PHUW 26

“Aren’t you going to check the other SNS sites too?”

“I don’t think it’s necessary.”

Jeong Mok, who had been driving quietly, glanced at him from the corner of his eye.

“Why?”

“It’s just a feeling. If there were something, I think I would’ve found it by now. I’ll try looking for my email account later.”

Jeong Mok tightened his grip on the wheel for a moment at the subdued reply, then relaxed it. His hand came over to pat Ahn Haeri’s shoulder gently.

“Don’t be discouraged. Your memory will come back soon. From what I read, a lot of people take over a week to recover from amnesia.”

The well-meant but slightly misguided comfort only made Ahn Haeri feel worse.

Seriously, what kind of delusional nonsense had he been imagining about such a dependable and well-mannered hyung-nim? And instead of focusing on something important like searching for himself, he’d wasted time on pointless things. You idiot. No wonder you ended up getting smacked in the head with a crowbar in the middle of the night.

The hand that had been patting his shoulder slid down his bicep, then along his forearm in a light stroke. It was a bit much for simple consolation, but Ahn Haeri didn’t show any sign of discomfort. Instead, he blamed himself for being overly conscious of small touches.

‘Some people were just naturally touchy.’

Yesterday, when he’d been looking up gay videos, he’d come across a few from straight men who were suspected of being gay and talked about their struggles. A lot of them had grown up in physically affectionate households, or had backgrounds as athletes where casual physical contact was normal. Everyone had different boundaries for touch. In fact, one video had said that people who acted overly guarded and jumpy about same-gender contact were more likely to have gay tendencies.

The warmth of Jeong Mok’s palm on his forearm was intense. He squeezed the soft, muscle-depleted limb before letting go, then turned the wheel with both hands like nothing had happened.

It was nothing. Just a harmless pat from an older hyung-nim, a bit older in age, comforting a younger brother who seemed down. Ahn Haeri told himself that over and over, keeping his gaze fixed stubbornly on the window.

Jeong Mok’s profile as he watched the road stayed completely calm. The only one feeling flustered, with a forearm burning like it had been branded, was Ahn Haeri.

***

The two of them headed to the nearest community center.

They took ID photos in the photo booth, printed them out, and applied for a reissue of his resident registration card. Before the card would be ready, he received a reissue confirmation slip, which they took to the bank to open an account. After receiving his new passbook, he had barely turned back toward the waiting area where Jeong Mok had been sitting. When Jeong Mok, who had taken another number, took the passbook and sat at a teller’s desk. The bank employee typed something after checking Jeong Mok’s ID, and suddenly, the branch manager came out from the back.

“Sir, you’re always welcome to use our VIP room. Would you like some tea while we take care of your transaction?”

The manager gestured toward the VIP lounge with a bright smile. People at nearby counters and in the waiting area glanced over curiously. Ahn Haeri was no different.

“No, it’s already my turn, and it’s just a quick transfer. I’ll do it here.”

“If you had let us know ahead of time, you wouldn’t have needed to take a number.”

The branch manager’s tone was almost pleading.

“Next time.”

Jeong Mok’s refusal wasn’t cold enough to be rude, but it wasn’t warm either. Still polite, but fundamentally different from the way he spoke to Ahn Haeri. His tone was firm and businesslike, with none of the earlier gentleness. Coupled with his size and looks, it created an unapproachable aura. Unable to persuade a VIP client further, the frustrated manager stepped back, but hovered to watch the teller handle the transaction.

The transfer was done in no time. The teller, likely nudged by the manager, was about to start pitching a new financial product.

“Thank you.”

Jeong Mok cut it off neatly and stood. He returned the passbook to Ahn Haeri, open. Under the 1 won issued for opening the account was another deposit: 100,000,000 won, labeled “Settlement Payment – Jeong Mok.”

“Whoa.”

He’d said he’d give it, but Ahn Haeri hadn’t actually expected him to.

Wide-eyed, he looked up at Jeong Mok, who simply folded the passbook and placed it in his hand.

“Hungry? Let’s get something to eat.”

How could someone spend a hundred million won in under five minutes and look that unaffected?

Maybe to a rich person, a hundred million was nothing.

Ahn Haeri looked around, dumbfounded. People who met his eyes blinked back with the same baffled expression.

“Sir, just a moment.”

The branch manager hurried over, offering him a paper shopping bag with the bank logo. Inside were premium tissue packs and a stack of promotional pamphlets for financial products.

“Please take a look at our deposit products and contact the number on the business card inside.”

It was something he hadn’t dared hand to Jeong Mok, but was quick to hand to someone who’d just gained a sudden hundred million. Ahn Haeri saw no reason to refuse, so he accepted it.

“Have a good day.”

