Chapter 10: Unexpected Encounters and Lingering Worries

“You don’t have to watch. I’m not particularly curious.”

“Besides, you know we’re changing seats at school the day after tomorrow, right? I told you yesterday.”

“I know, but…”

At my words, he seemed to be deep in thought. He pressed his lips together, tilting his head slightly.

The cute expression, devoid of any answer, clearly signaled his desire to sidestep the conversation. Seeing that, the urge to lecture him further dissipated.

I waved my hand, a gesture of ‘never mind,’ and then lowered myself to sit on the floor beneath the sofa.

“You can use the desk.”

“It’s fine. This is more comfortable for me.”

Settling at the low table, I delved into my bag, retrieving a book. I sensed his gaze lingering on me from behind.

Truly, this low table suited us better than the desk. It allowed me to feel Yoon Heesung’s presence in the same space much more acutely.

Yesterday, perhaps due to the distance between us, I had only been left to wonder why he had bothered to invite me over at all.

I immersed myself in my studies, my face practically buried in the book, while Yoon Heesung alternated between playing games on his phone and reading a book. Whenever I spoke to him casually, he always responded readily. This much, at least, remained consistent with yesterday.

On the day we rearranged our seats—that is, Friday—Yoon Heesung actually showed up for school. In truth, it was less an attendance and more a brief appearance.

The homeroom teacher, who had called a rare assembly to rearrange seating, ignored Yoon Heesung’s presence. Even though he had returned to school after a long absence, instead of offering a welcome, the teacher merely cleared their throat with an embarrassed ‘ahem’.

There was no scolding for his habitual absences, nor any inquiry into the reasons behind them. The homeroom teacher was truly, profoundly irresponsible.

Indeed, the homeroom teacher had never seemed particularly invested in the class. Entrusting Yoon Heesung to my care might have been their most earnest effort. Pondering this, I found myself pitying Yoon Heesung once more.

That day, too, I skipped afternoon self-study and made my way to the villa. The next day was the weekend, so I stayed home, but the moment Monday dawned, I found myself naturally heading to the villa once more.

Thus, using the homeroom teacher’s errand as a pretext, I began visiting the villa almost every day. Yoon Heesung seemed so profoundly lonely that I found myself unable to break the habit.

My activities at the villa closely mirrored my self-study sessions at school. Yoon Heesung was quiet. He consistently read or played games beside me, leaving me free to simply study. Our conversations, though, remained sparse.

And yet, it was strangely, undeniably comfortable. To find such ease in the company of another person, especially someone I had known for such a short time, was truly remarkable.

We could each attend to our own tasks without a single word exchanged, yet it felt as natural and comfortable as being entirely alone.

“You can stay longer, you know.”

Whenever I tried to leave, Yoon Heesung would invariably try to keep me from leaving, his reluctance evident. This consistent behavior always left me with a peculiar feeling.

‘He seems like an odd person, but perhaps a good one too.’

It became progressively harder to brush off Yoon Heesung’s attempts to detain me.

‘If he were entirely strange, it would be so much simpler to disregard him.’

“Next time. I really need to study for my final exams. They’re not far off now.”

I quickly offered an excuse.

Given Yoon Heesung’s usual lack of perceptiveness, he might have retorted, “What are you talking about? You just study here too!” Yet, as ever, he never pushed beyond a certain limit.

He merely shrugged his shoulders, suggesting, “At least stay for dinner.” That was the extent of his plea.

If he had been more persistent, I could have refused him more sternly, but his gentle demeanor made it impossible.

“We’ll eat together next time. I’m leaving now.”

Despite my words, I found myself still thinking about Yoon Heesung as I traversed the garden.

‘Perhaps I should have stayed for dinner. What harm could it do?’

However, if I were to stay for dinner, the hour would become terribly late. Even in the brief exchange we’d just had, the world outside had already deepened into a dark, indigo hue.

Had our conversation lingered a moment longer, complete darkness would have surely descended.

Swoosh—

In that dim, twilight hour, a car, blacker than midnight itself, suddenly materialized and roared past me. The gap between us was alarmingly narrow, and its speed was utterly reckless.

I stumbled backward, a belated reaction. The shock sent a sharp jolt, a tingling sensation, through my very fingertips.

‘What kind of driving is that?’

My heart hammered against my ribs. Since moving to this rural area, I had never encountered such a recklessly speeding vehicle.

Frowning deeply at the thought of narrowly escaping injury, I glared at the rapidly receding vehicle.

Screech.

The car, which I had expected to simply vanish, lurched to a halt. It had stopped directly beside the villa.

“…”

What was this? Did they have business at the villa? Were they acquaintances of Yoon Heesung’s family?

My thoughts drifted idly, then my heart plummeted once more, a familiar lurch. There was absolutely nothing of interest in this vicinity.

Moreover, at the very end of this uphill path, stood only the villa I had just departed. The land beyond it was private property.

****

Yoon Heesung was currently alone in the annex, with no other employees present. My mother had mentioned that the lady of the house frequently left the villa unoccupied, and it was far too late for any visitors to arrive.

What if this person was a thief, here to ransack the villa?

Of course, a thief wouldn’t announce their presence with such a dramatic entrance, but I couldn’t shake off the apprehension, and so I hesitated.

