FBF chapter 2 part 3

I had no particular response to send back…

While I was pondering this, a loud noise came from outside. I set down my phone and awkwardly raised my body.

“Is the village chief here?”

It seemed someone was looking for my grandfather. I remembered he had stepped outside for a moment earlier, so I went out to the maru in his absence. A man was standing in the yard.

He was a tall, dark-skinned middle-aged man who looked surprised when I suddenly appeared from the room. I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly and opened my mouth.

“My grandfather stepped out for a moment. If you let me know what it’s about, I’ll pass the message along.”

It had already been over a week since I came here with my grandfather, but it still felt awkward when I encountered the townspeople whose faces I didn’t recognize. As I overcame my embarrassment and managed to speak, the man waved his hand.

“No, that’s not necessary. You’re the village chief’s grandson, right?”

His tone was friendly, as if he already knew me. The moment I nodded, he beamed and held out a bag he was carrying, starting to talk in a casual manner.

“Thanks, you’re as handsome as they say.”

“……”

“The rumor is that you came back, and I’ve been busy but finally had time today to buy some meat. Now, hurry and take this. Just tell the village chief that I stopped by briefly. Got it?”

The man’s strong accent from Gyeongsang-do was somehow different from the Chungcheong-do dialect spoken by the townspeople. However, because he spoke about my grandfather so familiarly, my guard quickly lowered. In the end, I accepted the bag that he insisted on giving me. It felt heavy enough just to hold it.

Seeing me take the bag made the man smile once more. His initially stern expression softened quickly whenever he smiled.

“So, you’re in middle school this year?”

“…Yes.”

“Then you know Lee Ji-hoon, right?”

The sudden mention of the name caught me off guard. Should I say I knew or I didn’t? As I hesitated, the man burst out laughing and waved his hands.

“That’s fine. He doesn’t know you either.”

“Ah… okay.”

Does he know Lee Ji-hoon? Well, that’s a relief. If I had said I knew him when he had claimed not to know me, that would have been strange.

“Starting now, you should get to know each other. There aren’t many kids from the same school in this village; so do get along well.”

After saying everything he wanted to, he turned toward the gate. With him checking his watch, it seemed he was in a hurry. Now that I think about it, he mentioned that he was busy earlier. I awkwardly bowed my head towards his back as he walked away and suddenly turned around, making eye contact with me.

“By the way, what’s your name?”

“…Ji Seon-uk.”

“Seon-uk. Got it. I’ll let Lee Ji-hoon know your name.”

Seon-uk, not Seong-uk… But before I could correct him, he hopped over the threshold and disappeared. I looked down at the bag he had handed me. Inside was a thick, transparent bag stacked with pork belly.

At 6:58. Just like the past week, I recalled the bus schedule in my mind once more. The bus ride from my grandfather’s house to school generally took about 20 minutes. Even if it was the same 72 bus, it traveled faster in the morning than during the congested afternoons. As soon as I put my vocabulary book into my backpack, the stop bell rang. Glancing ahead, I saw a kid who usually busied himself by sleeping as soon as he got on the bus, was surprisingly sitting upright today. Since there were only two students on the bus, it was highly likely that it was Lee Ji-hoon who pressed the bell. I stood at the front door, just watching Lee Ji-hoon as he prepared to get off, and only when the bus was about to stop did I slowly rise from my seat.

Even though we had been riding the same bus together for nearly a week, we hadn’t even said hello, so there was no need for our paths to cross when getting off.

However, the distance between us, which we had maintained without any awkwardness until now, suddenly narrowed rapidly due to Lee Ji-hoon blocking the way. I awkwardly stepped off the bus to the side to avoid him, and at the same moment, Lee Ji-hoon abruptly turned to face me. Our eyes met in mid-air. This was the first time since the day he had picked up the baseball for me.

“…….”

“…….”

What is this? I lowered my gaze for a moment, then took a step toward school.

“Hey, Ji Seong-uk.”

So, even if he hadn’t called my name like that…

“…Me?”

Despite there being only two people in front of the station, I had to ask back.

“Then who else would be here?”

His tone of questioning, without even glancing around like I had, was blunt. Every time Lee Ji-hoon opened his mouth, a white puff of breath escaped into the air, resembling a foggy mist. While it was not a wrong statement, it was absurd that he could be so brazen about having called my name incorrectly. I opened my mouth to correct him.

“…My name isn’t Ji Seong-uk.”

“…My dad said your name was Ji Seong-uk.”

Ah… that man from yesterday then…

As soon as I imagined my grandfather’s expression upon hearing the man’s description, I imagined him nodding as if he understood. He had just stepped into the room and called someone, giving unsolicited advice on a number of things. When he was scolding the man about how he bought too much meat for us to eat, he hadn’t seen the similarities to the good meat he carefully placed in the fridge. That man must have been Lee Ji-hoon’s father. Now that I think of it, he was also the one who called me Seong-uk, just like Lee Ji-hoon did.

