Guide to Sunny Days - Side story 3.2

“Sani.”

With a soft sound of the car door closing, Gi Do-Hae quietly approached Kim San. Even in that brief moment, Kim San, who had been chatting non-stop, turned his gaze towards Gi Do-Hae as if he had forgotten about him.

Gi Do-Hae managed to force a smile due to Kim San’s unconscious behavior.

“Oh, Hye-Min, say hello. This is Esper Gi Do-Hae. You remember?”

“…Hello.”

Lee Hye-Min’s face clearly showed a stunned expression. Kim San had definitely said he was bringing him along, so it was quite strange to see such a reaction, as if she didn’t really expect him to come.

“Let’s go inside.”

“Okay.”

Excited to be back in his hometown, Kim San grabbed Gi Do-Hae’s arm and pulled him along. Gi Do-Hae, struggling to suppress the unease bubbling up within him from the warmth of Kim San’s touch, followed quietly.

Lee Hye-Min, who seemed to have a lot to say, walked alongside them. Whether she had properly acknowledged Gi Do-Hae’s presence was unclear, as her face remained expressionless.

“This is it.”

With the sound of an old, rusted iron door, they entered Kim San’s home.

Kim San’s slightly reddened cheeks came into view. Perhaps because of the chilly weather, a steady stream of white breath was visible around his mouth.

“It’s been tidied up decently, but there was a heavy snowfall recently.”

“Yeah. Still, it’s clean. Thanks, Hye-Min.”

The house showed signs of having been unoccupied for a long time. However, it was well-maintained enough that nothing was irreparably damaged.

Kim San continued to work diligently, removing waterproof covers from various parts of the house. On one side, Lee Hye-Min checked whether the water was running well in the yard.

Gi Do-Hae offered to help, but Kim San insisted he stay on the porch for a while. Unable to be alone, Gi Do-Hae watched Kim San move around quickly from a corner of the yard.

Even though Kim San was dressed in the thickest clothes, it still didn’t seem enough. As Kim San’s cheeks grew progressively redder, Gi Do-Hae decided to move inside the house. He finally removed the thick wooden door that had been added over the paper door.

“Grandfather, I’m back.”

Kim San’s clear voice of greeting revived the long-silent house.

“……”

As soon as they entered, a photo of an elderly man with a stubborn expression was visible. It was a photo that Gi Do-Hae had arranged to be taken.

“Sani, the latch on the storm door is broken.”

“Oh… that’s… it’s okay.”

“…Really?”

Kim San, who kept glancing between his grandfather’s photo and Gi Do-Hae, stammered out an excuse. Even amidst this, his nature of not being able to lie completely to his friend was evident. Despite Lee Hye-Min’s suspicious expression, she didn’t press further.

Next to the grandfather’s photo were other frames. Among them were pictures of Kim San’s parents together and a photo of a slightly thin father holding young Kim San.

In fact, upon hearing that Kim San’s mother was a guide, Gi Do-Hae had wondered if his registered father might not be his real father. However, seeing the photo, Gi Do-Hae completely dismissed that doubt. The man in the photo was exactly the type Gi Do-Hae would have predicted Kim San to grow up to be.

“……”

Most striking were the photos of young Kim San. The thought that the intruders had left marks on the storm door but didn’t actually capture something so significant made Gi Do-Hae resolve to deal with those responsible immediately upon returning.

“Sniff.”

At that moment, a very faint sniffle was heard.

Gi Do-Hae, who had been absorbed in the photos of young Kim San, quickly turned his gaze to the source of the sound. Kim San, who had been muttering while looking at his grandfather’s photo, now had tears welling up in his eyes.

“Come here.”

“Sniff…”

Naturally, Gi Do-Hae pulled Kim San into his arms. Kim San’s chilled cheeks made Gi Do-Hae’s anger flare up. If possible, he would have chased winter away long ago.

From the back, Gi Do-Hae felt Lee Hye-Min’s eyes watching them oddly. Although he had sensed something off from earlier, he ignored it.

***

After tidying up the house, they visited Kim San’s grandfather’s grave. Though cremation had long been the norm for funerals, Kim San’s grandfather was unusually buried near the village.

As they descended the mountain back to the village, it was already dusk despite having set out early in the morning.

“Did you have a hard time today?”

“No.”

