TYS Ch 11

With no other choice, Seungwan walked into his room. He remained on high alert for a while, listening for any sounds from outside, but the man didn’t seem to have any intention of coming into the living room. Eventually, exhaustion took over, and Seungwan decided it was better to rest. He grabbed a random book from the shelf and read a few pages but quickly lost interest. After washing up in the en suite bathroom, he lay down on the bed.

The day had felt unusually long. After soaking in hot water for a while, his muscles had finally loosened. He hadn’t realized it before, but having a bathroom attached to the room wasn’t so bad. It would have been uncomfortable if he had to share it with the man. Had the man thought of this and given him this room on purpose? He couldn’t be sure.

Thanks to that, he was able to enjoy this small luxury, but he couldn’t let himself get too comfortable—there was always the possibility of being kicked out. Yet, he had adapted to living here much faster than he had expected.

Sighing, Seungwan lay on the bed, wrapped in the blanket, and thought quietly. What did it mean that his father had worked for the man’s house? His father hadn’t always been a bastard. Before he got addicted to gambling, he had been a decent man, and those few years had been the only time the three of them were truly happy.

After school, when he came home, his mother would have snacks prepared. He would eat them, munching away while reading a fairy tale book, and then his father would come home, covered in dust from work. Seungwan would rush to him and hug him, shouting, “Dad!” But that felt like such a distant memory now, so long ago that he wondered when exactly it had happened.

Had his father worked for the man’s house back then? Not knowing his father’s previous job made it difficult for Seungwan to piece anything together.

Stuck on that very first question, Seungwan shifted his thoughts. A lot had been happening recently, and his mind was overflowing. What he was most curious about now was what kind of work the man would have him do starting tomorrow. What kind of work was it, anyway? If it were something physical, the man wouldn’t have bothered paying off the debt of someone as scrawny as him. So what could it be? What had the man seen in him to suddenly take on his debt?

Whatever it was, Seungwan hoped it was something he could do well. He thought it would be best if he could repay the man who had given him the best room for the past few months. It wasn’t out of gratitude, but he simply didn’t want to owe him anything.

Children who grow up under the weight of debt that was never theirs learn to hate owing even a single extra coin. Seungwan was no different. Kindness, when received without giving anything in return, could easily turn into something else and come crashing down on him at any moment.

After staring at the dark ceiling for a while, Seungwan finally closed his eyes. He just hoped it would be something he was good at so the man wouldn’t be disappointed. The man’s disappointment could easily unsettle his sense of peace. Without asking for anything more, that was all he wished for.

***

“Wanie, aren’t you going to school?”

The next morning, Seungwan was woken up unexpectedly by a knock on the door. Startled, he quickly recognized the man’s voice, and only then did his racing heart begin to calm. The man hadn’t knocked loudly or shouted, yet Seungwan had still been unnecessarily startled.

He hadn’t even replied that he was awake, but the man already seemed to have moved away from the door. Seungwan scratched his messy hair, slowly got out of bed, and left the room. As he stepped into the kitchen, he muttered quietly toward the man, who was tinkering with something.

“I don’t go to school… I graduated.”

“I see. Eat and then go to school.”

Had he not heard? The man’s response was baffling. It was too direct for someone who supposedly hadn’t heard him at all, and then he added that he should eat and go to school. In the end, Seungwan gave up on trying to correct him, went back into his room to change, and came out.

The man had laid out various foods on the table. Seungwan, usually a light sleeper, hadn’t heard a single clatter, making him wonder when the man had started preparing everything.

“Come on, sit down.”

“……”

As Seungwan approached the table, the man urged him to sit. He hesitated, glancing around to see if there was anything he could help with. But the man simply told him to sit down, leaving him with no choice. Not wanting to be a bother, Seungwan sat slowly, eyeing the small bowl of sweet-looking cereal with milk placed in front of him.

“That’s just a little something to start with,” the man said, almost as if coaxing a child.

