Oh, my goodness!
What is this? What are you doing hiding there?
Why are you being so sneaky?
I've never seen this car around.
What on earth are you doing here at this hour?
Get out of the car. Who are you?
Who is that?
I've never seen this car before.
Come on out. Who are you?
Who are you?
Yes, hello.
Come on out just for a moment. Who are you?
Oh, my gosh! You scared me to death!
My goodness, my heart. What on earth?
Doctor, it's you.
-And Ja-young? -Hey, Auntie.
-What the heck is going on? -Yes, I…
Are you dating him, Yeong-suk?
Yes, we are dating.
-Now you know. -We…
We accidentally ran into each other after work.
-Right. -Are you on your way
to pick up Cheol-yong?
Yes, that's right.
But never mind that.
This is a much more important matter now.
So who are you? You don't look like a local.
No, I'm not.
Hello, I'm…
Well, he's…
He's a close friend of mine. We work together in Seoul.
Yes, hello.
He's from Seoul?
Yeong-suk.
Yeong-suk, you…
-You're dating a man from Seoul. -Auntie.
-A man from Seoul… -I'll talk to Yeong-suk.
-So let's go get Cheol-yong. -Seoul?
Okay. Nice to meet you. You're handsome.
And you have a nice car.
Yeong-suk.
-Yeong-suk, you're dating a man from… -Let's go already!
Yun-hyeong?
-Yun-hyeong. -Yes?
Oh, right.
Yeong-suk.
How did this happen?
So?
When did you start dating?
I missed her so much, so I came to see her for a little bit.
I've finished all my work for the day, so don't nag me about it, okay?
Anyhow,
you've succeeded, haven't you?
That's Officer Ahn, right?
I told you.
You start acting on my advice and love begins just like that.
-Good boy. -Hey.
Well done.
Yun-hyeong, if you're not serious about her,
I'm against this.
Assistant Lee is such a nice person.
Would you drive hours to see someone you're not serious about?
I'm serious too, you little punk.
You think you're the only one in a serious relationship?
So?
How do you think this is going to end?
How do you think it's going to end?
I want to see her for a very long time.
But we just started dating, so I'll have to hear what she thinks.
I don't know, man. How can I think of that by myself?
It takes two people to figure out a relationship.
People talk about love at first sight. About how you just know they're the one.
But I had no idea that I'd experience it myself.
Isn't she just so pretty?
I've been going crazy these days.
Seriously.
I'm so happy.
Want to go to the movies on your day off? Like a normal date.
I'd love to! What movie should we watch?
I looked it up
and the nearest movie theater is a bit far away.
Yes, that's still the closest one around here.
Since everyone works in the morning, let's go to an early movie.
I think that would be the safest.
Then I'll book the earliest showtime.
Yes, Ms. Lee.
What?
But I thought there was nothing scheduled for this morning.
Yes, but I just got an urgent call.
There are signs of premature labor.
They said that the mother's water broke and she was bleeding too,
so I said I'd give you a call.
Good morning, Nurungji.
I'll be back, my baby. Oh, my gosh. I'll see you later.
Yes, Chief.
Hey. We need you to come in.
What's going on?
You know the old lady with Alzheimer's at the chicken farm?
She's gone missing again.
You've tracked her down a few times before.
Her son wants you to help look for her since you're the only one she recognizes.
Okay, I'll be right there.
Okay.
Should we just catch a late-night movie?
-Sounds good. -I heard she disappeared again.
I'll go that way.
Okay.
It takes a little over an hour to get to the theater,
so let's meet around nine.
Have you seen Ms. Gil?
Excuse me, have you seen Ms. Gil?
It's been having diarrhea since yesterday.
You fed it corn, didn't you?
I'll administer antibiotics one last time, but…
Ms. Gil!
Darn it!
Yes, Ms. Lee.
Ms. Gil…
Ms. Gil!
Try to keep the floor a little cleaner.
Ms. Gil, where are you?
Ms. Gil!
SANDEUL POLICE STATION
-Is he on his way? -Yes.
Mom, let's go already. I'm tired. Hurry up and get in.
Hurry.
-Good night. -Get in.
Thank you as always, Officer Ahn.
-Thank you. -Okay, take care.
-Let's hang out another time, Ms. Gil. -Jeez, Mom. Get in.
