Chapter Text
It only takes Eunsang two days to leave behind his life in Seoul.
He requests a leave of absence at the university, calls his grandmother to ask if he can stay with her for a while, packs what he considers important and leaves without telling anyone.
It feels out of character to do something like this. Eunsang always took pride in being a meticulous planner, never doing a single thing on a whim and always following what he was told. Now here he is, feeling like a rebellious teenager going against his parents orders with this impromptu escapade.
He rides the plane with his mind devoid of any thoughts and it's only when he's already in Jeju, riding the taxi to his grandmother's house, that reality kicks in.
He suddenly feels sick to his stomach.
Eunsang wonders if his grandmother told his mother about it. She promised to keep it a secret and he wants to fully believe her but a part of him doesn't and that makes him feel even worse. His memory of his grandmother is of a gentle woman, intelligent and passionate, she is not a person who would break a promise.
He tries to push those thoughts away as green becomes more prominent and enjoy the scenery but Eunsang is a worrier so he worries.
His head is filled with questions: will his presence bother his grandmother? Is his father going to figure out where he is and come running to force him back to Seoul? No, he wouldn't go through the trouble, he's a busy man managing a hospital.
The taxi driver sends him curious glances through the rear view mirror - a young man dressed in such formal attire going farther and farther away from the bustling city is a curious thing indeed - but Eunsang doesn't have a friendly expression on and, well, he'd rather not talk right now when he's in the middle of an almost crisis.
"We're almost there," he says and Eunsang nods, turning to look out of the window.
He doesn't recognize anything but it still feels familiar. The last time he came to Jeju to visit his grandma was years ago, he wasn't even a high school student back then.
He keeps his gaze trained outside, smiling as he thinks about the summers spent here. It amazes him how, not even twenty minutes ago, all he could see was concrete and now he's surrounded by nature.
After a few more minutes, Eunsang sees the peach trees as well as the rows and rows of flower greenhouses, that's when he knows they have reached his grandmother's property. He notices the way the taxi driver looks from side to side as he drives past the front gates before coming to a stop a few meters from the house.
Eunsang takes out a bundle of cash from a pocket inside his backpack and hands it to him.
"That should be enough, right?" Eunsang asks just to make sure. He has searched up how much the taxi trip would cost him and retrieved the amount in cash in order not to have it show up in the bank account statement. Since he doesn't have a job and everything he spends is paid by his father, he's sure it'd be easy to track down where the payment was made if he used his credit card and he doesn't want that to happen.
The guy looks at him in surprise and counts the bills, nodding slowly and widening his eyes when he reaches the last one. Eunsang knows he added a little more there just in case the information on the internet wasn't updated, he'll just leave it be as a tip - he didn't try to make small talk or be nosy, Eunsang is thankful enough for that.
"Let me help you bring the suitcases to the door," he quickly leaves the driver's seat and opens the trunk before Eunsang gets to step out of the car. There is a total of three rather heavy suitcases, one carry-on and a backpack. It's a lot and Eunsang is thankful that he's getting help on that. He gets hold of the last one and drags it along with the carry-on that was with him in the back seat.
"Thank you for your assistance," Eunsang says with a polite smile and a slight bow of his head when he passes by the taxi driver. He doesn't get a verbal answer but he sees the nod of acknowledgement before he hops back into the car and drives off.
He stares up at the house and sighs. It looks smaller than he remembers but maybe that's because he has grown so much since the last time he was here. Before he gets to the door, it opens and he sees his grandmother standing there, smiling at him.
"Eunsangie," she exclaims and pulls him into a hug as soon as he reaches her. He stiffens for a moment but relaxes, wrapping his arms around her. He doesn't remember her being this small, this frail. "Is it alright if you stay in your mother's old room? It's bigger than the guest room and it gets the morning sun instead of the one in the afternoon, it's perfect during summer."
"Of course," he replies and pulls all of his belongings into the house, making sure they're not leaving any trails of dirt on the way.
"Why don't you get changed then? Your clothes look way too hot," she says, eyeing his sweater and the buttoned up shirt. Eunsang nods in agreement and she leaves to the kitchen, probably making something for him to eat - she always had the habit of stuffing him with food.
He takes his time bringing all the suitcases to the room and smiles in satisfaction as he observes them all lined up under the window. A knock on the door gets his attention and he turns to look.
"I cut some fruit," his grandmother says and Eunsang nods, planning to unpack later. There's a lot for him to organize and he wants to get it done as soon as possible because his plans for tomorrow are many and he doesn't want this getting in the way.
They sit down at the table and Eunsang eyes the plate with an extravagant array of fruits.
"You didn't have to worry, grandma," Eunsang comments but eats anyway.
"I know how airplane food is," she says and shakes her head in disapproval. "And what has your mom been feeding you? You look so skinny, I'll need to have a talk with her."
"Please, don't." Eunsang gasps, almost choking on the strawberry he was chewing on. "Please, I- grandma, you didn't tell them, right?"
She chuckles and shakes her head.
"You asked me not to," she says. "But could you tell me why?"
Eunsang gulps.
"It's a long story but," he sighs. "I needed a break from my life, it's been affecting my health and, grandma, you know how my dad is. He wouldn't approve of it, I just- I just want to rest, I haven't been eating or sleeping well."
I can't remember what happiness feels like anymore.
She nods while looking very displeased.
"Say no more," she nods at him. "If they call to ask me anything, I'll say I don't know, but you will have to eventually face them."
"I know," Eunsang has made plans for that as well. He'll call his mother when he's ready and talk it out with her but, right now, he doesn't want to think about it. "Thanks for agreeing to it, grandma. It means a lot to me."
"I haven't seen my Eunsangie in so long," she smiles and Eunsang softens, looking down at the plate and feeling ashamed that he hasn't come over as often as in the past. "I'm more than happy to have you around."
Eunsang finishes everything and stands up. He takes the empty plate but his grandmother intercepts it.
"I'll take care of this," she says. "You should go and make yourself comfortable in your new room."
Eunsang doesn't argue and does as she said, walking back into the bedroom and sitting down on the chair by the desk.
He stares at the spacious room and wonders what it was like when his mother lived here. He doesn't dwell too much on it and stands back up, starting the boring task of unpacking.
After he's done, he takes a shower and his grandmother calls him over for dinner. Eunsang is surprised at the time she's serving the food - it's still bright outside - but it makes sense since she wakes up early to check how things are going.
Although the main products are ornamental flowers, they still have the peaches and cherries but he's sure she pays someone to look after those. He does remember though that she personally takes care of the few farm animals in the property as well as the house's garden.
This is not a village or an extremely rural area but it's still the countryside and he remembers his grandmother lived the countryside lifestyle to the fullest while his grandfather worked an office job when he was still alive. She didn't take care of everything by herself but she did a lot of work, Eunsang remembers following her around.
After dinner, his grandmother retires to her room and Eunsang decides to do the same.