Seungwan wasn’t particularly fond of sweet things, but he nodded anyway. The table was set with seasonal fruits, toast, scrambled eggs, boiled sausages, and green bean salad. Across from him, the man poured cereal into a bowl three times bigger than Seungwan’s and sat down. As he spread a thick layer of jam on his toast with a butter knife, he spoke.

“For breakfast, rice is better than bread, but I don’t have time today. I need to drop you off and then go to work.”

“…You don’t have to drop me off…”

Surprised, Seungwan quickly responded. He had a scooter and could go on his own. He’d been doing so for the past few months, and he didn’t see why today should be any different. But the man seemed to think otherwise.

“I also have something to do at the agricultural co-op. Let’s go together since I’m heading that way.”

Since he put it that way, Seungwan couldn’t refuse. The conversation ended there. As he glanced at the man, who was chewing on his perfectly toasted bread, Seungwan hurried to eat as well, not wanting to seem like he was just picking at his food.

The man ate neatly but incredibly quickly, leaving Seungwan struggling to keep up. In the end, unable to match his pace, Seungwan was still eating when the man finished his meal.

“Chew your food well before coming out, okay?”

Even so, as if he knew Seungwan was rushing, the man reached out and ruffled his hair. The thick, large hand resting on Seungwan’s head made him instinctively lower it slightly. Only when the man pulled his hand away did Seungwan glance up at him.

The man mumbled, “Cigarettes…” then, out of nowhere, added an unfamiliar melody to it. He paced around the living room, repeating, “Let’s see now, cigarettes… cigarettes…” Seungwan stared at him absentmindedly while scooping up cereal.

Finally, the man seemed to find what he was looking for. He picked up a pack of cigarettes and the car keys from the key tray by the entrance, then shoved his feet into his canvas shoes without bothering to fix the heels and stepped outside.

“……”

Seungwan was suddenly left alone and barely managed to finish the bread and scrambled eggs meant for him. After quickly tidying up the table and brushing his teeth, he finally noticed how messy his hair was. The man had probably pressed his hand down heavily on Seungwan’s head in an attempt to flatten it.

Seungwan had washed his hair the night before, so washing it again now wasn’t an option. Pressing his lips together, he wet his hands and firmly smoothed down the stubborn strands. His hair was fine and thin, yet thick and curly, so it kept popping back up. After pressing it down a few more times, he left the bathroom. He couldn’t afford to waste any more time, knowing the man was probably waiting outside.

However, before heading to the living room, Seungwan glanced at the clock on the bedroom wall and was surprised to see that it was much earlier than his usual departure time. …Does he have somewhere to stop by this morning? If he was that busy, Seungwan could have just gone by himself. Feeling a bit awkward, he left the house.

As he stepped outside, slipping on his sneakers, he saw the man standing in the garden, a cigarette hanging from his mouth, squeezing the end of a blue water hose with his thumb as he watered the lawn. With spring in full bloom, the freshly sprouted green shoots of grass were soaking up the water. Even though the man was half-turned away and hadn’t looked back to see Seungwan close the door, he somehow knew he had come outside. Furrowing one eyebrow slightly, he spoke.

“Wan-ah, you starved them.”

His words were slurred because of the cigarette in his mouth. Seungwan slowly nodded.

“Think of them as your dongsaengs, and next time, make sure you feed them properly. Got it?”

“……Yes.”

Even though Seungwan answered obediently, the man emphasized it again.

“What’s the grass?”

“……My dongsaeng……”

Seungwan responded almost like reciting a chant, without even realizing it. The man chuckled, turned off the hose, and took a deep drag of his cigarette, his cheeks hollowing as he smiled.

“That’s right. Smart and well-mannered.”

“……”

“Very pretty.”

When he helped the cooperative members during the busy farming season, the elderly folks at those houses would say similar things. Still, his ears reddened for no reason. Seungwan subtly avoided making eye contact. Honestly, he didn’t understand why the man said things like that.

As if reading his thoughts, the man chuckled, tossing the cigarette butt into the large ashtray in the corner of the garden.

“Your temper, though.”

“……”

“Get in the car. Time for school.”

He continued with the same joke from the morning. Seungwan sighed inwardly and headed toward the man’s truck.