3
### Chapter 3
The sky over Jeju Island.
A sunset glowing red like waves.
There was a particular kind of romance to Jeju Island. The air, colors, sea, and atmosphere that could only be
experienced on an island.
Of course, the sky over Seoul and the sky over Jeju were ultimately the same sky, but that did not change the fact that
they felt different.
“Wow... this is incredible.”
To tourists who had come from elsewhere, there was undeniably something different about it.
Even if the air was technically the same, wasn’t the air you breathed in Paris different from the air you breathed in
Seoul?
It was the same here.
Kim and the others were staring blankly out the car window.
Even the man driving had momentarily become dazed while holding the steering wheel.
“You’re going to burn a hole through the sky.”
Hangil spoke.
The four of them were on their way to Hangil’s house.
“Why is this tangerine orchard so huge? Where’s your house?”
“Over there.”
“That way? Ah, that place with the lights on?”
“No. That’s a storage building. I guess someone’s still working there. Maybe they’re drinking?”
Hangil looked toward the building before speaking.
“We have to go a little farther. Our tangerine orchard is pretty big.”
“...All of this belongs to your family?”
“It belongs to my grandmother. She’s a prominent local figure.”
“Wow... It really is huge. If the land value goes up later and they build something here...”
“Hey, watch what you say in front of the kid.”
“Why? I didn’t say anything wrong. Hangil must be rich, huh?”
“How is this my money? It’s my grandmother’s.”
At those words, Kim and the others looked at Hangil with fond expressions.
They did not know whether he had any immediate family, but he was a grandson raised directly by his grandmother.
Considering that he had no parents, there would probably be quite a bit of money coming his way eventually.
But that was merely the perspective of worldly adults.
Hangil looked straight ahead with an indifferent expression, as though they were saying something ridiculous.
More precisely, his attention was fixed on the bankbook in his hands.
The numbers printed on the pages were impossible for him to take his eyes off.
It was the money he had earned from selling the seafood today.
Hangil kept grinning as he stared at his bankbook.
Seeing him like that, Kim and the others began whispering again.
“He really is something else...”
“Right?”
“I thought the kid only loved the water, but he’s got a sharp eye for money too. Maybe growing up under a rich
grandmother gave him an early sense of money...”
“I can hear you.”
Hangil glared at Kim and the others.
He carefully folded his bankbook and tucked it deep inside his clothes before speaking.
“I’m going to buy some diving equipment. I think my body’s still going to grow more, so I need to prepare in advance.”
“Even bigger than that? How tall are you?”
“When I measured last time... I think I was 181 centimeters.”
“Are you going to end up over 190?”
“I hope I don’t grow any more either. But I hear some people keep growing even after their first year of high school, so
maybe I will. The diving suits I’m wearing now are already the biggest ones at the Haenyeo Training School. I want to
get equipment that fits me before it’s too late. Eventually, I want professional scuba equipment too...”
Hangil suddenly realized he had said too much and hurriedly took back his words.
“But this is a secret. Grandma and the uncles keep teasing me, saying they’ll report me for tax evasion or something...”
“Forget it. It’s just a kid’s pocket money.”
“It’s not pocket money...”
“Whatever! Hangil earned it with his own strength. Until he becomes an adult, just think of it as him earning some
spending money. Right?”
“Exactly!”
Kim and the others all promised to keep it a secret.
They continued talking about this and that as they drove, until a house surrounded by stone walls gradually came into
view.
It was a two-story detached house.
The building had an elegant traditional Korean design.
“We’re here.”
While Kim parked the car, Hangil checked his face on his phone.
If even the slightest trace of salt remained on him, his grandmother would unleash a furious lecture.
Hangil carefully inspected his face for any dried saltwater marks.
He swallowed hard before speaking.
“Let’s go...!”
He looked completely determined.
Despite that, Hangil crossed the yard with the cautious footsteps of someone sneaking around a thief’s hideout.
Kim and the others unconsciously copied his posture and whispered to him.
“...It’s okay for us to go in, right?”
“Of course. I already told her we were coming. She probably has a whole feast prepared for us.”
“We’re certainly happy to get some authentic Jeju food...”
Hangil had invited Kim and the others to his house after getting his grandmother’s permission.