He picks up one of the books he brought and reads it for no longer than half an hour because he starts yawning and his eyelids feel heavy. It feels foreign to have his body ask for sleep when he would usually be wide awake, reviewing his notes and studying, but it's definitely not a bad thing. Eunsang has been taking sleeping pills since his senior year in high school so this is an interesting development.
But he knows his body and mind have been through so much stress and anxiety lately that it's not unreasonable that he's feeling exhausted right now. In fact, it's like he's finally relaxing and his body is releasing all the tension it withheld earlier as he feared getting caught by his parents in the middle of his escape.
Not able to focus on his reading anymore, Eunsang puts the book away on the nightstand, turns the lights off and finds a comfortable position on the bed. He closes his eyes and, for the first time in years, he sleeps without taking any kind of medication.
Eunsang wakes up with the crowing of a rooster. There is a very weak light peeking from the curtain and the clock on his phone reads six and something in the morning.
He doesn't feel tired at all. He slept so much since he went to bed early last night that he jumps out of bed and gets changed out of his pajamas.
His phone vibrates and Eunsang notices the endless notifications of missed calls and text messages from both his parents. He feels bad for what he has done but there is so much regret he can feel regarding his decision. He left a note where it'd be easy for them to find so they know for sure that he is fine, but he knows his safety is not the issue.
Eunsang draws the curtains open and admires the color of the morning sky. He stays there for another minute before making his way to the bathroom to get properly ready for the day.
His grandmother greets him as soon as he steps out of the bathroom, the dining table with more than enough food for the two of them.
"Eat well," she says and Eunsang doesn't have to be told twice. He doesn't stuff his face but eats what he thinks will get him through the morning without needing snack breaks. "Do you have a driver's license?"
Eunsang nods.
"You need to drive to do things around here," she explains and Eunsang gulps. Well, he does have a license but it's not like he drove a car in Seoul as he mainly took the bus and the subway there - so his skills behind the wheel are questionable. "You're more than welcome to use the car, I might ask you to go grocery shopping for the house sometimes and you can buy whatever you want to eat as well."
After that, they finish breakfast in silence.
"I have to go check the animals," she stands up and looks at Eunsang with a smile. "I'll leave the dishes to you this time."
Eunsang stands up immediately and starts cleaning the table. From the corner of his eye he sees his grandmother chuckling before exiting the house.
The only sound is the water running as he washes the soap off the plates then. As he finishes it up, Eunsang thinks of something to spend his time on. He feels a little bad for not helping with anything but he knows he's not qualified to handle anything on the farm. He doesn't want to ruin what brings money to his grandmother's bank account, especially not when this has been a steady income to her for many years.
He remembers the book he tried reading yesterday and decides that maybe he should start with something simple. He makes sure everything in the kitchen is in place before running back to his room and getting hold of the book. He is about to sit on his bed when he glances at the window.
He thinks it'd be a shame to be locked in his room instead of enjoying the outdoors, it's not like he's in Seoul and has to worry about fine dust anyway, so he grabs a hat that he hung behind the door and makes his way out of the house.
It's not very sunny but Eunsang has always been sensitive to light, so he makes sure to put the hat on before looking around for a comfortable place to sit down and read.
He walks past the car his grandmother mentioned - which looks like a van -, all the way to a stretch of green grass that looks comfortable and, although he's unsure whether it is bug-free or not - probably not -, he sits down and resumes his reading.
Eunsang doesn't notice how much time passes but it feels like the morning has just started when he hears his name being called. He lifts his head and sees his grandmother waving and walking to where he is.
"Do you want to have lunch now?" she asks and he looks at her in confusion. He looks for his phone to check the time but he remembers he left it back in his room. She notices what he's trying to do and smiles. "It'll be noon in a few minutes. Are you hungry?"
Eunsang nods and closes the book, following after her back inside the house.
After lunch, his grandmother goes to her room for a nap and Eunsang grabs the car tag hanging by the door.
He makes sure he has his driver's license on him before leaving the house and tries to keep himself calm. The last time he was behind the wheels was on the day he passed the driving exam, more than two years ago, and after his grandmother mentioned driving during breakfast, he had this issue on the back of his mind.
Eunsang decided during lunch that he'd practice his driving in the area since traffic seems to be light. He wants to be prepared when he has to go to the city, avoid accidents and tickets - which he's sure he won't get because he is careful but you never know.
Standing next to the car, Eunsang sighs. He has never driven a vehicle this big and he feels weird for not telling his grandmother that he's going out for a drive in hopes of getting familiar with it. It makes him feel as though he's doing something wrong but he knows he's not, she did say he could use the car.
He shakes his head in hopes of pushing that feeling away and gets inside the vehicle. The car is dirty on the outside but squeaky clean inside, Eunsang expected it to look the same and it's a pleasant surprise. He starts it with no problems - he just has to press a button - and slowly backs out of the property, gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turn white.
But the road is empty, only a car coming opposite him, and Eunsang relaxes. The car is easy to drive despite its size and he leans back on the seat in relief - perhaps parking it is not as easy but that's something to worry about some other time.
After what feels like a long time, Eunsang sees a roundabout and decides that it's been enough driving for the day. He makes the full circle and drives back towards his starting line.
He smiles as he observes the scenery. He doesn't know the people who live in each property, his grandmother is acquainted with most of them but Eunsang rarely left her lot when he visited, but - funnily enough - he remembers what they produce. There's a strawberry farm on his right and the one before his grandmother's has a big cherry produce, if he remembers correctly there's also a big orange orchard not too far ahead.
Deep in thought, Eunsang gets distracted staring out the window. It's a straight road, it's fine as long as he doesn't drive out of it, so he ends up being a little careless - something that he usually isn't - and watches the cherry trees that are yet to bear fruit.
It's nice to look at the rows and rows of trees, so different from the rows and rows of buildings he's used to seeing in Seoul every day. It's like this over here in Jeju too but at least where his grandma lives he can enjoy what feels like the peacefulness of the countryside.
He sighs, suddenly stressed as he remembers that his parents are going to chew him out when they discover his whereabouts. He shakes his head out of habit and turns back to the front.
Eunsang jumps on his seat in surprise when he sees someone wearing a straw hat riding a bicycle right in front of the car and he presses the horn out of instinct instead of hitting the brakes right away. The poor person on the bicycle startles and loses control, turning the handlebar to the right abruptly and leaving the road. Eunsang slows down and stops the car on the shoulder so he's not blocking the way.
When he gets out of the car, his hands are shaking terribly and he stares in horror at a guy that is now fallen on the ground. Had he not turned his attention back to the road just then, he would definitely have run over the guy and caused a horrible - and perhaps fatal - accident.
He runs towards him and kneels without thinking, trying to check for any injuries.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's all my fault," Eunsang starts and knows his apology is not enough because the guy looks like he's in pain and can barely look up at him. He notices that the ground is hard and full of little rocks instead of grass. This is bad. "Can you move? Where does it hurt? Should I take you to the hospital?"
