CHAPTER~08
If You Wait, I’ll Come
Hwido had just called himself Hwidong.
That damned Hwidong—round little Hwidong—had popped into his mind, tangled with his words and thoughts until everything spilled out wrong.
He opened his mouth to correct himself in a hurry.
“Wait, no, I—I mean, I’m not Hwidong—”
“Oh? Yeongwon-ah. You know Hwidong?”
Ignoring the flustered Hwido entirely, the woman stayed absorbed in her call with Yeongwon.
Hwido realized he couldn’t scoop those words back into his mouth now.
“Yeah, yeah. He’s absurdly tall. And all pale like tofu—so pale—and those bright red lips of his. Looks like a ghost. The first time I saw him, I honestly thought he was some young bachelor ghost.”
Hwido began to suspect this woman might actually believe he was a ghost. He was standing right there in front of her, yet she continued her brutal commentary on his appearance.
“No, no, not a wimpy ghost—he’s a handsome bachelor ghost. Actually… someone that good-looking wouldn’t die as a bachelor, right? If he were a ghost, he’d probably be on his second or third marriage by now.”
Well, it wasn’t the worst thing to hear, so Hwido decided to just keep quiet and wait for the call to end.
“Yeah. Hwidong says he’s lost. Says he can’t find your house.”
Hwido’s throat went dry.
How would Yun Yeongwon interpret this? Even he—the one actually lost—found the situation ridiculous. How much worse would it sound to her?
Feeling stifled and humiliated, he exhaled sharply and rubbed his chest.
“No idea why he’s out here like this. Anyway, he says he’s lost. When I opened the gate—bam—he was standing there looking like he was about to cry! And when a handsome fellow looks like he’s about to cry, you know I get soft-hearted. Had to listen to him for a bit. You know me, Yeongwon! I’m the resident saint of this village! The saint!”
So this famous little town that produced geniuses must also read classic literature together, apparently.
“You should’ve seen him yourself, Yeongwon! Eyes all watery, going, ‘Excuse me…’ He looked so pitiful and so tall and so—good grief.”
Caught between insults and compliments, Hwido couldn’t do anything except stand there like a statue.
Then the woman held out her phone to him. On the big, bright screen, the name [Yeongwonnie] was displayed.
He squeezed his eyes shut. How angry would she be at “Hwidong”?
“Hwidong-ah, take it. Yeongwon wants to talk to you.”
But this was the only way home. Hwido had no choice but to take the call.
“……Hey. It’s me.”
—If I go now, it’ll take about fifteen minutes.
He’d expected her to start scolding him right away. But Yeongwon was surprisingly calm.
If anything, the sound of her voice only made something tighten strangely in his chest. He just wanted to get home and pretend none of this had happened.
“Yun Yeongwon. You don’t need to come. Just tell me the directions and I’ll—”
—Just wait a little.
“……”
—If you wait, I’ll come.
Her voice through the receiver was soft and warm.
“All right.”
Warm enough that he suddenly wanted to just stand there and wait for her.
Yeongwon really arrived in exactly fifteen minutes.
“Auntie Soohee.”
“Oh—Yeongwon-ah! You ran?”
“No, not really. It’s hot. Have you been with him the whole time?”
So the woman’s name was Soohee. Yeongwon greeted her briefly.
“Kim Hwido. Say thank you.”
“Thank you.”
“Sure thing, Hwidong-ah. Come eat sometime.”
After Soohee went back inside, Yeongwon told him to head home. Hwido, still obedient after having thanked Soohee, followed her again without protest.
Yeongwon didn’t say a word until they were well away from the house.
“…Kim Hwido. I have something I want to ask.”
But the silence didn’t last. Hwido finally opened his mouth, heavy and resigned.
“Fine. I got lost, okay? I didn’t expect to get lost. And making you come out at night is rude, I know. I admit everything.”
“Pfft.”
Yeongwon burst into laughter at his rapid-fire confession.
“Puhaha!”
It had been so long since Hwido had seen her smile like that. She was beautiful even when she was quiet, but when she laughed—she was dazzling.
Just that one laugh was enough to make all the regret about running, getting lost, and doing this whole foolish thing fade away.
“That’s not what I was curious about. I wanted to know why you introduced yourself to Auntie Soohee as Hwidong.”
Of course, her next question instantly made him regret everything all over again.
“…My words just got tangled.”
“At this point, shouldn’t I call you Hwidong too?”
“You’re dead if you do. Seriously.”
