Chapter 53.1

Chapter 53.1

By noon the next day, Ara was seated in a café in town, waiting for Suho.

The descent had come with a string of conditions, but overall, it had gone better than expected.

Surprisingly, Cheong-seon had agreed to lend her a goblin hat without much resistance. He insisted—over and over again—that she absolutely had to forgive him, as if her scolding had been some terrible injustice.

Baekseol had also guided her down to a clearing at the base of the mountain. Since she would need to show her the way back later, she was probably still waiting somewhere nearby.

Baekseol had done most of the work, so her compensation was steeper. Three tomahawk steaks, along with the traditional sweets and rice punch Ara had made last time. She had refused to settle for anything less.

I should stop by the vegetable stall again before heading back. Maybe pick up some beef too, if I pass the butcher’s…

Ara stirred her drink absentmindedly with a straw, mentally reviewing her shopping list, when she heard a voice.

“Ara!”

Suho had just stepped through the entrance, raising a hand in greeting.

“Sorry I’m late. An elderly patient came in just before morning consultations ended, and I couldn’t ask her to wait.”

“It’s fine.”

Ara smiled softly.

Suho hadn’t changed. Not just his appearance, but his personality too. Back in high school, what made her briefly like him was this very warmth and reliability that had always seemed to set him apart.

“Here. Your wallet.”

“Thanks.”

Suho took it from her and slipped it safely into his jacket pocket.

“You must be hungry. Order anything you want—my treat.”

There was the sound of a chair scraping as he sat across from her. He called over a staff member and placed their order. Ara nodded along to his suggestions and passed the time quietly, gazing out the window.

It was a lazy afternoon. Out on the sun-drenched street, people moved with purpose, each one headed toward their own destination.

She hadn’t done it often, but until recently, Ara used to sit in cafés and people-watch. She’d spend her day off with music in her ears, sipping cold coffee, blending into the crowd like anyone else.

At the time, she hadn’t realized how precious that ordinary routine was. Because she never imagined she’d lose it.

Why is it that people only realize something’s important after it’s gone?

“It’s really good to see you like this.”

Suho’s voice broke through her deepening thoughts.

“By the way… is it okay if I ask why you didn’t come to the reunion?”

The question came suddenly and hit her right where it hurt. Ara hesitated, wondering how to deflect it, but in the end, she chose honesty.

“I couldn’t afford to. I was too busy just trying to survive.”

Even stable relationships require some breathing room.

Ara had turned down her college admission because she couldn’t afford the tuition. With only a high school diploma, she threw herself into the job market and bounced between exploitative workplaces. She lived in a windowless gosiwon, scraping together savings that always seemed to vanish faster than she could earn them.

It took five full years just to pay off the hospital bills for her grandmother. Debt begets debt, they say, and maybe poverty begets more poverty too.

Until she was lucky enough to be hired as a full-time employee by someone who recognized her cooking skills, Ara was just another temp without a proper résumé.

A class reunion? That had been a distant dream.

“Everyone missed you a lot. You changed your number, so we couldn’t get in touch. People were really disappointed.”

Ara gave a faint, bitter smile. Even if someone called it insecurity, she couldn’t deny it. It was the truth.

“What about you, Suho?”

There was no point dwelling on her messy past. She wanted to change the subject and asked how he’d been.

“Me? Of course I missed you too.”

The problem was, his answer left too many words unsaid.

“What?”

Ara tilted her head, confused by the unexpected reply.

“Oh. I guess… that didn’t come out the way I meant.”

Suho realized his slip a moment too late and gave a sheepish smile.

“I’ve just been studying non-stop. Even after getting my license, there’s still so much to learn. At this point, my biggest wish is just one good night of sleep.”

He spoke like a boy embarrassed that his feelings had been exposed, his face slightly flushed as he launched into a string of stories no one had asked for.

Tales of friends and seniors living far from home, memories from medical school, funny encounters with the sweet old couples who visited the health center, even new camping tips he had recently gotten into.

As they shared the freshly served food, Ara listened willingly to all of it.