Chapter 37
Dust swirled on the construction site that had just begun turning over the ground. Workers already dressed in short sleeves moved busily between the roaring excavators.
Jeonghyeok stepped on the dry earth with his dress shoes. His face, with both hands shoved into his pockets, was full of irritation. He desperately craved a cigarette after a long time.
While looking around the vast site with a deeply furrowed brow, his eyes met directly with Site Manager Kim who had been directing the site from afar. Site Manager Kim greeted him with a pleased look through eye contact. Watching his wrinkled eyes curve pleasantly, Jeonghyeok only nodded his head lightly.
When he went to a corner to take a few puffs of his cigarette, Site Manager Kim, who had finished his work, approached Jeonghyeok while taking off his hard hat.
“Hey, Boss Moon. Long time no see. How have you been?”
“Same as always.”
“You say same as always, but why do you look like death? At a glance, you look like an old man kicked out of his house, huh?”
His perception was damn sharp as always. Jeonghyeok smiled awkwardly and avoided Site Manager Kim’s eyes.
Site Manager Kim Doo-seok was a long-time acquaintance of his mother and a younger brother his father had cherished. He was also an adult that twenty-year-old Jeonghyeok had particularly relied on when he first set foot in this neighborhood alone. Of course, now it was strictly a business relationship.
“Where did you leave Taeju and come alone?”
“He’ll come after parking. There’s no decent place to park around here.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Since we’re tearing everything down, there’s nothing left – no parking lot or anything.”
Site Manager Kim spoke while chewing on his cigarette end. After taking a puff of his lit cigarette and exhaling deeply, hazy smoke rose over his blackened face. It was skin that showed the traces of a lifetime spent under the scorching sun.
“What brings you here without even calling?”
Site Manager Kim, who had glanced at Jeonghyeok’s expression, asked subtly. Knowing that concern was contained in the question, Jeonghyeok deliberately answered curtly.
“When have I ever called before coming?”
“This kid is getting more rude the older he gets.”
“Whose son am I? Isn’t it natural?”
Site Manager Kim, who had chuckled, shook his head. It was Jeonghyeok who was exactly like the man he had particularly followed 20 years ago. His bold features and somewhat twisted temperament were exactly the same.
He’s not the type to come just to ask how I’m doing. He must definitely have business.
Site Manager Kim said while putting out the cigarette he was biting:
“Tell Taeju to come straight to the office. Since you’re here, let me rest a bit too.”
He picked up the hard hat he had taken off and roughly swept up his sweat-soaked hair as he walked away. He really craved some sweet coffee.
Jeonghyeok, who had been quietly staring at Site Manager Kim’s back as he walked past him, threw his cigarette on the ground and stomped on it firmly. The spark that remained like a dot was completely extinguished.
***
The office was in a commercial building across the street from the construction site. Although it was a temporarily set up place, it was quite sizeable, and the site manager’s office was particularly spacious.
“Taeju seems to have lost some weight. Is Boss Moon bullying you a lot?”
“No sir. I’ve been enjoying exercise lately, so my body fat percentage has decreased a bit.”
“What fat do you have to lose? Take it easy, man.”
Site Manager Kim laughed heartily and pushed a paper cup closer to Taeju. It contained instant coffee.
“Drink up. Jeonghyeok, you drink too.”
Site Manager Kim looked at Jeonghyeok sitting upright and poured his share of coffee down his throat. As always, it was just one gulp. When he roughly crumpled the paper cup and picked up one of the vitamin drinks lined up on the floor, Jeonghyeok opened his mouth.
“How’s work these days?”
“Work? Always the same. My back is shot and the young ones give me headaches.”
The refreshing liquid soaked from his tongue all the way down his throat. Gulp, gulp. Site Manager Kim, who had finished the vitamin drink in just two gulps, placed the bottle with the cap roughly put back on the table.
“Boss Moon, you. Nothing special going on?”
“Nothing special, but I’m thinking of gradually wrapping things up.”
“Wrapping up? What wrapping up?”
“Once this demolition is finished well, I’m thinking of getting out of this business. Maybe because I’m getting older, I want to live quietly now.”
At Jeonghyeok’s words, Taeju, who had been silently drinking his instant coffee beside him, made a “kkulleok” sound. What did I just hear? Taeju’s gaze, hastily wiping his mouth, turned to Jeonghyeok.
Site Manager Kim also asked with a somewhat flustered face:
“What about the work you’ve been doing? What about the kids who follow you?”
“I’ll have to hand things over. This guy is here, isn’t he?”
When Jeonghyeok gestured with his chin toward Taeju sitting next to him, Taeju jumped up and shouted:
“M-me?”
