13. Pastries To Buy

The neighborhood in Woosun was like every other village in Korea. The houses were compact and spacey, with generous land surrounding the perimeter enough for a garden and a front lawn. There were gates but it was almost always ajar, giving a view of the front door and the lawn. The older ladies of the neighborhood would often gather in these lawns and gossip their lives away while the kids would run around them, hoping to leech off snacks or money out of the unsuspecting old ladies. When Taeho drove into the small alleyway of the neighborhood, he realized that he had overestimated the space and he would have to park his car somewhere else.

He glanced at his former house, a traditional wooden house with a sloping roof. It looked dead with its windows all locked and the gate overridden with dust. It looks almost haunted, as though nobody was living in it. He figured as much. It was a small village and he doubted anybody would move in there. And legally, the house does still belong to him. He never did stay long enough to decide its future, nor did he ever come back to put it up for sale.

But he was not here for the house today, he thought as he looked at the gate in front of him. Slowly pushing the gate open, he walked up the pathway. The sides of the pathway were overgrown with plans and the front door, he stopped to look at it, the front door looked as it always did. It was funny how so much has changed for him but now that he's come back here, it was like he had traveled back in time.

Do it, he told himself, ring the doorbell. Do it. He stared at the doorbell until it looked like it was warping into something else. He forced himself to raise his hand and pressed the doorbell. A whoosh of air left him as he did that, because he did it.

He stood there as the minutes tick by before he willed himself to press the doorbell again.

No answer.

"Excuse me?"

Taeho whipped his head around, his heart beating rapidly. A guy stood outside the gate, frowning deeply.

"Yes?"

"Is this yours?" The man asked, pointing to the car.

Taeho nodded, his heart still thumping against his chest, "Yes."

"You can't park here."

"Ah, I am sorry. I'll move it out right away."

The man turned to go, but then turned back, the frown still on his face, "Do I know you? You look familiar."

"Ah, no. This is my first time here." Taeho said, looking down as his face was hidden.

"Sorry, please move the car." The man bowed and walked away.

****

Taeho slipped the car key inside his pocket as he walked out of the unfinished parking lot area. There was an empty playground beside it and honestly, he was impressed that it was even here in the first place. He remembered the three of them used to simply romp around in any large opening they found.

He walked into the playground, looking at the hills visible in the distance because the buildings were only two storey tall. He took in a deep breath as he sat down on a dusty bench, relishing the fresh air and quietness that casually hung around naturally. His life in Seoul was so hectic that he rarely found time to simply sit and stare off at the distance. He was always either thinking about his company or drinking with corporate people to get on their good sides. He couldn't even remember the last time he took a vacation.

Well, technically he was on a vacation now. He wasn't exactly thinking properly when he took that sabbatical. He didn't even know whether CEOs can take sabbaticals but it didn't matter. He owned the company.

He looked down and jumped in shock. There was a kid sitting on the dusty ground in front of him, picking away on the ground. When did she–? She wasn't there before. Did the kid just randomly spawn out of air? Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the hills. But the movement in the corner of his eye was so irritating that he had to turn his attention back to the kid. He looked at the kid, this time properly. She looked about five with curly hair that was clumsily tied in two pigtails that weren't even similar to each other. One pigtail was perched on top of her head and the other side was pitifully hanging for its dear life at the end of her hair. It was mid september so it was not exactly but slightly windy. She was wearing a pink overall and a light jacket underneath it. Taeho scoffed to himself, jackets are supposed to go on top of the overalls, not under it. One thing about the people in the countryside was the outrageous sense of fashion. Such as putting a pink overall and a green jacket underneath it. Taeho shook his head, getting to go when the kid looked up at him and focused her wide eyes onto him. He cleared his throat and stood up, ignoring her when he felt something touch the back of his knee.

Bewildered, he looked behind and found the girl rubbing dust into his pants. His gray pants that were custom tailored. His eyes widened and he stepped back, shaking the dust off. It's okay, he told himself, it's just a kid.

"Don't do that, that's bad."

The girl frowned at him, continuing to rub the dust into his pants.

