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How long had he been sitting there like that?
A explosive sound came from behind, making him turn his body immediately.
He could quickly tell where the sound had come from.
On the 3rd floor, someone could be seen looking down through the window of the room where he lived. A man leaning his upper body far out the window, laughing as if this whole situation was amusing. It was Gari. Even when he turned back to say something, he quickly returned to his laughing face and looked forward. Taein was peeking out with just one eye, watching in that direction. One window seemed to already be broken, and shattered glass was scattered all over the floor.
This was the first time something like this had happened. Until now, he had steadily paid the interest, and even silently complied with Jang Ihwan’s demands for additional payments, maintaining a peaceful daily life on the surface. Could they really be doing this just because the additional payment deposit was a bit late? That was the only thing he could think of, but there had been many times when the additional payment deposit was late. Even when he got angry and said he needed some time to scrape together even a few hundred thousand won, Jang Ihwan would just laugh. “Yeah, go ahead and try,” he would say, busy teasing him.
But this…
Just as Gari seemed to disappear to the side, he smashed another frosted window.
Both earlier and just now, it seemed Gari had broken them with a baseball bat.
Gari casually swung the bat around near the gaping window. Even after turning someone else’s home into such a state, he looked carefree as if doing batting practice.
With two windows blown out, the movements of the thugs became even more visible.
The thugs were tearing off wallpaper or kicking the small television with their feet. Inside, Jang Ihwan came out with his face flushed red from whatever he had been doing. With that same face, he came to the window and slapped Gari’s cheek. Gari had been wearing a playful expression, but after getting hit once, his face immediately hardened. He bowed his head to Jang Ihwan and seemed to grip the baseball bat properly.
Taein watched up to that point before turning his head away.
Though a series of loud noises continued from behind, he didn’t direct his eyes there anymore.
The danger was this close.
Between the buildings, the narrow space led all the way to the back road.
He had to get away first.
Taein began moving his feet sideways without any plan, forgetting that his collar was scraping against the wall as he escaped from that place.
* * *
The place he ran to quickly was Eundo’s kindergarten. There was no guarantee that Jang Ihwan didn’t know about the kindergarten Eundo attended, or that this wouldn’t be his next destination. Taein first stopped by the principal’s office, roughly explaining the situation, then headed to Eundo’s classroom. On the 2nd floor, Eundo was inside the door covered with mushroom stickers. Taein grabbed the door handle briefly then stopped. Through the glass panel above the door, he could see Eundo playing. Three children were sitting in front, and a rocket-shaped block structure was being built in the middle. The four of them seemed to be playing while making that.
Taein opened the door and walked toward where Eundo was.
“Kang Eundo.”
When he approached right next to him and called his name, all four children including Eundo looked at him simultaneously.
“Waah!”
Eundo fell backward and bruised his bottom, but despite being startled, he got up saying “hyung.” A smile gradually spread across his lips, showing he was happy about his hyung’s appearance. Taein immediately picked up Eundo who came into his arms.
“Hyung, did you come suddenly?”
“Yeah. I came suddenly.”
As he said that and left the classroom door, Eundo’s eyes turned toward the back. He seemed to be looking at the classroom door closing gently.
“Where are we going?”
“…Oh, just a moment.”
After answering briefly, Taein took the child to the shoe rack on the 1st floor and found a pair of green sneakers to put on the small feet. Nike sneakers. While he wore running shoes he bought for 20,000 won at the market, he always bought brand-name shoes for Eundo. Even if he couldn’t afford very expensive ones, he could certainly do this much. After firmly fastening the velcro straps, Taein picked up the child in his arms again.
“Hyung, why do you keep carrying Eundo?”
“Because you’re slow.”
Saying that while making eye contact with Eundo, Taein forced a smile. Eundo tilted his head but leaned his head against Taein’s chest. Perhaps because he was still a baby, Eundo had a habit of snuggling close whenever he was held. Taein stroked Eundo’s head with one hand and walked with quick steps. Walking on the sidewalk with a bittersweet smile by himself, he hailed a taxi.
“Where are you going?”
As soon as they settled in the back seat, he made eye contact with the driver. Taein paused for a few seconds before answering.
“…Please take us toward the Central Library.”
The driver looked strangely at the passenger who gave his destination after a long pause, but the car soon entered the main road. Following the road along the hospital for about 20 minutes… Taein was looking straight ahead when he heard “hyung” and looked down.
“What is that place for?”
“Yeah. It’s there.”
“Is it a surprise gift?”
“……”
Taein looked into Eundo’s eyes silently, then raised his hand to touch the child’s cheek. With the hand touching one cheek, one of Eundo’s eyes became small as if smiling. Kang Eundo, hyung really likes you. I… After murmuring that much in his heart, Taein raised his head to look at the car ceiling and bit his lower lip. If he acted more pitiful, he felt like he might cry. If he groped around in his heart saying he wanted to protect him, tears would really well up.
Having such a terrible person as a father was Eundo’s eternal darkness and misfortune.
When Jang Ihwan’s gang was breaking windows, even in the midst of feeling hopeless, he could only think of Eundo.
Until now, he had protected Eundo by sacrificing his own body, but if that method no longer worked, he should make a quick decision.
