Chapter 30

The first day of a real vacation. Of course, I had a thorough plan. I was lying down on a cool mat, watching TV, and eating 100% domestically produced rattles that I had invested a lot of money to prepare for this day. From morning till night.

Of course, except when eating and going to the bathroom, I planned to become one with the mat. It's safe to say that I planned this two months ago when I purchased the ratweed and worked just for this day. The first plan was to sleep in until past 12 noon and wake up later. But I woke up before 8 o'clock. Yesterday, I woke up early in the morning and woke up automatically even though I slept past 2 o'clock. And contrary to my plan, I moved hard without even putting my back to the mat. As soon as I eat breakfast, I go to the bathroom and take off the old grime. I came home, cleaned, and turned on the washing machine. Then it was 10 o'clock. I looked at the clock and looked around the house to see if there was anything else to do. Should I take out the cabinets and clean up the dust? The closet in my small room blocks about 1/3 of the window. Should I change its location? I couldn't lie still. I had to move my body. Otherwise, I felt like I wouldn't be able to control my excitement. Funny enough, I was really excited. It was as if she had gone back to the days when she would wake up early on the morning of an elementary school field trip and keep wandering around, annoying her mother while she was making kimbap.

Woominjae, which we saw at 11:30, was like a picnic. Then, a thought I had never had before in my life suddenly occurred to me. By the way, what should I wear when I go out? I quickly went to the small room. I looked at the jeans I wear every day and the T-shirts I keep rotating with an eagle eye. I don't usually pay much attention to how I dress, so this was enough. But now, for the first time, I felt inadequate. After thinking about it for a while, I called the person I know best when it comes to fashion. I also needed to check if it was alive or not. After a while, I heard Namsu’s broken voice on the other end of the phone.

[uh. Heechan.....]

“Are you alive?”

[I'd rather die]

It's going to be quite a bit heartbreaking. Namsu groaned as if he was really in pain.

[You really need to stop drinking. Since I’m over 30, my body doesn’t support me]

Age shouldn't be an issue, right? I always thought of the person who drove Namsu into a drinking binge. The person who lingered in front of Namsu’s house because he was worried even after fighting so hard on the street. Isn't it okay to just date someone if you like them? Is the face that important? It's not like I have someone I like.

[Did you take me there again yesterday?]

“Okay. Just know that you owe it to Lee again.”

[thanks. After all, there is only you.]

of course. Is there anyone else like me?

[I really just need you.]

"............"

[Oh, it hurts inside. Would you like to go eat hangover soup together?]

Since I didn't say anything, Namsu called my name. But I didn't say anything, just stared into space for a moment, and belatedly opened my mouth.

“Hey. I have something to ask.”

[What?]

“Where should I go to buy decent clothes?”

[What are you buying? lacquer? Lacquer added when boiling samgyetang?]

“Miss. Just clothes to wear. Pants, t-shirts, something like that.”

[............]

“Hey, didn’t you hear? It’s not the lacquer you put in samgyetang, it’s the clothes you wear.”

Now that I think about it, I want to eat samgyetang. Shall we eat today?

[Kwon Hee-chan. Are you buying clothes? why? Is your house on fire? Are all your clothes gone?]

“Don’t be so lucky. Why don’t you have any clothes?”

[But why buy it?]

“I want to look good to someone.”

[............]

“You’re good at buying clothes, so you know where to buy them, right? Make some recommendations.”

[............]

“Hannamsu.”

[Is the person you want to look good... the person you like?]

Namsu’s voice seemed to be trembling somehow.

“Yes. And he’s a guy.”

[............]

“Hey, why aren’t you saying anything?”

[I was just surprised. Haha.....I can't believe the day will come when Kwon Hee-chan will like someone. Is that also a man? Haha... indeed. Fuck. So fucking... amazing.]

I find it fascinating too. While I was muttering to myself, Namsu recommended a few places to buy clothes. Fortunately, there was a place near my house with a collection of commercial clothing stores. Namsu took pictures of their names, saying "Pants are here, T-shirts are here, and suits are here."

[Are you going to buy it now?]

“Yes. I’m meeting at 11:30, so I’m going to buy it and wear it right away.”

[........okay.]

“Are you jealous that this guy is dating?”

[What is jealousy! Just.......just. Great. Heechan.]