Unlike that man who had left hurriedly before I could correct him, thankfully, I had the chance to correct Lee Ji-hoon. I spoke clearly, emphasizing each syllable.

“Not Seong-uk, but Seon-uk. Ji Seon-uk.”

“…Ah, okay.”

Lee Ji-hoon nodded without much enthusiasm, gripping the brim of his cap and fiddling with it. His short hair, which seemed slightly longer now, was flattened under the cap. I remembered that he had done something similar behind the fence; it seemed to be a habit of his.

“Anyway.”

Lee Ji-hoon abruptly interrupted, revealing his impatience. That was when I realized he had something to say to me. Uncharacteristically, he hadn’t walked away immediately, but rather seemed to be waiting for me to get off.

Now that this kid who didn’t even know my name had something to say, what could it be? Before I even began to think about it, Lee Ji-hoon tilted his head slightly.

Having noticed this newfound detail only by facing him, I realized that Lee Ji-hoon was just a little taller than me.

“Why are you taking the bus at this time?”

I couldn’t grasp the intention behind his sudden question. After a moment of silence, I opened my mouth tentatively, trying to find the right answer while he stared at me with expectation.

“…I don’t know when the next bus is coming. They said it comes every 50 minutes, but it seems like the arrival times change every day.”

Even after hearing my answer, Lee Ji-hoon maintained his indifferent expression. It looked as though he had already predicted that answer, and there was no need for him to be surprised.

“7:45.”

“…Huh?”

“For Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but on Tuesday and Thursday, the next bus comes at 7:48. The drivers might be random in the early morning, but by then, they usually stick to their schedule because it can’t be tardy when there are a lot of people on board.”

“……”

“If you stand at the end of your yard, you should see whether the bus is coming up the hill or not. Did you not see it?”

“…Ah.”

As soon as a foolish sound escaped my lips, Lee Ji-hoon yawned widely.

“Doesn’t the old man tell you this stuff?”

Him calling my grandfather ‘old man’ like that indicated that he wasn’t just close with Lee Ji-hoon’s father; it looked like my grandfather was on friendly terms with Lee Ji-hoon as well. I felt a bit embarrassed, as if I, the grandson, was less familiar with my grandfather than Lee Ji-hoon was. I bit my lip and responded awkwardly.

“…I didn’t ask, okay.”

“Anyway. You really can’t escape your bloodline. This family is so hard to figure out.”

That statement felt quite mature for a fifteen-year-old. The sulky looking kid shook his head. His expression seemed to imply that he was done with whatever he had to say. As he stepped away without any regrets, I hastily called out to him.

“Hey!”

Lee Ji-hoon slowly turned his head. Even when I was standing at the bus stop, it was a thought I hadn’t considered before I awkwardly blurted out words I never planned to say.

“…Thank you. For letting me know.”

Lee Ji-hoon blinked a few times, his gaze still fixed on me, and then he cracked a small smile. Seeing him like this, he did bear a resemblance to that man I had seen yesterday. His smile especially reminded me of him, as mischief flickered across his face for a fleeting moment.

“If you’re thankful, then just punch that annoying kid’s head standing there tomorrow at that time, okay? Oh, and…”

As he readjusted his cap, Lee Ji-hoon turned to leave. A light grumble drifted in the wind.

“Can you close the window a bit? I’m about to freeze because of you.”

Now that I thought about it, he was wearing padded clothing over his baseball uniform again today. I didn’t head toward school until he had walked far enough for me to stop seeing the mix of white and blue that comprised his baseball uniform. As soon as I entered the classroom, I started to walk toward the window, but abruptly stopped. I hesitated for a moment before ultimately deciding to only open the window farthest from Lee Ji-hoon’s seat and returned to my desk.

By the time I had finished solving the second page of my workbook, a noise sounded as the door opened. As expected, after ten steps were heard, the sound of a chair being pulled out followed. I waited two more minutes before turning my head.

Lee Ji-hoon was sleeping with his baseball uniform laid out on top of his desk in the last seat of the other column. His posture was exactly the same as when I had first seen him on his first day of transferring. Yet there was no need to search for any differences as if I were playing a game of ‘find the differences.’ I was the very reason for that discrepancy.

Only when I took notice of the fitting black padded jacket neatly hung behind his chair, did I turn my head. I chuckled as I picked up my mechanical pencil. I thought about how funny it was that despite freezing to death every morning, he hadn’t criticized me for it but instead had brought on the padded jacket. Given that he didn’t know my name, it made sense that he would act this way.

As Lee Ji-hoon had mentioned earlier, if I stood at the end of the yard and looked down the slope, I would spot the bus winding its way along the coastal road. Once again, verifying the bus number, I strapped on my backpack and left the house.

At the bus stop, there were two people I had never seen before standing there. They were students, wearing the same school uniform like mine. I stood a short distance from them and looked down at my watch. 7:45.

