It was a moment of palpable tension.
The grandmother, her face etched with clear displeasure as she regarded her grandson and the imposing figure of the President, finally parted her lips to speak.
Yet, by a stroke of fortune for the two men, her impending lecture was swiftly cut short.
The doctor, entering precisely at that instant with his array of treatment tools, inadvertently became their savior.
Consequently, the grandmother’s anticipated stream of admonitions never even had the chance to begin.
Instead, the doctor’s own stern pronouncements were immediately unleashed upon the grandmother, a cascade of medical advice interspersed with gentle scolding.
Hakyung, standing attentively nearby, readily joined the fray, his voice echoing the doctor’s words in supportive agreement.
At her grandson’s utterly annoying yet endearing habit of constantly interjecting with commentary, a clear sign of his playful defiance, steam seemed to metaphorically billow from the grandmother’s head, a vivid indicator of her escalating frustration.
“Pay with this,” the grandmother declared, her voice firm.
Her leg, encased in a substantial cast, made her movements cumbersome, but she still managed to gingerly fish a card from her pocket.
Hakyung, ever vigilant, reacted in an instant, leaping forward as if propelled by a spring.
“I’m earning money now, what are you doing! Please, put that away right now,” he insisted, his tone a mix of exasperation and affection.
“Grandma has money too!” she retorted, a defiant glint in her eyes.
“I do too!” Hakyung declared, almost childishly, yet with a newfound sense of responsibility.
He briefly exchanged words with her, then turned on his heel and scurried towards the front desk, leaving his grandmother momentarily behind.
The old woman watched his retreating figure, a wistful sigh escaping her lips.
Just a few short years ago, her grandson had been utterly dependent, seemingly unable to do anything without her guidance.
Now, witnessing him take charge, tending to her needs with such earnestness, a profound sense of regret settled over her, overshadowing her pride.
A bitter taste lingered in her mouth; she felt as though she had become a useless, elderly woman, relegated to the “back room,” who had inadvertently taken her grandson’s precious time and hard-earned money.
“Hakyung receives a very good salary. Please don’t worry,” Muheon, who had been remarkably silent until this moment, finally interjected, his voice calm and reassuring.
At his words, the grandmother let out a hollow, almost disbelieving laugh, a soft “Huh” escaping her lips.
“Is that so? Hakyung called me the other day, saying he was earning a lot. So, it must have been true, then?” she mused, her skepticism slowly giving way to a hint of genuine curiosity.
“Yes, it’s absolutely true,” Muheon confirmed, his answer remarkably straightforward and unambiguous.
The man, the President, maintained an enigmatic demeanor throughout.
It was genuinely difficult to discern whether he was actively trying to make a good impression on the grandmother or if he simply wasn’t giving the situation much thought at all.
Even for someone with a wealth of social experience, one might anticipate a degree of hesitation or perhaps even awkwardness when facing a loved one’s family, especially a grandmother.
Yet, there was no hint of such apprehension from Muheon whatsoever.|
His composure was unwavering.
The grandmother, her gaze piercing, thoroughly scrutinized the man once more, her eyes taking in every detail.
Then, as if a signal had been given, she commenced her detailed interrogation.
“You said you were old,” she stated, her tone direct.
“Yes, quite old,” Muheon responded evenly.
He wisely refrained from adding the unspoken thought that undoubtedly lingered in his mind: ‘Older than you, Grandma, who’s speaking so informally to me.’
“Is your business strong?” she pressed, her voice laced with a practical concern for her grandson’s future.
“It’s a family business, passed down through generations,” Muheon explained confidently.
“Therefore, there’s absolutely no chance of it collapsing overnight, not in a single day.”
The grandmother’s brow, which had been furrowed with concern during the discussion of his age, visibly relaxed, the lines of worry subtly widening as a hint of satisfaction crossed her face.
“But, are you from the sea?” she suddenly inquired, her voice dropping slightly, laced with an old suspicion.
“I keep sensing a salty presence when you’re nearby.”
“Yes,” Muheon confirmed, his voice now a little more subdued.
This time, he didn’t have much to elaborate on.
He had heard tales that the village elders harbored a deep-seated aversion towards “sea folk,” a sentiment that had existed long before Hakyung had suffered that significant accident in the ocean.
Yet, Hakyung’s endearing habit of mumbling, despite everything, that he liked the President was so charming that at the time, Muheon had simply kissed him without much deeper thought.
But now, receiving such unpleasant glances purely for being from the sea, he found the feeling rather disagreeable.
Although, to be fair, even the sea dwellers themselves often regarded river creatures with disdain, claiming they carried the unpleasant scent of dirt. It was a mutual, if somewhat petty, disdain.
