Chapter 4

4. Old antiques

Sivonne came down from the ae9bd3e92e rooftop of the building. Worried that people might 16e2957c16 look at him strangely 74131e2538 if they saw someone b5261112b4 barefoot and wearing only 57355c4f37 a thin, ragged outfit, b580dea02c he took the stairs 4c71a787fb instead of the elevator.bbf659fdfd725646

Even as he stepped onto 3a5f7419a2 the floor as cold as 0938b1c6ff ice, he didn’t feel unbearably e30ef68683 chilled. If anything, his 3957f7ae56 feet felt light. Sivonne descended the f03fefb293 six-story building as 0b268cef6c if floating.c45ff900f4686c23

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He only really a167c3b51d came to his f8b53d7386 senses when he 71b9499906 pushed open the 236e6cadd9 building’s glass doors 8ea483b46d and stepped out 452cbf2110 onto the street. Seeing people in coats 61fbefba43 and padded jackets walking c6e38edeb2 briskly with their hands b42ec2dbff in their pockets, and 19023d45f9 the sky, buildings, and f418c95bdc streets all bathed in c6db03db8d the same dull gray, 4238a1ca97 he finally realized he 10c74ae899 was standing in the 0411eade1b dead of winter.0d3d5e72fa93e954

Sivonne took out his a094a5a567 phone and opened his c886418559 banking app. Before leaving France, 49edb4bab0 he’d transferred all ce55b569f0 his money into d5d0737c8e his mother’s account. As a result, his b898a5e5f4 balance now sat at afae3e18ca a very honest zero cccf9616f4 euros.376df4d3ca5c6565

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No money, no coat, 021cd42699 no shoes.74e5ef45f7a9b213

All he had bd38cb083a was a phone. The reason he had 11edbef7f0 held onto it, even 8c8a454c8e after selling everything else, 87703b7274 was small and pitiful: 399ed82463 he’d wanted the news 8a8b0061c3 of his death to eb12ec8e2c eventually reach his family 3a1b0b201a and friends. A final, fraying strand of 6562e6dda0 attachment he hadn’t been able b8875ceae0 to let go of.6326c17c51092eff

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If he could just 36be2d778f buy a one-way ticket b57b94496c back to France, he 97f01855e7 might be able to b7b5e5f053 explain everything to his 3c0866e59e mother and ask her 50039ccce8 to send the money 5803799263 back. That was assuming she f7cfdf457a would even speak to ff1e94c297 him.64d8fdc4fe647dba

Still, fundamentally, his mother 602df6df95 was a free-spirited, independent, 93a44ff0e0 and deeply loving person.92cf312222b80f13

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“You can’t live like this.”a4a761b3ff4bf142

Even that sharp-edged e0fdb6a851 sentence she had 32e868308e hurled at him 0236c230b0 — Sivonne understood 7550488bdf it now. She hadn’t been condemning e8b1b252ef him as a person, ad92eccf5b but rather the resigned, f7aceb1d50 hopeless way he was 8edfe04c32 living.fca891ce5b531c14

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And yet, Sivonne had betrayed 0c897d7e27 her. No matter how much 277679d174 pain he was in, b69f67ddeb what he did that 8eaa2f87f8 day was something he 7ea4ad75bc never should have done. He had crossed the e4674df73b lowest line a person 4efa28ab48 should never cross.5e9ce6ec229f229f

Regardless, if he wanted to 824db644e7 see that doctor, he’d have 78ea88269b to return to France within e93b364389 three months. Should he ask Pierre 92f0664bce for a loan? The idea didn’t a35c1b26bf sit well with d6a72c45d6 him.608c643571c96cca

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Pierre was a dear friend, 03e9f032c4 but also someone who unwittingly 55e0fc163c amplified Sivonne’s feelings of shame 9325ded830 and defeat.4a128a39795457af

He still remembered 3077fac4a1 Pierre’s beaming face 96807e24ea when he’d been 0a2242faba named the new 00ebbd064c head perfumer of 00e34e9d01 Ténèbre. Sivonne — the c6595a9891 previous holder of 23ca34f60a that position, now 71f6b2df40 a wreck, standing fae5945db2 silently right beside 254e8082c6 him — had 4af7166a7f offered his congratulations f9af9acd00 with a smile. He’d even hugged Pierre and 7c7da9e0fe cried with him when leaving 28c3ed48c9 Ténèbre.70e455e62785db94

