04
As Junghyun was quietly cleaning up, it suddenly became quitting time, with employees leaving the office one by one.
Before leaving, Park Seokyoung quietly called Junghyun to a corner. Handing over a large plastic shopping bag, he said that Junghyun should probably go home today since the weather forecast predicted temperatures dropping below freezing. He was the only person in the office who looked after Junghyun. He even deliberately switched shifts to be on duty, unlike other employees who were displeased with Junghyun staying and sleeping at the office.
At first, Junghyun had been wary of Park Seokyoung, since he worked at a loan shark business. He couldn’t understand why someone would be so kind to the son of a debtor. Eventually, Junghyun couldn’t contain his curiosity and carefully asked when they were alone during Park Seokyoung’s shift. Park Seokyoung had answered with a hearty laugh, “I just feel sorry seeing a young kid struggling, that’s all.” It wasn’t a completely satisfying answer, but the atmosphere didn’t allow for further questioning.
Later, Junghyun learned the exact reason from another employee who followed Park Seokyoung like an older brother. If Park Seokyoung’s deceased son were still alive, he would be the same age as Junghyun.
After hearing that story, Junghyun couldn’t blindly refuse Park Seokyoung’s help anymore. Of course, he still couldn’t accept the money Park Seokyoung had just tried to give him as an errand fee. Junghyun hesitantly accepted the shopping bag and bowed several times in gratitude.
After Park Seokyoung left, Junghyun opened the large plastic shopping bag. Inside were a padded jacket and a blanket.
No matter how much the heater ran indoors, it got too cold in the early morning. Especially when sleeping, his body temperature would drop, and in the morning, his hands would be stiff and his head would ache terribly—this would be a lifesaver.
For some reason, thankfully, there was always one person on duty at the office. If everyone had gone home, it would have been impossible for Junghyun to stay in this office. Today’s duty staff was someone relatively friendly toward Junghyun. He handed over a cup of instant ramen, saying he’d bought it while shopping. Drinking the hot broth made Junghyun feel like his frozen body was thawing a bit.
At first, he had felt completely lost, but the small kindnesses from employees, led by Park Seokyoung, made it possible for him to endure. Since Park Seokyoung was so well-respected, even employees who disliked Junghyun couldn’t openly drive him out. One way or another, there was a way to get through this. But he couldn’t keep imposing on them like this—he needed to find a job quickly.
He only had about 20,000 won left.
Sometimes he ate food bought by the office staff out of consideration, but Junghyun’s main diet consisted of the cheapest triangle kimbap. Because of transportation costs, he couldn’t just go to any interview that came along. He hadn’t realized it would be this difficult to find part-time work that included room and board.
Junghyun cleaned up after the man finished eating.
After watching sports broadcasts on his phone for a while, the man stretched and went inside.
“I’m going to sleep in the duty room for a bit, so call me if anything comes up. Even if nothing happens, wake me at 5:30.”
“Ah, yes. Sleep well.”
Junghyun plugged his phone into the charger the man had left behind. He couldn’t contact his parents, and he didn’t have any friends he could call at times like this.
Would the office people be able to contact each other? Hopefully nothing would happen.
Junghyun stared blankly at his phone before shaking his head as if shaking off lingering attachment.
Despite wearing the padded jacket Park Seokyoung had given him today and wrapping himself in the blanket, his fingertips and toes were already starting to get cold. With only two lights on in the large office, it usually felt desolate and chilly, but today seemed especially so.
Drifting in and out of sleep, before he knew it, it was time for the alarm to go off. Fortunately, he had woken up early. Sometimes staff with bad sleeping habits would get irritated when the alarm rang. After canceling the alarm on his phone, Junghyun groggily got up and shook the snoring man awake. While the man was getting up and washing, Junghyun opened the window for ventilation, and a cold wind rushed in. Shivering, he gathered his clothes and got dressed, and not long after, someone entered the office.
It was Seunghyeok.
Junghyun froze as he recalled yesterday’s events. Park Seokyoung had said it would be fine, but that remained uncertain. Feeling intimidated, he wondered what he would do if Seunghyeok asked why he was still here. Junghyun stood awkwardly, following the other man, and looked at Seunghyeok.
“You’re here.”
“Yes, good morning.”
Seunghyeok glanced briefly at Junghyun. Instinctively, Junghyun lowered his head.
“Well, continue with your work, and feel free to go out if there’s any sales business.”
