〈 Episode 11 〉 Part 1 Chapter 1 (10)
“Oops. Sorry I’m late!”
The door opened, and a young man entered carrying a box. Behind him, a blond youth—Seokpil—entered with a pale face, glaring at me.
“……..”
“……..”
I felt a chill from his gaze and subtly turned my head away.
“Hey, you. Young man? It was a situation where misunderstandings could easily arise, so please understand.”
Kim Sang-ah stroked Seokpil’s hand and patted his shoulder. Seokpil entered the room with a hunched back and stood awkwardly, then sighed deeply so that everyone in the room could hear.
“…500,000 won to New Seoul.”
“What? Wait a minute. Didn’t you say it was 150,000 won earlier?”
Kim Sang-ah’s face showed embarrassment. Indeed. He started with a low price and then exploited desperation to rip them off.
The young man next to Seokpil blocked Kim Sang-ah, smiling with a friendly demeanor.
“Calm down, Madam. You know this business has various behind-the-scenes aspects, right? I just got a call from friends in New Seoul, and they said the military and police movements have become a bit strange. Like they’re looking for something.”
“Probably looking for a murderer.”
Seokpil said sarcastically. I sipped my tea without a word. It was a cheap tea bag in a paper cup.
“…Hmm.”
One sip.
“No, still, raising the price more than double suddenly… We’re not digging up the ground to do business either. We told you, we only take enough to make a living. The 350,000 won isn’t just for our profit. It’s because we really need that much more for expenses. To get into New Seoul through the back door, we have to bribe a lot of people.”
“But that kid doesn’t have any money.”
Seokpil said sarcastically, and the young man next to him cautioned Seokpil and waved his hand at me.
“Ah, haha! Student! This friend is narrow-minded, so please understand! Hey, you bastard, you started the business because you felt sorry for him, and now you’re ruining the deal?”
“I don’t know. Who knew he was someone who’d go around castrating other people’s balls.”
“Hey!”
Seokpil and the young man argued. Meanwhile, Kim Sang-ah seemed to have made a decision and rummaged through her wrapping cloth, taking something out.
“…It’s pure gold. Would this work?”
On Kim Sang-ah’s palm, a golden ring sparkled. The size, glancing at it, was just right for Kim Sang-ah’s ring finger.
“Well, we do take cash, but…”
Seokpil’s eyes gleamed. After exchanging signals with the young man, Seokpil stood up awkwardly.
“We guys don’t know if it’s real. Let’s go to a jeweler we know nearby. It could be a scam.”
“S-Scam?! I’m a lawyer with an office, even though I look like this-”
“Let’s go.”
As Seokpil left, Kim Sang-ah hesitated, grabbed her wrapping cloth, and followed Seokpil out.
“…Haha. Sorry. He’s a bit petty.”
The young man smiled and sat across from me. I stared at the young man for a moment and then put the paper cup to my lips.
“……..”
The young man’s eyes went back and forth between my lips and the half-empty paper cup.
Well, Phoenix is kind of pretty. With looks surpassing most celebrities and wearing a ‘high school girl’s uniform,’ it was understandable that he’d be excited. I was too, after all.
“Anyway, you heard the price. 500,000 won. The money you have now is…”
“20,000 won.”
“Right. 20,000 won. Even if it were a charity, we’d be at a loss. Even after taking what we get from that lawyer lady.”
The young man took out a Bacchus drink from the table and opened the cap.
“Unless you have something you can exchange for money, student, cough. We can’t do it just like that. Our business is always 100% prepaid.”
“Then what should I do?”
At my question, the young man flipped over a piece of paper scattered on the table as if he had been waiting for it.
“Haa…”
I clutched my head with one hand and snatched the paper.
“‘Contract,’ huh.”
“Well, yeah. It just means you’ll repay the missing amount with labor.”
The young man glanced at his wristwatch and waved his arms around, making excuses.
“Ah, it’s not the kind of weird thing you’re thinking! You know the fast food restaurant in front of the terminal? That’s Seokpil’s place, and you’ll work there for the amount you’re short.”
