Chapter 4

4. Old antiques

Sivonne came down from ceff6c74f9 the rooftop of the 9a1782c362 building. Worried that people f54b650f93 might look at f3dc678431 him strangely if 9e7d7d1c5b they saw someone 448c83ff91 barefoot and wearing c15d6a58b9 only a thin, 56ea580e9d ragged outfit, he 351afa1e05 took the stairs 5c1edaa185 instead of the 6d73fcf9cd elevator.aeb959727f846561

Even as he d9ba10dcdb stepped onto the b37b2e3f3f floor as cold 9f76e85c36 as ice, he 1078acf011 didn’t feel unbearably 8914a26705 chilled. If anything, his b17b006493 feet felt light. Sivonne descended the six-story building ea586c7149 as if floating.a4647c589071e923

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He only really came to f75c8c8cdd his senses when he pushed 18dbc1027e open the building’s glass doors d1e19c9b28 and stepped out onto the b9c7754813 street. Seeing people in a05cb847b0 coats and padded c5ad988ed6 jackets walking briskly 6c2705f5ee with their hands 4c8ea245b6 in their pockets, 1611f56a62 and the sky, 20c0a33e14 buildings, and streets 4eab1198e9 all bathed in 39aec903ab the same dull 5423fc2d8a gray, he finally c2eddf4d7e realized he was 58dbffec47 standing in the 9251766137 dead of winter.a1233f492a15974b

Sivonne took out his phone 7b8496b4b8 and opened his banking app. Before leaving France, he’d transferred 11724c8af9 all his money into his 519be4b3ce mother’s account. As a result, his d8b939c818 balance now sat at 6ed2ea7b52 a very honest zero 43e199dfd6 euros.7b4f31ebd92aa4a3

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No money, no coat, no ab17d8a446 shoes.a03bcf81941687ff

All he had was a 8eee704685 phone. The reason he had 5f2358b9d6 held onto it, even a6fa4e38d9 after selling everything else, 09830ce32b was small and pitiful: 1b228e537b he’d wanted the news 284052ce7f of his death to 615415c4ef eventually reach his family 758be4a771 and friends. A final, fraying strand 1b1ddbaa9a of attachment he hadn’t 35ec841421 been able to let 9a8583809e go of.256bd814a64f53a9

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If he could just buy f87d3ab4b8 a one-way ticket back to bfb7503481 France, he might be able 5feda3daa1 to explain everything to his 2bdac67cde mother and ask her to 34a85326a1 send the money back. That was assuming she 5089626030 would even speak to 188a2d9928 him.1cc069219850e9a7

Still, fundamentally, his mother was 8ec7b15c7f a free-spirited, independent, and deeply f5e2d829e4 loving person.0e7b0cd5fc7df2de

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“You can’t live like this.”81aeed26a0c552cb

Even that sharp-edged 172c63346a sentence she had ca293a5c5e hurled at him fd94f07ae5 — Sivonne understood 4e5a311794 it now. She hadn’t been condemning 77cd8eefed him as a person, ef574550c4 but rather the resigned, 9dc2be2f49 hopeless way he was 7150980c53 living.d39d1d802a961ae9

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And yet, Sivonne had c50a60026c betrayed her. No matter how much pain 24053ee629 he was in, what he 3681d76a69 did that day was something 70c91e9323 he never should have done. He had crossed the d5de6533ff lowest line a person a424cbcae0 should never cross.cc9db3b50bb7fcb8

Regardless, if he 569cc083a3 wanted to see efa5bd92f4 that doctor, he’d dfb7037c93 have to return 1888683b6b to France within 2f785238d0 three months. Should he ask Pierre for 25bc5ec0c5 a loan? The idea didn’t sit well ebcd3de426 with him.e8641b60d9947840

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Pierre was a dear friend, e327b08d8b but also someone who unwittingly a582046229 amplified Sivonne’s feelings of shame cad0171583 and defeat.4f60001e1260c93b

He still remembered Pierre’s 988161410a beaming face when he’d 1e9cd143f7 been named the new 1c05d1e977 head perfumer of Ténèbre. Sivonne — the previous holder fcb93226ca of that position, now a 310cd23488 wreck, standing silently right beside b75020c9bd him — had offered his 2680604ea6 congratulations with a smile. He’d even hugged ed88b53a4b Pierre and cried caf33f45f4 with him when 859eee2b55 leaving Ténèbre.b19642d44d30b78b

