Junyoung silently watched her mother walk into the motel with the mop in hand. She followed quietly behind, with Beomjin walking a half-step behind her. When they reached the main road, he suddenly spoke.
"Want a hamburger?"
It was embarrassing, and she felt awkward, but she didn’t want to be alone. After everything she had just seen, it wasn’t like there was any more shame to it. And she could tell that Beomjin’s offer was meant to show some consideration, so she responded bluntly.
“I’m not in the mood to eat outside.”
“You’re probably not in the mood to eat ramen inside either.”
Beomjin’s casual remark made her laugh without thinking. It was surprising, but Beomjin had a way of making people laugh.
There was only one place they could go in this kind of mood, and it seemed like Beomjin was planning to come along.
Hiding her face beneath her hat, Junyoung suddenly lifted her head, meeting Beomjin's eyes. He raised an eyebrow, almost as if inviting her to speak.
“Let’s have a picnic.”
Beomjin blinked slowly, as if unsure whether he had heard correctly.
“...What are we going to do?”
“Let’s buy food with the money we’d use for a hamburger and have a picnic. It’s Saturday, and the weather’s nice. How much money do you have?”
As she casually extended her hand, Beomjin’s lips twitched a few times. He took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling as he sighed.
“You’re going to ask me for money now?”
“You think I can’t do it?”
Junyoung muttered under her breath, and Beomjin’s eyes calmed as he regarded her quietly. She stood at the edge, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts, like a furnace.
She could easily express her frustration. She could scream impulsively, smash every window she passed, or even return to that motel and pour the filthy water on the man’s face. If she loosened her grip on her own restraint for just a moment, she didn’t know what she might do.
But she wanted to calm herself in a different way. Oddly enough, Beomjin seemed to sense that. He sighed briefly and pulled out his wallet, tossing it lightly to her.
“Spend it all.”
For some reason, when she caught the worn wallet, her emotions surged. Clenching her teeth, Junyoung had to steady her wildly racing heart. With a face that was unsure whether to laugh or cry, she stared at the wallet before responding gruffly.
“Hey. If you have 30,000 won, just give me the 30,000 won. Don’t act like you’re some rich guy handing me your whole wallet, telling me to spend it all. You’re being subtly pretentious.”
Beomjin, who had been walking ahead, glanced back slowly. His eyes narrowed, and when they slightly curved upward, it could sometimes be a little intimidating.
“Where’s the nearest supermarket?”
Junyoung muttered as she rolled her eyes and walked briskly past him. She could hear his deep sigh following her, and only then did she allow herself a small laugh.
She had always thought friends were unnecessary, but this kind of person? Honestly, she was grateful for him. Just having someone beside her, offering peace and comfort. And knowing that such a person existed for her.
Smiling faintly, Junyoung spread jam thickly on her slice of bread and looked up at Beomjin as he stood next to her, scowling.
“What’s wrong now?”
“You’re so slow. Are you making dinner?”
In the end, Beomjin’s 30,000 won was reduced to just a few coins. She thought she should at least be the one to make it, but it seemed he had other ideas.
Junyoung, watching Beomjin turn on the faucet and rip off lettuce leaves, pursed her lips and spread more jam on the bread.
Standing side by side and making something together, it felt like they were accomplishing something. Junyoung’s neck itched, and she struggled to keep the smile from creeping onto her face. As she focused, her hands stiffened with the effort.
While she placed ham and cheese on the bread, Beomjin prepared the lettuce and boiled the eggs. In no time, Beomjin had peeled the eggs, and as he mashed them with a generous amount of sugar and mayonnaise, Junyoung couldn’t help but be impressed.
“You’re good at cooking, huh?”
“Definitely better than you.”
Beomjin replied nonchalantly as he watched her fingers slip while trying to peel the cheese wrapper. Junyoung, dodging him as he tried to snatch the cheese, leaned away.
“I’ve already handled the cheese. Don’t try to add anything now.”
With a small laugh, Beomjin shook his head.
“You’re stubborn in weird ways.”
“Stop nagging and spread some newspaper outside. We’re eating out there.”
“Put the lettuce on.”
Beomjin pointed at the lettuce she had torn up and grabbed the newspaper before heading outside. The sun was at its peak, scorching everything. He found a spot in the shade, dug out a few stones, and laid down the newspaper.
Junyoung never imagined she’d be doing something like this with her own hands. Sweat beaded on her forehead. Beomjin, noticing she’d spread the newspaper too widely, folded a few sheets and stacked them thicker in the middle.
Clearing his throat, he came back inside. As he watched Junyoung place the sandwiches on a plate, she looked at him as if asking why he was back.
