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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Honey
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An autumn night, a bonfire crackled to life.
As marshmallows were held over the gentle flames, their unique sweetness drifted through the air. With sweet potatoes and corn provided by the lodge for grilling, and sips of low-alcohol sparkling wine, it was a truly healing experience.
What else is rest for an office worker tied to the monotony of daily life? It’s sitting with people who share the same goals, the same hardships, the same hidden laughter and hopes, and sharing stories of a similar vein.
It’s me empathizing with your story, and you with mine. It’s hard, but what can you do? The weariness of life isn’t just our burden. So, shall we find a little more strength? Shall we hold on a little longer?
Gathered around the bonfire, as if to burn away the worries and anxieties piled in their hearts, all sorts of conversations began. The small flames had a way of captivating the heart, and soon, deep conversations that were rarely had began to flow.
“Yeon-joo, have this.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Mr. Joo handed her a perfectly toasted marshmallow, and Yeon-joo took it. A gentle warmth filled the air for a moment, and a pleased smile spread across Hae-yeong’s lips as she watched them.
There was a reason Hae-yeong had invited Mr. Joo to this small gathering today. She had sensed something special in the way he looked at Yeon-joo and wanted to actively create opportunities for them to be together.
“You have some too, Mr. Joo. Here.”
“Ah, thank you, Yeon-joo.”
Hae-yeong had been worried about Yeon-joo always being alone. She was still so young and beautiful. Hae-yeong hoped she wouldn’t miss her chance at destiny when a good person appeared.
Unaware of Hae-yeong's maternal smile, Yeon-joo took a bite of the hot marshmallow. Her eyes widened at the gooey texture, and Mr. Joo laughed.
“It's hot. You should be careful.”
“Ooh, hot. So hot.”
Her childlike fussing over the heat made Mr. Joo laugh a little louder. It always felt so good when Yeon-joo, who rarely showed much change in expression, revealed a different side like this.
Thinking she must have looked a bit foolish, Yeon-joo turned her head away and covered her mouth. Her gaze naturally drifted around, searching for Eun-seong, who hadn't arrived yet.
He said he was coming, so why isn’t he here?
I don't want to be the one waiting. I told myself I wouldn't anxiously wonder when he'd come, when I'd see him.
Contrary to her thoughts, her eyes kept wandering.
“Eun-seong! Over here!”
As Hae-yeong called out loudly, Yeon-joo squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them. After searching for him so desperately, the moment she heard he'd arrived, her gaze fell to the ground.
The sound of crunching gravel drew near, then stopped behind her. Yeon-joo feigned ignorance and took a bite of her marshmallow. It had been so sweet, so hot, but now she couldn't taste a thing.
“Thank you for the invitation.”
“Welcome, Eun-seong. Please, sit anywhere. Wherever you're comfortable.”
As Eun-seong stood behind Yeon-joo, the staff members voluntarily shifted to make space for him. With a spot cleared for him, Eun-seong plopped down next to Yeon-joo, flanking her with Mr. Joo on one side and him on the other.
As he sat down, the scent of his cologne, reminiscent of bittersweet grass, wafted over. During filming, he usually wore sponsored clothes and didn't use cologne, but in his own clothes, he was followed by this pleasant scent.
Yeon-joo felt a tickle in her nose for no reason and let out a small cough.
“I didn't know you liked marshmallows, Eun-seong. You enjoy this sort of thing.”
Hae-yeong passed him a well-toasted marshmallow, and Eun-seong took it. Twirling it as if he had no intention of eating it, Eun-seong gazed at the marshmallow and opened his lips.
“I'm not a huge fan, but they bring back a lot of memories.”
“Ah, a snack full of memories. It feels good when you find something like that, doesn't it?”
Eun-seong didn't reply to Hae-yeong's comment, his eyes fixed on the marshmallow. He stared at the golden-brown marshmallow, its soft texture palpable even from a distance, and pulled out a dusty, old piece of a memory.
“My old girlfriend used to love them.”
Yeon-joo's expression went blank.
“It's a very old story, but she really liked these. It was cute how she'd eat one after another until she burned her tongue.”
Everyone looked surprised as Eun-seong shared the unexpected story. A story from Im Eun-seong's past. Isn't this a huge scoop?
