Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Yoon Bom. You’re not picking up.
Bom’s eyebrows shot up as she checked the message. The sender was none other than her brother, Yoon-cheong.
‘Why all of a sudden?’
It was the first time he had contacted her since she moved down here. Her heart sank.
The unexpected call and message made Bom turn serious.
Their relationship was closer to being uncomfortable than anything else. Even among other siblings, it wasn't common to be exceptionally close, but Bom’s family was an extreme case. It was all because of Yoon-cheong.
As the eldest son, he had been sent to live with a cousin in the States from a young age to "soak up some American culture." However, this had led to poor results.
Yoon-cheong had struggled to adjust to life in a foreign land. Standing at less than 170cm even fully grown, his already slight frame looked even smaller there. He was physically outmatched, and his personality was quiet.
After being severely bullied, Yoon-cheong eventually returned to Korea when he reached high school.
Bom had tried to get closer to her brother later on, but it wasn't easy. Their awkward relationship took a turn for the worse when Bom started receiving a string of university acceptance letters just before turning twenty.
At nineteen, Yoon-cheong had applied to his target school, Seoseong University, only to taste the bitterness of rejection. The following year, Bom was accepted into that very same university.
Though she ultimately chose to enroll at Seohwa Women's University, Yoon-cheong’s pride seemed deeply wounded.
‘I shouldn't have applied to Seoseong back then.’
Regretting it now was useless. Things had taken a final turn for the worst.
Bom still got chills whenever she thought about that day. Even now, Yoon-cheong limped whenever he wasn't feeling well. It was because dozens of steel pins were embedded in his leg.
[Bom, wait at the library. Mom told me to pick you up.]
[I can just take the bus. It’s awkward with you, Oppa.]
[What do you mean, the bus? It doesn't look good to others.]
Her mother, Jung Nan-hee, who was still stuck in her days as a celebrity, found it deeply embarrassing for Bom to use public transportation. Yet, she wouldn't buy her a car because her father, Yoon Jung-gi, was against it.
A long while later, her brother arrived in front of the central library to pick her up. It looked like he had been hanging out somewhere else before coming over. That day, the car smelled strongly of air freshener—or perhaps perfume.
Feeling awkward in the silent, moving car, Bom changed her mind. She thought it might be good to try and have a natural conversation by sharing some of her worries with him.
[Is your midterm season this early too? It’s so exhausting. All the exams are piling up.]
[Why are you so curious about my shithole school when you go to that prestigious Seohwa Women's University? I’m annoyed as hell that I had to come get you when I’m busy, so stop talking nonsense.]
[I’m sorry. I just... I felt like we haven't talked much. We are siblings, after all.]
[Fuck, siblings? Don't give me that "siblings" crap. When have you ever treated me like an older brother?]
Yoon-cheong grew agitated, jerking the steering wheel. His driving became wild and reckless. Bom screamed, and soon, disaster struck.
Crash—!
The car, which had been traveling down a quiet road, let out a thunderous roar as it plummeted somewhere. Both of them lost consciousness from the impact.
When Bom woke up several hours later, she was shocked to see Yoon-cheong still unconscious. She managed to get out of the car and call for help.
Bom escaped without injury, but Yoon-cheong suffered permanent damage to his leg.
It went without saying that the gap between them grew even wider after that.
“Sigh...”
A sigh escaped her lips involuntarily. Bom checked her call log.
‘Oppa 010-xxxx-xxxx – 3 Missed Calls’
The fact that there were three missed calls was ominous. Since it was quite late, she felt like pretending she hadn't seen them. But then, another message arrived.
Pick up.
The phone vibrated again. Bom pulled herself together and immediately pressed the call button.
“Uh, Oppa.”
—You’re late picking up. What were you doing earlier?
Yoon-cheong’s voice was monotone as usual. It made it hard to read his thoughts.
“I was showering. Is something wrong?”
—Ah, really? I thought...
Thought what? She was curious, but of course, she didn't ask. She just waited for Yoon-cheong to get to the point.
—You’re there on that inter-provincial exchange, right?
“Yeah.”
—You said two years was the maximum?
“Yeah, why?”
—Then are you coming back to Seoul next year?
It was an obvious question. She didn't have the slightest intention of spending her whole life here. And since she had come down here with a two-year promise in the first place, why was he suddenly saying this?
“...Of course. Why are you asking?”
—Just because. I was wondering if you’d just get hurt more if you came back to a school in Seoul.
“Why?”
—You said the teaching community is small. Nobody there knows your story right now, do they? But everyone in Seoul will still remember.
Bom bit her lip hard. She hated hearing him discuss such unpleasant topics so emotionlessly.
“Oppa, you know. I already talked to Mom about moving to a private school...”
—And you think people won't find out?
“Mom said it’s okay if I quit, so it doesn't matter.”
—This is why you should’ve stuck with art. Why become a teacher?
Yoon-cheong suddenly started lecturing her. It was exhausting. He might have thought he was being considerate, but his words didn't resonate with her at all.
If it weren't for the guilt she felt about his leg, she would have snapped and hung up long ago. Enduring it, Bom hurried to end the uncomfortable call.
“Okay, Oppa. I have a bit of a headache.”
—Fine. I’ll call again. Think about it carefully. No matter where you go in Seoul, you’ll just end up shrinking away. Seoul is surprisingly small.
Click. The short call ended just like that.
‘Why did he suddenly start rambling about that?’
Bom stood by the front door, staring blankly at her phone screen.
She reopened the message Yoon-cheong had sent earlier and clicked on his profile picture.
“Ah.”
