Midday Guest Chapter 44

The cicadas hiding here and there among the roadside trees spat out the heat all at once. Chirp, chir-ree. The end of Park Junseo’s sentence was swallowed by the ear-splitting sound. Fearing he had missed part of the conversation, Yiwon hurriedly asked back.

“Pardon?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Park Junseo laughed awkwardly. After that, he didn’t bring up much else. He simply kept repeating the action of rolling his eyes to watch the suit draped over Yiwon’s arm.

As they walked along the roadside, they soon reached the entrance to the downtown area. The only laundry shop in the neighborhood was visible right ahead. Yiwon’s gaze turned toward the old, faded laundry shop sign.

Yiwon shifted the clothes in his arms and looked back at Park Junseo.

“Well, I’ll be going now.”

“…Ah, we’re already here.”

The supermarket Park Junseo said he was going to required walking deeper into the city. Yiwon readjusted his grip on the suit wrapped around his arm. As Yiwon’s gaze moved toward the floor while making sure the stained spot was clearly visible, Park Junseo’s feet were still within his sight.

Why hasn’t he left yet….

Yiwon turned away from Park Junseo and cleared his throat.

“Then, I’ll see you again next time.”

“Huh? Uh-huh.”

“Goodbye.”

Having trudged along, Yiwon stepped inside the laundry shop, which had its door wide open. Clothes were hung sparsely on hangers, and a cotton quilt was spread out in one corner.

“Mister, are you here?”

“Ye-es, I’m coming!”

From the far inner room, the laundry shop owner made an appearance. Behind him, as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and poked his head out, a small dining table was visible. Cabbage kimchi and a nickel-silver pot. It smelled like ramen.

“Is that you, Yiwon?”

“Were you in the middle of a meal? I’m sorry.”

“It’s nothing; I’m the one who missed my mealtime because of this and that work.”

The laundry shop owner placed his palms on the floor and stood up haltingly. After standing for a moment with his hands on his waist, he caught his breath and asked.

“What should I look at for you?”

“I’d like to ask for some dry cleaning.”

“Sure.”

The laundry shop owner came out wearing blue slippers with closed toes.

“What’s the problem?”

“Some food got on the back. I’d like this stain to be cleaned off completely.”

“Give it here.”

Yiwon held out the suit.

The laundry shop owner took the suit. As he leafed through his ledger to process the task habitually, he suddenly jerked his head. The texture felt by his palms was far from ordinary.

“The fabric is high-quality. It’s truly well-made, too.”

The laundry shop owner inspected the suit jacket and trousers inside and out. After sticking his nose into the fabric and peering at it for a while, he folded the clothes neatly, placed them on the table, and said.

“You almost ruined the clothes. For this kind of soft material, you shouldn’t even iron it carelessly.”

The laundry shop owner asked where he bought the clothes and even added that these were truly good clothes, so he should treasure them and wear them well. After talking about the suit and imported fabrics for a while, the owner mentioned that because they were good clothes, the cleaning method was also tricky, and he called out a price of 30,000 won for the set.

“30,000 won?”

“Stain removal is an extra 5,000 won.”

So, that meant it was 35,000 won in total.

This was a place where 10,000 won was enough to wash a padded parka. Even adding up the prices of all the clothes Yiwon was currently wearing wouldn’t exceed 30,000 won.

He was very surprised but said he understood. Since there was only one laundry shop, it wasn’t as if there was a better way. It was just after he said he was counting on him and stepped outside.

Park Junseo was waiting for Yiwon under the ginkgo tree in front of the laundry shop.

“Yiwon.”

“…Sunbae?”

At the sound of Yiwon calling him sunbae, Park Junseo’s face grew calm for a moment before brightening again. In his hands, as he forced a smile, were cups of coffee from a famous franchise sold at the supermarket.

“Did you drop off the clothes at the laundry?”

“Uh, yes.”

Since they had already said their goodbyes earlier, the situation of running into each other again felt awkward. It felt even more so because Park Junseo seemed to have been waiting for Yiwon on purpose.

“I went to buy cigarettes. Since the day was hot.”

Park Junseo scanned Yiwon’s expression.

“I felt bad only buying mine, so I bought yours together. The Yonggung-ri area is small; it would be a bit awkward to run into you on the way back.”

He said that while holding out the cup of coffee.

He tried to say something, but by the time he regained his senses, Park Junseo had already handed the drink over to Yiwon. If it was going to be like this, it would have been better to go to the supermarket together.

He didn’t exactly feel good about this situation where he ended up being treated to something unintentionally. However, seeing Park Junseo waiting for Yiwon with the corners of his eyes drooping, the thought flashed through his mind that perhaps he was reacting too sensitively.

