The Country Life Diary of a Gangster's Secretary - c89

 

Many things changed after Dohyun went up to Seoul, more than expected. First, the biggest change was…

 

“Hey, Dohyun. Breakfast…” 

 

Hyeseong stopped mid-sentence when he saw the empty kitchen. He had habitually called out to Dohyun as he woke up and came out. Until now, it had been a given to see that tall guy bustling around in the kitchen after waking up.

 

Hyeseong scratched his head and went into the bathroom. Like this, he found himself unconsciously calling for Dohyun after he left. Hyeseong knew. This behavior stemmed from a sense of emptiness.

 

Come to think of it, when he had made up his mind to return to farming and came down here, he had been so preoccupied with Ihyeok suddenly moving into the house next door. And then, Dohyun had suddenly come to stay for a month, so there hadn’t been a peaceful day in this house.

 

In other words, this was the first time it was so quiet and peaceful. It was quite ironic to think that he was only now experiencing this tranquility after a long time since he had cleaned up his Seoul home and moved here. It felt strange, to say the least.

 

He made do with the side dishes Dohyun had prepared before leaving for breakfast. It seemed Dohyun had been busy making side dishes in the kitchen until the night before his departure. Doing this made Hyeseong feel like a child eating the food his mother had made before going on a business trip.

 

Hyeseong thought he should tell Dohyun later, but he decided against it, thinking that if he mentioned it, Dohyun would become elated and say he would quit his job search and come down here.

 

Before going out to work in the fields, Hyeseong came out to the living room as always, brewing a cup of coffee. When he opened the window slightly, the breeze flowed in gently.

 

With the wind as his companion, he sat at the table and opened the book he had been reading recently. It was a quite famous mystery novel. The latter part was so intriguing, and with only a bit left, he planned to finish it today.

 

The sound of pages turning at a steady pace filled the house. Hyeseong sipped his coffee and immersed himself in the world of the novel. As the story entered its final phase, his eyes also became busy.

 

The culprit was revealed to be the person he had expected, and the story ended with a happy ending. Hyeseong closed the book and stared at the coffee cup that was still more than half full. Looking at the clock, surprisingly little time had passed.

 

“It’s quiet.”

 

What greeted Hyeseong as he emerged from the world of the book was a serene silence with no one around. He noticed the sunlight strongly shining on the ground.

 

When the sunlight was this strong, if he went out to work in the fields now, it was obvious that he would get tired and come back in without being able to work much. That’s why he had been trying to kill some time by reading a novel.

 

In the past, when this happened, time would fly by quickly while talking with Dohyun or playing with Bokshil. Hyeseong slowly laid his head on the table, feeling the gentle breeze.

 

At that moment, his phone, placed next to the book, vibrated loudly.

 

[CEO]

 

Hyeseong’s eyes widened as he checked the caller. There was no hesitation in answering the call.

 

“Hello.”

 

A languid, low voice rang in his ear.

 

“You answered the call really quickly today.”

 

“That’s because I was looking at my phone.”

 

Hyeseong scratched the back of his neck, uttering a small lie.

 

“Have you eaten?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Hyeseong’s fingers tapped on the table. It was a monotonous rhythm, but what could be felt from those fingers was an irresistible excitement.

 

“What about you, ahjussi?”

 

“I’m about to go have lunch now.”

 

Ah, come to think of it, it was lunchtime now. He had only had a cup of coffee after breakfast, so he hadn’t noticed he wasn’t strangely hungry.

 

After that, Ihyeok asked trivial questions. Hyeseong answered briefly, feeling Ihyeok’s voice. The space that had felt quiet just a moment ago seemed to change in an instant.

 

As if pastel-toned paint was splattered on a canvas filled with monochrome, Hyeseong’s world was now dyed in various colors.

 

With just the addition of Ihyeok’s voice to the monotonous melody, it had become a lively, bouncy tune.

 

“You’re not feeling lonely without Park Dohyun?”

 

For a moment, he almost said it was too quiet and empty. Hyeseong stopped tapping his fingers on the table.

 

“No, I like that it’s quiet.”

 

“I see.”

 

“Ah, ahjussi. Today, what time…”

 

“CEO, I made a restaurant reservation. Shall we go?”

 

Hyeseong was about to ask what time Ihyeok would come today, stammering, but that sentence was suddenly cut off by the voice of a stranger.

 

“Alright, Secretary Yoo. Hyeseong, I’ll hang up now. Don’t skip dinner and eat well.”

 

“Okay.”

 

The short call that lasted a few seconds ended. Hyeseong blankly stared at the screen indicating the call had ended. Secretary Yoo was a name he had seen once before on Ihyeok’s phone.

 

Suddenly, the job posting for Taesung’s secretary that he had secretly peeked at on Dohyun’s laptop came to mind.

 

“You hired a new secretary.”

 

He said he had made a restaurant reservation, so were they having lunch together? Somehow, he felt strange.

 

This was what he had wanted. When leaving Taesung, he had hoped that Kwon Ihyeok would quickly erase his absence and work as if nothing had happened. However, now that he was facing reality, he couldn’t understand why he felt an inexplicable sense of helplessness swirling inside him.

