FBF chapter 6 part 6

“Give it back.”

“No. I’m going to drive when we go.”

“Who said you could-”

“My choice.”

It was so irritating to see him shrug like that. He didn’t look like he was going to back down anytime soon, so I pushed forth a logical argument that Lee Jihoon always loved.

“What if we get into an accident? You know it’s my car, right? I’m the only one insured.”

“That’s not a problem.”

“How is it not a problem? It’s an issue according to road law.”

“I just called my insurance agent and asked them to add me to your driver’s insurance.”

So that’s what he was saying when he was on the phone earlier… I assumed he was talking to someone from the company. After a moment of surprise, I blurted out my growing curiosity.

“…Do you even know who my insurance agent is?”

“Why would I know that? You don’t seem like the type to go and find out with your meticulous nature, and it’s obvious you just registered it when Youngsoo brought it to you.”

The things he said as if they were facts were all true, leaving me speechless. I was about to say something but quickly shut my mouth. It was because I saw Lee Jihoon’s father coming up the hill below us. He was carrying a basket tucked under his arm and holding a hoe in the other. As I recalled his previous expression of disappointment when he saw the sweet potatoes I had laid out in the yard, I easily figured out what he had been doing until just now.

‘If only Seon-uk had told me he was coming down a day earlier, I would have dug up more sweet potatoes in advance.’

I thought he was in a hurry and heading to the village for some urgent matter, not realizing he had just been harvesting more potatoes. Seeing the overflowing sweet potatoes in the basket from quite a distance, I checked the trunk. With the box of tangerines I just brought still filling the trunk, there was no way there was any space left. Understanding the situation, I quickly nudged Lee Jihoon in the side.

“Give me the car keys, hurry.”

“I told you I’m driving!”

“Your dad is bringing the basket! Hurry!”

Lee Jihoon stopped for a moment and turned his pale face back. Oh no, damn it… As he cursed silently, his gaze met his father’s who was coming up the hill.

“Seon-uk! Take this too!” his father cheerfully called out.

Lee Jihoon pushed me aside and hurried to the driver’s seat. Realizing there wasn’t even time to argue, I had no choice but to jump into the passenger seat. We hurriedly got into the car and fastened our seat belts without saying who was first. With the engine started, Lee Jihoon swiftly turned the steering wheel and stepped on the accelerator. Thankfully, the parking lot on the hill was completely empty. I quickly rolled down the window and stuck my face outside.

“Dad! We’re leaving! It’s cold, go inside quickly!”

“Oh dear, what about the sweet potatoes!”

“Ah, Dad! They said they don’t even have a heater at their house!”

Lee Jihoon shouted from the opposite window. Lee Jihoon’s father, who was steadily climbing up the hill, was taken aback and stopped in his tracks.

“What? They don’t even have a heater at home? Should I buy one, Seon-uk?!”

“What? No! It’s okay. Please don’t send it…”

Seeing him shout with a pitiful expression, I waved my hands to stop him. It was all because of Lee Jihoon suddenly reversing the car. I checked behind us, but with no cars in the parking lot, it seemed he was making a pointless move. The way he drove was really frustrating… Just as I was about to say something, the car left the parking lot.

“Dad, we’re going!” Lee Jihoon shouted loudly. Whether he heard or not, his father waved as he reached the top of the hill.

At the same time, he shouted loudly enough for us to hear even from the retreating car.

“Seon-uk! I’ll arrive next week!”

“No, Dad! You really don’t have to…”

While I was desperately trying to shout that it wasn’t necessary, the window went up. The culprit was the one focused on driving with a nonchalant expression.

“Just tell him to buy it. It’s been inconvenient without it.”

“I’ve never felt inconvenienced, though?”

“I feel inconvenienced, me. I’m the one who’s going to live in your house for two months.”

Seeing his demeanor that didn’t look like he would listen made me sigh and straighten up from leaning out the window. In the side mirror, I could still see Lee Jihoon’s father standing there. I could imagine that even if I told him to go inside several more times, he would keep looking until our car completely disappeared down the hill.

“Why?”

It was only after we fully got onto the road that Lee Jihoon spoke. He seemed to notice I couldn’t take my eyes off the side mirror. I didn’t want to meet his gaze, so I turned my head away. My unsaid words escaped as a sigh.

“It’s just… I feel like I’m always just taking from your dad.”

There were already too many things in my house that Lee Jihoon’s father had bought. Even the fridge that got flipped once whenever Lee Jihoon came by was a gift from him. Thinking about adding other appliances made me already feel uncomfortable. If I had known it would be like this, I would have given him more allowance earlier. I had intentionally left it on the living room floor knowing he wouldn’t take it, but what was the point of accepting various things if he had received them already?

Not knowing the complications of others’ hearts, Lee Jihoon started to mock me.

“Oh, so now you’re worried about that? You keep accepting without refusing.”

“What can I do if he gives it to me? Just leave it behind?”

“Yeah. Just leave it behind.”

“……”

“Your dad’s probably doing that more because he knows you’ll end up accepting everything anyway. He wouldn’t go that far with me in the first place.”

When I thought about it, his father didn’t even search for Lee Jihoon when he had disappeared earlier. I had to admit it made sense, but seeing him say it so coldly made me feel an urge to resist. Upon reflection, it wasn’t even my family, it was his, yet he spoke so heartlessly. Even though he gave it to me, it must’ve contained more care for Lee Jihoon.

“No… He said he brought the tangerines from Jeju just for you.”

“What’s that? It’s not like he went to pick them himself; he ordered them online. The world has gotten so good that now you can order from Jeju and receive them within a couple of days. Do you think it’s still like the old days?”

