Homeboy

Table of Contents

Volume 1

Prologue
Chronicles
Unpredictable Times
Come Back Home
Chronicles of Love (1)

Prologue

Son Dae-sik and Lee Kyung-soon first met when they were twenty, in the springtime when magnolia flowers were in full bloom on their college campus. The cardigan precariously hanging over Lee Kyung-soon’s shoulder fluttered in the spring breeze like a flower petal, and Son Dae-sik, who was walking behind her, caught it. As their eyes met—hers wide in surprise like a startled rabbit—they heard the school bell chime in the background. It was a classic and predictable scene, yet for these two bookworms who had spent their 19 years devoted to studying, it marked the beginning of their heart-thumping first love.

As soon as Son Dae-sik graduated from college and joined his father’s company (a business distributing imported coffee beans that resembled a factory more than an office), he married Kyung-soon. The following spring, their eldest daughter, Son Yeo-jin, was born—arriving before they had even begun to enjoy their newlywed life. With their firstborn already in their arms, the couple heeded advice from their elders to quickly have a second child, but despite their efforts, they were unable to conceive again.

Cha Jung-myung, meanwhile, was Son Dae-sik’s classmate and desk partner when they were twelve. Due to a mismatch in the number of boys and girls in their class, they were paired together. Self-proclaimed neighborhood leader Cha Jung-myung immediately took a disliking to the pale-faced, bespectacled Son Dae-sik and picked a fight with him on their first meeting. Expecting tears, Jung-myung was surprised when Dae-sik never backed down, exchanging retorts like, ‘My dad’s a cop,’ with, ‘So what? My dad’s a company president.’ What began as childish bickering soon developed into an odd comedy duo—or what others might call best friends.

Kim In-sun, on the other hand, was neither in the same class nor the same school as Lee Kyung-soon, but they saw each other regularly. They met three times a week at a violin tutoring group and twice a week at an art class, both of which grouped students of similar skill levels. Ironically, neither girl’s talent matched their parents’ academic ambitions for them. Instead, they spent their lessons whispering plans for what to do afterward, such as whether to eat tteokbokki or stir-fried soondae, or which idol’s bromide poster to buy.

The two pairs of childhood friends—Dae-sik and Jung-myung, Kyung-soon and In-sun—first met during a dinner arranged under the guise of giving out wedding invitations. Though the meeting was entirely deliberate, none of the four acknowledged it, exchanging polite congratulations while their lingering glances crossed. Kim In-sun would later describe it as “sparks flying.” Six months later, Cha Jung-myung and Kim In-sun were married. Their newlywed home was a single-family house formerly owned by Dae-sik’s father, located directly across from the newlyweds’ home. The following winter, they welcomed a healthy baby boy, whom they named Cha Jung-in, combining one character each from their names.

Born at the end of December, Jung-in was a sturdy baby weighing 4.2 kg. Having stayed in the womb for over two weeks past term, he was large from the start and quickly caught up to and surpassed his cousin Yeo-jin, who was eight months older. By their elementary school entrance ceremony, Jung-in was already taller than Yeo-jin, and he never stopped growing ahead of her. Like their fathers before them, the two bickered constantly, counting the days they didn’t fight on one hand, yet they grew up becoming essential parts of each other’s lives.

This seemingly perfect balance of two young couples and their children, reminiscent of a weekend drama, was disrupted eight years later. Lee Kyung-soon became pregnant with her second child. Having long felt the pain of being unable to conceive again despite pouring her love into Yeo-jin, she was overjoyed. When she shared the news, Son Dae-sik cried. When the doctor confirmed it was a boy, he wept even more. The following April, the child was safely born to everyone’s delight. The nine-year gap between Yeo-jin, Jung-in, and the new baby didn’t matter. The couple named the child Yeo-il, meaning ‘beautiful day,’ as he arrived on a spring day just like the one when the cardigan had fluttered in the breeze.