"What're you doing?"
Holy shit!
I jump, turning to see In-ha standing there.
Fuck, when'd she get here?!
"Why so spooked? Watching porn?"
"N-No."
Why would I watch that now?
Fuck, scared the shit outta me… Didn't she go to work?
In-ha grins wickedly.
"What're you doing, then?"
"Just practicing a game."
Her eyes scan the screen.
Fuck, she broke my flow.
I turn back to the monitor.
Die, die, die.
Shit, lost my groove…
"What's this?"
"Poker."
Wasn't really planning to play much.
Just bored, and since they mentioned Jeongseon, it popped into my head.
Figured I'd warm up my rusty brain…
"Right, you're good at this, huh?"
In-ha leans on the chair, rocking it back and forth.
Yo, I can't focus…
*Die. Die. Die. Call.*
What the fuck?
Why's everyone bailing the moment In-ha shows up?
Fuck…
"Why're they leaving?"
"Dunno…"
Maybe they sensed the aura of misfortune…
I smack my lips, clicking into another room.
Daytime, so not many rooms open.
"You look like a 50-year-old ajussi gambling at a PC bang."
"… …"
The screen's kinda like that, but…
Why's that hit so hard? 50-year-old ajussi's a bit much!
"You gonna keep playing?"
Hmm…
Not really.
Just warming up, not planning to go hard.
Lost my flow anyway…
"Where we going?"
"Yeah, gotta practice driving."
Driving practice?
What's this scary talk?
"What driving practice…?"
"I'm gonna drive, so I need practice. Forgot everything."
Wasn't your car totaled?
My eyes shake. Tell me you're joking.
"You don't have a car."
"Borrowed one, dumbass."
Why's she so proud, fuck!
Scary enough already, but In-ha driving after so long?
Might make the 9 o'clock news…
"Let's go! Time for a drive."
"Do I have to?"
My feet won't move.
In-ha glares coldly.
Guess it's death by ball-crushing or car crash… same difference…
---
"Huff… huff…"
Is riding in a car always this terrifying?
Feels like I'm being dragged to the gallows…
Why a compact car, of all things? One hit, and I'm done…
"Relax, dumbass, relax."
Why's it sound like she's talking to herself?
In-ha swallows hard, gripping the wheel.
I wanna run, fuck!
"Let's see, brake's…"
"Uh…"
You didn't forget *everything*, right?
I'm scared. I wanna live long. Like, till I shit my pants in a nursing home.
"Let's go, let's go~."
"Whimper…"
Why's the seatbelt just one layer? Give me two, three layers…
"Whose car is this…?"
A friend's, right?
It's so clean inside, it's unsettling.
In-ha answers casually.
"Rented it, obviously."
"W-What?"
That's allowed?
Borrowing a friend's car to practice is weird, but…
"If we crash, we're both fucked.
Might have to work double to pay it off."
"…Why me?"
Why am I included?
You crash, why am I dragged in?!
"Let's go!"
"H-Hic."
*Stutter stutter.*
Why's there no grab bar up here, fuck!
"Hell yeah!"
*Vroom.*
The compact car rumbles, jerking forward.
At least the start's smooth. Didn't crash right away.
"Just one lap around the neighborhood."
In-ha smacks her lips, leaning out.
Her scanning around is scary as hell.
She's a walking road hazard, a total accident magnet, fuck…
"Nowhere good to go?"
Just practice, right?
Wasn't it one lap and done?
"Nowhere to go, I said."
In-ha glares straight at me, growling.
Look at the road, fuck, not me!
"W-Well…"
I must've sinned in a past life.
Was I the Japanese ship that sank the Turtle Ship?
Or the top Japanese musketeer?
Or maybe I was a delinquent Joonhyung bullying a loser In-ha?
"Pick a place, dumbass."
"Anywhere's fine…"
Just get me back safe, anywhere's fine!
"Pick before we hit the highway."
Bit much with the threats.
Every nerve in my body's screaming, racking my brain.
A place In-ha'd like… a place… oh.
"Haejin Port?"
"Haejin Port?"
In-ha repeats.
Just popped into my head. Haejin Port…
"Kinda rural, but it's got a café strip for a fishing village. Ocean's nice too…"
Not many people know it.
Perfect for In-ha's hipster vibes.
"Ohh. Never heard of it. Haejin Port? Haejin Port."
Unique name, huh.
In-ha mulls it over, fiddling with the wheel.
Yeah, been a while since I thought of it. It'll be my first time back in ages.
---
"Hah… ha…"
Thank you for sparing me…
I'll live diligently now, I swear…
"Whoa!"
