Chapter 6
“Thank you.”
The man’s face lit up instantly.
He smiled so brightly that dimples sank deep into his cheeks, his expression pure as a boy’s. The sight made Jeong-oh oddly self-conscious.
She cleared her throat. “Ahem.”
“It’s just… I know what it feels like to be left alone in a strange land.”
There had been a time when she’d stepped off a plane in America with nothing but a single backpack.
Unfamiliar English, unfamiliar people, unfamiliar streets — she had endured a long season of homesickness, one that nearly broke her.
Watching the man, she couldn’t help but be reminded of that lonely, frightened version of herself.
Maybe that was why she couldn’t bring herself to treat him as coldly as she usually might.
“So for the time being—”
Before she could finish, the man suddenly stepped forward and pulled her into a tight embrace.
Startled, Jeong-oh froze mid-sentence.
“Thank you. Truly… I was scared.”
“Scared?”
“Like you said — it felt like being left alone in a strange place. But for some reason, you don’t feel strange at all.”
“O-okay, I get it, now let go!”
She tried to push him away, but he caught her hand and pulled her closer instead.
“You really don’t remember me?”
His face was suddenly inches from hers.
He bent down slightly, eyes locking with hers — steady, almost magnetic.
“Because I think I know you.”
She couldn’t say anything.
Truth be told, when she’d first seen him, there had been a flicker of familiarity — a sense she’d seen those gray eyes somewhere before.
But no matter how she racked her memory, she couldn’t recall where.
Could it have been back in America, when I worked security?
The thought made her chest tighten.
“I don’t know you.”
Please, she prayed silently, let him not be someone from that part of my life.
“It’s the first time we’ve met.”
“…I see.”
He looked disappointed. Jeong-oh studied him for a moment, then turned away.
She’d already called the police, and they’d said they’d contact the embassy to identify him.
Once his identity was confirmed, they’d send him back to his family.
That was all.
She only had to endure until then.
She hoped — desperately — that he’d stay in her life no longer than that.
“Looks like you’ll have to manage the restaurant for a while, Auntie.”
— Because of that handsome stranger camping in your house, right?
Hyung-ji Auntie had been working in the kitchen long before Jeong-oh ever took over. She’d grown old beside Jeong-oh’s grandmother — though not born on Cheongho Island, she had come there as a bride before twenty, and stayed till her seventies.
“Please, take care of things for me.”
— Don’t you worry! I’ve worked that kitchen longer than you’ve been alive. Just look after your grandma. Heard she got hurt again? Poor thing, you’ve got your hands full.
Hyung-ji hung up before Jeong-oh could reply.
Jeong-oh pulled on her sun hat and stepped outside.
It was still before dawn.
The house was silent — no sound from Grandma’s room or the man’s.
She followed the narrow path behind the house until a broad cabbage field opened before her, rows of green shimmering under the faint light.
When the sun rose high enough to sting her eyes, she straightened her back.
Time to make breakfast for Grandma.
But when she returned home, the house was still too quiet.
Her grandmother — who usually would have caused some kind of ruckus by now — was nowhere to be seen.
“Grandma?”
The room was empty, the blankets rumpled.
“Where did she go this time?”
She sighed, turning toward the door — when suddenly, the bathroom door flew open with a loud thud.
“Grandma—”
She froze.
The man stood there — completely naked — sunlight pouring over his bare skin.
“What’s shampoo?”
Her eyes dropped before she could stop them — and her face went crimson.
Jeong-oh snatched up an empty rice sack from the porch and threw it at him like a weapon.
“W-what do you think you’re doing?!”
“What’s this?”
He looked down at the sack, shaking it curiously. Each movement of his arm made something else move in ways she very much did not want to see.
“Stop—! Get inside right now!”
She shoved him roughly back toward the bathroom.
“Put some clothes on!”
“I’m showering.”
“Not like that! And why is the water freezing? Doesn’t hot water come out?”
“You pervert! Get dressed this instant!”
“I told you, I’m showering!”
“Go back in!”
“What’s the problem?”
As he stepped backward, his heel caught the threshold.
He lost balance.
“Ah—!”
Instinctively, Jeong-oh reached out to catch him — but the next moment, they both tumbled into the bathroom.
“Ugh—!”
Pain shot through her shoulder. Before she could rise, a low voice murmured:
“Mind moving your hand?”
“What…?”
She looked down — and froze.
What she had grabbed wasn’t his arm.
“You grabbed the wrong place. And now it’s… hard.”
Her mind went blank. She yanked her hand away — only for him to seize it and pull her forward again.
She fell against his chest with a startled cry.
“W-what are you doing?!”
He didn’t answer.
He only looked up at her, gray eyes glinting beneath long lashes, their faces inches apart.
Something about the depth of that gaze made her forget to breathe.
And then—
“Wooow! My son-in-law’s a prince!”
The voice from the doorway made her jolt upright.
Her grandmother stood there, mouth smeared with chocolate, grinning ear to ear.
Not only her — the three elderly neighbors, the Il-Yi-Sam grandmas, stood peering over her shoulder.
“See? Told you she married herself a prince!”
“A prince with a royal scepter!”
And just like that, the man’s name was decided.
From that day on, he was Prince.
Jeong-oh shoved him back into the bathroom and stormed out.
Behind her, the old ladies were already gossiping excitedly.
“Did you see the size of that thing?”
“They say foreigners are big, but that big?”
“Is that even human?”
“Grandma!”
Her face burned so red it felt about to explode.
The grannies only laughed, delighted by her embarrassment.
Old Lady Il patted her shoulder kindly.
“So you’re keeping him for a while, eh? Then might as well make him your husband. Strong arms like that—”
Jeong-oh’s glare made the old woman quickly change her tune.
“—Strong sweet potatoes! I’d better go boil some for breakfast!”
Her grandmother tried to follow them out, but Jeong-oh grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into the room instead.
Finally, peace — or so she thought.
The man emerged from the bathroom, wearing the clothes she’d thrown at him earlier.
“Jeong-oh… I’m suffering.”
She blinked — and then saw why.
He stood nearly six-foot-three, broad-shouldered, muscular — yet he was squeezed into Cheong-seok’s clothes, who was barely five-foot-seven.
A yellow t-shirt with Dooly the Dinosaur printed across it barely reached his stomach, showing off taut abs.
The red track pants clung tight like leggings, stopping above his ankles.
“Pfft—!”
Cheong-seok, who’d appeared out of nowhere, burst into uncontrollable laughter.
“Pffhaha! Oh my god, look at him! Ahahaha!”
The man twisted awkwardly, grimacing, obviously uncomfortable.
Cheong-seok rolled onto the floor, howling.
“Hahahahahaha!”
Jeong-oh rubbed her temples.
Then she noticed him fidgeting, one hand wandering lower.
“Stop touching yourself!”
“It’s too tight, Jeong-oh.”
He tugged at the hem of the pants, looking genuinely pained.
“It hurts down there.”
