Chapter 1 …
“Three for two thousand won.”
The man who had made eye contact with Seyeon took a crunchy bite of the apple in his hand before speaking in a bored tone.
It was a weekend market day. The old bus terminal, marked everywhere by the passage of time, was bustling with people.
That was when Seyeon spotted the steamed corn, white steam gently rising from the steamer.
More than the welcome sight of food, what caught her eye first was the vendor’s incongruous appearance. Sitting on a rickety chair made of several stacked cardboard boxes, the man somehow didn’t blend in with his surroundings—yet at the same time, strangely, he did.
The young, handsome male vendor didn’t miss the way her gaze lingered on the corn. She really was hungry, so Seyeon stood up and walked closer to him. His eyes slid upward to meet hers.
“One, please.”
“I don’t sell just one.”
“I only need one.”
As she spoke, Seyeon pulled two thousand won from her wallet and held it out to him. She wouldn’t be able to eat all of them anyway, so taking only what she needed was better for both sides.
Instead of taking the money, the man lifted his gaze to stare straight into her eyes and took another bite of his apple. He watched her silently for a moment, then slowly swallowed before finally speaking.
“Do you have a lot of money?”
“Not really.”
Seyeon’s background was just as ambiguous as that of a man wearing a luxury watch worth tens of millions of won while selling corn for three for two thousand. She didn’t even know why she’d answered honestly.
“Oh my, you’ve worked hard. You can go now.”
With the two thousand won still hanging between them, an elderly woman came hurrying over. She was the real corn vendor.
“There’s a customer here.”
And without hesitation, the man left the spot. The grandmother sat down where he had been and looked up at Seyeon with a beaming smile.
“Want some corn?”
“Yes. Just one, please. Here’s two thousand won.”
“It’s three for two thousand.”
“I can’t eat that much by myself.”
“It’s still good even when it cools down. Save it and eat it later. What a waste of money.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
Seyeon obediently accepted the three corns and returned to her seat. She didn’t want any more unnecessary back-and-forth.
“But you’re not a face I recognize. Do you have relatives living around here?”
“No. I came down here for work.”
“The only place around here where a young lady could work is Sunrise Resort. Did you get a job there?”
“Yes. There.”
Nodding, Seyeon ate her warm corn. Sunrise, a grand five-star hotel and resort built along the coast at the southwestern edge of the country, was where she would start her temporary job next week.
“Oh my, you’ve made it! Then where did you live before—Seoul?”
“Yes. I’m from Seoul.”
“Oh dear, so your whole family’s in Seoul and you came down here alone?”
“Everyone has their own work, you know.”
The grandmother was full of questions, and Seyeon answered fairly honestly. There was nothing she particularly needed to hide, and since they were just passing connections, she figured this much was fine.
“My goodness, sending such a pretty daughter so far away—your parents must be worried sick. Then where did you find a place to live? You’d have to go a bit into town for apartments.”
“Cheonghaeri.”
The house Seyeon had rented was in Cheonghaeri, a place famous for its beautiful sunsets.
There were apartment complexes farther out with better transportation and living conditions, but she’d chosen Cheonghaeri on purpose. The resort operated a staff shuttle that came close to her house, so commuting without a car wouldn’t be a problem.
“Cheonghaeri? Then wait just a moment. Director Si! You’re heading home now, right?”
The grandmother called out loudly to a man who had been talking with someone a short distance away. He turned to look at her as if asking what was going on, then nodded.
He seemed to be an academy director. There weren’t any academies around here, so maybe he worked in town. He didn’t look like someone with the personality to teach anyone, though.
“Perfect! Take this young lady along on your way. She’s going to Cheonghaeri too. Her luggage looks heavy—it’d be tough on the bus.”
“I have an appointment in town.”
The man glanced briefly at Seyeon before immediately refusing. It was clearly an excuse made on the spot.
“You said you were going home. You just nodded.”
“You must have seen wrong.”
So much for rural kindness.
Seyeon quietly watched the man’s back as he walked farther away and finished her corn. Even if he’d offered her a ride, she would’ve declined—but she’d been rejected regardless of her own wishes.
The grandmother, looking apologetic, said the bus would arrive soon, and Seyeon nodded a couple of times to show she understood.
Once she finished the corn, the bus arrived. Seyeon threw the cobs into the trash, carefully wiped her hands with wet tissues, then pulled her suitcase toward the front door of the bus. Perhaps because it was market day, quite a few people were boarding the bus to Cheonghaeri.
Among them, the only outsider was her.
Naturally, the passengers’ attention focused on Seyeon.
They took turns asking where she was from, what business she had in Cheonghaeri, and whether she knew anyone in town. Instead of looking out the window or ahead, everyone just stared at her.
“So that’s Seungho Grandma’s place. It’s been empty for ages—this is good.”
“I was wondering why a truck kept coming and going. Turns out it was because a young lady was moving in.”
Even though she hadn’t given a specific address, they somehow figured out where she lived. According to the realtor she’d spoken to, the only vacant house in Cheonghaeri had been the one she rented, so it made sense.
“But such a pretty young lady—what kind of unspeakable story brought you all the way to the countryside alone?”
The grandmother in the seat ahead turned fully toward her, asking carefully with a knowing look. The others held their breath, watching Seyeon’s lips.
“There’s no story, Grandma.”
Whatever answer she’d been hoping for, the grandmother looked disappointed.
Of course, there was a reason Seyeon had come to Cheonghaeri. It just wasn’t sad enough to satisfy the expectations of an audience on a bus.
By the time they reached the destination, every passenger—including the driver—knew her age, marital status, and the fact that she was an only child.
After getting off at the stop, Seyeon set her suitcase beside her and slowly looked around the neighborhood where she’d be staying for a while.
Her gaze finally landed on a long staircase leading upward. It looked steep—and she had a large, heavy suitcase. If she gave up on the stairs, she’d have to take a much longer route up.
The realtor hadn’t mentioned that the house was located at the top of a long flight of stairs. He’d only emphasized, again and again, how breathtaking the view from the front of the house was.
Since it was the only vacant house in the area, there really hadn’t been any alternative. And it was her own fault for deciding without seeing the place in person.
Gripping the suitcase handle with both hands, Seyeon began hauling it up the stairs with a groan, but she had to stop after only a few steps. For someone who’d grown up relatively pampered, this was her first taste of real physical labor.
After resting several times, she finally reached the top, where flat ground appeared and several houses came into view. Reading the house numbers one by one, Seyeon eventually stopped in front of a blue gate—her destination.
She paused to catch her breath and admire the scenery when the gate of the house across from hers clanged open. Turning at the sound, she saw the man who had earlier refused to let her ride, claiming he had an appointment.
He frowned the moment he saw her, but Seyeon greeted him in a fairly friendly tone.
“Nice to meet you. I just moved in next door.”
So much for neighborly luck.
“Nice to meet you?”
Definitely bad luck.
“This isn’t exactly downtown, either.”
Even though his lie had been exposed, the man didn’t bat an eye.
“That’s true. I don’t know how long you’ll stay, but good luck until then.”
“Thank you for the encouragement.”
“Don’t mention it.”
He seemed to have recognized at a glance that Seyeon wasn’t someone who would stay here long.
So this is what they call rural cold-shouldering?
Life isn’t easy.
