Chapter 92

#92 <Fate Woven by Coincidence>

***

Yoo Jin, unlike a child, ate everything well.

She even devoured things Jin Hyuk didn’t like, such as catfish and sea squirts, as if they were nothing.

“Mom! Give me some sea squirts-.”

“There are no sea squirts right now?”

“Then give me some catfish-.”

“There’s no catfish because your brother didn’t catch any.”

“Really? Brother! Catch me some catfish-.”

The catfish was caught by Jo Seol-chan, and Jin Hyuk, who luckily caught it, didn’t even get to see it.

“It’s not like you can catch it just by trying.”

“Why not?”

“Well…”

A five-year-old just shut down the conversation.

Jin Hyuk thought it was a blessing that he was still a student. Otherwise, he might have been forced to become a fisherman just because he couldn’t resist Yoo Jin’s puppy eyes.

Yoo Jin also liked other seafood, especially octopus and flower crabs. Though worried it might be picky eating, Han Yu-young felt reassured by Yoo Se-ra’s words that such foods are good for children with high body temperatures and often made sure to prepare them.

One Sunday afternoon, while looking at a picture book, Yoo Jin drooled over the octopus in the book.

“Mom, I want to eat octopus.”

“Octopus?”

Now that summer was over, they’d have to go to the town market to buy octopus, but Han Yu-young was afraid of going into the crowded town. Though they went out for family meals due to her son’s nagging, she often chose other areas to avoid running into people she didn’t want to see. She could ask her husband, but he was busy with various tasks these days.

Hoping for the best, she picked up the phone.

“Ah, really? Did they go octopus fishing?”

She called around the village to see if anyone had gone octopus fishing that day. Several households confirmed they had gone out for octopus fishing, mentioning that the sunny weather would make the fishing season longer this year.

“I’ll go to Seong-chan’s house to buy some.”

When his little sister wanted something, Jin Hyuk wasn’t one to sit still. Though he usually ran errands, he had already decided he would go as soon as his mom started calling around the village.

Tying his sneakers, Jin Hyuk grabbed a small backpack and hopped on his bike.

The smart Jang Gun-i didn’t follow Jin Hyuk when he got on his bike.

Woof-. A single bark to see him off was all.

‘I barely remember Seong-chan. Maybe because I didn’t transfer schools, I see him often.’

In his past life, they had parted ways in childhood and he had no memory of him. Even if they were in different middle school classes, with about 400 students in the first grade and being from the same hometown, they would have recognized each other if they had met by chance.

Thanks to the well-paved road, Jin Hyuk arrived at Yook Seong-chan’s house in 10 minutes by bike.

“Seong-chan, didn’t you go to church?”

“Eii, middle schoolers don’t even get snacks.”

It seemed snacks were only for elementary school kids. Yook Seong-chan, who used to bow his head and pray before eating his lunchbox even in elementary school. He went to church every Sunday, so Jin Hyuk thought he was a devout believer, but apparently not.

“I thought Seong-chan was a faithful churchgoer?”

“Eyy, what kind of faithful? Praying is a bit… I pray before bed, but one day it started feeling scary.”

Surprised by the unexpected answer, Jin Hyuk’s eyes widened.

“Scary? Why?”

Yook Seong-chan spread his arms like a cross, closed his eyes, and put on a kind smile. But soon, his expression turned mischievous.

“Jesus might come out. Hehehe-.”

Nuhuhu-.

Jin Hyuk laughed heartily with his friend for the first time in a while. He thought Seong-chan would make a great comedian.

While laughing and chatting with his friend, Yook Young-gu, dressed for going out, came out of the gate.

“Hello, can I buy ten octopuses?”

“Eii, sure. You came, huh? Hey, Seong-chan. Give Jin Hyuk plenty of octopus and send him off, okay? I’m heading to the town police station. Sell the rest, only the big ones. Those damn scammer bastards won’t even pay for the small ones-.”

“Yes, Dad.”

Yook Young-gu patted Jin Hyuk’s back, who was much taller than him, and chuckled before heading to his 125cc motorcycle. His steps were light.

Jin Hyuk watched him go and noticed something tied to the back seat of the motorcycle.

‘What’s that?’

Two wooden planks were fixed on either side to keep it steady, and it didn’t take long for Jin Hyuk to recall what it was.