My goodness.
Good work, both of you.
Especially you. Thank you for doing this on your day off.
-I'm proud of you. -Then I'll…
Will you buy us dinner then?
Okay. Let's have a team dinner.
-All right, my treat. Let's go. -Wait, I…
-The thing is… -Do you have plans?
Stay just for a while.
-I'll let you go soon! -No, I really--
We'll just grab a bite. I'm just so proud of you.
-Let's go. -What should we eat?
We can go see a movie another time, so just enjoy your dinner.
They have good meat here.
No way. We've already put it off once.
Watch where you're going, dude.
Oh, my goodness.
It's fine.
-I'll be there no matter what. -I'm fine.
I'm leaving right after dinner.
I'll see you outside the community center at nine.
I guess I'll go home, shower, and then head over there.
Is it good? Hey, let's dig in.
There, I had a bite.
Wait, literally one bite? Hey!
-Hey! -You're really leaving?
Get over here.
-What the hell do you want? -Come here!
-Darn it. -Hey, stop that!
-Break it up! -You want a piece of this?
-Hey! -Stop it!
-You're going to hurt yourself! -Let go of me!
Why can't they just have a nice drink together?
I guess you're closed for tonight. My goodness.
I'm really okay.
Let's go to the movies another time.
Call me when you're done.
Jeez, these people.
My goodness.
Hey, Officer Ahn.
-You… -I sent them away.
Okay, well done.
Hey, what's wrong with you?
OFFICER AHN
You wait right there.
I'm on my way.
Should I call her?
-This is nice, even in the summer. -It is.
Isn't that Doctor Han?
Doctor Han?
It is you. Hey.
-Hello. -Hi, what are you doing here?
-Pardon? -What are you doing here?
The weather was nice, so…
-I was taking a stroll. -A stroll?
But it's so dark out.
You're a walking mosquito feast.
Someone once had the same idea and died falling into a rice paddy.
Isn't that Ja-young?
It is.
Or is it?
-Ja-young. -Officer Ahn.
What's wrong, Ja-young?
Officer Ahn.
-What's going on? -Did she look drunk to you?
Right? She must have had something to celebrate.
I wonder why she drank so much. Maybe she was in a good mood?
My most beloved Huidong residents!
I, Ahn Ja-young,
am in a relationship for the first time in my life!
I'm dating Han Ji-yul,
the grandson of the Han Deok-jin Veterinary Hospital director!
Wait a minute. You said we'd keep it a secret.
Who's this?
It's the face I've been dying to see all day.
Okay, everyone.
Right now, I'm standing next to Mr. Han Ji-yul,
the man who's dating me, Huidong police officer Ahn Ja-young.
Is it true that you're dating Ms. Ahn Ja-young?
Is it true?
Yes, it's true.
What I wanted to say was,
we'd like to openly go out to the movies,
openly go out to eat,
and see each other without making excuses.
What I'm getting at is,
Ahn Ja-young will be busy dating from now on,
so please be understanding.
Okay?
Everyone, be happy!
You didn't have to make a whole announcement about that.
Everyone already knows.
Did you really think we didn't know?
I'm sure they're blinded by love right now.
The whole village knows.
You big dummies.
Jeez, look at those fools.
Our acting must have been pretty good.
We pretended not to know, and they bought it.
Oh, my goodness. Village residents, look over here.
-Did you really think that we didn't know? -Hey, Ja-young.
Are you sure you're okay?
I'm fine.
I was a tad bit tipsy,
but now I'm completely sober.
We were supposed to see our first movie together.
But things kept going sideways, so I had a few drinks out of anger.
I…
I never imagined that you would be the one
to tell everyone about us.
But they said they already knew.
How did they know?
Maybe we should have just been open about it from the get-go.
Soon, we won't even be able to see each other that often.
We wasted time hiding it.
What a waste of time.
Now that we're not hiding it,
-let's do that thing. -What…
What? What do you…
This is what you wanted to do now that everyone knows?
I really wanted to do this again.
But it would be really noticeable,
so I didn't dare.
What?
-Me? -Yes.
How do you look exactly the same as 15 years ago?
Just on your ring finger, okay?
Be honest with me.
You never intended to keep it a secret, did you?
Maybe.
