After that, I started pruning branches from the left corner tree as Dad instructed. Since I’d often helped since childhood, I could tell at a glance which branches to cut. Which direction’s branches to leave alone, and even if cutting, to cut leaving three or four buds.
Ajeossi also said he’d worked in the persimmon tree field when young, and cut branches skillfully like Dad.
The two cut branches in the same direction while chatting warmly, and I worked hard alone while listening to music on my phone. Though the labor was arduous, time passed quickly and it breathed life into bored me.
As I looked back at the trees I’d pruned with satisfaction, I heard the conversation between Dad and ajeossi who had gotten closer at some point nearby.
“So, what about Jongheon?”
“Well, he’ll figure it out himself. He’s done business several times.”
“Seongheon is also in business management with Daesu.”
“Yeah. But I’m thinking of sending him to study abroad.”
“Right, send him. Seongheon, that kid studied well too. Why didn’t you send him earlier?”
“He said he wouldn’t go and wanted to stay here, so what could I say. But these days when I bring up studying abroad, he nods his head.”
While cutting a couple of branches, my pruning stopped at the news of Seongheon hyung’s study abroad.
‘Ah… Hyung is going to study abroad.’
Even my hyung said he’d go to Seoul and become independent after graduating university, so I thought the hyungs would all scatter someday too.
When students, a 3-year age difference cut off bonds at every joint like separated by a transparent membrane. But now that I’m becoming an adult like the hyungs, the hyungs are leaving one by one or preparing to become independent. Just a 3-year difference.
Snap. Snap.
Branch pruning. Did the hyungs prune me like this too? From when the hyungs who became middle schoolers pruned me as an elementary student, the word kkakdugi was forgotten. The childish desire to hang out with the hyungs included anxiety that such bonds might be cut.
“Oh my! Daeyoung, you did up to here?”
At the rough voice, I turned to see ajeossi smiling brightly while looking at what I’d pruned. When he smiled like this, he looked like Santa Claus rather than a mountain bandit.
“I’m going to do all the way to this next row.”
“Take it easy.”
“Yes.”
“Why are you so down? Should I give you more allowance?”
“No, no.”
I hurriedly waved my hands and stopped him from taking out his wallet. I’d already received plenty earlier so getting more would be shameless, and Dad didn’t care how I felt, but when ajeossi came to comfort me, I choked up for no reason.
“Ajeossi.”
“Yeah?”
“…Is Seongheon hyung really going to study abroad?”
“Hmm, well. I’m trying to send him but that kid has to go. Why? Do you want to go too, Daeyoung?”
“No.”
“If you want to go, go with Seongheon when he goes.”
“My parents won’t send me.”
“Ajeossi will send you.”
“No. I’m bad at studying so even if I go, there’s nothing to do.”
“Go and live with Seongheon, and what is it, um? Just learn that country’s language and such.”
“I’m weak at foreign languages… Just your words are enough. I like it here.”
“Okay, let’s live here in our hometown with ajeossi forever. I’ll give you lots of allowance.”
“If ajeossi were my dad, I could live without worrying about allowance…”
Just then Dad, passing by, heard my complaint and yelled “Hey! Jongsik! Take that kid and raise him!” I had to roam around the field without even finishing pruning to appease Dad.
Then in the late afternoon, ajeossi took out a burner and meat from the car to have a snack, and was also putting mushrooms I’d never heard of or seen on the grill.
“Jongsik-ah, these mushrooms… I think we’ll die if we eat them.”
“Oh come on. I saw mushrooms exactly like these at the market.”
“Ajeossi, blue water is coming out of the mushrooms? If we eat this, I think we’ll be on the nine o’clock news.”
In the end, 2 to 1, those mushrooms were removed. But that wasn’t the end. Ajeossi said he’d picked some berries and pressed them into my hand.
“Try it. They were very sweet.”
“…Yees.”
Under ajeossi’s expectant gaze, I reluctantly threw them in my mouth, but they were so astringent I thought my mouth would shrivel up. Ajeossi also ate some, but thinking this wasn’t it, I saw him secretly spit it out while clearing his throat.
“Ajeossi, I’ll just eat the meat. I don’t usually eat wrapped food.”
“These are leaves good for the body. Good for blood circulation.”
“Jongsik-ah, are you watching Heo Jun reruns again?”
Ahem. Ajeossi was really watching Heo Jun again—he chewed those leaves silently then secretly spit them out.
There was something Seongheon hyung asked me before—never eat what his dad gives, he said. If it’s not commercially distributed processed food, throw it all away… I let my guard down for a moment, but as expected, ajeossi hadn’t changed.
But I know why ajeossi follows health so much and brings unfamiliar things.
Seongheon hyung’s mother passed away from a sudden chronic illness, and I’d heard him lament while drunk that she died just doing what the hospital said. So he was very interested in rare medicinal herbs and health foods.
