Place to Be Chapter 19

It was impossible not to feel troubled. Jang Wigeon, who had clearly turned away in a sour mood that night, weighed heavily on Seo Chiyoung’s mind—even if Jang Wigeon didn’t say anything to him or show any outward change in attitude because of it.

“…”

Seo Chiyoung let out a quiet sigh.

But what could he do?

It was difficult to suddenly apologize now. What would he even say he was sorry for? He thought about it carefully, but it seemed likely that a clumsy attempt to apologize would only result in ruining the mood further.

So, even though he had faced Jang Wigeon several times since then when the latter visited with Yoon Junyoung, he had been letting time pass while keeping that incident buried as if nothing had happened.

In practical terms, it was fine to let it pass like this. Nothing would change. Things would continue just as they had been. And yet, what he missed were those smiles he had caught for just a fleeting moment. He missed those brief seconds when a soft, melting smile had been directed toward Seo Chiyoung.

While Seo Chiyoung was lost in silent, somewhat gloomy thought, the owner in front of him had been rattling on about something to himself before sinking into contemplation with a troubled frown.

“My great-uncle always says there isn’t enough to go around, but since it’s you asking and not someone else, I might be able to work something out.”

As if they had been talking about ducks this whole time, the owner handed over a piece of paper, saying in a slightly boastful tone, “This is my great-uncle’s business card, but it’s not like just anyone can call him.” Seo Chiyoung, who had been distracted, felt it was too late to say he had just asked out of curiosity, so he quietly accepted the card. However, upon seeing the name of the farm written on the card, a small sound escaped him.

It was a familiar name. There was only one reason a farm name would be familiar to Seo Chiyoung, who had nothing to do with ducks.

“He doesn’t go around advertising it, so not many people know about it, but those who do, know. The ducks from this place are really something.”

Nodding to the owner who spoke while tapping the card, Seo Chiyoung stared blankly down at the business card before glancing up at the owner and asking hesitantly.

“…Is it possible to buy a large amount? Regularly.”

“What?”

When the answer “I’ll come right now” came back so readily, Seo Chiyoung was a bit surprised at himself for having made the call in the first place.

Calling Jang Wigeon wasn’t that difficult. Since there were days when Yoon Junyoung—who was sometimes held up at school until late—would call just before the shop closed and say, “I’m coming soon, so don’t close up and please set aside one serving for me,” Seo Chiyoung already had Yoon Junyoung’s phone number. When he asked for Jang Wigeon’s contact information, Yoon Junyoung didn’t even ask why and gave it to him freely. Even after providing it, he didn’t act curious or suspicious, simply saying, “Is that all your business?” before hanging up. After that brief call, Seo Chiyoung hesitated for a moment before dialing Jang Wigeon’s number. In truth, if he hadn’t already brought up the subject of ducks with the butcher shop owner, he might have hesitated and decided against calling.

But his hesitation proved futile as Jang Wigeon did not answer. Seo Chiyoung waited while the ringing continued nearly twenty times, wondering if something was wrong or if he just didn’t answer unknown numbers. Just as he was about to give up and pull the phone away from his ear to hang up, the ringing stopped. “Hello?” The familiar voice came through, and he quickly pressed the phone back to his ear.

‘Ah, um, is this… Mr. Jang Wigeon?’

It was the first time he had heard his voice over the phone. He found himself getting slightly nervous at the voice that felt both strange and familiar. From the other end of the line came a soft but polite question: “Yes, that is correct, but who is calling?”

‘Ah, I’m… the person who runs the gopchang shop.’

When Seo Chiyoung spoke, a brief silence followed. Only then did Seo Chiyoung click his tongue, realizing there wasn’t just one or two gopchang shops in the world, and added the explanation, “You know, the one Mr. Yoon Junyoung visits often…” Jang Wigeon spoke before he could even finish the explanation.

“Yes, I know. But what is this regarding?”

“…Well… I just contacted you on the off chance. I think you mentioned Cheongsan Farm before…”

He wondered if he shouldn’t have called after all. Even if it wasn’t that specific duck farm, someone like Jang Wigeon surely had a few other good places lined up. Seo Chiyoung felt as though he had called on purpose for something very trivial, and his voice trailed off.

However, surprisingly, while Jang Wigeon didn’t exactly sound delighted, he didn’t seem entirely indifferent either. After asking a few more questions, he said, “I’ll go there right now,” and hung up.

He had made the call hoping it might be helpful, but since he hadn’t expected an answer saying he would come immediately, Seo Chiyoung stared blankly at the disconnected phone for a long time.

Whether he truly came right after hanging up the phone, Seo Chiyoung didn’t know where Jang Wigeon had taken the call, but he was even more surprised when he arrived in just about half an hour. So, even when he greeted him with a casual smile, it was Seo Chiyoung who ended up hesitating and stuttering.

Actually, there wasn’t much for Seo Chiyoung to do after he arrived. While the owner—who looked both pleased and troubled while busily talking on the phone to someone, likely the great-uncle’s house—exchanged words with Jang Wigeon, Seo Chiyoung only chimed in with a word or two that had nothing to do with the main conversation.

Perhaps trying to make Seo Chiyoung look good, the owner occasionally drifted off-topic, saying things like, “Normally it’s difficult, but since you’re an acquaintance of this young owner here, let’s at least talk. Our Mr. Seo here is young but lives so diligently that I, having a son about his age, wanted to help him out however I could.” Every time he heard this, Seo Chiyoung would bow his head with an embarrassed face, and Jang Wigeon would occasionally look at him with a formal smile and chime in, “I see.”

They moved further inside the shop, amidst the bustling shop workers and human-sized lumps of meat hanging from metal cables dangling from the ceiling. It didn’t take long for them to finish their talk. Having finished only the basic discussion while calling the farm several times, the owner and Jang Wigeon quickly concluded the conversation with the intent of setting another date to visit the farm for a detailed consultation.

Seo Chiyoung, who knew nothing about that line of work, sat there quietly like a “borrowed sack of barley” while they discussed general things like how much for how many birds and how the supply would be handled. He just drank the juice the owner’s wife had brought out. He felt like he didn’t need to be there, but he had missed the timing to stand up.

He could have interrupted their conversation and left, but Seo Chiyoung did not leave his seat even while anxiously checking his watch.

So this is the kind of face he makes when he’s working.

It was because he couldn’t take his eyes off Jang Wigeon as he watched him intently with that thought.

Even when it came to work, Jang Wigeon didn’t change much. Just as with the people he met casually, even while talking about stiff business matters, he drew people’s favor and kept the flow of the conversation pleasant. He steered it to his own advantage, but in a way that never made the other party feel like they were losing out.

“…”

He couldn’t help but be impressed. Although he hadn’t often seen scenes where others discussed a deal this close up, it was surely rare to find someone who could pull a transaction in their own direction within such a pleasant and straightforward atmosphere.

For now, it had stopped at just getting to know the owner who would act as an intermediary, but it was certain that even if he visited the farm later to talk business privately, he would draw out the desired results as much as possible.

Despite having a thorough discussion in a good atmosphere, it didn’t take very long. Eventually, near the end of the talk, Jang Wigeon glanced at Seo Chiyoung, who was looking down at his watch anxiously. He gave the pleased owner a good-natured smile and stood up, saying, “Then I will contact you again later.”