Eunsang is about to help him up despite the lack of response and notices that he's clutching his right arm.
Oh shit.
"I'm taking you to the hospital," Eunsang says even though he has no idea where the hospital is. To make things worse, he remembers he left his phone back in his room and he almost starts crying out of frustration in front of this complete stranger he almost killed. "Can you stand up?"
The guy nods and Eunsang scrambles back up on his feet and aids him.
"Please, get in the passenger's seat," he says and looks around, his gaze falling on the bike by his feet. "I'll put this on the back of the car."
He hears a faint 'alright' and footsteps as he picks the bike up and hurries to shove it into the spacious trunk of the car.
He flies back to the driver's seat and notices that the guy is struggling to put the seatbelt on.
"Is it alright if I help you?" Eunsang asks and receives a nod in response. "I'm really sorry," he repeats and still feels like crying, so much for thinking things were going well earlier.
"I didn't die," the guy finally speaks as he finally locks the buckle. "So it's fine."
Eunsang wants to scream that it's not fine, that this is terrible, but he doesn't want to argue about something so small when there are bigger matters to tend to right now.
He remembers his lack of a phone and sighs loud, covering his face with both hands.
"Do you-" he sighs again. The guy turns to look at him, brows knitted together in pain and confusion. "Do you have a phone with you? I don't know the directions to the nearest hospital and I left my phone at home. Sorry, I'm being truly useless right now."
Despite the situation, his comment draws a laugh out of the guy.
"Yeah," he replies and uses his left hand to take the phone out of his pants' pocket. He unlocks it and hands it to Eunsang. "It's not very far."
Eunsang nods, musters all of his courage and starts driving back towards the city.
Being the son of the hospital CEO and a medicine student who is running away from his problems, a hospital is the last place Eunsang wants to be at. This feels like a bad joke, as though the universe is playing a prank on him as karma.
In distress over what he caused, he paces from side to side and finally sits down on one of the chairs in the waiting area when he starts feeling light headed. Eunsang drove within the speed limit but he was on edge the whole time, it's hard for him to adapt when things don't go according to his plans and this situation is the last thing he expected to happen.
As soon as they arrived, he dropped the guy at the hospital entrance to get assistance as soon as possible then left to park the car at the hospital's parking lot and took some extra time calming down in the car. He knows nothing fatal happened - thankfully! - but he feels awfully responsible for this. That arm is broken, for sure, Eunsang has seen plenty of fractures as a third year medicine student and, although he didn't get to take a proper look at it, the way the guy seemed to be in intense pain the whole ride was enough to know.
Not just that, taking into account that he was biking around that area, it means that he probably either works or lives there which means he is now unable to do any type of physical labor. Eunsang closes his eyes and holds his head between his hands for a moment, to calm himself down from spiraling into a jumbled mess of thoughts again.
He loses track of time and almost falls asleep in that position if not for the constant sound of people rushing from one side to the other and that sickening and distinct smell of a hospital.
"Oh, there you are!" he hears and looks up just in time to see the guy walking in his direction, the straw hat that was on his head now hanging around his neck by its cord. Eunsang's eyes fall straight to the bandaged arm. "The doctor said the ulna is fractured but he also said the swelling needs to go down before we do anything. I thought they'd put a cast on immediately but he told me to come back in a week."
He sits down by Eunsang's side and gives him a smile.
"The nurse immobilized my arm to ensure I don't move it unnecessarily," he says and Eunsang nods, running through the usual steps for it in his head and relieved that everything was done in the most textbook way possible. "Not sure how I'll work though, since I'm right-handed."
"I'll help you with it, whatever it is," Eunsang steps in, knowing all too well that this is his fault. It's not like he is busy anyway, he was in fact trying to figure out how to spend his time here. "Please, do not refuse my help. I'm taking full responsibility for what I have caused. Talking about responsibility, how much was the bill? I do not have anything on me right now, not even my phone, but I can pay you later."
The guy stares at him with a frown and bursts out laughing.
"You don't have to pay me," he says and pursues his lips. "But I would really appreciate the help."
Eunsang nods and stands up.
"We can talk about it on the way back, I think you need to rest," Eunsang says and points to the direction that leads to the parking lot. He only starts walking when he sees that the guy has stood up as well.
Luckily, he found a good spot earlier and they are in the car in less than five minutes. This time the guy gives him the directions as he drives and Eunsang focuses all of his attention on the road.
"I'm sorry, I forgot to ask your name," the guy says from his side when they're stopped at a red light and Eunsang turns to look at him. "I'm Hong Seongjun."
"Lee Eunsang," he replies and glances at the traffic light to see if it's green but not yet. "Which of the properties do you live in?"
"The strawberry farm," he says with a smile and he points to the front, Eunsang gets the message and focuses back on driving. "It was my late grandfather's property and he left it for me. Assuming you have asked me this question because you're also around that area, where do you live? I haven't seen you around before, have you just moved here? I don't remember seeing any of the farms going on sale though."
Eunsang stays silent for a split second, thinking of a way to answer his question without exposing too much.
"The flowers," he says softly and turns left as Seongjun has just instructed. The road is now familiar and he knows where they are, Eunsang relaxes but doesn't lower his guard this time. "I'm living with my grandmother for a while."
"Oh, you're not from here?" Seongjun asks, sounding curious and Eunsang replies with a shake of his head.
"No, I mean, I am from here but my parents moved to Busan when I was two and then we moved to Seoul before I turned six. So I am from here but I don't live here anymore," Eunsang curses himself in his head for making this so complicated. As a result of his babbling, Seongjun laughs.
"I'm not from here either," he says. "My family lives in Seoul."
Ah, now that Eunsang thinks about it, Seongjun doesn't speak with the Jeju dialect like his grandma. He's so used to switching it on and off that he didn't really notice until now.
Eunsang is curious to know more but he knows better than to probe into someone's life like that, especially someone he has just met.
"So you're Mrs. Lee's grandson?" Seongjun asks and Eunsang nods, surprised he knows his grandmother. "I don't think I've ever seen you here."
He knows this is just a harmless comment but Eunsang can't help but feel a sting hearing the facts like that. It just reminds him of how little he has come to see his grandmother in the past years.
"The last time I visited was almost nine years ago," he says in shame. He did see his grandma every now and then since she would go over to Seoul once a year but it was never enough time for anything truly meaningful. His life in the capital was always busy, with all the studying he had to do in order to maintain his grades on the top, and he barely saw the years passing by. "But back when I visited, I never left the property."
Seongjun hums, drags the sound the way people do when thinking.
"I moved here four years ago," he says and Eunsang nods. "We probably wouldn't have met, when I visited I always spent my time helping my grandpa with the strawberries. Then he passed away and left the property for me, much to my family's displeasure, so I kind of run it by myself and they never visit."
