The next day, my cell phone started ringing loudly at 7 am.
I flipped my phone over in frustration, and when I saw the caller's name, my anger surged. It was my dad.
" hello. "
“It’s Dad. How’s it going there?”
It was so embarrassing to call so early in the morning and be so rude. I didn't even want to hear his voice, so I gave him a vague answer and hung up.
"It's better than I thought. What's wrong?"
“I just called to check up on you. Are you still asleep?”
"Yes. I'm going to sleep comfortably for the first time in a while."
"Make a habit of waking up early. I'll quit now."
Such advice no longer caught my ear. Then, one person suddenly came to mind: Choi Beom-gyu.
At around 9 o'clock, I went to Choi Beom-gyu's house to return the umbrella.
At first, the dewy flowers and the dirt road after the rain were just annoying, but now I was happy.
After walking for some time, I saw a familiar house in the distance. Unable to find Choi Beom-gyu in the field, I rang the doorbell.
“Bam-”
“What’s going on this morning?”
He's handsome. Judging by his hoarse voice, he must not have been up long, but he's prettier than me.
“When did you wake up?”
“It’s been about 10 minutes...”
“Heh.. why are you so fine in the morning?”
“Uh.. you don’t know?”
Afterwards, we chatted for a while and went inside. Perhaps because the rain had stopped a long time ago, the water was no longer leaking.
“Grandma is sleeping, so be quiet.”
“Ah.. I get it!”
To give a rough idea of Choi Beom-gyu's layout, it had two rooms, a kitchen, and a small living room. While Choi Beom-gyu was preparing breakfast, I looked around the house and discovered a childhood photo album of his.
“20@@ year @ month @ day.. This is my elementary school graduation photo.”
It was cute to see Choi Beom-gyu smiling brightly in front of the elementary school gate. He was completely different from now. At that time, someone caught my eye.
“Are your parents here?”
Two people were smiling identically next to Choi Beom-gyu. At first glance, their faces looked so similar that I knew they were his parents. But why do they live only with their grandmother now? I figured there must be a reason, so I decided not to talk about them.
“Hey, the food is ready!”
" oh.. But shouldn't grandma eat it too?"
"Oh, grandma will eat what I prepared later."
He picked up his spoon and began to eat. The house was quiet, and only silence enveloped them. Beomgyu was the first to speak.
“Did you sleep well last night?”
"Yeah. It's kind of comfortable and nice here. It's really different from the damn city."
“Do you hate the city that much?”
“Yeah. It’s really stuffy and difficult.”
" I see.. "
“Oh, then do you want to go to Seoul together later?”
“Yeah. Definitely do that.”
“.. I think I’m really glad I came here and met you.”
“I was bored too. I was the only student here.”
The more I talked to Choi Beom-gyu, the more I felt like I was being forced to peer into his depths. I quickly finished my meal and followed him out into the fields.
“I’ll explain it only once, so listen carefully.”
I first learned how to dig potatoes from Choi Beom-gyu. It seemed simple, but my arms were sore from actually doing it, and finding the potatoes was difficult.
“I won’t do it.”
“You told me to look again.”
That guy was really determined. He was really unlucky. I crouched there for 30 minutes, listening to Choi Beom-gyu. My skills improved just a little, and after that, I was able to dig potatoes with great skill.
"I bought all of this. What do you think?"
"Good job. It's a little better now."
"Ugh... It's so hard;"
"Would you like to work in our fields? We need an assistant."
" salary? "
“Come to my house and eat whenever you want.”
"Oh, of course I should. When should I start doing it?"
"Starting tomorrow. Come out by 9 a.m."
I was tempted by the price and immediately agreed, but the conditions were quite demanding. Moreover, they wanted me to work the fields without any pay, just food. The more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it was, and I couldn't help but laugh.