Chapter 2
“I’m going to rest for a while. I’ll take a breather and then go back.”
─Don’t do that, I’ll send you the manuscript, so just read it.
“I don’t even want to see letters anymore. They look like pictures, not text. I’m sick of it, sick of it.”
Heena, with wireless earphones in her ears and a fleece jacket on, pushed open the blue gate. Although unintentional, as she covered her mouth with her hand and yawned, tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.
─Heena, are you even acting like you’re yawning now? We’re not like that. Help your Unni out!
Yesterday’s schedule of coming down to Jinhong-ri from Seoul and cleaning Grandfather’s house must have been quite tiring. Judging by how soundly she slept.
However, the voice that jolted her awake made her feel uneasy.
“Ah, Unni… Is it okay to appeal to my emotions like this? This puts me in a difficult position.”
─What’s so difficult? I send you the manuscript, you translate it and send it back. You earn money, build your resume, good for you and good for me, killing two birds with one stone, having your cake and eating it too. How great is that?”
“Not great at all. Slump, burnout, something like that. Uh, I’m losing service, I’m hanging up!”
Heena dramatically lowered the phone from her ear and repeatedly pressed the end call button. Phew, a long sigh finally escaped her lips.
It had only been ten days since she’d barely met her deadline while looking after Grandfather in the hospital. While literary translation was the most enjoyable, compared to technical translation, the pay was lower and it took longer, making it a labor of love. That love had completely evaporated, so she was avoiding it with plausible excuses like slump and burnout.
“I’m sorry, CEO. But let me recover a bit, too.”
She quietly muttered to the phone, the call already ended.
Sometimes in life, you trip over your own feet. She couldn’t put any more strength into the feet that were struggling to make a living. That’s how exhausted she was. Grandfather’s critical condition and farewell might just be excuses. In a way, she had intentionally tripped and created a chance to rest.
Heena walked down the country road stretching out from the gate, both to look around the village and to buy some necessities. Even though the sun was high in the sky, she couldn’t see a single soul, not even an ant.
Less than five minutes after she started walking, she discovered where the villagers were.
“Hey, I heard Jeong’s granddaughter came down.”
“What’s she doing in this backwater?”
“I dunno. How would I know what young people these days are thinking? I don’t even know what my own kids are thinking.”
In front of the village hall was a wooden platform covered with yellow linoleum. Thanks to the shade provided by a large zelkova tree that seemed to have stood there for at least a hundred years, the villagers were gathered on the platform, playing Go or chatting.
“I’m here to recuperate.”
Heena smiled brightly and sat down on the platform. As she subtly squeezed in among the elders, they flinched and scanned her with wary eyes.
Even if she was the granddaughter of old Mr. Jeong, a long-time resident of this village, it was natural for them not to welcome her since she was a stranger to them. However, she was confident in her ability to ingratiate herself.
“Are you Jeong’s granddaughter?”
“Yes. I’m Jeong Heena. Just call me Heena.”
“But recuperate? Are you sick somewhere?”
“My heart is sick, my heart. My grandfather passed away a few days ago.”
“Come to think of it, I think I saw you at the funeral hall.”
“That’s right. I carried hundreds of bowls of yukgaejang there, don’t you remember?”
When she asked sweetly, the elders exchanged glances and tilted their heads. Then, a man who seemed to have already had a bowl of makgeolli answered boisterously.
“I remember! Of course, I remember. You’re our Jeong’s granddaughter!”
He clearly didn’t remember. Still, Heena chuckled and matched his energy.
“Oh, the smell of makgeolli! Where were you drinking so much in broad daylight?”
“I had some at the five-day market in town, where else?”
“There’s a five-day market in town today?”
“Yep!”
“Why is a pretty girl from Seoul talking to that drunkard? Ignore him. Stop spreading the smell of alcohol around and go home, wash your feet, and get some sleep!”
A woman who was trimming bean sprouts spoke gently to Heena and then scolded the makgeolli man.
“Hey, maybe his wife kicked him out of the house. Give him a break.”
At the jokingly delivered words, the woman’s hands, picking at the bean sprout heads, paused.
“I am his wife.”
“Aha…”
Embarrassed, Heena stretched her lips into a wide smile. She heard chuckles from around her.
“Right, our pretty girl shouldn’t be talking to that drunkard, she should hang out with a handsome bachelor.”
Another woman, peeking over the bean sprout woman’s shoulder, changed the subject.
“A handsome bachelor?”
“You know. Where is it again? The house with the green roof? A bachelor came down from Seoul a few months ago, but he hasn’t been seen for days.”
“Hey, isn’t he in Seoul for Jeong’s funeral?”
“There are a lot of people in Seoul for Jeong’s funeral.”
“No. I saw that handsome bachelor buying soy sauce at the supermarket yesterday.”
“I’m going to rest for a while. I’ll take a breather and then go back.”