It's not easy to approach a man
whose fingernail is dyed with balsam flowers.
You're a lot more possessive than I thought, Officer Ahn.
Of course.
I have to leave a mark that shows you're mine
so that no one will try to steal you.
And this doesn't come off easily either.
Don't you dare betray me.
I'll chase you down and turn your life into a thriller movie.
It's all done.
This has to stay on your finger until tomorrow morning,
so be careful in your sleep.
Hey, let me do yours. Have a seat.
All right.
I handed you a puppy and left after we did this 15 years ago.
But it'll be different this time.
Listen.
We'll be dyeing our fingernails right here next summer,
we'll be taking Nurungji for walks for a long time,
and we'll be listening to the village elders nagging.
Together and always.
All done.
There.
You must be sad about summer break being over.
Not at all. I get to see Hui-won every day.
-I envy you. -Hey.
You could talk to Doctor Han over video calls.
Then you could see him every day.
Video calls?
Wouldn't it be rude to make a video call without any prior notice?
-What's so rude about it? -I mean…
Never mind. Hurry up and get to class.
Okay.
Thank you for the ride.
Yeong-suk!
Hey, I'll call you again later.
Don't skip your meals.
Okay.
Thank goodness phones are so good these days.
We're always on the phone for so long.
My face is burning up when we hang up. Are you guys like this too?
I guess.
What's with that lukewarm response?
What do you think? Do I look pretty?
Has it been two weeks since he went back?
According to Yun-hyeong, you guys are doing fine.
Don't you talk often?
I mean, we do.
Just not so often that my phone is drenched in sweat.
And we promised each other to keep ourselves busy.
Every small detail of the day must be shared
for you to be less lonely and less worried.
Once you start leaving out details trying to be considerate,
that's when misunderstandings lead to an all-out war.
Mark my words. I'm telling you out of experience.
NURUNGJI
Oh, excuse me.
What happened to your arm?
Well, I…
I fell down the stairs.
When? Why didn't you tell me?
The other day, when I was getting off work.
It's just a hairline fracture, and I'll take it off soon.
I didn't want you to be worried for no reason.
Still, you should have told me.
Whether it's a fracture or a bruise,
if you hurt yourself, you should have texted me or called me.
I would have had no idea until you were all healed.
I'd just be asking, "Have you eaten? Is everything okay?"
Why would you
keep me from knowing that my own boyfriend got hurt?
Why won't you give me a chance to worry about you and comfort you?
I…
Jeez.
Ji-yul.
Being considerate
isn't always a good thing in a human relationship.
"She must be busy working right now."
"She must be busy eating right now. She must have gone to bed by now."
If you keep thinking like that, you'll start talking to her less and less
until things go south.
Listen.
What's the point of dating if you don't bother each other?
Bugging each other, making each other worry a little…
That's what dating is all about.
What is it this time?
I'm really not insecure or anything, okay?
We talk often, and it's always nice when we do.
But we don't see each other often.
It makes me yearn for him and miss him more…
I miss him even more now that I'm talking about him.
I'm worried that he'd get annoyed if I call too often.
That he'd end up not liking me anymore.
I only call him once every ten times I want to.
So why did I blow up at him?
It's not like I don't know how he feels.
I'm sorry. I should have told you.
Let's talk this out later.
You said it's all because you miss him.
Just go see him. Why are you torturing yourself?
I'll lend you my truck. Go see him today.
What am I, a car dealer?
Jeez, what am I going to do with you two?
BOKSIL
I was about to call you--
Are you in Huidong right now?
Yes.
But I'm in Seoul right now.
-I just found out you went there. -What?
Jeez, you just hurt your arm.
Don't go anywhere. Just stay at the hospital.
-I'll head over right now. -What?
I'm sorry.
I'd really like to keep you company,
but I'm supposed to go see Yeong-suk tonight.
You really don't have to. I'll be fine on my own.
I'll be going then.
-Okay. -Bye.
Wait, one more thing.
I'm sure you know,
but when Ji-yul sets his mind to something,
whatever it is, he'll give it his best.
I mean, we work together,
but I could never tell if there's something going on with him.
But lately, I can.
I can see that he misses you a lot and he wants to visit you.
Things like that.
I guess I was being nosy again.
