Chapter 223

***

The gathered dog friends were each given a chin scratch by Choi Mi-kyung, who then revved up like starting an engine and began a storm of nagging.

“Hey, you—.”

Stupid guy, idiot guy, pervert guy, this guy, that guy······.

Blah blah-.

‘Ugh-.’

Jin Hyuk sat quietly on the bench, listening to the jellyfish’s nagging.

Even if it wasn’t a close friendship, the expressions used could sound somewhat humiliating, but listening to it, the refreshing voice of a nightingale made his ears perk up. Well, Choi Mi-kyung wasn’t the type to pick on Jin Hyuk for no reason, so he just listened patiently.

“Hey, you. If you sent a beep, then what? Leave a contact, huh? Leave a voice message, huh? A code or something, huh? If you stamp a secret message, who’s going to receive it, huh? How scary would that be? Boys, like, secretly giving nameless letters or notes, huh? Do you know how pathetic that looks? Huh?”

I don’t know. I really didn’t.

Jin Hyuk had never secretly delivered a love letter, and Soo-jung was the first person he had contacted like that.

Would I have done it if I knew? Anyway, I’ve committed a mortal sin.

It was just for fun, trying something I hadn’t done before, but isn’t she overreacting? It’s making me feel bad.

“Hey, it’s a good thing Soo-jung is calm. If I had received something like that, with the number ‘4’ stamped all over, I would have thought it meant ‘I’ll kill you.’ If it were me, I would have told my brother to break their back, just like that-.”

Choi Mi-kyung did her best to awaken this dull friend.

If this perfectly fine guy can’t even date properly, and ends up being labeled a pervert for flirting with girls, how much of a waste would that be?

“Man- you’ve been late to become human because you’ve only been studying and exercising. You’ve only been living with your family at home.”

When I was young, I didn’t realize it because he stayed by my side instead of my brother, but after hanging out with other friends, I realized how frustrating this guy is. So, during breaks, I often bring other friends along to join the conversation. Trying to make him more human.

As the friend’s nagging continued, Jin Hyuk’s cheeks gradually puffed up.

‘But what’s wrong with the number 4?’

The long-standing habit of Koreans associating the number 4 with death seemed unshakable.

Though inwardly dissatisfied, Jin Hyuk readily admitted his mistake.

“My thinking was short.”

But did Soo-jung ask her dad?

If she did, Mr. Hong Ki-jun would have easily tracked the sender’s number. For someone with that kind of power, tracking a number would be a piece of cake.

Jin Hyuk tightly closed his eyes.

If it’s true, it’s so embarrassing that I don’t know how I’ll face those people.

But there was no call or email from Hong Ki-jun.

If something like that had happened, he would have given a heads-up or advice.

“How did you know it was me who sent the beep? Did Soo-jung know?”

“I don’t know! After hearing the story, the only person I could think of was you.”

Whether to call it fortunate or unfortunate, Choi Mi-kyung really knew a lot about Jin Hyuk.

“During breaks, you’re the one who keeps saying Soo-jung isn’t coming because it’s vacation. If you don’t know, aren’t you an idiot?”

“Ah······.”

I guess I left more evidence than I thought.

From now on, I should keep my thoughts to myself.

“You have so many friends, but right now, friends come first. You’re like that too, right?”

“Listening to you, it seems so.”

“Anyway, if you contacted her, you should have said something.”

It’s embarrassing.

I have nothing to say.

What can I say to a kid?

Still, my feelings are complicated.

The person Jin Hyuk had in mind was the adult Hong Soo-jung. Even though he had bid farewell in his heart, the image in his mind wouldn’t easily disappear.

“She’s pretty, I miss her. You say things like that to Yoo Jin, but not to Soo-jung, huh? If you don’t say it, she won’t know.”

Didn’t she know even without saying it?

Then what about the Choco Pie commercial?

That was false advertising!

I’m going to beat up those scam advertisers.

“Are you listening?!”

Choi Mi-kyung, who had turned her body sharply, raised her chin.

Even though she was getting tired of talking to herself, there was no response, which was frustrating.

“Yes. I heard everything.”

Jin Hyuk finally shook his head.

Ugh, damn, it’s embarrassing.

But still, I’m grateful and relieved.

Having a friend who tells me what to do, I learned something new today.

Thinking about it, I wonder if my past habit of occasionally checking Hong Soo-jung’s SNS was a form of peeking. Even though I didn’t take any action.

“If you have nothing to say, just listen. But don’t contact her too often.”

“Why?”

Jin Hyuk rarely expressed doubt.

If you don’t know something, ask immediately to satisfy your curiosity.

