PHUW 35

Jeong Mok’s house was a paradise on earth, the kind modern people dream of. A very spacious place for just two people to live, in a quiet area surrounded by nature, with meals served regularly, and no one to complain even if you lazed around all day like a sloth. Still, Haeri woke up early every morning. It was to see Jeong Mok off to work at the construction site in the early morning.

No one forced him to do it. Even though it was a haphazard job placement, he was an intern at Jeong Mok’s architecture firm (with remote work and accommodation provided). As an employee, he felt he should at least greet the boss before he went out for fieldwork, so he had started doing it on his own.

Maybe this was the kind of loyalty an intern who was nothing but a freeloader felt toward a boss who went out for work. Or maybe it was the natural respect a dependent in a household felt toward the father who worked hard to support the family. Whether it was a boss or a family head, either way, as a freeloader eating his food, he should serve him faithfully.

The start of the voluntary send-off was also partly due to Jeong Mok messing with Haeri’s head and heart. That night, Haeri could not sleep at all and tossed and turned until dawn, and ended up noticing Jeong Mok’s presence as he left for the construction site early in the morning.

When the door to his room quietly opened without a knock, pretending to be asleep felt awkward, so he got up. Jeong Mok apologized, asking if he had woken him. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Haeri followed him all the way to the front door. But since Jeong Mok did not tell him not to, it seemed he actually welcomed the send-off.

“I will be back.”

As always, Jeong Mok tousled Haeri’s hair. At this point, it would have been more unusual for him to seriously tell me not to do it.

After that, Haeri would go back to the living room sofa to sleep a bit longer, then get up, wash, and make rice. Around nine thirty, when Jeong Mok returned, they would grill meat and make stew for a hearty brunch. On days when Haeri had an outpatient visit, they went to the hospital together. Otherwise, Jeong Mok would drop Haeri off at home before heading back to work.

During that time, Haeri would run the dishwasher, the washing machine, and the vacuum cleaner, and tidy up. He was not trying to act like he was especially neat, but at least doing that made him feel a little less guilty.

When Jeong Mok came back from work in the evening, they would go to a nearby restaurant for dinner. Afterward, they would get drinks to go from a cafe and return home to watch a movie or TV together in the living room.

This routine had formed just three days after Haeri started seeing him off in the mornings. It was so comfortable, as if they had always lived like this, that he did not feel the need to change anything.

The only concern was that his memory showed no sign of returning, and his seizure-like episodes did not seem to be lessening.

“It is a kind of panic attack, and I think it is related to the amnesia caused by brain damage. I think he is under psychological stress from losing his memory.”

After a CT scan and even an EEG, the outpatient professor gave a diagnosis that anyone who was not a specialist could have recited. The surgical results looked good, so they decided to wait and see. He said the related symptoms could last for more than half a year and asked if they should prescribe stronger medication if it became too bothersome.

“Are you really okay without taking more medicine?”

Jeong Mok asked as they left the hospital.

He always accompanied Haeri to and from the hospital. He said it was because transportation was inconvenient, but Haeri felt it was more that he was the type to worry excessively. If he were a boyfriend or husband, he would be the perfect type. As a 20-something man who couldn’t possibly deserve the attentive care of a handsome, wealthy man, Haeri felt like he was causing a huge nuisance to society.

“Yes, I’m fine. Taking medicine doesn’t necessarily make you better, right?”

“Why aren’t you going to counseling?”

The doctor had recommended counseling therapy.

Haeri did not want it. The flashbacks that came with with the seizures were too unsettling. Even if it was a hospital doctor, it wasn’t something he could just blurt out. The doctor and Jeong Mok said he needed to find his memories quickly, but strangely, Haeri didn’t want to. The voice in his memories screaming for him to run away still gives him chills even now. Even if he were to find his memories, he didn’t want to find them without knowing what he had done.

“Just… it’s a bit overwhelming.”

“Don’t worry about the cost.”

“It is not because of the cost. I just… want to wait a little longer and think it over..”

“What if you have an episode while you’re alone?”

“Do you think I am a child? If it is urgent, I will take my medicine.”

He had been prescribed emergency medication for panic episodes. When he shook the week’s supply in its blister pack, a deeper worry appeared on Jeong Mok’s face.

“You look like a child to me.”

Probably everyone looked like a kid to Jeong Mok.

With his bear-like build and deep voice, Haeri felt his own fluttery brown curls, pale skin, and thin frame would need at least some wrinkles and age spots to be treated like an adult in his eyes.

The way back was the same as usual. After a fierce debate over whether to have pizza or hamburgers for dinner, and whether to watch a new superhero action movie or a noir film, they finally decided to have the hamburger set Haeri wanted and watch the new noir film Jeong Mok wanted.

By the time they arrived at the neighborhood after picking up the pre-ordered hamburger set, Jeong Mok’s phone rang.

