Midday Guest Chapter 12

She was worried that he might not have been able to pay the interest. Having operated Haeundang and dealt with moneylenders for a long time, she could clearly see how the year’s cycle ran even from a distance.

Yiwon, who had been wiggling his toes, looked up. His voice rose slightly with the thought of sharing good news.

“Oh, Mom. You don’t have to worry about that. I got a guest. He’s going to use all the rooms and stay for a month. He says he’s a director at Cheongun Construction, and he’s already finished the payment. He must be really rich. He paid the full amount in cash without even using installments.”

— Oh my, is that true?

“Yes.”

— That’s wonderful, Yiwon. Oh, that takes a weight off my mind.

“Why would you worry? I’ll take care of everything.”

His mother laughed in a weak voice, saying, “When did our son grow up so much?” The more she did, the more cheerfully Yiwon spoke.

“What about food? Mom, are you eating well?”

— Of course. Lately, I haven’t missed a meal and I’m eating everything well.

“Good. Take your medicine regularly, too. I’m going to check everything with Aunt.”

— Goodness, as if Mom couldn’t even manage that.

Only then did his mother’s voice rise a bit as well. Yiwon was happy enough just with that.

“Mom, but I don’t think I can visit this month… Since he’s a guest who paid a lot and is staying long-term, I’m a bit preoccupied.”

— It’s okay. Do as you find convenient.

“Thank you, Mom.”

He said thank you, but the feeling of guilt was larger. It was because he knew his mother waited only for the days Yiwon came to visit.

“Is there anything you need?”

— Anything I need? Nothing comes to mind right now.

“If you think of something, let me know through Aunt. I’ll send you whatever it is.”

— All right, son. Work hard. Mom will call again.

“Yes, Mom. Then please get some rest.”

After confirming the sound of the call ending over the receiver, Yiwon put his phone down. He stared at the screen for a moment before brushing himself off and standing up.

I should work.

Suddenly, he felt like working. Just that brief phone call with his mother made him feel like he was overflowing with energy.

He tidied the bedding and turned off the fan. After running the vacuum once and emptying the trash can, it was already past 8:00.

He roughly straightened his hair with his hands and went outside.

The monsoon rain that had poured all dawn had disappeared somewhere, and now sunlight was streaming down over his head. He made a shade with his palm and looked up at the sky for a moment.

As the sun poured over the damp ground holding onto the moisture, a muggy heat surged up. Even though he hadn’t even started the physical labor yet, he felt as if his breath were already being choked off.

He hurried to the yard and sat in front of the flower bed. Although Oh Taesik and the other employees had tidied the interior under Cha Seokjoo’s orders, they hadn’t been able to do the planting.

With practiced hands, Yiwon planted the wildflowers he had ordered in advance. A short while later, with the flower bed regaining its proper form, Haeundang completely returned to its original appearance.

Yiwon patted the soil down while still in a crouch, then stood up.

The sun was burning overhead.

He grabbed the hem of his T-shirt with his hands to create a breeze. The air, heavy with heat, brushed past his cheeks and escaped into the void.

His body felt limp under the murderous heat. Because he had moved more busily than usual to get the work out of the way quickly, his cheeks felt hot rather than just red.

Right around the time he was catching his breath in the pouring heat, a sedan arrived outside. The man with the scar, Oh Taesik, walked over with a thud and asked point-blank with a frown.

“Where’s the Director?”

It was a question thrown out with the assumption that Yiwon would naturally know where he was. It was a bit bewildering and absurd. However, he tried to think calmly. Since he had been working by the entrance the whole time, it would have been noticeable if Cha Seokjoo had gone outside.

“He should be inside.”

Oh Taesik nodded and stepped into Haeundang.

“We’re gonna talk for a bit, so if you’re hungry, go over there and eat this.”

A paper bag was placed neatly on the wooden veranda. Among its contents was the jambon-beurre sandwich Yiwon had ordered.

To think I can eat a jambon-beurre sandwich in Yonggung-ri…

Feeling grateful, Yiwon asked Oh Taesik.

“Shall I give you a glass of iced Americano?”

“I heard those two are a set.”

Oh Taesik glanced behind him and shook the drink in his hand. Jjang-lang, jjang-lang—the sound of ice clinking came from inside Oh Taesik’s hand.

“Yours is over there, too.”

After replying like that, he kicked off his shoes carelessly and stepped up onto the veranda.

He seemed gruff, but he was a man with surprisingly delicate corners. One could tell just by looking at the border of the flower bed Oh Taesik had repaired. The intervals at which the bricks were placed were sharply regular.

“Thank you.”

“Sure thing.”

