Honbul: Flame of the Soul

By the time the two of them returned to the house in the countryside, the sun had fully set. Since it was a remote island, night fell fast. Just as they were about to open the front gate, they spotted the elderly landlady making her way down the alley with her hands clasped behind her back.

“Where’ve you boys been? You must be starving by now. Come on in and eat.”

It was already dinner time. Now that they noticed it, the smell of freshly cooked rice drifted out from every nearby house. Following the old woman inside, they found a lavish meal waiting for them.

“What is all this?”

Jaegyeom’s eyes widened at the sight of the enormous spread. The round aluminum table was so overloaded with dishes it looked ready to collapse under the weight.

A pot of rice mixed with black beans. Crispy flour-coated fried mackerel. Homemade soy sauce marinated crab. Well-fermented mustard leaf kimchi. Thick soybean paste mixed with chopped steamed conch. Blanched squid. Seaweed soup simmered with island rock seaweed.

On top of that, there were countless side dishes and an entire basket overflowing with freshly picked vegetables from the garden.

“What are you standing around for? Sit down already.”

Jaegyeom and Yoon Taehee sat cross-legged in front of the table.

Looking over the carefully prepared meal, Jaegyeom swallowed unconsciously. It was the kind of hearty island meal built around fresh seafood and vegetables, healthy enough to tell at a glance.

“I don’t know if this kind of food suits young bachelors these days.”

At the old woman’s words, Jaegyeom secretly glanced at Yoon Taehee.

To him, a table overflowing with vegetables and seafood was practically paradise, but he wasn’t so sure about Taehee. The last time they’d gone to a Korean restaurant together, Taehee hadn’t touched the fish because he disliked anything fishy, and he’d barely eaten the vegetable side dishes either, complaining that he’d gotten sick of greens after spending so much time at the temple.

Judging by his usual eating habits, there was almost nothing on this table he should’ve liked.

“If I’d known young men were coming, I would’ve gone over to the mainland and bought some meat.”

The old woman scratched at her tightly curled perm with one finger as she spoke.

At that moment, Yoon Taehee smiled gently and picked up his chopsticks.

“No, this is a feast. Thank you for the meal.”

After politely thanking her, he scooped up some rice, dipped it into the seaweed soup, and ate it. Jaegyeom blinked in surprise.

Normally, Taehee was absurdly picky. Jaegyeom had expected him to just pick at the food, but instead he ate without a single complaint. Fish, vegetables, side dishes—he ate everything naturally, without hesitation.

“......”

After watching him for a moment, Jaegyeom finally picked up his own chopsticks.

He took a sip of the seaweed soup first, then scooped a huge spoonful of soybean paste onto his rice. Wrapping the rice and greens together neatly in a leaf, he shoved the whole thing into his mouth and bit into a green chili pepper.

It was delicious.

“How is it? Does it suit your taste?”

“It’s really good.”

Chewing with a serious face, Jaegyeom nodded repeatedly.

Watching him eat so well, the old woman smiled with satisfaction and gently patted his back with her wrinkled hand.

“You eat so nicely. That’s good.”

At that moment, Siwoo, who had been quietly eating beside them, leaned over and whispered something into her grandmother’s ear.

“What? Which mister?”

In response, Siwoo glanced shyly at Yoon Taehee before whispering again. The old woman burst into laughter and turned to Taehee.

“Do you know what Siwoo just said? She says she wants to marry you when she grows up.”

Jaegyeom, who had been reaching for the marinated crab, froze and looked up.

His gaze shifted slowly between Siwoo and Yoon Taehee.

Siwoo’s face turned bright red.

“Grandma...! It was a secret...”

It was exactly the kind of innocent thing a little kid would say.

Adults and children really do see the same things, huh.

“Oh? Really?”

Yoon Taehee smiled faintly at Siwoo’s grand ambition.

“But I’m sorry. Mister likes older people.”

The instant he said it, Jaegyeom—who was older—flinched without realizing it.

“Is that so? How old are you this year?”

The landlady casually cleared her throat and asked the question.

“Me? Twenty-six.”

The old woman’s eyes lit up.

She immediately set down her chopsticks, pulled a smartphone out from her waistband, then held it far away from her face while squinting at the screen.

“My youngest daughter’s thirty-three this year. Still unmarried. Lives alone.”

“...Excuse me?”

“She keeps saying men are useless and none of them meet her standards. Says she’d rather die than settle for some lacking man. Always asking what exactly she’s lacking that she should marry beneath herself. Honestly, she drives me insane.”

The complaints poured out in rapid-fire dialect.

“......”

Yoon Taehee quietly coughed into his fist and smoothed out his expression.

“She’s so full of herself too, strutting around like she owns the world. But she is smart. She’s an attorney. Makes a lot of money.”

“......”

Before long, the criticism had naturally turned into bragging.

After rambling for quite a while—half complaints, half proud boasting—the old woman finally got to the point and asked whether Yoon Taehee might be interested in meeting her daughter on a blind date.

“People care more about living their own lives these days than getting married.”

