“What is it, Daeyoung-ah?”
Thinking I had something to say since I twisted my body, Seongheon hyung asked kindly. But I won’t fall for this kind of act anymore. During the last crossdressing incident, I did soothe my anger with the latest computer, but separately from that, my guard has become stricter day by day.
“Mom told me to trim those.”
I pointed at vegetables Mom hadn’t even asked me to trim, trying to get away from Seongheon hyung for no reason.
But hyung kept following me around doing chores together. The white watch on hyung’s wrist with rolled-up sleeves stood out particularly, so elaborate that the gears of the watch were clearly visible through the transparent case.
It seemed like it shouldn’t get wet, but hyung didn’t care and washed lettuce, plunging his hands deep into the basin. Perhaps feeling me looking worriedly, Seongheon hyung held up his wrist with the watch and smiled brightly saying, “This is waterproof.”
“Ah……”
“Why, is it pretty? Should I give it to you?”
I sneakily looked around at Seongheon hyung’s question. They say when drunk, he gives things away, but since he’s sober now, is it really okay to accept?
While I couldn’t readily answer, Seongheon hyung took off his watch and started putting it on my wrist. The pyeong ring was sparkling on hyung’s fingers moving carefully.
‘He still hasn’t given it to anyone……’
When I was about to get lost in stray thoughts, hyung, who’d been looking at my wrist, raised his gaze.
“Daeyoung, you wear it.”
“Huh? No, hyung. This seems expensive……”
“It’s not much. About 200,000 won?”
“Huh! 200,000 won?”
“Ahaha…… I got an additional 50 percent discount there, so I bought it for 100,000 won.”
“Wow, where? You totally scored, hyung.”
“I’m originally good at finding and buying things like this. Look, Daeyoung-ah, maybe because your arm is thin, it suits you even better.”
“Then I’ll gladly accept it thinking of it as a graduation present.”
“What graduation present…… Hyung will give you things like this often. So, you just receive them.”
I don’t know what brand it is, but to sell something made so elaborately for 100,000 won. That place must really be digging into the ground to do business.
While I was turning the watch this way and that, Seongheon hyung finished washing the rest of the vegetables and picked up the basket.
“Let’s go, Daeyoung-ah.”
“Yeah!”
Just putting a watch on my shabby wrist gave off some kind of intellectual atmosphere. It wasn’t like I was wearing brand-name clothes like my hyungs, just a plain T-shirt, but the watch’s halo seemed to upgrade even my clothes.
‘I should brag to Dongwoo.’
Every time the watch’s second hand sparkled in the afternoon sunlight, the smile on my face grew bigger.
I helped with the food preparation alongside Seongheon hyung and the moms, and started setting up at the outdoor table in front of the tent-like accommodations.
Sojin noona and Jongheon hyung stood side by side organizing items the families had brought while talking, when suddenly all eyes turned to Dad holding a karaoke wireless microphone.
“Microphone test one-two, one two three. Now, everyone get ready and also look for the treasure hidden here and there! You just need to find yellow notes, and the prize is huuuge~~~!”
At Dad’s words, Daesu hyung retorted, “Ey, what childish treasure hunt?” Gangjin hyung also indifferently tossed firewood into the nearby barbecue pit with his characteristic expressionless face.
I didn’t expect much either, but I sneakily approached Dad holding the microphone and asked.
“Dad, about that prize. Did you prepare it?”
“No. Jongsik did.”
Maybe because he answered near the microphone, “Jongsik did~ sik did~ did~ did~” echoed and spread far away due to the echo effect.
“Really? Wow!!”
Since last year’s prize prepared by Uncle Jongsik was also truly tremendous, I was so happy I clapped like a seal.
But while I was clapping, Gangjin hyung and Daesu hyung sneakily left their spots and started searching the surroundings. Just moments ago they’d been listening indifferently, but now they were properly flipping over rocks and rummaging through ice boxes.
Not to be outdone, I quickly ran off and started looking here and there. But no matter what, I couldn’t see hide nor hair of a yellow piece of paper.
Uncle Jongsik had a surprisingly quirky side, often hiding things in places others wouldn’t think of. So I focused not on ordinary hiding spots but on moving things.
Sure enough, what appeared to be a yellow paper treasure note was stuck on top of the hat Gangjin hyung’s mother was wearing.
“Ah!!”
I’m really so clueless. I should have secretly gone to pull it out, but in the joy of finding it I shouted, and Sojin noona who noticed it quickly approached the ajumma and snatched the note stuck in the hat.
“Yes! Found one!”
“Oh my! You!”
The ajumma seemed surprised and scolded Sojin noona, but whether she cared or not, noona unfolded the note and laughed happily.
But something written there seemed strange, as she turned the paper to look at it, then looked at it upside down, looking down at it strangely. Jongheon hyung, who’d been nearby, stopped taking out the meat pack and stood behind Sojin noona looking down at that paper over her shoulder.