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But that ugly feeling in 598644c00c his chest still lingered, like 1140407601 a stain from spilled fragrance 94ed7d9ddf oil on a wooden floor 8fa981a8b2 — impossible to scrub away.9127a8904ae8078c

His other friends had all 7107ee90ca drifted away during his downward e1d1a21e66 spiral. There was no one 323aa9b84e he could even really 0b93ac208d call a lover. He probably could b39e422fd0 have lined up 52b7430b80 a list of 7c256bd279 men he’d had a119c50276 one-night stands with fd7e963e4d while drunk… but 90fc6ad7ff not a single 73f059e1bc phone number remained. And his mother’s dffb5c8a8d boyfriend — the 2ff8d38250 very reason he’d e64fb7ff2a fled to Korea bcdc233780 — wasn’t even a8b529214a worth thinking about.8636a9888c8b0ead

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“Sivonne, wanna work part-time at my store?”c4ef6f654b9905a6

The thought of that offer 8d9bbb2e3d resurfacing in his mind was 47897808dd almost inevitable.76586ecb52c153de

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Sivonne did the math. How much did Ténèbre’s interns 3e851ccb86 get again? Even for a stage—an internship a0f7c2209d infamous for being little better d0ae78f86e than unpaid labor—he remembered earning 5ec976d9bc around 600 euros a month. It’d probably be similar here. If he worked for 99617e28a4 a month or two, 1a5bf6ec78 he could probably scrape 9bad7ebc17 together enough for a 9681ca751a ticket back to Paris.d010453ea289371b

The fact that he’d have 8e6a489393 to work under that grotesque 9631a767c8 man still nagged at him, 5dd8676aab but it seemed better than dbf1a99312 contacting his mother or Pierre 99677016e3 to beg for money.ac3afcd57b0e164f

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Alright, let’s go 5f973fcaed back to that 0292857544 strange, dirty antique 8d037d8a4f shop. That’s what Sivonne thought as 7eebb56a60 he turned around.03b00fd2ce735014

“Oh, Sivonne.”f41c2de2280a5d26

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Like a lie, 568bd08f4a the man appeared. Wearing a long black coat 25f1539c31 and a pale blue scarf, 6e6b0ade07 smiling brightly and waving, he a14dfe8816 looked clean-cut and charming—like someone 988de2949c straight out of a magazine bbf52e0abe spread or a classic film.4a322f77038c3880

“Why are you… How did you even know I was here…?”41f0f6857fa6bb01

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“Your lips are turning blue.”6fe27c5c5df29c5d

Then Haewoon pulled 1af2f01138 the scarf from 552e9750b0 around his own 6ed60716ad neck and wrapped 6bcd94eb6a it around Sivonne’s.59819d14e2ee1f26

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“If you were gonna leave me, you should’ve gone and lived your best life. What’s this?”d4ab81fc17670a2c

He made a mock-pouting 9da74104f2 face as he lowered f0f19dc008 the corners of his 67115013f6 mouth.c9682537277f9c2c

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“When did I…? Why are you acting 21424a97f7 like I dumped you?”6506ec6c028e351f

“Because you did. I proposed that you 820cc40741 become my part-timer, and 944971dcc7 you coldly turned me 25908afa24 down. Boohoo.”2f98a700fda2c428

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“That’s because you were rude about my sense of smell…!”772acfcd82bcccd6

It felt like someone bd028cffc1 had set fire to 8add782013 the frayed end of a7adeeb30b his nerves. Sivonne yelled mid-sentence, then 5fa861461f sighed deeply with his 30f70c853c head thrown back.982a66ee34173737

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Don’t let him dac91f2a08 drag you into a05c6eb9ba this. Don’t get pulled in. I have to earn 291a95596a enough for that plane ba459914cd ticket, no matter what.f6176ccfb9fa800e

Sivonne might have 6f96f6a481 been a prodigious 5812732381 genius with a 8b64498dea brilliant career since 030ea10021 childhood, but that 6601a99392 didn’t mean he cd0b96fd3a was clueless about c17be2ea9d how the world 1ffbe1e4bd worked.b4e83f04d472a63e

