2. THE GUY WITH THE BUCKET HAT

Woo Jiyoung was definitely not a gentleman. He was hospitable, but not to the point where he would open the car door for me or tell me to fasten my seatbelt. He concentrated on getting himself in the car and putting his own seatbelt on.

Once we had left the town, he became more quiet and I became more wary. He had had an image to hold onto when we were in the cafe, but now he didn’t think it was necessary anymore. He already had me in his car. Anyhow, I couldn’t be rude to him now. I’d been the one who had asked for a ride.

”Can I ask you a question?” I asked when the scenery changed from endless fields to a ragged neighborhood. The dim lights of the street lamps made the passing old houses look eerie. I wondered if he was taking some shortcut to our destination. It didn’t feel likely that the bus would’ve driven through dirty suburbs.

Jiyoung lifted his chin slightly to acknowledge my question. He didn’t reply though.

”How did she die?”

The car jerked to one side as Jiyoung dodged some little animal that was crouching by the road. I quickly glanced at him to see if my question had made him upset. Instead, he was smiling. And in my opinion, it didn’t really suit the atmosphere. ”Oh, I wish she was still here.”

Determined to get an answer, I asked him again. ”Did she get sick?”

Jiyoung hummed, a sound barely audible. He looked through the rearview mirror and flicked his tongue.

”It’s alright if you don’t want to talk about it…”

”It’s fine”, he finally spoke, correcting the position of the mirror. His eyes wondered back and forth, to the road and back to the mirror. ”I don’t really talk about it.”

”Well, if you want to, you can talk to me.”

He seemed hesitant with his answer, but said it anyway. ”She uh, she drowned. My wife drowned.” It sounded like he hadn’t said the words in so long, that he could barely believe them himself.

I swallowed a lump in my throat. I’d never been a fan of deep waters, hence why his words struck to me even harder. Drowning must’ve been one of the most awful ways to go. Just thinking about it made the air stuck to my throat. ”I’m so sorry.”

”I said it’s fine”, he mumbled.

I looked down to my lap. I wanted to know more about his wife. Maybe she was meant to inspire me too, like she’d inspired her husband. I wanted to know their story and write it down.

We traveled in silence, until the road got busier again and for some reason, Jiyoung brightened up too. He switched the radio channels back and forth, figuring out if he wanted to listen to a podcast or the country music channel.

”Why did you come here to write?” He asked suddenly, turning down the volume of the radio.

I shrugged. There was no single reason why I had decided to visit my aunt. It just felt right, somehow. Like it had been time. ”It’s more peaceful in here.”

Jiyoung nodded. ”It sure is. And beautiful.”

I thought Seoul was beautiful too, in an extraordinary way. The two couldn’t really be compared to each other. ”When I was little I used to visit here all the time. Every summer.”

”So it’s not your first time?”

”No, I grew up here. My dad uh… he was from around here. I’m visiting my aunt.”

”Where does he live nowadays? In Seoul?”

I shook my head. ”He doesn’t live anywhere.”

Jiyoung glanced at me. Then he swiftly turned back to the road, furrowing his brows. ”I’m sorry to hear that.”

”My aunt owns a grocery store by the Dokdo-harbor.” The harbor had been named after the famous Liancourt Rocks. I wanted to change the subject badly. Jiyoung seemed to take notes on my behavior, and swapped the topic to talking about writing again, which was the bonding string between us. I asked him where in Sanggang-ri did he live, and how had he become a fisherman who wrote stories. The laid-back chatter continued until we finally arrived to Sanggang-ri.

We drove past the harbor where the waves were calmly hitting the docks, causing the water to splatter against the black sky. I leaned my elbow against the window frame, letting the air throw my hair all over my face. The sea breeze felt amazing on my skin. It wasn’t like the wind in Seoul, it was way more humid and warm. Nearly tropical.

”Where do I drop you off?” Jiyoung asked after driving past my aunt’s grocery store. I had asked him to drive by it to see if it was still open. To my bad luck, the sign on the door had said ’closed’.