“What is this? First place, homemade longevity liquor?”
“That seems like the liquor our dad made from berries he picked when he went to the mountain last time.”
“Jongheon oppa, have you tried this?”
“I don’t eat what Dad makes. When I was young, I ate some and was hospitalized with gastroenteritis.”
“Ah…… I was happy for nothing thinking it was first place.”
Sojin noona looked clearly disappointed.
Whether she cared or not, Uncle Jongsik said it was extremely precious and took out a large liquor bottle from the car. Instead of a brilliant color, it was unpleasantly murky and looked dangerous, like one sip would send you to your grave.
“Here, if you drink this, you’ll live well until 100 without any ailments.”
“Yes. I hope so. Uncle, but how many places are there?”
“Yeah, third place. I’ll give you more if you find them, so keep looking.”
“Ah…… Yes.”
Sojin noona delivered her acceptance speech without highs or lows and set that liquor down in the ice box next to her. No one coveted it. Gangjin hyung, who happened to be searching nearby, saw Sojin noona’s disappointed face and said “Bad luck,” then ran away.
Everyone seemed to have lost their fighting spirit at the reality of the first place prize and wandered around more carelessly than before. Gangjin hyung, who earlier had even lifted and put down a rock as big as a house, now just held charcoal briquettes clicking a lighter, and Daesu hyung also just pretended to search, kicking away nearby fallen leaves.
But I was different.
They say even dust becomes a mountain when gathered, and since digging the ground produces no money, I rummaged diligently with the mindset of grasping at straws. Then I saw a yellow note held in the hand of a statue set up next to our tent.
“Wow! I found it!!!”
When I jumped up and down happily after finding the treasure note, Seongheon hyung came over clapping to congratulate me. But the other hyungs and Sojin noona just watched and were busy doing their own things.
“Unfold it and see what it is, Daeyoung-ah.”
“Yeah. I’m nervous.”
I slowly unfolded the neatly folded yellow paper. When I unfolded it, the first thing I saw was the writing ‘Third Place.’ And the prize written below was ‘Lucky Key.’
“Lucky Key? Is he giving me the key to your house, hyung?”
“I know. I’m curious what it is.”
I went to ajussi with Seongheon hyung. The dads were having some conversation, and at my words that I’d found third place, he said “Oh oh, okay, just a moment” and headed to the car not thinking much of it.
He said lucky key, but it doesn’t seem like a very big gift. Dad and Gangjin hyung’s father next to him were also just smiling casually.
Surely he won’t carve some weird wood and insist that’s a lucky key? Glancing at the first place prize Sojin noona received earlier, I didn’t expect much.
Unlike when he brought out the liquor, Uncle Jongsik brought some small box and just handed it to me.
“Here. Congratulations on third place.”
“Thank you.”
I don’t know what it is, but since an adult is giving it, I bowed my head and received it with both hands.
The box wrapped in tacky checkered wrapping paper wasn’t as light as I thought compared to its size. Seongheon hyung was also curious, watching from the side as I unwrapped it.
Rip rip, after diligently tearing the wrapping paper with a calendar-like texture, I indifferently opened the revealed black box.
That moment.
I was so dazzled I lost my words.
The lucky key Uncle Jongsik gave was a lucky key made of pure gold. And its size was tremendously large.
“G-gold! It’s gold! A gold key!”
When I suddenly shouted, those who’d been uninterested swarmed around me.
Sojin noona protested asking how the third place prize could be better than first place, and my mom smiled kindly at me saying to entrust it to her.
“Dad, how many don how much is this?”
Seongheon hyung asked on my behalf, and Uncle Jongsik vaguely said “10 don?” as if uncertain. Even I, who doesn’t know the ways of the world, know that one don of gold is easily 300,000 won. But 10 don…… 3 million won?
When my hands trembled and I was about to drop the box, Seongheon hyung closed the box for me and calmed me down. I hugged that box tightly to my chest and defended it. Including Mom, Dad, and Daesu hyung didn’t leave my side like hyenas trying to steal prey.
“This is mine!”
I was hugging the box tightly to my chest when Daesu hyung said “Yeah, you keep it” and backed away, then suddenly pointed at my wrist.
“Huh? Hey, what’s that watch?”
“This?”
I held up the transparent watch on my wrist and asked back. Then Gangjin hyung standing nearby also said “Huh? Isn’t that Seongheon’s?” and looked at me strangely.
“Right. Seongheon hyung gave me this.”
“What?”
“What!!”
The hyungs made incredulous expressions and glared at Seongheon hyung. Perhaps feeling awkward from such gazes, Seongheon hyung mumbled, “I gave it as a graduation present.”
I wondered why they were making such a fuss over just a watch. The hyungs didn’t even give me graduation presents. But I almost dropped the box I was holding at Daesu hyung’s next words.
