Lunar New Year came earlier than usual this year.
Tae-eun watched Song Min-jae, who had come with her pregnant sister-in-law, with a sense of wonder. It was because her brother was putting on a rather manly act in front of his wife.
“Hey, you work at Hyun-ho’s café, right?”
He only remembered to ask after they had finished preparing the morning ceremonial food. She nodded, scratching her neck—a question as casual as any greeting, yet it inexplicably made her feel uneasy.
“How much do they pay you?”
“Why would you ask that? Hyun-ho takes good care of me.”
She couldn’t quite say it straight—her hourly wage of 40,000 won was definitely influenced by Hyun-ho’s personal feelings, and she could imagine how her brother would react if he knew.
“Oh, so you’ve gotten close to Hyun-ho? Back in the day, you used to cry so much whenever you saw him that it embarrassed me.”
“Me?”
Tae-eun’s eyes widened. She had no recollection of being close to Hyun-ho, although adults always mentioned they were. But Min-jae spoke as if she disliked Hyun-ho.
“You were there when Hyun-ho had his car accident, right in front of you. After that, you’d cry every time you saw him.”
“Hyun-ho was in a car accident?”
“What? You don’t remember anything? Are you pretending not to remember?”
Min-jae narrowed his eyes and looked at her suspiciously. She was about to protest when her mother called them to eat some fruit.
As she absentmindedly looked at the ultrasound photos her sister-in-law was showing off, she petted the dog. Her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Hyun-ho’s accident.
As the conversation shifted to the excitement about the upcoming baby, an animated Min-jae brought out an album filled with his childhood photos. She was still pondering how to ask Hyun-ho about the accident when they got to the photos of her and her siblings’ elementary school entrance ceremony.
“Hey, is this you?”
“Yeah. It’s me, then Young-hoon, this kid, and Hyun-ho.”
Tae-eun’s eyes widened. She leaned forward to closely examine a photo taken in a botanical garden. In the picture, two slightly older boys, a young version of herself, and a little kid clinging tightly to her hand were standing in front of a giant cactus.
“Hyun-ho was totally attached to you back then. Anyone would think you were his real sister.”
Contrary to his sharp features now, the young Hyun-ho in the picture was round-faced and cute. The poor quality of the photo made his large eyes look like black marble.
This adorable face had appeared in her dreams but with all its features erased. Everyone else seemed to remember their shared past, yet she had forgotten everything.
Hyun-ho’s face appeared as frequently in Min-jae’s album as hers did. Even though she could vaguely remember his brother Young-hoon, she had absolutely no recollection of him.
His childhood appearance, looking nothing like a white dog, didn’t help either; he seemed like a completely different person now.
“Mom, Young-hoon is here.”
Three months away from becoming a father, Min-jae still spoke like an elementary school kid. Tae-eun, who had been dismissively tinkering with her phone, tensed up at the following deep voice.
“Hello.”
Turning her head, she saw an adult Ji Hyun-ho, who looked nothing like a white dog, entering the house. She stood up abruptly, and Dodam ran over to rub against him.
“Hello, Dodam.”
“Oh, Tae-eun, it’s been a while.”
Young-hoon, who had aged into an uncle just like Min-jae, greeted her. She smiled awkwardly and bowed her head, not daring to look at Hyun-ho.
The parents warmly greeted the siblings who brought ginseng and dried persimmons. Friendly greetings were exchanged, and the living room table was soon laden with all sorts of fruits and rice cakes. Even Dodam brought over his favorite toy and placed it near Hyun-ho’s knee.
In the cheerful living room, only Song Tae-eun sat with an uncomfortable expression. If only she had a puppy beside her to ease the awkwardness, but even that comfort was usurped by Hyun-ho, leaving her no choice but to fiddle with her cup of yuja tea.
“You shouldn’t have brought all this; we appreciate the thought, but next time come empty-handed, okay?”
“It’s the least I can do to show my appreciation to uncle and aunt for all the help Tae-eun gives at the café.”
“How much are they paying you?”
Min-jae asked bluntly while swallowing a grape. Tae-eun signaled him to stop with her eyes, but he even googled the minimum wage.
“They don’t just pay the minimum there; maybe an extra 2,000 won?”
Tae-eun’s anxious gaze shifted to Hyun-ho. Their eyes met for the first time, hanging in the air. She pleaded with him with desperate eyes. Please, just let it slide.
“I should be paying more than that for Tae-eun and my relationship.”
Hyun-ho responded with a cool smile. Min-jae tried to probe further but luckily, his wife stopped him by hitting his knee. Tae-eun silently sighed and gave Hyun-ho a grateful look, his smile deepening.
