PHUW 21

Jeong Mok brought out a first-aid kit and a new shirt. Like a typical, he sat on the floor, spread the kit open, and called Haeri over. Beside it was a large pharmacy bag he’d brought from the hospital.

“Sit here.”

If someone offers to do the hard parts for you, you’re grateful anytime. Haeri obediently turned and sat at an angle in front of him. Jeong Mok disinfected the stapled spot on his scalp with the red antiseptic and pressed on a gauze pad. The problem was his back.

“The swelling hasn’t gone down yet. The color’s pretty awful.”

“It still hurts way less than yesterday, though.”

Before he could shiver at the touch of the cold ointment, a big, warm palm came down. Despite how he looked, those hands were delicate; once again, they spread the ointment over his badly puffed-up back with such care it almost tickled.

Jeong Mok scrunched the T-shirt into a loop and slipped it over Haeri’s head. The shirt was so roomy that his arms slid into the sleeves without needing to raise them much. The downside was that he now looked like a hip-hop warrior wildly out of season.

“Now that I see it, your hair’s a mess. Long in front and on the sides, short in the back.”

Jeong Mok said this as he put away the first-aid kit and ran a hand through Haeri’s hair.

“They shaved it in the OR and didn’t clean it up after. I’m thinking I might just shave it all off later.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s a mess?”

If you’re a woman, maybe not, but men usually just buzz it and start over. It’s not a given, but it’s a normal enough choice, so why be surprised?

“Really? That’s a shame.”

“It’s a shame? Why?”

Haeri felt puzzled at how plainly Jeong Mok couldn’t hide his regret.

It wasn’t ten-year hair grown down the back, nor some heavily styled look achieved with great effort. It was just ordinary, short, tousled brown curls. Judging by the color down to the roots, it must have cost a decent penny at the salon, or, given the sorry state of the hair, maybe it was a cheap DIY dye job. And it’s not like shaving it would make him bald forever; cut it and it grows back fast. It’s not even that Haeri dislikes a buzz cut, so there’s no reason not to do it, so why is Jeong Mok acting like it’s a loss?

“It’s thin and light in color, and right after a wash it feels so soft that it’s like…buzzing it is manly. Good for the wound healing, and it’ll feel cool.”

The mood was turning strange. Maybe Jeong Mok felt it too, because he changed his tone.

“I’ve got clippers. Tell me if you want to shave it later.”

Before Haeri could say anything, Jeong Mok reached out with that big hand and tousled his hair. Dazed, Haeri smoothed the mess back down with his own hand.

Jeong Mok touched Haeri’s hair far too easily.

To be honest, it didn’t feel bad. If anything, it was… pretty nice. He’d never realized having someone touch your hair could feel this good.

‘He’s a bit of an odd one, but maybe he’s just naturally gentle and affectionate. Even if there’s some quid pro quo, or some other ulterior motive,,kindness is still kindness. Where else in this rough world am I going to get this kind of kindness?’

It’s not like they’d be living together for life. They’d get along and someday say bye-bye; there was no need to react to every little thing. Since he didn’t mind it, it was easier to just go along.

‘Keep the rich big hyung happy and get my paycheck on time.’

For now, the other side might seem the one in a hurry, but ultimately it was Haeri, the orphan with no memories, who was more pressed for time.

The oversized shirt was clearly Jeong Mok’s own.

Seeing the shirt hang down like a skirt, Jeong Mok complimented him, said it looked good. His eyes were dripping with affection. It felt a bit awkward, but Haeri smiled back and thanked him.

“I need to step out for a bit.”

As he finished tidying up and stood, Jeong Mok spoke.

“I haven’t been able to check the construction site for a few days, so I’m going today.”

“Okay.”

Haeri nodded. While he stood awkwardly in the living room, Jeong Mok set the first-aid kit on the dining island and turned back.

“You’re not going anywhere, right?”

A rather baffling question.

“Where would I even go.”

“True.”

Jeong Mok smiled awkwardly.

“There’s only beer and water in the fridge, so I need to buy some food. Anything you like? Anything you want to eat?”

Nothing in particular came to mind.

“I eat pretty much anything. Even the hospital food tasted good.”

“Yeah? Then I’ll just pick things up. Watch some TV. The remote’s in the drawer under the TV. There’s a game console too, no new titles, but there are a few classics. Fire one up if you get bored.”

He said okay.

After Jeong Mok left, silence settled over the big house.