“Seeing and hearing her voice often, getting used to it. Then it cools down-.”

“Ah······. I was going to call and explain.”

“Don’t do that either. Just let it go this time. Listen to this noona.”

Is Soo-jung still young?

When we worked together, I didn’t get tired of seeing her every day, maybe because she was an adult back then.

But I’m curious.

“Why did Soo-jung tell you that?”

If they were comfortable contacting each other, why did she complain to Choi Mi-kyung about something so trivial?

“Because she’s comfortable talking to me. And she’s been busy and tired lately.”

“What’s that-.”

Not getting it, Jin Hyuk scratched the back of his head.

“Girls, you know- they only want to show their pretty side. They don’t want to show their tired and haggard side to others. She has a lot of friends and attends so many academies, right? How tired must she be? If she talks on the phone with a tired body and gets annoyed, her image will be ruined, right? ‘Ah- I’d rather not contact her,’ that’s how it goes.”

“How do you know all that?”

Jin Hyuk’s eyes were filled with surprise.

“What are you talking about, man! I’m a girl too, so I know!”

Ah, right.

I often forget that this kid is also a girl, but now I get it.

‘Soo-jung is young but deep.’

Hong Soo-jung was also someone who held back what she wanted to say. When she drank, she would push out her hidden emotions and say cryptic things. It was so random that Jin Hyuk often struggled to understand her true intentions. Being so dull, he never figured it out.

Sigh-.

Anyway, the more I listened, the more embarrassed I felt.

It felt like I had become more childish than that little kid.

“It’s something I told my brother too, men are too impatient. If they don’t see you for a while, they think you’ve run away, if there’s no contact, they wonder if the girl dislikes them. But everyone has their own life-.”

Oh, right. That’s true.

Jin Hyuk marveled as if he had discovered something amazing.

New discoveries always bring admiration.

“Girls are walking animals, but men are running animals. If the rhythm gets off, the girl following gets tired or falls. Then she gives up. Don’t play around like that with a little kid, be mature, man, be mature. And don’t get too far ahead.”

Small? Soo-jung is taller than you, right?

Anyway, I get it.

If I run too fast, Soo-jung will get tired.

I didn’t realize that walking and running together would help us reach the destination together.

Even though I recognize and accept reality, the slow passage of time is frustrating at times.

I want to run fast, but time, which is supposed to be fast, still has me tightly bound.

“It’s complicated······.”

“It is. The most complicated thing is the human heart, and among them, the female heart. Ignoring that complexity and wanting to do things the man’s way? That’s gangster-like-.”

Saying that, Choi Mi-kyung swung her fist in the air as if she had a grudge against men.

“Don’t try to understand women. Is it just women? Everyone is different, and if you think everyone is like you and calculate based on your standards, it’s useless-.”

“That’s right.”

That was something Jin Hyuk had thought for a long time.

Now I realize that I was acting against that thought.

“Seung-hoon is-.”

“I’m educating him properly, man. The kid is steady and obedient, so he listens well. It’s wrong to tell a student to just study. You have to learn everything you can to avoid becoming a psycho pervert. You should listen to this noona too.”

Choi Mi-kyung also added that you should wait where you can see and reach.

That way, you won’t fall behind and can follow.

“Thank you.”

“Brat, saying all sorts of things.”

In the past, Jin Hyuk had no one to talk to, but now he has people to rely on everywhere.

From Grandpa Cheon Gil-ryong, parents, Jo Il-hun, Moon Seok-il, and for love advice, Choi Mi-kyung.

If you’re a human living among people, this is how you learn, one by one.

That must be the blessing only those who live together can enjoy.

After gaining deep insight, I felt grateful for this new life.

As my thoughts settled, my gaze fell on the plastic bag next to Choi Mi-kyung.

“What’s that?”

“Ah, right! I brought this to eat together.”

Only then did Choi Mi-kyung remember and jump up.

Rustle- rustle-.

Small hands busily moved to open the plastic bag.

“Ta-da! Mugwort rice cake!”

“Ooh-.”

Jin Hyuk’s eyes, full of pig-like energy, opened wide and sparkled.

Mugwort rice cake is a food eaten a lot every spring.

Taking a bite, the chewy texture and fragrant mugwort scent make you feel good.

“I made this in spring, but I saved it until now.”

“Isn’t it spoiled?”

“I wrapped it tightly and kept it in the freezer, then thawed it. For you.”

No matter what, Choi Mi-kyung is the best. She never forgets to bring Jin Hyuk’s favorite food.

At school, she comes during every break to chat and eat together, and thanks to Choi Mi-kyung, Jin Hyuk has made more female friends.

Taking the rice cake from his friend, Jin Hyuk took a big bite.

