My House Has Become a Filming Set!

 

༺ My House Has Become a Filming Set! – 10 ༻

 

  Lee Yeonwoo dashed to the kitchen without a word to deter him, and opened the fridge. The refrigerator, which was packed just yesterday, was now empty.

 

  “Why?”

 

  His question, ‘why?’, was not asked in hopes of an answer. It was a single word that unconsciously sprang out to represent his utterly empty heart.

 

  Kang Do-jun, who had been consistently timing so far, finally uttered the words he had been holding back.

 

  “We can go to the market again today. And let’s try to hold back on borrowing in the future. Granny Kyeongyi came and went earlier, and you once took a vacuum cleaner, didn’t you? Let’s return that too.”

 

  “…Hyung.”

 

  Lee Yeonwoo spoke in a trembling voice, chewing on each word.

 

  “Granny Kyeongyi’s son bought a new vacuum cleaner, so she gave me the old one.”

 

  “…Huh?”

 

  “Maybe she keeps forgetting because she’s old, but she sometimes uses the vacuum cleaner as an excuse to nag, so I help her clean the house!”

 

  Lee Yeonwoo looked deeply aggrieved. And he had every right to be.

 

  He himself could barely manage to clean his own house. Helping someone else clean their house was a big deal by his standards.

 

  He cleaned out of a sense of duty to the elderly woman, and above all, what felt most unfair was…

 

  “Hyung, did you believe what she said?”

 

  “…There was that, Yeonwoo.”

 

    “Did you think of me as a thief who steals vacuum cleaners from other people’s houses?”

 

  Kang Do-jun was at a loss for words. Desperate to diffuse the situation, he blurted out something completely unrelated.

 

  “Is this also a result of the countryside borrowing… I wondered.”

 

  Lee Yeonwoo’s lower lip protruded a notch. It was clearly a hurt expression.

 

  “Borrowing is for food, stealing things is theft!”

 

  It was a word explanation fit for a Korean dictionary, but it was a clear answer. Lee Yeonwoo was right. Kang Do-jun immediately spit out an apology.

 

  “Sorry.”

 

  “As long as you understand. More importantly! We were robbed again!”

 

  Lee Yeonwoo shouted, pointing at the empty refrigerator. He seemed to be able to overlook being treated like a thief if he received an apology, but he couldn’t accept the fact that they had been robbed again.

 

  At his words, Kang Do-jun washed his face dryly.

  

  “Haah.”

 

  This damn countryside was like an onion that kept peeling away to reveal more and more bewildering events.

 

  They stole alcohol, they stole eggs, they stole a vacuum cleaner, no actually they received the vacuum cleaner… the circumstances of the incidents kept changing, making it difficult to grasp the truth.

 

  He had lived his life according to plan and reaped the corresponding results. But since coming here, let alone plans, nothing seemed to go as expected.

 

  Yet, why was it that he kept biting his lip, as small laughter threatened to leak out?

 

  A good actor is sensitive to emotions. There was no emotion he didn’t know, and no emotion he couldn’t express.

 

  Kang Do-jun knew very well what this emotion he was feeling now was, what this laughter meant. It wasn’t laughter borne from incredulity, nor was it laughter from finding interest in this onion-like countryside life.

 

  Lee Yeonwoo, noticing the slight upturn of his lips through the gaps in his hand, shot him a glare.

 

  “Hyung, are you laughing now?”

 

  Laughing when they’ve been robbed? We need to come up with a solution! His gaze was filled with reproach.

 

  “Yeonwoo.”

 

  Kang Do-jun half lowered the hand covering his face and raised the corners of his mouth to flash a charming smile.

 

  “Borrowing is fun.”

 

  He guaranteed, absolutely guaranteed. This was a laugh burning with a desire for revenge.

 

  * * *

 

  Lee Yeonwoo was gnawing on a stick of candy as he spoke.

 

  “Hyung, you’re too naive.”

 

  The word ‘naive’ was never associated with Kang Do-jun on the internet, news, or social media. However, he couldn’t dispute it, even though it was the first adjective applied to him.

 

  Because he firmly believed that Lee Yeonwoo had stolen the vacuum cleaner and felt guilty about it, he had just stood by and watched as the refrigerator was robbed right before his eyes.

