Chapter 7
He recognized her instantly. He’d caught a glimpse of Jeong Heena sleeping at the funeral home. He could pick her out of a crowd anywhere.
“….”
What should he do?
Should he wake her up and tell her to go inside and sleep? Or should he ask how she was doing? He wouldn’t know what to say if she asked him why he was here.
After pacing and fidgeting for a while, an idea struck Yohan, and he ran to his house. He grabbed the thick blanket draped over the living room sofa and headed back to Grandfather Jeong’s place.
There was a chill in the air. It would get colder as night fell. He couldn’t leave her lying out here like this.
Clutching the blanket, Yohan hesitantly approached the wooden floor where Heena lay. He worried she might wake up at any moment, but she remained asleep.
He gulped. Taking careful steps, he approached her. He removed his slippers and stepped onto the wooden floor. Heena’s face came into clearer view.
‘Please don’t wake up…Just keep sleeping…’
He unfolded the blanket and gently covered her. Heena stirred, letting out a soft moan. Yohan froze, holding his breath.
‘Mission accomplished?’
After making sure Heena was deeply asleep, Yohan quickly put on his slippers and slipped out the main gate.
Even in a quiet, close-knit village like this, it was dangerous to sleep with the gate open. He closed it carefully, trying not to make a sound.
Yohan finally exhaled.
✦⋆🍒.₊ ⊹
Yohan’s house wasn’t just stocked with beer; it had a wine refrigerator. Of all things to find in Jinhong-ri.
“This place is a liquor store.”
Heena muttered to herself, surveying the house.
“You have every kind of alcohol except soju, the one thing you can’t drink. Disappointed?”
Yohan appeared with a dish of gambas—shrimp sautéed with garlic, pepperoncino, and olive oil—and set it on the living room table.
“Wine? Whiskey?”
“Whatever you want.”
Yohan walked to the wine refrigerator Heena had been admiring. She stared blankly at the top of his head as he bent down, perusing its contents.
He had always cooked for her when they were together. He never seemed to tire of it.
Every morning, without fail, he’d pack a lunch for her before heading to the studio.
One day, she hadn’t been feeling well and gave his lunch to a friend, who then posted a picture of it online, raving about how amazing it looked. Yohan had found out, of course.
“Did you at least eat some of it?”
“No, I wasn’t feeling well…”
“You say that so matter-of-factly.”
“Well, I couldn’t eat it.”
That wasn’t the point. The fact that he had made it for her was what mattered. To be honest, she had probably taken his daily lunches for granted.
Without thinking, she reached out and ruffled his hair. It felt good between her fingers.
Yohan finally selected a bottle and straightened up. Heena’s gaze followed his upward movement. When his eyes passed her line of sight, she could no longer see the top of his head.
Was it strange that this bothered her? He always used to be at her eye level.
“Fix it.”
Frowning, Yohan leaned down towards her. Heena tilted her head back slightly at the sudden proximity.
“Wh-what…?”
“My hair. Fix it.”
Oh, he’s just annoyed about his hair. Heena reached out.
“Bend down. I can’t reach.”
Yohan spread his legs wider, lowering himself to her level, his gaze meeting hers.
He placed the wine bottle on a shelf behind her. Heena flinched at the feeling of his arm brushing her back. Yohan smirked.
“What, are you afraid I’ll do something to you?”
“…No.”
“You look terrified.”
He’s definitely crossing the line.
Heena put up her guard. He was handsome; that’s why she’d dated him. But she wasn’t about to let herself be swayed by him again. She concentrated on fixing his hair.
His steady breaths puffed through his closed lips. The warmth tickled her neck. A strange sensation, a phantom touch of his lips, made her widen her eyes, trying to snap out of it.
“There.”
She finished fixing his hair and patted his shoulder. Without opening his eyes, he said,
“I don’t like it. Do it again.”
“It looks fine… And you’re going to wash up and go to bed anyway.”
“Just fix it.”
“Oh, we’re giving orders now?”
“Again. I don’t like it.”
He wasn’t going to listen. He’d always been stubborn.
He had been top of his class throughout school. The more time she spent with him in Jinhong-ri, the more childhood memories of him surfaced.
When she’d left for university in Seoul, he’d doubled down on his studies. His studious nature had finally paid off.
He got into a university with higher entry requirements than hers. She remembered the joy of their reunion in Seoul, hugging each other with excitement. Back then, they were just friends, a younger friend and an older sister’s friend…nothing more, nothing less.
A faint smile touched Heena’s lips as she played with his hair. As if sensing it, Yohan’s eyes snapped open.
“Why are you smiling?”
“Just… This situation is kind of funny.”
“I’m serious.”
“Well, I think it’s funny.”
She messed up his hair even more, then quickly moved away before he could grab her, settling down on the floor by the sofa.
“The gambas is getting cold. Get the wine.”
Glaring at her, Yohan grabbed the wine and sat cross-legged next to her.
The low glass and metal table fit the mid-century modern aesthetic of the room.
Yohan poured the red wine and placed the bottle in an ice bucket.
“This place feels like a Seoul restaurant. You’ve done a nice job. A country house that’s actually warm inside. I wish Grandfather could have lived comfortably like this…”
She regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth. The mood had been pleasant, but the alcohol had loosened her tongue, and she’d blurted out something about her grandfather.
She both wanted and didn’t want to talk about him. She felt guilty about how much she had neglected him. But the fact that she’d mentioned him at all must have meant she missed him.
“Don’t worry. He always kept the house warm.”
“…I know.”
“He’d always crank up the heat, saying his kids might visit anytime during the winter.”
The unexpected detail made her nose tingle. She blinked hard, trying to keep back the tears.
“I told him so many times, ‘Grandfather, your grandkids are all grown up now; they’ll only visit during the holidays,’ but he never listened.”
“…Stop.”
It was hard to listen. Guilt washed over her, the guilt of not visiting him more often during college breaks, holidays, or even after she started working.
To her, returning to Jinhong-ri after so long, everything felt new and exciting, but how monotonous it must have been for her grandfather, who had spent his entire life there. His only joy must have been his children’s visits.
Yohan nudged her cheek with his finger.
“I’m not telling you this to make you feel bad.”
“Then why?”
“Just… sharing a memory.”
“…Okay.”
“You must be curious about how he lived.”
“…Yes.”
“I only lived with him for six months, so I don’t know everything.”
Would anything have changed if she’d known sooner about his illness? She would have visited him immediately, but would she have eventually become complacent?
Heena swirled her wine.
“I should have slowed down a bit.”
“You’re here now because you worked hard.”
“Oh… You’ve gotten quite good at giving rational comfort.”
“I’ve always been capable of it.”
Yohan, tongue in cheek, clinked his glass against hers.
“You did enough. You took care of him for a week. You were with him when he passed. And you came all the way down here to mourn. That’s enough.”
The wine was dry and tart.
“Tell me more about Grandfather.”
There was still so much she wanted to know. Seo Yohan was the only person in this village who truly knew him. Even if she wanted to distance herself from Yohan, she couldn’t. For now, she wanted to forget their complicated history and focus solely on her grandfather.