”Just drive through the village and up the hill. I’ll let you know where to turn.”

Jiyoung did as I told him and drove up the hill, reaching the end of the public road where I told him to keep going. The landscapes were breathtakingly beautiful. On both sides of the car, the trees grew high and green, making it look like we were entering a fairytale instead of an old country residence. Every now and then, the trees cut off and revealed a gorgeous scenery to the open sea. The slightly lit village looked tiny compared to the view from my apartment's window.

”Your aunt has a nice home”, Jiyoung complimented, as we arrived to the front yard. The garden was dimly lit with little lanterns placed here and there. My aunt had probably put them there because of me. It was her way of welcoming me when she had herself gone to bed already.

”My grandpa built it”, I said, unbuckling my seatbelt. ”My grandma always dreamed of a house on top of a hill, with a grand view and a big garden. When they got married, he made her dream reality.”

Jiyoung’s eyes rested on me for a long time before he smiled and nodded. ”Some people are lucky enough to get to live their dreams.”

Just looking at him made my heart ache. The world was truly cruel, letting some people enjoy it to the fullest, meanwhile some had to learn how to live with the constant pain it was causing them. I placed my hand on his arm and squeezed it gently. ”Well I was definitely lucky to get to meet you. You truly saved my day. Thank you.”

The man’s lips curved into a sad smile. He patted my knee and let out a sigh. ”I’m glad I could help.”

”If there’s anything I can do for you in exchange, just let me know, okay?” I opened the door and dragged my bags out. Each of them thumped on the ground, making a loud sound.

”Well, you could stop by some day?” he suggested, raising his uneven brows.

”Deal!” I offered my hand and he squeezed it lightly.

”Deal”, he chuckled, leaning back to his seat. ”It was pleasure to meet you, Kim Jennie.”

”Likewise, Woo Jiyoung”, I said with a genuine smile. I was so knackered, that I just wanted to fall onto a bed and doze off. Jiyoung noticed that and waved his hand to shoo me away from the car.

”I’ll see you around then, young lady.”

I waved to him as he turned his car around and drove off into the darkness. I was left there surrounded by the sound of crickets chirping somewhere in the trees.

***

The next morning started with a heartwarming reunion. My aunt drowned me in hugs and kisses, meanwhile her husband just patted my back lightly, giving off one of his signature grins. Apparently they had been a little worried when I hadn’t arrived on time. They had been waiting for a call or something, to inform them about my late arrival. My aunt had never been a worrisome person, but whenever it was about me, she had her doubts. I figured it had something to do with her brother - my dad.

”It’s so good to see you again”, my aunt sang for the fifteenth time. She was helping me unpack my stuff, since I had literally just fallen on my bed last night and passed out. She pulled out a cloth at a time and neatly folded it and placed it in a wooden closet that was supposed to be mine for the following two weeks. I watched the way she ran her fingers through the fabrics, recognizing my own manners in her movements. I had definitely gotten some of my personality traits from her. My aunt was also very systematic. However, she was more of a nature’s child. I was pretty much the opposite.

"It feels good to be back." I smiled and picked up my pace, so that she wouldn't fold all my clothes for me. "I was thinking of heading down to the village once I get settled. There's actually this work thing I need to do..."

"Oh I know", aunt Kim said. Her voice sounded like something was being torn apart. It was nothing but rasp. She coughed to clear out . "You have to finish that novel of yours!"

That too, I thought to myself. "My boss wants me to write a few scripts for him. He gave me a deadline." I raised my voice just to be sure she could hear me. "I have to finish them in two weeks. Can you imagine?"

Aunt Kim leaned forward and held her back as she stood up from the wooden floor. Her white night gown hung low, barely covering her figure. If it had been someone else than me, they would've been weirded out. My aunt couldn't care less about who saw her and who didn't. Some people even called her the "flashing lady on the hill". Maybe it was good that their house was a little hidden from the crowds. Thankfully her husband didn't have anything against it, on the contrary, he thought it spoke for her spirituality, that she sometimes forgot a piece of clothing or two.

"I can imagine. And it's not a pretty pict