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Chapter 06
At his words, Bada burst into laughter.
“Don’t tell me you’ve already fallen for me?”
“Of course.”
“When?”
He looked up at the air as if thinking, then slowly rolled his eyes back to meet hers directly.
“Maybe because you’re the first woman who left me.”
“Huh? What does that mean? Because I rejected your date invitation when we first met? There are so many weird guys these days. And since we’re abroad, I have to be even more careful.”
He chuckled to himself, and Bada narrowed her eyes.
“You really know how to read palms, right?”
“That part was obviously a lie.”
“…What? I totally fell for it! I almost believed you.”
“Or maybe you trust people too easily.”
River picked up a card the fortune teller had forgotten to collect.
Then, as if it were a useless memo, he tore it in half. Leaning closer, he whispered like he was revealing a secret.
“There was once a kingdom in medieval Europe. The astrologers there were famous for making one-hundred-percent accurate predictions. Do you know why?”
“Why?”
“Because the king cut off their heads until he heard the prediction he wanted.”
Even while telling such a chilling story, his face remained calm.
“And once he heard it, he used every possible method to make that prediction come true.”
“……”
“So it was never a prophecy. It was a plan.”
Bada’s gaze drifted to the large scar on his neck.
It looked as if someone had slashed him with a blade.
There had to be a story behind it.
She was curious, but she didn’t want to dig into someone else’s wound just to satisfy her curiosity.
So she asked indirectly,
“Since we’re talking about it… is there any reason I should trust you?”
“There isn’t.”
His honest answer made her pause.
River leaned closer.
With a soft smile curling at the corners of his eyes, he said,
“Don’t trust me, Bada. Don’t trust anyone except yourself.”
A little later, River stepped into the restroom and adjusted his clothes in front of the mirror.
He let out a small laugh when he realized he was paying attention to his appearance—something unlike him.
She really came. I threw the invitation out there, but I wasn’t sure.
He recalled the day he had run into her by chance a few days ago.
That day, he had been sitting on his bike by the roadside, smoking.
Through the white smoke, he saw her in the distance.
Yoo Bada.
A woman as unusual as her name.
She had no idea, but he had been following her for several days.
You really don’t recognize me, do you?
A bitter yet playful smile formed on his lips.
Well, that just made things more interesting.
From afar, he observed her.
While others were busy taking Instagram photos in resort dresses in front of luxury beach clubs,
she walked down the street with a bare face, wearing a T-shirt that said “I Love Bintang.”
Who even wears something like that? And that bag… a fanny pack?
Despite the strange fashion, her beauty still shone.
Amusingly, there was a teddy bear keychain hanging from her bag.
Looking closer, the bear’s clothes were embroidered with “Penn.”
See? I knew it was you.
Every time she swung her long legs while walking, the teddy bear bounced wildly.
She wandered the streets with curious, sparkling eyes.
Those shining eyes… they haven’t changed at all.
River’s gaze naturally followed wherever her eyes landed.
To him, it was nothing special—just messy souvenir shops and food stalls selling overly spiced dishes.
Eventually, she stopped in front of an old street cart.
It was a local vendor selling bakso, Indonesian meatball soup.
Clearly meant for locals, not tourists.
River narrowed his eyes.
If she eats there, she’s going to end up with Bali Belly.
The vendor smiled brightly and gestured her closer.
Then he picked up a meatball and placed it straight into her mouth.
She chewed it and gave him a thumbs-up.
River let out a quiet laugh.
She really shows her emotions clearly.
Soon she took money from her pocket and ordered bakso and a can of cola.
Then she squatted under a nearby shop’s awning and started eating.
With a plastic spoon, she scooped up the hot meatballs, blowing on them before putting them into her mouth.
Sweat poured down her forehead in the tropical heat.
She ate so deliciously that anyone watching might mistake the shabby cart for a Michelin restaurant.
River stood there for a long time, just watching her eat.
He couldn’t move his feet.
Still strange.
At that moment, a raindrop fell from the sky and slid down his smooth cheek.
He looked up.
Suddenly, rain poured down as if the sky had split open.
People began to scream as the rain came down hard.
The vendor, used to such situations, quickly covered the cart with plastic and started pushing it away.
But after only a few steps, the cart hit a stone and flipped over.
“Oh no.”
The cart fell to its side, and round meatballs spilled out, rolling across the ground.
Some were crushed under the wheels of passing motorcycles.
It was a mess.
Seeing this, Bada threw aside her food and rushed to help the man lift the cart.
But once spilled, it was over.
The man, who had lost a day’s worth of sales, began picking up the meatballs with a hopeless expression.
As she helped him clean up, she said something and then pulled out a thick stack of bills from her fanny pack and handed it to him.
He refused again and again, but he couldn’t win against her stubbornness.
In the end, he scraped all the remaining bakso into a large plastic bag and gave it to her.
After handing him the money, she accepted the bag.
It was so full that it was clearly too much for her to eat alone.
As the man repeatedly thanked her, she waved it off as if it were nothing.
Then she pulled out a wrinkled plastic raincoat from her bag, put it on, and started walking again.
Even when her foot slipped into a pothole and muddy water splashed onto her body, her steps were light.
“Bada…”
River stood in the pouring rain, watching her until she disappeared from sight.
A lazy smile spread across his lips.
“It’s been eleven years. Nice to see you again.”