"That's-"
"Sad, I guess," Seongjun cuts him off and Eunsang peeks from the corner of his eyes and sees that he's staring out the window. "But I'm used to it, I've been excluded from everything since I've moved here but they thought my grandpa would split the inheritance between everyone and not leave it all to me so I made them even more pissed at me."
There is not a hint of sadness in Seongjun's voice despite his words. Eunsang wants to hear more about it but Seongjun points to the right and it means it's time to bid their goodbyes.
"So you mentioned helping me," Seongjun says, unbuckling the seatbelt. "I'm not going to do anything else today, thankfully I was actually biking back home after finishing up with some stuff downtown, but I will need help tomorrow."
"No problem at all," Eunsang says with a solemn nod and leaves the car to take Seongjun's bicycle from the trunk.
"Meet me here at six," Seongjun says when Eunsang has carefully placed the bicycle against the wall. He doesn't give Eunsang time to react, jumps up the few steps and enters the house with a skip on his step, not even looking like he has just come back from the hospital with a broken arm.
"Six?" Eunsang mumbles under his breath and sighs. It's nothing difficult for him since he's used to waking up early to study but he's more concerned about what to tell his grandmother when she asks where he is going so early.
He should probably tell the truth, right?
The next morning, Eunsang wakes before his alarm rings.
It is still dark outside but he sees a faint light coming from underneath his door. He gets out of bed before he falls back asleep and stretches his arms above his head with a yawn. Turning the alarm off and clearing up the notifications from his phone - all missed calls and angry messages from both his parents, it seems both have not given up on trying to reach him -, he slowly gathers a garment that's fit for working at a farm - which is comfortable and that he wouldn't mind getting dirty - and leaves for the bathroom.
After splashing his face with cold water and brushing his teeth, he enters the kitchen and his grandmother does a double take to make sure she's seeing right.
"You're up so early," she comments and turns back to the stove, where she seems to be stirring a pot with soup.
She doesn't say anything more and Eunsang knows it's his cue to tell her his plans for the day and the reason he's out of bed before the sun has risen.
He hesitates for a second.
"Yesterday I made a friend and I offered to help out with some farm work," Eunsang feels bad for lying but he can't possibly say that he almost ran over someone and sent them to the hospital, can he? "Unless, grandma, would you also like me to help out with the farm?"
She laughs and shakes her head.
"I still have people who work for me, I only take care of the animals and my garden," she replies and Eunsang sighs in relief. "I'm too old to be doing manual labor as I used to."
He stands up when she turns the fire off and helps set the table. They eat together and Eunsang enjoys his grandmother's silent company.
"Who's your new friend?" she suddenly asks and Eunsang looks up from his half-empty bowl.
"Ah, it's someone named Hong Seongjun," he answers.
"The strawberry farm, I see," she says with a nod. "The kid is very polite and pleasant, he sometimes comes over to give me a basket of what's produced and in exchange I usually send a box of peaches over to him when they're in season. He's older than you, remember to be respectful."
Eunsang frowns slightly.
"Not much older, right?" he asks and remembers thinking he looked quite youthful. "He seemed to be around my age."
His grandmother chuckles.
"You're right, he's not much older but, if I'm not mistaken, there's still a three year gap between you two," she says and Eunsang nods, still a little surprised though he is used to people looking younger than they actually are as well as the opposite. "I'm glad you've made a friend, there's not many young folk in this part of the city. Nothing's stopping you from going to the busier part of the city, so just take the car if you want to hang out somewhere people your age would be. I know it's probably boring only to be here with me."
"That's not true," he exclaims, ignores the bit about the car, and speeds up his eating when he sees the time on the clock hanging by the wall. "I enjoy grandma's company just fine, I'm the one who's boring."
She shakes her head in amusement and they resume eating without speaking anymore. Once they're done, Eunsang rushes to wash everything.
"The Hong property is not far, so instead of taking the car, you can bike there," she says while putting on her hat. "The bike is on the back of the house. I'll see you later for lunch."
And with a single wave, she exits the house through the door by the kitchen and Eunsang finishes cleaning up. He runs around to get everything he needs, makes sure to take his phone with him this time just in case, and goes to the back of the house to fetch the bicycle as his grandmother suggested.
He laughs when he sees it as it is a vivid and sparkly red, most likely visible from a good distance. It even has a basket at the front! How convenient!
Eunsang puts the things he's bringing with himself there - his phone, his wallet, a hat and a jacket - and holds it by the handlebars. He leads it out of the covered area, hopping on it as soon as he's in front of the house.
He hasn't ridden a bike in a single lane street like this before and he feels apprehensive. He thinks about yesterday's accident and tries to be as cautious as possible, pedaling as fast as he can with hopes of getting to the destination quickly. To his luck, only three cars pass by him, two which actually come the opposite way.
Upon reaching the residence Seongjun lives in, Eunsang sees that he's sitting on the two step staircase.
"You're early." he says as a way of greeting and Eunsang jumps off the bike, bringing it with him until he's standing in front of Seongjun and placing it against the wall. He retrieves his belongings, puts the jacket and hat on so he doesn't have to carry them and shoves the other things in his pockets.
"So are you," he replies and remembers his grandmother's words. "Hyung."
Seongjun tilts his head.
"How do you know I'm older than you?" Seongjun asks and snaps his fingers, making Eunsang flinch. "Ah, your grandma probably mentioned it. So how old are you?"
"I'm twenty-one."
"Oh really?" Seongjun wides his eyes, pursuing his lips and Eunsang's gaze falls on his broken arm for a second before he looks back up at Seongjun. "I'm twenty-five."
"I thought you were three years older than me and not four," he mumbles and looks confused.
"This hyung's birthday was back in March," Seongjun taps his chest twice and smiles. "I'm assuming yours hasn't come up yet, am I right?"
Eunsang nods.
"Anyway, let's get going, we can talk as we work," Seongjun says and points to the right. "The greenhouses are that way. I usually bike there but we can just walk."
Eunsang nods and silently follows Seongjun. They pass by a big green area that Eunsang assumes is just a garden - since it has so many flowers, trees and even a small pond -, an empty swimming pool and what looks like a golf course.
"My grandpa lived lavishly, I dare say," Seongjun says when he notices Eunsang staring at the golf course. "The property is way too big for just one person, I'm not very keen on swimming and neither do I play golf, so those have been unattended for the past two years."
The grass in the golf course is overgrown in some parts but it looks like it is mowed every now and then. There is not much to be said about the swimming pool, it looks depressing if Eunsang has to say anything.
"Why not build something else over there? Maybe start a new type of produce or raise some animals," Eunsang says without thinking and notices the amused looks in Seongjun's eyes. "Sorry, I was just thinking out loud."
"Don't worry, I thought about it but I got lazy and didn't go through with any of the ideas I came up with," he says. "But you're right, it's actually a waste of space and I could give it a more meaningful use, maybe raise some hens and start selling eggs as well. What do you think?"
