PHUW 58

Haeri’s sleep was restless through the night. Though his tired body dozed off in brief moments, his mind was too tangled, and he startled awake again and again. In the late night he groaned, tormented by nightmares he could not even remember afterward. Fortunately, Gom-i sensed something was wrong, licked his face with a warm tongue to wake him, and rested his heavy head against the chest.

Leaning on the warmth of the ball of fur, he barely made it through until dawn. When the blue light broke, Haeri rose without delay. He steadied his heavy head, got up, and went to the kitchen. Though the house was warm, strangely his limbs were chilled and his stomach felt hollow.

He fed Gom-i and cooked himself hot ramen with beaten egg. The steam of the broth heated his body, and he felt a bit revived. After doing the dishes, washing up, and cleaning, it was past nine. It was the right time to call real estate.

There were many houses with yards. But most either lacked basic furnishings to move in right away, or were so remote that it would be hard to get around without a car. Without hoping for buses, he narrowed it down to places where at least taxis passed frequently and one could move in with nothing but their body. Only two or three fit.

He took a taxi, met the real estate owner, and toured the houses. One appealed to him. It was a single-story house fifteen minutes’ walk from a cafe village he had visited before, recently renovated and with a wide yard. Since the owners had moved to a new city apartment and bought all new furniture, they left the old appliances and even beds behind, so he could move in at once. The only concern was pets, but the owners themselves raised dogs and cats, so they readily agreed on condition that any damage be repaired at move-out.

It would be hard to find a better house, so he paid the deposit on the spot. He was lucky, the real estate owner also had a cargo van and offered to help move.

Back home, he packed. At first he thought one bag would do, but once he gathered clothes, shoes, and devices, both a school backpack and a large shopping bag were full. Adding in Gom-i’s bulky things, it looked like a proper move.

The plan was to load up the next day and pay the balance after, but late in the evening the real estate owner called, saying he had urgent business from tomorrow, so could they at least move the things tonight. Otherwise Haeri would have to take a taxi.

But would any taxi take Gom-i? That settled it, they would move now. The owner came, apologizing, and was startled to see how large Gom-i was. Haeri worried he might cancel, but he didn’t. Instead, he said in times like these a young man living alone ought to keep such a big dog. He only asked why Haeri was leaving such a good house as Jeong Mok’s. Haeri deflected, saying he had just been staying with an acquaintance and was now moving out on his own.

They hurriedly finished the move and even settled the balance. The owner said payment could wait until tomorrow since the official move-in was then, but since things went smoothly, Haeri wrapped it up at once.

After the owner left, only Gom-i and Haeri were in the house. Without even inspecting the rooms, Haeri tossed the bags in the living room and turned on the boiler. The place had been empty a while, damp and cold.

Gom-i explored the new yard, fenced with sturdy green bars, while Haeri dozed against his bundle of clothes.

In his dream, he was chased by a black boar. He felt relief when someone appeared, but was soon driven to a cliff swarming with black boars. The feeling of falling down a deep ravine startled him awake. His eyes were wet, as if he had been crying.

When he rubbed the crust from his lashes and sat up, it was already late evening. Since it was near the cafe village, a few restaurants offered delivery. For moving day, jajangmyeon was tradition. He slurped down a double portion, patted his stomach, then began unpacking and listing things he still needed. Korean Chinese noodle dish topped with a thick sauce made of chunjang, diced pork, and vegetables.

“Dishes and pots, basic seasonings, cleaning tools and detergent, tissue, trash bags. What am I forgetting? Ah… blanket, pillow. Should I buy curtains too?”

He sprawled on the bare mattress and typed the items into his phone. But he felt something was missing.

“Ah, right.”

He sat up and opened ChocoTalk. He had been told to call on moving day. Somehow he had left in too much of a rush. He considered waiting a week since he had been told he could, but it felt too petty and childish. He gave it up.

I moved out

Thank you so much for everything

He typed, erased, typed again, even adding “if there’s ever anything I can help with,” then deleted it. At last, after long hesitation, he sent a short message.

Take care of yourself

The moment he pressed send, the read mark appeared. Shocked, he fumbled with the phone. When he came to, he had blocked Jeong Mok.

He stared at the screen.

Who had I just blocked?

