A peaceful weekend afternoon.
Hayeop was watching TV with his mother. They were watching Operation Big Laugh, clutching their stomachs and roaring with laughter. He was even clapping when someone suddenly began tossing pebbles at their basement window. Thunk, thunk.
"Huh?"
Hayeop’s eyes went wide. What rotten bastard is throwing rocks at someone else’s window?
"One of the neighborhood children must be playing a prank."
"I’ll go."
Determined to give the brat a proper scolding, Hayeop dusted off his backside, stood, and cracked open the yellowed window.
"Why, you little—!"
He raised his voice, putting on a show of bravado, only to see a pair of gentle eyes curve on the other side.
"Oh, Young Mas—"
The Young Master shushed him, then pointed at the door with his thumb. He wanted Hayeop to come outside without his mother knowing. Hayeop bobbed his head and hurried out through the back door.
"What is it?"
Delighted to see him, Hayeop bounced on his toes and moved right up close to the Young Master. If he had been a puppy, his tail would have been wagging furiously.
"Are you wearing perfume?"
"No."
"You smell nice."
Yoonwon added that he smelled like flowers and grass.
"I made mugwort rice cakes earlier."
"...What?"
"I said I made rice cakes."
Wondering whether he really smelled that strongly of mugwort, Hayeop buried his nose in his forearm.
"...God, you and those damned rice cakes."
Yoonwon let out a hollow sigh. When it came to loving rice cakes, Hayeop was second to none in all of Seoul. He loved them so much that even if he was asleep, the mere mention of rice cakes would have him bolt upright and devour several on the spot.
"Where the hell does all that food go? You never gain any weight."
Yoonwon looked Hayeop up and down. After taking in the sight, he even clicked his tongue.
"This is the worst...."
The T-shirt with a green dinosaur on it was one thing, but the socks-and-sandals combination was genuinely painful to behold. Yoonwon spoke with casual indifference.
"Get dressed and come right back out."
"Right now?"
Hayeop’s eyes rounded. What sort of nonsense was this all of a sudden?
"I’m busy right now."
"That’s hilarious. What could an unemployed bum possibly be so busy doing?"
Yoonwon flicked Hayeop’s little nose. Hayeop cried out and clutched his reddened nose.
"Do you have any idea how much I busted my ass getting those basketball tickets?"
"Busted-ass?"
Hayeop asked whether that was something like a snail. Yoonwon gave him a pitying look and tugged his ear.
"Ow."
Ever since the day Mom fainted, she’s thought the Young Master was an angel without wings, but he says such awful things. One moment he’s sweet to me, and the next he torments me. I can never figure him out. He’s as fickle as a pot of porridge bubbling away.
"If you don’t hurry, I’m leaving without you."
"All right."
Hayeop bobbed his head. Afraid Yoonwon might genuinely abandon him, he hurried back inside. His mother remained seated on the floor, fiddling with her sewing box.
"Baby, would you thread this needle for me?"
"Yes."
Hayeop scampered over, scraped the needle vigorously against his hair, and threaded it. He did not forget to tie a neat knot, either.
"Mom, I’m going out for a little while."
"Where are you going?"
When she looked up at him, her complexion was noticeably healthier. Seeing how a single visit to the hospital had made her look five years younger eased his worries, yet it also made his heart ache. It would have been so much better if he had taken her sooner.
"With the Young Master."
As Hayeop gently massaged her arm, careful not to hurt her, his cheeks plumped with a smile.
"He said he’d take me to see a basketball game."
"Really?"
His mother was so pleased that she even clapped her hands.
"Oh, how kind of him."
"Come with us, Mom."
"Oh, why would I go to a place like that? I don’t like noisy, hectic things."
She waved both hands, insisting that she was fine. Still, it was the weekend, and Hayeop felt guilty leaving her alone, so he asked once more.
"But it would be nice if you came out. You could see Seoul and have something delicious to eat."
"My Hayeop can go and have a wonderful time, then come home and tell his mother all about it."
It was a gentle refusal. Hayeop nodded, saying he understood. He brought her freshly steamed mugwort rice cakes and plum tea to aid her digestion. She had already recovered well, but he worried she might have trouble digesting them and gave her a stern reminder.
"This time, you have to digest everything properly before you go to sleep, Mom."
"All right. Thank you, my sweet Hayeop."
His mother even gave him a generous amount of spending money. She also told him to make sure he bought dinner for the Young Master to thank him.
"Have a good time. You’re still young and full of life, so you should do everything you want. Live splendidly, Hayeop. Like the Young Master."
