Actually, I don’t really like the countryside that much.

Having lived thoroughly in the city my whole life, I liked the city where I could easily get daily necessities at any time, big supermarkets just a short distance away, and where I could conveniently manage my daily life by using public transportation even without my own car.

I don’t particularly like places that are just fields or mountains all around. Plus, my military service in Gangwon-do left me with a very negative perception of mountains. I often thought, “Well, I spent my entire life in mountains here.”

So, when I lived in Seoul, I never went up any mountains.

Wait, no, that might not be true. Thinking about it again, maybe it was just because I was lazy.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that we’re actually climbing a mountain now.

Rather, it just so happens that Yang Hye-in’s grandmother’s house is in the mountains.

It’s not like cars can’t get in, or that there aren’t any houses nearby. But the village isn’t exactly spacious either. From here, it practically looks like you can see everything at a glance.

There seemed to be a small orchard, and the rest was completely mountainous.

It felt a bit frustrating that my view was blocked.

Why, I actually like it.

As I sat on the porch thinking that, Sara started talking to me.

It’s not noisy here, right? Nobody’s watching us.

I feel like if someone really wanted to watch, they could easily do so.

Well, of course, it’s the mountains behind. Whether you’re hiding among people in the city or hiding among the trees in the mountains, it’s the same – I’ve experienced that during my military life; the camouflage patterns of the uniform are surprisingly effective.

… What a boring thing to say.

Sara grumbled. I could almost see her puffing out her cheeks, which made me chuckle a bit.

Well, even so, I didn’t completely disagree with her.

The air here is definitely clear, and stars should be visible at night. I’ve been awed staring up at the sky when I was up at a high post in the mountains. The problem is, it only looks beautiful when you see it for a day or two.

So why are we drifting into military stories…

Sara grumbled again, sounding quite drained.

“……”

I tried to focus a bit more on the scenery, just like Sara said.

Or rather, should I say that I stopped trying to focus?

I relaxed my eyes and stared blankly into the distance.

The rough, dry texture of the wood I was holding onto on the porch.

The occasional sound of cars from the distant road.

The chirping of birds in the distance, and the peculiar rhythmic cooing of the rock pigeons.

If the wind passes by, I hear the swoosh of the trees swaying in one direction, and I felt the gentle natural breeze coming through the special gap in the countryside porch.

Hmm, feeling like this might not be so bad after all. At least, it was a good place to sit outside on a day like this. The gray brick wall also hid a flowerbed filled with flowers tended to by Grandma, making it much prettier than I expected.

Right? I also want to build a small house here and grow flowers.

Of course, I know my thoughts would change in the peak of summer or the depth of winter.

… Are you really going to do this until the end?

As I had an internal debate with Sara, I heard someone plop down beside me.

It was Sohee.

Sohee was carrying a tray, piled high with snacks and fruits from who knows where.

She even had a sweet in her mouth.

“What do you want?”

With that sweet in her mouth, Sohee’s pronunciation was a bit unclear.

“No, I’m fine.”

… I was really fine. I actually felt quite full at this point.

Even though Yang Hye-in’s grandmother has a stiff expression, she was similar to the grandmothers we know, enjoying feeding her grandchildren… and those cute little kids that came along. It’s the kind of grandmother image you think of naturally.

That made it a bit more uncomfortable for me personally.

No, it’s not that I dislike grandmothers. Rather, it made me pay more attention to some parts.

The fact that Yang Hye-in didn’t mention her parents’ house while talking about her hometown could mean that her parents might not be around.

On the flip side, that means the only person Grandma has to look after is her granddaughter, Yang Hye-in.

And that was what made me feel uneasy.

“It’s delicious.”

After hearing my refusal, Sohee muttered a bit disappointedly.

What about Ha Neul and Sua?

They’re still in the room, listening to Grandma stories.

Stories?

At my question, Sohee nodded.

It’s the story of the senior’s old days. She even took out a picture frame.