“Even so, you should meet a good person and have children. That’s what being filial means.”

The old woman was warm and kindhearted, but she still had the unmistakable mindset of an older generation.

“I’m grateful for the offer, but I think it would be rude to someone who’s serious about marriage when I’m not.”

Yoon Taehee declined politely, but the old woman refused to give up. She even tried to call her daughter right there on the spot so they could talk immediately.

She seemed genuinely taken with Taehee, who was handsome, polite, and easygoing.

Feeling awkward, Taehee barely managed to escape by saying, “If you give me her number, I’ll contact her later.”

“Alright ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) then. Make sure you do. Don’t forget.”

Meanwhile, Jaegyeom had already finished an entire heaping bowl of rice.

After dinner, the two of them helped clean up. Jaegyeom cleared the table while Yoon Taehee rolled up his sleeves, put on rubber gloves, and started washing dishes.

“Oh dear, really now. Leave it alone, I’ll do it.”

The old woman tried several times to stop them, insisting there was no need, but the two finished cleaning everything neatly anyway. After a meal prepared with that much sincerity, helping at least this much felt natural.

“Well then, we should get going now. Please get some rest.”

The old woman and Siwoo came all the way out to the gate to see them off.

Then Yoon Taehee suddenly said, “Ah, right,” and pulled his wallet from his back pocket.

He’d forgotten to pay for the lodging.

Taking out several fifty-thousand-won bills, he folded them neatly in half and tried to place them into the old woman’s hand. Her eyes widened immediately. Even at a glance, it was a thick stack of cash.

“Oh my goodness, why so much?”

Then Yoon Taehee replied, sounding as though he were reading straight from a textbook,

“Aw, it’s ’cause I’m grateful.”

He deliberately mimicked the old woman’s dialect as he slipped the money into her hand. Dimples appeared in his cheeks as he smiled.

The two went back and forth for a while, arguing over whether it was too much or too little. In the end, the old woman firmly insisted it was excessive and shoved two of the bills back at him.

Unable to win against her stubbornness, Taehee finally accepted the money back, then looked down at Siwoo.

“Then this part is pocket money for Siwoo. Buy yourself some chocolate.”

Smiling softly, he handed the money to the child.

The old woman’s eyes widened again.

Against someone this smooth and charming, she never stood a chance.

“Young man, you’re dangerously slick. You’re not ordinary at all.”

At last, she burst into hearty laughter and threw up her hands in surrender.

Jaegyeom watched Taehee’s effortlessly sociable behavior with a strange expression.

He already knew Yoon Taehee was good with people, but he hadn’t realized he could be this warm and accommodating.

He’s good with kids too. And polite to old people.

***

Escorted by the old woman, the two returned to the mud house.

It wasn’t even eight o’clock yet, but the island was already swallowed in pitch-black darkness.

It was about time to settle in for the night.

“Then I’m showering first.”

“Do whatever you want.”

The moment they got back, Yoon Taehee headed straight for the bathroom.

While Taehee showered, Jaegyeom sprawled out in the main room and watched TV. Unlike the television back home, the old bulky set barely had any channels.

Nothing good’s on.

Yawning, Jaegyeom aimlessly clicked through channels with the remote.

If you give me her number, I’ll contact her later.

But would Yoon Taehee actually contact her?

And if they talked, that woman would probably get curious about him.

Because Yoon Taehee had a nice voice.

After hearing his voice, she’d wonder what he looked like. And if they met in person, she’d definitely end up liking him.

Because—

Because what?

“......”

A strange feeling suddenly crept over him.

Right then, the bathroom door opened.

Yoon Taehee walked into the room wearing an oversized T-shirt and sweatpants, drying his hair with a towel.

Expressionless, Jaegyeom stood up.

“I’m taking a shower.”

He washed the pointless thoughts away under hot water.

By the time he came back out, feeling refreshed in both body and mind, Yoon Taehee was gone.

With the towel draped over his shoulders, Jaegyeom stepped outside onto the wooden porch. Looking toward the yard, he spotted Taehee leaning against the stone wall, gazing out at the sea while smoking a cigarette.

“Hey.”

Pulling on his sneakers, Jaegyeom walked over.

“Why’d you come outside? It stinks.”

At those words, Taehee flicked away the ash with one finger.

“Give me one. I want to try smoking.”

Jaegyeom held out his hand indifferently.

“......”

Yoon Taehee paused and looked at him.

Jaegyeom wiggled his open palm as if to say, What are you staring at?

After a brief moment of thought, Taehee pulled the cigarette pack from his pocket and slid out a fresh cigarette.

But instead of handing it over, he placed it between his own lips.

Click.

The lighter flared.

“What are you doing? I said give it to me.”

Jaegyeom frowned at him.

Then it happened.

Yoon Taehee stepped closer and slipped an arm around Jaegyeom’s shoulders.

“You said you wanted to try smoking...”

As he spoke, Taehee took a long drag from the cigarette. One hand slid up to cup the back of Jaegyeom’s neck as he slowly tilted his head.

The atmosphere shifted instantly.