He scowled. But since the damage was done, he resigned himself to fixing this misunderstanding slowly.
“Actually, I thought you had gone back to Seoul.”
At that, Yeongwon spoke quietly. Hwido let out a small laugh.
“What, you thought I’d be so shocked by the 5,000 won daily wage that I’d run away?”
“Yeah.”
“……”
He was speechless. Sure, he’d asked her that question, and yes, he had considered leaving for a while… but he hadn’t expected her to agree so casually.
She shrugged.
“That is part of it… but honestly, you don’t fit here.”
“Of course I don’t. I’m Kim Hwido, who used to run the hotel business division.”
She nodded seriously.
“Right. This place is too small for you. Work aside, it must feel suffocating. Nothing to do at night, no delivery apps, no friends to meet.”
Hwido didn’t use delivery apps and had no friends.
“No bars, and if you want the library, you have to go into town. But it closes at four.”
He didn’t drink much or go to libraries either.
“It’s a suffocating, boring place.”
For some reason, her words sounded like she was describing her own life, not his.
Hwido stopped walking. Yeongwon turned back, puzzled.
“Yun Yeongwon… what are you doing here?”
“What?”
He’d wondered ever since the moment he’d seen her here again.
Ma-yeong-ri’s prodigy.
The student who never once lost the spot of top grades.
The girl who studied fiercely yet said it was fun.
The girl who got into the most prestigious Seowon University—so proudly that the town hung a banner.
Why was that Yun Yeongwon here?
“There’s no way someone with your résumé failed to get a job. Even at our hotel, Seowon University applicants pass the paperwork immediately.”
“……”
“And you’re not the type to fail interviews. The teachers always said you should be an announcer.”
“……”
“The daughter of the noodle shop owner is getting her PhD on scholarship. And your grandmother said you should work harder since she supports you.”
“……”
“So why are you here? Your dad’s healthy too.”
She couldn’t answer any of his questions.
But Hwido suddenly understood on his own.
Whatever chased her out of Seoul… was in Seoul.
She must have been living with nightmares there.
Otherwise she wouldn’t have worn that lonely expression.
“…Not everyone likes life in Seoul.”
She finally gave a short reply. Hwido didn’t push further. Even if she told him the truth, he couldn’t fix it for her—and he had no right to.
He shrugged lightly.
“You’re right, Yun Yeongwon. So while you’re here, you should like this place.”
She looked at him. Hwido pretended not to notice and continued.
“Don’t suffocate, don’t hate it, don’t regret coming. Look at the good things.”
This, at least, was something he could give her.
The Yeongwon he knew never wallowed in the past. She always turned the bad into something better.
To nineteen-year-old Hwido, she had been exactly that.
Without her, his time in Ma-yeong-ri would’ve been unbearable. Because of her, he’d been able to forget the filthy life of Seoul—and his family’s mess—even for a moment.
And without her, he never would’ve dared reach for Wooheon-jeong. Though that ambition was exactly why he’d been exiled back here.
“Since you’re staying, you should live like you’re staying.”
With that, Hwido began walking again.
Yeongwon watched him quietly as he went ahead.
He didn’t know how she had lived in Seoul. But strangely, his words comforted her.
“Yun Yeongwon. You coming?”
Hwido had gone far ahead and now looked back with a slightly haughty expression.
“We’re not going that way, Kim Hwido.”
“…You could’ve said that earlier.”
Embarrassed, he shuffled back toward her.
“This town is tiny. Why are the roads so complicated?”
“You’re just not used to them yet.”
They entered a narrow alley. This time, Hwido didn’t take the lead; he matched his pace beside her.
“That’s Auntie Bonghee’s house. Next to it is Auntie Younghee’s.”
“…Did they plan their names together? Why do they all end with ‘hee’?”
Come to think of it, even the woman who called earlier—Soohee—had that ending.
“Those are just nicknames.”
“You all make nicknames too?”
“You made one yourself. Hwidong.”
“Oh, come on. Would you want your first love to be named Hwidong?”
He pouted. Yeongwon frowned.
“Not this again?”
“Isn’t it better for Ma-yeong-ri’s proud genius, Yun Yeongwon, to have her first love be Kim Hwido, not Kim Hwidong? So tell the aunties my real name properly.”
To him, the fastest way to fix the misunderstanding was for her to correct it.
But her expression suddenly looked… awkward.
“I think you’ve misunderstood something.”
She stepped in front of him, blocking his way, and looked him straight in the eyes.
“Kim Hwido. You’re not my first love.”