Uh…

I wondered if they’d really enjoy that. I thought it would make me feel awkward if I heard stories from Yang Hye-in’s childhood, especially being the person closest to her.

No, what surprised me more was that it was strange that Ha Neul and Sua, who are not particularly close to Yang Hye-in, were the ones listening to the stories.

Well, I’m your maid. You know that? It’s still my working hours, right? Since Yang Hye-in is on vacation, I have to do the job of a full-time maid.

And then Sohee suddenly thrust some sweets towards me; I, without realizing it, took it into my mouth.

…

Seeing that, Sohee gave a triumphant smile.

… Is this some sort of learning experience?

*

Eventually, the excuse of ‘I can’t eat anymore, so I’ll just go get some fresh air’ was starting to lose its credibility, so I quietly followed Sohee into the room.

“Oh, Sara, come here.”

As soon as I entered the room, my eyes met Ha Neul’s.

Ha Neul and Sua were sitting next to Grandma, eagerly listening.

“Here’s the photo of Hye-in as an elementary student.”

Wow.

Hye-in, huh?

The combination of those two words felt like the most awkward thing in the world.

Yang Hye-in was sitting at a slight distance from the trio, kneeling with an expression that was hard to read.

She looked almost like a lifesize figurine or something.

Since Ha Neul’s eyes looked desperate for help, I slouched towards the opened album.

It wasn’t a photo saved on a smartphone or shown on a computer screen; it was a seemingly developed film photo.

The picture had a somewhat yellowish tint, showing a small child with a big smile.

Her hair wasn’t short.

And on either side of the child were two adults who resembled her closely. One was a woman, and the other was a man.

The child in the middle was presumably the young Yang Hye-in, and the adults must be her parents.

“Ah… She’s pretty.”

I offered a bland compliment.

And it wasn’t exactly a lie. Young Yang Hye-in did look pretty back then. Since current Yang Hye-in was very pretty too, it didn’t take much imagination to conclude that she would have had a beautiful face as a child.

“Right? Our Hye-in was pretty even as a child.”

The problem was Grandma was super delighted by my comment.

And Yang Hye-in, sitting over in the corner in a static posture, remained expressionless.

No matter how Yang Hye-in reacted here, I felt predictably awkward. It would be strange if she blushed and seemed happy, yet it would also have been uncomfortable if she openly disliked it. So, honestly, this seemingly neutral reaction was the least uncomfortable for me.

Still, that didn’t mean it wasn’t uncomfortable at all.

What on earth was I thinking when I decided to follow her here? I thought about it again.

This is, uh, um…

As I opened my mouth to escape the discomfort, I realized I didn’t really have anything to say.

… Is this a picture from your elementary school days?

In the end, I blurted out such a plain question.

Of course, it’s from elementary school. She lived in Seoul from middle school onwards.

Grandma said this with a beaming smile on her face.

…

Hmm.

I don’t know how to explain it.

It feels like the moment I dig deeper, there’s going to be an extraordinarily awkward story waiting to unfold.

When Hye-in was young—

Grandma.

But thankfully, just before Grandma continued, Yang Hye-in cut in.

Is the field going well?

Field?

Grandma turned her head towards Yang Hye-in.

Yeah. The field. There was one behind the mountain.

The way Yang Hye-in spoke sounded the most familial I had ever heard her voice.

But it also felt strangely performative.

Then, it’s still going well. It’ll be a while before we can harvest sweet potatoes, though…

I want to go see it.

Now? It’s not time to harvest yet.

You can tell how much they’ve grown without harvesting. I want to go see it.

Really?

After thinking for a moment, Grandma finally said,

Then, since my granddaughter wants to see it, let’s go. We should go together.

And slowly, Grandma started to rise.

Would the ladies like to go too? Wanna see how the sweet potatoes are growing?

No need for that. It was a hassle just coming this far. You should just rest.

Hmm? Oh, should I…?

Grandma muttered with a strangely disappointed look.

… I knew Yang Hye-in’s comment was something that just popped up in her mind.

But still, I was grateful that it helped me avoid a crisis.