"I still don't know if it's a good thing or not. Take care of yourself. If there's someone who's worried enough to drink alcohol, think seriously."

The guy had no answer. Meddling in other people's relationships isn't really my hobby, but I wanted to say one more thing this time.

“Don’t find it difficult.”

Then the doorbell rang. I hung up the phone and went to the front door. I don't find it difficult either. Woo Min-jae said my feelings might be mistaken, but what if they are mistaken? Just stick to your feelings and do whatever you want. For example, I opened the door and saw Woo Min-jae, whom I was supposed to meet at 11:30, standing in front of me, making me feel like I was going crazy with joy. However, I barely closed my mouth and closed my eyes because I was happy.

"what?"

“Are you awake?”

The guy looked at me as if I was surprised and looked him over from head to toe.

“Are you ready to go already?”

“Ah. Well... I have a place to stop along the way. Isn’t it because of you that I got up early and went to the bathroom?”

“Did you take a bath?”

“........ It was smelly and dirty and my body was itchy, so I did it. Is it okay?”

The words came out in a ticking tone without me even realizing it. Ah Mr. This isn't it. However, when I glanced at the guy following me into the house, it seemed like he didn't care about my grumbling.

“But why did you come to my house? It’s been a while since our appointment.”

“I want to see you quickly.”

“……”

“Where should we stop? Do we have to leave now? I’ll take you there.”

I barely opened my mouth as the guy was staring at me. It was strange. What he said earlier was nothing special, so why is my heart pounding? He had to sit down. You said you came quickly just because you wanted to see it quickly. What is that? So calm down. Damn heart!

“You don’t have to go.”

“Really? Isn’t it important?”

It was important. But now it's no use. I felt embarrassed for no reason and looked away.

“Hey. But what were you planning to do when we met today?”

“Nothing much. Just eat, go for a drive, watch a movie or something.”

“No?”

“Or do nothing.”

"that's good."

Minjae Woo grinned. This time my eyes were also bent. The inside of my chest tickled.

“Then let’s not do anything. Let’s go to my dorm.”

“You can just stay at my house.”

I cleaned it so thoroughly. But the guy didn't stop walking toward the front door.

“Not here.”

"why?"

“It’s narrow.”

What's so small about 27 pyeong? If we just move the furniture out of here, we can play soccer.........

“It’s the perfect size for me to go crazy with sex.”

I remembered again. The guy in the video. A nude scene of sexual intercourse. I followed him to the front door without any resistance.

“It’s a bit disappointing. It’s an opportunity to beat you to death when you turn away.”

40 minutes later, I was lying on the sofa in Woo Min-jae's comfortable dorm, eating the rat meat I brought from home. We watched over 100 morning dramas together that my mom highly recommended. However, the reality was that I was sitting in a hard chair at the police station in a noisy and serious atmosphere. The reason why I came to the police station is simple. When I was almost at the hotel, the phone suddenly rang. He was one of the people I was told never to contact. Moon Ji-yong, why are you calling me? I asked as soon as I received it, but the person on the other end was not Jiyong. The man who identified himself as Jiyong's friend announced in a puzzled voice.

‘Jiyong came to the police station because there was a fight. You are the boss that Jiyong always follows like an older brother, right? 'Can you help me?'

​

 

Can not be done. If you go to the police station because of a fight, you have to take responsibility for it. If there is someone helping me, I lose my temper and fight again. I was like that in the beginning. Her mother took me out every time I went to the police station and apologized on her behalf, so she went on a rampage again without knowing she had done anything wrong. Fortunately, with the advice of her uncle, who was over 20 years old, her mother did not help me, and from then on, she realized that she had to deal with it on her own, so she saved herself a little. So I had no intention of going. Unless it’s Jiyong’s friend’s next words.

'The other kid only got hit once, but only Jiyong, who got hit to death, was locked up in the detention center.'

why not? At the police station where I came to find out the reason, I saw Jiyong actually locked up in a detention cell. But the guy kept his mouth shut, sat with his back turned, and didn't even look at me. At first glance, I saw that his face was swollen, the corner of his mouth was torn, and his nose was bruised, so it seemed like he had been beaten a lot.

"Is there a problem?"

Thanks to him, Minjae followed Jiyong and asked his friend.

“I met that unlucky bastard at the club...”

“Club? Did you go to the club?”