“Hey, hey. That must be the transfer student. He’s handsome, right?”

“…Uh… well… just talk to him, Oppa.”

“Come on, come on, you’re saying he’s handsome but you’re shy, Kang Young-eun. It’s so strange how you can live under the same roof as me like this.”

“Why can’t I? Someone like you could definitely live well here.”

“Really? I’ll tell Mom that you cursed yesterday.”

“Tattle, tattle. I could also mention how you skipped academy to meet your girlfriend yesterday.”

“…Oppa, do you want me to help you talk to that handsome transfer student instead, little sister?”

Surprisingly, I quickly figured out who that “annoying kid” that Lee Ji-hoon referred to was.

“Oh, by the way, I’m feeling a bit anxious.”

“Why the hell are you anxious?”

“He looks like he’ll probably ignore me. He’s got this sort of urban guy vibe, kind of cold and aloof… like that guy you always hide under your blanket and read internet novels about at night….”

“Hey, didn’t I say not to come into my room without permission!”

“Is the special order kid really transferring to Taean?”

“Oh, just shut up! It’s so embarrassing!”

Unable to endure any more, I averted my gaze. The two people who had seen me quickly looked away, but they looked surprisingly alike. Especially in their large eyes or pale cheeks. Even the colors of their bags, though different, looked like they could come from the same place. Anyone would immediately notice they were siblings. Among them, I locked eyes with the boy who flashed a fabricated, unnatural smile as our gazes met. His name tag read ‘Kang Young-soo.’ I kept my eyes glued to that name tag and moved my lips.

“…Do you know Lee Ji-hoon?”

When I saw his eyes widen upon hearing Lee Ji-hoon’s name, I realized I had already received my answer. I smiled and cast my gaze down. The instant I had checked the time, the bus screeched to a stop right in front of us.

“He says to say hi to you.”

It was exactly 7:48.

* * *

The winter vacation ceremony ended quickly. I had paused packing my bag to quickly check outside, for a simple reason. I was anxious since Lee Ji-hoon, who had been sitting with a bored face the entire time in the classroom while watching the ceremony on the internal TV, had suddenly disappeared.

That feeling of unease soon turned into reality. More accurately, it happened the moment I spotted three people playing on the field.

“Hey, Seon-uk. It’s vacation, so let’s go to the city and play some FIFA with the others—”

“Sorry. I’ve got to catch the bus.”

Even that moment, just patting the class president’s shoulder inadvertently made me feel hurried. As I dashed out of the class, I collided with someone and was startled.

“Oh, sorry. I’m in a hurry.”

Not even knowing who it was, I quickly apologized and bent down to change my flip-flops to sneakers. There was no time to waste.

“Hey! Where are you going?”

The moment I felt a sense of déjà vu from the grip on my arm, I recognized that it was that senior who had asked for my number in the hall a while ago. The friends standing behind her were the same as that day.

With my arm being held, I checked outside once more. The only view left was Kang Young-soo’s silhouette running away from me. The fact that these people, who seemed to know the bus times better than I did, were running only meant one thing—the bus was on its way.

In my rush, my words came out without any filter.

“I need to get back home!”

“Ha….”

I thought the senior would have released my arm just like the other classmates, but she did not. Instead, she muttered just loud enough for me to hear.

“Is this really a concept or what? So dull with your lack of communication, really frustrating….”

Seeing her frown while I couldn’t even remember the last time she smiled made me flinch. I thought maybe she had lost interest due to my dull replies, but that wasn’t the case.

After thinking for a moment, I carefully twisted my arm free. It seemed that an explanation was necessary.

“It’s not a concept; I really need to go home. The bus intervals are long, so if I miss this one, I’ll have to wait a while. Plus….”

As I glanced down at her face, which seemed surprised that I could provide such an explanation, I curiously grabbed the cuffs of my dress shirt and gently pulled her closer to me. If her friends standing behind her caught wind of this, who knows how embarrassed the senior in front of me might feel. I wanted to get across the idea that I hadn’t explicitly meant to be such a boring person.

Leaning slightly closer to her, I lowered my voice to a whisper.

“I’m just a boring person who only studies and plays sports.”

Last year and the year before, every girlfriend I had used to recite such lines verbatim whenever they were with me. After having that happen two or three times, I learned that this was just the way I was.

“It’s not intentional.”

Our gazes locked just a few inches apart. I sincerely apologized, hoping she’d understand.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

The senior, her face slightly flushed, kept blinking her eyes in a daze. However, she no longer looked irritated, and she didn’t seem inclined to stop me. Relieved, I released the grip I had on her shirt sleeve and turned my body. Then I started to run at full speed. Thankfully, the 72 bus was still parked at the stop.

Kang Young-soo, who was extending one leg out beyond the steps as if he were deliberately dragging his feet, waved at me.

“Hurry over, Order 0!”

It seemed that what Lee Ji-hoon had said was accurate. It looked like I would have to hit Kang Young-soo on the head after all.