A Beautiful Butterfly

Chapter 13

Jinyoung woke up late the next morning. It was a little past nine as the table clock showed, and he was all alone in the room. Groaning because he was not still fully awake yet, he rolled onto his stomach and covered himself full with the duvet.

But wait. How come he was on the mattress? Surely, he had slept on the floor last night. It must be Mark who had moved him. A little fluttered, he sat up and wobbled into the bathroom.

Why had nobody woken him up? His grandmother was pretty strict when it came to wake-up time. He had not many memories of lazing in bed here, in the morning.

In the bathroom mirror, he stared miserably at his horribly messed up hair and dull face with the drooping eyelids. Such a state he was in and Mark had seen it!

It was already half past nine when he finally got into the kitchen for breakfast. And the sight there was Mark wiping the plates and bowls with a worn-out cloth while the grandmother was doing the dishes. They were apparently having a jolly talk, which was interrupted by Jinyoung entering the kitchen.

"Finally awake, sleepyhead?" Mark greeted.

Jinyoung smiled sheepishly and asked, "Why didn't you wake me up? Have you had breakfast already? Am I the only one left?"

"Our baby must have been so tired. Breakfast is all already on the table," the grandmother said, heartily. She proceeded to put some of the utensils Mark had dried into the cupboard, while Mark came and sat opposite Jinyoung, who was at the table for breakfast.

"D-Did you move me onto the mattress?"

"Yes and why were you on the floor in the first place? I woke up and I was the only one all covered under the duvet on the mattress. Wasn't it cold on the floor?" Mark said, half reproachfully.

"It's just my sleeping habit. I move around a lot," Jinyoung said quietly, in case his grandmother heard him. He was having sweet time lying. "Where's grandpa?"

"In the backyard," the grandmother answered from the kitchen counter where she was cutting tofu, which was a familiar sight to Jinyoung. "Even on such a day when our family is complete, he won't rest."

"I want to see grapevines. Can we go there later?" Mark asked Jinyoung, "Maybe, we can help grandpa."

Jinyoung choked on his food; he was coughing furiously and Mark poured water into a glass in a hurry, before giving him.

"Are you okay?"

Jinyoung thankfully sipped the water and nodded in relief. "Did you just say 'grandpa'?" Not 'your grandpa' but 'grandpa'!

"Yeah, why?" Mark asked, clueless.

"N-Nothing. Yes, we can go. He'll really like that."

After Jinyoung's breakfast, he and Mark were in the grape yard and found the grandfather inspecting the grapevines. As it was not the season for grapes yet, there were no ripe grapes to pluck.

The grandfather was, indeed, delighted to see them and showed Mark around, answering whatever he asked. Jinyoung followed them, trying to interrupt whenever he knew about the stuff Mark was asking about. But at last, he gave up and just watched how his grandfather and Mark were making such a perfect team. Not without pleasure, of course.

Much later, they had lunch. Then Jinyoung took Mark to the Jinhae seaport. Where his father had once worked, before being promoted to the Busan seaport.

The soft wind of the sea was refreshing and the sight of the endless sea and the ships and boats moving either to the harbour or away from it, was both calming and melancholic.

It did not, however, mean that the harbour was all quiet. There were passengers boarding or disembarking, the cargoes being moved about and some sea staff cleaning the vessels that had long been docked.

"My father used to work here," Jinyoung said, starting to feel nostalgic and sad. How vividly he remembered his father holding him up high for him to see the great sea. How cheerily he laughed in his father's hands and how proud he felt when his father put him on his shoulder and he saw seamen bowing to his father, who was walking along the harbour. All these memories came back and gave him mixed feelings of joy and pain. How innocent he had felt back then.

"I guessed so. He was a navigation officer, I remember you said."

Jinyoung could only nod and Mark led him to the grass lawn which was next to the walking path they were on and where they could sit down for a while.

They settled on the grass and Jinyoung muttered, "I miss him."

"Of course, you do. I understand," Mark said, patting Jinyoung's back comfortingly. "Let's stay here as long as you want."

"I still want to be a seaman. That's the kind of life I want. The sea is the closet to where my father is. He was never found. I'm sure his body lies somewhere in sea," Jinyoung said, adding after a long pause, "I want to be someone he'd have been proud of."

"Did he say he wanted you to be a seaman or officer like him?"

"No but I think he'd have liked me to follow in his footsteps. I don't know."

"Maybe or maybe not," Mark said, "Perhaps all he wanted was for you to be a great, kind person. And you already are. Jinyoung," Mark called and Jinyoung turned to him, "Don't you have any desire to settle in a city like Seoul? You'll strive, I'm sure, and we can be friends for long too. You can bring your grandparents and make a new home in Seoul. Then there'll be no more hard work for them."

Jinyoung shook his head, "I don't think I can. My grandparents wouldn't like to leave here either."

"Everything else aside, even the fact alone that we can be friends for a lifetime, isn't enough?" Mark said and added, "Am I not enough?"

Jinyoung felt a shiver run through him at the words and how expectantly Mark looked at him. Was Mark enough? Could he live a life he could never imagine himself in, only for Mark?

"I don't know," Jinyoung muttered, "I... I'll think about it."

Even though it was no certain answer, Mark's face still brightened up. They stayed there for a long time before heading back home.

As the evening approached and Jinyoung and Mark were ready to leave, the neighbours came to bid them goodbyes. The kids were sad and made them promise they would come back soon. Jinyoung kissed them and even the baby, Minjae,; Mark gave the two children a big hug and kissed them on the foreheads, receiving delightful giggles in return.

Mark was in the sweater given by the grandmother - it had actually been meant for Jinyoung. Jinyoung was also in a newly knitted one and another one for Wonpil was in the bag.

As it was late, he did not let his grandparents send him and Mark off to the station. He and Mark were all alone as they left the house and set off for the station.