Chapter 49: Notebook

“There’s a scene where the two protagonists in the movie ‘Before Sunrise’ first meet on a train.

It was one of the scenes that deeply impressed Bodam, who enjoyed watching warm and gentle movies that allowed him to clear his mind.

Rather than being a favorite movie, he often sought it out because he liked its atmosphere.

There was too little romance in Bodam’s life for him to fully immerse himself in the plot.

The sight of an American and a French person meeting, starting a conversation naturally without proper greetings, and asking each other about the books they were reading felt extremely unfamiliar to Bodam, a native Korean.

‘No, how can someone you’ve just met agree to go to the lounge together right away?’

‘Isn’t that dangerous?’

‘They get off the train, abandoning their journey home, swayed by a stranger’s alluring words?’

‘And spend a night together?’

Even though he couldn’t empathize with the plot’s progression in this way, he kept watching because the actress was pretty.

He suddenly remembered that movie, put it on, and booked a KTX train ticket to Busan.

Then he subtly tucked a book into his bag.

He pondered whether he should have something to talk about, just in case a fated encounter reading a book appeared.

While no one would usually look for a romantic partner while riding the KTX, Bodam was that excited about his trip.

He even lost sleep the night before, not for an international trip, but for a train journey to Busan.

Thanks to his lack of experience, there was much excitement to be had, and he was happy.

The next day, Bodam woke up early and prepared breakfast for his mother, who was getting ready for work.

While he was at it, he also toasted some bread for himself and prepared brunch for Bomi, just in case she woke up and ate.

His train was at 11:30 AM, so he still had plenty of time.

Geun Young subtly spoke to her son, who placed the rolled omelet, with whites and yolks not fully mixed, onto a plate without even cutting it.

“Why don’t you go with Mom this weekend? Take Bomi too.”

“Try some of the rolled omelet too.”

Geun Young had already finished her meal of soy sauce egg rice, prepared by her son.

Bodam grumbled that the rolled omelet, which was meant for Bomi, turned out better than he expected, and he cut a large piece for his mother to taste.

He might not be able to make it look pretty, but he knew how to make it taste decent.

With six years of living alone experience, he made egg dishes and kimchi fried rice quite deliciously.

“It’s good, right?”

“Yes. It is good. But son. Please reconsider. It hasn’t been long since you went to the emergency room, so what kind of trip is this?”

This time, Bodam pretended not to hear Geun Young, focusing on the rolled omelet and remaining silent.

It was a conversation they had already decisively finished last night.

He wasn’t going to a faraway country, it was just a three-hour train ride.

It was actually safer to go now, especially while he was under personal protection.

His body had become healthy enough to go to the gym, and he hadn’t had a nosebleed since that day.

“Or I’ll take a day off tomorrow. Let’s leave tonight and go together tomorrow. Mom wants to eat sashimi too. And see the sea.”

Geun Young, appealing to Bodam as he wiped the frying pan with parchment paper, pleaded with him to do so.

Bodam’s heart wavered because his mother had never pushed an opinion so strongly before.

Even so, he strongly wanted to go on this trip alone.

“Mom.”

Bodam approached Geun Young and, smiling gently, spoke.

“I’m just feeling stifled. I’ll go clear my head. And make some new friends too.”

While he knew he wouldn’t find any fated connections in just two nights and three days, Bodam wanted to get away, even if only for a short time.

He wanted to do something different, something outside his daily routine.

He had considered going on a long international trip, but he had to prioritize his health for now, so he postponed it.

He wondered if seeing the wide Busan sea, expansive enough to clear his mind, would make him feel better.

An unresolved sense of stifled frustration weighed on his chest.

Even though only happiness lay ahead, he disliked his own weakness for wanting to return to a past he had already shed.

“If you feel unwell, come straight home. Don’t overdo it. Okay?”

“Mom, just leave Oppa alone! Anyone would think you’re raising a six-year-old son.”