The young man seemed thirsty and chugged the Bacchus again.
“We can only give you the minimum wage. You only have to work eight hours a day. If you change your mind and quit in the middle, we’ll pay you for the hours you worked.”
I sank into the chair. The veil wrapped around my scarf covered up to my nose.
“What about sleep? I don’t have a place to stay right now.”
“What? …Uh, I think you’ll have to talk to Seokpil about that. If you talk to him well, he might let you sleep at the store.”
“Hoo…”
I squeezed my eyes shut.
“Heh. Hehehe.”
Ah, I can’t take it anymore. I struggled to hold back the giggles that were leaking out and pulled the veil up even tighter.
“Well, okay. If I don’t have money, I’ll have to work to earn it. So how much do I have to work?”
“Uh. Since we’re paying you the minimum wage…you’ll have to work for about a week? I’m not good at calculations either.”
The young man glanced at his watch again. I even felt sorry for him and covered my face with the contract.
“Hey.”
“Yeah?”
I lowered the contract to about the bridge of my nose and glared at the young man.
“How many idiots have fallen for this so far?”
“…What?”
The young man’s expression hardened. I grabbed the ends of the contract with both hands and tore it in half the other way.
Rip-
“No, I mean, how many have you scammed like this? Even kids don’t fall for this these days. This isn’t the 80s.”
“What are you talking about-”
“Why do you keep looking at your watch?”
At my words, the young man’s actions stopped momentarily.
“This is, well, business-wise-”
“Why? Is it weird that I’m still awake when the drug should be kicking in?”
“What the hell are you talking about?!”
“Did you put the drug in the water? Or the tea bag? Ah, did you smear it on the paper cup? Change your methods. How were you planning to drug me if I didn’t even take a sip of water?”
* * *
Kim Sang-ah instinctively hugged her bundle and looked around.
“Um, are you sure this is the right way?”
The further she walked following Seokpil out of the office, the deeper she went into dark alleys. Dark alleys where no one would come even if she screamed.
“We’re here.”
Seokpil glanced back and opened an old iron door and went inside.
‘What should I do?’
Sang-ah, left alone in the alley, was lost in thought.
Her instincts were telling her of danger, but her reason was speaking.
If she didn’t follow that young man inside, there was no way to get to Busan where her daughter was. More time would be wasted waiting aimlessly.
“……Right. The world isn’t that harsh yet.”
Sang-ah took a deep breath and took out a self-defense electric shocker from her bundle and followed Seokpil inside.
Squeak-
The heavy gray iron door opened, revealing a small room. Across from Seokpil was a middle-aged man polishing a watch intently.
“What are you trying to do again?”
“Just want to check a ring.”
Sang-ah sighed in relief and bowed her head to the middle-aged man.
“Ring.”
The man held out his hand without a word. Sang-ah placed the small ring on his thick hand.
“…Wedding ring, huh?”
The man’s voice rose. Sang-ah couldn’t meet his eyes and just kept her head down.
“Well. Who in this world doesn’t have a story?”
The man examined the ring this way and that without a word. He turned it this way and that in the light and checked it on a device, then picked up Kim Sang-ah’s wedding ring again.
“Seokpil-ah. It’s genuine.”
“Oh, really?”
Seokpil welcomed the man’s words and straightened his posture. Sang-ah fidgeted with her fingers and asked the man.
“Uh, how much is it?”
“Around this much…300,000?”
Ah. Sang-ah’s face contorted. There was nothing else worth selling among the items in her bundle now.
The man chuckled at Sang-ah’s expression and said.
“Don’t be so disappointed. I’m in a very good mood today, so I’ll give you 50,000 won more.”
The man smiled broadly and took out cash from the safe. Seokpil counted thirty-five notes of King Sejong, licking his fingers as he did so, and grinned.
“Thank you every time. This fills it up perfectly.”
“Yes. Thank you so much. Really, just-”
Sang-ah’s body froze momentarily.
She had become desensitized after working hard for over a year, but at this moment, the instincts of a first-rate lawyer were sounding an alarm.
