BRF Chapter 13

He couldn’t even remember the last time he lived for the validation of others.

“Why are you suddenly asking whose validation makes me happy the most?”

Hyohyun tilted her head, finding the question, unlike the Woojin she knew. Woojin pretended to focus on finishing his milk, avoiding an answer.

“What, did you suddenly start craving validation from someone?”

Her casual question almost made Woojin spit out his milk. He swallowed with difficulty, only to be met with another question.

“Is there someone you’re trying to impress?”

Hyohyun’s expression, winking and pursing her lips, struck Woojin as particularly mischievous.

“Get a grip.”

Woojin frowned slightly and walked to the sink. As he turned on the faucet and rinsed the milk residue from his glass, Hyohyun followed and peered at him.

“Who is it? Are they pretty? How old are they? What do they do? Where do they live?”

“What do you mean, are they pretty?”

He snapped irritably, turned off the faucet, and turned around. He shook the water from his wet hands, splattering droplets everywhere. Hyohyun, seemingly annoyed by the mess, quickly handed him a paper towel.

Kang Eunseong’s face had been flashing through his mind ever since Hyohyun asked him if he wanted to be validated by someone.

What would I even do if I was validated by and impressed Reporter Kang Eunseong? And pretty…?

“You can fool others, but not me. I’ve known you for forty years. Why are your ears so red? What are you thinking about?”

He had been thinking about how pretty Kang Eunseong was. It was an objective fact, acknowledged by Hyohyun and numerous viewers who watched her news reports. The majority opinions should be respected.

Therefore, her being pretty was supported by ‘objective evidence.’ Objectivity was crucial. Since it was a widely held opinion, Woojin tried to calm his mind by convincing himself there was nothing strange about him finding Kang Eunseong attractive.

“Stop talking nonsense.”

“Nonsense? Honestly… even this old woman has fewer days ahead than behind. How much longer can I stay by your side? If there’s someone you like, you should pursue them.”

Woojin turned to face Hyohyun without a word.

Wasn’t she just jealous, asking if Kang Eunseong was that pretty?

She didn’t even blink when he stared at her incredulously.

“Why? What’s wrong with that?”

He sighed.

“You’re saying this after knowing our current situation?”

When they first met, Hyohyun was a nineteen-year-old girl. And Woojin was a man who looked thirty. Now, Hyohyun was fifty-nine, and Woojin still looked thirty.

“Did I ask you to marry them? Ugh, really, you’re being ridiculous.”

Although Woojin looked at her in disbelief, Hyohyun continued talking without paying him any mind,

“Who said you had to live with them until you die? I’m just saying you should try dating or something, even if it’s just for a little while.”

He hadn’t realized Hyohyun had such an open mind.

“Now that we’re talking about it, let me be honest.”

Hyohyun rolled up the sleeves of her pink cardigan, as if preparing for a fight. Just how honest was she planning to be?

“You know, if I were an ageless, eternally youthful person like you, I’d book a plane ticket right away! I hear the club scene in Berlin is all the rage these days. I’d visit every hot spot in every country! What do you think about a world tour of conquering different men from each country?”

Her eyes were sparkling brighter than usual.

“Why would you want to ‘conquer’ anyone?”

Woojin frowned and pulled back slightly, as if he couldn’t understand.

“Ah, I shouldn’t even bother talking to someone so old-fashioned. You should try learning some modern slang.”

Old-fashioned…? That was a bit harsh.

Hyohyun narrowed her eyes, gazing into the distance, as if deep in thought.

“There are over two hundred sovereign nations, right? That means even if I date just one person from each country, that’s over two hundred men! If I date each one for a year, I’d have two hundred years of fun without getting bored!”

Delighted, Hyohyun even clapped her hands excitedly, while Woojin stared at her, utterly speechless.

Just moments ago, she had been bouncing with enthusiasm, but suddenly, her energy drained away. Looking down at her wrinkled hands, she seemed unexpectedly despondent.

“Enjoy yourself while you’re young, for you can’t when you’re old.”

She even started humming a song in a melancholic tune.

“My late mother, God rest her soul, loved this song. She was a very proper and strict woman… but she used to hum this song while washing dishes or mopping the floor. I didn’t understand what it meant when I was young, but I think I get it now. I should have enjoyed myself more when I was young.”

Just as Woojin found himself at a loss on how to comfort Hyohyun, who was now sniffling gloomily,

“That’s why!”

Hyohyun abruptly lifted her head, grabbed Woojin’s hand, and stared at him intensely.

“At least for my sake! Go live recklessly with that young body of yours! And tell me all about your wild adventures!”

She didn’t seem as distraught as he had initially feared. Woojin lightly brushed off Hyohyun’s hand as it flailed in the air.

“Come to your senses, will you?”

