Chapter 91
Chapter 91
“…….”
The appearance of a stranger plunged the cafe into a sudden silence. Bathed in backlight, the man’s silhouette loomed as he slowly stepped inside.
Everyone stared at him, dazed. For a moment, Bom was reminded of a visitor who had appeared in the teachers' office back during the winter.
‘Mr. Jae-gyu?’
That distinctive, swaggering gait was unmistakably Jae-gyu. As the door closed behind him, his figure came into sharp focus.
“Hey there. Hard at work, I see.”
The people inside, already intimidated by his entrance, couldn't find their words. It was understandable; to anyone seeing Jae-gyu for the first time, his appearance was nothing short of terrifying.
The massive, towering man who had suddenly barged in was packed with thick muscle, looking like someone you definitely shouldn't mess with. Most notably, his pectoral muscles, heaving with his heavy breathing, caught everyone's eye.
‘His shirt looks even tighter than usual today...’
It had been a while since she’d seen him in a skin-tight white performance tee and tattoo sleeves. He had arrived fully decked out in what Bom had secretly dubbed the ‘Jae-gyu-Style Full Set.’
To top it off, he had added one more item today: a Health Germanium Bracelet on his wrist. It was a birthday gift Han-gyeol had given him when he was a child, a treasure Jae-gyu usually kept tucked away to keep it safe.
‘What’s that?’
Jae-gyu was clutching a large black plastic bag. As he moved, the bag emitted a loud, crinkling sound.
“Wh-who are you? We’re filming right now, so...”
When a brave staff member tried to block his path, Jae-gyu thrust the plastic bag forward. The staff member took it reflexively, tilted his head in confusion as he peeked inside, and pulled out one of the items.
“Shinsu-jjang Premium Gim-bugak...?”
The bag was stuffed with small, individual packages of seaweed crackers.
“I’m Seon Han-gyeol’s uncle.”
His voice boomed through the room as Jae-gyu took a step forward. Realizing the identity of the man who had suddenly appeared, the PD pressed a hand to his forehead and let out a sigh. He was already dealing with a headache, and now another unwelcome presence had been added to the mix.
“There’s a lot of you! Good thing I bought plenty. This is our town’s specialty—makes for a great snack. Everyone take one, and don't be too shocked by how good it tastes.”
The staff members glanced back and forth between the PD and Jae-gyu before tentatively grabbing a bag of gim-bugak each. A few, unable to endure their hunger any longer, opened them on the spot, the sound of loud crunching filling the silence.
“…….”
Why did he buy those? It was the same gim-bugak he had bought for her the first time he took her to the township. Bom decided to just watch Jae-gyu for now.
Jae-gyu was focused on scanning the interior of the cafe like a predator stalking its prey.
“Anyway, who’s the one in charge here? I’d like a word.”
The heads of the people eating the gim-bugak turned toward the PD like a pack of meerkats. Feeling the weight of everyone’s gaze, the PD had no choice but to step forward. Truthfully, there was nowhere to run.
“Hello. I’m the PD. May I ask what brings an uncle all the way here...?”
The PD greeted him with an awkward smile from several meters away. Jae-gyu instantly closed the distance with a few long strides.
“Am I not allowed to come?”
“No, it’s just... it’s rare for an uncle to show up...”
“I’m that student’s uncle and his father. That’s who I am.”
Hearing Jae-gyu’s blunt declaration, Bom turned her head to look up at Han-gyeol. With his eyes fixed on his uncle, Han-gyeol’s lips twitched.
Bom felt that he must have experienced an indescribable emotion at the word ‘father’ coming from Jae-gyu’s mouth. She felt it too—her own heart had swelled strangely at those words.
“From what I heard outside, it sounded like you were spouting some nasty nonsense to our Han-gyeol and his homeroom teacher. I must’ve heard wrong, right? Because if I didn't, I was plannin' on gettin' physical today. Am I right?”
“That’s...”
Jae-gyu leaned his upper body forward slightly, tilting his head as he looked down at the PD, who was mumbling an explanation. Jae-gyu dropped his voice to a low growl.
“I asked if I’m right.”
The PD’s eyes darted around, confused as to whether Jae-gyu was asking if he had indeed been talking nonsense or if Jae-gyu had heard him correctly.
“Look, sir. I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I was simply trying to help the student deliver a sincere video letter to his mother...”
“Sincere, you say? Right now?”
Sincere... Jae-gyu muttered the word lowly, then snapped his fingers as if a great idea had just occurred to him.
“Then I should sit right next to Han-gyeol and be in the video too. That’s fine, right?”
The PD, who had turned pale for a moment, seemed to have a change of heart and quickly nodded.
