Chapter 22

Haji, who was looking for Seojin’s number on her phone, turned off the screen.

“He’ll come on his own. There are still 30 minutes left.”

She muttered lightly and unlocked the door.

***

In the car, Seojin pressed his temple as he listened to the other person’s voice. It was actually a business call from Matthew, who was already at the site.

“So what?”

– It’s not ‘so what,’ I’m saying we’re short on workers at the site right now!

“Find them. Get them immediately.”

– That’s obvious. What I mean is, given this frequent situation, can we finish this job on time?

Seojin understood what Matthew was saying. His rapidly growing company was experiencing a labor shortage.

As the workload increased, they were supplementing the workforce, but the company was growing faster than expected, always leaving them short of staff. Both Seojin and Matthew often had to step in, from management to field workers.

“I’ll go tomorrow.”

– It’s not a problem you can solve alone, but if you’re coming, that’s welcome. Bring some workers along.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

He had to urgently recruit day laborers from Seoul.

“I’m hanging up now.”

– Why are you cutting it short so quickly?

“I don’t feel any regret, so I’m hanging up.”

Seojin replied coldly to Matthew’s childish whine, which didn’t match his bulky frame.

– That’s just like you. I didn’t expect anything else. Are you at the office?

“No, at home.”

– Have you coated your house with honey or something? You never used to sleep at home even when told to in the US, so it’s suspicious.

Matthew, who had been with him since the US, couldn’t miss the change in Seojin’s routine. The biggest change was his habit of going home after work.

“Honey, huh…”

Seojin muttered softly and slowly opened his eyes. He turned his head to look at the passenger seat.

“It’s sweeter than honey but has a bitter aftertaste.”

Saying it out loud made his mouth feel even more bitter, realizing that the word defining their relationship was merely landlord and tenant.

The more he thought about it, the more bitter it felt.

– Is there really honey? Since when did you like honey, and you go home because of it?

“Eun-sol, I’m hanging up now. My honey is waiting.”

– “What? I told you not to call me Eun-sol!”

Ignoring Matthew’s raised voice, Seojin’s finger pressed the red button without hesitation.

Matthew’s Korean name was Jeong Eun-sol.

It was also the name he wanted to hide. Having lived abroad since childhood, Matthew preferred living in a foreign country where he didn’t have to use his feminine Korean name.

Seojin opened the car door.

“Time to see my honey.”

He didn’t think Haji would easily give her heart. He had hoped for a moment when she seemed shaken.

At this pace, he could wait. He had started with the intention of waiting longer.

“Landlord and tenant isn’t bad. It means you’re in my house.”

He hoped she would always remain within his range.

It was a desire for her that he could never show in front of Haji. If she found out, the timid Ahn Haji would back away.

Thinking about the brief moment they shared breaths in the confined car made him thirsty.

He could endure this much. He planned to wait until his throat burned with thirst.

Until you come to me first.

***

After washing up, Haji immediately checked the time. The inexplicable anxiety and impatience had sent her soul elsewhere while she was washing.

“9:58?”

In two minutes, the power would be cut off.

“He must have come in, right?”

Looking at the door, Haji hoped Seojin had come home. She had pricked up her ears to listen for the front door while washing, but she hadn’t heard anything.

When the time changed to 59, Haji threw open the door.

Swish, swish, swish, her slippers quickly skimmed the floor with hurried steps. The slippers soon stopped in front of the front door.

“He’s not here…?”

Seojin’s shoes were not at the entrance. She checked the bathroom and bedroom he used, but there was no sound.

Is he still on the phone?

If he didn’t come in now, Seojin wouldn’t be able to come up. The elevator would stop.

“He wouldn’t walk up to the 18th floor, would he?”

Haji pondered the likelihood of Seojin walking up to the 18th floor.

“That’s impossible.”

She concluded that even Seojin couldn’t climb 18 floors up the dark emergency stairs of the apartment.

“Should I call…”

Tick, the power went out.

As soon as Haji’s finger touched the phone screen, all the power in the house went out.

10 o’clock. Haji checked the time on her phone and called Seojin.

Beep, beep-. As the ringing tone lengthened, Haji bit her lip.