Rusted red, about a handspan long, with several fins at the rear.

‘A high-explosive shell?’

Judging by the size, it might be a 60mm high-explosive shell. Jin Hyuk briefly recalled its specifications and performance. The lethal radius was about 27 meters.

And he’s carrying that on a motorcycle to the police station?

Even if it doesn’t explode without the right conditions, accidents don’t always happen within the bounds of common sense.

“Uncle-!”

“Jin Hyuk, here.”

Vroom vroom-.

It was almost simultaneous. Jin Hyuk reaching out to call Yook Young-gu and Yook Seong-chan handing Jin Hyuk the octopus. In the blink of an eye, Yook Young-gu had already started and was about 20 meters away.

It seemed fine at first glance. Seeing it sitting quietly on the sturdy motorcycle, maybe it didn’t intend to explode.

But safety is about checking and being cautious endlessly. Jin Hyuk thought he should stop Yook Young-gu. But the motorcycle quickly crossed over a metal pipe laid across the road.

Country roads had metal pipes to protect water hoses crossing them. The hoses ran through the pipes to irrigate fields, and the pipes were laid to be safe even if cars drove over them, sometimes even cementing over them.

Anyway, those pipes also acted as speed bumps…

And sometimes affected high-explosive shells.

Clunk- whoosh-.

As soon as the sound was heard, Jin Hyuk grabbed Yook Seong-chan by the collar and flung them both outside the gate. It was something impossible without senses beyond human limits. Seeing the high-explosive shell fired from the motorcycle flying towards him, grabbing Seong-chan’s collar and rolling, Jin Hyuk realized in that split second.

‘It wasn’t a dud!’

Where did Seong-chan’s dad pick that up, and why was unused ammunition in the village? If it were just a dud, the uncle would have been killed. How did he even find it in daily life? I can’t die here.

‘I have so much to do.’

I have to help with Dad’s business, teach Lee Seung-hoon and Shin Woo-sung ssireum, and help with studies. I have to correct Yeom Byeong-taek and Jo Seol-chan’s postures, and I promised to send Chae Kyu-ho to science high school. When Moon Seok-il recovers, there’s a lot to do.

The gravity of the moment was fleeting.

The gates of Yook Seong-chan’s house weren’t just simple walls. One side was a storage for farming tools, the other for grains. The gate was set back over a meter from the outer wall into the house. That structure unexpectedly acted as a buffer for the high-explosive shell.

Boom-!

The sky roared, and the ground shook.

The sound of wood splitting and weak cement bricks crumbling was heard. The wall of one storage room, including the gate, collapsed, and rice sacks burst open, spilling rice everywhere.

“Ahhhhh-!”

Yook Seong-chan covered his ears and screamed.

Jin Hyuk’s ears were ringing, but he checked on Seong-chan first.

“Hey! Seong-chan! Let go of your hands!”

“Ahhhhh-!”

Luckily, there were no other visible injuries, but blood was flowing from his ears.

Yook Young-gu, with eyes as wide as lanterns, dropped his motorcycle and ran over.

“Uncle! Call 119!”

Seeing Seong-chan’s dazed face, Yook Young-gu rushed into the house, pushing through the debris at Jin Hyuk’s shout.

***

An ambulance with blaring sirens left the village.

As a live fish truck entering the village stopped to the side, the ambulance sped away without slowing down.

“It’s not me, you bastards. I’ll live to be 100.”

Cheon Gil-ryong, watching the commotion, muttered to himself.

Wearing a Hawaiian shirt, holding a pipe, and fanning himself with one hand.

“Goodness-, it’s so hot even after Chuseok.”

Entering his house, Cheon Gil-ryong irritably folded his fan.

Then he shouted towards the bamboo forest.

“I didn’t even open my mouth! I didn’t know either!”

The bustling bamboo forest quieted down. After staring at the bamboo forest for a while, Cheon Gil-ryong finally lifted his foot. As the bamboo forest quieted, the fluttering colorful flags drooped.

“Strange guy. Came like a ghost and saved me.”

A gust of wind sounded from the bamboo forest.

Knowing the meaning of that wind, Cheon Gil-ryong shouted.

“Stop fighting and get along, you guys!”

