In the end, we were only able to finish moving the trees when the sun began to set.
“Aigoo, you worked hard.”
The ajussi smiled broadly at Dongwoo and me lying sprawled next to the cultivator.
I had no idea earning money would be this hard. Pruning persimmon trees didn’t even count as work. I understood why Dongwoo, who couldn’t study well, said he’d become a civil servant instead of taking over his father’s business.
“You worked hard. Let’s go to the bathhouse!”
“Ba-bathhouse?”
I pushed my sweat-soaked bangs back and looked at Dongwoo, who explained that their boiler had frozen and there was no hot water.
We left the cultivator behind and got back on the ajussi’s truck. Currently in work clothes, we’d carefully packed the school uniforms we’d worn earlier in shopping bags.
As the ajussi started the car, he looked at me.
“Let’s go to Yonggung Sauna. They have a longevity bath with medicinal herbs there too.”
“Yes, sounds good.”
Unlike us who had no energy, Dongwoo’s ajussi still overflowed with vigor. I glanced at Dongwoo sitting silently squeezed in the middle, then sat up straight myself.
I stuck my finger through the newly torn part of my pants from rolling earlier and imagined the beef we’d eat for dinner. I honestly thought the ajussi wouldn’t buy us beef, but maybe he felt sorry seeing me roll along with the tree trunk earlier.
The ajussi gave Dongwoo and me 150,000 won each as wages and said he’d buy us beef too. He’d originally planned to give only 100,000 won, but gave an extra 50,000 won as a graduation present. How is it that someone else’s dad gives me more money than my own mom?
After getting off at the Yonggung Sauna parking lot, we bought toiletries at the counter and went inside side by side with Dongwoo. I hadn’t been to a bathhouse since elementary school, so I was a bit excited after such a long time.
As soon as I took off my shoes and entered the changing room, a festival of flesh tones unfolded. Even though we’re the same gender, it’s embarrassing to see someone completely naked, but here everyone had returned to being natural humans, so even though Dongwoo and I faced each other while undressing, it wasn’t embarrassing.
“Hehe. You boys need to eat a lot of meat today. Why are you both so skinny?”
After the ajussi assessed our bodies one by one, he went into the bathhouse first. I felt awkward and covered my middle with toiletries, but unlike me, Dongwoo confidently straightened his shoulders and followed the ajussi.
‘Isn’t he embarrassed? What, it’s smaller than mine…… Huh! Wait!!!!’
I urgently grabbed Dongwoo’s shoulder and turned his body. The reason was because Dongwoo also had hair there.
“What, you have it too?”
“What are you talking about? If you’re a man, of course you have it.”
“No, not that…… Hair.”
“Hair?”
I definitely hadn’t seen wrong. In fact, Dongwoo had more than me, and compared to him, mine was just peach fuzz level. Feeling awkward for no reason, I stuck up my thumb and praised Dongwoo just like my hyungs had done to me.
“Wow, you’re an adult too?”
“What are you saying? We graduated together today.”
“I heard this hair, not everyone gets it? They say you only get it when you become a real adult……”
“This insignificant thing?”
“Yeah.”
“Hey, look around. Is there anyone without hair?”
“……Huh?”
“Open your eyes and look properly. What adult talk.”
“That can’t be. My hyungs definitely didn’t have it……”
“They were probably teasing you.”
Just like Dongwoo said, everyone around us had plenty. In fact, it was hard to find someone who didn’t. As I rolled my eyes looking around like I’d received a cultural shock, Dongwoo slapped my back hard enough to make a smacking sound.
“Being so naive. That’s why your hyungs mess with you. Tsk. Ugh!”
I looked at my back in the mirror hanging on the wall and Dongwoo’s handprint was properly left there. It hurt, but more than that, I was humiliated.
To think I was fooled by my hyungs again. But then again, since Gangjin hyung didn’t have it and Seongheon hyung didn’t either, I had no choice but to believe. I didn’t even want to see Daesu hyung. If even one person hadn’t had it, I wouldn’t have believed them!
‘The hyungs even gave me a standing ovation……’
Remembering my past self proudly showing off in front of my hyungs made me want to hide from embarrassment. Is it that easy to mess with me like that? How is it that at this age I still haven’t developed?
Thinking that naturally brought Seongheon hyung to mind. The image of hyung who’d shown intimacy to me, saying he’d buy me the latest computer and giving me a ring, gradually distorted, and Enter’s image of scolding me became increasingly clear.
I don’t know which is the real him, but at least Seongheon hyung still seems to find teasing me fun.
“I only blamed myself for being clueless when it wasn’t my fault.”
I decided never to believe the kind words Seongheon hyung gives me again. I’m an adult now too, so I’ll take a firm stance!
* * *
From the new year, Daesu hyung was being too nice to me.
He made sure I ate breakfast when I woke up late, and said things he’d never said before like asking if he should format my computer if it was lagging.
I could tell instinctively. This was some kind of scheme. Every single action Daesu hyung was taking was too suspicious.