“Yes.”
Seunghyeok strode inside with large steps.
Employees came in one by one, and office staff came in and out with documents several times, but Seunghyeok didn’t come out. Even when lunchtime came and people went out to eat, he didn’t budge from inside. Wondering if he was skipping meals because he had work to do, Junghyun tried to listen from a distance, but he couldn’t tell what was happening inside.
Junghyun went outside, passing by the convenience store where he usually bought triangle kimbap, and entered a kimbap shop. After a short while, he emerged with a small black plastic bag containing one roll of tuna kimbap.
The office was still quiet, probably because people hadn’t returned yet. From the light visible through the blinds, it seemed Seunghyeok was still inside.
Junghyun carefully cradled the kimbap in both hands, feeling that the rustling of the plastic bag sounded unusually loud. Standing at the door, he took a deep breath and then resolutely knocked.
“Come in.”
“…Um.”
The man who had been looking at documents at his desk raised his head when he heard Junghyun’s voice. As Junghyun had noticed before, his eyes were so piercing that it was difficult to look directly at him.
Junghyun quickly ran to the desk, put down the kimbap he’d been holding, and stepped back a couple of paces. The quiet air in the room felt heavy.
“L-lunch… You seemed to be skipping lunch. I-I bought this for you to eat… Out of gratitude… for letting me stay here. It’s nothing strange. It’s really just freshly wrapped from the kimbap shop right in front.”
His voice grew increasingly smaller, wondering if he had made an unnecessary interference.
Perhaps because he hadn’t had proper conversations during his stay at the office, his words came out jumbled, as if they were tangled.
In any case, Junghyun wanted to express that he wanted to repay Seunghyeok somehow, since he was staying at the office with Seunghyeok’s tacit approval. Seunghyeok glanced at the inside of the plastic bag and then turned his gaze toward Junghyun.
“You bought this?”
“Oh, yes. It’s tuna kimbap. Please eat it if you don’t dislike it.”
“There’s only one. Where’s yours?”
Seunghyeok asked something Junghyun hadn’t expected. Junghyun moistened his drying lips once.
“I’m fine. I’m planning to buy cup ramen for dinner later.”
“What I asked was how you handled lunch.”
“…Oh.”
Seunghyeok leaned back in his chair leisurely, keeping his gaze fixed on Junghyun. The man’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if measuring something.
How could someone have eyes like that? It was as if beams were shooting out of them.
Just as Junghyun, who had been fidgeting as if standing on pins, decided to go outside, Seunghyeok opened his mouth, saying, “From the way you talk about dinner…”
“You’re saying you skipped your own lunch to buy me food? Not to curry favor but out of gratitude?”
Seunghyeok deliberately brought up what he had said yesterday again. Junghyun glanced at him once and bit the inside of his cheek. He wondered why Seunghyeok spoke in such an unpleasant manner, but quickly changed his mind.
From Seunghyeok’s perspective, this was a perfectly reasonable reaction.
Junghyun was the only remaining child of a debtor who had run away with debt amounting to tens of billions of won. Probably no one would take at face value a person in that position buying kimbap for their creditor and telling them to eat and work.
They would either mock him or get angry and tell him to bring money instead. If it only stopped at verbal mockery, that would be civilized.
Junghyun lowered his head, staring at his toes, and nodded.
“Yes, that… …No.”
Hearing movement, Junghyeok looked up to see Seunghyeok had risen from his seat and was approaching him. Junghyun reflexively took a step back. Observing that reaction plainly, Seunghyeok asked.
“How much money do you have on you right now?”
“What? No, not much… 17,000 won.”
After speaking, he felt even more embarrassed. Thinking that if Seunghyeok asked for it, he should hand it over immediately, Junghyun was just putting his hand in his pocket when…
“You should eat this.”
“What?”
Junghyun’s eyes widened. In Seunghyeok’s hand was the kimbap that Junghyun had bought. When Junghyun looked back and forth between it and Seunghyeok’s face, Seunghyeok shook the hand holding the kimbap as if urging him. Because of this, Junghyun ended up taking it reflexively.
There was a rustling sound from the plastic.
“I have no intention of accepting food from someone whose entire fortune is 17,000 won. I may run a loan shark business, but I’m not that much of a garbage person.”
“No, this is… I…”
“Please leave now.”
Seunghyeok spoke in such a resolute tone that Junghyun couldn’t even protest.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