“Hey, you.”

Someone emerged from the car and called out to me. The headlights extinguished.

A blinding white afterimage lingered on my eyelids, which I had squeezed shut then slowly reopened.

“Are you Yunwoo?”

When the afterimage finally dissipated, I could discern the woman clearly for the first time; she was a complete stranger. Yet, she knew my name.

I held my head high, defiantly. However, when a large man in a suit emerged from behind her, I instinctively faltered.

“Why are you silent?”

Unlike my hesitant stance, the woman approached me with long, confident strides. I hadn’t realized it until now, but she was quite tall, perhaps comparable to my own height. Her age seemed roughly the same as my mother’s.

And yet, within her unfamiliar features, a familiar likeness shone through. It was for this reason that my gaze was involuntarily captivated by her face.

Just then, the woman abruptly seized my hand, her grip surprisingly firm.

“…!”

“It’s true, seeing you up close, I recognize you. You are Yunwoo.”

As her face drew closer, I realized she truly did resemble Yoon Heesung. Her eyes, curved as if caught between a smile and a frown, and her mouth, delicately drawn like a brushstroke, were identical to his.

Discovering such a familiar face within an unfamiliar one, I froze, my hand still held tightly in hers.

“I’m Heesung’s mother.”

“What?”

And at her subsequent words, I uttered a foolish sound.

My first thought was how much Yoon Heesung resembled his mother.

My next thought was an immediate question.

‘Is this the person who was supposedly ill?’

Even in the fading light, her complexion appeared remarkably healthy, and her voice brimmed with vitality.

‘This person… is Yoon Heesung’s mother?’

As I stood there, utterly bewildered, the lady of the house released my hand first and spoke.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Yunwoo. I’ve wanted to meet you, and I’m so glad to run into you like this.”

“…Hello.”

Despite my confusion, the part about her having heard a lot about me stuck in my mind. Even though she lived in a separate building and was often away from the villa, it seemed she conversed frequently with her son.

Just as my mother had mentioned, the lady of the house was full of worries. Barely a few minutes into our meeting, she began to rapidly pour out stories about Yoon Heesung to me.

“You two are getting along well, aren’t you? Heesung is quite shy, so I worry a lot about him.”

“Yes. We’re getting… along well.”

“That’s a relief. Still, Heesung listens to you well, Yunwoo. You know that, right?”

“Yes… Yes?”

I nodded mindlessly, then paused. Yoon Heesung listens to me well? I had never once considered that.

Oblivious to my thoughts, the lady of the house continued speaking.

“Heesung is stubborn, so he doesn’t even listen to me very well.”

“Yes…”

“But he’s been going to school lately, hasn’t he? It’s all thanks to you, Yunwoo. And staying quiet, not causing trouble—that’s all thanks to you, too. I can’t tell you how grateful I am to you, Yunwoo.”

Well… if I tell him to come to school, he does. The problem is that he leaves right after. So, perhaps that’s why the lady of the house spoke this way. Because if I speak, he at least comes to school.

If I speak…

“…”

Suddenly, an indescribable feeling enveloped my entire body. It was an emotion that had unexpectedly struck me before—a tingling sensation from my fingertips to my toes.

“Please take good care of my Heesung, alright?”

Unaware of my thoughts, the lady of the house was busy talking about her son. Since my mother was already involved, and I found myself continually visiting Yoon Heesung’s home, taking care of him wouldn’t be difficult.

As I gave a light nod, the lady of the house suddenly asked something strange.

“By the way, Yunwoo, is everything alright with you?”

“What?”

To suddenly ask if everything was alright—perhaps this tendency for conversations to jump around was a trait of this family. The lady of the house was quite eccentric, I realized, discovering yet another similarity to Yoon Heesung.

“Nothing is wrong.”

At that, the lady of the house, who had been chatting so animatedly just moments before, calmly scrutinized my expression, as if gauging whether I was telling the truth.

Somehow, this, too, seemed to resemble Yoon Heesung.

A few weeks ago, this would have been a lie. But not anymore. There were no kids bothering me in class, and my mother had found a job. I straightened my shoulders with newfound confidence.

The lady of the house then asked,

“Then, is everything alright with Heesung?”

“…”

It seemed the lady of the house had wanted to ask this from the very beginning.

The countryside, just after sunset, was steeped in silence. All that could be heard were the chirping of crickets and the distant sound of waves crashing.

‘Why didn’t she just ask directly?’

What was the point of beating around the bush?

“Probably.”

The lady of the house likely knew that Yoon Heesung wasn’t attending school regularly. However, she probably didn’t know the reason. Just as Yoon Heesung had evaded my questions with a simple ‘just because,’ he must have given his mother a similar vague excuse. I was in the same position; I knew nothing at all. Thus, I had nothing to tell her.

“Really? Then… could you give me your phone?”

As I obediently handed it over, the lady of the house entered a number into my phone.

“This is my number. If anything happens, call me here. Whether it’s about you, Yunwoo, or Heesung. Understood?”

“Yes. I understand.”

Though I doubted anything would happen, I nodded. Given how repeatedly she had asked my mother, it seemed she was quite worried about her son.