“Huh, indeed,” the grandmother scoffed, a mixture of disbelief and lingering resentment in her voice.
“Did you know my grandson almost drowned in the sea?”
“I heard about it,” Muheon replied, his tone respectful.
Not only had he heard about it, but he had also personally saved him.
Muheon knew, with a certainty that bordered on amusement, that if he were to reveal he’d fallen for Kang Hakyung’s cries as a child, he would undoubtedly receive a swift and painful beating right then and there.
Muheon, who had briefly chuckled to himself internally at the thought, then continued the conversation, his expression returning to its composed state.
“The punk – no, the guy who claimed to have saved him back then,” Muheon corrected himself, a slight edge entering his voice, “he apparently subjected Hakyung to consistently unfair treatment.”
“Yes, that darned scoundrel!” the grandmother exclaimed, her anger flaring anew. “Just looking at his face used to make my stomach clench! Didn’t his family just up and run away into the night after their house completely failed?”
“He hasn’t shown up since?” Muheon inquired, a hint of curiosity in his voice.
“Never! Not a single strand of hair!” she declared emphatically, clearly pleased by his absence.
It seemed Kim Taeyoung had the good sense to stay hidden, at least to preserve his own life and avoid the grandmother’s wrath.
The grandmother was still visibly fuming, huffing and puffing with unreleased anger, when Hakyung, having completed the payment process, returned and playfully rolled his eyes at her.
He seemed genuinely curious, wondering what intense discussion had transpired during his brief absence.
The grandmother and Muheon both fell silent simultaneously, their eyes meeting in a moment of shared understanding.
There was an unspoken agreement: there was no need to provide Hakyung with any additional clues that might trigger painful or negative memories from his past.
“Grandma, for now, please stay like this for two weeks, and then we’ll come back for another X-ray,” Hakyung instructed, his voice gentle but firm.
“Two weeks? What am I going to do, it’s so stifling!” she grumbled, her frustration evident.
“Then who told you to fall in the first place? I’m so upset, really!” Hakyung retorted, a mix of genuine concern and playful annoyance in his voice.
He emphatically pounded his chest, a gesture of his distress.
Even now, his heart sank at the vivid memory of his grandmother’s heavily bruised and swollen leg.
The grandmother, witnessing her grandson’s genuine distress, felt an equal measure of frustration.
Regardless of the precise reason for her fall, it was an undeniable fact that she had caused her beloved family worry and inconvenience.
An awkward silence settled over them for a while, punctuated only by the subtle sounds of the clinic.
Muheon, ever the steady presence, gently patted Hakyung’s back with his large hand.
A faint tremor, perhaps from Hakyung’s lingering anxiety, transmitted through his palm.
“Hakyung worried about you a lot,” Muheon observed softly, addressing his boyfriend.
“Kang Hakyung, you just need to say you worried about Grandma, why are you getting angry?”
“But… Yes, you’re right, I did get angry. I’m sorry for being angry, Grandma,” Hakyung conceded, his voice subdued.
He bowed his head, his shoulders slumping slightly.
He felt genuine remorse for having allowed his own frustration to show, especially when the person in pain was his grandmother.
The grandmother’s lips curled into a gentle, knowing smile as she watched Hakyung apologize so readily.
It was as if her formerly immature, somewhat childish, eldest grandson had matured a little, gaining a new perspective.
Perhaps Hakyung had also become more dependable, taking on a more responsible air, possibly influenced by his quiet and sturdy boyfriend, Muheon.
Though the fact that Muheon was from the sea, older, and somewhat taciturn bothered her a little, a small reservation in her heart, it was ultimately acceptable.
This was because it was abundantly clear to her discerning eyes that he cared very deeply for her grandson.
How many people had she met, and how many relationships had she formed over her seventy-plus years of life?
In her experienced eyes, the man, the President, was not someone with whom one would simply exchange casual affections.
He was a man of substance.
The grandmother, making a decisive move, firmly grasped the man’s forearm and, looking him directly in the eye, asked,
“Hakyung’s boyfriend. How about it, care to stay and eat a meal with us?”
***
Muheon was already two bowls of rice down, a testament to his hearty appetite, even in his somewhat uncomfortable, cramped position at the small dining table.
Hakyung’s younger siblings, sitting beside him, watched the man eat with wide-eyed fascination, their mouths agape in astonishment.
“Wow, Hakyung hyung’s boss really eats well!” exclaimed one of the younger siblings.
“He’s so big, so he should eat that much! Oppa is always a picky eater, that’s why he’s so small!” chirped another, playfully teasing Hakyung.
“Hey! Kang Dolphin is originally small, okay?” Hakyung retorted, a good-natured complaint.