“Actually, I was just trying to convince the student to do a retake. This works out perfectly. Please, help the student deliver a good message to his mother from right beside him. You can sit over there.”
The PD shouted at the staff, “What are you doing? Get the setup ready!” and sent Jae-gyu over to Han-gyeol.
“Bom, I’m late, aren't I...?”
Bom reached out and secretly squeezed Jae-gyu’s hand behind his back, out of sight of the others. Feeling his characteristically warm, rough hand, Bom whispered.
“You can do this, right? I’ll be standing right there cheering for you.”
The setup was finished quickly, and the PD laughed loudly while chatting with the writer. Bom went to stand next to Seung-won, who was holding the camera.
“Tsk, our PD isn't usually like this... If the two-shot looks this good, the focus is going to shift to something else entirely.”
Bom peeked at the monitor as Seung-won muttered and shook his head. She understood the negative nuance of the two-shot looking ‘too’ good.
With the two of them together, the screen practically came to life. However, the atmosphere between them was nothing short of chilling.
Jae-gyu, who was growling as he spoke to Han-gyeol, thumped his chest with his fist as if frustrated. Seeing Jae-gyu’s face turning red with anger, Han-gyeol also narrowed his eyes and snapped back. Just as their voices were about to rise, the cue was given.
And so, filming began again. Han-gyeol finished saying essentially the same thing he had said before. Just as the frustrated PD was about to cut and complain, Jae-gyu immediately took over.
“Hee-yeon. Look at this kid. He grew up to be quite the man, didn't he? Can you see him?”
Jae-gyu, who had been shifting around as if the cafe chair was too small, leaned his upper body close to the table and scowled.
“I asked if you can see him!”
After glaring into the camera and blinking, Jae-gyu leaned back against the chair again.
“If you can see him, give me an answer. Who do you think raised him to be this great?”
Bom heard the director mutter a curse under his breath, but the camera kept rolling.
“It was me. I raised Han-gyeol like he was my own flesh and blood. So... so I’m gonna be Han-gyeol’s mother.”
Bom’s eyes widened at the shocking statement. But she soon understood what he meant. Having clothed, washed, and fed Han-gyeol alone since elementary school, Jae-gyu had every right to call himself a parent.
“I kept my mouth shut all this time because I was afraid Han-gyeol would find out. But what can I do? The kid’s sharp, just like me.”
Jae-gyu chuckled briefly, then cleared his throat and hardened his expression.
“I don't have to walk on eggshells around anyone anymore. So, if you ever come looking for our kid like this again, I’ll flip the whole world upside down.”
Having delivered his warning, Jae-gyu stood up abruptly. The PD and the writer, who had been sighing in annoyance because the footage was even more unusable than before, stared blankly at Jae-gyu’s sudden movement.
Jae-gyu glared at them and bellowed.
“Dammit, do you understand me?!”
Because he had shouted with such force and volume, the writer jumped in surprise, scattering her script into the air. The PD blinked, gasping like a fish out of water, seemingly forgetting how to breathe.
“Y-yes... yes, sir...”
The cafe froze as if doused in ice water. Only then did a smile bloom on Bom’s face.
Jae-gyu, now standing right in front of the PD, furrowed his brows and demanded a promise.
“Make sure that video letter gets to Hee-yeon. You got that?”
“...Of course.”
“I mean it. I’ll be checking.”
After emphasizing his point once more, Jae-gyu decided the staff were innocent and ordered strawberry smoothies for everyone. He then called the cafe owner over and paid a generous amount in advance for the drinks.
“Shall we go, Bom? Let’s go, Han-gyeol.”
Having wrapped everything up, Jae-gyu’s smile as he spoke looked more refreshed than ever.
⋆★⋆
“Hey, hey, I told you not to do that.”
Jae-gyu clicked his tongue as he watched Bom try to pry open a crab leg with all her might.
“You’re gonna hurt your hands.”
He quickly snatched the leg from Bom’s hand, placed it on the round plate in front of him, and went back to digging out the meat from the body.
‘I didn't intend to come to a place like this.’
Bom, who had confidently offered to buy lunch, had wanted to set the mood in a quiet, clean restaurant. Something like a tuna specialty place.
However, Jae-gyu had misinterpreted Bom’s comment about wanting raw seafood. He had driven them here, claiming a large crab house had opened near the orange outlet. Han-gyeol had tried desperately to stop him, but the car was already heading out of town.
And so, the three of them had been seated at a quiet table on the third floor, where they sat in the window’s sunlight and ordered an extra-large serving of soy sauce marinated crab.
As soon as the crab arrived, Jae-gyu had put on plastic gloves and begun the work of meticulously deboning it.
‘He’s really good at getting the meat out.’
As she watched him, Bom was reminded of a column she had read in a women’s magazine at the hair salon.