She was short 350,000, and it was filled up with exactly 350,000 won? You’re thinking that’s a coincidence right now?
As Sang-ah fumbled for her back pocket with a hardened expression, the man approached with the ring.
As expected. Seeing the man’s thick hand approaching her, Sang-ah raised her right hand to the hidden electric shocker.
Just as she was about to shock the man with electricity if he tried anything funny.
“Why are you so scared?”
The man picked up Sang-ah’s left hand and put the ring on her ring finger.
“Huh?”
“Why are you so surprised? It’s a wedding ring, right? No matter how short you are on money, you shouldn’t sell your wedding ring.”
The man said brusquely and flicked the forehead of Seokpil, who was focused on counting the money.
“Hey, Ddongpil. No matter how greedy you are, you shouldn’t rip off a married woman’s wedding ring.”
“Ah! Hyung! How was I supposed to know she was married?!”
“Shut up, you punk.”
Watching the two men bickering, Sang-ah sighed in relief. Right. Even if the world was dirty and difficult, it didn’t mean she had to despair completely.
“Oh, right. Since we met, nice to meet you. I’m Park Ho-cheol.”
The man, Park Ho-cheol, held out his right hand. Sang-ah smiled and shook his hand. Ho-cheol’s thick hand was full of warmth.
“I’m Kim Sang-ah.”
“Kim Sang-ah. Sang-ah, huh. What a pretty name.”
Ho-cheol grabbed Sang-ah’s arms, made eye contact, and grinned.
* * *
The young man jumped up from his seat. At the same time, the door burst open, and thugs slowly entered the room.
“What happened?! The drug isn’t working at all!”
“I told you. This kid seems to have really quick senses.”
“No! Right now! Can’t you see here?! He definitely drank the drug!”
The last thug who entered locked the door.
I turned my head and checked beyond the tinted glass window.
Indeed. Burglar bars were installed so that even if the window was broken, I couldn’t escape outside.
“Aren’t you going to answer? I’m really curious how many people have sold their bodies with this shallow method.”
“Listen to this little brat talk.”
One of the thugs with a shaved head smiled, clenching his fist.
“Hey. Do you even know what kind of situation you’re in right now?”
“Why wouldn’t I? You’re roughly trying to drug women with sleeping pills and then rape them, right?”
The young man and the thugs’ expressions contorted at my calm words.
“…Hey, kid.”
“Why.”
The bald man pushed the young man away and sat across from me. His breath was almost touching me.
“If I answer, will you answer one of my questions? I’m so dumbfounded right now.”
“I wouldn’t mind answering several, not just one.”
The thug scoffed and beckoned to the young man.
“Hey. How many has this kid made, including this one?”
“…69 in total. Hyung.”
“Wow. Amazing.”
I was genuinely surprised.
“No, 68 people fell for this ridiculous method?”
“Listen to this little brat talk…”
It was a funny situation where everyone was dumbfounded. I pointed to the door leading outside and asked the thug.
“Is that lawyer lady from earlier also in on it?”
“No. That lady is going to get laid by Seokpil and the others…What am I even saying. Hey.”
The bald man got up from the sofa and crossed over the table. His breath was almost touching me.
“Now let me ask you one thing. What are you relying on to be so cocky?”
“……..”
I quietly raised my finger and conjured a flame over the thug’s face.
Whoosh.
The bald man was startled and pulled his face back.
“Relying on this?”
A fireball spun around following my finger. The thugs who saw my flame each took a step back and were laughing.
“Huh?”
“Yeah. So that’s all you’ve got, huh?”
The body of Shoulder, whose eyebrows were almost singed, began to swell. The bodyguards beside him cheered Shoulder on as his already massive frame doubled in size.
“Hyung-nim! You have to take it easy!”
“Don’t break his arm like last time! My dream was to get a handjob from a high school girl!”
“Uwaaaaaah.”
I cast a contemptuous glance at the youth who was so openly revealing his true nature, and then met the eyes of the Baldy, whose head was now touching the ceiling.
“Uh, time out? Can I have a moment to think?”
“Too late, you bitch.”
Baldy’s fist rushed toward me.