“Let’s go to town together later. There’s a really delicious coffee shop there, it’s incomparable to the ones in Seoul. Ugh… I really hate Americano. Ah! Do you know what a sugar-free caramel latte is? I tried it thinking how sweet could it be since it’s sugar-free… but it was actually pretty good. It’s the only thing I drink. But they only sell it in front of school and franchise cafes don’t sell it… so it’s a bit disappointing.”
Seonwoo, who had parked the car in a moderately shaded spot, unbuckled his seatbelt while stretching his stiff back. Soon after the engine turned off, Yoonjo also unbuckled his belt and tried to open the door. However, Yoonjo’s side was blocked by a wall. As he rolled his eyes in bewilderment, Seonwoo said gracefully.
“Get out this way. I’ve noticed over the past few days that this spot gets shade during the day.”
“Huh? Yes! Yes!”
While having some doubts about Seonwoo’s words, Yoonjo hurriedly turned his body halfway. But Seonwoo himself had no intention of getting out. Just as Yoonjo was asking with his eyes why that was, he soon saw Seonwoo stepping outside and wriggled his body.
Yoonjo, who had barely crossed over to the driver’s seat, looked up at Seonwoo standing still in front of the door. Thanks to that, Yoonjo couldn’t move an inch. The seat under his buttocks was warm. Although the engine was off, it was a temperature sufficient to warm his skin that had been cooled by the air conditioner the whole time.
Somehow feeling strange, Yoonjo fidgeted for no reason while sitting. I should get out quickly, and as soon as that thought occurred, Seonwoo thrust his phone in front of his eyes.
“To apply for insurance, I need personal information. Um… can you write it down?”
On the phone screen was a car insurance company’s logo. Below it was a form with blank spaces along with large text that read ‘Short-term Driver Special Clause.’ Yoonjo’s name was already written in.
“Are you really going to teach me how to drive?”
“I guess I look like I lie well.”
“No, that’s not it… but what are you going to do if I really get into an accident while driving this? It seems like an expensive car….”
Though he said that, Yoonjo’s hands were diligently entering information. Yoonjo, who had fixed his gaze on the phone and gotten out of the car, turned his back to avoid the sunlight. It happened to be a posture with his back to Seonwoo, but Yoonjo, who was focused on entering personal information, didn’t notice at all. Yoonjo, who was entering his phone number and resident registration number, suddenly smiled and said.
“Usually shouldn’t you be doing this kind of thing for your girlfriend? Or for a really pretty female celebrity…. Coming all the way on vacation to teach a guy, your stomach must be churning….”
It was right when he was entering his address. Suddenly a shadow fell over his head and a gentle voice was heard right next to him. When he turned his head, Seonwoo had come close.
“Why, do you think it won’t work because it’s a guy?”
At the breath touching his ear, his toes tingled. His toes curled up tightly without him knowing. Because he was wearing slippers, he could feel the blazing sunlight as it was.
The buzzing sound of cicadas seemed to gradually fade away in an illusion, and Seonwoo’s breath rose vividly. Instantaneously, his heart pounded thump thump thump. Yoonjo placed his hand on his chest without realizing it, as this was the first time he felt his heartbeat this loud.
“…You’re peeking at my resident registration number right now. I didn’t think you were like that, hyung, but you don’t care about security at all?”
While saying that, Yoonjo slyly stepped forward and moved his fingers quickly tap tap tap before returning the phone to Seonwoo.
“I entered everything. Then I’ll be going! Ah, make sure to wash up when you go in. There’s salt in the sand, so it’s not good if it stays on your body. See you next time, hyung!”
Yoonjo, who waved his hand as if nothing happened and slipped into the house, felt for his chest where his heart was with one hand as soon as the gate closed. The thumping beat could be felt clearly on his palm through the thin shirt.
“Don’t act up, heart….”
Since this had never happened before, Yoonjo pressed his chest a few more times before narrowing his eyes.
“…Is it arrhythmia?”
A column came to mind that said arrhythmia and heart disease frequently occur even in people in their 20s. Yoonjo, who hastily took out his phone from his back pocket and searched here and there, went into the house at the sound of his grandma calling him. The last news article Yoonjo saw was ‘Heart pounding? Signals sent by arrhythmia!’
***
The blue gate that closed with a thud showed no sign of opening again. Seonwoo stood in front of the gate where Yoonjo had disappeared for a moment, then dry-washed his face and muttered.
“Ah, this is trouble.”
He had no idea why he threw out those words so recklessly. It was only 2 weeks. Not even a month, just 2 weeks. It was an absurdly short time to completely know a person and open up with them.
Even a lover he had known for 3 years had stabbed Seonwoo in the back, and the aftereffects from that were still eating away at Seonwoo. Having experienced such a series of events, he should be more careful with people, but when he was next to Yoonjo, such thoughts completely disappeared. It was truly fascinating how he couldn’t think in that direction at all.