In-ha screams, jumping out of the car.
Wait, we still gotta drive back, fuck…
"Ocean!"
Not a pretty beach since it's a fishing village, but it's a port.
Still a nice stopover.
"Ocean smell!"
*Sniff.* Damn, that salty air's intense.
Haven't smelled it in a while—feels weird.
The sunlight makes the water shimmer like mercury.
"You been here?"
"Yeah."
Tons when I was a kid.
In-ha flaps her arms, running to the port.
I shield my forehead, following. My bangs are flying away…!
"Didn't know a place like this existed."
In-ha looks around, amazed.
It's a unique town.
Gets more visitors than most fishing villages.
While In-ha stares at the sea, I look back.
Mountains along the hill.
Old rural houses still there, barely changed.
Wonder if the youth center's still around. Used to go to the shelter a lot…
"So refreshing. Cars are the best."
Yeah, cars are nice.
Would be better with a saner driver…
"Where's the café strip?"
"Over there."
"Oh."
Being a port, cafés have popped up for a while.
Problem is, not many visitors, but…
They keep opening, so they must make money, right?
"How's a loser like you know a place like this?"
I can know places, dumbass.
In-ha looks around.
"You live here?"
I nod slightly. For a bit…
Lived here briefly in middle school.
"For a bit…"
"Why?"
"Just a short move."
Hard to say my family got wrecked 'cause of gambling.
In-ha doesn't pry.
Her gaze lingers on one spot. Wonder if the shelter's still running.
"Yo, where you going?"
"Can we stop somewhere quick?"
"Where?"
---
"Achoo!"
In-ha sniffles.
Pretty dusty…
We walk through rural houses up a hill.
A container-like building comes into view.
"Shelter" sign used to be up—guess it's gone.
Rusty, dusty stuff everywhere.
Not running anymore…
"Hmm…"
Should I try the code?
I pause at the door lock, racking my brain.
What was it? 7482? 7489? Something like that.
"7… 4… 8… 2."
*Beep.*
Same code. Kids set it weird, so I still remember…
"Oh, what's this?"
"Achoo."
Dusty smell.
Open the door, and a musty odor hits.
Lights… do they work?
*Click.*
They do.
In-ha and I cautiously step inside.
Two containers joined, bigger than I remembered. Felt huge back then.
"Whoa, what's this?"
Just like before.
Big shoe rack at the entrance. Long dining table inside. Director's office.
Memories flood back, feeling weird.
"You lived here?"
"Not lived…"
Just a place to hang out.
In-ha flips up the kitchen faucet. *Gush.*
Water works. Power and water still on? No one's been here in ages.
"Damn, it's huge. Could live here."
"Could, yeah."
Runaway kids used to sleep here a lot…
Or in the church building nearby.
I sit at the dining table. Chairs are dusty but the same as back then.
"Yo, there's beds too."
"Wait."
Don't touch too much! I'm scared you'll break something.
I rush to In-ha.
Two rooms by the director's office. Bunk beds and regular ones, some moldy.
"Could really live here."
Yeah… gas might not work, though.
I sit on a bed, wiping it. Dust comes off.
If we lose everything at Jeongseon Casino, we could move here.
Lose it all, restart at a place like this… hope that doesn't happen.
"Achoo."
In-ha coughs again, heading out.
I stay, lost in thought.
"Yo, Joonhyung."
"Yeah, coming."
---
Wandering around, it's already evening.
Harbor cafés light up their rooftops one by one.
"So pretty!"
In-ha stops to snap pics.
It is pretty…
The night harbor's calm and beautiful.
The sea mirrors the night sky, café lights blurring across the water.
*Snap snap.*
My eyes…
Why's she using flash for selfies?
Ugh, cold. I tuck my hands in my sleeves, staring at distant streetlights.
Never thought I'd come back here.
Was scared I'd die, but thanks to In-ha, I'm here.
Some things are the same, some changed.
Time passes. Have I changed…?
"Yo, Joonhyung! Take my pic."
"Hold on."
Lemme take one too.
In-ha hands me her phone, striking poses from a distance.
Line up her feet… make her legs look long… if I mess up, she'll rip my eyebrows off.
*Snap.*
Flash pops, pic comes out bright.
*Snap snap.* In-ha switches poses like crazy, then runs back.
"Lemme see, lemme see."
Think I got it right… won't get my balls crushed, right?
In-ha, rubbing her cold hands, checks the pics.
A smile spreads across her face.
Not sure if I've changed… but the people around me have.