Chapter 4
Heena glanced at Yohan’s serious expression and, etching the character for patience onto her palm, spoke first.
“Were you also invited by the makgeolli man?”
“Who’s the makgeolli man?”
“The one with crescent-shaped eyes and downturned eyebrows. Red nose, and he makes a ‘hee hee’ sound when he laughs.”
“Oh, Mr. Park?”
“So you call him Mr. Park. Anyway, I was invited before I even met you…”
“Don’t try anything.”
“Try what…!”
Seo Yohan never took her words at face value. He always twisted the meaning, sharpening them into pointed barbs.
But what could she do? She was older; she had to be the bigger person.
“I’m completely over you now. So I’m suggesting we go together, like I would bring Jeong Heetae to my friends’ gathering.”
“I don’t even want to be on brother-sister terms with you. We’re worse than strangers.”
“Don’t get any ideas. I don’t have the slightest desire to be on good terms with you either.”
“I can already see the lingering feelings dripping from your eyes.”
That couldn’t be… While it was true he wasn’t as comfortable to be around as Jeong Heetae, was it really that obvious? She was just a little flustered and disoriented.
Heena blinked a few times, trying to maintain a neutral expression. She needed to show him, “I’m perfectly comfortable enough to have a drink with you. Completely at ease.”
“I clearly told you not to get any ideas.”
“Then walk a little further away.”
Seo Yohan chuckled and nudged Heena, who was sticking close to him, grumbling. Heena quickly took a couple of steps back.
However, his attire was so atrocious, something she had never seen before, that she stared directly at him, her eyes narrowed.
“What the… What are you wearing?”
As if sensing her gaze, he cleared his throat with an awkward expression.
“I don’t need to look good in front of you. Do I?”
“Oh, come on.”
Even if he didn’t need to impress her, a pink shirt with frills on the sleeves was a bit much, wasn’t it? Even if he had no lingering feelings, wearing clothes that looked like they were picked out of a donation bin was a bit extreme.
Of course, she was also wearing a flashy floral t-shirt under her fleece jacket to show her lack of interest, but he took it to another level.
“Why are you trying so hard? It’s exhausting just looking at you.”
She thought sweatpants with holes in the knees, like hers, would have been perfectly appropriate.
Heena unfolded the blanket she’d brought in case it got cold and draped it over Yohan’s shoulders.
“You must be cold, princess. Wear this.”
Yohan raised his eyebrows, looking pleased.
“Why? Do I look that bad?”
Heena couldn’t help but laugh. Of all things, he had to one-up her even in this. He could be so childish sometimes.
“You look great. Like you’re desperately trying to impress your ex-girlfriend. But seriously, I’m worried you’ll freeze to death while drinking makgeolli.”
“I don’t usually get cold.”
He then pulled the blanket off himself and threw it over Heena’s head.
“You’re the one who might freeze to death.”
Heena swatted the blanket away from her face and hurried after Yohan, who was already far ahead.
“Why are you following me? Do you like me?”
“Oh, he’s starting again. You know that’s a huge insult, right?”
Yohan smirked, one corner of his lip curling up.
“What insult? You should be honored to even be talking to me.”
“Oh, right. You’re so great.”
“Not just great, exceptionally great.”
“I can’t stand you.”
“Listen anyway. You’re the only one here who will.”
He wasn’t wrong. It was hard to keep up with his long strides.
Huffing and puffing, she hurried after him, finally reaching the village hall.
The tables were laden with snacks, and the makgeolli man, Mr. Park, was showing off a bottle of makgeolli, making sure the label was visible.
“This makgeolli has such a long tradition!”
Like Heena, everyone seemed more interested in taste than tradition, listening with one ear and chatting amongst themselves. Then they spotted Heena and Yohan and their eyes widened.
“Whoa! How come you two are coming together?”
“What else would it be when a pretty girl and a handsome guy show up together? It’s obvious.”
“Yeah! Obvious, obvious.”
Unintentionally the center of attention, Heena gritted her teeth and whispered to Yohan.
“Sit away from me.”
She squeezed in between some ladies, far from him, and made a flower pose with her hands around her face.
“Does that mean I’m pretty?”
The surrounding ladies burst into laughter, as if dumbfounded.
Yohan, left alone, watched her with a blank expression, then deliberately sat down right next to her. Heena glared at him. He was being contrary, like he wanted to do the opposite of what she asked.
“Why are you both dressed like that? Did you pick out clothes you were about to throw away?”
Heena teased Yohan with a smirk.
“Hey, say something nice. What about you? Do you have a date? Going somewhere nice?”
“You’re already on a first-name basis? You’re practically getting married this weekend!”
“No, it’s not like that! It turns out we already knew each other.”
Heena’s voice rose as she tried to clear up the misunderstanding.
“He’s my younger brother’s friend. My brother’s friend.”