Yiwon took a long sip of the iced Americano sitting on the veranda. The flavor of the beans felt somehow extraordinary. With eyes wide, Yiwon emptied half of it in one go and took a deep breath.

Then, suddenly feeling a gaze, he looked to his side.

While Oh Taesik and the other employees were filing into the room, he saw the figure of Cha Seokjoo sitting through the gap in the door, leaning diagonally against the wall.

While surrounded by people starting their business reports, his gaze—staring outside—was fixed on Yiwon. Even though Oh Taesik was in the middle of a heated speech about where that “piece of shit Kim Sunwoo” had hidden, it seemed he couldn’t even hear it.

In the midst of the noisy crowd, they stared helplessly at each other. Seeing how everything except him turned blurry, it wasn’t that the world had stopped, but it felt as if the time in his heart was flowing slowly.

They stayed like that for a long time. To be precise, it was likely just a few seconds. It felt as if time were bending as it flowed.

Force entered Yiwon’s hand as it held the drink, and a water droplet ran down his forearm.

Cha Seokjoo, who had been quietly watching Yiwon, withdrew his gaze without a word. Then, he tilted his head and turned back toward the employees who had come to see him and were bowing their waists. Before he knew it, the man’s figure was hidden.

After finishing even the sandwich, Yiwon returned to the wall and grabbed a trowel.

Puk, puk—he thought as he stabbed the ground to thin out the weeds. He felt the reason Haeundang felt more unfamiliar than usual was because of the iced Americano and the jambon-beurre sandwich.

If I just endure a little longer, won’t everything go back to the way it was? He moved his hands diligently while having those kinds of thoughts. Fortunately, there was a mountain of work to do.

By the time he finished his outdoor work and returned to Haeundang, it was past lunch.

He took off his work apron, hung it on the outer wall of the storage shed, and stood leaning against the wall. Sweat poured down his forehead and the nape of his neck. Feeling the annoyance, he roughly wiped it away with the back of his hand and rubbed it against his T-shirt.

Even though it was the monsoon season, it was still summer, so his stamina gave out quickly. He poured a glass of barley tea in the kitchen, drank it, and then went to stand in the shade under the eaves. Since he had been gardening in a crouch, he felt like he wanted to soothe his fatigue.

Should I go take a bath… While he was resting, making a shade with his hand against the hot sun beating down overhead and flapping his clothes, a crowd of people poured out from the guest room.

“Whoa.”

“It really is pretty.”

“Ah, I think if I pulled this out and brought it to our Miss Mija, she’d love it…”

“You piece of trash. Why on earth would you pull out what the little Boss spent all day working hard to plant?”

Oh Taesik hit the back of another large man’s head with a puk and said something.

The large man trailed off, saying, “Ah, right.” In the meantime, Oh Taesik spotted Yiwon and hit the back of the man’s head once more, rebuking him.

“He heard everything, he heard everything. In any case, this guy is the one without a single drop of romance.”

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t really going to pull it out. I just happened to say it while trying to say it was pretty.”

The large man crumpled his massive body and bowed his head to Yiwon. Thanks to his sleeves being pulled up tight, the tattoos flamboyantly engraved up to his wrists were clearly revealed. It seemed as if even if he pulled out every single flower planted in the garden, no one would be able to put up any resistance.

So this meant all these people were gangsters…

“It’s okay.”

While he was offering a mindless smile, a familiar voice was heard.

“Quite grimy.”

“…”

“Did you come from rolling around in some dirt somewhere?”

As if he hadn’t been expecting an answer to the question, Cha Seokjoo walked out leisurely and sat on the edge of the wooden veranda.

He said.

“You have a lot of work.”

“From dawn to morning is the busiest time.”

“When do you rest?”

“Usually from lunch… You can consider it resting from now on when there are no guests.”

The boisterous sounds instantly turned the peaceful surroundings noisy.

Cha Seokjoo furrowed his brow and looked around the yard. The large men who had poured out of the room were preoccupied with looking at the flowers while crouching all over the garden.

“Sik, take a picture of me.”

“What for.”

“I want to send a flower picture to Miss Mija. Our Mija really loves flowers.”

Ma Haeyoung, who had been hit on the back of the head by Oh Taesik, turned his back to the flower bed in a duck waddle. Seeing that, Oh Taesik crumpled his face and said with a fierce look.

“Damn it, if you sit like that, none of the flowers will be seen and only your mug will show up.”

“Try to take a good one.”

“I can’t. This isn’t something that can be done.”

Oh Taesik shook his head from side to side.

“You there.”

Cha Seokjoo snapped his fingers to make a sound. Then, he gestured forward.

Yiwon looked around. There was no one nearby. It couldn’t be. Just as he was about to sidle away, Cha Seokjoo shouted.

“You.”

“…Me?”