Knowing such a story, I always went along with ajeossi’s tune even though I knew. But what I can’t eat, I can’t eat. Today too, Dad and I survived by faithfully eating only the meat.
* * *
After eating dinner, my stomach was full so I came out to the yard for a moment. Since Jongsik ajeossi gave us quite a lot of meat during the day, I really overate more than usual today.
When I came out to the yard, Ddanji followed me step by step matching my pace.
“Ddanji-ya, bored? Should we play with the ball?”
“Woof!”
I brought a tattered tennis ball sprawled on the lawn and threw it to one side of the yard.
“Here! Fetch it!”
But maybe because the surroundings were dark, Ddanji only glanced in the direction the ball flew but didn’t go to pick it up. So I ran to pick up the ball, then called Ddanji.
“Ddanji-ya, watch carefully. I’ll throw it over there!”
“Woof! Woof!”
And I threw it to the opposite side again, but this time too, Ddanji only turned his head swiftly but didn’t follow the ball.
“Can’t see because it’s night?”
I ran to the opposite side to pick up the ball again. Picking it up, I called again saying “Ddanji-ya!”
But at the same time, Mom, who was going to the neighbor’s house, threw dog treats saying “Ddanji-ya, eat this!” and left. I thought he wouldn’t be able to find it if she threw it like that, but contrary to my concern, Ddanji instantly found the treat among the grass and ate it smacking his lips.
Seeing that, I realized Ddanji was just too lazy to fetch the ball. Right, eat a lot. As I was about to go inside the house, a vehicle’s headlights shone brightly onto the yard lawn.
“Huh? Who is it?”
Blocking the light with my hand because it was dazzling, I looked toward the car. Is it Daesu hyung? I thought, but… out of nowhere, Seongheon hyung’s car was entering our yard.
“Huh? Why…”
As if it were his own house, he naturally finished parking on one side of the yard and only then did the headlights turn off.
But the person who got out of the driver’s seat was a stranger, and I saw Seongheon hyung, who got out following from the passenger seat, giving money to that person and bowing his head. The person who drove must be a designated driver.
“Seongheon hyung?”
Seongheon hyung, who closed the car door and approached, spread both arms as soon as he saw me. Standing around vaguely, I had a reunion embrace with hyung who approached. Even though I saw him yesterday, hyung hugged me very happily as if meeting someone after a year.
“Our Daeyouuung─. Daeyoung-aaah.”
“Hyung, did you drink?”
“Yeah. I drank.”
“Then go home, why to our house… Did I give you the wrong address?”
“No. I told them to come here.”
“Why? Daesu hyung isn’t home.”
“I know. I came to see you.”
“Even though you saw me yesterday.”
“I wanted to see you today too.”
“Hyung, sit over there first. I’ll bring sikhye.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
Seongheon hyung likes drinking sikhye when drunk. But he hates the rice grains floating in it, so I had to filter them all out.
I went to the kitchen and took out the sikhye Mom made, filtered it through a strainer so rice grains wouldn’t get in, then went back out to the yard.
Seongheon hyung, sitting in an outdoor chair set up on one side of the yard, was exhaling while looking at the night sky. Maybe because drunk people have higher body temperature than usual, more breath came out than normal. For a moment, I thought the breath lingering at Seongheon hyung’s mouth looked just like cotton candy.
“Here’s sikhye.”
“I don’t like rice grains.”
“I filtered them all out.”
“As expected, there’s only Daeyoung. Daeyoung’s the best.”
“Oh, what…”
Seongheon hyung drank the sikhye in the cup in one go. As his head tilted back, hyung’s nape became more visible.
Since he was sitting in this cold without even a scarf, I told him to wait a moment, then went to my room. I brought a cozy-looking red scarf from there and came back down.
Entering the yard, I saw Ddanji sitting at Seongheon hyung’s feet. Hyung looked quietly at the tennis ball Ddanji brought, then suddenly threw it to the opposite side, and Ddanji went to fetch it like a well-trained hunting dog as fast as lightning.
‘What…? He’s discriminating.’
As I looked incredulously at Ddanji running, Seongheon hyung’s voice was heard.
“Daeyoung-ah. What’s that?”
“Ah, hyung. Wear this around your neck.”
“Huh?”
I wrapped the scarf around hyung’s neck as he sat defenseless. Since my knots are always clumsy, I tried my best to tie it so it wouldn’t come undone.
As the tying time lengthened, hyung’s gaze touched my hands fumbling this way and that. I should tie it skillfully and take my hands off, but it’s the opposite when I do it for myself versus for others, so it was harder.
Even though I repeatedly tied and untied it several times, Seongheon hyung obediently just watched my hands and face. Even though his eyes were slightly hazy from alcohol, his focus accurately didn’t leave me.
After a while, white breath rose in puffs from hyung’s mouth.
“Does Daeyoung… treat his girlfriend this well too?”