“Aha, so you’re getting married tomorrow, not this weekend? Got it. I’ll make sure to cook a whole lot of noodles.”
“I used to babysit him when he was little. In my memory, he’s still a baby, I can’t believe how much he’s grown. Haha. It feels like just yesterday he was clinging to me, crying because the other kids wouldn’t play with him.”
“Your memory is severely distorted. I was never smaller than you.”
“Oh, please. Are you saying you were born tall?”
“So you two have history, eh?”
“How does it feel seeing each other after so long? Did you hug and cry?”
“No, it’s not like that…”
Nothing she said got through to them. They were all speaking different languages. Meanwhile, Seo Yohan hadn’t said a word.
Just as she was wondering why she was the only one trying to defend herself when they were both being teased, Yohan brought a metal bowl over and filled it with makgeolli.
“How much can you drink? About as much as a whale?”
His tone was sarcastic, urging her to drink quickly.
How much can you drink? How much can you drink? How much can you drink?
Those words echoed in her ears.
Heena stared blankly at Yohan’s face, momentarily stunned. They had often argued about her drinking habits when they were dating, and that fact flashed through her mind. It was true that she drank often enough for him to feel neglected, so her voice involuntarily dropped to a whisper.
“…bottle.”
“I can’t hear you.”
Yohan leaned in suddenly, bringing his ear close to her lips. It wasn’t an artificial scent, but a familiar, ticklish smell, like soap. The familiar scent made Heena feel strange. She whispered again.
“About a bottle and a half…?”
“Two bottles then. Or is your standard whiskey?”
Startled by his strange calculation that turned one and a half bottles into two, Heena pulled her head back and frowned.
“Can you please just take my words literally?”
“Is that all you can drink? I don’t think so.”
Playfulness flickered in Yohan’s horizontally long eyes. As he scoffed and questioned her, she reflected on the past and confessed.
“Two bottles, max.”
“Aha. So you become unconscious if you drink more than two bottles?”
As he kept teasing and digging up old memories, Heena clenched her jaw, fuming.
“Let’s just cheers.”
Yohan, who had already filled his own bowl before anyone else could pour for him, clinked his metal bowl against hers. Annoyed, Heena gulped down the sweet, fizzy makgeolli in one go.
Yohan chuckled as he watched her empty her bowl in an instant.
It was a strangely captivating smile. It was like… he knew she would find it charming and was deliberately trying to seduce her.
Of course, that couldn’t be true. The effort he put into wearing a pink shirt with frills clearly indicated he had no lingering feelings for her.
But even though it was clearly a mocking smile, his good looks made her wonder if there was something more to it. She had fallen for this side of him in the past.
“Look, look. See that melting smile? They’re definitely more than just friends.”
“Come on, stop it. It’s fun to watch the youngsters being lovey-dovey, but you need to know when to stop.”
“Right. What if they leave this small town because of us?”
Suddenly, she remembered a conversation she had with Yohan ten years ago, when she was leaving Jinhong-ri.
“I heard you got accepted to OO University in Seoul. You’re finally leaving this godforsaken countryside.”
“That’s right. You’re in high school now? Study hard and follow your big sister. Got it?”
“Of course. I’ll go to a better university than you. If I don’t get into Korea University, who will?”
Heena had ruffled his hair playfully.
“Okay, make sure you get into Korea University. Contact me after you get in. I’ll buy you dinner in Seoul. Something expensive and small-portioned.”
While Heena was lost in reminiscence, the ladies’ debate continued endlessly.
“Do you think they’ll actually leave because we’re teasing them? They’ll leave if they fall in love and get married.”
Marriage… It wasn’t a thought she hadn’t entertained.
“Jeong Heena, where should we get our newlywed home? Just say the word. I’ll buy it.”
“A place with a view of the Han River and Seoul Forest.”
“Why don’t you just ask me to buy land and dig a river and plant a forest?”
“You’re funny. Who would marry you?”
“Jeong Heena, if I promise to be your doormat, will you live with me then?”
Yes, there were times like that.
“My goodness, you’re being too harsh on the boy. Let’s stop it!”
The ladies surrounding Heena and Yohan had moved on to another topic, debating and reaching an agreement among themselves, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the subjects of their discussion had perfectly functioning ears. They didn’t know that their words had triggered a flood of memories for Heena.
Heena felt a pang of bitterness at the promises they had made, now reduced to nothing. It was disheartening that everything became meaningless after a breakup.
Meanwhile, Seo Yohan seemed preoccupied with wrapping samgyeopsal in lettuce leaves.
“Is it good…?”
He nodded vigorously and urged her to eat as well, clinking their makgeolli bowls together and gulping down the drink.
The bitterness faded momentarily, replaced by a simmering frustration as she watched him, cheeks puffed out with food, eyes shining brightly.