After cleaning up, they left the house and walked towards Hajung Elementary School. The usual group was now larger, with the new sister-in-law, the baby on the way, and Dodam.
As Tae-eun lagged behind waiting for the dog to sniff around, Hyun-ho quietly approached her. She jumped in surprise.
“Hurry, let’s go ahead.”
“Walking together like this won’t raise any suspicions. Did you sleep well?”
He asked with a bright smile, like the sun shining right above. Caught off guard by his question and his dazzling smile, she quickly turned her head.
“Yes, I slept well.”
“Oh really? That’s impressive.”
Tae-eun couldn’t help but give him a sideways glance. He was covering just below his cheekbones with his hand. Even without seeing it, she knew he was smirking behind his hand.
Her dreams that dawn had been as tumultuous and vivid as the ones from the past several nights. In these dreams, they had indulged in unmentionable acts in the most embarrassing places.
“I got up at dawn to take care of it alone─”
“Oh my! Good boy.”
She rushed ahead, praising Dodam who was urinating on a utility pole. The tall man quickly caught up and asked casually with an extended grin.
“Right. I did well, didn’t I?”
Stunned, she stared at him with her mouth agape, but he just shrugged nonchalantly.
“I didn’t bother you and took care of it myself. I deserve some praise too.”
Hyun-ho grabbed her hand and placed it above his head. She quickly removed her hand before their siblings ahead could see.
His unabashed attitude made her heart thud loudly. Despite the chill breeze, her cheeks flushed as if their closeness was being solidified.
“What are you doing tomorrow? Are you busy?”
“Not really.”
As Tae-eun muttered, avoiding his gaze, he leaned in closer and lowered his voice.
“Then let’s watch a movie and hang out at the café.”
“I’ll come if you promise no mischief.”
“How can I make that promise when that’s exactly why we’re meeting?”
Her steps halted abruptly. He then swiftly took the leash and led the way.
“We’re meeting for multiple reasons. To eat something tasty, watch a fun movie, see my beautiful Noona, and even check if you cry like in my dreams.”
Her face flushed intensely. She was still not used to such blatant expressions. Following him and trying to think of a retort, she decided to ask something that had been on her mind.
“Hyun-ho.”
“Yeah, Noona?”
“When you were little… did you ever get seriously hurt?”
Hyun-ho’s bright irises sought her out. No matter how much she blamed the resolution, she couldn’t reconcile the childlike eyes she remembered with his current ones.
“Did something jog your memory?”
“No, it’s not that. Your brother mentioned it today. He said you were in a car accident.”
“Ah…”
He nodded as they walked through the back gate of the elementary school. Song Min-jae and Ji Young-hoon, who had entered ahead of them, were now hanging from a much-lowered horizontal bar, laughing.
“Before Hajung Beach Hotel was built, it was just an empty field. We used to play there a lot.”
He led Dodam along the track slowly. She listened intently to his unfamiliar story.
“It was during a school break. We played there all day and were heading home when a truck hit us from behind. It was a drunk driver.”
Without realizing it, Tae-eun scanned his body to make sure it was intact. Noticing her gaze, he gave a thin smile.
“I was half buried under it, covered in blood. But I remember Noona running to me first, calling out ‘Hyun-ho, Hyun-ho.'”
“Do you… remember that?”
“It’s one of the most vivid memories of my life. I’ll never forget it, even if I get dementia.”
Although Hyun-ho always made her heart race, this time it thudded with a different, heavy weight. Perhaps it was because of the seriousness in his voice.
“But it seems that sight was quite shocking for Noona. You even fainted. After that, you cried every time you saw me.”
That matched what Song Min-jae had told her. As the dog started to roll on the grass, he looked back at her with the leash loosely held.
“So after that, we couldn’t play together anymore.”
His voice carried a hint of bitterness. She crouched down, self-consciously, and began gently rubbing the dog’s pink belly.
She had never imagined she had caused such distress to her younger brother. She was young herself and must have been terrified, but she regretted causing him emotional pain as well.
“So you owe me a lot of playtime now.”
It was as if he had read her thoughts. He crouched down next to her, and his brown eyes sparkled in the sunlight up close.
“For all the times we missed.”
“Yeah.”
Tae-eun nodded vigorously. Seeing his eyes curve into rounds made her feel content.
“How about the injury from back then? Are you okay?”
“Isn’t it too late to ask? That was 19 years ago.”
“…Sorry.”
“There’s a scar on my thigh.”
“Really?”
Her eyes widened and instinctively glanced toward his sturdy thigh. He whispered close to her ear.
“I’ll show you tomorrow.”
🍉🍉🍉