Listening to his sharp retorts reminded me of Kang Youngsoo, who had declared after a fight in the car with Lee Jihoon that he would never argue in a confined space again. I fully understood that statement. Being trapped in a confined space with someone I didn’t think I could win an argument against was terrifying. I gave up on saying more and crossed my arms, turning my gaze outside.

“Surely you didn’t give my dad allowance again, did you?”

I was startled at his sudden question but managed not to turn my head. Just as I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the window, I noticed Lee Jihoon chuckling lightly.

“Wow… do you have money to burn or something?”

“……”

“Is it because there are so many drug dealers these days? Did you receive a hefty reward?”

“……”

“You know my dad has two apartments in Seoul, right? What’s the reason for giving money to the wealthiest among us?”

“I’m not giving it away!”

I shouldn’t have snapped, but I couldn’t hold back, and my eyes opened wide. He didn’t even seem surprised to see me suddenly turning my head, almost like he had known I was pretending to sleep. After a moment of sighing, I corrected his statement. I felt awkward thinking it might appear that way to someone who didn’t know the situation—especially since that person was his own son.

“It’s just my way of showing appreciation. Even so, he ends up giving me more than I give. No matter how much I offer, he gives back more.”

“Oh… is that a fixed deposit with guaranteed principal and high interest?”

What a crazy guy…

“Good, hey. With that deposit, you can hold my dad’s 60th birthday party.”

“……”

“When people ask if you are his son, be sure to respond like this. ‘Oh, my real son has cut ties with me and can’t come. This person here is even closer to me than that estranged son.’”

As I listened, it seemed like he wasn’t just talking about today’s events. It was clear he was frustrated about how I pretended as though nothing had happened in front of his father, whom I hadn’t seen in a while.

The guy, who usually had no lingering feelings, was genuinely irked this time. Knowing that I wouldn’t gain anything by poking at him further, I decided to keep my mouth shut and turn my body toward the window. I had no intention of answering, no matter what he said. Since he seemed to have gotten tired of lecturing me when I wasn’t responding, thankfully, Lee Jihoon also fell silent soon after. After pretending to sleep for a while, it felt surprisingly natural, and by the time we were leaving the coastal road, I truly began to doze off. At least the sunlight coming through the front windshield was quite bright, which meant I would wake up every 30 seconds.

As soon as we passed the toll gate, I relaxed my body and leaned my head against the window completely. I felt like I heard a faint sigh but couldn’t bring myself to check because my body felt too heavy. It felt comfortable passing through the tunnel since the sunlight was blocked. Somehow, I thought I might not wake up again.

* * *

Everything in front of me was pitch black. My body, which had just sunk like a sponge, felt much lighter now. As I pushed open my eyelids, I immediately sensed something was off and sat up straight.

“…What’s going on?”

“Are you awake?”

As soon as I muttered in a husky voice, I realized I wasn’t alone. Lee Jihoon, who looked like he hadn’t slept at all, was staring at me intently. The moment our eyes met, he gestured outside while explaining.

“We’re at the supermarket parking lot. Let’s quickly grab some groceries and head inside.”

It felt odd, considering there were too many cars around to be in front of my house. When did we even arrive? My attempt to check the time in the car stopped immediately when I realized the engine was off.

Before I knew it, I glanced at Lee Jihoon, suddenly curious.

“When did we arrive?”

Because we were in an underground parking lot, I couldn’t estimate the time. Yet, I had the feeling he might have waited for me to wake up after we got here.

Noticing my gaze following him, Lee Jihoon unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to open the door. Being halfway out, he shrugged.

“I don’t know. I don’t remember.”

He tossed out a bland response and completely exited the car. I was still half asleep and a little dazed.

“Do you want to stay in the car?”

When Lee Jihoon peered into the car with a hint of impatience, I finally undid my seatbelt. I paused when I saw the sun visor down, but I stepped out of the car anyway. I stifled a yawn, mumbling in response.

“…Let’s go.”

The supermarket was bustling, probably because it was a weekend. Even at this ambiguous time around 9 PM, it was crowded. As soon as I checked the time, I asked Lee Jihoon whether the traffic had been heavy, but he just lightly nodded in response. Then he wheeled the cart and hurried forward.

Since it seemed he had something he wanted to buy, there was little for me to do but follow him around aimlessly. Going grocery shopping was something I hadn’t done in a while. After roughly ruffling my tousled hair, my hand dropped. By then, Lee Jihoon had already reached the meat section.

“Excuse me, do you have any chuck eye roll? It’s Korean beef.”

Watching him kindly inquire from the nearby lady as he scanned the display, I turned my head. Habitually, I scanned the surroundings. Given my profession, it was something I did every time I found myself in an unfamiliar place. In the frozen food aisle, I spotted a couple in their 30s with a child; nearby, five college students wearing letterman jackets with their university names in English. And then…

As I was following this routine, I unexpectedly stopped. The slow-moving pace of my steps came to a halt. I wasn’t the only one who froze. A hooded man walking towards me, wearing a mask, also stopped.

Many things were different now. Even the hairstyle visible between the hood and clothes. But as soon as he spotted me, his eyes widened just like I remembered.

Seeing him, I quickly turned my head away.

I was curious why he was here alone without even a manager accompanying him, but there wasn’t really a chance to ask anymore. Not anymore.

Just as I was about to turn my whole body to approach Lee Jihoon, I heard hurried footsteps and someone grabbed my arm. Perhaps due to our bodies coming close, I noticed that he took a big breath when our eyes met. I remembered that was a habit of someone who felt they had to say something important.

“Why did you change your number?”

Seeing his red eyes with concern made me feel an all-too-familiar feeling I had when I dated Hyunwoo. Guilt.