This level of activity was nothing. However, Gi Do-Hae was mentally exhausted, mainly because Kim San insisted on spending so much time outside in this cold weather.

“Tomorrow, let’s go up that mountain over there. There’s a clearing I like. It’s surrounded by trees, but there’s a perfect circle in the middle, which is really interesting.”

“Okay.”

“And then, um, the day after tomorrow, we should go to the stream too. I wonder if it’s frozen because of the winter…”

Gi Do-Hae struggled to suppress his impulses as Kim San kept cheerfully suggesting things to do. Kim San seemed genuinely excited, which made it even harder for Gi Do-Hae to hide his feelings.

To Gi Do-Hae, it was just a mountain and a rundown village. But through Kim San’s words, everything became elements that made up Kim San himself.

For Gi Do-Hae, that alone made all these ordinary things seem valuable.

“…Actually, earlier, I couldn’t just go into the house.”

Kim San’s bright chatter turned into a somber tone. Gi Do-Hae realized that Kim San’s fussing about tidying up the house was actually a delay before stepping onto the porch.

“I thought you wanted to come back to your hometown.”

Kim San nodded gloomily at those words. After observing Kim San’s downcast expression for a moment, Gi Do-Hae looked in the direction Kim San’s gaze was fixed on.

The low ridge they were standing on didn’t offer a wide view. However, it provided a clear view of Kim San’s hometown village.

“That’s right. It just felt unreal that Grandpa wasn’t there…”

“……”

Gi Do-Hae silently listened to Kim San’s melancholic voice. Earlier, Kim San had stopped his small sniffles quickly. With Lee Hye-Min present and the house still in disarray, Kim San was clearly forcing himself to hold back his emotions.

Now that there was no need to hold back, Gi Do-Hae quietly opened his arms and drew Kim San into an embrace.

“……I’m sorry for always…”

The mumbled apology was unnecessary. Instead of replying, Gi Do-Hae simply spread his coat to shield Kim San’s face from the cold, even if just briefly.

“Ha ha, it tickles.”

Kim San’s bright smile emerged from Gi Do-Hae’s embrace, treating it like a playful gesture. It felt as if spring was blooming inside him.

“By the way…”

Kim San suddenly pulled back slightly and met Gi Do-Hae’s eyes. Seeing Kim San’s budding, lively appearance, Gi Do-Hae found himself at a loss for words.

“I’m having dinner at Hye-Min’s house later. The lady of the house said she’s preparing something delicious for me.”

“……”

“I think all the local aunties and uncles will be there too. I’d like you to join us if you don’t mind.”

“…Shall we?”

Reluctantly agreeing to the suggestion, Gi Do-Hae embraced Kim San again, trying to hide his faltering expression. He was aware that if anything uncomfortable happened during this first trip, there might not be a second chance.

***

By dinner time, Lee Hye-Min’s house was practically holding a village party. Given the size of the village, it seemed almost every resident had gathered.

When Gi Do-Hae arrived in front of the house, the entire crowd inhaled sharply in unison. It seemed to be a trait of the village folks—they didn’t know how to hide their expressions.

“Th-th-that’s really Esper Gi Do-Hae?”

“Is this really happening? How did our Sani get involved with someone like him…”

“Shouldn’t we stop this? Why is our Sani…”

They were whispering among themselves, but Gi Do-Hae heard every word clearly. The way they huddled together like timid animals was familiar to him, as was their fearful expressions and the atmosphere of rejection. What bothered him most was a specific detail.

Everyone was referring to Kim San as “our Sani.”

While it was annoying enough when people in the city called Kim San by that nickname, here, it was even more bothersome. These were people who had been with Kim San throughout his life. It was one thing if their fear was the only issue; the real problem was if their opinions were passed on to Kim San.

Gi Do-Hae had ignored the city people’s judgments of Kim San, but he wondered how Kim San would react if those close to him tried to dissuade him.

The hostility that had been simmering began to swell. Imagining the worst-case scenarios pushed his emotions to the extreme. He wanted to shield Kim San from hearing or seeing anything that might hurt him. Maybe coming here had been a mistake.

If his resolve to protect that smile ended up taking Kim San away, if he lost Kim San because of this—perhaps it would be better to erase any place he could return to.

He could easily erase this village in an hour.

At that precarious moment, Kim San approached him nonchalantly and took his hand.