“Mmm-, delicious-.”

“Right? Let’s eat this and go to Gubongsan.”

That reminded him of something, so he swallowed the rice cake.

“Ah, right. We couldn’t go last week.”

It rained too much during Chuseok, so we couldn’t go to Seonnyeo Rock, but Choi Mi-kyung seemed to have been bothered by that. On days off, the guy who usually wears stretchy pants or workout clothes came in jeans and a T-shirt.

Jin Hyuk was also thinking of visiting Seonnyeo Rock, so it seemed good to go together.

“Let’s pray to Grandma to help you win first place in the competition.”

Pray? That sounds like lobbying.

It didn’t seem like a bad intention, so Jin Hyuk just nodded.

He didn’t forget to break off pieces of the rice cake and share them with the five dog friends, from Jang Gun-i to Geon-ma. Even though it was something his friend had saved, the guys love food, so they’d be disappointed if they didn’t get any.

“Hehe-. Is it delicious?”

Hearing a voice from the high ground, the two friends looked up simultaneously.

Yoo Jin, with Haengun-i on her head, was savoring her taste buds on the rooftop railing. When it comes to pig-like energy, she’s not far behind her brother.

“Yoo Jin! Want to go to the mountain with your sister?”

“Give me a rice cake first.”

Beep-.

***

We packed the leftover food and sikhye from Chuseok.

Thanks to Kim Eung-nyeo’s family visiting during the holiday, there was more food than usual. With three more people cooking, it’s natural.

One big person, one small person, one even smaller person, and a bird on the small person’s shoulder. Plus five dogs.

The expanded party set out to climb Seonnyeo Rock.

While munching on rice cake and passing the reservoir, it happened.

“Count to three for me!”

Yoo Jin, holding her brother and sister’s hands, excitedly shouted.

“One two- three-!”

As Jin Hyuk and Choi Mi-kyung shouted and lifted Yoo Jin by her hands, she would either dangle her legs or kick them forward forcefully.

The trick is to lift from both sides at the same time.

If the child’s muscles are weak and joints are fragile, their shoulders could dislocate.

Fortunately, Yoo Jin is strong, and Jin Hyuk and Choi Mi-kyung have been doing this for a long time, so they have the technique down.

Unlike Jin Hyuk, who used both hands to lift Yoo Jin, Choi Mi-kyung couldn’t hold on for more than 2 seconds and let out a groan.

“Ugh! Yoo Jin, when did you get so heavy?”

Even though she’s healthy, a high school girl who doesn’t do much physical work couldn’t handle Yoo Jin’s weight.

“We should only do this with kindergarteners. It’s dangerous.”

“Why? I’m not dangerous! I’m strong!”

Yoo Jin looked quite disappointed.

Choi Mi-kyung, pointing her index finger at Yoo Jin, closed her eyes like an old person and shook her head quietly.

“That’s not what I mean. Your sister is in danger.”

Using too much force could hurt her shoulders or back. She might even wet her pants, you know. Choi Mi-kyung muttered like Cheon Gil-ryong.

Ignoring Choi Mi-kyung’s strange muttering, Jin Hyuk stepped forward.

“Yoo Jin, want to ride on my shoulders?”

“Yes!”

Yoo Jin quickly climbed onto her brother’s shoulders.

Watching her sit on top and feed her brother bits of rice cake, Choi Mi-kyung giggled.

“It’s like feeding a running horse.”

Swoosh-.

The sturdy rice plants swayed majestically in the early autumn wind.

The harmony created by the sea of rice filled with grains always makes the heart flutter.

Somewhere between the seasons, a place you’d never notice if you lived in the city.

Choi Mi-kyung, a rural teenager, also stood in the middle of it all, sniffing the air with a contented face. Jin Hyuk thought she looked like Jang Gun-i.

“Ah-, the wind is nice, the smell is nice-.”

“The sky is so high-.”

With both her friend and younger sister happy, this must be happiness.

The rice cake is delicious too.

For a moment, I stopped and looked back.

We definitely walked side by side, but there were no traces left.

It couldn’t be just because it was a paved road.

Happy times pass too quickly.

***

Another week passed, and Jin Hyuk returned after finishing the scheduled September competition.

Only the loud sound of the TV could be heard in the living room.

The cricket chirping near the fish tank also held its breath.

[······That concludes the sports news.]

Son Kwang-yeon and Han Yu-young seemed to have forgotten they needed to blink.

Even after the main anchor took over the mic, Jin Hyuk’s parents didn’t open their mouths.

Yoo Jin, who had been dozing on her brother’s lap, thought.

‘The prayer at Seonnyeo Rock worked well.’