Unsure of what to say, even the eloquent Hae-yeong was at a loss for words. Eun-seong gazed endlessly at the marshmallow before looking up with a faint smile.
An age where existing memories are more comfortable than making new ones. A time when the memories you already have are more than enough.
“It's an old story, so you don't have to pay it any mind. Seeing the marshmallow just suddenly reminded me. Out of the blue.”
“Yes, I think I know exactly what you mean. Everyone has a memory like that.”
…The process of cementing new memories had become a bother.
I no longer wanted to create something new that might overshadow the memories already there.
It was already enough, more than enough.
“Anyway, to be the person in your memories, Eun-seong… she must be happy.”
“I doubt it. I don't think she'd be particularly happy about it.”
And so, you become a person who lives in the past—
living by rehashing the same memories until you're sick of them—
“She's probably forgotten everything. I'd imagine she's forgotten it all and is living well.”
we become just another ordinary adult.
*
Without finishing a single one, Eun-seong continued a casual conversation with the staff around him. Just then, the topic of the gifts from the first day of shooting came up, and the staff expressed their gratitude again, saying it was an unforgettable present.
Yeon-joo was already on her fifth marshmallow. She seemed sick of them, but there was nothing else she could do besides eat.
Having a quiet chat with Mr. Joo while Eun-seong was right there felt awkward, and for some reason, Mr. Joo didn't initiate conversation either.
“I think we need more wine here.”
Hae-yeong, who had been observing the mood, spoke up, and Mr. Joo quickly stood.
“I'll go get it.”
“You, Mr. Joo? Yeon-joo, you should go with him. Go and bring back a lot.”
Wanting to send them off as a pair no matter what, Hae-yeong urged them to go, and Yeon-joo stood up to follow. Though he was talking to someone else, Eun-seong's ears were wide open, and he unknowingly furrowed his brow.
“We'll be back.”
As Yeon-joo left with Mr. Joo, Hae-yeong let out a small laugh. Her laugh made Eun-seong's heart drop, and he stood up a moment later.
“Eun-seong, where are you going?”
“To the restroom.”
“Ah, yes. Go ahead.”
Eun-seong casually stepped back and walked straight down the path Yeon-joo had disappeared down. Observing the situation, it was clear that Hae-yeong was trying to push Mr. Joo and Go Yeon-joo together.
“Well then, I should give them a push too.”
If I'm going to do it, I might as well do it properly.
Right off a cliff!
*
My old girlfriend used to love them.
Walking along the well-maintained path, Mr. Joo recalled Eun-seong's sudden remark. The old girlfriend he claimed to have suddenly remembered upon seeing the marshmallow.
An old girlfriend.
Mr. Joo glanced at Yeon-joo. With her head bowed low, lost in thought, she too seemed to be mulling over Eun-seong's words.
Yeon-joo hadn't smiled since Eun-seong's arrival. She wasn't angry, nor was she upset.
Instead, she wore a tension all over her body, as if she'd be found out if she didn't keep her expression rigid.
“Yeon-joo.”
Yeon-joo snapped her head up at Mr. Joo's call. Embarrassed that she'd been so lost in her thoughts, she forced a smile first.
“Yes, Mr. Joo.”
“Are you all right?”
“Of course. I think I'm just a little dizzy from eating too many sweets. I must have overdone it.”
She laughed sheepishly about her foolish overindulgence, and Mr. Joo offered a faint smile in return.
Just as the lodge lobby came into view, Mr. Joo caught the hem of Yeon-joo's sleeve.
“Yeon-joo. To be honest, it was a little hot by the fire. Let's sit here for a bit before we go back.”
“Oh, was it? Then let's do that.”
Yeon-joo sat down first on a bench in a secluded spot. Mr. Joo, about to sit beside her, made a face as if something was missing and gestured toward the lobby.
“I'll go get the wine first. There might not be any left if we're late.”
“Ah, then I'll go with you.”
“I'll be right back. You stay here.”
Promising to be quick, Mr. Joo started to run. She watched him blankly, wondering if it was okay for him to run like that when he'd just complained about the heat, before quickly becoming lost in thought again.
My old girlfriend used to love them.