The manager, teller, and even the security guard saw them off at the door. Jeong Mok gave them a polite bow before getting into the car. Still feeling lightheaded, Ahn Haeri slid into the passenger seat.

As he started the engine, Jeong Mok looked slightly displeased. Was it because of the size of the payment? Maybe he’d kept a neutral face at the bank for appearances, but now his real feelings were showing.

“Thank you, but I think you gave me too much. Five million would have been enough.”

He tried to sound a little reluctant, almost like he was declining, and Jeong Mok shot him a quick glance. His lips moved as if he had something to say, then he sighed and focused back on driving.

Maybe he wanted to ask for the five million back but couldn’t bring himself to say it for the sake of pride.

Now that he had the money, the thought of giving it back felt wasteful. Damn it, he shouldn’t have brought it up. If he hadn’t been willing to give it, he wouldn’t have mentioned it in the first place. Idiot.

“I can’t take back what I’ve already said.” Ahn Haeri bit down on his careless tongue.

“Are you planning to open a deposit account?”

“What? Oh… I’m not sure yet.”

“If you do, use internet banking.”

He suddenly gave specifics and directs instructions. Haeri dug through the paper bag from the bank. He pulled out a deposit product pamphlet and flipped it back and forth, but honestly, none of it made sense. He didn’t know if he could just sign up for anything. He barely knew the difference between a deposit and an installment savings account, and all the 0.5% and 0.3% interest rates came with tiny-print conditions. It was complicated and confusing.

“If you’re not sure, just ask me. I’ll explain it.”

“I’ll ask the bank staff. I’ve their business card.”

Haeri didn’t want to trouble him, he felt awkward about discussing how to use money with the person who’d just given it to him, he declined politely.

“Banks talk too much. Every time I go, they try to start a conversation, and it gives me a headache.”

The complaint clicked something into place. Haeri suddenly understood why Jeong Mok had called himself difficult and why he seemed annoyed.

He didn’t like dealing with people. He was cool and reserved with everyone except Haeri. The only other time Haeri had heard him speak warmly was when he’d been on the phone with that professor.

“Is there something you want to eat?”

“What about you, hyung-nim?”

“Hmm.”

The car took a different route than usual, leaving the developing new city and slipping onto the highway. Instead of asking where they were going, Haeri just watched him.

“Ten more minutes and we’ll be at Moonfield. Let’s have lunch there today.”

Moonfield, an enormous shopping complex that doubled as a luxury outlet.

“Look up some menus and pick what you want to eat.”

“Yes.”

He answered quickly and unlocked his phone.

It was his first real outing since leaving the hospital, and their destination was a well-known hot spot. Haeri was excited. He searched “Moonfield restaurants,” and blog results filled the screen. He scrolled carefully until he found a post he liked.

“There’s a steak place here that’s supposed to be really good.”

“Steak sounds great. I wonder if there’s a wait.”

“I’ll call and check.”

Haeri cheerfully called the restaurant. Even on a weekday, they expected about a 20-minute wait during lunch.

They parked in the underground lot and took the escalator up. From the second basement level, they had to transfer to another escalator to reach the mall area, and on the way, they passed a mobile carrier store. There was no one waiting inside.

“Let’s eat first.”

Jeong Mok had already planned their route. With a 20-minute wait, there wasn’t much time to stop at the store, but most people would have delayed going to the restaurant a little to take care of an errand. For someone who’d been more focused on finding Haeri’s memories than Haeri himself, putting off changing the phone’s ownership for a non-urgent lunch was surprising.

“Are you really hungry?”

He asked before stepping onto the escalator.

“Not especially.”

“Then wouldn’t it be better to stop by first?”

The device Jeong Mok had picked was a popular choice among people in their twenties, and Haeri liked it too. Since it had only just been unboxed yesterday, it made sense to keep using it and pay him back for it later.

“It won’t take long to just change the ownership on an already active phone.”

This time, Jeong Mok glanced at him sideways, lips parting like he had something to say.

“Excuse me.”

A group coming up from the basement interrupted him, and they stepped aside to make room. The group was three generations of a family, and the kids, probably elementary school age, were bouncing excitedly about eating steak until their parents scolded them for being too rowdy.

A couple of pairs followed, chatting about the 20-minute wait as they went up.

“Looks like we’ll have to wait more like 40 minutes.”

Since it had come to that, Haeri pushed the carrier store idea again. Jeong Mok rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. It wasn’t that unusual, plenty of people showed a different side now and then. First and last impressions rarely matched perfectly. But coming from a hyung-nim who acted like a polite, caring dad and always put Haeri’s needs first in small matters, the sudden change was strange.

“Do you not like steak?”

“No. I like steak. That’s not the problem.”

“Did you have a fight with one of the store employees or something?”