My friend nodded and looked at me. I knew his face because I had previously gone with him to a place where I knew he was going to catch the class president.

“I wanted to go to Ibiza, but there were a lot of people there, so I couldn’t. I went somewhere else, and there I met the guy Jiyong bullied when I was in high school.”

“You’re harassing me?”

“There were a lot of crooked guys. Jiyong had a difficult family situation, so he started working part-time in high school, right? So, they were bad guys who said they were making good money, but then took the money and ran away with them whenever they met, and made them run errands for them.”

I turned my head towards the detention cell. I thought I knew why Jiyong turned to us and sat down. I guess he didn't want people to know what he was like in the past. Suddenly, I remembered that Jiyong was particularly angry about Taekin's work and tried to help him. Was it because of this?

“Have you been bullied? How much?”

“For the entire year that I was in the same class as those guys. Jiyong got hit so many times to avoid having his money taken away. But when we bumped into each other at the club...”

“Okay. Who hit first?”

“Of course they are!”

My friend excitedly explained the situation. While they were having fun at the club, one of the group recognized Jiyong. And he said he started a fight first. Are you still selling cabbage at the market? Your body still smells like fish. Did you come here with a year's worth of salary saved? Jiyong was originally a student who worked part-time at his uncle's store. Although he was talkative and fair-minded, he saw that I did hard work without complaint, so he brought me on as an employee when I opened my store. When he sees all his peers attending college and dating, he might not like working in the market, but unlike me, Jiyong appreciates making money and works hard. In that respect, he is much better than me in my early 20s. The reason I'm angry is not because the people who hit Jiyong ignored the market. There are many such salams. Even if they don't say it out loud, they think that working in the market is an ignorant and low-level job, and they reveal it implicitly. So many people. So, you should just snort and ignore comments like that. Fuck. Say whatever you want, I will work hard to make money and eat well and live well.

“Jiyong ignored me at first and avoided me. I told him to just leave, so Jiyong got angry and dragged me out, but those bastards came after him and told him to hand over the money, saying that he needed to receive the return money he hadn’t received, so Jiyong got angry and swore at him. So... ...."

“You got hit?”

Nod.

“When Jiyong was hit, I reported it to the police. When I saw that, those bastards turned around and Jiyong suddenly stood up and chased after him, clinging to one of the guys and hitting him. But I only hit him once. It’s true. This is also shown on CCTV.”

“But why were the guys who hit so hard released and only Jiyong was imprisoned?”

“The fact that those bastards hit him wasn’t caught on CCTV. Those bastards said it wasn’t them who hit Jiyong. They said Jiyong was drunk and tricked them into following them and hitting him...”

My friend looked at me and complained, as if it was quite unfair.

“How can those bastards not be punished? I told the police that I saw it. I also saw the bastards hitting me, but to see what kind of support they had, only the report they reported was accepted, and Jiyong doesn’t even believe me when I say he smells like alcohol.”

“How much did you guys drink?”

“Just… I had a bottle or two of soju before going to the club… But I didn’t get drunk at all.”

I saw Jiyong again. A grown man squatting down.

“Let’s go out first.”

Woo Min-jae spoke and glanced at Ji-yong like me.

“It’s not the place to be, so you shouldn’t be there.”

The destination of Woo Min-jae's car changed to Ji-yong's house again. The guy who had been keeping his mouth shut the whole time in the back seat got out of the car and just nodded to Minjae before looking at me and asking.

“Can we talk?”

"now?"

"yes."

As I was getting out of the car, Woo Min-jae called me.

“I have a place to go. You talk to Jiyong and then go to my dorm.”

Perhaps they are being considerate of telling me to speak slowly. This guy is quite delicate. This emotion appeared on his face without me even realizing it. Woo Min-jae’s gaze stayed on my face for a long time. He moved his lips as if he were going to say something, but then he clenched his fists and started his car. what? Did he look like he wanted to throw a tantrum?

“Minjae, are you acting as a substitute driver these days?”

what? I looked at him with a face wondering what he was talking about, and Jiyong pointed in the direction where the car had disappeared.

“You came in a really nice car. That’s not Minjae’s original car. Since I’m not a teacher anymore, I don’t have money, so I hired a driver for him.”

“Is it time for you to worry about others?”

