11-4
by Han Yong-un
Dae-cheol did not answer for a moment.
Then he slowly put down his glass and spoke.
“It might be quite late.”
Sun-young's expression hardened.
“Late?”
“Getting a mining claim isn't just a matter of applying.”
Dae-cheol explained calmly.
“You have to go and do the drilling yourself, hire people, and there are many things to take care of.”
And he added quietly.
“It might be hard to come back before winter.”
“Before winter…?”
Sun-young's complexion changed in an instant.
It was still the threshold of autumn.
That meant—
they might not see each other for several months.
“Naturally, it's easy for it to turn out that way.”
Dae-cheol deliberately spoke calmly.
“Of course, depending on the situation, it could be sooner.”
But Sun-young was already feeling her heart crumble just from those words.
“So long…”
She laughed weakly.
“How can I wait…”
Sun-young turned her body slightly and tried to put on a smiling face, but her eyes were already shaking.
Dae-cheol rolled his glass with his fingertips and said.
“In the end, you have to make a little money first.”
And he looked out the window.
“Time flies by quickly.”
“……”
“Soon the leaves will change color, and the fallen leaves will scatter…”
He spoke in a calm voice.
“And a little later, it will snow heavily.”
Sun-young listened quietly and then slowly shook her head.
“Well, that's easy to say.”
There was a strange sorrow mixed in her voice.
“If you say a person's life is short, then it's short…”
She lowered her gaze.
“If three years go by quickly, then it will go by quickly.”
And she smiled quietly.
“But there's a saying that a moment feels like a year.”
Dae-cheol looked at her without saying a word.
Sun-young spoke softly.
“There are times when my heart crumbles even at the sound of a single leaf falling…”
Her gaze became hazy.
“There are people who count the snowflakes falling…”
And she spoke very quietly.
“How can I wait…”
The air in the room became quiet for a moment.
Dae-cheol looked at Sun-young and slowly opened his mouth.
“No.”
He lowered his voice.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean it will take that long.”
“……”
“If needed, you can come at any time in between.”
Sun-young's gaze brightened just a little.
But Dae-cheol stopped speaking again.
And after a moment.
He quietly asked.
“But…”
“Yes?”
“Does the wedding date have to be now?”
Sun-young answered immediately.
“I wish it could be sooner, even by a day.”
She spoke without hiding anything.
“I want to escape from this life as soon as possible.”
Sun-young put down her glass.
“Honestly, I don’t even want to hold a glass anymore.”
She tried to smile, but her eyes were sad.
“As long as it’s okay with you, teacher… I want to do it even tomorrow.”
Dae-cheol quietly asked.
“So does that mean you can leave this house at any time?”
Sun-young momentarily stopped speaking.
And slowly recalled the reality.
“That is…”
She smiled bitterly.
“Actually, it’s not quite like that.”
Dae-cheol looked at her silently.
Sun-young explained quietly.
“When I came here, I signed a three-year contract.”
“……”
“It’s the third year by the calendar, but in reality, there’s still about a year left.”
She fiddled with the glass with her fingertips.
“If I want to leave now, I’ll have to pay the remaining amount.”
“How much do you need?”
“If it were the money I had saved, it would have been manageable.”
Sun-young smiled bitterly.
“But teacher, after giving the gold mine funds, it won't be enough, right?”
And she spoke with a forced smile.
“So we just have to endure a little longer.”
“Sun-young…”
“We can't rush and tie a thread to the waist of a needle, can we?”
She was rather trying to comfort Dae-cheol.
“As long as the promise is firm, it's okay if the wedding is a little delayed.”
Dae-cheol was silent for a while.
Then suddenly, he hardened his expression and said.
“Then let's forget about that one hundred fifty won.”
Sun-young's eyes widened.
“Why?”
“Use that money as a ransom.”
Dae-cheol's voice suddenly turned cold.
“I will find a way to manage it somehow elsewhere.”
“What will you do if it doesn't work out?”
“If it doesn't work out, then it can't be helped.”
“Teacher.”
Sun-young hurriedly leaned forward.
“I'm not making excuses because I don't want to give that money.”
Her voice was urgent.
“Isn't it better for me to suffer a little more than for you to have things not go well?”
Dae-cheol remained silent, turning his head away.
Sun-young forced a bright smile and filled the glass.
“So please don't think about anything and just use it.”
And she spoke gently.
“I can endure as much as it takes for you, teacher.”
Dae-cheol looked down at the glass.
Then suddenly, he smiled bitterly.
“A man ends up like this because he has no money…”
He looked up at the ceiling.
“What kind of marriage is this?”
Sun-young was taken aback.
“Oh dear, teacher, why are you saying that again?”
She quickly raised her glass and brought it to his lips.
“Isn't money something that can come and go?”
And she forced a trembling smile.
“As long as there is love, that's enough…”
She whispered quietly.
“What does money matter?”
Dae-cheol eventually drank as if being led by her hand.
And he spoke softly.
“Then what about the rest of our lives…”
His gaze turned towards Sun-young.
“Shall we try living believing in love?”
Sun-young's face turned red.
“Then…”
She smiled shyly.
“I will live for you, teacher…”
Her words trailed off.
“And you will live for me…”
It was at that moment.
Dae-cheol suddenly leaned in.
Sun-young was startled and pulled away.
They were almost close enough to touch lips.
She quickly withdrew like a loach, blushing.