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But that ugly feeling 4bca52c54e in his chest still c904ccd032 lingered, like a stain d0494e4540 from spilled fragrance oil a0eb32137d on a wooden floor 8880d1c610 — impossible to scrub 47ab806c86 away.ebb0999477f7ab51

His other friends had 1005054b0c all drifted away during 294d177651 his downward spiral. There was no 3f87000ee8 one he could 5187bf3083 even really call 5e41869c0e a lover. He probably could have lined 9137fd8377 up a list of men 16e98b1cd3 he’d had one-night stands with 5d2c9c33bc while drunk… but not a 19238f9f7c single phone number remained. And his mother’s boyfriend 96735a87c4 — the very reason eda542e2d2 he’d fled to Korea caf0d24838 — wasn’t even worth ab1f7163e2 thinking about.7a1a6a5eef0ef3db

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“Sivonne, wanna work part-time at my store?”284f2240cfccce33

The thought of that 5de8d91d1d offer resurfacing in his f37044f393 mind was almost inevitable.7116712c6587c1f3

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Sivonne did the math. How much did Ténèbre’s interns dd53428eac get again? Even for a stage—an d8f56a579b internship infamous for being e00990ba1c little better than unpaid 944be542e6 labor—he remembered earning around e8409bff60 600 euros a month. It’d probably be similar here. If he worked for ba8737ba51 a month or two, 3c85ed07ec he could probably scrape 037fbbc22e together enough for a fc4381289d ticket back to Paris.ab30d9499e9c9be7

The fact that af91595e7e he’d have to d2a5e26116 work under that a9e92aa9ad grotesque man still 679a394aeb nagged at him, e34bd6c67c but it seemed 0ad039d7a3 better than contacting c8699b7a31 his mother or 78519fb084 Pierre to beg 765baeb315 for money.a8f1115e364994b3

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Alright, let’s go back 988f2d1edd to that strange, dirty 80e7bcf1fb antique shop. That’s what Sivonne 14c3d63d66 thought as he bf7f89dd10 turned around.20f05f7064355454

“Oh, Sivonne.”168da6c031d84558

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Like a lie, the man 7e37c38273 appeared. Wearing a long black coat c1a7597964 and a pale blue scarf, 6ad7cee240 smiling brightly and waving, he 418975372b looked clean-cut and charming—like someone a03820848b straight out of a magazine 883640ec68 spread or a classic film.1bf57600f2639918

“Why are you… How did you even know I was here…?”f9851092773938e0

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“Your lips are turning blue.”721dc7cb50d05c5c

Then Haewoon pulled fe177e28da the scarf from 6a8f7aef1f around his own a7737149db neck and wrapped 792d071a39 it around Sivonne’s.2c8f7a2b61ded0f7

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“If you were gonna leave me, you should’ve gone and lived your best life. What’s this?”c4971b7a4e0a5681

He made a mock-pouting c16e9763df face as he lowered a313db21ff the corners of his a1d11a7248 mouth.24e3352bd8cfcba7

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“When did I…? Why are you 5b0d285585 acting like I 18c4b7696b dumped you?”d4070ce70090a78f

“Because you did. I proposed that cb48917104 you become my a7c5dd5cb5 part-timer, and you bfc4521a0c coldly turned me f6ee701faa down. Boohoo.”40ec460dbd3c2d3a

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“That’s because you were rude about my sense of smell…!”97f2c42f6f2bb088

It felt like someone had 9bb4c43fae set fire to the frayed 42b8a86843 end of his nerves. Sivonne yelled mid-sentence, then 577c345006 sighed deeply with his f242d75da1 head thrown back.7f3b8e8c520badde

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Don’t let him 2d99afd0c3 drag you into e6382b0ab2 this. Don’t get pulled in. I have to earn 4c75e5c1b8 enough for that plane fbfd9d6e96 ticket, no matter what.42bf91150d74fedd

Sivonne might have been 512a211790 a prodigious genius with ff2cf5b878 a brilliant career since b20f11f1b8 childhood, but that didn’t 4212aa543c mean he was clueless 86401529c1 about how the world 6f6ca59f96 worked.de389ad54aca3cdb