 

Perhaps because he had been too lost in thought, his head ached. Hyeseong shook his head, trying to shake off the thoughts.

 

Instead, he immediately cleaned up and prepared to go outside. Although he was a bit worried about the strong sunlight, he felt that moving his body would be much more helpful for him right now.

 

As always, he shouldn’t have any complaints or regrets about the choices he made for himself.

 

* * *

 

Hyeseong tightly fastened the straw hat he had bought in town last time and first spread out the mulching plastic. It was black plastic used for farming, covering the field. He had bought it to prevent weeds that were growing more than expected.

 

Hyeseong tried to spread the plastic enthusiastically and cover the field, but it was more difficult than he thought. He had to spread it neatly without any wrinkles, like he had seen on TV or in videos, but trying to do it alone without anyone to hold it was proving to be quite a challenge.

 

“I should have waited and done this when Dohyun was here.”

 

But he had no choice. Hyeseong first secured one end of the plastic with a large stone and spread it out. He managed to cover it to the end by putting soil in the middle for fixation, but it didn’t turn out as neatly as he had imagined.

 

Hyeseong was thinking about whether there was a better way when…

 

“Doing it like that is useless. This is why young folks are…”

 

Turning his head toward the voice coming from the side, he saw a familiar man standing there.

 

“Hello, ahjussi.”

 

It was the husband of the fruit store owner, Mrs. Choi, the same man who had slapped Hyeseong’s cheek and got hit by Ihyeok last time. He was standing with his hands behind his back, looking at Hyeseong.

 

Hyeseong occasionally exchanged brief greetings with Mrs. Choi when they ran into each other. But he hadn’t really had a chance to encounter her husband since he came to apologize. From what he heard, it seemed he didn’t show his face around the neighborhood much.

 

So it felt quite unexpected for him to suddenly strike up a conversation.

 

“Trying to do it alone without any skills, of course it won’t work out well.”

 

“You’re right. It’s difficult.”

 

“Why did you make a fuss about returning to farming then?”

 

“But since I’ve started, I want to try my best. It’s been quite a while since I’ve tried something new.”

 

Hyeseong had always been with Kwon Ihyeok, and his life had been about creating a future and walking alongside him. The past six years had been shaped around that, so Hyeseong hadn’t really had the thought or opportunity to try anything new.

 

Dohyun had once asked in passing why he needed to do farming so laboriously, saying it would be okay to just rest and do nothing if he wanted to take a break. But even then, Hyeseong had firmly shaken his head. Attempting something new held a rather special meaning for him.

 

In a way, he considered it equivalent to erasing Ihyeok’s traces from himself.

 

“Is Mrs. Choi doing well? She told me to come visit the store last time, but I couldn’t make it.”

 

The man snorted but informed him that his wife was healthy and well. These days, he was helping out a bit at Mrs. Choi’s store. Whether it was true or not, Hyeseong had heard through the neighborhood that he was also trying to quit drinking.

 

“Give it here.”

 

The man glanced at what Hyeseong was doing and soon approached, snatching the mulching plastic.

 

“Go over there and hold it. I’ll hold the other side.”

 

Hyeseong was puzzled.

 

“Are you helping me?”

 

“Help? As if. Seeing the way you’re doing it, it looks like it’ll take all day. Ah, what are you doing? Don’t just stand there dumbfounded and hurry up.”

 

The corners of Hyeseong’s lips slightly turned up. He didn’t point out the man’s change. It didn’t matter at all whether this person was holding the plastic because he felt sorry for hitting Hyeseong or because he truly wanted to change.

 

With just one extra pair of hands, the work progressed swiftly. The man seemed to have farming experience as well, handling the task with veteran-like skill. In the process, he also shared a few tips about farming with Hyeseong.

 

“Thank you, ahjussi. Thanks to you, the work finished quickly.”

 

“It’s fine. I told you I wasn’t helping.”

 

“Would you like to come in? I’ll give you a glass of juice or something.”

 

“I need to go to the store. It’s fine…”

 

The man stared intently at Hyeseong’s face, as if embarrassed.

 

“What’s wrong? Is there dirt on my face?”

 

“What’s wrong with your face? Are you sick somewhere?”

 

“My face?”

 

“It’s completely flushed like a ripe persimmon.”

 

As the man said, when Hyeseong touched his face, it indeed felt strangely hot. Come to think of it, he had felt particularly hot and had a bit of a headache while working earlier.

 

“It must be because of the sun.”

 

“Tsk, this is why young folks are so weak these days. Just from doing that for a few hours… Ah, what are you doing! Hurry up and go in to cool down!”

 

“Okay. You be careful on your way too, ahjussi.”

 

Was this what they called a “tsundere” that he had only seen in dramas? Hyeseong chuckled and saw off the man who was trudging away.

 

Before he knew it, he felt like the heat was spreading not only to his face but his entire body. Hyeseong quickly cleaned up and went inside the house. It seemed better to avoid the hours when the sunlight was strong. He only thought that he needed to go in quickly and cool down.