CH 1.5

Finally, the door opens. I am about to stop him, who is walking past the kitchen, but I flinch. My eyes go to the white legs exposed under the dark gray shower robe. He is a man with no courtesy. I’m not sure if he wants to treat me like I don’t exist, but he’s almost naked. I relax my furrowed brows, then I open my mouth.

“Mr. Prosecutor.”

Hearing my call, he halts his steps and looks back. Then he slowly tilts his head and smiles with that very smile that looks like ridiculing me.

I wonder if he likes the nickname. Whether he is a real prosecutor, or if he is pretending to be a prosecutor, there’s no way he won’t like it if I call him with that so great occupation. (TN: Jiho calls Woojeong with 검사님, which literally means Mr. Prosecutor. However, in the future I’ll use Mr. Yeon since I prefer it that way.)

When the wet hair covers his forehead, the man’s impression turns relatively mild, and he looks young. The water drops that fall from his hair flow down between his robe. When I point to my front with my chin while somehow swallowing saliva, he slowly walks and sits.

As soon as the man sits, I take a bite of the chicken leg. The crispy skin fills my mouth, then as I bite on the plump flesh, the juice permeates my tongue. Once I taste it, the hunger terrifically strikes. The spicy sauce on the inside of the chicken kept making my mouth water.

I am eating like crazy, but suddenly I feel a gaze. When I meet the eyes tenaciously scanning over me, I can’t help but slowly chew the thing inside my mouth. The man, who was expressionless, draws a smile on his lips.

“You, there’s a mole here.”

He points under his eye with the tip of a neat index finger. Is there a mole under my eye? I feel like there is.

“Is it a tear mole?”

While I give him no response and put down the bone with no meat left, his finger moves to the corner of his eye.

“Tear mole is located here, right? You won’t easily cry, then.”

“…”

“That’s a bummer.”

Aside from the ridiculous superstitions such as B blood type has a bad personality, I don’t get what he means by ‘that’s a bummer’ at all. The man’s gaze is still in the corner of my eye. While taking a portion that has a lot of meat, I swallow what is in my mouth completely.

“Then what kind of eyes do you have, Mr. Yeon?”

“My eyes?”

His round eyes rollover. Looking at them in a bright place, the contrast between the pupils and sclera is so clear, making the unique eyes stand out more.

“I don’t know. Unpleasant eyes?”

Whether it is because he looks tired or because his hair is down, his eyes relax drowsily and look like smiling faintly. They are not unpleasant eyes. I don’t know if he often hears that, but rather than that….

Unluckily, I suddenly remember what that bastard in the youth shelter told me.

Eyes that will eat people up. I don’t know the exact meaning of that, but it seems like I finally know how to use that very well. Shaking out that voice, I open a can of cola. The man doesn’t look like he will drink it, so I don’t look for a cup.

“Is it tasty? Seeing you eat makes me want to eat.”

As I push the chicken box that is close to me, he takes the smallest piece of meat while smiling. Then he opens his mouth small and takes a bite.

It is my first time seeing someone eat this unenthusiastically. He chews so slowly as if he’s savoring frustrating the one who sees him. Then, he puts down the rest of the meat without hesitation and leaves. After wiping his hands, he disappears behind the door.

I turn my eyes to the meat left by the man. After looking at it for a moment, I put down the one I hold, then I take that and bite it. I slowly chew on the soft meat. When it is about to be completely chewed down, the man appears again. There are clothes in his hand.

“Underwear, you don’t need to wear it, right?”

The man puts down the clothes and a folded blanket on the sofa, talking about the unreasonable words so naturally.

“The only usable room is on the top floor, but since there’s no bed, and I’ll bring one later, sleep here tonight.”

“I don’t need it.”

Why is he buying a bed when he doesn’t even know when I will leave? It’s not my business how the man spends his money, but the living room, where I can quickly read the situation and escape, is better.

The man raises his eyebrows at my answer, then his lips slant up.

“Bye.”

He leaves a greeting and disappears into his room. As soon as the door closes, a stillness flows in again. I somehow lose my appetite, but since I don’t know when I can fill my stomach like this ever again, I eat the chicken eagerly.

After finishing everything, I put the bones in the plastic, then I throw it in the trash can along with the sealed box. I look for something that I can use to wipe the table, but there’s no dishrag seen. Then, I open the drawer and find wet tissue. After wiping the dining table, I stand still and look around.

A kitchen that is deserted rather than untidy, the bright lighting that doesn’t dim or blinks, the marble that unlikely turns yellow or has mold growing. It is convincing to say this place has never been lived in.

Wide, bright, clean, and big space.

Suddenly, a lonesome and futile feeling beyond description surges up. Feeling the swallowed-down chicken trying to climb up my throat, I let out a long breath. Something hot without a destination bubbling in my heart. Perhaps because I pushed down a mass of oil into an empty stomach, I feel like my stomach hurt, so I rub my solar plexus for a while and see the clothes neatly placed on the sofa.

I shall take a shower. I can clean my body in a bathroom with warm water available. Furthermore, I will sleep in a place where the cold wind can’t enter and with a soft sofa under my back. 

Taking the clothes, I enter the bathroom. The shower booth is foggy with steam. Unopened toothbrushes, sponges, and clean towels are placed on the shelf. 

My face is reflected in the mirror. A shabby face with torn lips and bruises on the cheekbones. I turn my gaze from myself.

I take off my clothes and fold them neatly. After touching the jacket with envelope of money inside it, I go to the shower booth. When I turn on the faucet, the water falls from the shower attached to the top. It is such a fortune that warm water comes out straight without needing to wait for it. When misfortune happens after tasting this kind of fortune, it will be hard to get used to it. Still, I have no intention to flush my body with cold water, so I clean my body to every nook and cranny. I can’t help but understand why that man took a shower for a very long time. 

After washing my underwear, I squeeze it and then wear fresh clothes. That man is smaller than me, but since there’s no big difference in our height, the clothes fit me. I touch the soft fabric, then I come out of the bathroom.

I have to hang my underwear, but there’s no balcony here. Remembering that there’s a door in the kitchen, I go there and find a washing machine and drying rack. After hanging the underwear and putting the wet towel in the basket, I leave that place.

Now that I have washed up with warm water in a stranger’s house, I feel tired. I turn off the light in the living room, then lay down on the sofa. As I open the blanket and cover my body, I feel like I can sleep soon.

Since darkness does not whisper misfortune, I close my eyes.