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Here in Korea, Sivonne was 377828bd54 just a broke foreigner of b362091226 uncertain identity and little work 895c563262 experience. If he wanted to da4aea4f42 apply for a part-time 00170c2dcc job, he’d need to 29d1d2928e submit a resume, maybe 2bf37d169e a cover letter, and db4a1ab582 go through an interview—but 288b33b805 he had neither the 86e96460ef energy nor time for 66d7fbb597 any of that.6a7ba2ad5e926cd8

When he thought about c023027bfb it the other way, ef034bc455 it really was weird 8029a3833a that Haewoon had offered 48d8f78e78 someone as suspicious as 01202cc432 him a job on af464e2eca the spot. But right now, Sivonne 9e1a8b8e2c needed that weirdo.a186a1befa7ecfd9

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“So… you came back to ask for that job?” he asked carefully. If Haewoon would c361e41153 just pretend to cfba68f1cb offer again with 199b7f8704 a shred of 840b53b7a8 courtesy, Sivonne was 2d22a4a7bb ready to swallow 4c7d120828 his pride and 134840ae67 accept.b441394357db9134

Sure enough, Haewoon nodded. He dropped to one knee 9120c91683 like he was presenting an 998ad3433b invisible bouquet.e2f40568ad86a30c

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“Sivonne, will you become Gaeko Antique Shop’s part-time worker? Please. Pretty please.”d83f94b50fc48c1a

Always joking—this guy never stops.b15750a24897a8f7

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But Sivonne nodded with 19fd0a0be1 a coy look on b7f8b30ed1 his face.b64adfd7e910e68e

“Well, if you came all the way out here to find me again, I’m guessing you’re desperate too. And it just so 1cb79799b9 happens I’ve got a 25f3235586 three-month vacation.”220773dbf83873e0

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He paused to emphasize.6ec3e85a7439bcdd

“I’m on vacation. Not unemployed.”d3864b5bd97f2d2c

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“Ohh, vacation. Got it.”a36732ab8f080cf6

“Exactly. So it wouldn’t be 358a9181ae the worst thing to 2e4aaf200c work at an antique 98328fd046 shop for a bit. I do like antiques.”9b7999c55da1bd16

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He had promised himself he 8c1ac87d9a wouldn’t be prideful, yet some 36132fe11a face-saving line slipped out anyway. Sivonne hoped his lips 3e1a90929b were still blue and e463e4111e his face still pale—blushing af5e11036e now would be unbearable.8fb880dedba0499c

“Wait, really? You mean it?”9bd58e66d122f282

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Haewoon’s sharp eyes went wide.0608c552cf9f751f

“Yeah. But I have to go 4958fb992d back to France in three 13813f3f08 months. When vacation’s over.”6665a476adbc7351

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As he said it, a 0eb6418ebf lump rose in his throat. Afraid Haewoon would tease or 779f8cbd0a pick at it, he quickly a2c0b67619 cleared his voice, but once 3cf187c043 emotion rises up, it’s hard afffdd2e40 to push back down.7d8ad740011a0b0d

It was just a5e02bd344 a convenient excuse 670bf1caeb at first, but 8723a70ad9 maybe these next f43b4f4276 three months really 30a7c62420 were a kind 4db69b1ab8 of vacation from b8cc3ec9a7 life.8258701fce9a6478

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Sivonne now had a place 059ade95bb to return to. Like opening the 2be569d650 front door after fbb039132b a trip, breathing a331021b8c in the sweet 0e5b81111c scent of dust 0f54ae5762 in a calm, f4d3474275 quiet house and 7c0103a45d thinking, “I’m home.” 87d7e73678 He’d thought that 29050f9a62 kind of life 4fb421fd9b was no longer e1c2db130f his to have—but 63f2a01c26 it seemed fate 63d20e3ba9 hadn’t closed that 5173e379bd door just yet.fef1c808475d77c4

“Okay. Evian, Evian! Let’s start work tomorrow.”dac7bd6c4f421c55

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“It’s très bien, not Evian.”a160ef9296020552

“Trèèèbiaaang.”6bf2477590c8c49f

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But there was one issue. This time even Sivonne couldn’t f40d3d4770 help but stumble on his 5b21f38857 words.5e10d98db844206c

