{ Original Title: 3월의 보름을 조심하라 | Publisher: Lezhin | Audience: Mature }
Nakwon’s walking down an alley, trying to find Mokhwa’s place of residence. He’s probably never stepped foot in a basement apartment in all his life, so his hesitation to believe that Mokhwa lives at the address he gave him is understandable. At least the place is clean! Nakwon reminds himself he should just be grateful for being invited to stay with Mokhwa in his private space.
He takes his time looking around the dingy apartment, and it doesn’t take long since it’s quite small. He makes a rather funny joke about how Mokhwa’s dresser looks like a piano since his clothes alternate in black and white.
Nakwon decides that he can’t possibly stay here with practically nothing to live on, so he calls in favor from one of the Lieutenants. He has a laundry list of things he wants and needs them delivered, since he can’t drive himself.
Later, as Mokhwa is making his way back home, he chastises himself for not taking Nakwon’s sudden disappearance more seriously. The guy shows up every day at the same time to his flower shop; he should have known something was very wrong when Nakwon didn’t appear. What if he had died? Mokhwa wouldn’t have known of his death until much later, if that were the case. He notices his reaction to the possibility of Nakwon dying: his palms are sweaty (knees weak, arms’ spaghetti… lol) and his chest begins to feel tight.
Mokhwa is greeted warmly (and quite literally since Nakwon is blasting the heater) when he enters his basement apartment. He’s both confused and surprised at all the additions Nakwon’s made. An intercom outside, new furniture, a brand new flat-screen TV, a freezer full of beef, etc. Of course, Nakwon did all this. It wouldn’t be him if he didn’t.
Mokhwa is amazed at how relaxed Nakwon is acting. Most people who have had a near-death experience would be more withdrawn and scared. Then, Nakwon has a refreshingly vulnerable moment: he admits that, yeah, of course he’s terrified. Who wouldn’t be after being stabbed? Nakwon continues on, saying that at least the two of them are alive and can ring in the New Year together.
This is a new experience for Mokhwa. He’s never sat side by side with someone and just watched television. As Nakwon continues to ramble on and on, Mokhwa’s thoughts again turn to the guy sitting next to him and what his intentions are. At first, Nakwon was after him for information, but what about now? Nakwon has kept him fed, has kept his ex-convict past from being revealed and even saved his life. Why? Why the drastic change? What is he after?
Nakwon then asks Mokhwa if he has had any dinner yet, and Mokhwa admits he ordered in. Nakwon jokes that the guy who stabbed him should also be charged with causing Mokhwa bodily harm, since surely the food he ate wasn’t any good. Mokhwa decides to take this very moment to get some answers out of Nakwon. Why does he feed him such nice meals all the time? The question catches Nakwon completely off guard and leaves him momentarily speechless.
I really like seeing this side of Nakwon. I mean, he’s still doing whatever the hell he wants, but he’s also being vulnerable in front of Mokhwa, which is something I don’t believe he’s ever done before. Seeing him like this, though, just makes me worried for when Nakwon returns to his usual self. Also, I just thought of the old adage after reading through this chapter: “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” Maybe that’s why Nakwon feeds Mokhwa all the time. I wouldn’t put it past Nakwon to think that too.
