“The views in Chungmu are usually like this.”

After all, it wasn’t a picnic, it was laundry, so we found a place by the stream and sat down. Woo-jin found a round, flat stone and placed it in front of him and me. He rolled up his trousers and sat down casually, just like me, to start doing the laundry. 

The sight of him hitting the washboard seemed so out of place and I couldn’t help but laugh. 

“Why?”

Woo-jin smiled at me again. 

Why do we laugh every time our eyes meet? Are we both losing our minds? But the way he did the laundry was so funny. His bare calves were strong and smooth, not a hair in sight, and that made me laugh even more. 

We both spread out the laundry and worked hard, scrubbing and washing. We even laid out the bedclothes and stomped on them to wash them, then worked together to wring out the water. The silver drops that fell from the linen shimmered like jewels and fell to our feet. 

The hard work didn’t feel hard at all. In fact, it felt like a fun game, which surprised me. 

I had done laundry since I was a child, but this was the first time it felt like this. 

“Isn’t it hard?”

He looked at me worriedly from time to time. 

Anyone who saw me would probably think I was too weak to even do laundry. 

I raised my arm to show him how strong I was and to reassure him that I was fine, but he still looked doubtful. 

‘What does he think of me?’ 

“This amount of laundry is nothing!” 

I proudly puffed out my chest, straightened my shoulders and said it loud and clear.

I may look like this, but with my arms I’ve run a household and sent my brother to school. 

Of course, my stupid brother is now on the run from the police… 

Suddenly, a wave of worry and sadness washed over me and I looked out to sea. 

Where could Jae-yeol be now? Is he safe and well? 

“Take care, don’t worry.”

I turned to him and gave him a small smile before returning to the laundry. 

“By the way, brother, you’re great at cleaning, but not so good with the laundry.” 

“What?”

His eyes widened at my words. I pointed to the underwear he was washing. 

“You wash them so gently? You have to hit them with the washboard like this. Give them to me.” 

“Hey! What are you doing? Leave it alone! My underwear!” 

“No, just give them to me. I’ll wash them for you!” 

“Hey! What are you saying? No!” 

His underwear flew through the air. I couldn’t stop laughing. 

In the end, my mischievous teasing caused him to splash water all over me, and I quickly jumped up, sending a spray of water back at him. 

We must have looked completely mad. 

That summer afternoon we felt like children again, as if the world existed only for the two of us. 

How wonderful it would have been if it had lasted forever. 

In fact, that day still feels like a dream. Sometimes I even dream about it. 

After that day, we often carried the laundry down to the stream together. We sat side by side, dipped our feet in the stream and washed each other’s clothes. Eventually it didn’t matter whose clothes we washed. 

When we went to the village well, I, who usually kept quiet amidst the bustling chatter of the local women, found myself chatting with him. We’d talk about the things we’d seen on the beach, the strictness of the haenyeo aunts, sometimes about our childhood or our parents. 

After he finished washing, Woo-jin would occasionally take a dip in the water to cool off. I would wait for him a little further down the stream, laundry in hand. 

The fresh scent of the forest clung to him as he emerged from the water. The drops of water running from his forehead down his cheeks and chin. The wildflowers swaying beside us. 

I kept asking myself: why does Woo-jin never talk about his own story? Looking back, it seemed like I was always the one talking, sharing my own experiences. 

*** 

“So how did you two meet?” 

My granddaughter’s face broke into a gentle smile at my question. Ever since her teenage years, when she had a fight with her mother and unexpectedly came to live with me for a month, Yoojin had always been fond of me, unlike her mother. 

“On a plane on a business trip, Grandma.” 

She seemed to be remembering a funny moment as Yoojin giggled and covered her mouth with one hand.

Yoojin usually wears a reserved expression, but when something joyful happens, she changes and her face lights up with a bright smile. It was the same expression she used to have when she came to visit me in the summer when she was a child, staying for a few days and I would take her to the sea to catch sea cucumbers. Yoojin loved the ocean, unlike her mother. 

“So, can you believe it? Some crazy guy was following me!” she said with a laugh. “This stalker, who used to follow me around because he liked me, ended up sitting right next to me!”

“Oh dear…”

“I was stuck on the plane with him for eleven hours! Eleven hours! I had to sleep, eat two meals and put up with this guy sitting next to me. Imagine how I felt! And you can’t just get off the plane!”

“My God, that’s terrible…”

“If he hadn’t helped me, I would have been in big trouble.”

Yoojin smiled as she recalled what seemed like a fateful first meeting and looked at her boyfriend. 

“That’s a relief.” 

“Yes, it really was a relief. So, as a thank you, I bought him lunch, and as we talked, I realized he was such a kind person…” 

Yoojin’s voice began to fade, growing distant. 

You’ve always been like a guardian angel, from the past to the present. You’ve always been there to protect my granddaughter, just like you did for me.

“Grandma?” 

Yoojin spoke again, pulling me back. I felt dizzy, my memories swirling around in my head. 

I couldn’t tell if the man in front of me was Han Woo-jin or Yoojin’s fiancé. 

“Right, I’ll get you some more anchovy salad.”

At that moment, everything started to spin. The floor, the walls, the ceiling, even my old body… 

“Grandma!” 

I collapsed toward the floor. Yoojin’s voice echoed from a distance.