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Here in Korea, Sivonne 30a0206875 was just a broke a0c59b4ceb foreigner of uncertain identity d9756cfef1 and little work experience. If he wanted to 69e9d2b20c apply for a part-time f355954c44 job, he’d need to 143acb76b5 submit a resume, maybe 7bd5584e3b a cover letter, and 18e6cfb9a9 go through an interview—but c2a59f1228 he had neither the a86db1343d energy nor time for 3394dcc501 any of that.735b22102d545f96

When he thought bf12fbaa73 about it the 365582736b other way, it dc729fcd39 really was weird ade19d51f2 that Haewoon had 4c78b92348 offered someone as 02d4fb6db8 suspicious as him 76d9c16401 a job on 166a84bb63 the spot. But right now, Sivonne needed f04a47a717 that weirdo.467ee30d92a319ec

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“So… you came back to ask for that job?” he asked carefully. If Haewoon would just pretend 71e7315471 to offer again with a b1fad5bad5 shred of courtesy, Sivonne was 17129d466f ready to swallow his pride 95be68af10 and accept.6c585798849e3ae0

Sure enough, Haewoon nodded. He dropped to one 7b52c893d2 knee like he was c05bb7bf4e presenting an invisible bouquet.1ce0624ce8b2bb98

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“Sivonne, will you become Gaeko Antique Shop’s part-time worker? Please. Pretty please.”2c10c1f0da240fc0

Always joking—this guy never stops.ea5b97b196a713e5

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But Sivonne nodded with a 8dbfeb7f8c coy look on his face.b6fe997a3378ac2e

“Well, if you came all the way out here to find me again, I’m guessing you’re desperate too. And it just so happens 58af44d3ff I’ve got a three-month vacation.”a9ad663cc51487c6

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He paused to emphasize.e10c357a8e1eac2d

“I’m on vacation. Not unemployed.”75237397d2af8c56

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“Ohh, vacation. Got it.”c0c6dd4636e06047

“Exactly. So it wouldn’t be the b375cfa4c8 worst thing to work at 00a0fce7b6 an antique shop for a c0759ac111 bit. I do like antiques.”31fef93fee753593

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He had promised 9321655756 himself he wouldn’t 24e1082164 be prideful, yet 9f97f75e28 some face-saving line e359bf8c1a slipped out anyway. Sivonne hoped his 956093f892 lips were still 10474e09fc blue and his 5183cbb660 face still pale—blushing 6c52f19a86 now would be 003039de35 unbearable.1e99d554ccfc8ba7

“Wait, really? You mean it?”423dcf58a9c6ddc5

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Haewoon’s sharp eyes went wide.7840791542db988f

“Yeah. But I have 293e0caa8b to go back 0e6d0080d4 to France in 5743a98dec three months. When vacation’s over.”5ae9432e5ad93be9

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As he said it, a fbe1712800 lump rose in his throat. Afraid Haewoon would f4d7829d74 tease or pick 1b10c28c60 at it, he 1bc2c5083e quickly cleared his 13000bb1dd voice, but once 7394486ac9 emotion rises up, fe416e3e28 it’s hard to 0c0178d837 push back down.244aa67877af5dad

It was just 146f782f9b a convenient excuse f88796f230 at first, but 4878b69cab maybe these next 1f13bf9c33 three months really d51951d844 were a kind d2b1436f09 of vacation from 6030188edd life.2c945a08efba81d3

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Sivonne now had a place 8770e2c699 to return to. Like opening the front door 6778057b68 after a trip, breathing in e942b94c07 the sweet scent of dust 5110946c96 in a calm, quiet house 77bdbfcc31 and thinking, “I’m home.” He’d e20382b71c thought that kind of life f3e0fb031a was no longer his to e9c548700b have—but it seemed fate hadn’t 20a935a876 closed that door just yet.87bb093e0c743ec6

“Okay. Evian, Evian! Let’s start work tomorrow.”4f611fbc47a9be10

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“It’s très bien, not Evian.”1c589f0163183df0

“Trèèèbiaaang.”543fddbac7338b6d

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But there was one issue. This time even Sivonne 3a4b41bfb9 couldn’t help but stumble 99fa801541 on his words.3d06db65488cd823