“Hey. What are you doing today?”
Mom told me to vacuum, so I was pushing it around the first floor living room and master bedroom when Daesu hyung followed behind me asking questions.
It seemed he was finally about to reveal his purpose, so I pretended to fall for it and answered calmly.
“Dad told me to clear out the stuff piled next to the temporary storage.”
“I’ll do that for you.”
“……Why are you suddenly like this?”
“Just grant me one favor instead.”
I knew he wouldn’t do it for free.
Let me hear what it is, I thought, crossing my arms and looking at him with a defensive attitude. Daesu hyung smiled kindly, but to my eyes, he just looked ridiculous.
“I told a girl in my department I’d set up a blind date for her today, but I couldn’t find her a partner.”
“Then you go.”
“She’s not my style. So, you go out for me.”
“What, why are you dumping it on me? You promised to do it, so handle it yourself.”
I was still looking at him coldly when Daesu hyung pressed his forehead with an expression like the world was ending. I watched hyung’s show with an expression like a Tibetan sand fox.
“She’s having a hard time after recently breaking up with her boyfriend, so I said I’d do this for her.”
“You handle it yourself.”
“Hey, she’s pretty.”
“No, why me? There’s Gangjin hyung and Seongheon hyung too, not just me.”
“Seongheon said he’s not interested, and Gangjin said he can’t because his training schedule is tight for now.”
“Then there are other hyungs at school, right? Do you want to sell out your brother that badly?”
“I don’t want to sell you out, I’m trying to introduce you since you broke up with your girlfriend.”
“And I’m young. That noona won’t like it.”
“She likes younger guys. It’s nothing special. Just meet for tea and come back.”
Since he seemed to firmly believe Dongmi was my ex-girlfriend, I just nodded and let it pass. Just showing a fake girlfriend once raised my credibility this much.
But since hyung wasn’t the type to introduce me to a girlfriend, I didn’t let my guard down to the end. However, Daesu hyung kept following me around being annoying, whining for me to just go out once.
“Ah. I said no.”
I thought if I quickly finished the work Dad asked for, he’d stop whining, so I walked briskly to the yard where the temporary storage was. But even so, Daesu hyung persistently followed, stubbornly insisting on something that wouldn’t work.
“Are you really not going to do it? You’ll really regret it. Where else will you get a chance for a blind date? Originally, you have to meet people evenly to know about dating.”
“I won’t regret it. Go away.”
“If you stay so complacent like that, will you live as a bachelor for life?”
The word ‘bachelor’ stuck in my ear and I remembered Dongmi’s warning. I was anxious because of that conspiracy that Seongheon hyung might make me a lifelong bachelor, and now Daesu hyung was mentioning it too.
But still, no way. Would I really?
“Think carefully. Who around you would set you up on blind dates?”
“……”
“Have you seen the gender ratio of people your age? There are way fewer women, right? Unless our country becomes polyandrous, you might not be able to get married either, you know?”
“Take care of your own future, hyung.”
Next to the temporary storage, there were quite a few boxes Dad had piled up. I stepped on them to flatten them, then stacked them neatly to one side, and Daesu hyung helped beside me while not resting his mouth.
“At least I have university connections. And I don’t know what company I’ll get a job at. But aren’t you planning to keep working next to Dad?”
“You never know about human connections.”
“You can’t think so complacently. You know Mr. Park who runs the livestock barn, right? Seeing him unable to get married even past fifty, and you’re still like that? Do you want that to be your future?”
That was strange to me too. Mr. Park was tall with a good build, had a house, and farmed quite a bit of land. But he kept failing at matchmaking, so every holiday he’d come to our house to take refuge. To avoid his relatives’ nagging.
Every time, what Mr. Park always said to me was, “If I hadn’t failed at my first love, I would have had a son like you, Daeyoung……” And since Mr. Park had been saying that since I was 8 years old, he’d been unable to get married for over 12 years.
When I dropped the box limply with an expression realizing the seriousness of the situation, Daesu hyung pushed harder.
“Hey, just look around here. There’s no one our age. If you just stay under Dad, you really won’t be able to get married.”
Though Daesu hyung was exaggerating, it wasn’t a completely made-up story. Living here, I’d never seen anyone my age living nearby.
Suddenly my future was drawn in my head.
During holidays when families come to each house asking after each other and the yard is full of cars, I’d be enjoying solitude taking walks along the stream alone with Ddanji to avoid relatives’ nagging.
Then discovering nutria and reporting them to the myeon office, living a life contributing to regional development, but already having become a lifelong bachelor, I’d actually have nothing to do during holidays besides reporting nutria.
Then when I become a grandfather, I’d achieve the feat of all nutria disappearing from our stream, but that’s not the life I want. On top of that, as time passes Ddanji will leave my side too, and I’ll be alone and lonely…….
“……”
Thinking that far made me suddenly scared. If I don’t even have Ddanji, who will I take walks with?