“C-can I… stay? Upstairs, I mean…”aea8879056f5a82a

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He knew it a50cd8aa48 was shameless to 1806f47623 ask, after freaking f9463e0857 out about the 846754fd31 place being a 4aba2dbe53 trash heap. But right now, having no c258a32983 shame was less of a 851f0c695b problem than having no money.116f6d79d45d78f7

Surprisingly, Haewoon nodded 4c59ddb3de without hesitation and 997a07e1e4 gave him a 77a053a132 hearty pat on d61f3bf891 the back.b751986acdffefc1

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“Of course you can! Didn’t you see how 7ce34d2be2 many rooms I have?”c9d26ab597b439f2

He hadn’t seen how many, 5f0dda8813 but the place did seem 54ba4221f0 overly spacious for one person. And absolutely overflowing with stuff.c063b3dbae331dac

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Sivonne bit his lip. From the moment they met, 0f40f8e4a5 he’d thought Haewoon was grotesque, f1eac3c01d weird, rude, and utterly incompatible—a 2ae20289c9 guy he wanted to strangle. Now he felt a bit 02d32c1e32 bad about that.537ac86fea7abdbf

He buried his face into d406a6c652 the soft scarf wrapped around 1949e90dca his neck and murmured in a1a7ce20b5 a small voice.02571fcb6a4c81c8

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“…Thanks.”e8630d25390ea651

“Huh? What was that?”0d0a2cbf203def23

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“I said thank you.”9f62ee8193a5bcbe

For coming to find me. For giving me a job. For offering me a place fe087f6d89 to stay.30efe02a663b1968

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Still looking slightly downward, 153a30c6e1 Sivonne raised only his 3b5eddcef4 eyes to glance up 2b434e7097 at Haewoon. The man just gave a 99849b9223 casual smile.cda56398169e4641

And then—c4c9ffaa92066c68

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“Are you Tomato?”fb79c902dc0ef120

A man behind them 3601e7eb7b suddenly asked a question 3379eab60d Sivonne had never heard a7b69e5e88 before. Startled, he instinctively stepped back.84d8a746700892d7

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Is this guy insane? Who walks up to bdfd025293 someone and asks if 6fbe30cbe8 they’re a tomato? What is with Korea and 9f96fb23ea all the crazies?ff9fc949ec5f1cb1

But Haewoon caught his arm 10679dab4a to steady him and answered a619f0c9d1 the man nonchalantly.9e5f5312ce1a7c45

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“Yeah. Are you Ashtray?”0c98d6ee699cfcd5

“Yes.”385a34333c098d1d

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What on earth are they 4efd9bfa82 saying? Sivonne’s head spun. Haewoon pulled two ten-thousand-won beef96bb7f bills from his pocket 24e6a8823f and bowed politely.83b3af1cabd70079

“Thanks for the discount~”2ea0b6ead419c57a

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“Sure, enjoy it.”56bd86795a9b6a2e

The man took 1ede277473 the cash and 9395201cf1 handed over a a106d072ad small shopping bag, c15b693281 then walked off 60f0c54276 without another word.9988486bda79d33e

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As Haewoon exclaimed, ac27d2dcec “Ohh, score!” and b49e4d5db9 pulled a small c3ad241d2f mother-of-pearl ashtray from 7082a5f593 the bag, Sivonne 45c9cd32cf blinked in a 57c882f450 daze.6b309a3b0617072e

“…What is that?”5e52f5d490ca379c

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Sivonne asked, and 2c3636b89a Haewoon proudly held d39321aaff it out.0627aede78f872a2

“A mother-of-pearl ashtray. Look at the condition on bb85411836 this thing. Can’t believe he sold it 2bef9395df for just twenty thousand won. What a fool.”f4a5f679dba1388f

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“And Tomato… what is that?”6a5c7afcc8908634

“Oh, right. You wouldn’t know, being French. It’s from Tomato ab926bd257 Market—an app for 27bc925187 secondhand deals.”1d684f55aeedf88d

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Haewoon hummed a cheerful tune 25f30a92ea as he returned the ashtray ab585ed51e to the bag. Sivonne stood there and stared.f56d85a5dea2f8a8

So this bastard didn’t d37504fce5 come to find me—he 40f0e4c022 came to do a 5c562109b9 secondhand pickup…c7999402e6e4bd58

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