CHAPTER~04
Should I Run Away?
The sound of a rooster crowing woke Hwido. He couldn’t help but find it ridiculous that it was a rooster that woke him.
So that’s how roosters crow—“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
“Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock, cock, cock.”
Indeed, it was loud and insistent. Hwido let out a small, hollow laugh.
Opening his eyes, he looked around the room, bathed in the calm, pale blue light of dawn. Yesterday had been such a whirlwind that he hadn’t even properly taken in the room he’d be staying in.
The room once used by Yeongwon’s eldest brother was simple. An old walnut desk, a small bed, and a wardrobe of the same wood were all it contained.
Hwido got up and opened the wardrobe. The clothes inside were all worn, but there was enough for the summer. Even neatly folded underwear was present, but he hesitated—he didn’t want to share underwear, not even by accident.
Sighing, he turned on the phone placed on the desk. It was a phone provided by the meticulous Mrs. Jang Mi-hwa, capable only of sending and receiving calls. He checked the contacts just in case—only her number was saved.
Really. Just my luck.
Wasn’t this kind of phone meant for students taking exams? Hwido suddenly realized he’d be forced into a full summer digital detox.
He checked the time and lay back down. Fatigue hit him late. He had tossed and turned until three in the morning. Now it was five. Too early to start the day. He wanted to close his eyes again.
“Hwido. Still sleeping?”
It was early.
“What time is it and you’re still sleeping? Are you always this lazy?”
Hwido startled as Yeongwon’s voice drifted in from the door.
“Yeon-Yeongwon. Do you even know what time it is?”
“I do. That’s why I’m knocking.”
He ran a hand through his hair and opened the door.
Yeongwon stood there in a loose pale-pink T-shirt and green sweatpants. Her hair was wet, probably from a recent shower, and water dripped from the ends.
A fresh scent of apples lingered around her. Sweet, tempting, and sharp—it made Hwido’s throat tighten.
She stared at him, expression neutral, as he froze in place, still staring back. Since yesterday, he’d often found himself zoning out, looking at her like this. Was it disbelief that she was here?
Luckily, he wasn’t still in his suit. He had changed into the pajamas Yeongwon had given him.
She handed him a small black envelope.
“Wash up, change, and have breakfast. Toothbrush and razor are on the bathroom shelf.”
“What’s this envelope?”
“Underwear. My youngest brother bought it. Never worn.”
Hwido frowned at her casual mention of underwear. Still, he took it. Right now, it was exactly what he needed.
“I don’t normally eat breakfast.”
Morning meals always left him feeling bloated or uneasy. If he was hungry, a latte would suffice.
Yeongwon’s eyes widened in shock.
“You’ll die if you skip breakfast.”
“What?”
“Let me ask one last time—really not eating?”
“Yes.”
Hwido snorted and went into the bathroom, carrying the envelope and some clothes from the wardrobe.
He brushed his teeth and reluctantly endured the weak water flow from the shower. Pumping Yeongwon’s shampoo, he felt an itch in an unexpected spot—proof that he hadn’t properly washed yesterday.
Hwido, who showered at least twice a day, snapped to attention and cleaned thoroughly.
After rinsing the shampoo, he noticed the single bottle of shampoo on the shelf: green apple scent, Yeongwon’s shampoo. But then why didn’t it smell like her sweet scent? Puzzling.
Finishing the shower, he came out to see Yeongwon sitting on the sofa, pointing at the hair dryer by the TV stand.
Hwido sat down obediently, though inwardly thinking how ridiculous it was that he was following her directions like some trainee. Yeongwon, it seemed, was training him on how to move, step by step.
Both sides looked ridiculous, he thought.
“So, what, are we learning to knead dough now?”
Hwido had already decided last night to take this seriously. Noodles—what could be so hard? He even briefly worried that if he learned cooking too quickly, Yeongwon might be bored all summer.
“Not learning to knead dough yet.”
Yeongwon brushed off his thought with a small laugh. She seemed to find the idea of him scheming in the kitchen already ridiculous.
“Then what are you going to teach me?”
“Kalguksu? First we need ingredients. We have to prepare them.”
“You mean we have to go to the market?”
“Why go to the market? Ingredients are everywhere.”
There was no supermarket near Mayoung-ri except for the small Mayoung Store near the bus stop. To reach a proper mart, they’d have to go downtown.
“Let’s go to the field.”
Yeongwon slung a cloth bag over her shoulder.
Hwido recognized the place. He had seen it all the way into Mayoung village yesterday.
A single-lane dirt road, lined endlessly with fields on both sides. From the air-conditioned comfort of the car, it had seemed peaceful.
Standing now in the very field he had glimpsed from the car, he felt less peace and more despair. The cicadas’ screech, the damp earth, and the overgrown path all unsettled him.
“Hwido, put this on.”
Yeongwon pulled out a long-brimmed hat and checkered shirt from her bag. Both were UV-protective and essential for fieldwork.
To Hwido, they looked just plain silly. The pink floral hat had cloth flaps for the neck, and the brown shirt was covered in oversized sunflower patterns. Too flashy.
Yeongwon patted his back.
“You’ll die if you don’t wear it.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“You really will die.”
She pointed at the sky. Soon the sun would rise fully, and the midday heat would pour down like rain. It wasn’t a threat—just a fact.
Hwido finally understood and put on the hat and shirt. The sleeves were a bit short for his long arms.
“Have you ever used a grass cutter?”
Hwido only stared at her. She read the expression perfectly: No, I haven’t.
“Then today, let’s just use sickles.”
She was going to teach him hoeing—cutting weeds growing along the sides of the field.
“What does this have to do with making noodles?”
“I told you. We’re preparing ingredients.”
The night Hwido had spent self-pitying and steeling himself, Yeongwon had been planning how to train him. She had sent his father away on purpose, so that Hwido wouldn’t cause any trouble.
Yeongwon recalled Mrs. Jang’s instructions: “Take care of him all summer.”
Making noodles could be learned in a day or two in Seoul. What mattered was giving Hwido something meaningful to do all summer—something that would make him feel accomplished.
The right answer, Yeongwon decided, was having him farm every ingredient for the noodles himself.
Hwido had already realized this too. This would be just the start of countless fields he’d have to work in.
Ah… maybe I should just run away.
Hwido quickly formulated an escape plan in his mind.
“Has Yeongwon arrived?”
At that moment, two women wearing hats similar to Hwido’s approached from a distance.
“Yes, Aunt Bong-hee and Aunt Young-hee.”
They wore snug T-shirts that revealed strong forearms and firm, youthful skin. Hwido glanced at their sturdy forms with brief admiration.
“By the way, who’s this young man?”
“Isn’t his father on vacation?”
“Is he foreign? Why is he so tall?”
“Oh my, his nose is so high, it casts a shadow on his face.”
They began firing questions at Yeongwon.
“Since Ho-gyun’s store is closed, won’t you take care of it?”
“Could this young man be your boyfriend?!”
“Oh, Bong-hee, he’s the same young man Yeongwon brought last time.”
What? Yeongwon has a boyfriend?
I don’t!
Hwido stopped hearing the cicadas.
“Really? Younger than Yeongwon?”
“Handsome and dependable!”
“He even drove a foreign car here! Everyone was stunned!”
Hwido’s eyes narrowed.
