TPLTW Chapter 5

Chapter 5

My name is Kim Soo-cheol and I am eighteen.

I was born and raised in a mountain village in Gyeonggi-do, and my mother remarried and moved to this village five years ago. My stepfather was a dog who turned into a drunkard, and he is currently serving time in prison for committing all sorts of dirty deeds.

My mother’s health is not very good. The situation is difficult. So I gave up my studies and work part-time at a Chinese restaurant and a convenience store in town. I live in a small room with a black tile roof that you can see right down the hill.

Till here.

It was the profile of himself that Soo-cheol had lined up while swallowing Jajangmyeon in front of his eyes.

“How old are you?”

“I’m eighteen. My name is Kim Soo-cheol. My hometown is Gyeonggi-do, and my mother… .”

I asked him his age once and he forced me to listen to his story about growing up, even though I had only exchanged two words with him. Thanks to that, I was able to figure him out in an instant as if I had known him for years.

I really hate people who talk too much, and I really regret letting him in for no reason.

Taegeon put down the spoon he was scooping up and leaned back against the wall again.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t eat Jajangmyeon because my stomach is weak. I’ll watch you eat, so you eat it all.”

The savory smell of Jjajangmyeon made my mouth water, but there was no answer if I kept ruining myself inside. And then, seeing the Jjajangmyeon turned into rice cake in the cold wind made me lose my appetite.

Soo-cheol was eating the rice cake-like noodles with great difficulty, and he had the happiest expression on his face.

Should I call this pure or cheesy?

For a split second, I found myself laughing at myself for shifting my suspicions from the masked woman to the guy, thinking, ‘Is this kid really dangerous…?’

The bottom line is that the mask and helmet are not harmful to me.

Only then did I feel much more at ease.

Taegeon looked at the guy who was wiping off all the remaining seasoning from the bowl of jajangmyeon with a radish, then turned to look at the door.

The woman would be eating her rice cake-like jajangmyeon alone somewhere behind the closed door. Even when Soo-cheol asked her to come in and eat with him, she refused, so he didn’t bother to stop her. It seemed really rude, but later he realized that it was actually a consideration for the woman.

I was secretly hoping to see her face with her mask down, but it was disappointing.

When Soo-cheol put down his chopsticks, Taegeon took out a cigarette and lit it, asking questions without thinking.

“What kind of woman is she?”

Soo-cheol rinsed his mouth with water and looked back at the closed door. His small eyes blinked intently for a moment, as if he was choosing what to say.

Soo-cheol looked back at him and spoke with a pretended fierce face.

“Just a guest?”

Taegeon narrowed his eyes. Soo-cheol was blinking his eyelids as if he was blind, but he clearly knew something about women.

Ah… This makes me really curious.

He slowly exhaled smoke and stared at Soo-cheol. Soo-cheol, who had been staring at him with considerable vigor, eventually lowered his eyes.

Taegeon said with a laugh.

“Why, tell me her story as you have been telling it all. I am curious.”

The innocent face became thoughtful again. Talkative people are always anxious to talk as if they know things they don’t.

His chapped lips were quivering. There was conflict in his actions as he scraped the already empty bowl with his chopsticks.

However, the words that came out through the open mouth were surprisingly strong.

“I don’t know either. She just came here for a trip and she liked our town so she decided to stay here.”

Taegeon asked back with an uneasy face.

“Ah… really?”

“Yes.”

His eyes, like go stones, glanced at him. Soo-cheol was licking the jjajang off the tip of his chopsticks with a rather calm expression, but he was still watching him.

After staring at him for a while without saying anything, the guy said with a look of apparent resentment.

“Oh, that’s all I know. Really.”

It’s a bundle that doesn’t easily untie even when pressured silently. It seems there’s more to loyalty than the one that meets his eye.

“What did I say?”

It was unfortunate that it wasn’t the answer I wanted to hear, but I couldn’t help but snicker at the young boy’s loyalty.

Click, the door opened at that moment. A masked woman lifted her head.

“Have you eaten everything?”

As soon as she asked the question, the woman looked over at the bowl of rice cake that had been set aside and then entered the room, holding a medicine box in her hand.

Taegeon followed the woman’s steps, keeping an eye on her mask. Not only were the sunglasses and mask not enough, but this time she appeared wearing a black bucket hat pulled down low. Thanks to this, the only thing that was exposed above her neck was her earlobe dangling from under the bucket hat.

No matter how I looked at it, it was a strange sight. Why on earth would she hide her face like that? If she had shown her face, I wouldn’t have been interested, but now that she is all covered up, I became even more curious.

“No. It’s just that, I have some circumstances.”

There are circumstances where it is inevitable to draw attention and make a fuss about it… . When you count the cases, there aren’t many circumstances that fit that description.

Either you have a seriously ugly scar on your face, or you have a face that anyone can recognize at first glance.

“The owner said that the wounded area needs to be disinfected.”

The woman put down the medicine box she was carrying and asked Soo-cheol.

“I just need to do both arms and thighs first. Can you do it?”

Soo-cheol checked the wall clock and nodded happily.

“Yeah. There’s still some time left.”

Taegeon frowned with an expressionless face.

“Do you know how to do it?”

“My mom and I, it was our job to get hit by dad. We disinfected and bandaged things with our eyes closed.”

Soo-cheol answered confidently with a broad smile. His face was very innocent as if he was talking about some great talent. The woman seemed to find that smile even more pitiful, as she lowered her head and scratched the mask covering her nose.

Soo-cheol, who noticed the woman’s momentary calm because of him, opened the medicine box pretending to be even more indifferent.

“You’ll have to change your clothes again. You’re leaking blood.”

Blood was soaking into the abdomen of the white T-shirt that looked like tights. Soo-cheol, who had taken out the disinfectant and bandages, stood up, thinking that he should get his clothes first.

Taegeon looked up at Soo-cheol and asked.

“Is this yours?”

“Yes. It’s a relatively large size, but it looks like tights when you wear it. I’ll look for something bigger. And don’t worry, I’ve never worn the panties because I’ve been saving them.”

Taegeon’s gaze dropped down to where it couldn’t be seen because it was covered by the blanket.

Now that I think about it, I didn’t feel uncomfortable the whole time. I thought it was because of the pain all over my body, but it seems it wasn’t just that. I didn’t have time to look at my outfit, so I didn’t even think about it.

Taegeon lifted the blanket and checked the situation below. The black sweatpants were stuck to his lower body just as tightly as the T-shirt.

He was a little under 190cm tall. But looking at Soo-cheol’s height of about 175cm and his skinny pelvis, there would be a significant difference in their underwear sizes.

“Somehow….”

Now that I’m conscious of it, I feel even more uncomfortable. Taegeon said with a very unpleasant expression on his face.

“I was wondering what on earth you put in there that made my dick uncomfortable.”

“… … .”

“… … .”

Suddenly, silence fell. The sound of waves crashing against the cliff swirled around the quiet room.

Haein’s gaze, which had been directed at Taegeon, slowly fell onto the blanket and then turned to the other side. Even Soo-cheol, who was not easily flustered by simple things, coughed loudly as he checked Haein’s expression.

“I’ll look for the biggest one possible.”

Soo-cheol left the room first. Haein, who missed the timing, looked around the floor absentmindedly before quickly grabbing the food and standing up.

“Take a break, let’s take a break.”

Taegeon, who had been staring blankly at her as she walked out the door in a daze, soon burst into laughter like the wind.

What are you embarrassed about with a dick?

“How naive….”