"Yes...."
Hayeop secretly tucked the money away beneath the wardrobe for safekeeping. Instead, he took out his own precious savings and put them securely in his pocket.
Hayeop boarded the subway with the Young Master. The carriage rumbled and swayed beneath them.
"Wow...."
The scenery beyond the window was a work of art. The sky had cleared, feather-soft clouds drifting across it. The Han River stretched out before him, sunlight glittering over its surface. It was so vast and magnificent, yet he had been too busy living all this time to notice.
"Come here."
"All right."
He wanted to keep looking a little longer, but they soon got off at Jangchungdong Station. The stadium was teeming with people. As they found their seats and sat down, deep apprehension settled over Hayeop’s face.
"Um, Young Master."
Yoonwon deliberately lowered one shoulder and drew Hayeop closer by the wrist. His voice was gentle when he asked what was wrong.
"What is it?"
He kept his voice low enough that the people beside them could not hear.
"You’re worried."
"I’ve never seen anything like this before. I’m a little scared."
Hayeop admitted honestly that he did not even know the rules of basketball and doubted he would be able to follow everyone else’s lead and enjoy it with any sophistication.
"Really?"
Yoonwon shrugged his shoulders, broad as a basketball court.
"Hayeop really is a country bumpkin. A coward, too."
He tossed out words that could easily have sounded insulting without giving them a second thought. Then he casually removed his tinted glasses and settled them firmly onto Hayeop’s face. Hayeop’s brown eyes took on a yellow cast behind the lenses.
"How is it?"
"It’s amazing. Everything looks yellow."
"Exactly. They’re all just bean sprout heads. You’re incredibly good at plucking those."
That was true. Whatever anyone might say, plucking the ends off bean sprouts was Hayeop’s specialty. Yoonwon’s casual, weightless remark put him strangely at ease.
"You don’t need to worry about what anyone else thinks. Just enjoy yourself however you want."
Beyond the yellow lenses, Yoonwon’s handsome face curved into a smile. Hayeop liked this side of him—the way he could make even serious things feel light and insignificant.
"Which team are we cheering for?"
"Our university’s team, obviously."
Just then, a whistle sounded. The game had begun.
"One beer and one squid, please."
The beer ended up in Yoonwon’s hand and the dried squid in Hayeop’s. Hayeop had wondered whether he could possibly enjoy something like this when he barely knew the rules.
But to his surprise, he was soon completely enthralled.
The game was exciting enough to make his palms sweat. It turned out he truly did not need to know the rules. Once he relaxed and let himself be swept up in the atmosphere, enjoyment came naturally.
They were trailing 72 to 69.
With the score so close, Hayeop clasped both hands together. By the latter part of the game, he was on his feet, craning his neck. Just before the end, their team took one desperate shot, and the ball struck the basket. At the same time, a foul was called on the opposing team.
"Oh, what do we do...?"
Hayeop clutched his chest. He thought his heart might drop straight out. Leaning cautiously toward Yoonwon’s ear, he whispered,
"What happens now? We’re tied."
Seventy-two to seventy-two. They had fought their way to a tie, but there was no telling what would happen next.
"Watch."
A long arm slipped naturally around Hayeop’s shoulders and drew him snugly closer. Their cheeks nearly touched as they murmured to each other.
"They called a foul on the other team."
To anyone watching, Yoonwon might have looked like some player trying to seduce a girl, but Hayeop could not have been more serious as he listened.
"So what happens?"
"We get one free throw."
Yoonwon raised a single finger. The heat of excitement glimmered in his eyes as well.
"If the ball goes in, we win the championship."
Thump, thump, thump. Their team’s player bounced the ball against the floor, then took his shot at the basket. The ball sailed through the air and rattled the hoop.
"Wow, it went in!"
The joy of victory swept through the stands like a wave. Hayeop thrust both arms into the air, beside himself with delight.
"We won!"
A rosy flush spread across his fair face, and joy spilled from his eyes. Yoonwon gazed at him as though engraving the sight into his memory.
The jubilation of victory followed them all the way out of the stadium. Sunset was already spilling red across the slowly darkening sky. It was a work of art. Hayeop’s heart swelled until he felt almost overcome.
"That was so much fun."
"It was."
Sunset had seeped into Hayeop’s eyes as well. Why did merely looking at him make Yoonwon feel so inexplicably sentimental? Unable to continue, Yoonwon finally turned his gaze away.
"...What should we go eat now?"
He thrust both hands deep into his pockets.