Midday Guest Chapter 3

“About this guesthouse. I asked if you are running the business all by yourself.”

“Ah, yes.”

I nodded in response and quickly picked up the mobile phone that had fallen to the floor. I looked at the man while hiding it behind my back, fearing he might take it away. Yiwon felt like his heart was going to explode, but the man didn’t show the slightest bit of interest in the phone. His gaze had already moved down to the small dining table.

“We’ve interrupted your mealtime, haven’t we.”

Was a meal really a big deal in the midst of this chaos? The braised tofu and fried egg, which he hadn’t even been able to take a single spoonful of, had long been forgotten, but…

“…….”

Somehow, he felt embarrassed as if his dinner menu on the tiny table had exposed his private life. Just as he moved his body forward to hide the table, the man’s gaze was now directed at Yiwon’s face.

“You, come here for a second.”

“…….”

“I told you to come here.”

It was a low, resonant voice, but the words were unwelcome. It was just as Yiwon was hesitatingly stepping back with a troubled expression.

“This brat, the Director is calling you.”

He had only hesitated for a moment, but someone pushed his back, forcing him to stand in front of the man.

“Are you hurt?”

The man pointed toward the area under his jaw with his hand. When Yiwon wiped under his jaw with the back of his hand, actual blood came off. It seemed he had been grazed by the jackknife when he was being threatened by the intruder.

“…Oh.”

“It hasn’t been long.”

The moment that sharp gaze scanned under Yiwon’s jaw and moved up, a heat surged through his throat.

I’m caught.

In the brief moment of a few seconds, his mind raced. He felt that if he were treated as being on the same side as the intruder who had sneaked into Haeundang, he might be erased from the world without anyone knowing.

Yiwon quietly directed his gaze toward the storage room. The man, having read the signal, gave a short laugh and turned around.

“Taesik-ah.”

“Yes.”

As soon as the scar, Oh Taesik, answered, the storage room was turned into a shambles. Then, the man sat on the edge of the wooden veranda and watched the drama unfolding in the yard that had become a mess.

The intruder clutching the jackknife didn’t seem to have any intention of being caught easily. Even though he was all alone, he fought back very desperately. Because they were fighting and running around everywhere, the yard of Haeundang quickly became a wreck.

However, the intruder was caught by the big guys before long.

“Uaaagh…!”

His scream was cut short. Having watched the situation, he must have realized it was no use, for he immediately folded his hands together and begged desperately. Then, an opportunity to speak arrived.

“Di, Director.”

“It’s quite hard to see your face.”

“Th, that’s…”

“Why do you keep running away? Is it because you committed a crime?”

“It’s not that I, I was trying to do anything…”

“Then if you’re going to play the double agent, you shouldn’t have gotten caught. Why get caught and make things tiring for both of us?”

“D, double agent, you say.”

The man looked around and said.

“Where’s your friend. Did he fly off already?”

“…….”

“Don’t want to talk?”

It was then.

“Director!”

Oh Taesik, who had been rummaging through the storage room, held up a document envelope high and waved it.

“Ah, ahh…!”

The intruder’s face turned pale. It felt as if things had gone beyond wrong and he had crossed a river he should never have crossed. By the time he realized his mistake and tried to add something more, it was already too late.

“Take him and find out.”

“Director, it’s a misunderstanding. I was on my way back to the office. Give me an hour, no, just one day… Director, Director!”

The intruder was dragged out of Haeundang by the big guys. Seeing the intruder struggling on the dirt ground, Yiwon’s heart began to pound as if it would burst.

For a while, there was the sound of something bursting. The sound made when something sticky and wet is being beaten. Yiwon knew well what that sound was. it was the sound made when striking a spot where the flesh has already split and is bleeding.

He turned his head and closed his eyes in horror, but the sound felt even more vivid, so he opened his eyes wide again. On the TV, which had been left on any random channel, a wildlife documentary was playing.

Click, the sound of the sedan opening echoed heavily. Looking slightly, he could see the car’s trunk cover peeking up over the wall. Thump, thud. Dull sounds as if loading heavy objects echoed a few times, and the area outside the Haeundang wall became silent again.

The man looked at Yiwon, who was standing vacantly, and said.

“I’ve made a mess of someone’s place of business, what should I do?”

Even as empty words, he couldn’t bring himself to say it was okay. The flower bed turned into a shambles, the storage room a total mess. Even at a quick glance, the estimate for cleaning up looked like it would take at least half a day.

Since the team checking in tomorrow is scheduled to arrive at 1 PM… the time didn’t seem that tight. It was just that his body would suffer.