Not sure if his opinion is really valid for such a big decision, Eunsang shrugs. Before Seongjun can continue on the topic, they finally reach the first greenhouse.
"Do you know how to take care of strawberries?" he asks and Eunsang gives him a negative answer with a shake of his head. "It's easy, just follow as I say."
Eunsang accepts the pair of gloves Seongjun offers him and follows him inside.
They finish going over everything in two hours. There wasn't much to be done aside from collecting leaf samples from each row and making sure the irrigation system was working according to its settings.
"Right, let me show you how to make sure the water that gets to the strawberries has everything they need," and they walk all the way to the pump that's located in the middle of everything. "Since it is a hydroponic system, we need to add the nutrients to the water. I do this once a day after I am done going around."
It's fairly easy, Eunsang is good at remembering things that have specific steps to be followed. He makes mental notes and even asks a few questions.
In fifteen minutes, they're walking back to the house.
"In about a month, we'll harvest them," Seongjun says with a smile, swinging his left arm back and forth.
"And you don't have anyone help you out with it?" Eunsang asks. Although it is not something that requires strength, going around to individually collect all strawberries takes time and effort. There will be thousands and thousands that need to be picked and neatly placed on a tray, he can't imagine just one single person doing that.
"No," he replies and, although Eunsang expected that answer, he's still shocked. "It takes the whole day but I can do it by myself."
Among all of the thoughts in his head, Eunsang thinks about yesterday and Seongjun's broken arm and how hard it must be to do things normally. Realization suddenly strikes Eunsang. He stops on his tracks and Seongjun turns to look at him when he doesn't hear footsteps anymore.
"What is it?" he asks and Eunsang blinks a few times.
"Hyung, you live by yourself, right?"
Seongjun nods and frowns. Eunsang sounds stupid asking this since he has mentioned earlier but he had to make sure.
"I'm sorry I didn't think about this earlier but," Eunsang wipes the sweat that was forming on his forehead. "You can't possibly cook using just your left hand, can you?"
Seongjun bursts out laughing at the random topic and Eunsang is stressed, thinking about it now. He dropped Seongjun off yesterday and didn't think about how he would go about his day without having his right hand to assist with things.
"I usually cook proper meals for myself but you're right, it would be difficult to make dinner with just one hand so I had some instant ramyun and some leftovers last night," he laughs and Eunsang sighs, feeling even more responsible now. He doesn't even want to think about showering and other things, for that, he knows Seongjun can do it by himself even if it's a little complicated, so he won't offer any help but-
"I'll come over and cook lunch and dinner for you," he says as a matter of fact and not as an offer. "I am a decent cook, even if I'm better at baking, but I don't want to have hyung force himself to eat instant ramyun every single meal. I'll tell my grandma that she doesn't have to worry about making lunch for two people."
Seongjun makes a funny face.
"You don't have to bother with it," he says and Eunsang ignores it, taking his phone out and texting his grandmother.
"I said I'd take full responsibility, didn't I?"
"You're too serious," Seongjun comments and motions for Eunsang to follow him. "It's getting hot under the sun, let's get inside the house, I have an A/C that we can turn on."
Eunsang catches up to him with three steps and they get inside the house as soon as possible. The first thing Seongjun does is turn the air conditioner on just as he said. It's not super hot outside, it's only the very beginning of summer, but Eunsang is not going to question him, this is his house after all.
He turns and can't help but run his eyes around the place.
"What do you think?" Seongjun asks, motioning at the living room. "Way too big, right? Back when both my grandparents lived here, it didn't look as big and empty as it does now. Anyway, let me show you the kitchen, since you want to cook. There should be enough food for a meal now but I should go shopping in the afternoon."
Eunsang nods and follows him to the kitchen. It's spacious and seems to have everything he needs.
"Feel free to check the cupboards and the fridge, I won't get mad or anything," Seongjun says with a dismissive movement of his hand. "I'll just check my laundry and run the vacuum cleaner, the floor looks dusty."
"Would it be alright if I made naengmyeon?" Eunsang asks before he leaves the kitchen, already eyeing the ingredients in the fridge as well as the shelf with the dry food. Since it is a hot day, it sounds like the easiest and most reasonable option - especially since he's not a chef and his repertoire is limited. "It shouldn't take me more than an hour to finish it."
"Whatever you want to make as long as it's not tteokbokki," Seongjun says and leaves. Eunsang is about to ask what's wrong with tteokbokki but he's gone.
There are enough ingredients but, just like Seongjun mentioned, it's not enough for any other meal aside from this one he's making right now.
As he works around, Eunsang makes a shopping list in his head and plans to put it on the paper as soon as he's finished. He also thinks about the money on his wallet and wonders if it'll be sufficient to cover the grocery shopping expenses.
Amid his thinking, Seongjun comes back and pulls a chair from the living room into the kitchen, sitting down in a place he won't end up being on the way.
Just as promised, Eunsang is done not even an hour later. He plates it nicely and smiles when he picks the two bowls up and sees Seongjun eyeing him curiously.
"I'm actually pretty hungry now," Seongjun comments and Eunsang makes his way out of the kitchen and into the dining room adjacent to the living room. The table looks like it can fit a whole family, probably around eight people if it is necessary, but it's the two of them only and it looks depressingly empty. "Did you follow any recipes? I didn't see you looking at anything, not even your phone."
"Not really, I usually make this for myself so I just doubled the recipe," Eunsang says, looking around in search of the place Seongjun keeps the chopsticks but not wanting to start opening all of the drawers.
"The one right behind you," Seongjun says and leans back on the chair. Eunsang nods once and hands him a pair before getting one for himself and sitting down as well.
He hasn't cooked for anyone aside from himself - and Hyungseok occasionally when he would come over to study back when they were in high school but that doesn't count, Hyungseok would even eat rocks if he could - so he's curious to watch Seongjun's reaction to his food.
Eunsang thinks he's a decent cook, it's nothing extraordinary and spectacular but it's above the line of passable. He watches with expectation as he takes the first bite and even forgets to start eating too.
There is no proper reaction coming from Seongjun, actually, he struggles to hold the chopsticks with his left hand and Eunsang notices that he should've offered to help him.
"Do you need some help?" he says, finally, and Seongjun glances at him.
"Are you going to feed me?" he asks, voice muffled as he has food in his mouth. Eunsang nods and stands up from his seat, walking around and taking the empty chair by Seongjun's right side.
"There is no other way I could help you," he says and pulls his own bowl towards himself. "Using chopsticks with a non-dominant hand is difficult. As long as you don't mind me feeding you, I don't mind it as well. Let's not make it awkward."
Eunsang feels like he's being rude with those words but he doesn't want Seongjun to feel like he's an inconvenience.
"We met just yesterday and you cooked in my kitchen and are now feeding me. This relationship is progressing way too fast, don't you think so?" Seongjun says with a shy grin and Eunsang almost drops the chopsticks he had on his grip. Seongjun notices the stunned look in his eyes and laughs. "It was a joke, you don't have to look so uncomfortable."
