she thought he'd like this too, so she brought it today. Fortunately, Jae-gyu was beaming.
“Whoa, you already found out I like strawberries. This is for me, right? I'll just have one sip a day, save it up.”
“It's fruit liquor, so it's already a bit late to keep it. Finish it all today.”
“Damn it. Then I'll at least take a picture.”
Jae-gyu snapped photos of the Strawberry Infused Liquor, the flash popping repeatedly. Meanwhile, the griddle had heated up, and as soon as he put the meat on, it sizzled, and smoke wafted up.
“Bom. Choose between well-done, medium, or rare.”
“I eat anything well.”
“Tsk. Still, everyone has preferences.”
Jae-gyu grilled the meat to different doneness levels and asked for her taste evaluation. Bom discovered that a doneness between medium and rare suited her palate best. They paired the perfectly grilled beef, cooked to that preferred doneness, with the Infused Liquor Bom had brought.
“Look at that strawberry scent. It's absolutely perfect with beef.”
The Strawberry Infused Liquor Bom brought wasn't particularly pretty in color, but its aroma was strong. She'd worried it might have gone bad, but fortunately, it tasted fine. There was a subtle sweetness at the end, with a hint of acidity. Overall, it was tart and potent.
As they clinked the glasses Bom had brought and ate the meat Jae-gyu grilled, their night together deepened.
“Ugh, I feel it hitting me hard.”
Though she'd made it herself, this was Bom's first time drinking Infused Liquor, and she made gasping and hissing sounds as she drank. According to Jae-gyu, Infused Liquors generally had a pretty high alcohol content.
“So, drink slowly and just a little, Miss Bom-Bom.”
Despite it being midsummer, perhaps because they were in the mountains, the wind blowing from the valley was quite chilly. Bom, wrapped in the khaki blanket Jae-gyu had handed her, had actually been bothered by something for a while.
Her gaze kept drifting to the clothes Jae-gyu had changed into.
“Excuse me, Jae-gyu.”
As if they were wearing couple shirts, Jae-gyu was also in a long-sleeved hoodie and shorts, just like her. It was the first time Bom had seen Jae-gyu in thick, long-sleeved clothing.
“Do you have a cold?”
“A cold? What are you talking about? I'm perfectly healthy, I don't catch things like that.”
Bom narrowed her eyes. If that was the case, why was he wearing clothes like that?
“I thought you only had those weird, tight short-sleeved shirts. Like, that's all you had in your closet.”
“In the mountains at night, it's this cold, so short sleeves? What are you talking about?”
“...?”
“Warm is the best, you know.”
Bom, who almost dropped her chopsticks, questioned Jae-gyu accusingly.
“No, but, weren't you always wearing short sleeves because you run hot? You even wore that in winter. It was below zero then...”
“Ah, that time.”
She was asking about the short sleeves on the day he stormed into the faculty office. Jae-gyu rolled his eyes, recalling that day, then chuckled.
“Ah, I was crazy back then. I left my parka in the car and came up, so I only had short sleeves on.”
“What? So you wear outerwear too?”
“Of course. I thought I was going to freeze to death that day.”
Bom was a little shocked. Thinking back, she even recalled seeing goosebumps on Jae-gyu's arms, which made her let out a hollow laugh.
“What? And I didn't even know that...”
It was absurd that she had thought of him as someone who only wore short sleeves even in the dead of winter.
He added that it was true he didn't get cold easily, and she tried to imagine Jae-gyu in something like a cashmere coat, but it was hard to picture, so she gave up. There was one more thing that was hard to imagine.
“Um, if you hadn't come that day, we wouldn't have ended up like this, would we...?”
Bom slurped the steaming fish cake soup and raised her head to the sky, which had grown dark.
Countless stars were embedded in the pitch-black sky. Thanks to the absence of interfering lights from nearby accommodations or shops, the night sky was clear and vivid.
“Even if I hadn't gone that day, we would have met.”
Jae-gyu, holding a fish cake skewer, dipped it in soy sauce, and offered it to Bom, speaking with conviction.
“With my Bom-Bom wandering around Shinsu-eup, do you think I would have just left her alone? I would've snatched her right up.”
Jae-gyu, speaking with a skewer in his own mouth, seemed to be in a very good mood. Jae-gyu excitedly mumbled to himself.
“You caught my eye right from the first time I saw you. You're so pretty, no wonder Lee Jun was hovering around, too.”
“Why are you suddenly talking about Lee Jun? We just went on a Blind Date, that's all.”
“If that guy tries to hit on you again, don't fall for it, okay? You're mine now.”
Jae-gyu held out his mug, making a toasting gesture. Bom lightly clinked her glass against his.
“But will Han-gyeol be okay?”
Bom, who had taken a few sips in a row, suddenly thought of Han-gyeol.
The reason Bom-sik was entrusted to Philip this time was also due to Han-gyeol's absence.
Han-gyeol was currently in Seoul, taking a short-term special lecture during the break. He hadn't gone alone.
Se-jin was taking a super-short special lecture at a famous tutoring collective in Daechi-dong with her aunt's cousin, and unexpectedly, Se-jin's family first suggested that Han-gyeol attend with her. Lee Jun's influence must have been at play. It seemed they judged it better to pair the calm Han-gyeol with Se-jin rather than have her wander aimlessly again.
Due to differences in their academic performance, they weren't taking all subjects together. However, for other subjects where he was lacking, he decided to use intensive academy courses.
At first, Jae-gyu was skeptical. He asked if he really needed to go to Seoul just to attend for such a short time, offering instead to get him a top-notch private tutor. But Bom had a different opinion.
Bom persuaded Jae-gyu, saying it was a good opportunity for Han-gyeol to learn study methods and get used to the atmosphere, even if for a short time. That's how Han-gyeol was sent to Seoul a few days ago.
“Are the classes bearable?”
“He says it's difficult, but more manageable than he thought.”
“For other subjects, it might be better to review on his own, but Korean and math will be helpful. His mock exam scores were high, too.”
“It's not just because he's my kid, but Han-gyeol is quick-witted.”
Jae-gyu gulped down half a mug of the Infused Liquor in one go.
“Well, he's a kid who takes care of things himself, so I'm not worried. He grew up so well on his own.”
Although he spoke casually, Bom knew well how much care Jae-gyu had put into raising Han-gyeol.
“Time really flies. I brought him in when he was this small, and now he's studying like that to go to college.”
Bom quickly noticed Jae-gyu's slightly subdued tone. She took this opportunity to bring up more about Han-gyeol.
“Han-gyeol mentioned during counseling that he caused a lot of trouble in middle school. He said that's what he regrets the most.”
Jae-gyu had also briefly mentioned Han-gyeol's adolescence. Bom had only heard snippets from both of them and didn't know the details of what exactly happened.
“It was quite a mess back then... but it's all in the past now.”
Jae-gyu suddenly stood up and began tidying up the spot where they had grilled meat. Bom also rolled up her sleeves and put her feet into her slippers to stand up, but Jae-gyu stopped her with an "Ehey."
“Things like this are usually done by the Person with the most energy left.”
“Hmm, still...”
“Miss Bom-Bom, could you put some watermelon in my mouth?”
Bom watched Jae-gyu busily clean up, putting watermelon into his mouth whenever he came close.
“Here, 'ah'.”
“Ah. No matter how much I eat, that damn watermelon never seems to shrink.”
Watching Jae-gyu move around, making his usual silly remarks, Bom fell into thought.
There's something going on.