The Kang family home, now even noisier with the youngest, Hawon, joining in after returning from school, buzzed with lively chatter.
The sound of his siblings bickering, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, was not annoying; rather, it filled Hakyung’s heart with a comforting warmth, a familiar, heartwarming melody.
Hakyung scooped another generous bowl of rice from the rice cooker and carefully placed it in front of the President.
“President, our grandma’s food is really delicious, isn’t it!” Hakyung declared proudly, his chest swelling with familial pride.
“Yeah,” Muheon affirmed, his mouth full, a slight smile playing on his lips.
“Here, these are the shrimp in the toha-jeot!” Hakyung continued, his enthusiasm bubbling over. “I caught them myself. It’s delicious, right!”
Hakyung carefully placed a portion of the fermented seafood onto Muheon’s spoon and beamed, his face lighting up with a radiant smile.
Though it wasn’t a particularly useful skill in the bustling city of Seoul, he truly wanted to let Muheon know that he was, in fact, the toha catching ace of this very village, a local legend in his own right.
Muheon, a faint smile gracing his lips as he observed Hakyung’s excitement, then gobbled it all down in one bite.
It was an appetite so robust, so insatiable, that it was utterly unimaginable for someone who had just finished two hearty bowls of rice moments before.
Hakyung, equally delighted by Muheon’s enjoyment, also polished off his own bowl of rice with gusto.
“It’s so good to eat Grandma’s food after a long time. The President is eating it so deliciously too! As expected, our Grandma is the best!” Hakyung exclaimed, his voice filled with genuine warmth and contentment.
“Really? I’m embarrassed to always serve you the same food without any meat, but it makes me happy to see you eat so well!” the grandmother chuckled, her heart warmed by their appreciation.
As Hakyung enthusiastically gave a double thumbs-up, the grandmother laughed with a childlike joy, her face crinkling with happiness like a young girl’s.
Her grandchildren, seeing her infectious smile, also broke into wide grins.
It was a simple, yet profoundly happy and heartwarming moment for the family.
Only Muheon, who had never in his entire life been in such a wonderfully ticklish or overtly emotional situation, remained silent.
He simply continued to eat, steadily finishing his third bowl of rice, a testament to the meal’s deliciousness and his quiet enjoyment.
***
Hakyung, patting his now very full stomach, began to prepare for his return journey to Seoul.
His grandmother and siblings all wore expressions of profound disappointment, their faces showing their sadness at his departure, but they were careful not to make a show of it.
Hakyung felt the same keen disappointment.
However, he knew that just for today, both he and the President had suddenly taken the day off from work.
This meant it was a certainty that the rest of their colleagues would have had to work even harder to cover their absence.
It was a considerable relief that as long as he was careful not to put too much weight on his grandmother’s injured leg or allow her to overdo it, her condition wouldn’t worsen significantly.
Hakyung entrusted his younger siblings with the important task of looking after their grandmother, and then diligently initiated an online transfer on his mobile phone.
“This is for you guys to buy tasty food, and new hats. Got it?” he instructed, his voice filled with care and generosity.
“Whoa, what! Hyung gave us pocket money!” exclaimed one of the younger ones, their eyes wide with disbelief and joy.
“Me too, me too!” another chimed in, equally thrilled.
It was a rather substantial amount for his siblings, who were still students, to receive at once.
Hakyung sniffled, a wave of inexplicable awkwardness washing over him as he watched his siblings literally jump around with unbridled excitement.
His grandmother looked ready to launch into another lengthy round of nagging about him giving money to the kids.
Hakyung, anticipating her lecture, quickly maneuvered away from her, grabbed Muheon’s arm, and hurried towards the waiting car.
“Grandma! I’ll be back the weekend after next! Don’t do any farm work, and don’t move around, okay?” he called out, his voice filled with lingering concern.
“That, that! That little piggy!” the grandmother exclaimed in exasperation, but her tone was softened by affection.
Leaving his grandmother’s shouts echoing behind them, Hakyung swiftly climbed into the passenger seat.
As he settled into the car, which smelled refreshingly cool, much like the President’s own subtle scent, a deep, contented breath escaped him naturally.
The familiar scent brought a sense of calm after the emotional whirlwind.
Muheon, having smoothly gotten into the driver’s seat, reached over and gently touched Hakyung’s soft cheek, his fingers brushing against his skin.
“It’s a relief you weren’t hurt too badly,” Muheon murmured, his voice laced with genuine concern.
“Yeah, right. It’s a relief,” Hakyung agreed, his voice a little shaky.
Hakyung’s shoulders trembled slightly as he replied that it was a huge relief, that he had been truly surprised and shaken by the incident.
His large, expressive eyes also wavered uncontrollably, reflecting the lingering shock and emotion.