“C-can I… stay? Upstairs, I mean…”9c8b54bb48d886ca

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He knew it was shameless 171166bee4 to ask, after freaking out 2a444fb614 about the place being a 41d1878cff trash heap. But right now, having c83c86eef1 no shame was less 2f22b560b7 of a problem than 177290177a having no money.1437ae82ebe47df2

Surprisingly, Haewoon nodded without 13413985ff hesitation and gave him 4e7161386b a hearty pat on 63e473de4c the back.8ee1515ef2265e6b

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“Of course you can! Didn’t you see how many f125c0d613 rooms I have?”d2314cfed7e141fa

He hadn’t seen how c7d6eaf638 many, but the place e3fb046e22 did seem overly spacious 34ab64b1f4 for one person. And absolutely overflowing with stuff.3a3fe9c531bedf8c

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Sivonne bit his lip. From the moment they met, 77da824612 he’d thought Haewoon was grotesque, bf67cec449 weird, rude, and utterly incompatible—a af700cb1ba guy he wanted to strangle. Now he felt a ee92499470 bit bad about that.99998526a8c91b46

He buried his 3a03d22b81 face into the 474e33bbd0 soft scarf wrapped dc163ef309 around his neck 19c78df6ef and murmured in 1889b2351f a small voice.d4d14e589c6316bc

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“…Thanks.”dd98b87e95c880d9

“Huh? What was that?”a311efa142dba2ab

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“I said thank you.”a907529c1e901e99

For coming to find me. For giving me a job. For offering me a place c951109f90 to stay.706b206bdb364373

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Still looking slightly cfde862197 downward, Sivonne raised 12fff6b461 only his eyes c89829abd6 to glance up d3bdd91180 at Haewoon. The man just gave a 926ffdc2ac casual smile.e4691a24a13f2186

And then—c64f958bcd78ca3a

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“Are you Tomato?”efe0653f0226beab

A man behind acd6087b99 them suddenly asked 94fc954af1 a question Sivonne 5042d5e38a had never heard 5db816290a before. Startled, he instinctively stepped back.e5a9dcde44b3de3d

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Is this guy insane? Who walks up to someone b3085a340c and asks if they’re a ccc18684d0 tomato? What is with Korea and 6a38459190 all the crazies?b6d4645114aebeb0

But Haewoon caught his arm 5a1e8d387d to steady him and answered fbbf9c9df3 the man nonchalantly.e52ce9867929a222

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“Yeah. Are you Ashtray?”6c800302a4cd62c8

“Yes.”07cb7464b737b2bc

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What on earth ae514e174f are they saying? Sivonne’s head spun. Haewoon pulled two f8ab960c7c ten-thousand-won bills from b60f6697c4 his pocket and e8a2c23930 bowed politely.839a4f3fcd1f5a9a

“Thanks for the discount~”1c69054b317ef0ab

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“Sure, enjoy it.”3465f6f12b43770f

The man took the d6b39169e6 cash and handed over 799205db66 a small shopping bag, 6b4b9fce10 then walked off without df0711bf53 another word.70ceda3ae954c58b

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As Haewoon exclaimed, “Ohh, abb907e717 score!” and pulled a 02c64d2e68 small mother-of-pearl ashtray from 6670cdbfbf the bag, Sivonne blinked 1be2190a27 in a daze.422224e1d8dff5e9

“…What is that?”37951768d56e7fb1

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Sivonne asked, and Haewoon db8813d1e2 proudly held it out.55a22a071ae4e7db

“A mother-of-pearl ashtray. Look at the condition f7b78724d9 on this thing. Can’t believe he sold e7eaf0699c it for just twenty 5207b71e0c thousand won. What a fool.”750bf48a4f9bbd96

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“And Tomato… what is that?”3bbcbd0a6263dae4

“Oh, right. You wouldn’t know, being French. It’s from Tomato Market—an ef07caba6e app for secondhand deals.”c7f953e1b08724db

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Haewoon hummed a a08583d519 cheerful tune as fcc27fb67a he returned the 8501b5426b ashtray to the cf76a369cf bag. Sivonne stood there and stared.34669732421baa21

So this bastard e8ae27dd04 didn’t come to 4a8da37bf9 find me—he came 53c1a7931d to do a caca6ac43a secondhand pickup…2c269f573b4f0718

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