“That’s not true. You’re Minjae. Now you quit school and don’t exercise. Even if you’re rich, if you don’t have any money to come from….”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of my life.”

That may be true, but Jiyong mumbled and glanced at me as if he was still worried.

“But boss, you and Minjae have become very close.”

"Where?"

“No, we talk to each other and the atmosphere is good.”

“...It was like that originally.”

“That’s not true. I saw it all from the beginning.”

“Moon Ji-yong.”

"yes?"

“Do you think you can live now that you’re out of the police station?”

The guy frowns again at the mention of the police station and turns his head away.

“What do you have to say?”

“Boss hyung.”

"say."

“I’ve been thinking about it all night. I’m still young. I’m young, right?”

“Not old.”

“That’s right. So I can do cooler and better things, right?”

Because it’s cool and good. Jiyong was completely immersed in the decision he made in the detention center all night, and he only did what he had to say in front of me, the boss.

"Of course, just because I didn't go to college doesn't mean I can work at a large company... No, you don't have to work only in the office to work for a large company, right? You know my friend I saw today, right? He also works at a large company as a service worker. To be exact, a large company. It's a subcontractor... but anyway, it's the same as working for a large company. The women at the club are so happy when they say that this guy works for that company. If they ask him for a job, he might get a position. The salary will be less than what he is getting now. But, I want to work during the day and proudly carry a business card with a company name that everyone knows. So..."

"okay."

“I’m sorry. Until I find someone else to do the work...”

"I do not need."

When I interrupted him, he flinched. I wasn't angry. He lightly shrugged his shoulders and added, as if informing them.

“When you make up your mind, do whatever you want. I’ll pay for the work you did before the vacation and put it in your bank account today. And you don’t have to come out after the vacation. Find what you want to do and do it.”

“......You’re not angry, are you?”

fury? Am I mad? I did the same thing when I was his age. At that time, I couldn't find any other breakthrough and came back. Who knows, maybe Jiyong will find the right place?

“Do what you want to do. Do what you think is better and cooler. I won’t stop you. However, I’ve probably already hired another employee, so don’t even think about coming back to my store.”

gulp. Jiyong swallowed his saliva as if he was nervous at the last word. Then, as if he was thinking about it, he turned his gaze elsewhere. I got hit and broke down. Looking at the guy's covered face, I patted him on the shoulder and turned around. He's a guy who served in the military, so he'll take care of his own business. I never thought that I would be working at my store for the rest of my life anyway. Everyone is bound to break up. No matter how family it is, it is torn apart and becomes a stranger.

I think I fell asleep for a moment on the sofa in Woo Min-jae’s dorm. This is all because of the book. While waiting for Minjae, I picked up a novel that was on the table. It's a mystery novel, so it's worth reading, right? It was a fucking illusion. It was incredibly boring. It's murder from the first scene, wow. What kind of plan are you explaining in 1cm units? In the end, I couldn't even read chapter 2. Then, I suddenly woke up and was startled. omg. When did I sleep? When I looked at the clock, an hour had passed. And there was a thin blanket covering his chest. uh? Is Woo Min-jae here? I sat up from the sofa and looked around. There was nothing to find for long. He was sitting at the kitchen table visible diagonally. I was typing hard on the keyboard with my laptop in front of me. What are you doing? He was thought of as a guy who only worked out, but he was secretly good at sitting in front of a laptop. His eyes narrowed slightly as if it was serious, and then he stopped his hand. But soon his hands moved quickly again. He seemed so absorbed in his work that I couldn't interrupt him, but I just didn't like seeing him like this. He wasn't bored. I have never been particularly interested in anyone. In particular, I am insensitive to my appearance. But Woo Min-jae looked different. I realized that his mouth was pretty. Her eyebrows were moderately dark and she didn't have double eyelids, but maybe because they were long on the sides, they didn't look small. Maybe that's why he looked scared when he had an expressionless expression. But overall... he's handsome. huh? You’re really handsome?! I realized it for the first time. Woo Minjae is handsome!

"Are not you hungry?"

Startle! I was startled by his question and put my butt behind him.

“Did you know I woke up?”

“Yes. I heard a sound.”

He then took his eyes off the monitor for the first time.

"Interesting?"

“It’s fascinating. What is it?”

“You’ve been watching me for a while.”

Did you know that too?

“What are you looking at? Aren’t you too self-reliant? In severe cases, it’s a prince’s disease.”

