15-1

by Han Yong-un

Sun-young became even more deeply grateful to Suk-ja.

At first—

she thought that even if the remaining time was calculated only in terms of money, it was something she would have to be thankful for her whole life.

However, Suk-ja said she wouldn’t accept any money at all.

That was something Sun-young had not expected.

Sun-young was genuinely moved by Suk-ja's excessively generous heart.

But at the same time—

the story Suk-ja told about Dae-cheol kept coming to mind.

“His nose looks a bit crooked and seems sly.”

“I can generally tell what a person is like just by looking at their face.”

Those words strangely lingered in her heart.

If it were a woman like Suk-ja, she might really not be able to misjudge a person.

Moreover, it didn’t seem likely that someone who cared for her that much would intentionally slander Dae-cheol to obstruct their marriage.

But—

no matter how much she thought about it, Sun-young did not feel that Dae-cheol had such a flaw.

It was true that his nose was slightly crooked.

But it was to the extent that one wouldn’t notice unless they looked closely.

And even if his nose was a bit crooked, there was no reason for his heart to be crooked as well.

Sun-young suddenly thought of her stepmother.

The stepmother had a straight nose, but her insides were a mess.

In contrast, her aunt was a very warm-hearted person even though her nose was slightly crooked.

Recalling that, Suk-ja's words lost their persuasiveness.

And the remark that Dae-cheol's face looked sly—

Sun-young did not think so.

Dae-cheol always treated people gently.

That kind demeanor might seem cunning if misinterpreted, but to Sun-young, it felt rather warm.

Above all—

if he were truly a deceitful person.

Could he have risked his life to jump into the sea for someone he had never met before?

Sun-young recalled the sea of Wonsan that day.

The cold waves.

The suffocating fear.

And the face of Dae-cheol, who was pulling himself out of the water.

With just that one memory, Sun-young could not doubt Dae-cheol.

Then suddenly, she recalled the day she had her fortune told at Jangchungdan.

The words of the fortune teller.

“The place you are going is Saengmunbang... naturally, someone who will hold you will appear, and you will enjoy wealth and honor.”

“The blue and red threads are perfect for eighteen.”

Those words were vividly remembered as if she had heard them just yesterday.

And now—

She was truly on the verge of marrying at eighteen.

She had met Dae-cheol.

She had money now.

With the death of Song, her greatest worry had also disappeared.

Thinking back—

The fortune teller's words were not wrong at all.

Sun-young's heart raced without her realizing it.

“This is a fate determined by heaven...”

At that moment—

The doubts that had briefly arisen from Suk-ja's words vanished like a lie.

As if a thin cloud obscuring the bright sky had completely cleared away.

Sun-young's heart became clear again.

And that evening.

Sun-young decided to take advantage of the quiet moment to write a letter to Dae-cheol.

Sun-young took out several sheets of paper.

It seemed like there was too much to say.

She had ground the ink thickly in the inkstone.

But when she actually picked up the brush—

She couldn't figure out where to start.

Her heart was overflowing with things she wanted to say.

The things Suk-ja had allowed her to do.

The hope that she could truly be free now.

How long she had waited for Dae-cheol.

How much she wanted to see him.

All those words felt urgent and important.

So she couldn't even write the first sentence.

Sun-young stared at the tip of the brush for a while before finally writing a line.

But soon, she crumpled the paper.

“No...”

This time, she tried to write something different again.

But it felt strange again.

It seemed like it didn't make sense, and I felt like I had said something unnecessary.

I tore it again.

Wrote again.

Tore it again.

I repeated that several times.

At some point, the floor of the room was piled high with torn paper.

Sun-young sighed.

“Writing a letter is the hardest thing in the world…”

She muttered.

And soon, she chuckled.

“No…”

Sun-young thought while fiddling with the brush.

“Writing a letter to someone you love is the hardest…”

It really was.

No matter how much I wrote, my feelings didn't come through.

If I wrote a little too calmly, it seemed cold, and if I wrote honestly, I felt too embarrassed.

‘I miss you.’

Just writing that made my face heat up.

In the end, after tearing several sheets, Sun-young was left with just a very short letter.

Asking how they were.

Asking them to definitely come because there was something important to discuss.

And—

If they couldn't come for some reason, saying that she would go herself.

That was about it.

Sun-young read the letter several times again.

And carefully folded it and placed it in an envelope she had asked a guest to prepare for her long ago.

Even at the moment of sealing the envelope, her heart raced.

It felt like she was sending her entire heart inside it.

Sun-young went all the way to the mailbox herself.

On the way back after putting the letter in.

Her mind was already racing to Hamheung along with the letter.

‘I wonder if the mailman has taken it by now…’

‘Has it already been loaded onto the train…’

‘I wonder where it is right now…’

She thought only such thoughts the entire time she walked.

Would the train not be stopped at the station for too long?

Would the mail not be delivered late?

Would it be forwarded immediately upon arrival in Hamheung?

I wonder if Dae-cheol has moved his lodging.

Or—

What if the letter disappears in the middle as if it rarely exists?

The thoughts were endless.

Then, Soon-young suddenly stopped walking.

“Ah…”

It was a face that realized something important too late.

Fare.

If Dae-cheol is having such a hard time—

Could it be that he doesn't even have enough fare to come down?

Soon-young bit her lip.

‘I should have sent the fare together…’

She wondered if she should send it again even now, but it was already too late.

If she were to send it again, the date would only be delayed further.

Soon-young regretted that thought too much.

“What if he can't come because he doesn't have money…”

She felt a heaviness in her chest for no reason.

But on the other hand—

Dae-cheol seemed to have a personality that wouldn't say he didn't have fare.

As that thought crossed her mind, Soon-young became even more restless.

And from the next day—

Soon-young began to wait for a reply.