[Choi Jieon]

After checking the screen, Jeong Mok turned off the Bluetooth and put the car headphones in his ears.

“Why?”

The abrupt response, without even a greeting, was blunt. Haeri, who had been in a good mood while holding the hamburger box, instinctively held his breath.

“What? Now?”

Jeong Mok raised his voice and glanced at Haeri.

“It’s inconvenient right now.”

His curt reply was awkward enough that Haeri felt embarrassed for him. The car was so quiet that the voice on the other end could be faintly heard. It was a woman.

“Alright. Let’s change the location. A cafe or something. A bar is out of the question because of the car. Alright. Send me the address, and I’ll come.”

Jeong Mok hung up the phone. A frustrated sigh followed.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m fine.”

Haeri quickly straightened up and shook his head. Jeong Mok glanced at him again and sighed once more.

“I’d like to drive you home.”

“Oh! I’ve already finished my coke, so I need to buy more. Please drop me off at the convenience store.”

His throat was dry, and he had just finished the coke he had bought to go. He shook the cup, which now contained only ice, and joked around. However, even if he walked from the nearest convenience store in the neighborhood, it would take at least 20 minutes to get to Jeong Mok’s house.

“Will you be alright?”

“It is not like I am walking for an hour. The weather is nice, so it’ll be a good walk.”

As the convenience store came into view, Haeri unbuckled his seatbelt before the car even stopped. Seeing him rush to grab the door handle, Jeong Mok stopped him, saying, “Wait until the car stops.”

“If possible, I would rather drop you off at home first.”

“I said it is fine. I can take this chance to look around the neighborhood too.”

“Do you have money for a coke?”

Of course he had money for a coke. The compensation money was still intact, and he also had the salary that would be coming in.

But if he brings that up, Jeong Mok will get serious again. And a serious Jeong Mok is scary. It’s much better for his mental health to abandon any pangs of conscience and rely on Jeong Mok for even a single 10-won coin.

“I have your card, hyung-nim.”

“Yes. Alright.”

As soon as he parked in front of the convenience store, the phone rang again. Jeong Mok’s brow furrowed deeply. Haeri quickly closed the passenger door and waved his hand.

After seeing Jeong Mok leave, he went into the convenience store and bought two cans of coke. Thanks to the employee who asked if he wanted a bag, he realized he was still holding the hamburger bag. He took only the cans, put them in the hamburger bag, and headed home.

The cool breeze was filled the scents of grass and trees. At times like this, he felt that he was not in the city but in a suburban residential area. Walking along the sidewalk paved with crushed stone instead of paving stones, he could see the black road leading into the neighborhood in the distance.

Under the traffic light, which only operates during morning and evening rush hours when vehicles commute to and from the nearby city, and otherwise only flashes an orange light, there was a car he had never seen before. The car, which had come down from the village, was a large executive limousine, a rare sight even in this neighborhood filled with luxury cars. Though the tinted windows made it hard to see, it seemed to have a personal driver.

The limousine turned left and approached Haeri’s direction. His gaze was drawn to it involuntarily.

Coincidentally, the window behind the driver’s seat was half open. The person sitting alone in the front seat was a young woman, and even at a glance, she exuded an overwhelming sense of elegance. Without realizing it, he kept watching the limousine as it drove away.

‘Is there really such a young chairwoman in the neighborhood? Or maybe she is an acquaintance or relative of a resident? Or maybe even a celebrity I do not know. Either way, she is stunning.’

Marveling at her radiant appearance even in that fleeting moment, Haeri hurriedly made his way to the entrance of the neighborhood.

He was in a good mood, determined to monopolize the remote control.

They had agreed to watch a noir instead of eating the hamburgers. But with the one who had insisted on the noir not even there, why bother?

‘A horror movie would be better. Gangster crime movies are a bit much.’

Just thinking of gangsters made his heart race and cold sweat break out. Maybe it was because they resembled the black figures that often appeared in his nightmares. He might really have been running from gangsters.

If he watched it with Jeong Mok, he might be fine, but alone he had no confidence. He could watch a hero action film until Jeong Mok came back, then switch to the noir if needed.

He was walking with a fairly light heart. Something black moved between the trees and bushes in what looked like a neglected park or abandoned field next to a gravel road with no pedestrians. At first, Haeri thought he had seen it wrong. It was just the thick vegetation swaying in the wind.

Rustling

He was not seeing things. Something black was definitely moving through the plants.

“A bear?”

This was not Russia. There was no way a bear could be in Korea, let alone Gyeonggi-do. In that case…

‘A wild boar has appeared nearby before and injured people and dogs.’

He remembered something Jeong Mok had said.

‘Could it be a wild boar?’

The back of his neck went cold. He was so startled that his legs froze. His eyes were fixed on the swaying bushes. His heart pounded, goosebumps rising all over his body. Then, a massive black shape suddenly leapt up over the dense brush.

“Ahhhhhh!”