Stranger

I creased my forehead, but I quickly relaxed my expression because of the sweet and spicy taste in my mouth. 

“Why did you go there?”

“I wanted to have a lot of choices. And there are many legal professionals who are not from the law department.”

Sundae and fries were served. Yeon Woojeong put a round fried potato in his mouth. Economics. Not only did I get a headache just from thinking about it, but I also couldn’t link it with Yeon Woojeong.

“Was it fun?”

“The lecture? Or college life?”

“The lecture.”

“Some were and some weren’t.”

He picked up a long fry, turned it around, and bit it in half. After chewing it a few times, he said, “It’s dried filefish.” So I took the remaining half and ate it. It was my first time eating fried dried filefish, and it was tasty. Yeon Woojeong looked at me, then he ordered another fried filefish.

“What about college life?”

“Erm, looking back, it was fun.”

“…”

“What about you? Did you drop out?”

The flow of the conversation was natural, but Yeon Woojeong’s question felt sudden. I nodded slowly after swallowing what was in my mouth. He didn’t show any particular response. Looking at Yeon Woojeong stabbing tteokbokki with a toothpick, I asked.

“Do you want me to go to school?”

Though I can’t go to school, I’m sure I can take the GED. There will surely be more choices for a high school diploma than a middle school diploma. Won’t I be able to share more various kinds of conversation with Yeon Woojeong if I study? He won’t be embarrassed with me, but he might hear something unpleasant if someone asks about me.

“Who knows.”

Is he trying to tell me to do as I wish again? He put the tteokbokki he was playing with into my mouth, and I chewed it. I traced his gaze, and it stayed on my lips.

“I think experience is more important than educational level, so I’m sure there’ll be some experience you can do now. Even if it’s not in school…”

He reached out his finger and rubbed the corner of my lips. I wondered if I got something there, so I looked at his finger, but there was nothing there. Yeon Woojeong smirked.

“Take your time to think. Whatever I’m saying now won’t reach you after all.”

“…”

“Just do what you want. Try to regret and fail as well. Then you tell me.”

“About what?”

“What you lost and what you gained. Also, what didn’t change. Everything.”

The abstract words felt distant, and nothing I achieved, but somehow I felt expecting and excited. If Yeon Woojeong were by my side, watching all that process, nothing would be so scary.

Does Yeon Woojeong also want to know everything about me?

The ordinary snack stand on the side of the street, where a lot of people passed by, seemed to be shining. The noise from all over felt cozy.

“So, how do you feel?”

“How do I feel?”

“Do you like it after working for a month?”

“Yeah. But… I won’t keep working there.”

“Why?”

“I can’t do this work forever. And…”

“And?”

“I don’t think it’s something I want to do.”

Honestly, it was a haughty opinion— if I weren’t living with Yeon Woojeong in his home. 

What I wanted to do wasn’t important. I had to decide what to do or not depending on how much I didn’t want to do it. I still haven’t yet found what I want to do, and things like dreams and such are only pie in the sky.

However, I did get curious when I saw Yeon Woojeong, who works diligently, and Seo Jihee, who sometimes talks about design excitedly. What will I do in the future? What will I want to do? The job in the convenience store wasn’t bad, and it was rather easy, but I couldn’t picture myself doing it in the future.

“Alright.”

After Yeon Woojeong responded briefly, he caressed my head. Somehow, I felt awkward, so I filled my stomach with food that I had put off while talking. Yeon Woojeong also helped, but he ate moderately and withdrew his hand, saying that his taste seemed to have changed since then.

After I finished eating, I remembered that I had decided to pay, so I quickly took out a bill from my pocket and looked at the menu on the wall. I calculated it, and it was precisely 10,000 won. I took out a 10,000 bill and gave it to the store owner. A meal with only a 10,000 bill. It was an unexpected situation, so I was a little bewildered and dissatisfied.

“Did you choose this on purpose?”

“I told you, didn’t I? I wanted to come with you.”

“…”

“I enjoyed the food. Thank you.”

Yeon Woojeong expressed it seriously with a nonchalant expression. I couldn’t blow out my dissatisfaction if he talked like that. But next time… I can buy him something better. There will be a lot of chances and time. Is this why everyone works faithfully? Not only for a warm home and delicious food?

I put the remaining 190,000 won into my inner pocket, closed the zipper, and stood up in silence. I was full, so I couldn’t think of anything else to eat. I walked around the market with Yeon Woojeong, but there was nothing particular to look at. When we reached a corner where there were no people, Yeon Woojeong stopped.

“Shall we do that?”

What he pointed to was a game machine in front of the claw machine shop. The lights went up one by one as two children hit the round plate with a hammer together. The children’s score on the scoreboard, which ranges from 1 to 10, was 4.

“Ow, shit!”

“Waste of money.”

The children quickly lost interest and disappeared after kicking the game machine. I didn’t know he would take interest in things like that. When I looked at Yeon Woojeong, wondering if he was serious, he pulled up the corners of his lips and walked there.

It was 500 won per round. The coin changer was inside the store. Yeon Woojeong didn’t seem to have coins, so I walked inside and exchanged coins. When I handed him two 500 won coins, he handed me one back.

Yeon Woojeong picked up the hammer first. The children put their hands together and lifted it with difficulty, but he easily grasped it with one hand. Looking at him, I said.

“I’m sure my score will be higher.”

As he was getting ready to lift the hammer, he glanced back at me and smirked.

“I know. I don’t bet on losing fights.”

How boring. Does he have no competitive spirit? If I heard this from Yeon Woojeong, I might have swung the hammer with all my might.

Yeon Woojeong lifted the hammer with both hands and hit the plate. It seemed light and effortless on the outside, but the sound was heavy enough for the people around to look back. 

The light rose quickly and slowly moved one step at a time as it reached the end. The light that seemed to reach the top stopped at 9 and did not rise anymore. After breathing out once, Yeon Woojeong handed the hammer over to me.

I put in the coin and grasped the hammer. The game machine played cheerful music. Somehow, I felt nervous as I was aware that Yeon Woojeong was looking. After taking a slow, deep breath, I raised the hammer.

My arm collapsed when I slammed it down. I put down the hammer and looked at the light that quickly went up. The score reached 10 without stalling. The game machine played celebration music loudly.

When I turned to Yeon Woojeong, he bobbed his brows.

“I told you you’re born with it.”

What am I born with? After dusting off my hands, I approached him and asked,

“Do you like things like this?”

“No. But it’s good, isn’t it?  Relieving stress.”

“Do you relieve your stress by doing things like this?”

“No.”

“Then?”

Yeon Woojeong opened his mouth and then closed it. He glanced the other way and took a step. What’s wrong? It was strange that he didn’t answer even though it was a trivial question.