It was early evening.
The weather was hot and humid.
Kim and the others looked down at what they were carrying.
An icebox and a crate of soju.
Inside the icebox were various kinds of seafood that Hangil had kept instead of selling.
“It feels wrong to show up empty-handed... But Hangil caught all this too.”
“No, he didn’t.”
“What do you mean, he didn’t?”
“Did you forget our story? The seafood was bought by you uncles. And Grandma likes soju. We bought a whole big crate of
the red-capped kind, so she’ll like it.”
“Isn’t Hallasan the famous Jeju soju? I wonder if she’ll be okay with the Toad brand.”
“She used to live in Seoul, so apparently she doesn’t like Hallasan at all. Shh. We need to go inside quietly.”
Hangil took a deep breath and reached for the door.
Bang!
The door suddenly opened.
Hangil, who had been leaning forward, slammed his forehead directly into it.
“Argh!”
“Why are you standing there instead of coming inside?”
A grandmother with a straight back and black hair stood there wearing a modernized hanbok.
She was Hangil’s maternal grandmother, Lee Bokja.
Hangil rubbed his forehead where he had hit the door and greeted her.
“G-Grandma, I’m home.”
“Where have you been wandering around all this time? Summer vacation is almost here, and you’re already running around
like a fool again...”
Bokja noticed the men standing behind Hangil.
They stood awkwardly.
Kim stepped forward first and bowed.
“N-Nice to meet you.”
“You must be the people Hangil pulled out of the water. I’m Hangil’s grandmother, Lee Bokja. Come inside.”
Once they entered, a magnificent table full of food greeted them.
Everyone’s eyes widened.
Bokja began unpacking the things Kim and the others had brought.
The bright red soju caps gleamed.
Bokja’s face had begun to form a subtle smile, but the moment she saw the seafood inside the icebox, her expression
hardened.
“What is this?”
“Ah, we didn’t want to come empty-handed, so we bought a few things.”
“Abalone, stone sea squirts, octopus? Good grief. There’s even flounder. And you killed it by stabbing it with a hoe.”
“Yes, well... They were selling various things, so...”
Bokja clearly did not believe them.
She glared at Hangil as he hurried toward his room to change clothes, then spoke to Kim and the others.
“You certainly bought a lot. It looks exactly like what some haenyeo would bring back after filling a basket. Isn’t that
right, Jang Hangil?”
“Y-Yes? What haenyeo? Do haenyeo even catch things like that?”
“I swear, that brat...!”
Bokja grabbed the cold water sitting on the table and gulped it down.
She looked as though she was trying to calm her boiling insides.
“That brat Hangil must have told you all to keep your mouths shut, huh?”
Bokja asked Kim and the others.
Hangil, who had been eavesdropping from his room, felt guilty for no reason and shouted,
“I didn’t!”
“What do you mean, you didn’t, you brat!”
Kim gave an awkward laugh.
Bokja rubbed the space between her eyebrows.
Then she decided to do what Hangil had instructed her to do beforehand.
She took out the red-capped soju and opened the bottle.
Glug, glug, glug, glug.
A soju glass was pushed toward her.
“Ma’am. Have a drink.”
Bokja immediately downed the soju without even touching any food.
“What is that boy going to become... Ah, drink up. I went to some trouble because I knew you were coming. Do you like
hairtail soup?”
Inside the pot, a bright red soup was bubbling.
Bokja poured soju for each of the men and handed them their glasses.
One of the men took a bite and let out a satisfied sound.
“Wow, it’s spicy and rich. This is delicious.”
“This is perfect with soju. Hurry up and wash yourself and come out, you brat! You still reek of seawater!”
At Bokja’s thunderous scolding, Hangil hurried into the bathroom.
“Stay here. I’ll go slice up some sashimi and come back.”
“Yes! We’ll enjoy it!”
Before long, Bokja returned carrying a large plate piled high with seafood.
Hangil had also quickly finished showering.
He sat stiffly at the table and stretched his mouth into an exaggerated smile.
Then came some truly terrible acting.
“Wow! My favorite flounder!”
“...”
“How did you know I liked this? You uncles have the best taste!”
“...”
“The flounder melts in my mouth!”
Bokja glared at Hangil and remained silent.