He looked quite flustered by the unexpected answer. Jeonghyeok continued speaking without caring.
“You’re the only person I can ask this favor of, Site Manager. Please look after the kid well.”
“What kind of kid is Taeju? Have you ever seen such a disgustingly ugly kid?”
“It’s just his looks, just his looks.”
“Ah, hyung-nim!”
Taeju, who couldn’t stand it anymore, got angry. Regardless, Jeonghyeok continued speaking quite seriously.
“I’ll be done by this year at the longest. You’re not like that, Site Manager.”
“……”
“It’ll take at least 5 years to finish clearing up this entire area. Please take good care of Taeju during that time.”
Site Manager Kim’s eyes narrowed sleepily as he listened to Jeonghyeok’s words. Under his gaze that seemed to be sizing something up piece by piece, Jeonghyeok slightly furrowed his brow.
“Jeonghyeok, you……”
Site Manager Kim paused for a moment, then asked with certainty:
“Did you get a woman?”
The words that popped out were so absurd that Jeonghyeok burst into laughter. What woman? The word “woman” was about to disappear from my life entirely.
“No.”
“Are you finally going to let me eat noodles at your wedding?”
“I said no.”
To Site Manager Kim, who didn’t believe his words at all, Jeonghyeok gave the answer “no” several times. Still, Site Manager Kim couldn’t let go of his suspicion.
“If you do this and then give me a wedding invitation next time, I’ll tear it up right there, you bastard.”
“Yes, please do that.”
The two had a back-and-forth that wasn’t quite a back-and-forth until they left the office. After barely finishing his greetings with Site Manager Kim, Jeonghyeok patted Taeju’s shoulders and went down the commercial building stairs.
On the way out of the building and toward the car parked on the street, Taeju, who had been silently following behind, suddenly spoke up.
“When will you introduce her to me?”
“Who?”
“Who else? Sister-in-law.”
His steps stopped abruptly. Jeonghyeok turned around to look at Taeju. Taeju’s appearance, standing with a somewhat solemn expression, felt strangely unfamiliar.
“You can fool the Site Manager, but you can’t fool me.”
“……”
“You’re planning to get married, aren’t you, hyung-nim? You’re going to leave this business, cleanly clear up your past, and properly set up a household, aren’t you?”
It wasn’t completely wrong, so he couldn’t say anything in response. Words like marriage and woman had seemed like talk from another world, but the phrase “setting up a household” was somehow hard to deny.
Jeonghyeok wanted to settle in a new place with Yuwon. A place where no one would remember him as a debt collector, where even Yuwon’s painful past could be completely washed away. He wanted to start over from the beginning somewhere no one knew them.
If Yuwon wanted to work, he would let him, and if he wanted to study, he was prepared to support him. However, he had no intention of having a job himself. He owned several apartments and officetels. The money that came from them monthly would be no problem at all for living expenses in the future.
If he quit work, Yuwon would no longer be lonely. His desire to raise something like a cat would disappear, and there wouldn’t be occasions like today where he suddenly left the house saying he was going to meet a friend. He wanted a life isolated with just Yuwon and himself.
“If you’re in such a serious relationship, how come you haven’t shown her to me even once? I’m really hurt.”
The guy had reason to be hurt. If there really was a woman he was going to marry, he would have naturally introduced her to Taeju first. With an uncomfortable feeling, Jeonghyeok deliberately turned his gaze far away.
“……There’s plenty to be hurt about.”
“Does sister-in-law dislike me?”
“Dislike you? She doesn’t even know you exist, man.”
“What? That’s even more hurtful!”
His already fierce-looking face became pitifully distorted. He looked quite shocked.
But it couldn’t be helped. Jeonghyeok had no intention of showing Yuwon to anyone. Even if that person was Jo Taeju, who he had been close to like family. Ridiculously, his true feelings were that narrow-minded.
“How long does it take to get to your house from here?”
Taeju, still wearing a dissatisfied expression, diligently answered Jeonghyeok’s sudden question.
“About 10 minutes on foot.”
“Then get off work here today.”
“What?”
Jeonghyeok took the car keys from Taeju’s hand. Taeju, who had his car keys snatched in an instant, just tilted his head in bewilderment.
“Go home.”
While waving his hand carelessly, Jeonghyeok walked toward where the car was.
‘You know Sohyeon noona, right? The noona who helped me a lot when I worked at Cheolpan-jip.’
The particularly excited voice rang in his ears like tinnitus. Actually, he had been in this state ever since the phone call with Yuwon.
‘I contacted her after a long time, and she happened to have time today, so we decided to meet at the cafe in front of the house.’
The unwelcome words hastened Jeonghyeok’s steps. His black hair fluttered like waves in the light breeze.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