Seonwoo, who was about to return home, stopped when he spotted a sleek white sedan entering the village. It was because of the familiar license plate. The car stopped near Seonwoo, then the driver’s seat door opened wide and a person got out.
“Our actor Ki. Did you come out to meet me?”
It was Woojin, his manager. Even though it had been quite a while since they had met face to face, he greeted him naturally as if meeting a friend he saw yesterday. At the same time, a woof woof-! sound was heard from somewhere. It was Dongtae, a Samoyed. When Woojin opened the back seat, a white ball of fur ran toward Seonwoo as if it had been waiting.
Two eyes like black buttons and a round nose began to rub against Seonwoo’s body with all its might. Its tail even wagged rapidly.
Woof, wooof! Its ears folded back and stood up, and it raised its head upward and stood on its hind legs to tap Seonwoo’s chest. It was somehow a familiar action. Seonwoo, who sat down and was petting Dongtae’s head and body here and there, suddenly thought of Yoonjo. It seemed to be because of the action of tapping his chest.
“Dongtae, did you miss Dad?”
Seonwoo continuously petted and hugged Dongtae, who was whining and crying woof, woof! Then, after some time passed and Dongtae calmed down, he shifted his gaze toward Woojin.
“Let’s go in. Have a cup of coffee before you go.”
“I have work so I need to go back up right away. Anyway, I brought all the dog food and stuff like that, okay? I’ll unload it so take that and go in. I need to get going quickly.”
Woojin was Seonwoo’s manager, but that became ambiguous from the point when Seonwoo stopped his acting activities. In the end, he ended up straddling both sides, becoming the most ambiguous position. Because of that, his work load increased and there were occasional rumors about whether he was overdoing it, but there was nothing that could be done unless Seonwoo returned as an actor.
The person who knew that fact best was Seonwoo. While petting Dongtae who kept standing on his hind legs to rub against him, Seonwoo had a gloomy look.
“I’m sorry.”
“What do you have to be sorry about.”
Woojin, who hurriedly unloaded various items from the trunk, immediately greeted Seonwoo and left the village.
When he recalled the brightly smiling face without a single sign of difficulty even though he must have driven for close to five hours without rest, guilt crept up stealthily. Seonwoo looked at the items contained in the large box and bag, then entered the house with Dongtae.
Seonwoo, who had pondered for a long time whether it was okay to let Dongtae into the house, eventually had to call Woojin again. The answer that came back was nothing but refreshing.
– Is Dongtae the type for yards? Go in and sleep together. Then he’ll sleep better too. I’ll tell Grandma.
Seonwoo, who said thank you, cleaned Dongtae’s paws cleanly with wet wipes and entered the house together. Dongtae, who was woofing and wandering around the living room and sofa here and there, soon found a spot he liked, settled in a corner of the sofa, and sprawled out his body. With his tongue hanging out long, he seemed quite hot.
It became cool as soon as he turned on the air conditioner. Seonwoo slowly stroked Dongtae’s body and stayed still in the cool yet dry breeze, then suddenly stared at the floor. It was because he remembered Yoonjo’s words.
“…It’s not dirty though.”
The floor was similar to when he first saw it. If he had to say one thing, the only flaw seemed to be the clumps of Dongtae’s fur floating around in the sunlight.
Seonwoo, who had been sneakily stroking Dongtae’s body, soon brought a rag and wiped the floor clean. Then he suddenly laughed. It was so amusing that he took the initiative to do something he wouldn’t normally do.
***
Yoonjo, who had returned after cleanly finishing the afternoon farm work, was lying still in his room. He, who was lying sprawled on the yellow linoleum floor without even laying out bedding, suddenly sat up with a start, then repeatedly lay back down again.
Squelch, squuelch. The sound of skin sticking to the linoleum could be heard once in a while. Yoonjo looked at the white-finished ceiling, then rolled his eyes toward the window with a mosquito net. The sunset sky dyed in deep red filled his view.
“…Am I really getting heart disease? They say arrhythmia can take you out in one go.”
According to the search results up until just before going out to the field, that was exactly it. Most articles said that arrhythmia was often found even in young people due to extreme stress, family history, or eating habits.
Yoonjo repeatedly gripped and released his phone. He wondered if he should search more, but internet information wasn’t more important than a doctor’s opinion. Yoonjo, who thought he should go to town when he had time, eventually completely let go of his phone and rolled around on the cool floor.
Then he suddenly thought of Seonwoo. Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen him eat anything since lunch snacks. He had never seen food delivered to Seonwoo’s house, and judging by how he collapsed from malnutrition that time, it seemed he wasn’t eating meals properly.
Yoonjo, who had been still as if pondering, suddenly jumped up from his spot.
