The Husband Returns
The landlady's words were obvious. And don't worry about him going to work today.
She stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned her head.
“Right, it's night shift today.”
Jung Na-yeon's expression softened slightly. It was impossible to tell whether she was relieved or disappointed by Hyun-soo's words about going to work; her face held a subtle mix of emotions.
“What time do you have to leave?”
“At the same time.”
“Ten o'clock?”
“Yeah.”
Jung Na-yeon opened the first-floor front door.
“I have to pack the bento box. Wait a second. The bento bag was just brought up to the third floor.”
She pressed her forehead and clicked her tongue.
“Seriously, I brought everything up without thinking.”
She entered the kitchen and looked up at the ceiling.
“It's fine. There's a plastic bento container somewhere.”
“For that, are you packing it?”
“Yeah, I'll pack it with that. The bag can be picked up again from the third floor tomorrow.”
She took out a sealed container from the corner of the cabinet and placed it on the dining table, then opened the refrigerator.
“Should I make stir-fried pork belly? Or bulgogi? I bought some ingredients yesterday.”
Jung Na-yeon looked inside the refrigerator and started taking out ingredients. Holding a pack of pork in one hand and taking out an onion with the other, she smiled slyly.
“I should be the one saying not to worry. But you're the one doing it to me.”
“Who cares if someone does it for you.”
Hyun-soo chuckled.
“I can handle it alone when that person comes on Tuesday.”
She took out a cutting board and started slicing the onion while continuing.
“You said you're coming to look for your stuff, so how long will you stay? You'll come in, take it, and leave.”
The sound of the knife hitting the cutting board rang out regularly.
“But if you hear a sound from the upper floor, just say there's a tenant. There's actually a tenant living on the third floor. Nothing strange about that.”
“It's my old place anyway, so what's strange about it?”
“Right.”
She stopped the knife and looked at Hyun-soo. The redness around her eyes had gone, but her cheeks were still slightly flushed.
“After work, sleep right on the third floor. Got it?”
“Don't worry.”
She poured oil into the frying pan and said firmly.
“You can just hold out until tomorrow evening. When that person leaves, I'll come up right away.”
When she put the meat into the pan, the sizzling sound filled the kitchen. She poured the seasoning sauce and added softly.
As evening work time approached, Jung Na-yeon stood in front of the front door and adjusted Hyun-soo's work boots laces. She knelt down, tied the laces tightly, and looked up.
“You have to tie them tight so your ankles don't twist. I told you before, right?”
“I know.”
She stood up and brushed off the shoulders of his work uniform.
“Don't forget to eat the bento. Make sure to eat it.”
“There's no way I'll forget. How delicious it is when you're hungry.”
“Ch...”
Jung Na-yeon handed her the bag with the sealed container and checked the knot once more.
Leaning against the opening front door, she looked up at Hyun-soo's face.
“After work, come up to the third floor right away. I'll change the password for the first-floor front door. That person already knows the original number.”
She touched Hyun-soo's chest with her finger.
“Tomorrow evening, when that person leaves, I'll send a text right away. Then come down.”
Her voice was calm, but the fingers gripping Hyun-soo's sleeve had strength in them.
“Got it.”
She cupped Hyun-soo's cheeks with both hands and pressed her lips against his for a long time. Under the front door sensor light, the shadows of the two overlapped into one.
When their lips parted, she pushed Hyun-soo's back.
“Go. You'll be late.”
Jung Na-yeon crossed her arms, leaning on the doorframe. Every time Hyun-soo descended the stairs, her gaze followed him down. The sound of the iron door at the entrance creaking open made her walk to the window and look through the curtains. The back of Hyun-soo's figure walking down the alley grew smaller under the streetlight. She placed her palm on the window and muttered.
“Just a little longer until tomorrow.”
When Hyun-soo's shadow disappeared around the corner, she put down the curtain and looked around the empty living room. The house without Hyun-soo's traces felt strangely quiet.
At the night entrance of the logistics center.
Under the lights, already several laborers were stretching. Park Ban-jang sat on a pipe chair next to the entrance with the attendance book clipped to his clipboard, and when he saw Hyun-soo, he raised his ballpoint pen.
“You're here? Perfect timing.”
Park Ban-jang checked the attendance book and nodded.
“Today's workload is a bit heavy. Since it's Monday, the weekend backlog came all at once.”
“Really?”
“Be prepared.”
“Ah, this is going to be tough.”
“Same as last week.”
Park Ban-jang pointed at the conveyor with his pen and clipped the clipboard to his waist.
Lee Tae-ho, wearing gloves next to the B-line conveyor, spotted Hyun-soo and waved his hand.
“Kim Hyun-soo!”
Lee Tae-ho smiled widely and approached.
“Did you have a good rest over the weekend?”
“I did. How about you, hyung?”
“Me? I had a great time. Today's really no joke. The C-line chief was cursing at the workload earlier.”
“Even the team leader was saying that. He told us to be prepared today.”
