novelraw Chapter 23 Seaweed Rice Rolls and Fists
Chapter 23 Seaweed Rice Rolls and Fists
When Cai Xiubin arrived, Su Yu was still squatting by the wall, holding the can of coffee that wasn't cold, watching the ants moving their nests on the ground.
The plastic bag rustled as she walked over to him, squatted down, and pulled a lunchbox from the bag. It was pink, and the lid was tightly shut. She lifted the lid and pushed it towards him.
The seaweed rice rolls were cut into different sizes, some as thick as sushi, some as thin as coins, with a few grains of rice stuck to the edges.
"Did you cut it?" Su Yu asked.
"Otherwise what? Will the seaweed rice rolls cut themselves?"
"They're different sizes."
"I'm eating it myself, not selling it. So what if the sizes are different? I didn't ask you to pay for it."
Su Yu picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. He chewed it twice but didn't say anything.
"How is it?" She leaned closer, her eyes shining.
"good."
What does "it's alright" mean?
"It's alright. It's not bad, but it's not so good that you'd want to say anything more."
She glared at him, grabbed a piece, took a big bite, and puffed out her cheeks like a hamster. "You're just being stubborn. You're clearly hungry, but you're pretending."
"I wasn't pretending. I really was hungry. But your seaweed rice rolls didn't stop me from being hungry either."
"Then eat another piece. Shut up and eat."
Su Yu took another piece. This time, the piece was cut particularly thick, with rice spilling out and the seaweed unable to contain it, making it look like a fat man bursting through his clothes. He stuffed it in one bite, his cheeks bulging.
Two people squatted against the wall, each holding a box of seaweed rice rolls, neither speaking. A streetlamp shone overhead, and flying insects buzzed around the bulb. In the distance, someone was playing music; they couldn't make out what it was, only the melody.
"Su Yu".
"Um."
"How many punches did Yoon Shi-yoon land on you today?"
"I don't know."
"Does it hurt?"
"pain."
"Then why aren't you dodging?"
"Why practice if you're avoiding him?"
She put down the lunchbox, stood up, walked over to him, and reached out to take his arm. Pushing up his sleeve revealed a large, purplish-red bruise on his forearm, the edge of a punching bag digging into it. She pressed it lightly with her finger. Su Yu didn't move.
"Does it hurt?" she asked again.
"Of course it hurts when you press it."
"It hurts even without pressing, stop pretending." She pulled her sleeve down, squatted back down, picked up her lunchbox, and stuffed another piece into her mouth. "Don't be the target tomorrow. Find a punching bag."
"Sandbags cost money."
"Don't you value your life?"
"Life is worthless. A good performance is valuable. If the performance is good, you'll make money. Once you have money, your life becomes valuable."
She chewed on her seaweed rice roll, looking at him with an expression as if he were a lunatic. "What kind of twisted logic is that?"
"The boss's twisted logic."
She rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine, you're the boss, you call the shots." She closed the lunchbox, put it in a plastic bag, and stood up. "I'm leaving."
"Um."
She took a few steps, then stopped. "Su Yu, are you practicing tomorrow?"
"practice."
"Then I'll bring my own lunch."
"With meat."
"I don't have any money. How about instant noodles?"
"Instant noodles are fine too. Add an egg."
Why won't you let me add Korean beef?
"Can you afford to add it?"
She glared at him and walked away. Her ponytail swayed briefly at the alley entrance.
Su Yu squatted down, picked up the can of coffee that wasn't cold, and took a sip. It was bitter and cold. He picked up the lunchbox, closed it, and carried it in his hand.
He hadn't walked far when his phone vibrated. It was a message from Cai Xiubin: "Are you home yet?"
"without."
"Where are we?"
"The alleyway."
"Then I'll wait for you."
Su Yu looked at those three words and slowed his pace. He glanced towards the alley entrance and saw a figure standing under the streetlight, holding a phone. The light from the screen illuminated her face, outlining a luminous edge.
She didn't turn around, staring at her phone screen. Su Yu pulled the hair tie off her wrist and stuffed it into her pocket, switched the lunchbox to her left hand, and quickened her pace.