"............"

Woo Min-jae slightly bit his lower lip, then frowned and looked away from him. He probably has nothing to say. Because the prince will hate himself too.

“That’s a really great prince.”

I asked while listening to the guy muttering.

“But what are you doing?”

The vaguely visible laptop screen had only black letters on a white background. Woo Min-jae glanced at his laptop and answered as if it was no big deal.

“Materials to monitor the class leader.”

Class monitor? The damn class president that Taek-in bullied? I suddenly became interested and straightened my upper body.

“Surveillance material? What are you going to do?”

"I'm thinking of instilling fear in him so that he will realize how big an obstacle his life has been because of what his brother did. Since he is still at an unstable age, it would be good to instill fear in him quickly before he becomes more confident in his own opinion."

I was confused because his words came out so casually, as if nothing had happened. Because it didn't sound like a big deal to me. Of course, I want class leader Sekki to come to his senses after being punished. If someone had beat up the class president until he was dusty and had him admitted to the hospital to punish him, even if he was just a young kid, he would have passed it off as a blessing in disguise. But maybe it’s because Woo Min-jae’s method is unfamiliar to me. There was something spooky about him. Since they are still young, it would be good to instill fear in them.

“We can’t monitor him 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If we leave it at this level, he will figure out how to prevent his brother from going out into society.”

“So you were writing something to instill fear? Like a chain letter or something?”

“That’s okay too. I’ll let you know later when it’s done.”

Then he added something to himself: I thought, ‘The class president must like cartoons.’ comic book? But I couldn't ask what it meant. He changed the subject first.

“Did you have a good conversation with Jiyong?”

“Yeah. He said he’s quitting the store.”

“Are you okay?”

“What’s not okay? I just need to find a new employee, and Jiyong will be fine on his own.”

He seemed to look at me for a moment, but then nodded his head.

“That’s right. It’s not like anyone should intervene. It seems like Jihong’s pride was hurt because he was ignored by others. He’s at an age where he doesn’t know that other things can really hurt his pride.”

“What is it that really hurts your pride?”

“I’m ignoring myself.”

Minjae Woo lifted his upper body from the chair and faced me.

“No matter what others say, you can forget and overcome it to some extent, but if you ignore yourself and draw the line here, it’s difficult to change.”

“I don’t think you would ever do that, right?”

He grinned. He then got up and sat next to me.

“That’s right. I thought I would be the best. But now I think I’ve drawn a line. Even if I hurt my shoulder, I just ignored it and said I was unhappy and worthless.”

“You are worth a lot. At least to me.”

“.............”

Strangely enough, I thought he was going to kiss me at this time. Because it seemed like he knew that I really liked him. And naturally, the moment after the kiss came to mind. That picture that I didn't want to admit came to mind again. Woo Min-je is looking down at me from above, panting and wiggling his hips. My lower abdomen became heavy. My throat suddenly burned.

"hungry."

As I mumbled, he got up and asked.

"What do you want to eat?"

"my........."

“Not the pork rice bowl.”

“Then money……”

“Not pork cutlet.”

what? Why are you rejecting everyone? If that's the case, why are you asking?! Is this kid making fun of me? I opened my eyes and looked at him, but he didn't move.

“I’ll take care of it.”

....... Will there be a round? As I was clenching his fist, he picked up the phone and spoke as if something had occurred to him.

“What was the answer you were trying to give yesterday?”

What answer? Minjae Woo explained what happened in the car yesterday. The question is, if love is 50% in a relationship, what do you think the rest is? I was about to answer then but stopped. he asked again.

“What is half of dating to you?”

For some reason, I felt uncomfortable talking. Should I just say that I am also loyal? I thought about it, but the sincerity flowed from my mouth.

"give up."

"give up?"

Nod. I nodded and added that it was correct.

“Eventually, relationships come to an end. It would be better to let go of things one by one to avoid the worst end. It’s easier if you give up in advance.”

“.............”

“What are you?”

But the guy had no answer. He just looked at me quietly, smiled and finished his order. But for the first time, it seemed to me that his laugh wasn't a laugh. I felt something cold. However, it was nothing special, but if he ordered something delicious, he would smile again like usual. Then he answered my question.

“I’ll tell you later. I’ll have to take my time and think about it for a long time.”