"Now, kid, that's rude. Shoo, shoo. Go away." Taeho mumbled, looking around to see if any of her parents were around or anyone who looked like her parent. How are you supposed to talk to kids again?

"Ajhussi, I am not a dog."

"Ah, it can talk."

The girl smiled, taking her hand off his pants and then, licking her dirt dusted fingers. Taeho's eyes widened in absolute horror.

"Wha– That's dirty. Don't do that."

"Don't do what?" The girl asked innocently, licking her third finger clean. Taeho's stomach churned with so much disgust that he had to look away. She was eating the dirt, he thought to himself in dread. When he looked back, he found that her attention was back to the ground. Taeho stared down at the specimen in front of him, tilting his head to the side as he observed the little thing crouching on the ground. He moved back so that he was standing at a careful distance as though the kid would leap up to attack him anytime soon.

"Hey kid, don't eat dirt. It's not for humans."

The kid looked up at him and without breaking their eye contact, she reached out and grabbed a handful of dust as much as she could in her small stubby hands. Taeho watched in disbelief as she stuffed everything into her mouth without ever taking her eyes off him.

"Wha— Hey!" He exclaimed, looking around in panic.

"Mommy says not to listen to strangers." She says, looking down again but her voice was muffled from the contents in her mouth.

"She's right but you should listen this once. I am telling you a good thing."

Taeho unbuttoned his coat and crouched, inching closer to the kid. He didn't know what he was doing but he figured he might get her to spit the dirt out of her mouth somehow while trying not to throw up at the thought.

"Ajhussi, go away or I will scream for policeman uncle to take you away." She warned without even looking up, she went drawing letters on the sand. Was a five-six year old supposed to act like this?

"Ah, this brat." Taeho sighed, placing his hands on his hips, "I'll go away but you have to stop eating dirt." Taeho said, telling himself that he was better off walking away. He shouldn't be getting involved with a random kid anyway. He was about to walk away when he felt another tug at his pants.

"I will stop eating bad things if you buy me cake."

"Cake?"

"Umhm," The girl nodded, pointing at a distance. Taeho looked, following her pointer and sure enough there was a bakery in the distance. It was a small store but there was a sign on top: Taehee Bakery. Since when was there a bakery in Woosun? And someone named Taehee?

Since you left this place and never came back for six years, you moron.

He groaned at his own answer and looked down at the kid, who was still holding on to his pants. He tugged his pants free.

"Stop that, go back to eating dirt. You're going to get me arrested, jeez."

The girl pouted, looking down but Taeho decided that he was not here to reclaim his fate. He swiftly walked out of the playground and decided that he was going to go another round the neighborhood. But as he passed the bakery, he came to a stop. Something about it looked so inviting. The glass door, the chime at the front and wilting plants at the front. He turned back and looked at the playground where the same kid was still hunched over the ground, drawing on the loose dirt.

He knew he was going to regret this but he turned and pushed the door open, and a bell jingled.

The smell of vanilla and fresh bread hit him with a smack. He looked around, it was a small, cute place with a few people sitting around and the fan was on. Most of them were teenagers and there was an old couple that Taeho made sure to steer clear of. He quickly walked up the counter but it seemed empty. Looking around to make sure the owner was not there, he rang the bell and looked down at the small display, which was filled with what were obviously homemade pastries with simple designs, donuts, a small assortment of breads and cream buns. A particularly small collection but impressive for this place.

"Yes? What may I help you with?"

Taeho hummed, raising a hand as he looked through the pastry collection. Blueberry, sweet lime, strawberry, black forest. Not really a remarkable collection but he can see why a dirt-eating kid would salivate at the sight of this. Not the finest taste in town. He retrieved his wallet from his pocket, looking up.

"I'll take one of each–" His breath caught in his throat immediately and he stood, his wallet opened halfway in his hands as he blankly stared at the cashier. It was like his heart learnt to stop beating and how to beat faster at the same time and then started doing somersaults in his stomach. His lungs simply stopped breathing and the whole sky seemed to crash down on his head. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, and he knew he was fucked when he opened his mouth.

"Bo Yejeong."