Was Seongjun flirting with him just now? No, that's not possible. He's been extremely friendly since the first time they met, even though he was the cause of his injury, so Eunsang thinks he's just reading too much into it. As he said, it's most likely just a joke, there is no way he knows Eunsang likes boys.
"I'm not uncomfortable," he replies and holds the chopsticks tighter, picking up some of the noodles and holding the bowl closer to Seongjun's mouth. "I just didn't expect you to think of it like this."
"Sorry, my comment was uncalled for," Seongjun says before Eunsang shoves enough noodles into his mouth to keep him quiet for a good minute.
The rest of the meal goes well even though Eunsang barely speaks a word, too used to eating in silence, and Seongjun doesn't dare say anything again.
"I'll do the dishes," Seongjun says as soon as they're done and Eunsang stands up before shooting a look at his bandaged arm. "Oh, right, I forgot."
Eunsang scoffs.
"I'll do the dishes," he says and leaves with both bowls in hands.
He works fast and is wiping his hands dry on the towel when Seongjun enters the kitchen.
"Can you drive me to the city?" Seongjun asks and stares at his phone's screen. "I've made a list of things I need to buy, is there any food you'd like me to get so you can cook?"
Eunsang is taken aback by the question.
"I don't think so," he mumbles. "I don't use anything specific or different when I cook."
"I'll just get the usual then," Seongjun pockets his phone and looks up at Eunsang. "I'll give instructions on how to get there. You can drive my car."
With a gulp, Eunsang nods.
It turns out that Seongjun's car is a very ugly, green kei truck. Eunsang doesn't comment on it though, of course, he doesn't even look too long at it to hint at what's going through his head. But the vehicle hurts his eyes and he wonders if he can even drive that kind of thing.
"Don't worry, it's kind of new," Seongjun pats the hood affectionately when Eunsang remains frozen in place, staring at the ground. "It's automatic, your grandma's van is probably harder to drive than this one."
He's right, Eunsang thinks as they get on the road. His eyes go over the dashboard before he focuses on what's in front of him, still quite traumatized by what he caused yesterday.
It's all quiet until the radio suddenly starts playing at a very high volume and Eunsang jumps on his seat in surprise.
"Sorry, I forgot it was this loud," Seongjun says and tunes it down so it's just a gentle background noise. "It's on the right after the traffic light, they have a parking lot."
Eunsang nods and follows as instructed, doing his best to park perfectly.
"You can wait here, it won't take long," Seongjun tells him with a small smile and hops off the car. Eunsang frowns and gets out of the car as well.
"You can't possibly shop with only one arm," Eunsang explains when Seongjun shoots him a confused glance. Realization floods his face and he nods, taking his phone out and scrolling through the shopping list.
He follows Seongjun through the whole store pushing a shopping cart. It's slowly filled with whatever he planned on buying and Eunsang realizes that Seongjun probably knows his way well in the kitchen, putting in ingredients Eunsang usually walks past without a single glance when he goes out grocery shopping.
"I don't know how to use those," Eunsang mumbles under his breath, just thinking out loud, and Seongjun stops walking and turns to him.
"You don't have to stress yourself trying to come up with things to cook," he says. "I just need help preparing the vegetables and I can do it by myself just fine."
Oh, that's actually smart, Eunsang hadn't thought of that. He nods and gives him a smile to show that he approves of the idea and Seongjun resumes selecting the ingredients.
When it is time to pay, Eunsang is taking out his wallet and Seongjun eyes him in confusion.
"No way," he mumbles when he finally catches on Eunsang's intention and quickly pays using his phone. "Could you help carry the other bags to the car?"
Eunsang agrees with a single nod and rushes after Seongjun who's already walking out of the store.
"Is it alright if I don't stay for dinner?" Eunsang asks, thinking about his grandmother who was happy that she'd get to spend time with him. "I will still help prepare everything."
Seongjun laughs and puts the bag he was carrying on the back of the truck.
"I'm not holding you hostage, of course you can go back home when there's nothing else I need help with," Seongjun says, shaking his head in amusement. "Is there anything you need to do in the city? We can stop there before going back."
Eunsang assimilates his reply in silence and thinks over the question while they get in the truck.
"No," he says. "How about you, hyung?"
Seongjun shakes his head and fastens the seatbelt.
"I'm more concerned about the food that needs to be in the fridge," he says and that's the message Eunsang needs to start the car and drive back.
After that, this same arrangement becomes a routine.
Eunsang wakes up early, has breakfast with his grandmother and bikes all the way to Seongjun's property. What they do varies a little but it's nothing too drastic and Eunsang finds himself enjoying it more than he expected. Even helping out in the kitchen is fun, he watches Seongjun work around with attentive eyes and learns that he is, in fact, a great cook and his food tastes like a fragment of his childhood. Before leaving, he helps with small errands around the house that Seongjun can't deal with alone and then he has dinner with his grandma, showers and drops dead on his bed, too tired to do anything else.
"Tomorrow you don't have to come, I take it easy on weekends and just make sure everything is properly watered," Seongjun says while Eunsang finishes slicing the meat, the last thing he had to do before he steps out of the kitchen and becomes a mere helper handing out the ingredients to Seongjun.
"How are you going to cook if I don't come over to help?" Eunsang asks, concerned. "It's almost been a week, I think the swelling on your broken arm has subsided, don't I have to take you back to the hospital to have a cast put on?"
Seongjun stops and pursues his lips.
"You're right," he says and exchanges a glance with Eunsang. "Let's go tomorrow morning then and we can have lunch downtown."
Eunsang nods and steps back to let Seongjun take over the kitchen.
That's how Eunsang ends up in the hospital again, although feeling a lot calmer compared to the first time he has been there.
It's a familiar place even if he doesn't want it to be. Seeing doctors and nurses rushing from side to side, the sickening sterile environment and the smell so characteristic of a hospital.
Eunsang hates it, truly.
Seongjun leaves to see the doctor and he's by himself in the waiting area, staring at the television on mute playing something he's not really interested in. Being here reminds him of the amount of missed calls and text messages on his phone, he hasn't checked any and wonders if his parents have figured out where he is.
His grandmother hasn't mentioned anything regarding them and Eunsang will gladly postpone dealing with this. This whole week was way too pleasant to be ruined with real life kicking in, he'll figure it out at a later time - he wishes it would be never but he knows that's impossible.
He dozes off for a moment and startles awake when something touches his shoulder.
"It's done," Seongjun says cheerfully and shows him his right arm. "It was pretty fast I think, waiting for my turn took longer than the procedure itself."
Eunsang nods and stands up, seeing that Seongjun doesn't show any signs that he'll sit down to chat.
"Hyung, just make sure you don't get it wet, it takes almost two days for it to dry completely. It's going to smell bad if you get the inside wet too so you can put a plastic bag around it when you shower," he warns without thinking much and realizes that the doctor probably explained that to Seongjun before letting him go. He almost turns red in embarrassment but he's an expert at being nonchalant and keeps a straight face. "Should we find a place to have lunch?"