This was the only method he could think of. There was nowhere to go right away, and he couldn’t bring the child to a house with all the windows broken. Taein decided to stay apart from Eundo for the time being. From the moment he set foot in Juhang, he had memorized child adoption agencies, facilities, and shelters to the point where they came to mind just by tapping his head. Knowing that someday he would have to send Eundo away, knowing that was the path for everyone’s sake, he had memorized the names of over twenty institutions.
Taein briefly pondered what place he should tell the driver.
Should he go directly to an adoption agency?
Or should he go to a facility where he could leave the child long-term?
In the end, the place that came to mind was a private institution near the Central Library. It was a place operated with pure private funds by a church pastor and his wife, where children could come and go freely, and if urgent, unmarried mothers and fathers could also stay temporarily. Since he would probably need to hide from Jang Ihwan’s gang for a while, he hoped the child could stay in a stable place. He would be fine sleeping on the streets, but not Eundo. He should stay in a warm room, eating everything he wanted to eat.
While thinking such thoughts, an old library caught his eye.
The taxi stopped around that time too.
“Where should I stop?”
“Ah, yes. I’ll get off here.”
After paying and getting out of the car first, Taein looked down at Eundo who was approaching him alone, saying “heave-ho.” The child’s excited face bothered him. Worried that he might have bad thoughts at the unfamiliar facility, Taein quickly spoke up.
“Kang Eundo, you trust hyung, right?”
“Huh?”
The child who was about to grab his hand first looked up at him blankly, saying “Huh?”
“I’m asking if you trust hyung.”
“Yeah. I trust you the most.”
The child nodded and said he trusted him the most. Taein just said “Yeah, trust hyung” and held Eundo’s hand. He had tried to say various things, but was at a loss for words after Eundo’s statement that he trusted him the most. Though he was big for a five-year-old, in his eyes Eundo was still a baby who was just learning to toddle. Taein unconsciously squeezed and released the soft, small hand repeatedly.
After walking like that for about 5 minutes, they arrived in front of the church. The facility was operating in a single-story building across from the church, and there were hardly any cars in the church parking lot. Taein held the child’s hand and looked for the church first.
“Sit here for a moment.”
“Okay.”
Eundo crawled up onto the cute chair that occupied one side of the corridor and seemed to place both fists on his thighs as if promising to sit there properly. It meant he would wait in this position until hyung came. Taein just looked at that sight briefly before turning around. First, he seemed to need to find the pastor and plead with him to look after the child for a while.
Just then, he saw a man coming down from the 2nd floor.
Taein immediately ran over and greeted him first.
“Hello.”
“Hm? Who are you?”
“Um, I’m sorry. Could I possibly leave a child at the church facility?”
“Ah, for that you shouldn’t do it here like this, but…”
He was definitely someone who wielded great influence in the church. With a vague certainty, Taein knelt down in front of the stairs first. It seemed like he wouldn’t be able to leave the child right away unless he pleaded like this. The man seemed surprised and put his hand on Taein’s shoulder, telling him to get up quickly.
“Get up. Hey? A young person shouldn’t suddenly kneel down like this…”
“Sir, I’m being chased. I’m not asking you to look after him for a long time, just a few months, a few weeks, and I’ll come back to get him soon. I also grew up in a facility… I tried my best, but…”
Even though he needed to speak well, he foolishly choked up. Taein desperately held back his emotions and said, “It didn’t work out well,” “just once,” “if you could have mercy on me, I’ll definitely repay your kindness.” He murmured those words with his head down, so the man’s expression wasn’t visible. Soon, at the hand that firmly gripped his shoulder, Taein’s eyes lifted upward.
“…Let’s get up first. It doesn’t seem like you came here with a light heart either… I understand the situation. Let’s process the paperwork first, and we’ll put out the urgent fire, so get up.”
At those words, Taein got up one knee at a time, thanking him and grasping the man’s hand with both hands. Until entering the separate office, Taein kept his head bowed. Once at the office entrance, and when he looked at the church entrance, he could see Eundo still sitting in the same position. Taein hurriedly filled out documents inside and ran to where Eundo was. The man was also slowly following behind him.
“Kang Eundo was good.”
Pretending to be relaxed, when he said that from a distance, Eundo looked to the side and smiled brightly.
“Hyung.”
When he stretched out both arms saying “hyung,” Taein picked up speed. Soon he hugged Eundo who had come close and gave him kisses he didn’t usually give. He kissed Eundo’s face enough to scrunch it up, once, twice, three times.
“Ugh, Eundo’s lips are all messed up.”
“You rascal. I told you not to say things like that.”
Taein lightly scolded him while moving his face slightly away, but still gently stroked the child’s cheek.
“I know.”
“Kang Eundo.”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s play here for just a few days.”
“Huh?”
“Hyung’s work is going really well, so the bosses are looking for hyung during the day and even at dawn.”
“Did the bosses increase?”
“Yeah, there are a hundred bosses now. Do you know what a hundred is? It’s really big.”
Eundo didn’t understand the meaning in Taein’s reddened eyes. He just drew a big circle with his arms, asking “More than this?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
