Embedded Files
Psst! We're moving!
Thanks to Han’s departure, only Guk and Hyun-soo remained in the living room on the first floor. Despite the relentless rain battering the windows, Hyun-soo’s attention was entirely focused on the man sitting beside her.
“...”
“...”
Tap, tap, tap.
The sound of Guk tapping his fingernails against the armrest of the rocking chair tickled her ears. Though steady and unchanging in pitch or intensity, the rhythmic tapping inexplicably began to suffocate Hyun-soo.
“Kim Hyun-soo.”
“Huh?”
His sudden call startled her. Hyun-soo reluctantly tore her gaze from the flickering flames and turned to look at Guk. At some point, he had already been watching her.
“Speak.”
“What... what do you mean?”
“You’ve got that look like you want to say something. Spit it out.”
It was almost supernatural how perceptive he was. Realizing he’d caught on, Hyun-soo flinched as Guk raised an eyebrow indifferently, as if to say, “How could I not notice something so obvious?”
“No, I just...”
“You were going to ask me something.”
“I wanted to ask if you were okay.”
“About what?”
“The fire.”
“The fire?”
Hyun-soo shifted her gaze from him to the central fireplace. Guk followed her eyes toward it. Inside, the flames roared, greedily devouring the logs and dancing wildly.
“Even though it’s small, being this close might bother you, especially today of all days...”
“And what about you?”
“Huh?”
“How about you? Does the fire bother you?”
At his question, Hyun-soo froze. For a moment, her mind went completely blank, as if the circuits had shut down entirely.
No one had ever asked her this before. She had never even thought about it. Was she really okay? Had she lost her mother to the flames yet somehow escaped being haunted by them?
When she became too flustered, laughter involuntarily bubbled up. With an awkward smile, Hyun-soo lowered her gaze and chuckled nervously.
“I’m... I’m fine. It doesn’t bother me at all.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Guk’s voice carried a faint trace of amusement. Noticing this, Hyun-soo looked up at him. Sure enough, Yoon Guk was smiling, his lips slightly curled upward.
“It’s fortunate. Unlike me, you’re not a psychopath.”
“What do you mean by...”
Psychopath? The fact that Guk referred to himself that way shocked Hyun-soo into stiffness.
Before she could ask what he meant, Han returned with impeccable timing.
“What are you two talking about?”
“...”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Nothing, it’s nothing.”
Ignoring her evasive response, Han shot her a playful glare. Then, placing what he had brought down on the floor, he sat next to Hyun-soo.
“I found some leftover whiskey. Hyung and I will drink that, but... do you drink whiskey, unni?”
“No, I can’t.”
“Figured as much. I grabbed a few cans of beer for you.”
“Thank you.”
“They were in the pantry, so they’re not cold.”
“That’s fine.”
Han slid a beer can toward Hyun-soo. Her small hand picked it up. Just as he said, it wasn’t cold at all. Popping the tab on the large can that filled her palm produced a satisfying click.
“There aren’t any proper glasses. Just drink from the mug, hyung.”
“That’s fine.”
Guk and Han poured whiskey into mugs and sipped quietly. Given the solemnity of the day, there was no clinking of glasses—just a mutual understanding as they drank in silence.
Hyun-soo swallowed lukewarm beer, barely distinguishable from body temperature, while gazing at the flickering flames.
Am I really okay? Can I confidently say I’m different from Guk, who calls himself a psychopath?
“The rain should stop by tomorrow morning.”
The sudden voice jolted Hyun-soo back to reality. Turning, she saw Han checking the weather on his phone. After scrolling through the screen effortlessly, he turned off his phone completely.
“Why’d you turn it off?”
“Since we’re stuck here anyway, I figured I’d relax. I don’t feel like dealing with calls.”
“Ah.”
She imagined his friends wouldn’t leave him alone, especially since it was his mother’s death anniversary. Calls would inevitably come flooding in once night fell, and Han had preemptively shut them out. Understanding this, Hyun-soo nodded.
“I should turn mine off too.”
Hyun-soo pulled out her phone and powered it down. If Han couldn’t be reached, the calls would undoubtedly come to her instead, so she decided to cut them off early. Two phones now lay side by side, both powered off.
“What about you, hyung? Oh, right. You can’t turn yours off, can you? In case of emergencies.”
Han paused mid-sip, holding his mug, and added, “They’ll call you first if anything urgent comes up, right?”
