Chapter 10

“I’m fine now. I was just so hungry earlier.”

Haji spoke lightly as if it was nothing and laughed. She didn’t want to transfer her worries to someone else. After all, it wouldn’t solve anything.

Acting like nothing was wrong, Haji came home and, as soon as the door closed, she slid to the floor. Unable to even take off her shoes, she sank down and closed her eyes.

“Haa……”

What should I do?

Can I find a place tomorrow?

There was only one day left to find a place. The moving boxes piled up inside the house felt like walls pressing down on her.

***

After the busy hours with customers flooding in had passed, Haji took off her apron.

“I’m going to check out some real estate.”

“Make sure you find something today!”

“Yeah, please just for today. I’ll be back soon.”

Sehee, who should have already left work, extended her working hours to full-time due to the sudden increase in customers at non-peak hours over the past few days. Haji, buoyed by the good news, quickly headed to the real estate office with the agent to see a new place.

“This place is ready to move in, right?”

“Yes, yes, just take a look and sign the contract. I contacted you as soon as it became available. The previous tenant has already moved out.”

Haji had a bit of hope from the confident words of the real estate agent. To be cautious, she had asked the landlord for an extra day the previous day, just in case she might not be able to move in.

“Isn’t that the boss over there?”

Following the agent’s gaze, Haji saw a large man standing in front of the villa she was originally going to move into. The burly man was yelling into his phone in frustration.

“That’s the new landlord of the building you were going to move into.”

“Oh……”

As the distance closed, Haji glanced at the man’s face. Contrary to his rough appearance, he was smiling. Though his tone was harsh, to say the least.

“Boss! Don’t just talk on the phone, come and see for yourself! How are we supposed to tear all this down? Huh?”

His menacing words and the way he trudged towards the villa suggested he might punch the wall at any moment. His toad-like hands gripping the phone looked capable of smashing the wall several times over.

“If I try to tear down this structure, my life will be ruined too. Why do you keep telling me to tear it down like flipping a hand? Is that easy? You’re not still jet-lagged, are you? Come and see for yourself!”

His words sounded like those of a gangster. Avoiding his gaze, Haji turned her head quickly.

“Doesn’t seem like a normal company, does it?”

“…….”

“Let’s hurry.”

Haji silently agreed and quickened her pace at the agent’s urging.

***

At that moment, Seojin was feeling exhausted from Matthew constantly raising issues over the phone.

“I’ve adjusted to the time difference faster than you. What’s the problem now?”

Sighing, Seojin swallowed his irritation at the loud voice on the other end of the line.

“I already know the situation there. I’ve checked it out myself. I saw the many buildings under construction around there, and the land with collapsed buildings with no progress. That’s why I bought it.”

Regretting not going himself, Seojin leaned back and stretched his neck.

“What do you mean by ruining lives? Stop talking nonsense. We’re going to turn the entire area into a complex.As you can see, the construction of that building is a mess. I’m going to tear down that building and buy up all the surrounding land. You’ll find out the rest when you come.”

Thinking Matthew should have understood by now, Seojin ended the call. Thanks to his impatient colleague, he had to reveal future plans sooner than expected.

He found out about the villa’s poor initial construction when he went house-hunting with Haji. Not just that villa, but all the surrounding ones.

If Haji had moved into that villa, it would have been uncertain when it would be demolished. The landlord would have waited for that and not wanted to sell it. It would have been fitting to sell it at a high price and act like he didn’t know.

“When will she tell me…….”

Thinking of Haji struggling to find a place, Seojin realized she wasn’t ready to share her troubles with him yet.

Although he hadn’t intended to interfere with her house search initially, things had fallen into place conveniently.

The poor construction of the building was a valid excuse.

“If she keeps it to herself.”

There’s nothing I can do.

Seojin picked up his phone.

***

At the building entrance with the real estate agent, Haji hesitated. The building was in worse condition than she had expected.

“Is this the right place?”

Contrary to the agent’s previous description, the basement floor they were guided to was in dire condition. The moldy smell from the stairs was even more intense inside. The humid air clung to her, making her shiver with discomfort.

“Ugh.”

With no ventilation, the stench was unbearable.

Holding her breath, Haji stepped back and covered her nose. As she stepped outside, she exhaled deeply and shook her head. The agent, who had followed her out, also covered his nose, pretending not to notice the situation.

“Is there anything above ground?”

It was efficient to eliminate bad options quickly.

