Midday Guest Chapter 5

I had caught sight of the man licking his lips. Yiwon’s eyes widened at the unexpected gesture. The man looked at Yiwon with his head tilted back and his eyes narrowed.

The moment Yiwon, standing still, swallowed hard.

Honk—!

A truck parking in front of the shop signaled for him to move. Only then was Yiwon able to move his feet, stumbling like a person who had been frozen and then thawed.

By the time he turned his head back, the gaze that had been fixed on Yiwon had already been withdrawn.

It was a mystery why he felt such a chill despite the hot weather. Yiwon adjusted the shopping bag hanging on his shoulder and moved his steps.

It was time to go greet the guests at Haeundang.

☼

Attending to guests, depositing payments to vendors, filing the final VAT return. On top of that, taking delivery of the seedlings ordered from the nursery.

Yiwon, who handled every single task at Haeundang himself, was spending a morning so busy he didn’t even have a moment to blink.

It felt even more difficult now than the day the intruder burst in and threatened him with a jackknife. He didn’t have time to drink a single glass of water.

In the meantime, the guests who had stayed overnight requested a one-night extension. It was a decision made because the monsoon rain was taking a break and they liked the unique, tranquil atmosphere of Haeundang.

From Yiwon’s perspective, being desperate for even one person, there was no reason to refuse, so he accepted readily.

“Ah, look at the time already.”

After finishing a bout of tidying up, Yiwon showered, changed his clothes, and headed toward the town center. It was to prepare the dinner menu requested by the guests.

“They said a large barbecue platter and stone pot rice for four, right.”

Beef sirloin and tenderloin for steak, pork belly and neck, sausages and king prawns. Plus the paprika, eggplant, onions, and cherry tomatoes to go with them.

His heart grew hurried at the thought of preparing the evening meal. He had to prep the ingredients before the guests, who had gone out to play, returned.

Having stopped by the butcher shop, the vegetable stand, and the supermarket in succession, Yiwon’s shopping bag became bulged.

Yiwon headed toward Haeundang with the shopping bag slung over one shoulder. The weight was considerable, but his footsteps were light. Once he left the town center and entered the side road, Haeundang sat atop the hill.

Climbing the slope, Yiwon turned his head and looked down at the sea. The light of the sky before the sunset was turning yellow. Scattered pieces of clouds drifted by slowly.

It was a good day for a beautiful sunset. On days like this, people staying at Haeundang get to fully enjoy the place before they leave.

A sunset can be appreciated from anywhere in Yonggung-ri, but if one had to pick the best spot, it was the yard of Haeundang.

There was a reason it was named Haeundang after all.

Haeundang was a name his grandfather had personally given it, saying it was a house with an impressive view of the sea and clouds as seen from the courtyard of the old residence.

While climbing the hill, heat suddenly surged through his body. Yiwon adjusted the shopping bag to his other shoulder and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.

‘If it’s a heatwave already, tonight will probably be a tropical night.’

Summer was not an easy season. Managing the weeds and spiderwebs that grew in an instant if one showed even a bit of laziness was no small feat.

However, though it was difficult, it was a place for which he was grateful. He didn’t know how fortunate it was to have Haeundang, which at times served as a place to stay and at other times earned him money.

If it weren’t for Haeundang, it would have been difficult to pay for his mother’s hospital bills, and it would have been difficult to pay the interest. It was clear that the amount was too burdensome to cover by working part-time jobs as a mere young adult.

Let’s think positively.

Yiwon, trying to lift his spirits, felt a vibration in his pocket and pulled out his phone. The caller was Hankuk University Hospital. What reason would the hospital have to call? He hurried to press the call button.

“Hello.”

— This is Hankuk University Hospital. You are the guardian of patient Lee Aeran, correct?

“Yes, that’s right… what is it?”

— This is Jo Kyungtae from the administration office. I was very worried because the guardian wasn’t answering the phone.

As he continued the call, he checked his phone. While he had been busy all day and lacked the leeway to look at his phone, there were three missed calls at one and two-hour intervals.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I was busy with work and only just checked.”

— Yes, well, I’m calling because of the medical fees.

Medical fees. He had an inkling. Yiwon switched the phone to his other ear and poured out his words hurriedly.

“…If it’s about the overdue hospital bills, I paid them all at once at the beginning of this month. Could you check again?”

— Yes, I’ve confirmed that you paid for three months back then. I’m calling today regarding a medical fee matter. It’s the day when a partial prepay for the third quarter medical fees needs to go out.

“…Ah.”

