July, when the sunlight blazed down fiercely, was a busy time for harvesting melons, peaches, and watermelons. As soon as the semester ended, Yoonjo rushed down to his countryside home.
Since it was his first vacation, others would be busy with various drinking gatherings, but such things were like stories from a distant world to Yoonjo. During harvest season, they desperately needed every pair of hands they could get.
From Seoul to his family home took exactly 5 hours and 30 minutes. Even among Korea University students who came from all over the country, Yoonjo’s hometown was exceptionally far.
Seeing Yoonjo from the deep countryside, some friends assumed he’d entered Korea University through regional or agricultural special admissions, but that wasn’t the case.
It was a hasty judgment born from the narrow-minded thinking of metropolitan-area natives who assumed the countryside had no online classes or places to study. Yoonjo had been accepted through regular admissions and, quite remarkably, had earned the title of scholarship student. Of course, it wasn’t a full scholarship, but still.
Getting off at the old bus stop, Yoonjo lifted his suitcase stuffed full of clothes. Vroom—the sound rang out and the rattling bus disappeared, trailing exhaust fumes. Yoonjo made a shade with his hand to cover his eyes and looked up at the sky.
“Excuse me, student.”
A sleek black car stopped in front of Yoonjo. Yoonjo turned to look. Through the lowered passenger window, he could barely see the person in the driver’s seat. In this heat, wearing a hat, mask, and even sunglasses. Anyone could tell this person was broadcasting suspiciousness with their entire body.
“Yes?”
“Do you happen to know where Namhang Community Center is?”
It was where Yoonjo’s home was located. Yoonjo examined the man before him from various angles, then tilted his head in confusion.
He had no memory of this face at all. Due to the nature of the small rural village, he knew everything from the number of spoons at the neighbor’s house to their breakfast ingredients, but he didn’t know this man at all.
He wondered who it could be, but Yoonjo obediently gave the man directions. He figured the man must be a visitor.
“If you go straight this way, you’ll see a village sign. Turn at that alley and it’s on the left.”
“Thank you.”
Because of the sunglasses, he couldn’t see the man’s eyes properly, but somehow he couldn’t shake the feeling that the man was smiling with his eyes. Yoonjo stood still in place until the man disappeared, then dragged his suitcase along the road.
[Congratulations] Korea University Accepted Ji Yoonjo! Son of Namhang! [Celebration]
At the village entrance hung an old, faded banner. It was embarrassing, but every time the village elders saw it, they beamed with pride, so there was nothing he could do about it.
Yoonjo entered the village with light steps. Looking at the time, it was 4 PM. Right when the village elders would be at the fields harvesting crops.
He was about to pass by the community center when the car’s owner suddenly came to mind. Yoonjo craned his neck and peered at the center’s entrance, but neither that black car nor the strange-looking man was anywhere to be seen.
‘Maybe he wasn’t someone with business at the center.’
Strange thoughts crossed his mind, but Yoonjo headed straight home. Opening the gate and entering the yard, he saw a pipe connected to a green hose submerged deeply into a red rubber basin filled with sloshing water. Right next to the door was a small cattle shed where two cows were lounging about. At the end of the yard stood a large persimmon tree and a citron tree. Their lush green leaves swayed gently in the breeze.
It was a countryside home that hadn’t changed one bit. After hurriedly closing the gate, Yoonjo found the front door key hidden under a stone in the corner and went inside.
Leaving his suitcase at the entrance, he opened the tightly closed door and entered. After changing into comfortable clothes, Yoonjo draped a white towel around his neck and closed the door. Once he grabbed the rubber bucket prepared next to the gate, he was ready to go out.
Just as he was about to open the door and leave, the neighbor’s door rattled. Wondering what it was, he turned his head to see that black car from earlier, and standing at the door was a person like a stone statue wearing a deeply pressed-down hat.
Despite this scorching heat, the man was wearing a thin cardigan that came down to his calves draped over his shoulders. Even the color was as black as the grim reaper.
Of course, if it were just that, Yoonjo would have simply dismissed him as an ordinary visitor, but Grandma Sunja next door and Yoonjo had a very close relationship. He had seen the grandmother’s grandson and son once each, but he had never seen this man.
Now the man was pulling at the door several times, and when it didn’t work, he was looking around for something.
Countryside homes were typically one of two types: leaving the door open when going out, or hiding the key somewhere around the door. Grandma Sunja was the latter type.
And not long ago, Yoonjo’s grandfather had said that Grandma Sunja next door had gone to her son’s house in Seoul because her arthritis had gotten severe. In other words, that house would be empty for a while.
Fire sparked in Yoonjo’s eyes.
“Y-you thieving bastaaaaard!!”
“Huh?”