"You're already hungry?" Seongjun asks with a frown and checks the time on the clock that's located right by the television. "It's kind of early though."
Eunsang blinks a few times while staring at Seongjun's face and a small smile finds its way to his lips when he thinks of a reply.
"Hyung, don't you know? Having brunch is one of the latest trends in the big city, there are brunch places everywhere in Seoul," Eunsang says with a teasing tone and Seongjun scoffs.
"You talk as if Jeju is the countryside," Seongjun says and starts walking. "Let's go then."
They don't have brunch, it was a joke, and Eunsang insists on going to a restaurant that has seafood on the menu. They eat a lot and Eunsang lets Seongjun believe that he'll be paying for it. Once Seongjun goes to the bathroom, he calls the waitress over and pays the bill, making sure he still has enough cash on him just in case he wants to buy something before going back home - but he still has a pouch stocked with money on the top shelf of his closet, he's that prepared.
He's planning to act as though nothing happened but, sadly, Seongjun comes back right as the waitress returns with the change and stares in confusion as she hands Eunsang the bills and coins.
"Oh no, you didn't," Seongjun says in disbelief and sits back down. Eunsang shrugs with an innocent smile and puts the money away into his wallet, turning back to the food and eating without a care in the world.
Seongjun lectures him for a minute about how he always seems to be trying to pay for every single thing but admits defeat when Eunsang remains unbothered, and resumes eating as well.
"Let's get something sweet," Seongjun says as soon as they step outside. "I'm paying this time,"
"If you can pay before me, then sure," Eunsang says with a wiggle of his eyebrows and twirls his grandmother's car tag by the keychain loop around his index.
Seongjun's inability to get his phone out of his pocket before Eunsang has the money out from his wallet results in their current situation as they drive back home: Eunsang with a pleased smile as Seongjun has a pout deeply etched to his lips.
"I'm not going out with you again," Seongjun comments and huffs loudly to make a point. Eunsang bursts out laughing and steals a quick glance to see what Seongjun looks like right now. He's shooting him a dirty look, an accusing one, and Eunsang laughs again. "It's not funny, quit laughing."
Eunsang presses his lips together and tries his best but Seongjun is acting like a little kid and it's way too funny to him.
"I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd be upset about it," Eunsang says and bites back a grin. "I'm used to always paying for everything."
It's the truth, Eunsang is used to going out with Hyungseok and paying for everything. His friend is shameless enough to always "forget his wallet", even though he pays for things with his phone, and since these are small things and Eunsang has stayed over at his friend's house plenty of times without complaints coming from him, he doesn't mind paying for his meals when they hang out.
"Yeah, you know, you're just like my best friend back in Seoul," Seongjun huffs again and Eunsang chuckles. "Always insisting on paying for things and giving out expensive gifts like it's nothing. So annoying."
Eunsang notices the fondness in his words and smiles again. In no time, he reaches Seongjun's property and makes a right, stopping in front of the house.
"Thanks for taking me to the hospital and for forcefully paying for whatever we had," Seongjun says as he opens the door. "Do not worry about me, on weekends I order takeout. See you on Monday."
"Alright then," Eunsang says and makes a saluting motion, nodding once and waving when Seongjun turns to look at him one more time before closing the front door.
In silence, Eunsang drives back to his grandmother's house and makes plans to help around with some cleaning and maybe dinner.
Eunsang is happy, he's satisfied with his routine and the way his life is going. He doesn't think about his parents, he doesn't think about anything but what he has in his hands right now.
It's all good. He enjoys the time with his grandmother and acts as if the time of his life where he lived in Seoul didn't even happen.
When Seongjun asks him why he decided to come over and live with his grandmother for some time, he says he's on a sabbatical, not giving him space to ask any more questions.
So of course he forgets completely about it as well.
They're busy now, super busy in fact, because it is time to harvest the strawberries and that requires a lot of time as it is only the two of them with three hands working instead of four.
Eunsang arrives earlier than usual so they can be finished with this before night falls and, by the time it is noon, they've managed to get almost half of it in their boxes to be distributed to the stores all over Jeju tomorrow - thankfully, it is not something they'll be doing because it'd require a truck and Eunsang can't drive one and neither can Seongjun.
With so much in his head, thinking about the amount of strawberries they still have to pluck out, organize carefully and bring over to the refrigerated storage room, Eunsang is so distracted that he picks up his phone that's ringing and answers it without checking the caller ID.
"Hello?" he says and hears his whole name being yelled at from the other side. It is so loud that Seongjun, who was finishing up lunch, turns to look at him.
Eunsang pulls the phone away and stares at the screen. He sighs in resignation, seeing Mother staring back at him.
He closes his eyes for a brief second and takes a deep breath.
"Mother, please, I can't understand what you're saying if you're yelling at me," Eunsang says with a soft voice, not daring to put the phone to his ear although he can hear her rage loud and clear.
"You have the audacity to ask me to lower my voice?"
Eunsang sighs without making a sound and gulps.
"I reckon you'd rather have me listen to what you have to say instead of hanging up the call this instant," Eunsang manages and closes his fingers tight around the phone to prevent it from shaking too much. He's angry and scared, talking like this to his mother might have resulted in a slap across his face - or maybe that'd be his father - and he knows she's seething on the other side. "I am listening."
"The university says you requested a leave of absence, a portion of the money in the bank account has been withdrawn in cash, most of your belongings are gone from your room, you don't answer the calls nor reply to messages. Where have you been for the past month?"
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that."
"You can't or you don't want to."
"I don't want to and I won't," Eunsang replies and can only imagine what kind of face his mother is making right now. "I'm sorry it has come to this and I should've talked about it with the two of you but I can't continue living like that."
"You can't continue living like that? Like what? Studying in the best university in Seoul? Living in a giant house in the richest neighborhood? Having everything you ask for?"
"I'm tired of being unhappy," Eunsang snaps, raising his voice and almost screaming into the phone. The silence is deafening and he has to take a few seconds to calm down. "I'm not saying I'm never going back home to finish my degree since there's only one year left but I need a break, I don't want to be a doctor, I don't want to keep following father's dream of me working at his hospital."
"Eunsang."
"Just give me," Eunsang sighs. "Just give me six months, six months and I am back. Six months and I'll graduate with honors even but don't expect me to do anything with that degree."
Eunsang gulps, wondering what the silence means, especially coming from his mother, and he raises his head, seeing as Seongjun looks at him with his mouth open. He fixes his posture and turns back to the stove, giving Eunsang some privacy even though they're still in the same place.
"Six months, no more than six months. I'll talk to your father but don't expect him to be lenient like me. You'll have to deal with him yourself once you're home."
And before Eunsang can say even a thanks the call ends and he's left staring at his lap.