After visiting a few more places, none were satisfactory. The rush had ensured the poor quality.

Looking at the dim sky, Haji sighed deeply. Her steps back to the café were heavy.

At that moment, her phone vibrated. Hoping it was the real estate office, Haji quickly answered.

“Hello?”

– How’s the move going?

Hearing Seonghee’s voice on the other end, Haji checked the caller ID.

“What?”

-Isn’t the move tomorrow?

“It was supposed to be.”

-Are you moving?

Seonghee’s persistent questioning made Haji hesitate.

“Well……. It’s going to be tough tomorrow.”

-Come to our place.

Seonghee said quickly after hearing Haji’s words. Since Haji had previously declined several times, she hesitated.

“I’ll look into it a bit more before I go.”

-No! Hoo…

Seonghee’s long sigh was audible. Haji knew it was out of concern for her, and she felt both grateful and sorry. She didn’t want to rely on her more.

-Got it. Make sure to contact me.

“Yeah, but did you know I couldn’t move?”

-Huh? What do you mean? I just had a hunch and called. You know I have a good intuition, right?

Seonghee, who spoke in strange terms, hurriedly hung up the phone. Haji, looking at the suddenly disconnected phone, tilted her head.

“Wasn’t it you who said you had bad intuition before…?”

Haji, who had arrived in front of the cafe, shrugged her drooping shoulders.

“I have to get to work!”

***

Clang! The cup Haji was holding fell, making her frown.

“Boss! Are you okay?”

“Oh, I’m fine…”

“Your hand!”

Following Sehee’s gaze, Haji saw her own fingers swollen in an instant. She had accidentally touched the steamer instead of the cup while distracted.

“I-I’m okay.”

As her fingertips started to throb, her voice trembled uncontrollably. Despite her effort to endure the pain, she placed her swollen hand in cold water. The stinging became more intense, causing her fingertips to tremble uncontrollably.

“It’s not okay. You need to go to the hospital right away.”

“No, it’s almost over.”

“That’s right. The night clinic won’t be open much longer. I’ll close up. Hurry up.”

With Sehee pushing her, there was no choice. Staying any longer might cause her to inflict more harm.

Entering the changing room, Haji looked at her swollen hand.

“What am I doing?”

Scolding herself, she changed her clothes and came out to find Seojin sitting in the hall.

“Sunbae, you’re here?”

“Where are you going?”

Seeing Haji without her apron, Seojin noticed the bag in her hand.

“Ah, just to the hospital for a moment.”

“The hospital?”

“I slightly burned myself.”

Though she smiled as if it was nothing, it didn’t seem to be just a minor issue given the trembling of her lips. Seojin’s gaze became sharp.

“Your hand?”

“Yes.”

Haji awkwardly pointed to her burned fingertips and smiled, causing Seojin to firmly close his mouth.

Pretending to be fine and not wanting to cause worry or inconvenience to others, that was Ahn Haji.

“I’ll take you.”

“No, it’s right in front.”

“Exactly.”

Seeing Seojin not stepping back as usual, Haji couldn’t push back any further. Seojin, who had organized the papers on the table, went ahead, and Haji followed behind. For some reason, his back seemed angry.

“Sunbae.”

“……”

“Sunbae, are you angry?”

It was a situation where she couldn’t understand why Seojin was angry when she was the one in pain.

Haji followed Seojin’s side with quick steps and glanced at his face.

“Why are you angry when it’s my hand that hurts?”

It’s really strange.

Muttering to herself, Haji forced a smile. Because of that, Seojin’s brow furrowed.

“Are you laughing?”

“Yes, I’m laughing. It’s my hand that hurts, but you’re the one who’s angry.”

“Ha…”

Seojin let out a small sigh.

“Tomorrow is the moving day. I couldn’t find a house to move into. Isn’t it ridiculous?”

“……”

“Oh, the house I was supposed to move into suddenly became unavailable. I guess I was distracted because of that.”

“Is that the reason you got hurt?”

“I can’t say it’s 100%, but it’s true that I was distracted by that. Like a fool.”

Haji raised her swollen fingers, which she had been hiding, in front of her. Feeling a slight cool breeze, the heat in her fingertips seemed to lessen. She smiled, thinking it had been a long time since she had revealed her hidden feelings.

“Well, it’s partly my fault too.”

“Huh? What do you mean it’s your fault?”

“I’m just saying. Move into my place.”

Swaa. Pollen fluttered around in the wind.