─Don’t do that. I’ll send you the manuscript, so just read it.
“I don’t even want to look at letters anymore. They’re starting to look like pictures, not text. I’m so sick of it.”
Heena, with wireless earphones in and a fleece jacket on, pushed open the blue gate. Unintentionally, she covered her mouth with her hand as she yawned, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.
─Heena, are you seriously faking a yawn right now? Come on, we’re closer than this. Help a sister out!
Yesterday must have been exhausting, coming down to Jinhong-ri from Seoul and cleaning Grandfather’s house. Judging by how deeply I slept.
However, the voice that startled her awake made her feel a pang of guilt.
“Oh, Unni… Are you seriously trying to guilt-trip me like this? This puts me in a difficult spot.”
─What’s so difficult? I send you the manuscript, you translate it and send it back. You earn money, build your resume. It’s a win-win, you kill two birds with one stone, have your cake and eat it too. How great is that?”
“Not great at all. I’m in a slump, burnt out, something like that. Uh oh, I’m losing service, gotta go!”
Heena dramatically lowered the phone from her ear, putting on a performance, and then hammered the end call button. Phew, a long sigh finally escaped her lips.
It had only been ten days since she’d barely met a deadline while taking care of Grandfather in the hospital. While she enjoyed literary translation the most, compared to technical translation, the pay was lower and it took longer, requiring a labor of love. That love had completely evaporated, so she was avoiding work with plausible excuses like a slump and burnout.
“I’m sorry, CEO. But I need to recover, too.”
She quietly muttered to the phone, the call already ended.
Sometimes in life, you trip over your own two feet. She couldn’t muster any more strength into the feet that were struggling to make ends meet. That’s how exhausted she was. Grandfather’s critical condition and his passing might just be excuses. In a way, she’d intentionally tripped herself to create an opportunity to rest.
Heena walked down the country road that stretched out from the gate, hoping to explore the village and pick up some necessities. Even though the sun was high in the sky, she couldn’t see a single person, not even an ant.
Not even five minutes after she started walking, she discovered where all the villagers were.
“Hey, I heard old Mr. Jeong’s granddaughter came down.”
“What’s she doing in this sticks?”
“Who knows? How would I know what young people are thinking these days? I don’t even know what my own kids are thinking.”
In front of the village hall was a wooden platform covered with yellow linoleum. Thanks to the shade of a large zelkova tree that seemed to have stood there for at least a hundred years, the village elders were gathered on the platform, playing Go or chatting.
“I’m here to recuperate.”
Heena smiled brightly and plopped down on the platform. As she subtly wedged herself among the elders, they startled and scanned her with wary eyes.
Even though she was the granddaughter of old Mr. Jeong, a long-time resident of this village, it was natural for them not to welcome her since she was a stranger in their eyes. However, she was confident in her ability to charm her way in.
“Are you old Mr. Jeong’s granddaughter?”
“Yes. I’m Jeong Heena. Please, just call me Heena.”
“But recuperate? What ails you?”
“My heart aches, my heart. My grandfather passed away a few days ago.”
“Now that you mention it, I think I saw you at the funeral hall.”
“That’s right. I carried hundreds of bowls of yukgaejang there. Don’t you remember?”
When she asked sweetly, the elders exchanged glances and tilted their heads. Then, a man who seemed to have already had a bowl of makgeolli (Korean rice wine) answered boisterously.
“I remember! Of course, I remember! You’re our brother Jeong’s granddaughter!”
He clearly didn’t remember. Still, Heena chuckled and played along.
“Oh, the smell of makgeolli! Where were you drinking so much in broad daylight?”
“At the five-day market in town, where else?”
“There’s a five-day market in town today?”
“Yep!”
“Why is such a pretty girl from Seoul talking to that drunkard? Ignore him. Stop reeking of alcohol and go home, wash your feet, and get some sleep!”
A woman who was trimming bean sprouts spoke gently to Heena and then scolded the makgeolli man.
“Hey, maybe his wife kicked him out of the house. Give him a break.”
At her joking words, the woman’s hands, picking the tops off bean sprouts, paused.
“I am his wife.”
“Aha…”
Embarrassed, Heena gave a sheepish grin. She heard chuckles around her.
“Right, our pretty girl shouldn’t be talking to that drunkard; she should be hanging out with a handsome bachelor.”
Another woman, peeking over the bean sprout woman’s shoulder, changed the subject.
“A handsome bachelor?”
“You know the one. Where does he live again? The house with the green roof? A bachelor came down from Seoul a few months ago, but he hasn’t been seen for days.”
“Hey, isn’t he in Seoul for old Mr. Jeong’s funeral?”
“Lots of people are in Seoul for old Mr. Jeong’s funeral.”
“No. I saw that handsome bachelor buying soy sauce at the supermarket yesterday.”