Ghosts and underworld messengers fight every day. Ghosts fight among themselves, and underworld messengers argue over who died earlier or guided more souls, bickering over seniority.

As Cheon Gil-ryong entered his house, he heard a virgin ghost scolding a bald ghost. Senior So-and-so, don’t live your life like that.

“What life do the dead have?”

Despite Cheon Gil-ryong’s reproach, the virgin ghost kept firing back, saying not to approach her, she doesn’t like ugly ghosts.

As Cheon Gil-ryong entered his room, the bamboo forest fell silent as if lying.

“Even in death, they crave attention…”

Lying down with a pillow, Cheon Gil-ryong clicked his tongue.

Seeing how they only make noise when someone’s around, ghosts and humans are the same.

***

“Seong-chan, can you hear me?”

“Ughhh-. Ugh-.”

Yook Seong-chan even dry-heaved.

The paramedic comforting Yook Young-gu spoke in a warm, friendly tone.

“Uncle, it’s okay. His eardrum is injured, and he’s dizzy-.”

“Y-yes. Okay.”

Yook Young-gu, tears streaming, caressed his son’s face.

While talking to the driver, the paramedic kept checking Seong-chan’s condition and comforting Yook Young-gu.

“Kids recover well. Nowadays, surgery can completely fix it-.”

“Yes, yes. Oh my-, I almost killed my son like an idiot.”

Yook Young-gu wiped his tears with a fist like a pot lid. How did those damn guys manage the ammunition to cause this mess?

Jin Hyuk’s ears weren’t ringing, nor was he dizzy. He clearly heard the paramedic and Yook Young-gu’s conversation.

“I’ll take care of it.”

Jin Hyuk took the gauze from Yook Young-gu’s trembling hands and pressed it to Seong-chan’s ear. Yook Young-gu’s hands were shaking too much from the emotional turmoil.

If he hadn’t gone to buy octopus, would Seong-chan have been safe, or did Seong-chan survive because of me? Jin Hyuk’s feelings were complicated.

Then, Yook Young-gu, who had been crying, leaned his head on Jin Hyuk’s shoulder.

“Ughhh-.”

Yook Young-gu, his face twisted, cried and patted Jin Hyuk’s back hard. Even through the clothes, Jin Hyuk could feel the calloused skin like elephant hide.

Jin Hyuk knew without being told. It was a gesture of gratitude.

“You saved him-.”

As his shocked heart calmed, Yook Young-gu finally spoke.

When he turned around at the loud noise, the image of Jin Hyuk hugging his son and lying on the ground was etched in Yook Young-gu’s mind.

Deciding that the town hospital couldn’t provide proper treatment, the ambulance headed straight to Beomsan Medical Center.

“Seong-chan, you’ll be okay.”

Jin Hyuk covered Seong-chan’s ears with both hands until the paramedic took over.

Luckily, the bleeding had stopped.

In his past life, a newspaper article had mentioned:

「Middle school student dies in mortar shell explosion. Lost explosive from coastal unit during rainy season suspected.」

Of course, Jin Hyuk had come across the article while delivering newspapers. But burdened by his current life, he had momentarily forgotten who it was and when it happened. With almost no one to talk to and living isolated, he had little interest in worldly affairs. Only the memory of running and walking repeatedly while delivering newspapers in the hot autumn weather remained.

‘Could that have been Seong-chan?’

Though he could question how he could not know, Jin Hyuk had spent his school years in autistic isolation.

Was it a coincidence that the newspaper article came to mind while riding in the ambulance with Yook Seong-chan?

He couldn’t tell. But he hoped not to see that article in this life.

He remembered his grandmother’s words.

– “···Come to think of it, I didn’t deliver Jin Hyuk and Young-gu’s son. The shaman said I had to deliver them for them to live well, so I worked as a midwife.”

Ah, so Seong-chan’s dad’s name is Young-gu.

It wasn’t easy for kids to know adults’ names, as parents were usually called by their children’s names. In the neighborhood, only the bachelor Jo Il-hun was called by his name.

If his grandmother’s words were true, it was an astonishing coincidence.

They say a series of coincidences make fate.

As the ambulance slowed down, the paramedic raised his voice.

“We’re almost at the medical center!”

Jin Hyuk held the stretcher firmly as the paramedics moved Seong-chan.

Someone was watching Jin Hyuk from afar.