The man who had taken in a helpless Haeri, treated and cared for him. Even if guilt weighed heavy, even if he had been treated like a substitute for a dead dog, the fact remained that he had received Jeong Mok’s help. Even if one day his attitude had turned cold and he had walked away, they were still close enough to exchange farewells.

This wasn’t right. He tried to undo the block.

But strangely, his fingers would not move. It was not because he hated Jeong Mok. How could he hate him. Being human, when Jeong Mok coldly walked away, he naturally felt resentful. But after a day, it faded, leaving only bitterness and pain.

‘No matter what, we should at least exchange a final farewell.’

He steeled his heart. Even so, he could not bring himself to undo the block.

He feared what words might come from Jeong Mok, who had already turned his heart away. What if he was still angry. Even if the answer was something plain like “take care,” with no hidden meaning, it would still hurt. Because to Jeong Mok it would seem like nothing at all. And then Haeri might end up crying bitterly, wailing that after being thrown away like that, how could he possibly live well.

Whatever words might come, he did not want to know. He had already heard too many things, both those he wanted to hear and those he didn’t. He did not want resentment and hatred to taint the good memories. Even if Jeong Mok cursed him as selfish and wicked, if he did not hear it, it would end there.

In the end, he threw the phone onto the bed. Then he went to Gom-i, who had finished exploring and now lay sprawled in the living room.

“Gom-i. It’s just the two of us now. So you have to listen to me well.”

Woof.

Drowsy, Gom-i only flicked his ears. It was a quiet night without sleep. When Haeri laid his ear against Gom-i’s chest, he heard the heart beating strong. His body kept sinking into heaviness, but his mind was sharper than ever. That made it harder.

“Gom-i. You must never abandon me. Because I picked you up. Understand?”

Instead of answering, Gom-i rested his head on Haeri’s leg. As Haeri gently stroked the big head, his bushy tail swept the living room floor like a duster.

Their first night alone was quiet and peaceful. And so, it was lonely.

***

After leaving Haeri behind and walking out of the house, Jeong Mok turned his truck toward the construction site. Not because there was anything to do. He had no mind for that. When he came to himself, he was already there.

The sudden appearance of the supervisor, whose very presence was burdensome, made the foreman who was about to go home hurry over.

“Director Jeong, what brings you here without notice?”

“It’s nothing. I’ve been neglecting the site too much lately.”

Arriving at the site, Jeong Mok stepped out and strapped on a tool belt. Even with his mind in chaos, his body moved naturally.

But the foreman could not hide his disapproval.

“If you’re going to look around, you should come before sunset. Everyone’s gone. What’s the point now.”

“I’ll look by myself, so you can go.”

“It’s dangerous at night, with no lights.”

“There are work lights. And I prefer the night.”

“What a strange supervisor you are.”

Seeing that Jeong Mok was not someone he could take lightly, the foreman tried to dissuade him for ten minutes, then gave up.

“Let’s hope this time you don’t order things torn down and redone.”

“If you built it according to the plans, why would that happen?”

That meant if there was even the slightest deviation, he would tear it out.

‘That young man’s got no softness at all. And with that face, he looks like some gangster. His expression’s even harsher than usual today.’

The foreman muttered to himself that after this job he would never take on another connected to Jeong Mok. When he had first heard that the daughter of Hyeonsan Group was the client and her cousin the supervisor, he had assumed it was just one of those charlatans setups, skimming money while leaving his name on the paperwork. When he saw the construction budget was far higher than the design required, he had thought he too could skim some off and rejoiced. He had misjudged completely.

‘What kind of chaebol heir’s nephew drives a Porter truck and meddles with little jobs like this. He should be driving imports and spending money. Or showing his face on some Gangnam tower project.’

As expected, the chairwoman’s daughter never interfered after handing it over. But the nephew was a fiend who counted bricks one by one. If the finish was sloppy or there was even the slightest deviation from the design, he smashed it on the spot and ordered it redone, bleeding money everywhere. What was so important about some run-down “pet center” in the suburbs. At times the chairwoman’s daughter even came in person to check, which made it all the more ambiguous.

‘Whatever’s put him in such a foul mood, he looks ready to bury someone. Looks like I’ll have headaches starting tomorrow.’

But he was only a paid worker. So the foreman forced a bright smile and went home.