 

  “The thing about ‘borrowing” is, it might seem like simple stealing, but it requires cleverly deceiving and fooling to be able to steal intelligently.”

 

  It was a lecture on borrowing that could not be heard anywhere else.

 

  “You saw Granny Kyeongyi, right? Pretending to be my grandmother on the first day, then claiming the vacuum cleaner was stolen. At this point, her forgetfulness might be part of the act.”

 

  A high-level tactic to steal… was this it? It was quite a plausible inference. Unconsciously nodding, Kang Do-jun started listening to Lee Yeonwoo’s words as if he was enchanted.

 

  “Hyung, it’s been three days since you arrived here, right? By this point, you have to move intelligently. If not, you won’t be able to survive in this harsh place.”

 

  He said this as though this place were a jungle, while he was gnawing on the stick part of the candy he had finished eating.

 

  “So, let’s go for a team game from now on.”

 

  “A team game?”

 

  “Yes. We live in the same house, so we’re one team.”

 

  It felt like a child’s word game, not some kind of actual game. However, he could definitely feel sincerity from him.

 

  “Hyung, make a promise with me.”

 

  Lee Yeonwoo stretched out his little finger and said,

 

  “From now on, let’s not doubt each other in the same team.”

 

  Kang Do-jun cautiously hooked his finger with Lee Yeonwoo’s. He couldn’t say anything as Yeonwoo looked too serious.

 

  “Absolutely. Absolutely. You can’t believe things like ‘he stole the vacuum cleaner.’ We’re a team, so we have to trust each other unconditionally. Got it?”

 

  “…Alright.”

 

  Only then did Lee Yeonwoo show a satisfied smile. He lightened his steps and headed forward.

 

  “Grandfather, I’m here.”

 

  “Excuse me.”

 

  Old Man Beom, who had been watching the old television inside the shop, turned off the power with the remote and stood up from his seat.

 

  “Oh, the workers are here.”

 

  He shook hands with Kang Do-jun and others, then looked at the cameras behind them and grinned broadly.

 

  “There’s nothing to film in my store, but I still kindly ask for your cooperation.”

 

  Old Man Beom quickly prepared to leave, putting on his outerwear. Lee Yeonwoo hurriedly asked him a question.

 

  “Where are you going?”

 

  “Ah, the village hall. More importantly, what’s up with your hair?”

 

  “Ah, Do-jun hyung cut it for me. How is it?”

 

  “Hmm, it’s nothing special.”

 

  He stroked his shortened hair with pride. Old Man Beom casually dismissed Lee Yeonwoo’s words and patted Kang Do-jun’s shoulder, saying,

 

  “I was a little hesitant to leave the store to a stranger, but I’m relieved since Yeonwoo is here. I have an appointment, so I’ll go ahead. Take care!”

 

  In the end, he left the place hastily without giving any explanation about the store’s operations. It seemed like he wanted to get out of his workplace, the store, as Soon-Yi as possible.

 

  Lee Yeonwoo explained the tasks to a confused Kang Do-jun on behalf of the store owner. He had a rough idea about the job since he often came to the store to hang out and watched Old Man Beom work over his shoulder.

 

  “For most items, the price is written under the product. Just take the money based on that.”

 

  “What about those that aren’t labeled?”

 

  “Then you can just sell them at a price you think is reasonable.”

 

  He casually responded while taking out an ice cream from the store’s freezer. He then handed one to Kang Do-jun.

 

  “Enjoy it while you work.”

 

  His actions were already no different from a store owner’s. Kang Do-jun asked for the price, intending to pay for both his and Yeonwoo’s ice cream.

 

  “How much is this?”

 

  “Ah, consider it a part of the wages.”

 

  He was a cute part-timer who took care of his own wages. At his words, Kang Do-jun also silently unwrapped the ice cream and put it in his mouth.

 

  One could not survive here with a Seoul mindset. On his harsh third day in the countryside, Kang Do-jun was somehow smoothly adapting.

 

  While sitting at the counter eating his ice cream, Yeonwoo quietly asked if he could also sit.

 

  “Hyung, can I sit with you?”

 

  The counter was narrow, and Kang Do-jun moved as far against the wall as he could to make room for him.

 

  Yeonwoo seemed happy with the tight space, sitting right next to him and laughing softly.

 

  The sight of two adult men tightly squeezed into a counter seat that was too large for one but too small for two was comical.

