AC! – Chapter 10

The karaoke machine whirred nonstop, as if it were about to suck up all the electricity in this town.

Using the elders’ singing as background music, Sowon gnawed at the meat from a boiled pig’s head. She drank the makgeolli they kept pouring for her—one bowl, then two—and before she knew it, empty containers were lined up beside her in a row.

She had tagged along half-reluctantly, thinking she might wash away her gloomy mood with alcohol, but whether it was the noisy atmosphere or the alcohol like Kangjun had said, she genuinely felt better.

Woo Kangjun was trapped among the grandmothers, letting out a bland smile. As Sowon watched him with quiet interest, she suddenly spotted a familiar face approaching her and her eyes widened.

“Goo Jongcheol?”

“Oi, Gyeong Sowoi!”

Dragging his slippers, Jongcheol waved his hand.

“My first love’s still got that bright, pretty face.”

He was the youngest son of Goo Jonggil, the village head of Songhwa Village, and a classmate who had gone through elementary, middle, and high school with her. Every time he saw her, he would chirp about dating; from the looks of it, he still hadn’t grown out of that flippant streak.

Coming closer, Jongcheol casually slung an arm around her shoulders. Sowon naturally brushed his arm off.

“You’ve been well? I heard you still live here.”

“Girl, you lived here for over ten years and you’re acting all prickly. Still using Seoul talk, I see.”

“What are you even saying?”

She snorted lightly. At that, Jongcheol’s face reddened. When she asked what he’d been up to, he scratched his head and confessed sheepishly.

“Me? Well, I never really had a dream growing up. Now I’m just thinking of taking over after my village-head father. Goo Jongcheol, Head of Songhwa Village. What d’you think? Sounds cool, right?”

“That’s a nice dream.”

“What kind of lifeless answer is that? I go out to the dawn fields these days and help my father with his work, you know.”

Jongcheol plopped down across from her and reached for her bowl of makgeolli. Just as he was about to drink, a large hand snatched it away.

“You look drunk. Take it easy.”

Somehow having slipped free from the grandmothers, Kangjun downed the alcohol himself.

What. Why are you drinking from someone else’s bowl?

Embarrassed, Sowon cleared her throat. Jongcheol staggered back a step and barked.

“W-what d’you mean take it easy? I just got here! And you know Sowoi well? I’m closer to her. Ain’t that right?”

His gaze, asking her to take his side, had grown bold. He seemed confident she would naturally defend her old classmate. Unfortunately for him, Sowon had no such intention.

“How do you two know each other?”

Without directly answering, she smoothly changed the subject. Jongcheol scratched his head and replied,

“Ah, Kangjui and I go way back.”

Go way back? In what way? At best, they’d crossed paths while farming and exchanged a few words at the village hall.

If they’d bonded simply because there weren’t many peers around, Kangjun’s reaction didn’t quite fit. Jongcheol was nosy by nature; though kinder than he looked, he drew clear lines. They didn’t seem like a good match temperamentally.

“What’s so deep about it?”

“Ah, there’s stuff. You don’t need to know.”

At the suspicious tone, she narrowed her eyes—then, belatedly, recalled that Goo Jongcheol was the main culprit who had spread the rumor that Kangjun was a eunuch.

“Seriously, Goo Jongcheol. Your mouth has always been the problem.”

She shook her head. He blinked, wide-eyed.

“What’re you talking about? But… you two didn’t do anything, right?”

“Do what?”

“Like, you know. Something. Between a man and a woman—some kinda something.”

“How ridiculous. That won’t happen.”

“Haigo¹! What d’you mean won’t happen! A spark can fly between a man and a woman in a single day! So why don’t you just come to my house right now—”

Sowon crooked her finger at the fumbling Jongcheol, signaling him to come closer. Without much thought, he leaned his face in, and she whispered low into his ear.

“You should know best why that won’t happen, shouldn’t you? If you’re going to spread rumors about someone, at least live quietly.”

Her lips were curved in a smile, but her eyes were icy. Jongcheol clamped his mouth shut.

Refilling Kangjun’s bowl, she turned the topic.

“When did you start living here, Mr. Woo Kangjun ?”

She’d meant to block Jongcheol from speaking further, but she was honestly curious too.

She wasn’t the type to care about other people’s circumstances, but it was different when it came to Woo Kangjun. Maybe it was because he had so many unexpected sides, or because she kept hearing various things about him.

She stared at him openly, waiting for an answer.

“It’s been about five years.”

“Not as long as I thought.”

Then when on earth had that man let Jongcheol catch him by a weakness?

As she was trying to piece it together, a grandmother dancing enthusiastically backed up and bumped Sowon on the back.

