Friday’s Time Traveler - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: A midwinter night’s dream (4)

Translated by Gigi

Edited by Gigi

A terrifyingly bitter wind struck Seonwoo’s face hard. For a moment that there was no confusion in the cold wind, he stepped forward, fastening his red scarf. He didn’t regret choosing to walk for twenty or thirty minutes rather than getting stressed out on a congested road every morning, but on a very cold or very hot day like today, he missed the car kept in the parking lot.

Seonwoo curled up his shoulders and walked through the cold wind. He stopped in the middle and tried to catch a taxi, but today all taxis were occupied by passengers. It wasn’t until the fourth taxi went by so quickly that he stopped thinking about returning home comfortably and entered the bustling street. The downtown area after the end of the year was not crowded like last week. It was a lonely scene as if it was at the end of the festival that ended in great success.

His home was located in a residential area, a little over 20 minute walk from the company. There was an elementary school nearby which was quite noisy in the middle of the day, but it didn’t affect him, who always went to work early in the morning. Besides that, Seonwoo liked the neighborhood which was quiet and close to the company.

In particular, the secluded promenade used for commuting was truly exquisite. Even in winter, an evergreen tree that didn’t shed leaves shook its body as if to greet him on the street. Seonwoo walked on the trail without a person in sight, and breathed out white breath like clouds. It was a very cold day, but he liked the feeling that the fresh air swept through his lungs. If he had used the car to arrive 5 or 10 minutes early, he would completely miss this feeling. Even because of the peace that couldn’t be easily felt in everyday life, he would walk this promenade to work again tomorrow.

“Still, it’s cold.”

However, it was also a luxury to enjoy peace these days. As usual, Seonwoo quickly escaped from his appreciation and hurried to step forward, burying his face deeply in his scarf while imagining a cup of hot coffee waiting for him at home. Before long, his face, which was covered with the cold air, turned serious.

“How are you?” At the midpoint of the trail, the woman who had disappeared like a mirage last night stood leaning against a tree.

“Why is your face like that?  As if you had seen someone you shouldn’t see.”

Seonwoo knew well that the woman was someone he didn’t want to see. However, he was glad that he was getting the hang of seeing her pop out of nowhere and gone without notice. Seonwoo looked left and right with a blue, tired face.

“Hey, did you stalk me?”

“I don’t think so.”

“If it’s not stalking then how did you know my house was here?”

“Is this where you live?”

The woman’s expression, which had been gloomy all along, suddenly brightened. While Seonwoo, who had found himself into a crisis, was half out of his mind, the woman began to look around and point one by one at the nearby buildings.

“Is that villa? Or that apartment over there? No, I think that is an officetel*.”

*(In South Korea, an officetel is a multi-purpose building with residential and commercial units. This is a type of studio apartment or studio flat. An officetel is designed to be a partially self-contained building, such that its occupants can live and work in the same building, minimizing commute time.)*

The woman must have pointed out as she was seeing it, but Seonwoo couldn’t say anything because the officetel she pointed to was his house.

“Hey you! Stop it before the residents wake up.”

“It’s Yoo Jina.”

“What?”

“Yoo Jina, my name. Why don’t you address the person’s name when talking? You can just say it comfortably.”

Rather than judging, it was a gentle push for Seonwoo to call her name comfortably. Or it was also an euphemistic request to call her by name. Perhaps that’s why Seonwoo stared at her, instead of avoiding her as usual.

“Yes, Yoo Jina.”

“You can call me Jina.”

“What on earth are you?”

Last week, in his spare time, he fiercely searched his memory.

He wondered if the woman was someone he knew or if she was from a bad relationship from his childhood. Seonwoo even took out his elementary, middle and high school graduation albums that he had forgotten about. As a result, Yoo Jina was nowhere to be found. So it was obvious that the woman was someone he had never seen in his life, but strangely, Yoo Jina knew him. Even before the woman introduced herself, she knew his name, his job, his workplace, and even met him in front of his house like this. Was all this a coincidence?  But Cha Seonwoo was an overly suspicious person who thought it wasn’t simply just a coincidence.

However, as Seonwoo blankly recalled his memory about all the events that happened, he realized he forgot the most important thing.

“Thank you.”

“What?” Jina asked back, as she was overwhelmed with the grateful words pouring out of Seonwoo’s mouth.

“Thank you for saving my life back then.”

At that time, Seonwoo suddenly felt emotional. The sudden reunion was so unexpected that there was no time to express gratitude. However, aside from the suspicion of a person named Yoo Jina, she was his lifesaver after all. Until now, there was not even a proper thank-you greeting, it was something he couldn’t do as an educated person.

Seonwoo breathed deeply and wiped his face. His face quickly became tired from the cold.

“Sorry. I should have said thank you earlier. I was too confused.”

“Oh, no. I’m more grateful. I’ve never done anything that deserves appreciation.”

Seonwoo raised his head as if he was confused. Jina, who came close to his nose, smiling brightly and said.

“Thank you for being safe.”

“… It’s Yoo Jina who made me safe, so that’s what I’m going to thank Yoo Jina for.”

“No way.”

“What is the matter with her?”

Seonwoo mumbled as if there was no way to understand. Then, he sneaked to her side and glanced down at her.