 

  After a while, the old door of the store opened, and someone walked in.

 

  “Ah, they’re filming.”

 

  “Grandma Soon-Yi!”

 

  Yeonwoo sprang up from his seat to greet the old lady. Kang Do-jun also rose to greet her.

 

  “Hello.”

 

  “Hyung, this is Grandma Soon-Yi. She’s married to Grandpa Jongsoo whom we met yesterday.”

 

  “The farmer grandfather?”

 

  ‘The one who replaced the eggs for us….’

 

  The perception of her as ‘egg grandma’ held more weight in Kang Do-jun’s mind than as Jongsoo’s wife.

 

  “Yes, that’s right. Grandma, why are you here? Do you need to buy something?”

 

  Yeonwoo had always been a little brusque with the elders he had met until now. But with Grandma Soon-Yi, he followed her around like a little duckling, making conversation.

 

  “You’ve grown so robust. So, has our Moo-jil made you uncomfortable?”

 

  “No, I’m quite comfortable.”

 

  With sparkling eyes, Yeonwoo bragged about Grandma Soon-Yi to Kang Do-jun.

 

  “Hyung, when I tried to run away from farming last year and almost got scolded by Grandpa Jongsoo, Grandma Soon-Yi saved me.”

 

  “What’s there to brag about.”

 

  When Grandma Soon-Yi reached out her hand, Yeonwoo naturally bent his knees to lower his height and made it comfortable for her to pat his head.

 

  They looked just like a grandmother and her grandson. She was the kindest grandmother in this village, and she was the one who tolerated Yeonwoo’s antics the most. Naturally, he was fond of her.

 

  Grandma Soon-Yi went over to the display shelf, picked up an item, and placed it on the counter.

 

  “How much is this?”

 

  “Is this feed for the ducks?”

 

  “Yes.”

 

  “I’ll go and check the price.”

 

  Yeonwoo went to the display where the canned food was placed to check the price.

 

  “Hyung, it’s not written.”

 

  Kang Do-jun lifted the can to check if anything was written, but he found nothing. As he had never owned a dog, he had no clue about the price either.

 

  It seemed Yeonwoo was clueless as well, and though they wanted to ask the production team, they knew they would welcome such a problematic situation as it would provide more content to shoot.

 

  “Should we say it’s about 3,000 won?”

 

  Yeonwoo suggested a strange price. But as Kang Do-jun was also unable to determine the price and was falling into contemplation, Grandma Soon-Yi held out a 10,000 won note.

 

  “Ah, you’ve come all the way from Seoul and must be having a hard time. With this, buy some snacks as change.”

 

  “No, we can’t…”

 

  “Thank you. We’ll bring some delicious food for you later.”

 

  Before Kang Do-jun could refuse, Yeonwoo accepted the money quickly and whispered to him, poking his side.

 

  “Hyung, we don’t know the price anyway. Let’s just accept it and bring her some meat later.”

 

  With that said, Kang Do-jun couldn’t refuse.

 

  “…Thank you.”

 

  Grandma Soon-Yi smiled kindly and patted Kang Do-jun’s shoulder.

 

  Just as Yeonwoo had bent his knees to match his height with hers, Kang Do-jun bent his waist to lower his height so Grandma Soon-Yi could easily reach out her arm. There was a sense of obligation in that gesture.

 

  “This is all part of rural hospitality, accept it comfortably. And please take good care of our Moo-jil.”

 

  “Thank you. Please take care.”

 

  Kang Do-jun expressed his gratitude until the end.

 

  The same rural hospitality was expressed differently; Grandma Kyeongyi expressed it through chores, and Grandma Soon-Yi expressed it through giving. On this third day, he finally encountered the true warmth of the countryside and felt a fluffy feeling inside.

 

  ‘Right, this isn’t some jungle…’

 

  Just when he thought he had found a flaw in the lecture Yeonwoo gave, the succession of customers made him correct his loose thinking.

 

  “Why are you all gathered here, leaving your homes unattended?”

 

  Grandma Kyeongyi chuckled as she spoke.

 

  “Did you properly lock your doors?”

 

  Living across from Yeonwoo’s house, the greatest adversary who had continuously tricked Kang Do-jun, Grandma Kyeongyi, had arrived.

 

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