He tilted his mug toward Guk as he spoke. Guk stared at him silently for a moment before digging into his pocket and pulling out his phone. A soft beep signaled it turning off.
“Wow, really? Is that okay?”
“I deserve a day off too, don’t I?”
Guk leaned forward and tossed his phone next to the others.
“Now we’re completely isolated.”
Hyun-soo murmured, hugging her knees to her chest. The brothers didn’t respond, merely sipping their whiskey and quietly emptying their glasses.
The rain continued its relentless assault, accompanied by distant thunder rumbling across the sky.
Perhaps it was the warmth of the fire combined with the alcohol, but the three of them gradually relaxed. Hyun-soo, who had a low tolerance for alcohol, was already flushed after just three cans of beer.
Without much conversation, they had been lost in their own thoughts, drinking in silence. But as time passed, they slowly began opening up.
“So, how many kids at your tutoring center have said they want to marry you?”
“Three. No less than three!”
“Sounds like the place is full of characters.”
“What? Want to die?”
“Just kidding, just kidding.”
Hyun-soo playfully rolled her eyes and lightly punched Han’s arm.
“To be honest, two of them are wishy-washy. When they’re in a good mood, they say they’ll marry me. When I scold them, they threaten not to. But Eun-ho is different. That kid is steadfast—he always says he’ll marry me.”
“Is that why you’re so proud?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Hyun-soo chuckled softly, nodding. Han grinned back.
They were talking about “Sseum,” the writing tutoring center where Hyun-soo used to work. Curious about her previous job, she had shared openly without hesitation.
“Anyway, they’re so adorable. When I read their essays, it feels purifying. So what if there are typos or spacing issues? Honestly, sometimes kids’ writing is better than adults’. Their perspective on the world is just different. Adults... they know too much. It’s a problem. Yeah, it’s a problem.”
After her long monologue, Hyun-soo tilted her beer can. But it was already empty, yielding only a few drops.
“Uh... it’s all gone. Got another beer?”
“Nope.”
“Liar.”
“I’m serious. There’s none left.”
“Then whiskey?”
“You said you can’t handle whiskey.”
“I think I might manage it now.”
“You’re being stubborn for no reason. Stop drinking—you’re already tipsy.”
“It’s not stubbornness... Why are you and Yoon Guk drinking that? Aren’t you giving me any?”
Han looked at her incredulously. Sure enough, Hyun-soo’s eyes were glazed, her face flushed pink, as if a single poke would release a drop of blush. She was clearly drunk. Judging this, Han shamelessly lied, claiming there was nothing left.
“There’s nothing.”
“Aww, come on. Just one more can. I’m feeling great right now.”
“You’re supposed to stop when you’re feeling good. Pushing further will ruin it.”
“Who says? Who told you that?”
“Me.”
“What do you know?”
“I know. I’ve been there.”
For a moment, Hyun-soo hesitated at Han’s words, but soon reached out again. Her fingertips hovered teasingly close to the alcohol.
“I don’t know. I don’t care. Just give me more.”
“This unni is hopeless. Seriously, hyung. Do something.”
In the end, Han appealed to Guk for help. Guk, who had been silently observing the situation with detached amusement, was in the middle of sipping his drink.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Tell her to stop drinking or say something.”
“Why bother? If she wants to keep drinking, let her.”
“...You’re really going to leave her like this?”
Though Hyun-soo had earlier claimed she was in a good mood, she now unconsciously furrowed her brows and bit her lip. Her body felt buoyant, yet something hot and heavy welled up inside her, and she couldn’t identify it. It was painful.
Both Guk and Han had already noticed her state. They’d seen her eyes glistening, brimming with tears on the verge of spilling over. Despite her efforts to hold them back, she remained silent.
“Hyung. Yoon Guk hyung.”
“Enough. Stop it.”
Guk set his mug down and stood up. The rocking chair swayed violently back and forth.
“Kim Hyun-soo.”
“...”
“Kim Hyun-soo. Look at me.”
“Why...”
Hyun-soo, who had been bickering with Han, obediently turned to face Guk when he called her name. He knelt on one knee, bringing their eyes level. Blinking her wet eyes, Hyun-soo met his gaze.
“Stop.”
“What?”
“Stop drinking.”
“But... if I just drink a little more...”
“If you want to cry, just cry. Don’t hide behind alcohol. You’re capable of that, aren’t you?”
Google Sites
Report abuse