Chapter 26.1

Chapter 26.1

Juran unnie used to say that there’s a time for love. She said that suffering from unrequited love is just a phase, a special form of love that only a young and pure heart can experience. She believed that people need to go through such love to become adults.

Of course, her stories always ended with the nagging advice that our youngest should meet a good man, fall in love, get married, have children, and live happily ever after.

Miran took out her diary from her bag and opened it. Blushing in the swaying bus, she began to write about the events of the previous night, chewing on the end of her pen.

She didn’t want to forget André for the rest of her life.

—

After having a quick breakfast in Itaewon, André pushed open the door of Cactus as soon as it opened at eleven.

“Welcome! Welcome to Cactus!”

The cheerful greeting came from a different employee than the one from the previous night. As André approached the counter, the employee grabbed a menu and gestured towards the hall.

“This way, please!”

“I’m here to ask about something.”

The eyes of the employee, whose name tag read ‘Michael,’ bulged like a frog’s.

“Wow, your Korean is really good.”

“Thank you. Yesterday, I forgot… lost a black handbag here. By any chance, has a lost handbag been turned in?”

“…!”

Michael, who had been gaping at André’s Korean, clapped his hands and gave a thumbs-up when André raised his eyebrows slightly, waiting for a response.

“Wow, amazing! I’ve never seen a foreigner speak Korean this well. But it’s not ‘Gyeo-sip-ni-kka’ it’s—”

“…So, the lost items?”

Interrupting, André asked again, prompting Michael to slap his forehead.

“Oh, my bad. These are all the lost items.”

He rummaged under the counter and pulled out a rectangular rattan basket, placing it on the counter.

The moment André saw the basket, he sighed in relief. He was glad he came here first. Among a high heel, cosmetics, glasses, and a backpack, he spotted and lifted the black handbag.

“Oh, so you lost that. A customer found it in the bathroom yesterday.”

Without responding, André unzipped the handbag. The employee hastily continued, almost as if making an excuse.

“We had to look inside to find a way to contact you, but there was no cash.”

“It’s fine. Thank you for finding my bag.”

He had already expected the cash to be gone. What mattered more was that his passport, ID, and most importantly, his credit card were still there. He was simply relieved, knowing that there are few countries in the world where lost items could be recovered.

—

Returning to the Dragon Valley Hotel, André enjoyed a refreshing shower in the spacious bathroom, a stark contrast to the cramped attic bathroom where he could barely lift his head. Afterward, he lazily donned a white bathrobe and collapsed onto the king-sized bed.

Having been unable to sleep on the plane, the only rest he had gotten in the past two days was the couple of hours in the attic room. The series of events that followed before he could even recover from the exhaustion of his hectic schedule had left him quite tired. He had fallen asleep without realizing it, and when he opened his eyes, the room was already dim.

The red numbers on the alarm clock beside the bed read 6:40. Skipping lunch had left him feeling a bit hungry.

After changing clothes, André went down to the lobby for dinner. The Dragon Valley Hotel, located within the Yongsan U.S. Army Garrison, primarily accommodated U.S. military personnel and their families.

However, the hotel’s restaurant had become famous for its steaks, attracting affluent and influential Koreans who often used their connections to visit. As a result, the Western and buffet restaurants were bustling with a mix of Koreans and Americans.

‘I should have ordered room service.’

Wanting to have a quiet dinner, he headed to the less crowded bar. As soon as he entered, he noticed three officers he knew. All of them were married men with wives and children back home. Yet, they were seated deep in the booths with young and beautiful Korean women.

Some greeted him with brazen eye contact, while others avoided his gaze, pretending not to see him. What he used to pass by without a second thought now left a bitter taste in his mouth.