Even so, he wasn’t so thoughtless as to ask this man, “So what are you going to do about it?”, so his words were already decided.

“…I can just clean it up.”

“Right. I’ll leave a few guys behind, so put them to work.”

The man called out a few people, saying, “You, you. And you and even Oh Taesik.” The big guys who were pointed out obediently bowed their heads saying, “Yes,” and scattered to various parts of Haeundang.

Oh Taesik scratched the scar on his cheek and asked the man.

“Are you leaving?”

“Yeah. I have to go see the old man. To report on today’s business too.”

The man climbed into the back seat with a nonchalant face. The intruder’s cries for mercy from the trunk grew distantly faint, and Oh Taesik approached.

“What should I start with?”

“…….”

“I reckon I should start with tidying the storage room, right?”

“Ah, no. I’ll do the tidying here, so I think you all can leave now.”

“No way. If we just leave, there’s a chance we’ll be killed by our Director.”

Yiwon, who lost his words at the gruesome vocabulary, and Oh Taesik, who was looking at him, gave a broad grin and picked up a shovel.

“Sit down for a bit. We’ll get this cleared out for you in no time.”

He felt that if he refused any further, he might end up buried in the ground. Yiwon sat down in front of the small dining table, pressing down on his heart that felt like it would burst.

It was a night where eating was out of the question.

Morning dawned. Today was a day when the monsoon rain took a break, and the outside was sunny as if nothing had happened.

It felt like I was dreaming. The events of yesterday felt that way too. Yiwon, who was rolling on his blanket and blinking his eyes slowly, heard the sound of a message arriving and checked his phone.

Kim Sunwoo

+:+2/Days/Until/Deposit/Date+:+ …

He deleted the message without reading it. Money doesn’t appear just by lying in bed. The night had passed, the sun had risen, and now it was time to work.

He left the room wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt and shorts. Before it got too hot, he planned to stop by the supermarket to buy welcome food, drinks, and ice cream exclusively for Haeundang’s summer guests.

It was a day when the blazing sunlight was unusual even from the morning.

Fluttering the hem of his T-shirt, he arrived at the supermarket to find silver foil covering the ice cream showcase. It was a desperate measure created by Mister Kim at the supermarket because the old freezer was struggling with the summer sunlight.

A-mat-na, Ppong-tta, Candy Bar, Nougat Bar. At Haeundang, classic ice creams were popular. Since he heard there would be a young guest this time, he also bought a Papico.

Yiwon, who was about to close the lid of the ice cream showcase, hesitated. Should I eat one or not? While he was debating, an ultimatum flew from Mister Kim at the supermarket.

“All those ice creams are going to melt.”

“I’m sorry.”

Yiwon took out a Watermelon Bar and headed to the counter. He chose one Coke and one orange juice for drinks and placed them together.

Mister Kim at the supermarket, who had been rebuking him about the ice cream melting, was preoccupied with looking at his mobile phone screen.

Yiwon stood there for a long time. It was to the point where he became curious about what the man was looking at so intently. Unable to wait any longer, Yiwon carefully opened his lips.

“Mister, I’d like to pay, please.”

“Hold on a second.”

While standing blankly, his eyes went to the chocolates displayed in front of the counter. Should I buy it or not? In the end, he picked one up and placed it with the rest.

“…Eing, tsk.”

Mister Kim at the supermarket clicked his tongue and tossed his phone aside.

I should have waited just a little longer.

“Six ice creams, chocolate, Coke, juice. That’s twenty thousand won.”

“Here you go.”

Still, since he had bought it, he decided to enjoy it.

“Want a bag?”

“I’ll pack it. Thank you.”

Yiwon, who was putting the items into the shopping bag he had prepared in advance, gave a lingering look toward the counter. The letters written in marker on A4 paper were vivid.

Closing Sale

“Mister, are you going out of business?”

“Huh? Oh, this…”

“Until when will you be here?”

“I’m not closing right away. Just seeing how things go.”

“…Okay.”

Since it was the only supermarket in the neighborhood, it was a shame to hear it might disappear. Mister Kim seemed to have his heart elsewhere already, as he appeared preoccupied with burying his nose in his phone. Occasionally, he would even mutter low curses.

I should stop by a few times before he closes. I guess I’ll have to receive things by delivery only now… He was having such thoughts. Mister Kim, who was tapping his phone screen repeatedly, asked.

“Is there anything else you need?”

“No. Thank you. I’ll see you again next time.”

Yiwon, clutching his things, turned his steps.

The two-lane road was full of illegally parked cars, but the lack of traffic created a tranquil atmosphere. Trucks, motorcycles, Damas, Carnival…