Bomi, looking as if she had just woken up or perhaps stayed up all night, scratched her head vigorously and came out to the kitchen.

She walked between Bodam and Geun Young, who were standing facing each other.

Smelling the food, she naturally scooped up rice and grabbed a spoon, continuing to speak.

“Mom. Oppa is twenty-six. Twenty-six. He’ll take care of himself just fine.”

Geun Young replied that she understood and didn’t press her son further.

She knew he was old enough to take care of himself, of course, but the vivid image of her son lying in the emergency room, covered in blood, made it hard to let go of her worry.

“Have fun. Eat lots of delicious food. And only go to crowded places.”

There was nothing she could do even if people criticized her for being overly protective of her grown son.

Any parent with a physically weak Guide as a child in a dangerous world where unregistered Esper incidents don’t decrease would understand.

Her young son, who suffered from body aches when it was cold and collapsed easily when it was hot, remained small and frail even as an adult.

She really should have forced him to learn Taekwondo with Bomi, even if just for a little while.

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

At her son’s promise to send photos every time he breathed, Geun Young finally smiled and bid him farewell.

Her son, trying to reassure his timid mother, seemed a little taller.

“I’ll be at my accommodation when the sun sets, and I’ll only go to safe restaurants. Your son is the biggest chicken in the world, so I won’t do anything dangerous.”

Just like her son.

Geun Young chuckled, watched Bodam and Bomi start bickering, with Bomi teasing him, ‘Then why are you even going?’, and then left the house.

She hoped her son would have a safe and fun rest.

And if, as he said, he brought back a good connection, that would be welcome too.

***

Bodam arrived at the station earlier than his train departure time and, with an excited heart, bought and ate some odeng.

As expected, being in a good mood made his appetite stir.

Squeezing in among the people crowded at the snack bar, he ate one red odeng and one regular odeng, slurping down the broth to fill his stomach.

The refreshing taste of the broth, made with blue crab, was incredible.

At the start of this delicious trip, Bodam was already beginning to feel good, but then,

“Ah…!”

“Oh no! I’m so sorry!”

The woman sitting next to him accidentally spilled odeng broth while pouring it into a paper cup.

Hot broth splashed onto Bodam’s fern-like hands as he was tidying up his eaten skewers.

The woman frantically pulled out tissues and wet wipes, repeating her apologies.

“It’s okay. I didn’t get burned. Please keep eating.”

The back of his hand, where the hot broth had touched, was slightly red but didn’t hurt.

Bodam smiled at the woman, who kept apologizing, then quickly paid and left.

Even though he wiped it with a wet wipe, broth had gotten inside his watch, which felt unpleasant.

He went to the station restroom to relieve himself, and while washing his hands, he also thoroughly soaped his wrist.

The watch, which was said to work perfectly even if dropped in the sea, didn’t break down even when he showered or went into a bathhouse.

He’d heard that more expensive models than the free ones even had an automatic cleaning function.

Every time he saw the Attack Team 3 bastards’ flashy watches, he wondered how on earth they cleaned themselves automatically.

He’d almost asked Lee Tae Hwan casually but decided against it.

Whirr-.

Bodam held his wrist under the hand dryer, drying his watch, and huffed a sigh of relief.

He focused hard to avoid even mentioning the number three, referring to Attack Team 3.

Even if he relaxed a little, memories related to those guys would leak out.

‘How unlucky.’

Bodam walked around after leaving the restroom, shaking his shoulders as if to shake off negativity.

He pondered what to do during the remaining 30 minutes before his train.

‘Should I buy a notebook?’

He trotted over to a large stationery store that suddenly caught his eye.

Since it was his first solo trip, he thought recording it in a nice notebook would make it more memorable.

He used to keep a good diary until Bomi secretly snuck a read when he was little.

“Hmm.”

He browsed notebooks, lingering in the diary section.

Nothing particularly caught his eye.

Since it was his first purchase, he wanted to buy a notebook he’d truly love and wouldn’t tire of.

