Earning a living means continuing to do one's business despite the challenges.
It doesn't matter if it is raining hard or scorching outside. It doesn't matter if you are ill or healthy.
If one wants to continue living with hot food served on the table, one must continue doing one's job unconditionally.
For Su-ho, that is another wave of delivery to the city.
The fallout with Mr. Kim is just a part of today's itinerary. He still has other loyal clients. That is why he woke up before the sun rose as usual.
During days that have scheduled delivery, he always wakes up at 3 a.m. to start preparing.
He would check his inventory, move the products that needed to be loaded onto the truck for later and double-check the receipts.
His farm's clients are mostly market stalls, restaurants and grocery stores. All of which operate as early as 7 am. This is why they must deliver all the products before their clients start accepting customers.
"Today is a lucky day since I only have to deliver to two restaurants in the city. That will only last three hours at most. I still have a lot of time," Su-ho said to himself after finishing checking everything.
He even loaded the fresh vegetables, eggs and rice on the truck himself— something that his delivery people were used to doing.
Well, without Mr. Kim's order, a significant load was freed. The remaining sacks and crates are enough for one person to move. It is not a problem to do it by himself at all.
But finishing this, Su-ho is left with another problem. What should he do now?
He checked his phone time, and it said that it was only half an hour after 3 a.m. He still has one hour of free time before his delivery helpers arrive.
It is way too early to cook breakfast for Byeong-ho.
Left with no options, Su-ho felt himself up. Since he already sweated while moving the products, wouldn't it be more fitting to push himself further and work out while he still had enough time?
The air at dawn is nice and cool. Perfect for jogging and some deep thinking.
With a clear plan, Su-ho returned to their home and changed to a more appropriate set of clothes. He intended to wear a pair of jogging pants. However, all of them were still in the humper, unwashed.
Su-ho didn't have much of a choice, so he just grabbed whatever sporty clothes were in his closet: a tank top and loose gym shorts that reached the base of his buttocks.
Not exactly the modest clothes he would want to get caught wearing, but without other options, he just wore them. No one would see him since it is still too early, anyway.
And so, Su-ho went for a jog.
Su-ho took in the calming scent of the dew and earth as he circled the perimeter of their family's property. The homestead where their house, poultry and vegetable patches are located is an investment his late parents made.
They intended to expand their family's business, which started from their late grandfather's three-acre rice field.
A one-stop farm. That is what his parents used to dream of for their business. They are working very hard to achieve that dream. They swore they would give Su-ho and Byeong-ho a good life in the countryside.
It was just sad that an unfortunate accident stopped them from seeing it happen with their own eyes.
Su-ho's parents died in a fatal traffic accident five years ago.
And even if a considerable amount of time has already passed, it still feels like it happened yesterday.
Every part of their farm has a mark of their parents. The coop, vegetable patches, and even the paved driveways connected to the village's road; Su-ho has memories of his parents working on them.
For Su-ho, every time he works on their land like planting, harvesting, and raising chicks, he can still feel the warmth of his parents. It feels like he's living their dream. It was a bittersweet feeling.
"Ha!" Su-ho breathed a loud exhale, expelling the heavy feelings in his chest.
The countryside before the sunrise has a dark yet mysterious allure. He should be recharging his spirit using the abundant natural energy from his surroundings, not slipping into depression!
"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Su-ho expelled his sad thoughts through a series of explosive exhales. Then, with a clearer gaze and mind, he sprinted away from their homestead and into the concrete road of the village.
He ran and ran like there was no tomorrow. He did not stop even if his heart felt like it jumped up to his throat. He continued running despite his lungs feeling like they were on fire.
One can say that this is his way to empty and sharpen his mind, a method of aversion.
And it is very effective; he became immersed in the feeling of his own breathing and the chilly breeze at the break of dawn.
The dark blue sky soon became tinged with warm orange colours. The first rays of the sun seeped through the gaps between the tree leaves.
Su-ho stopped in his tracks to take a moment of rest. He leaned forward on his knees, panting.
"I think this much is enough. Gi-hoon ahjussi and the others will arrive for the delivery any minute now. I should go back and cook breakfast while I am at it." Su-ho thought, his one eye was shut to stop the subtle sunlight from blinding him.
He grew astigmatic from years of studying and working, which is why he is not that good at handling bright lights.