“You work well, though?”
“It's hard even if you work well.”
“Hahaha... If you're a man, you have to clash with it.”
He threw a pair of work gloves at Hyun-soo and pointed at the conveyor with his chin.
“New gloves. Your old ones were torn last time, right?”
“Oh, so you're giving them to me?”
“I told the team leader and had them removed.”
“Wow, thanks.”
“You work well, so I'm taking care of you.”
He glanced at the bag in Hyun-soo's hand and narrowed his eyes.
“Bento again today?”
“Yes.”
“You didn't bring the bag?”
“That's because of some reason.”
Lee Tae-ho snorted and smelled the air.
“What is that? It smells like stir-fried pork?”
“Stir-fried pork belly.”
“Seriously, I'm jealous. I have to eat convenience store triangle kimbap.”
Lee Tae-ho sighed exaggeratedly and patted Hyun-soo's shoulder.
“Don't you think you should ask for just one bite during break time?”
“One bite?”
“It was a joke, a joke.”
The conveyor belt started whirring and began operating.
Lee Tae-ho changed his expression and switched to work mode.
“Good, today for B-line, if a large box comes out from the front, I'll signal you, so grab it right away.”
“What time is the peak today?”
“Around one in the morning. If you hold out until then, the rest will flow.”
“Got it.”
Lee Tae-ho clapped his gloved hands and let out a spirit.
“Let's go, we're quitting work early today too!”
As boxes started pouring onto the conveyor belt, the B-line instantly turned into a battlefield. Due to the weekend backlog, the boxes varied in size and intervals were irregular. Lee Tae-ho, sorting from the back, glanced at the front and his mouth curved up. Hyun-soo's hands picked up the boxes faster than the belt. Reading the region numbers and placing them on the pallets without missing a beat.
“Hey, you're really like a machine!”
The uncle next to the line asked Lee Tae-ho, and he gave a thumbs up proudly.
“Our line.”
One in the morning.
The peak workload hit.
Large boxes came in a row of three, and before Lee Tae-ho could signal, Hyun-soo was already grabbing them.
Lee Tae-ho supported from behind and burst into a laugh.
“Hey, I was supposed to signal. If you grab first, there's nothing for me to do.”
“Really?”
“Your face is too high up.”
Lee Tae-ho grumbled and his mouth didn't go down. Park Ban-jang was patrolling the lines and stopped in front of B-line, lowering his clipboard. He watched Hyun-soo's work for a moment, then approached Lee Tae-ho.
“Not bad, huh?”
Lee Tae-ho spread his fingers in answer.
“Since last week, it's really amazing.”
Park Ban-jang nodded and wrote something in the attendance book.
At two in the morning, the break bell rang. Lee Tae-ho sat next to Hyun-soo and gulped down his water bottle.
“Today's workload was crazy, but since you ate it all in front, I just picked up from behind.”
He pointed at Hyun-soo's bag with his chin.
“Eat.”
“You eat too, hyung.”
At that moment, Park Ban-jang entered the break area and saw Hyun-soo.
“Kim Hyun-soo, today's B-line processing volume is record-breaking. Team leader Lee Tae-ho suggested fixing you, and I agree.”
“Fixed?”
Hyun-soo asked while unpacking his bento.
Park Ban-jang tapped the clipboard and added.
“You can come out tomorrow too, right?”
“Of course I can.”
“Tomorrow's workload isn't light either.”
Lee Tae-ho nudged Hyun-soo with his elbow from the side and winked.
“If you don't come, it'll be tough for real.”
Hyun-soo smiled at that.
“I'm a bit of an ace, right?”
“You owe it to the guy who raised you. But I'll admit it.”
When Hyun-soo opened the sealed container lid, the smell of stir-fried pork filled the break room. Lee Tae-ho stopped chewing his triangle kimbap and turned his head.
“Seriously, torture. Torture.”
Lee Tae-ho wrinkled his nose and leaned towards Hyun-soo.
“Is there onion in there? Hey, that's two whole onions. Did you pack rice and pork belly separately?”
“You have to eat it properly.”
Lee Tae-ho crumpled his triangle kimbap wrapper and let out a long sigh.
“I don't want to eat this anymore.”
Another laborer sitting next to him laughed and patted Lee Tae-ho's back.
“Team leader, you should also bring a bento.”
“Chuuu...”
Lee Tae-ho smacked his lips, ate the triangle kimbap, drank from the water bottle, and wiped his mouth.
After the meal time ended, everyone stood up from their seats again.
“Good, now that you're full, let's go. The remaining workload will be done in an hour.”
“With today's speed, we can finish before six, right?”
“Of course.”
Lee Tae-ho put on his gloves again and walked towards the B-line. The conveyor started whirring once more, and boxes kept coming down. Lee Tae-ho received the boxes from behind and shouted.
“Hyun-soo, large one on the left!”
Hyun-soo and Lee Tae-ho's breathing synced, and the B-line pallets stacked up quickly.