“So what is your identity? Why are you following me like this?”

“That question again? Isn’t there anything else to ask me?”

“Then what else should I ask Yoo Jina?”

“Well…. Why did I save Cha Seonwoo?”

“Good. I’ll ask that next time, now let’s answer my question first.”

Cha Seonwoo’s iron wall was solid. Jina looked up at him with a smile on her lips and said.

“Who am I? Uhm, Cha Seonwoo’s lifesaver.”

“Oh, why. That’s right, a lifesaver. Thank you for saving me a while ago, but that’s not what I mean. There is another answer I want to hear.”

Seonwoo, who had been walking without hesitation, suddenly stopped and looked back at Jina, who had a smile that never changes.There was nothing that changed on the surface, but strangely, the incongruity of not knowing the truth raised in his head. Jina, who slowly opened her lips while watching Seonwoo with a strange gaze, was embarrassed because she didn’t know why.

“Still…  …  Can’t you just trust me? I sincerely do not plan to harm Cha Seonwoo. If that’s the case, I wouldn’t jump in front of the truck that day to save you, but I would have pushed you in front of the truck instead.”

“That’s very scary.  It’s easy for Yoo Jina.”

“Nothing is easy. It wasn’t easy that day either. No matter how much I want to save people, Cha Seonwoo thinks it would be easy to jump in front of the oncoming dump truck?”

Seonwoo licked his lips again and again, and he couldn’t say anything. He touched the back of his hair while slightly frowning his forehead and spoke to Jina.

“But why are your clothes that way?”

“My clothes?”

“Today is 12 degrees below zero. Have you decided to catch a cold in this weather? Do you have any idea .…”

The weather was so harsh that even wearing several layers of sweaters and thick padding were not enough. Moreover, after days of cold wave warnings on the news, Jina only wore a white sweater and jeans, so the outfit deserved to be questioned from the viewer’s point of view.

“It’s okay because I don’t get cold easily.”

Jina smiled and replied. Of course, it wasn’t a reliable excuse at all. Seonwoo glanced over Jina’s direction with a pitiful look. A normal person would be cold all over, and Yoo Jina’s cheeks and neck were reddening. In all likelihood, it must be a trace of a strong wind struck. Seonwoo swallowed a sigh and slowly pulled the scarf and wrapped it around her reddened neck.

“Well, I’m really okay. Cha Seonwoo must be cold, too.”

“I’m just doing it. Don’t make it colder for the viewer.”

Immediately, Jina buried her face in the shawl without passing words. Whereas the ordinary shawl was so strange, she carefully touched the end of the shawl with both hands. And her hands suddenly caught his eyes. Even though Seonwoo tried to turn his head away, he kept glancing at the back of Jina’s hands without knowing it. After being exposed to the cold for a long time, the back of Jina’s red-colored hand poked his conscience. ‘She jumped in front of the dump truck to save you, but are you just giving her a scarf and thinking about it?’ Deep in his heart, the undeniable facts made him uneasy.

“Cha Seonwoo?”

Jina noticed his agitation and gave a curious look. Seonwoo, who was looking at her with half-abandoned eyes, suddenly brought out a briefcase.

“Hold on for a second.”

He gave his briefcase to Jina and immediately began to take off his coat. Then he put it over her shoulders, looking at her blankly, and took the briefcase back from her hand.

“Don’t dress so lightly like that next time. Oh, I have gloves in my pocket, so put them on.”

Seonwoo turned around without regret after saying that. When he took off his coat, he could immediately feel how cold the weather was today. What courage was that woman standing without a coat? No, it was not courage, it was crazy. ‘What a weird person’, he thought.

“Wait! Cha Seonwoo!”

Suddenly he looked back nervously at the touch on his forearm.

“What is it again? It’s cold, so l’m going to go quickly.”

“This, why do you give me this? Take it quickly. It’s cold.”

Jina stuttered with a depressed face and began to loosen her scarf. Seonwoo, who watched her appearance with his eyebrows glued, quickly swallowed a sigh and tightened the half-loose shawl firmly again.

“Where are the gloves? Put that on too.”

“Why do I have to wear Cha Seonwoo’s gloves?”

“You’re wearing a coat.”

“That’s what Cha Seonwoo should be wearing!”

Jina screamed loudly. Seonwoo, who was surprised, urgently put his index finger on his lips and whispered.

“Hey, do you want everyone in the neighborhood to wake up? Lower your voice a little and talk.”

“So why am I wearing Cha Seonwoo’s clothes…….”  Jina whispered.

“All right, please return it later.”

Seonwoo spit out involuntarily and was immediately embarrassed. Later-it was as if he was proclaiming that this meeting was not the end. But in reality, he wanted this to be the last time. He had no intention of continuing such unusual meetings.

“Later?” Jina asked with a strange look of anticipation. Seonwoo, who was trying to correct his words, turned away with an embarrassing expression.

“All right, so just……..”

Just have it. He tried to say this. But when Seonwoo suddenly felt convinced and turned around, Yoo Jina was already gone. Like the first and the second time, she disappeared into thin air again without a word. Seonwoo was no longer surprised. He just stared in vain and rushed to the house. The figure of the back painted in the cold was somewhat depressing.

???