The old girlfriend he mentioned might not be me. In fact, the probability that it isn't me is much higher.
But his sudden words had made her heart plummet. It felt like his voice was still ringing in her ears, and Yeon-joo, after staring blankly for a moment, shook her head.
“I'm going crazy. I'm going crazy. I'm really going to lose my mind!”
“If you're going to lose your mind, you should do it gracefully. It's a problem if you go crazy in a scary way…”
“Aaaaaah!”
Startled by the presence, Yeon-joo, who had squeezed her eyes shut, opened them to find Eun-seong.
You again? It's you again? Why do you keep popping up out of nowhere!
“I have no intention of going crazy gracefully, so why don't you just keep walking, Actor.”
“Then go crazy wildly. It's not every day I get such a good show. I'll just input it as a new experience and be on my way.”
Ugh! As Eun-seong sat next to her, Yeon-joo shot to her feet. For some reason, she hated him today.
She had tried to endure it whenever he made her heart pound without warning, thinking it was her own karma. It was all her doing, all her fault, so she tried to bear it each time. Tried to understand.
“Well, I'll be leaving then.”
“Hey, wait a second.”
“Why? Why? Why? Why!”
With an utterly exasperated expression, Yeon-joo glared at him. She waved her phone around as if to show him how busy she was.
Eun-seong raised an eyebrow. Pfft. He barely managed to hold back a laugh at how cute she was.
“I'm busy right now, okay? I have to call home, so please mind your own business.”
“Ah, to talk to your husband?”
“Yes! Yes! I'm going to make a call! So, if you'll excuse me!”
“Don't go somewhere else. Do it here.”
Yeon-joo, who had been about to walk away, froze. With a languid expression, Eun-seong draped his arm over the back of the bench and looked up at her.
“It's quietest here. Talk to your husband here.”
“I… I don't want to?”
“What does your husband look like? Show me a picture.”
Huh. Her lips parted slightly at the unexpected request. He wants me to show him what?
“That's the last thing I want to do. Why do you need to see my husband's face, Actor?”
“I'm curious. Your son seems to resemble you a lot, so I was wondering what your husband looks like.”
“Well, he's my son, so of course he looks like me!”
“You're phrasing that strangely. So he's not your husband's son?”
As Yeon-joo, who had no talent for bluffing, looked like she was about to foam at the mouth, Eun-seong tilted his head.
“Just show me one picture. What's so hard about it?”
“It-it is hard! It's the hardest thing in the world!”
Because he doesn't exist!
If you're so curious, look in a mirror! Because it's you!
…The more I talk, the worse this will get.
Yeon-joo turned away with an expression that said she was done talking.
“It's not that you don't want to show me, it's that you don't have a husband, isn't it?”
Before she could react, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Unable to even think about schooling her features, Yeon-joo spun back toward Eun-seong.
“Wh-what did you say?”
“I mean, it makes sense. If it were me, I'd just show a picture and be done with it. It made me wonder if the reason you can't is because he doesn't exist.”
“H-he exists!”
“Then show me.”
Lord… I'll be there soon…
“I'd like to show you, but I don't have any pictures on my phone. Happy now?”
No, I won't… but still, still, I'm definitely a goner…
“In this day and age, you don't have a single picture of your husband? You expect me to believe that?”
As Eun-seong pressed, Yeon-joo's expression crumpled into a mess. She had never imagined this kind of question, and her mind tangled, unsure how to respond.
She had planned to say they got divorced when the time was right.
Ah. Should I try to spin a story now? Is it too late?
“Do you realize how rude you're being right now?”
Her mind was a mess, so she decided to buy some time.
“Rude? No matter how rude I am, can it be worse than you, who ghosted me after a single text?”
Mission failed!
Yeon-joo could only chew on her lower lip. Eun-seong lifted his chin, signaling he wouldn't back down easily.
“Rude or whatever, I'm already curious, so prove it. Either show me a picture of your husband, or at least make a phone call here…”
“Honey! Yeon-joo!”
It was then.
Wondering what this nonsense was now, Yeon-joo slowly turned around.
Eun-seong's expression twitched subtly.
“Honey, what's wrong?”
Mr. Joo, who had appeared hugging a load of wine bottles, stood beside her.