Charging forward while shouting, Yoonjo swung the rubber bucket at the man with a puzzled expression. Even when a thwack sound hit the back of his head, Yoonjo didn’t stop and struck down with all his might.
“Urk, wait, wai—!”
“Ugh! You thieving bastard! Coming all the way to the countryside because there’s nothing left to steal! You bastard!”
After beating down with the bucket, when the handle fell off, Yoonjo now struck the man’s back with his palm. Instead of a dull sound, a crack-crack sound like striking stone rang out.
Before long, the man’s cardigan had been torn off and was rolling on the ground. Because the man was wearing only a thin short-sleeved shirt under the cardigan, the impact of Yoonjo’s strikes seemed to cling directly to his skin.
Each time a palm struck his back, the man felt pain not like a hand but like being lashed with a switch. Smack, crack—as the light sounds continued, the man twisted his body in pain. He tried to escape, but the strength of that short guy exceeded his imagination.
“St-stop! Stop it!”
“You thieving bastard! You think I’ll just stop if you tell me to!”
After beating him down a few more times, when the man soon fainted and went limp, Yoonjo stopped his hand. Breathing heavily and about to call 112, Yoonjo ran into the house, brought out blue vinyl rope, and tied up the man’s limbs tightly.
His heart was pounding. His hands and feet were trembling, but Yoonjo calmly pressed 112 on his phone and ran toward the field outside the village where the elders were gathered.
“Grandma!! Grandpa!!! There’s a thieving bastard here!!!”
***
“Oh my, oh my… I’m so sorry. Really sorry. Why didn’t you say anything!”
An elderly couple summoned by Yoonjo’s commotion, a police officer, and the man in question, Ki Seonwoo, all gathered in the living room. The topic of conversation was an apology. With the police officer present, Seonwoo carefully explained his identity and the misunderstanding was quickly resolved.
‘I came down at a friend’s request. My friend’s name is Woojin, and since his grandmother would be away for a long time, I came because I had free hands. The grandmother supposedly told the village residents in advance, but shouldn’t we verify the facts first?’
Because the man kept his mask on the entire time, he looked suspicious, but the police investigation confirmed his identity. At this fact, Yoonjo became even more restless.
“You should… have given me a chance to speak.”
Holding an ice pack to the back of his head, Seonwoo looked at the young man with drooping eyebrows. Hearing his name, it was Ji Yoonjo. A greenhorn who had just become a university student this year. Seonwoo recalled the strength that came from that tiny guy and unconsciously shifted his bottom to sit a bit farther away.
Across from him were Ji Yoonjo’s grandmother, grandfather, and a police officer from this village. The grandmother and grandfather kept sending worried looks toward Seonwoo.
“Oh my… what to do… what should we do.”
“That’s what I’m saying. Oh my! Sunja’s grandson was supposed to come. What to do! I forgot.”
At the flurry of intense dialect, Seonwoo blinked. He had learned dialects when acting, but how could learned dialect compare to the natural thing?
Fortunately, aside from the two elders, people spoke standard Korean. Of course, the police officer’s side still had an accent though. The neat-faced policeman glanced at Yoonjo and shrugged his shoulders.
“Still, it’s fortunate. If Yoonjo really used his strength, your bones would’ve been crushed for real.”
No, what kind of person breaks bones from hitting someone? Are you a judo athlete? When Seonwoo glared at Yoonjo, Yoonjo’s eyes widened as he waved both hands and jumped up and down.
“Hyung, what are you saying! It’s not me! No! Earlier I was really so flustered that a little… strength went in, but I’m not usually like that. Breaking bones!”
“……”
“I’m really sorry. Grandma went to Seoul not long ago, but there was a black person standing in front of that house so I really thought it was a thief… These days I heard there are tons of empty house robberies in the countryside… I’m really sorry. Oh, really… really…”
Yoonjo now scrunched up his face and stammered as if about to burst into tears. Seonwoo lowered the ice pack and felt the back of his head. Other than a slight bump, it was fine. His back also stung a bit, but otherwise it was intact.
“It’s fine.”
“Since a report came in, we need to process it, but how should we handle this? As a simple assault charge…”
It was embarrassing to file or not file a report over getting hit on the back a bit. Seonwoo waved his hand and responded lightly.
“Just process it as settled by mutual agreement. Then can I go in now?”
“Yees… You may go. If you have any inconveniences, feel free to contact us anytime.”
Thinking it was better to hurry inside than to get more entangled, Seonwoo bowed his head to the police officer in greeting and stood up. At that sight, Yoonjo fidgeted restlessly, then dashed into a room and came out holding something square.
“This is a cooling pad, please stick it on your back.”
It seemed he was a habitual offender. Seonwoo was about to refuse out of habit, but feeling the sting on his back, he reluctantly accepted it.
“I’ll stay quietly and leave. I hope we don’t run into each other much.”