– Hello.

“Sunbae, there’s a power outage…”

– I know. It looks like I can’t get in right now.

Haji bit her lip at Seojin’s calm voice saying he couldn’t come in.

“…”

– Go to sleep first. I’ll come in when the power’s back.

“They said it’ll take an hour…”

“…”

“…”

Haji’s voice grew quieter. She turned her gaze to the balcony and took in the darkness outside.

– It can’t be helped. Given the situation.

“Right.”

It can’t be helped.

She listened intently, but no more words came from the other side.

“I’m hanging up.”

– Alright. Sleep well.

Even though his monotonous voice was no different from usual, it felt somewhat disappointing. Haji kept her gaze on the window, trying to understand her confused feelings. She couldn’t, in the end.

***

After hanging up, Seojin saw the clear eyes looking at him. As if having a lot to say.

“Why?”

“Mister, if you say it like that, how would she know you love her?”

The kid next door started giving Seojin a lecture on love in the apartment hallway.

“My dad says you have to be brave when you’re in love.”

“Brave?”

“You have to say things to the person you love that you wouldn’t say to others.”

In the vision adjusted to the darkness, Seojin saw the kid nodding confidently, pretending to be brave.

“You’re not brave because you haven’t fallen in love yet, right?”

“I’m still a kid!”

Seojin chuckled at the kid who proudly declared himself a child.

Twenty minutes ago, when Seojin got off the elevator, he had met the kid wandering in front of his door.

The kid, who was waiting for his mom because he would be scared alone at home during the blackout, had subtly grabbed Seojin’s pants pocket.

“Yeah, you’re a kid.”

Seojin ruffled the kid’s hair.

“Hey! Don’t do that!”

Listening to the kid’s huffing and puffing, Seojin’s eyes turned to his own apartment door.

“So what are the things you can’t say to others but should say to the person you love?”

“My dad said those things to my mom because he loved her. He said mom started loving dad because he kept saying them.”

“Get to the point. Just tell me the main part.”

Seojin didn’t wait for the kid’s slow explanation. When he urged him, the kid shook his head as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Can’t adults wait even for this?”

“Don’t be mistaken that adults have to wait for everything.”

“Tsk.”

Pouting at Seojin’s firm words, the kid still didn’t let go of his pocket.

“Pretty, cute, I miss you, I like you, I love you.”

The kid spread his fingers, folding each one as he spoke.

When all five fingers were folded, the kid tilted his head.

“There were more, but I don’t remember because I ran out of fingers.”

“You can use this hand too.”

Seojin tapped the chubby hand holding his pocket.

“No. Mom hasn’t come yet. These five are the most important.”

The kid confidently claimed ownership of his pocket until his mom came, raising his clenched fist.

“So, mister, don’t say those things with that scary face. You have to say what my dad said to my mom.”

“Are you sure your mom started loving your dad because he said those things?”

“Yes! Mom said so too!”

The kid nodded vigorously, answering Seojin’s skeptical question.

“You said I look scary, so why are you holding onto me?”

“Because even ghosts would be scared of you, mister.”

The kid said he was holding onto Seojin because he was more scared of ghosts than Seojin. Seojin, dumbfounded, said what every man should hear.

“With so many fears, will you even go to the army later?”

“When I grow up, there might not be any army.”

“You think so? Everyone thinks that. But then they go.”

The kid shuddered at Seojin’s words, saying it couldn’t be, but Seojin shrugged, pretending not to know. He hadn’t expected his skills in teasing Haji to be used on the kid next door.

“Damn it…”

“Watch your language, kid.”

“My mom said you’re handsome, but I don’t think so. You’ll get rejected!”

Unable to contain his frustration, the kid puffed his cheeks and shouted angrily.

“Adults’ eyes are better than kids’, especially for aesthetics. Your mom is right.”

“I have good taste too! I got 95 points in art!”

“That’s irrelevant. And I always got 100.”

Seojin ignored the kid’s doubtful look and continued. Folding his arms and leaning against the wall.

“The important thing is, I won’t get rejected.”

“Why?”

Seojin’s smug smile lifted his lips.