It was something done every quarter, but amidst the hectic events of the past few days, he had forgotten. Of all the things to forget. Yiwon closed his eyes tight and blamed himself.

— It has to be paid by today, and patient Lee Aeran didn’t say anything, so I called just in case.

The employee asked Yiwon back in a plain voice.

— How would you like to handle this?

It was a question with a set answer. Yiwon replied without hesitation.

“I’ll do it. If you give me the account number, I will deposit the money.”

— Yes, I will send it to you via message.

After hanging up, he checked his account balance on the banking app and bit his lip. After making the prepay for the medical fees, he was short on money to send to Kim Sunwoo even if he used next month’s living expenses early.

His footsteps toward Haeundang slowed down bit by bit. Would it be better to send even a little today, or would it be better to gather all the money and send it in a few days?

While staring vacantly at the screen, the phone screen went dark. Then Yiwon would tap it with his finger to brighten the screen, only for it to go black again, repeating the cycle.

Seeing as Kim Sunwoo had come all the way to Yonggung-ri himself, he would have to send the money. But there were still many days left to wait for the Haeundang credit card payments to be settled. What should I do….

It was when he touched the dark screen and raised his head. He felt as if something was collapsing beneath his feet, and his knees wavered.

“Coming only now?”

In front of the gate, Kim Sunwoo was smiling and waving his hand.

Was he seeing things because he had been worrying too much?

He hoped he had seen wrong, but Kim Sunwoo did not disappear, and eventually, Yiwon ended up being grabbed by the scruff of the neck and slammed against the wall by Kim Sunwoo.

Yiwon scanned his surroundings with his back against the wall. There were two employees Kim Sunwoo had brought. They were guarding the area outside the gate, and paid no mind to Yiwon.

His mind spun quickly. What Yiwon could do in this situation. There weren’t many options that came to mind. The value of the groceries inside his shopping bag was over a hundred thousand won. He had to protect this no matter what.

“You’re a funny brat, aren’t you.”

Kim Sunwoo only showed a meaningless smile as he faced Yiwon. He didn’t even seem to notice the shopping bag hanging on Yiwon’s shoulder.

Yiwon moved slowly while maintaining eye contact with Kim Sunwoo. He set down the shopping bag he had slung over his shoulder so that Kim Sunwoo, who had lost his mind because he hadn’t received his money, wouldn’t notice.

“The money.”

“…….”

“Huh? What did you do with my money.”

Yiwon’s gaze moved downward. Kim Sunwoo kicked Yiwon’s leg repeatedly with his shoe.

“Do you know today is the deposit date?”

“…I’m sorry. An urgent situation came up.”

“A situation?”

“I can give you half first…”

Kim Sunwoo let out a scoffing laugh as if it were absurd.

“So when are you going to give me the rest.”

“…Next month, for sure—.”

“This brat really isn’t even joking around.”

Kim Sunwoo raised his arm high and struck Yiwon. When a clenched fist, not even a palm, grazed his eye area, stars burst before his eyes.

“You fuck, you think I’m a joke, don’t you.”

Fists flew and landed on his face and back. Since he had sent so many messages and even came in person to give a warning, but things had still gone wrong, he had no room to complain even if he was treated like this.

Yiwon, who was enduring the flying fists, eventually collapsed by the wall. From then on, the kicking began. Shoes, sneakers, and the broom that had been leaning nearby flew at him at random, scraping across Yiwon’s body.

Yiwon did not cry, nor did he resist. From the moment he learned that showing emotion only made them run even more wild, he had chosen to simply curl his body and wait quietly until the pouring violence ended.

It wasn’t a very unfamiliar situation. Because he had experienced it once during the off-season last summer as well.

Closing his eyes, he remembered that time.

In order for the hands that stepped onto the veranda with shoes on to rummage through the house, and the feet that smashed the household goods set out in the yard to subside, those people eventually had to grow tired and slump down. Waiting it out was a hundred, a thousand times better.

Once, he had tried to fight back. He had even gone to the police.

‘Did you borrow it?’

‘Then you have to pay it back…’

‘Apply for bankruptcy, or do an individual rehabilitation. If it’s illegal private lending, I’ll connect you to the victim relief center, so go there and find out.’

And,

‘Oof, President Kim, you’ve come a long way.’

‘Don’t pick them too clean. If there’s trouble afterward, it’ll be difficult for us to cover for you.’

‘Let’s have a meal sometime soon.’

That day, when he learned that the local police were in close contact with the moneylending employees, he was beaten almost to death. He didn’t know how much he had worried that his eyes would swell so much he wouldn’t be able to see.

“Hey, do you know what a shitty time I’ve been having for days because of you!”