"Didn't you leave?" He walked up to her.
"I said I was leaving. I didn't say where I was going."
"Then where are you going?"
"I'll wait for you at the alley entrance. Is that not allowed? Do you own Dongdaemun?"
Su Yu didn't reply. She put her phone in her pocket and turned to walk towards the main road. Su Yu followed behind, and the two walked side by side on the sidewalk at Dongdaemun. The night breeze was a bit chilly, and she hunched her shoulders.
"Cold?" Su Yu asked.
"It's not cold."
"Then why are you shrinking back?"
My neck is itchy.
"Why are you shrinking your neck if it itches? Scratch it if it's itchy."
"Mind your own business. What's wrong with me shrugging my neck because it itches? Is that illegal?" Su Yu couldn't help but laugh. She turned her head to look at him: "What are you laughing at?"
"I'm laughing because your neck itches."
"Su Yu, are you sick in the head?"
"Yes. The disease of poverty. It hasn't been cured yet."
She rolled her eyes again, took the lunchbox out of the bag, and shoved it into his hand. "I forgot my lunchbox."
"You did this on purpose, didn't you?"
"I forgot."
"With such a good memory, you even remember your bank card PIN, how could you forget your lunchbox?"
"My bank card PIN is six zeros. Easy to remember. If the lunchbox isn't yours, whose is it?" She couldn't recall. Su Yu picked up the lunchbox and shook it. "Pink? Did you pick it on purpose?"
"This is the only color available at the supermarket. Take it or leave it. If you don't want it, give it back."
"Yes. Why not? It's free."
She snorted and quickened her pace to walk ahead. Her ponytail swayed back and forth. Su Yu watched the swaying shadow, a slight smile playing on her lips. She hurried a few steps to catch up and walk alongside her.
"Cai Xiubin".
"what?"
"Bring extra seaweed rice rolls tomorrow. Yoon Shi-yoon wants some too."
"He wants to eat too? Doesn't he have hands and feet? Can't he cook for himself?"
"He trained harder than me. He spent the whole afternoon scaling walls."
"I didn't make it for him."
"Who was that made for?"
She didn't answer, quickening her pace. Su Yu didn't chase after her. He stood there, watching her figure recede into the distance. When she reached the intersection, she stopped and glanced back at him. The streetlight above her head cast a halo around her hair. The streetlight was working on her side; it was broken on Su Yu's side.
"Su Yu".
"Um."
"Bring meat tomorrow."
"I have no money."
"Then I'll bring instant noodles."
"Okay. Instant noodles are fine too. Add an egg."
"Add your own egg. I'm just bringing the noodles."
"Okay. Noodles are fine too. As long as it's hot, that's fine."
She stared at him for two seconds, then turned and walked away. This time, she didn't look back. Su Yu stood there, the streetlight illuminating the side of him he was standing on. Someone walked by, glanced at him, and went on their way. Su Yu didn't move.
My phone vibrated. It wasn't Chae Soo-bin, it was Yoon Shi-yoon.
"What time tomorrow?"
"3 PM. Downstairs."
"What are you practicing?"
"Fight back and forth. You hit, I block."
"Can you stop them?"
"If I can't block it, I'll block it a few more times. You can't kill me anyway."
Yoon Shi-yoon posted a photo of a bruise on the back of his hand. Su Yu zoomed in for a glance, then exited the app. He typed a line: "You dare post this little injury?" and deleted it. He typed a few more words, then deleted them again. Finally, he only sent one word: "Serves you right." Yoon Shi-yoon replied instantly with three words: "You wait."
Su Yu's lips curled slightly. He left.
A breeze blew in from the Han River, carrying the smell of fish. He looked up; the moon wasn't full, a piece was missing. But it was still quite bright. So be it, missing is better than nothing.
As he walked, he reached into his pocket and felt the elastic band. It was definitely worn out; once stretched, it wouldn't spring back. He slipped it onto his wrist, and it fit perfectly.
Tomorrow I have to practice scaling walls, be a target, and eat instant noodles with an egg. Some people brought noodles, some didn't bring meat, and some said it wasn't made for them, but their lunchboxes were pink. Pink it is. It's better than nothing.