He even apologized for the past. It probably wasn’t an action done with an ulterior motive. In fact, it was a situation where they just happened to meet on the street. Yiwon thought that way and then, putting on the business smile he had practiced at Haeundang, he said.

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy the drink.”

“Yeah.”

Yiwon bowed his head slightly and accepted the cup of coffee. The sun was hot and the day was warm, so he figured it would be good to drink it while walking back to Haeundang. If he thought about it simply, it was enough to consider it like this, and it was no big deal.

“Should I have put the straw in for you? So you can drink comfortably.”

“Not at all. You even bought me a drink; I should at least do that much myself.”

And so, holding the cup of coffee Park Junseo bought, he ended up walking side-by-side with Park Junseo.

It was a day with blazing sunlight beating down. From the moment they turned the corner of the downtown area, there weren’t even proper roadside trees, so they had no choice but to walk the road under the scorching sun.

The day was so hot that the water droplets forming on the cup of coffee he held were dripping down to the ground. For a moment, he missed the iced americano he used to enjoy while feeling the cool air conditioner in Cha Seokjoo’s office.

“……”

There wasn’t much to say, and he wasn’t the type to talk much anyway. Yiwon just kept drinking his beverage amidst the awkward atmosphere. After realizing he didn’t have to talk while he had the straw in his mouth, he just walked along, sipping the drink in tiny amounts.

It was Park Junseo’s side that broke the quiet silence.

“Wow, today’s weather is really hot.”

“It sure is.”

“Isn’t it hard living at Haeundang? I thought winter would be harder, but looking at it now, summer might be even harder. It’s either raining or hot. It must be a mess back and forth.”

“There are times I feel that way.”

Park Junseo’s gaze turned toward Yiwon’s face. To be precise, it landed on his lips. Yiwon, who had the straw in his mouth, Gulp, swallowed the drink that was in his mouth. Was his answer too short? As he slightly turned his head to look at Park Junseo, the man smiled while meeting Yiwon’s eyes.

“Was everything okay during the rainy season?”

“Yes, fortunately.”

Yiwon moved the cup of coffee away from his face and asked nonchalantly.

“How about your place, sunbae?”

“Our house? It was no joke.”

It was a question asked out of politeness, but Park Junseo launched into a long explanation. He said that although it was a detached house, it was over 30 years old, so the roof leaked, and the kitchen was currently filled with all sorts of basins.

Park Junseo joked that because he had been listening to the dripping sounds and the sound of rain throughout the rainy season, he had grown to hate even the sound of water as ASMR.

A laugh almost leaked out at those words.

It was only a light smile, but since it must have been a painful experience for the person living in that house, he was about to swallow his laugh and move on.

The moment he turned his head at the gaze flying from the side, the corners of Yiwon’s mouth returned to their original position.

“……”

The gaze of Park Junseo, who had been chattering incessantly, was once again directed toward Yiwon’s lips. Don’t people usually look at the eyes first when sharing a conversation or checking a person’s reaction? Yiwon played along to a moderate degree with a slow tone.

“It must have been hard for you.”

“It was. But now that the rainy season is over, it’s fine.”

“…Yes.”

Park Junseo, who had been watching Yiwon’s lips, met his eyes and smiled as if nothing had happened.

After listening to various stories, they reached a fork in the road.

The road to Haeundang was to the right, and Park Junseo’s house was to the left. Park Junseo naturally walked vigorously toward the right alleyway.

“It would be nice if there were a place to have some coffee.”

“Right. There was a coffee shop, but they packed up and left a while ago.”

“So I saw.”

“……”

“It’s not easy to find a place to sit and talk with you for a bit. Walking like this is nice too, though.”

The sound of the cicadas grew even hotter. Park Junseo mostly talked while looking into Yiwon’s eyes, but right before turning his head, he would always take in Yiwon’s lips and the nape of his neck.

“Going to Haeundang would be a bit much, right? There would be the eyes of the guests staying there, too.”

“……”

Cha Seokjoo, the only guest, was out, but Yiwon indicated his agreement with silence.

Was there a misunderstanding in what I said? Yiwon’s acceptance of Park Junseo’s apology applied only to past events and didn’t contain the meaning that he wanted things to go well in the future. As the silence grew long, Park Junseo hurriedly added.

“I’m not trying to pressure you. I’m just asking.”

“…The rooms are messy, and I have to tidy up, too.”

“Ah, okay. It’s a shame, but it can’t be helped.”

And then, he turned away cleanly.

Am I being too hypersensitive? Yiwon thought.

Somehow, Park Junseo seemed perfectly fine, while he felt like he was the only one trapped in the past. Come to think of it, the man was treating Yiwon without reservation, even to the point of suggesting they have a meal together.