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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Wise Unemployed Life
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I hadn't moved all that often.
Still, from the few times I had, I'd learned one undeniable fact.
That fact being...
"Something always feels missing."
No matter how many times you move, it never really ends.
You think you've done everything, that it's all finished and sorted. But then, as you start actually living there, one thing after another pops up that you overlooked.
Take today—I still need to stock up on food. That means a trip to the mart. But my ride there, the scooter, won't arrive until 4 p.m., so I'm stuck waiting.
It's 11 a.m. now. Five whole hours to kill...
"Guess I'll draw something."
In the meantime, I might as well finish that mural I started yesterday. I stripped off my comfy pajamas, changed into clothes I wouldn't mind getting paint on, grabbed my paints and lacquer, and headed out to the fence.
Oh, nice—it's dried perfectly.
The paint had set up beautifully while I slept. Solid enough to work without any issues.
I slipped on the mask I'd brought and got down to business. I started fleshing out the details on the whale shark—until now, I'd only roughed out its shape—and enlarged those little clouds too.
I was deep into it, baking under the blazing sun with the sea breeze whipping around, when—
"Hey, you punk! Woohyun!"
My name.
"?"
A name I had no business hearing here—no one knew me, after all. I turned around with a blank look on my face. There, parked by the house, was a massive truck. No clue when it'd pulled up.
"Man, getting here was a nightmare."
The voice calling me came from inside the truck, grunting along with the sounds of some heavy load being hauled out. The second I set down my brush—
"Heave-ho. Here's your scooter."
Out stepped a familiar face, right alongside the scooter I'd ordered.
"Oh, Hyun-jun hyung."
He looked a touch older than I remembered. Cha Hyun-jun hyung, who'd once managed our band. I broke into a grin.
"Wow, it's been forever."
"No kidding. And I didn't expect hyung to deliver it yourself."
"Not for just anyone—but you? Yeah, had to."
I gave a small smile at that.
Hyun-jun hyung hadn't been tight with the other members. But he and I? We got along great. Probably 'cause our personalities clicked.
"So, you quit the band and moved here?"
"Yeah. Not bad, right?"
"It's great. No crowds. Sea's not right there, but..."
"Still close enough."
I took the scooter from him and gave it a once-over. Meanwhile, hyung was staring hard at the mural I'd been working on.
"You paint this yourself?"
"Yep. Got bored, and the fence felt too bare."
"Makes sense. You've always been good at art. Handled all our album covers yourself, remember?"
"Just a hobby. Hobby."
A hobby I'd turned to whenever songs weren't clicking or I needed to clear my head. Well, it stopped being "just a hobby" once the label decided to save cash by having me do the album art.
"Looks great. Mind if I snap some pics?"
"Knock yourself out."
"Thanks. Oh, right—eaten lunch yet?"
I shook my head.
"Perfect timing, then. Let's grab a bite together. Been too long."
"Sounds good."
I'd been planning a town run anyway. Perfect.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Town.
"Aw, come this far for jjajangmyeon?"
Hyun-jun hyung had ordered food at a Chinese place in town. He grumbled under his breath, low enough the owner wouldn't hear.
"Raw fish without booze feels wrong, though."
"True, but... I was craving your cooking."
"No ingredients yet. Barely any dishes. Kitchen's not even fully cleaned."
All I had for cookware back home was an air fryer, microwave, pot, and pan. I'd packed bowls, but the suitcase drop shattered them all. Total do-over on those.
"Got all hyped for your food after so long."
"My cooking's nothing special."
"Nonsense. Still haven't had ribs better than yours."
"Aw, shucks."
Hyung's folks couldn't cook, he'd said.
Guess it was true.
"Come visit sometime. I'll whip some up."
"For real? I'm coming."
"Yeah, yeah. Come whenever."
Not sure how long I'd stick around here anyway.
"Food's up."
While we chatted, out came our steaming orders: jjajangmyeon and tangsuyuk. I grabbed my chopsticks when hyung spoke up.
"Hey, you off Instagram? Account's gone."
"Oh, that. Turned all my SNS private."
"Why?"
"Just... sick of it."
The job forced SNS for promo and chatter, sure. But it was never my scene.
"Log in, and it's all 'look how great everyone's living.' Shots fired left and right. Cringe challenges. Not my vibe."
Makes you compare, hate yourself, crave success you don't have. Plus all that unwanted info flooding in.
Exhausting, y'know?
"You're weird. Kids your age are glued to SNS."
"They're them. I'm me."
I'd quit singing and come to Namhae Island to escape that comparison trap in the first place.
"Yeah, you've always had that quirky side."
"Me? I was the normal one."
"Sure, whatever. Eat up before it cools."
"Got it."
I nodded and shoveled in a big bite of jjajangmyeon. Maybe 'cause it was my first real food in two days...
It tasted amazing.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Guess I'll head out, then."
After lunch, hyung helped with shopping and even drove me home. He waved, grinning like he'd had a blast.
"Yeah, was fun. Drive safe."
"You got it. See you soon."
"Sure. I'll prep—call first."
"And pick up your damn phone, punk."
I gave a wry smile.
Lately, I'd been dodging my phone on purpose. Kinda addictive—not bad per se, but grab it, and boom: YouTube, shorts, all day gone.
"Just cut the internet?"
I shook my head at the thought.
Too extreme. Never know when a call comes, or if work might pop up here.
Plus, I'd just gotten it installed.
"Enough dumb thoughts. Time to finish up."
I muttered to myself, clearing my head, and headed back to the fence. Sun dipping low, but plenty of light left. Had to wrap the mural before full dark.
Pulled out the brushes, paints, and lacquer I'd stashed. Mask on. No sketch, no reference—just painting from imagination, hands flying.
"Ssst."
I ignored the minor slips.
Paint's dry, no erasing. No point dwelling—better to weave them into the art, keep going bold.
Big picture done. Now fine brush for details. Then tones, shading...
"Finished."
I nodded at the fence-filling masterpiece. Worlds better than yesterday's rough draft. Night had fallen mid-work, so not perfect view, but...
Super satisfying.
Even I could hardly believe I'd painted it. Just... refreshing to look at. Clears the soul?
"Yeah. Love it."
Satisfied grin. I gave the wall a light tap-tap.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Woohyun's grandmother's house—where he now lived—sat on the road leading to the beach. In other words, anyone heading to or from the sea had to pass it.
"Whoa—check out that mural."
"Mural? It's gorgeous."
"Wasn't here last time."
"Whale? A flying whale?"
"Nah, whale shark. See the wide mouth?"
So people going to the beach or coming back spotted it. Folks walking by stopped dead, staring.
"Take my pic here."
"Me too."
"Selfie with this?"
Snaps started popping off, mural backdrop.
A bit early for vacation.
#NamhaeIsland #Mural #WhaleShark
💬 Comments— AnonymousWow, where's this?— Friend123Take me next time ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ— SoloTravelerYou're always alone at the pretty spots!— LocalGalOMG it's our neighborhood! Let's go snap some @sgq_1103