He looked down at her quietly. Even if she lived a long life, she probably had only fifty years left.

In just a few decades, Hyohyun, too, would eventually leave his side.

Parting and the pain it brought were inevitable for all humans. And for someone who has lived as long as he has, willingly inviting such predictable pain was irrational.

Meeting, parting, meeting again, parting again… He didn’t want to repeat the situation of having to constantly be in pain.

However, as far as he could remember, Woojin had never experienced such pain. He didn’t know if it was because too much time had passed that he had forgotten, or if he had simply never been hurt before.

“When was the last time you were in a relationship?”

“I don’t know.”

Although Woojin gave an honest answer, Hyohyun seemed to think he was dismissing her, snapping irritably,

“You always give me half-hearted answers!”

Given Hyohyun’s appearance, she could easily be mistaken for someone his mother’s age, yet she pouted like a teenage girl. One might find it exhausting, but to Woojin, she was nothing short of endearing.

Humans, living such short, hundred-year lives, yet clinging to each day so desperately.

“I…”

Woojin murmured in a low, serious voice, and Hyohyun’s expression softened slightly. She looked at him intently, as if focusing on his words.

“I will also be in pain when you leave. But letting go of someone I love, wouldn’t it be even more painful?”

Although he hadn’t intended to make her cry, tears welled up in Hyohyun’s eyes.

“Don’t be so dramatic.”

Woojin walked past Hyohyun and out of the kitchen. He suddenly felt exhausted. He wanted to soak his body in a hot bath and go straight to bed.

“That’s why! You should start practicing now!”

Startled by Hyohyun’s sudden outburst behind him, Woojin stopped in his tracks. She stormed up to him, stomping her feet loudly.

“You oward! If you’re so afraid of getting indigestion, how do you even manage to eat? Do you know how many people actually marry their first love? Who said you had to get married right away? I’m telling you to practice having someone by your side! How do you think I feel, leaving behind someone who skips meals and can’t even be bothered to pour milk into a glass?!”

“You’re being ridiculous. Stop making a fuss.”

Hyohyun, who had been sobbing, looked up at him with wide, blank eyes.

“Don’t act like you know everything about life just because you’ve lived fifty-nine years. You don’t understand the perfection of a life dedicated to voluntary solitude.”

If he tried to comfort her now, he’d end up staying up all night. So, as usual, Woojin simply mumbled cynically and quickly walked past her.

“Ugh! I swear, if I could, I’d just smack him.”

Woojin smiled faintly, hearing her mutter curses under her breath in frustration. This was much better than her sobbing all night. It was better to hear her cursing, saying things like, “He looks so young and innocent, but he’s such a pain in the ass,” than to hear her cry.

Woojin went upstairs and straight to the bathroom attached to his bedroom. He filled the bathtub with water, then took off his knitwear and pants, tossing them into the laundry basket. Before taking off his underwear, he reached for his phone to play some music.

‘Enjoy yourself while you’re young, for you can’t when you’re old.’

Remembering the song Hyohyun had hummed earlier, he played it, but it was far too lively to listen to for a relaxing bath.

He stopped the music, and a sudden silence descended for a moment.

And in the quiet, he began to hear a familiar rhythm he had grown accustomed to over the past few days.

Thump, thump. Thump, thump.

It was Kang Eunseong’s heartbeat. Woojin closed his eyes and listened to the steady rhythm. He hadn’t realized that the sound of someone’s heartbeat could be so soothing.

But even though his mind was at ease, why was his body reacting like this?

Looking down at himself, Woojin let out a deep sigh. The front of his underwear was noticeably tight from the growing bulge.

* * *

“Mmm… Young Master…”

As soon as she uttered the unfamiliar words, Eunseong’s eyes snapped open.

“What did she just say?”

In the quiet office, Eunseong, who had briefly dozed off with her head resting on the desk, woke up from her own sleep-talking.

“I think she said ‘Young Master.’”

The person who asked the question was Taeyoon, the video journalist, and the person who answered was Sungchan, the AD.

Eunseong paused, unable to raise herself from her seat.

“She must be dreaming. But what kind of dream has her calling for a ‘Young Master’?”

The voice that followed belonged to Jeon Kyungseop, the medical news reporter. Even though it was still before dawn, it seemed that several people had gathered in the office. When Eunseong had fallen asleep a while ago, no one had been there.

Even to her own ears, mumbling “Mmm… Young Master!” in her sleep was a bit strange.

Eunseong thought for a moment. She briefly considered maybe she actually said another, more normal-sounding, honorific. “Teacher,” perhaps? Just as she thought she called out “Teacher,”

“Hey, Kang Eunseong. You’re awake, right? Get up.”

Taeyoon started chuckling mischievously. 

Eunseong’s heart pounded loudly.