Her body pitched forward. The bowl in her hand sloshed precariously.

“Ah—?”

Kangjun quickly grabbed her wrist. Her tilting body barely regained balance.

Ha. Sowon squeezed her eyes shut.

It had only been two days since she came to Songhwa Village—why did she keep making mistakes in front of this man?

He wouldn’t think she was doing it on purpose because she liked him, would he? Like those people who use such cliché methods just to draw a little more attention.

Of course, no matter how much he caught her attention, it wasn’t romantic interest. Had she ever even possessed such feelings to begin with?

Even with that sunbae, she’d only cautiously tried getting to know him because she’d been pressured by her grandfather, who kept asking when she would show him a boyfriend—only to end up hurt.

Blinking at the heat of the man’s body traveling up her seized arm, Sowon slowly lifted her gaze.

Her eyes met Kangjun’s.

All at once, the surroundings seemed to grow quiet, time slowing. She almost exhaled, then swallowed it back.

Is my breathing too loud?

Even her breath became careful.

“Hey, hey! No staring! No staring! Keep a set distance!”

At Jongcheol’s finger-wagging shout, Sowon snapped back to her senses and pulled her arm away.

“Thank you. But you don’t have to catch me next time.”

She offered a properly distanced smile. Kangjun released her without another word. The faint warmth left on her wrist traveled along her pulse and spread through her body.

She brushed her wrist down casually, but the burning sensation wouldn’t fade. Her brows drew together.

Am I drunk?

To cut off the ambiguous feeling, she emptied her bowl in one gulp. As the alcohol’s heat slid down her throat, the warmth from before seemed to dull. Only then did she realize her heart was thudding irregularly.

Frowning, she slowly wiped her cheek with the back of her hand.

What is this?

Before she could think further, the elders began gathering around in small groups.

“Our Gyeong Sowoi. Welcome back to Songhwa Village.”

Makgeolli and soju lined up on both sides, and the atmosphere heated up another notch.

I’m dead today.

Forcing a smile, Sowon downed every glass they offered.

Chirrrr, chirrrr.

At the sound of crickets ringing in her ears, she slowly opened her eyes. Beyond her blurry vision lay the pitch-black night sky embroidered with stars.

When she regained about half her senses, she realized she was on Kangjun’s back. She was clinging to his broad, flat back like a cicada.

“Ugh…”

When did I even get piggybacked? The last thing she remembered was Grandma Eulnyeon constantly urging her to drink.

She tried to recall what had happened, but her mind stayed white and blank.

Why is this man carrying me?

Thinking this was an unprecedented level of nuisance, Sowon spoke.

“Put me down.”

“If you’re awake, then just stay quiet and let’s go.”

“No, why are you carrying me? You could’ve just left me there.”

“If I’d left you alone, you would’ve kept making a spectacle of yourself. Shouldn’t we protect the elders’ eyesight too?”

His tone was teasing, but it was likely his way of being considerate. From what she had observed, Woo Kangjun generally took good care of people. A habitual sort of care.

Sowon bit her lip, staring down at the thick hair on the back of his head.

“…Don’t be nice to me.”

Her heart had been beating irregularly for a while now. It didn’t feel like a good sign.

As if she were fluttering.

For Sowon, who was still afraid to trust someone wholeheartedly, that was troublesome.

So she would rather it be the aftereffects of drinking too much—or better yet, an arrhythmia. Besides…

“Because, because you’re…”

Just as she tried to finish the sentence through her hazy mind, her stomach churned.

“Uwek—!”

She promptly vomited everything in her stomach onto Kangjun’s back. That was her last memory on the road.

When she opened her eyes again, she was sprawled in the middle of Kangjun’s living room.

Her embarrassment was brief. Her vision wobbled. Feeling like she might throw up again at any second, Sowon staggered toward the bathroom.

“Bathroom, bathroom…”

And the moment she flung the bathroom door open—

“Ah?”

Sowon slowly blinked, her gaze locking onto the pillar standing tall between the man’s legs.

She clearly needed to look away, but her body wouldn’t budge, as if frozen. A beat late, the situation registered.

Thud—she shut the bathroom door and turned around. In a daze, she slowly replayed what she had just seen.

What did I just see?

What she had definitely seen was a thick, long length of flesh. And it had been standing rigidly toward the ceiling.

No matter how drunk she was, she wasn’t incapable of recognizing what that was—or what state it was in.

He’s supposed to be a eunuch. He’s not supposed to get hard.

The nausea vanished instantly. Clutching her head, Sowon looked around.

The moment the titles of the books scattered across the dining table came back into focus.