The atmosphere was suffocating.
Kim stepped in once again.
“W-Why don’t we have another drink?”
“That boy... He goes diving all the time, but his acting hasn’t improved even a little. Should I send you to an acting
academy, Grandma?”
“Heh... hehehe...”
“What are you waiting for? Let’s have another drink.”
“Yes, yes.”
One shot.
Two shots.
Three shots.
Bokja seemed determined to prove that she was truly furious, downing three glasses in a row without hesitation.
The men hurried to match her pace despite her age-defying speed.
Their stomachs were already burning, and a hazy sensation was beginning to settle in.
“...It’s still good, right, Grandma?”
Hangil mumbled as he cautiously watched Bokja.
His muttering was perfectly audible.
“I caught it on purpose because I knew you liked it...”
Bokja glared at him.
Hangil immediately lowered his gaze.
Bokja narrowed her eyes and raised a hand.
Hangil braced himself for a smack on the back.
But instead, her hand gently landed on his head and stroked his hair.
“Yes. It’s delicious. It’s delicious. Stop looking so miserable and eat, you brat.”
Bokja placed four pieces of flounder on a spoon.
She held the spoon toward Hangil.
Only then did Hangil smile brightly and shove all four pieces of sashimi into his mouth.
=
The night grew deeper.
As time passed, Kim and Bokja’s faces became increasingly red.
More than a dozen bottles of soju were neatly stacked up, and the dishes were gradually being emptied.
“Thank you for inviting us like this. And for treating us so well. Hangil really is our benefactor.”
“That’s right. Kim, didn’t you forget something?”
“Something?”
“Compensation money!”
“Ah, right! Ma’am, it’s not much, but...”
Kim pulled a thick envelope of cash from inside his clothes and handed it to Bokja.
“What is this?”
“Hangil saved our lives, didn’t he? The kid was so stubborn that he absolutely refused to accept anything. Please accept
it on his behalf, at least. Otherwise, we won’t feel comfortable.”
“As long as you’re healthy, that’s enough. Why would you try to give us money and bring bad luck?”
“Come on, don’t be like that. If you really don’t want to accept it, think of it as payment for our lodging!”
Kim forced the envelope into Bokja’s hands before looking at Hangil, who was sitting nearby, nodding off.
“Come to think of it, Hangil must be really tired.”
“...Whenever he goes diving, his whole body aches. His muscles get weaker too. I suppose when you’re diving to that
depth and trying to pick up things you can’t even see properly, you have to put all your concentration into it.”
“Ah... Right.”
“And you have to keep going back and forth between life and death.”
Bokja lowered her gaze and toyed with her soju glass.
She stared at the liquid swaying inside before downing another glass.
It felt as though she was deliberately refusing to bring out the words buried inside her.
Kim silently watched her.
Her eyes held the look of someone remembering a painful past.
Kim hiccupped once.
“Hic.”
Along with the hiccup, the true feelings he had been keeping buried suddenly spilled out.
“Um, ma’am.”
He was drunk enough that he was no longer fully aware of what he was saying.
“I don’t really know Hangil that well, but... that kid really seems to love the water.”
He had a strange feeling that he had to say this.
Even through his hazy vision, there was one scene from today that he could not get out of his head.
The expression on Hangil’s face as he floated on the waves, taking in the entire world.
Kim had never seen anyone make an expression like that in his entire life.
“I’ve only ever seen a face like that in movies. But...”
That was why Kim felt he had to ask this question, even if what he was saying was rude and showed a lack of
understanding.
He felt an obligation to ask.
“Why are you trying to stop Hangil from being happy?”
Bokja’s face was flushed, and her speech had become slurred.
She stared down at the empty glass in her hand.
Hangil, who had been nodding off, suddenly opened his eyes wide as though he had never been asleep.
Seeing him, Kim slightly raised the corners of his mouth.
“You little brat.”
“Me? Me? I wasn’t sleeping!”
“If you’re sleepy, go to bed.”
“Is that really okay...?”
“Of course. Go inside and... Wait.”
Kim, who had been nodding, stopped Hangil.
“Answer this before you go.”
“Answer what?”
“Hangil.”
Kim looked at Hangil and asked,
“When are you the happiest?”