He wiped the rascal sweat that was threatening to slide down his eyes. However, all the droplets slid into his eyes instead of stopping his generous perspiration from reaching his eyes.
"Why am I so stupid!" Su-ho cursed. His eyes sting, and worse, he forgot to bring his own towel!
It's good that his neighbors are not up yet. Otherwise, someone will bear witness to his blunder.
"Oh?! What is this? Are you here to welcome me?" A man's voice suddenly sounded, causing him to stiffen.
Su-ho's heart started to beat faster upon hearing that voice.
The speaker was certainly not someone from the village because Su-ho didn't know who it was. But oddly enough, it sounded somewhat familiar to him; he just couldn't think of why.
Maybe, based on the familiarity hinted at in the tone of the person's voice, they knew each other from years ago.
Su-ho collected his thoughts. Well, whoever it is, he would know once he finally catches a glimpse.
He quickly regained his composure and stood the straightest way he could, feigning innocence and nonchalance.
Su-ho suffered in silence as he waited for his eyes to recover and adapt to the sunrise. It was a challenge.
However, he is determined to see who the stranger is.
"The last time I checked, I didn't inform anyone from the village about my return. No one should be waiting for me." The person approached him and stopped about a meter and a half away.
Tall, fit and strong; were the adjectives that quickly registered in Su-ho's head the moment he saw the person's figure through his blurry vision.
The discomfort slowly subsided, and as soon as his normal vision was restored, he finally saw the entirety of the stranger's face.
"Ha?!" Su-ho stood stiffly dumbfounded.
The man before him takes every letter of the word attractiveness.
From his soulful, double-lidded eyes to his long, beautiful eyelashes, to his sharp, vibrant eyebrows and high bridge nose; each of these parts is like pieces of a puzzle that fit incredibly well like a masterpiece.
The dimensions of his handsome face were perfectly proportional to his manly stature.
Maybe, it's the military uniform he's wearing? The man would pass as a valiant hero with his awe-spiring posture and wheat-coloured skin.
This is the first time Su-ho faced a person who looks like a big celebrity.
For the first time, he felt severely self-conscious.
The person in a military uniform rubbed his chin while sporting an annoying, smug smile.
Without a doubt, he enjoyed the reaction of the young man before him.
"Hmmm but if it is you, then this enthusiasm is understandable. I know you must have missed me, and you probably asked around about the schedule of my discharge."
"I'm sorry? Who?" Su-ho asked stupidly.
Amused, Kwon Jae-heok took another step forward.
The proximity between the two young men was too close for Su-ho's comfort, the latter instinctively stepped back.
"I can't believe you didn't even recognize me. It's me, Kwon Jae-hyeok! Your darling from high school!"
Su-ho's jaw almost literally fell to the ground. A voice of denial echoed inside his head. There is no way that this gorgeous man is the same lanky teenager back in high school!
What in the name of Extreme Makeover was this?!
Probably— just probably, he fell on the ground earlier, headfirst. He must be delirious due to the head trauma.
"Here I am, Su-ho. It's been years since the last time we were together. Since I moved to Seoul years ago, I kept thinking about seeing you again. I know you must have missed me. Won't you give me the hug you wanted so bad from me?" Kwon Jae-hyeok offered himself to Su-ho with open arms.
However, Su-ho… He finally accepted the reality and he was not impressed.
"Ahhh. I think my brain has run out of oxygen. So nauseating. I should go back…" Su-ho brushed off the guy after he finally accepted that this was real.
Su-ho made a swift turn, ready to forget the oversized imp he had just seen.
The turn was sharp, almost like a seasoned dancer's move. Too bad Jae-hyeok was a difficult enemy.
The man grabbed him by the back of his neck. "Wait, a minute. Is this how you treat your high school sweetheart? Come on, you made an effort to meet me at the village's entrance. Don't you want to get at least a kiss from me?"
Su-ho was flushed with passionate irritation. "Let me go before I kick your spirit out of your body, Jae. And for fuck's sake, can you stop insinuating that we are a thing from high school? We are too old to be messing around with each other. We are close friends, at best! Don't put any unnecessary colors in our relationship!"
Disgruntled, Su-ho flailed around to break free from the man.
Damn! His day is starting fine. Why did this crazy guy suddenly appear?!