The frisson of delight he felt moments ago while thinking about the remaining strawberries he had to take care of is gone and he's filled with despair, thinking now about the fact that this has a deadline.
This as in his freedom, the fact that every day he manages to look forward to tomorrow. He knows it is inevitable that he'd have to return to Seoul but he was hoping to drag this for a little more than six months, a year perhaps but that was aiming too high, only wishful thinking.
His mother's words surprise him though. He expected her to show no mercy and demand that he return right now but she knows his father better than anyone, he's her husband after all, and Eunsang is grateful that she's letting him have six months, even if it's not enough for him.
"Lunch is ready," Seongjun says and Eunsang lifts his head to look at him. He's greeted with a smile and he rushes to help bring the food to the table. "Let's not take too long, I'd like us to be done before night falls."
Eunsang agrees with him and Seongjun talks as they eat, telling him about a nice bottle of homemade makgeolli he got from a neighbor - Mr. Song, who lives two lots from his property, an old friend of his grandfather - and that they should have it after dinner to celebrate the successful harvest.
Seongjun doesn't ask him about the phone call.
Eunsang is thankful.
"Eunsang-ah," Seongjun says as he closes the door to the storage room. Eunsang is proud that they finished all the work before dusk settled. The only thing left to do is check if they didn't forget anything in the greenhouses. "Thanks for your help. I wouldn't be able to do anything without another pair of hands."
"It's the least I could do," Eunsang nods with a smile and lets out a sigh of relief, humming under his breath. "So, I was thinking, for dinner-"
"I'll just make something very simple," Seongjun interrupts and motions for him to turn around and start walking. "We can get a handful of scallions from my vegetable garden on the back of the house and I'll make buchimgae, it goes well with the makgeolli."
"Leave that to me, I can do it," Eunsang offers and Seongjun accepts without putting up a fight. Truth is that they're both tired, Seongjun more than him because he insisted on carrying the individual boxes Eunsang put together to the moving cart since he can't push it by himself. It means that, well, Seongjun walked back and forth a lot.
They do a round in each greenhouse and make sure nothing is out of place, that all the lights are off, and then they march back to the house in comfortable silence.
The sky has darkened now. There are still streaks of purple and pink lost in it but they'll be gone soon. Eunsang took a liking to admiring the sky as he bikes back to his grandmother's place, a sight that's not very common in Seoul for him since he spent most of his time either at the university's library or in his own room.
It pains him to know that this will be over in a few months.
The more Eunsang thinks about it, the more he's certain that after he's done with university he wants to move out of his parents' house. He knows he's stuck relying on his father's money so if there's one thing he'll do is avoid using it unnecessarily. For his university tuition, he's not the one who chose to study medicine so he won't think too much about it.
"Could you get the scallions? Just use a knife to cut them off, don't yank the roots along with it please," Seongjun says once they're inside the house and entering the kitchen. He hands Eunsang a small knife and points to the door to the backyard. "I'll get the ingredients out for you, thanks for offering to cook."
"Like I said, hyung," Eunsang says, walking towards the door. "It's the least I can do. I'll be back in a minute."
He's familiar with the backyard from what he sees through the window while he does the dishes after meals but he hasn't ever had to pick anything from Seongjun's vegetable garden. He said one minute but Eunsang spends a few seconds putting on the outside shoes Seongjun keeps by the door and then staring around to locate where he should go.
He easily sees the bunch of scallions next to some small cherry tomato bushes and makes his way to it.
With a sigh he squats down and cuts off what he assumes might be enough for at least four big sized buchimgaes - Eunsang is counting on them using other ingredients for some variety - and gets back inside, leaving the shoes where they were and dragging his socked feet on the cold porcelain tiles.
In such a short time, Seongjun has organized all the ingredients on the table and is holding a pair of disposable gloves in his direction with a smile.
Eunsang accepts it with an equal smile in return and gets to work, washing the scallions thoroughly before putting those gloves on.
Just as Seongjun said, the makgeolli is nice. Eunsang doesn't drink often but he can tell it is of high quality. It's creamy and rich and the aftertaste on his mouth is pleasantly sweet.
"Don't worry about coming tomorrow, alright?" Seongjun says, filling his mouth with a big piece of the kimchi buchimgae that still has some steam coming from it. He lets out a pleased hum from the back of his throat and Eunsang feels happy that someone who's better at cooking compared to him is showing appreciation for what he has worked hard on.
After two cups of the drink, they agree to save the rest for another day and focus on eating.
"You won't need help tomorrow?" Eunsang asks.
"I just need to give out instructions to the suppliers who will drop by to get the boxes tomorrow morning," Seongjun explains, moving his chopsticks from side to side every few words. "Now that we're done harvesting, there isn't much to do. I just need to make sure the crops are watered and have all the nutrients then I'll rest for the day. Maybe read a book or catch up with some drama."
Eunsang nods, understanding that Seongjun needs his space. He has been coming over every single day for the past month, save for weekends, he'd be sick of having someone invading his house all the time too.
"Let me know if you need help with anything though," Eunsang offers, sensing the way the alcohol is setting in his system and feeling just a little bit dizzy. "I'll drive if you need to get anywhere."
Seongjun grins and finishes off the last sip on his cup. Eunsang does the same and leans heavily against the chair, closing his eyes and bringing a hand to his forehead.
"Maybe I should've had just one cup," he says and sighs, smelling the alcohol on his breath. "Should I ask my grandma to come over to get me?"
He's thinking out loud without noticing and hears Seongjun chuckling.
"Don't bother your grandma with that," Seongjun says and shows him his phone screen. "It's getting late, just tell her you'll stay over and go back home tomorrow morning. I have a guest room you can use."
Eunsang is so tired that he agrees. He's not someone who likes sleeping anywhere but his own bed but he knows his limits and avoiding accidents is something he's going to prioritize.
He sleeps well that night, as he has since coming over from Seoul. When the morning comes, Eunsang gets up at the usual time, makes the bed and exits the guest room still in yesterday's clothes - Seongjun offered to lend him some but they looked too small for him so he declined it.
Seongjun is sitting at the table, drinking what smells like coffee - he guesses by the smell permeating the air - while typing away on his laptop, slower than he probably wishes to since he's only using his left hand.
"Good morning," Eunsang says to announce his presence in the room. "Thanks for letting me stay over, I'll leave now so I can still have breakfast with my grandma, is that alright with you?"
With a laugh, Seongjun stands up and nods.
"I'll let you know if I need help," he says and Eunsang listens intently. "The doctor said six weeks with this on," he taps the cast gently. "So unless anything happens in the meantime, I'll see you in two weeks?"
"I'll see you in two weeks," Eunsang says although he's adamant about it. It feels irresponsible to leave Seongjun to deal with things by himself when he's still nurturing a broken arm - even if it should be a lot better by now.
Still, Seongjun sees him off with a wave and a smile and Eunsang rides his grandmother's bicycle back to her house with a lot on his head.