Anyway, that's how Ji-yul is when he's in Seoul.
I'm sure you understand what it's like
since you're in the same long-distance relationship.
Okay, I really have to get going.
-Yes. -Okay.
You could watch a movie while you wait.
Sure.
Oh, here.
I'm sure you're tired from driving for hours.
Have one of these.
These get me through the long drives these days.
Thank you.
Let's go, long-distancers!
-Let's go. -Let's go!
-I'll see you later. -Okay.
You got here so quickly.
I told you to drive carefully. You have a bad arm.
Why did you come all the way here? I could come to you.
You must have been so bored.
Well, I thought
about you living here in Seoul.
Do you know what I realized?
What did you realize?
That if I want to see you,
I should just come see you.
Whether you find it annoying or not, I should just come often.
That's what I realized.
I have all these people who are my moms and dads in Huidong,
and I have friends too.
But you have no one besides Yun-hyeong here.
Once I realized that my loneliness must be nothing compared to yours…
But I came to my senses once I put myself in your shoes.
I'm sorry.
I mean it.
So is your arm really okay? When do you take the cast off?
It'll heal in about a week.
I told you it's just a hairline fracture.
At least you didn't hurt your right arm.
I know, I can get through the day-to-day tasks just fine.
I can eat, drive, and even shower.
And I can do this without a problem.
I bet it's not as good as using both hands.
We're supposed to go left here, right?
-Hello. -Hi.
Are you trying to get somewhere?
We're here for the peach-picking experience.
But we're not sure which way to go from here.
-Follow me. -Thanks.
THE PEACH-PICKING EXPERIENCE
-We have to buy some. -Look how fresh they are.
-Have a great time. -Thank you.
Once you've picked the peaches, you can put them here.
You can head that way now.
-Over there? -Yes.
-Thank you. -You're welcome.
Hey, I guided them here.
Right.
Hey, did you hear from him at all?
From whom?
Well, from Doctor Han.
We talk every day.
What?
Did you two play video games at night behind my back again?
No, we didn't. It was just that one time.
I'm not a game addict.
Excuse me.
I saw you on social media and came a long way here.
You're so handsome.
-Could I get a picture with you? -Oh, sure.
Let me take one for you.
Thank you.
Okay. One, two, three.
There you go.
Thank you.
-Here. Take a look around. -Okay.
I booked an appointment to get Nurungji's puppies vaccinated.
Really?
Go. Director Han should be there.
Okay. See you later.
Oh, my gosh.
Okay, let's go.
Let's go.
HAN DEOK-JIN VETERINARY HOSPITAL
Director Han.
He said he'd be here. Has he gone out?
What?
What's this? Why are you here?
We didn't say we'd meet up today.
Sergeant Ahn Ja-young. Congratulations on your promotion.
Thank you, but what are you really doing here?
Congratulate me too.
I've become a director as of today.
Director?
At Han Deok-jin Veterinary Hospital.
What?
Where did Director Han and his wife go again?
They're traveling across the country.
I paid for the expenses as a retirement present.
I'm not forced to be here like last time, okay?
I mean,
-why… -My grandfather
is too old to be doing this job.
He's been growing unwell with age.
But he held out as long as he could
because he couldn't find a vet for large animals.
This year, I've noticed that
he's been finding it more difficult.
He asked me if I knew anyone to take over his hospital,
so I told him I would.
So you left that nice hospital in Seoul to come here?
Treating livestock animals wasn't what you signed up for initially.
If you're doing this because of me…
I came for myself.
I'd be with nice people
and the person I love.
I want to live in this small village with everyone being nosy about me.
I really do.
And I want to have babies like Nurungji and Boksil did.
You've lost your mind.
Wait.
The flower dye is gone now.
It's been gone for a while.
This year,
let's dye all ten fingers.
This will mark you as mine.
Do you like it?
It's pretty.
It's too late to regret having stepped into my boundaries now.
I'm going to be incredibly clingy now.
I'll be coming straight here after work every day
and ask you what you had for breakfast and what you'll have for dinner.
I'll be so nosy.
Just don't push me away for smelling like cow poop,
Sergeant Ahn.
I'd like that.
The weather's so nice.
BASED ON THE WEB NOVEL ONCE UPON A SMALL TOWN BY BAK HA-MIN