As he passed the section filled with cute designs and scanned his surroundings with a hint of disappointment, a diary section that looked incredibly stylish at a glance caught his eye.

“Wow….”

Bodam, who had only ever used notebooks costing a few thousand won, gasped in surprise that there was such a thing as a specialized notebook brand.

Thick notebooks, luxuriously displayed in a glass case, had descriptions written in English.

He didn’t know what it said, but it looked very impressive.

‘Should I buy it?’

“Excuse me, would you like a recommendation?”

“Hup.”

Bodam’s shoulders jumped up in surprise at the sudden voice speaking to him from beside him.

“I’m so sorry…! I didn’t mean to startle you.”

The voice that immediately apologized was familiar, so Bodam recognized the woman who had spilled the odeng broth and waved his hand, saying it was okay again.

He hadn’t realized it when she was sitting in the store, but the woman standing close by was at least a hand span taller than Bodam.

“I only use this brand of notebooks. If it’s okay, I can recommend some to you. I was so sorry about earlier.”

The woman, who subtly checked the back of Bodam’s hand, which still had a reddish tint, continued the conversation with a look that suggested she was terribly sorry.

Bodam, whose fair skin caused even mosquito bites to swell significantly, smiled and said it wasn’t as bad as it looked.

The more he looked at the tall woman with striking features, the more he was reminded of Bomi.

‘Our house’s honey pig should learn to apologize this well when she’s out somewhere.’

“By any chance, do you use a fountain pen?”

Bodam, who had never held a fountain pen in his life, shook his head, and the woman smiled, saying it was a relief.

“If you use a fountain pen, these notebooks aren’t suitable. The paper is thin, so it bleeds through to the other side.”

“Ah, I see. Yes.”

“But I still only use these because they’re pretty. Pretty is best.”

Following her friendly lead, Bodam smiled along.

The woman, her gaze fixed on his bright smile, blinked rapidly several times before quickly continuing to explain the notebooks.

She exchanged a brief conversation with Bodam, asked about the notebook’s intended use, and then, like a knowledgeable salesperson, smoothly took out products and recommended them.

Bodam, who suffered from decision paralysis, envied her cool demeanor.

“A hard cover would be good for carrying around and writing in. Especially if you’re writing while traveling, it’s good to rest on your lap.”

“Ohh. Yes, that’s good.”

“How about black for the color?”

“It’s pretty. I like black!”

“Me too!”

Since Bodam’s hands were on the smaller side, the corners of the woman’s mouth, who recommended the pocket size, looked as if they might stretch behind her ears.

She tried not to smile too brightly as she looked down at Bodam, like someone admiring a small, adorable animal.

Bodam, having purchased the coolest notebook, hummed a tune as he went to board the train.

He put the freshly bought gukhwappang into the rustling stationery store plastic bag and carefully placed his precious notebook in his pocket.

He was very happy to have found gukhwappang, which was hard to find even in winter.

“Ah, it really does fit perfectly.”

Thanks to buying the pocket size, as the woman suggested, it seemed perfect for carrying anywhere.

Bodam, as a reward for her diligently helping him choose a notebook for 10 minutes, gifted the same product to her, despite her strong protests.

As a notebook with a brand logo, it was quite expensive, but he wasn’t flustered.

‘How could a man of 3.1 billion won be flustered by mere pocket change?’

“I should use it sparingly.”

He quietly muttered to himself and patted the pocket holding his cool new notebook.

“Cough.”

Perhaps he was too excited, as he suddenly choked while laughing.

As he coughed, his throat hurt, almost stinging.

Bodam, wearing a serious expression, belatedly realized he hadn’t bought a drink to go with his gukhwappang.

‘My throat hurts quite a bit… Will I be able to eat well?’

Bodam, rubbing his still aching throat, boarded the train and found himself smiling despite the pain.

He felt very good.

Indeed, it was the start of an anticipated journey.