Had it been this quiet at any time since he’d come to? The hospital had been crowded with patients, staff, and caregivers, and even at night, when everyone slept, the hum of machines filled the air like white noise.

In contrast, this house lacked even the hum you’d expect from everyday appliances. Only when he pressed his ear to the panel-fronted, built-in fridge in the kitchen did he detect the faintest motor sound. Once he lifted his head, the refrigerator went mute again, like a silent movie.

Between the kitchen and living room there was only the island. Wide open on all sides, it should have felt spacious, yet somehow the place echoed stillness. Thank goodness for the terrace wall blown open on one side, without it, he might have thought he was in a submarine.

Srrk.

He slid the heavy glass door to the terrace open just a little. A breath of outdoor air slipped through the narrow gap. He pushed it all the way open.

A cool breeze brushed his forehead. The damp air was filled with the scent of grass and trees. The weather was good, the sky clear, and from the nearby low hill came the trill of birds.

“So this is why people talk about country houses.”

He slipped on the slippers by the terrace and stepped out into the yard. The tips of the grass prickled the tops of his feet as he stepped onto the green lawn.

The yard, decorated with a large marble rock, a handsome pine tree, a green maple, and clusters of pink, white, and red flowers, looked like something from a big, featureless rich person’s home. If “rich person’s house” counted as a feature, then that was it.

From the edge of the yard, the neighborhood was spread out below. In the yard of a house across the way, a golden retriever lay in the shade of a wooden pavilion. It suddenly lifted its head, sniffed the air toward him, then got up and looked his way.

Woof woof.

After barking twice, it spun in place once and wagged its tail gently. A welcome. He naturally waved back.

“It really does feel like another country.”

In the hospital, he had mostly watched variety shows. These days, variety shows were usually about a few celebrities forming a team, traveling abroad, making and selling something, or meeting locals and playing games. In many ways, this neighborhood would have been perfect for a filming location.

So, the person who lived in such a place. A strong, handsome, wealthy hyung, living alone. Single, but with both parents still alive. Was there a life more blessed than that?

“Maybe I should start a NeoTube channel.”

A daily vlog of an amnesia patient might get some clicks. But he didn’t even have a phone right now, let alone editing equipment.

“Ah, I should’ve asked to borrow a laptop.”

The thought came too late. He had watched enough TV in the hospital to get sick of it. Thanks to that, he was up to date on current events, but it wasn’t enough.

If he had a phone or laptop, he could search for his ChocoTalk ID, the one everyone in the country used. Then he could find some clue about his past life. There might be a friend who first got angry about no contact, then later sent a worried message asking if something had happened or where he was. Or a school that hadn’t noticed anything and just sent announcements. Or maybe a part-time boss furious about him not showing up and telling him never to come back.

Maybe he should bring up the topic of his salary later. Could he get a month’s pay in advance? If he acted like it was urgent, he might get a little less, but better to get it quickly and use it to get a phone. It wasn’t a world you could live in without one.

It had been in the back of his mind the whole time he was hospitalized. But then Jeong Mok showed up, he was suddenly discharged, had Korean beef, got the orphan declaration, went to the police station, and ended up in a shelter where he was exposed to a sex crime. He had completely forgotten.

This wasn’t the time to be idly admiring someone else’s neighborhood. He hurried back to the living room and closed the terrace door.

A rich hyung like that must have a high-performance computer. He could borrow it for a bit. He would make sure to finish before Jeong Mok got back. He didn’t want to be mistaken for someone with sticky fingers.

He was just reaching for the doorknob of the room across from the one Jeong Mok had shown him.

What if there was a CCTV in there? A surveillance camera to see what someone would do if left alone in the house?

Maybe he had been watching too many variety shows, but these days broadcasters came up with things beyond imagination.

Wouldn’t people normally take you along if they were going out to buy something? It felt stranger to leave someone you’d just met alone at home. And it wasn’t like he was embarrassed to be seen, his hair was washed. There was no obvious camera in sight, but plenty of tiny models existed that normal people wouldn’t notice. Once his thoughts went in that direction, the back of his head started to prickle. It felt like Jeong Mok was watching him from somewhere.

He let go of the doorknob. Then another thought came to him.

“You already grabbed it, didn’t you? If there’s a camera, he’s already seen you.”

If his intent was already obvious, opening the door or not wouldn’t make any difference.

Click.

It wasn’t locked. Just pressing down the lever-style handle was enough to open it. But barging into someone else’s room felt wrong, so he only leaned his head in to take a look.