Beomjin raised his dirty hand.
“Milk when you go out.”
Junyoung, carrying two plates piled high with oversized sandwiches, shouted as she walked outside. As she stepped on the ground, flattening it and picking out the stones while spreading the newspaper, she found it hard to believe she had only just placed the lettuce. Beomjin, however, just clicked his tongue and washed his hands at the sink.
With two small cartons of milk in hand, he paused as he stepped outside. The sunlight was blinding.
The breeze rustled the fresh green leaves of the trees, and Junyoung’s dark hair swayed in the wind. Kneeling carefully, she placed the plates down. A satisfied smile hung on her lips.
...If only she could take a picture of this moment.
Of everything happening right now.
Beomjin stood silently, watching her. Everything in the world passes by, and the same moment never comes twice.
Even if it’s just for an instant, if it could be held in the palm of your hand, something you could pull out and look at whenever you wanted...
“Why?”
Junyoung, holding the sandwich, called out to Beomjin, who was standing still. It felt as though something, buried deep under the murky emotions, was slowly beginning to stir.
Beomjin, who had been silently watching her, suddenly took a step forward. With every step he took, her heart thudded heavily.
“Yoon Junyoung.”
He called her name as he moved closer, and just as Junyoung was about to take a large bite of her sandwich, she froze. Her wide eyes widened even further as she awkwardly responded, still not closing her mouth.
“What?”
Emotions, too tangled to put into words, mixed inside her. She didn’t even know if they were emotions that could be expressed with words. As Junyoung’s simple displeasure shifted into confusion in her eyes, Beomjin spoke.
“Is it good?”
“You can see I haven’t eaten yet, right? Because of you.”
Junyoung glared at him before taking a large bite of her sandwich. Beomjin watched her lips as she chewed. Her lips, soft and delicate, curved into a gentle arc as she bit down.
“It’s really good! We should make this again later. We still have the bread and stuff left, right? And why do you always bring ramen, even though you have money? Not that I mind. I’m the one getting it for free.”
Chattering away, Junyoung took another big bite of the sandwich. She looked at Beomjin, silently encouraging him to eat as well. With a small smile, Beomjin sat next to her and picked up a sandwich.
A sudden hunger hit him. Following Junyoung, he bit into the sandwich, and as he tasted it, his eyebrows slowly raised. It seemed to make his mouth tighten.
“How much jam did you put on this?”
He asked coolly while opening the milk, and Junyoung grinned.
“Plenty. Tastes good, right?”
“It’s just sweetness.”
“I didn’t know you didn’t like sweet things. Why didn’t you tell me when I asked if there’s anything you don’t like?”
Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.
Her eyes sparkled with mischief. It was clear she now knew how to get back at him for the eggs he sometimes burst into his ramen when he was bored. Beomjin, licking his lips, corrected himself with a serious tone.
“I asked if there’s anything you can’t eat, not that you don’t like.”
“Well, that means you can eat it. You’ll like it more the more you eat. Try some more.”
With that absurd claim, Junyoung shoved a mouthful of sandwich into her mouth. Stunned, Beomjin let out a hollow laugh.
If he were to pick apart that ridiculous statement, it would be endless, but he said nothing. For a brief moment, the image of Junyoung smiling, purely happy without a single other thought, silenced him.
If she could just smile like that...
As Beomjin mechanically chewed his sandwich, he drank his milk. The lingering sweetness left a numbness in his mouth, but it was worth it. He made a silent vow in his head: don’t create any more problems with Yoon Junyoung. And don’t make her cook, either.
***
As Junyoung packed her bag, she suddenly turned around. Her mom, covered with a blanket, was sleeping without making a sound. The smell of alcohol lingered in the room, and a single 10,000-won bill had fallen next to her mom’s bag.
A 10,000-won bill couldn’t possibly ease all the resentment that had built up over time. She couldn’t understand why her mom had suddenly started working now.
...Could it be because the time for me to go to college is approaching?
This small amount of money would hardly make a difference. The only reason she was studying so hard was to get a scholarship to a university in Seoul.
Yet, she still couldn’t shake the image of her mom’s hand sticking out from the blanket. The reddish, swollen knuckles. Slipping her bag over her shoulder, Junyoung finally pulled the blanket up, covering her mom, and left the house.
Her situation hadn’t changed at all. In fact, it felt more pitiful now that she had seen it with her own eyes. But oddly, she didn’t feel bad.
As she walked, observing the familiar scenery, a crooked smile appeared on her lips. She had just thought of Beomjin, scowling while eating his sandwich.