Mudoo - Chapter 60

Cheonghae-dong’s evening scenery was still beautiful, like a scene plucked straight from an old folktale, full of quiet nostalgia.

Hobun wore nothing but a thin shirt draped along his lean frame. The sight of him made him seem so fragile that Seula couldn’t help worrying, what if he suddenly collapsed? What if his knees gave out or one of those long limbs broke without warning? She followed him with quiet unease.

They pushed open the wooden gate and stepped inside.

“Wow, it’s been forever. Looks like you’ve gathered a bit more stuff since last time. Feels even cozier now.”

Following Hobun into the main house, Seula glanced around, lost in thought. She remembered the time after the gangsters had trashed Hobun’s place, when she helped him put it back together. Clearing out broken furniture and hauling away the debris had been no easy job. Hard to believe that had already been six months ago.

“You should’ve visited Cheonghae-dong sometimes. I missed you.” Hobun came over with a household first-aid kit, speaking in his usual lighthearted way.

Seula immediately took it from him. “Give me that. I’ll do it.”

She dabbed ointment onto a cotton swab and gently pressed it against the split at the corner of his lip. Hobun flinched, probably from the sting.

“I missed you too. You and Dong-gil.” She deliberately left out Kang Tae-shin’s name, feeling awkward for no reason. Hobun’s lips curved into a soft smile.

“So you’re not going to mention the one you missed the most?”

“That’s not true. I really only missed you and Dong-gil.”

“You’re blushing like a shy ten-year-old.”

“I’m not shy, it’s just…”

She had run out of Kang Tae-shin’s house on her own two feet. Tae-shin had wanted her to stay, to go back to being as close as family, like before. But she refused, because she didn’t want to become Yeo-ok’s stand-in. That was the clearest reason.

Thinking back to the moment she walked away left a bitter taste in her mouth. Sometimes, she missed him so much it ached and even wished she could return to that time… but she didn’t regret her decision. She had no desire to live as a replacement for someone else in Kang Tae-shin’s life.

“Seula, how long are you planning to keep putting ointment on me?” Hobun’s wry smile broke her thoughts. She looked up and realized his lips were completely glazed in a shiny layer of ointment.

“Oh—sorry. I’m done.”

“Were you preparing in advance in case I get hurt again?” Hobun laughed like he’d made a harmless joke. It wasn’t funny, but Seula managed a polite little smile.

“Don’t go getting into fights again. Call the police or something. What’s the point of carrying a phone if you don’t use it? Though, really, the best thing would be not getting mixed up with people like that in the first place.”

“It’s not the kind of connection I can avoid just because I don’t want it.” Hobun closed the kit with a quiet snap.

The cryptic tone made Seula ask without thinking, “Why not?”

“You’ve heard the saying ‘beauty brings misfortune,’ right? Someone as beautiful as me is bound to get caught up in trouble sooner or later.”

And it was true, Hobun had that delicate, tragic beauty, like a single bloom in the rain. His eyes always seemed damp, his features were perfectly arranged, so flawless that anyone would stop and stare.

It was funny to hear him call himself the embodiment of that saying, but with Hobun, it was somehow believable.

“Seula, you haven’t had dinner yet, have you? I’ll set the table, just give me a moment.”

“If beauty brings misfortune, you must not be in great shape. I’ll help so we can eat faster.” Seula quickly got up and headed to the kitchen.

***

“You met them at a GED prep academy?” Seula blinked, surprised at the update on Hobun’s life.

Apparently, his dream was to experience college life, so he’d disguised his identity and enrolled at a specialized GED school. By coincidence, the school was near Seula’s office, that’s how they’d run into each other.

“They sat next to me a few times and decided we were friends. Then they offered to pay for my tutoring if I’d study with them. Next thing I knew, they were inviting me over to their house.”

Seula listened quietly. Hobun sounded like he’d been holding this in for a while.

“I politely refused, it felt off. But no matter how many times I said no, they clung to me like a leech. And today, finally…”

His words trailed off. He cupped his swollen left cheek with his palm.

“There really are so many awful people in the world.”

“I know, right?” Seula agreed, and Hobun nodded hard.

Between the gangster incident and now this, she thought his striking looks and unusual aura really did curse him with bad luck.

After a while, Hobun asked, “How about you, Seula? I’ve heard working life in Seoul can be brutal.”

“I’ve been fine, no big problems. Just working hard, and on weekends I go see movies or performances by myself.”

“Do you make a lot of money at your company?”

It was an innocent question, but it hit harder than if it had been malicious.

“That depends on the company.”

“And yours?”

“Don’t ask any more. That’s rude.”

Hobun looked genuinely puzzled, but when he noticed her discomfort, he changed the subject.

“I just wondered if you make more now than when you were working with Kang Tae-shin catching the dead. Sorry if that upset you.”

At the mention of Tae-shin, Seula quietly set down her spoon.

“Is… Kang Tae-shin doing well?”

Hobun’s chopsticks froze mid-air. He tilted his head, unsure how to answer. When she pressed again—

“Did something happen to him?”

“Well… I don’t know if I’d call it ‘doing well’ or not.”

Seula’s fingers trembled. Worry clouded her eyes. What had happened while she’d been gone? Was he hurt? Sick? Tae-shin’s face was just as arresting as Hobun’s—had he gotten caught in some jealous drama, or something dangerous? Her mind spun with possibilities.

After a long pause, Hobun finally spoke. “He lost his memory.”

“…What?”

“He made a deal with Yeomra. In exchange for turning him into someone who could age and die like a normal person, Yeomra took all of Tae-shin’s memories.”

Seula stared, mouth slightly open. Having been cut off from that world for half a year, words like “Yeomra” felt unreal to her now.

Seeing her blank expression, Hobun added, “He doesn’t even remember me or Dong-gil.”

That meant Tae-shin wouldn’t remember her either. A dull ache spread in her chest.

She’d left Cheonghae-dong intending never to see him again, so it shouldn’t have mattered whether he remembered her or not. But still…

Memories of last winter with him flickered in her mind, like flipping through an old photo album, knowing full well she could never go back.

“Smells like good food!”

The sudden ring of the doorbell was followed by Dong-gil’s voice outside. Startled, Seula turned toward the gate.

“Sounds like Dong-gil and Kang Tae-shin came to visit. Perfect timing, huh?”

Even Hobun seemed surprised as he got up to answer the door. Seula stayed seated, not ready to face Tae-shin, especially not this Tae-shin, who didn’t remember her.

The murmur of voices floated in from the gate.

“What brings you here at this hour?”

“Mung bean pancakes. Found them on the way.”

“Found them, my foot! I made too many, so I brought the extras.”

“Uh, by the way, there’s a guest inside.”

“A guest?”

Seula looked up, and there they were, Dong-gil and Tae-shin, stepping inside. She froze, unsure whether to stand. Dong-gil spotted her first and blurted out—

“Seula! It’s Seula!”

He bounded over, circling her excitedly, tail wagging like crazy.

“How have you been, Dong-gil?” She ran her hand over his still-glossy fur. He was too excited to answer, panting happily.

Biting her lip, Seula shifted her gaze to Tae-shin, who stood in the doorway. He tilted his head slightly, looking at her with cool, detached eyes.

“You smell… unusual.”

Hearing his voice for the first time in so long made her heart give a small, unsteady thump.