The background photo was a happy family portrait. It looked relatively recent, but of course, she wasn't in it.
Her parents were smiling brightly in a photo that seemed to have been taken at a hotel banquet hall. As Bom examined the photo closely, she was startled.
Welcome back, Actress Jung Nan-hee.
- From the team of the drama Operation Winter
Bom felt a sudden, dizzying thud in her head.
‘Mom is starting to act again.’
Her heart ached at the fact that no one had shared this news with her. To think she didn't know about her mother’s return to the screen after twenty years.
[Get out! Someone like you is a disgrace to this family!]
[Stay tucked away quietly in the countryside until things die down. You need to be completely forgotten for a family to show up that's willing to take you in. Ha, I’m so ashamed I can’t even show my face.]
They had kicked her out like that and hadn't visited her once. They even monitored her—not that they called it that—to make sure she wouldn't come up to Seoul for holidays or events.
Returning to Seoul, where she was born and raised, still felt like a distant dream. That alone was enough to make her anxious, but her parents' attitude made Bom feel even more insecure.
‘I guess someone like me really isn't needed.’
She shouldn't cry.
As her resentment toward her family surged again, she couldn't calm herself down. The sorrow she had been barely suppressing finally exploded.
“Ugh...”
Tears began to flow slowly.
She crouched down in front of the shoe rack and began to sob. She thought she had run out of tears, but once they started, she couldn't stop.
After weeping quietly for a while, her resentment grew until she was finally wailing out loud.
Knock— tap-tap— knock-knock—
It was then. Bom lifted her head at the rhythmic sound of knocking. Her tear-filled eyes widened.
‘That’s strange. No one should be coming at this hour.’
A delivery driver? But even as she racked her brain, she couldn't remember ordering anything. Her heart fluttered with anxiety.
“Who is it...?”
Bom wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. She cautiously opened the door just a crack. She wished there was at least a security latch; in moments like this, she felt the lack of any security devices in the house.
“Here.”
A large man’s hand thrust through the gap in the door, which was barely a span wide. Before she could even be surprised, the man spoke quickly.
“Drink up.”
There was the clinking sound of ice. It was an iced Americano in a takeout cup.
“Jae-gyu...”
She hadn't expected this man to come back. Come to think of it, she remembered mentioning earlier that she needed caffeine. It seemed his sudden dash down the stairs earlier had been to go buy coffee.
“You seemed like you wanted some, so I bought it from that cafe the old folks run down there.”
“Ah, it’s a community cafe. Silver Nuri.”
“Is that so? Well, whatever.”
Glancing at him, she noticed beads of sweat on the nape of Jae-gyu’s neck. She guessed he had run so the ice wouldn't melt.
‘He ran all this way with this just for me?’
A sudden pang hit her chest. Her insides felt ticklish. Bom was momentarily dazed by this unfamiliar feeling.
“Aren't you going to drink it?”
Bom hesitated before slowly taking the coffee. As soon as the cold temperature touched her hand, she felt much better.
“I’ll enjoy it. Thank you...”
Jae-gyu was looking down at Bom without a word.
Bom’s hair, having just showered, was damp. Her cheeks were a mess of tear stains.
After slowly scanning Bom from the top of her head to her toes, Jae-gyu finally spoke.
“Which bastard made you cry?”
“It’s nothing like that. I... thank you for being so thoughtful and buying this...”
She was suddenly choked up and couldn't continue. The anxiety of feeling abandoned seemed to find comfort. Someone was looking out for her, even if just for a moment.
“Bom. Come out for a second.”
The man, staring down at her, gestured outside with his chin.
“What?”
“If you don't want to, I’m coming in.”
That wouldn't do! Bom answered hurriedly.
“I-I’m coming out, I’ll come out. Just a moment.”
Slipping into her slippers haphazardly, Bom followed Jae-gyu out the front door in a rush.
Less than an hour had passed, but the outside was being stained the color of a ripe persimmon by the setting sun.
Without even asking Bom, Jae-gyu plopped down on the large wooden bench near the laundry line. It was a natural action, as if he were in his own home.
“...”
“The view is killer!”
With his legs spread wide, he sipped his drink, looking for all the world like the owner of the house.
He really was a man who did everything without hesitation. Bom sat down beside him. Then, she looked at the suspicious pink drink Jae-gyu was sipping.
“What is that?”
“It’s a strawberry latte.”
A short laugh escaped Bom’s lips at the unexpected menu choice.
“What, you got a strawberry latte for yourself...?”
“Did you just call me 'honey'?”
“...No.”
He said the strangest things whenever he got the chance. Bom glanced at the strawberry latte and noticed the color was much deeper than those from other cafes.
“Wow, I’ve never seen so much strawberry syrup in one before.”
“No matter where I go, people can't seem to give me enough. It’s not the first time.”
“Yes, I’m very envious.”
“Do you want this that badly? Want a sip?”
Jae-gyu pulled the straw from his mouth and thrust it toward Bom’s lips.
“N-no thanks!”
When Bom recoiled in disgust, Jae-gyu grinned, scratched the back of his neck, and muttered.
“I went there and asked what kind of coffee young women drink most these days, and they gave me an iced Americano. Do you not like it?”
Bom shook her head. She had never had such a nutty and fresh iced Americano. It was also true that she felt much better thanks to it. She was a little grateful.
“Here, a bonus.”
Jae-gyu reached into his pocket and thrust out a macaron. Perhaps because his hands were so large, it created an optical illusion where the macaron looked the size of a coin.
“Eat up. They say sweet things are the best when you’re crying.”
Huh?
‘Where have I heard those words before...?’