I Became the Lousy Side Top - Chap 20
Without realizing it, Hyunjin let out a sigh.
“Hey! Hyunjin!”
Just then, a voice calling for Hyunjin was heard from the other side of the construction site.
“Yes!”
Hyunjin hurried across. Once he got there, he saw the foreman standing with a stern expression on his face.
“Someone’s here for you.”
“Uh?”
“See what they want and then hurry back. I’m making a special exception for you. Seriously, what’s wrong with kids these days? Can’t go a day on their own.”
The foreman grumbled as he went back to work.
‘Who came to visit?’
Hyunjin hurried off in the direction that the foreman indicated, still feeling puzzled. There wasn’t anyone who had a reason to visit Hyunjin while he was at work. Could it be Jaewoo? He considered it, but Jaewoo didn’t actually know his job site. His brothers? They had the company’s phone number, they would have called. Remembering that made Hyunjin feel a bit calmer.
Hyunjin raced over to the entrance of the construction site. He saw a figure standing in the distance. The closer he got to him, the slower his footsteps became. Why the hell was HE here now?
As Hyunjin came to a stop, the figure finally turned and spotted him.
“Oh, Hyunjin!”
A shabby, middle-aged man ran over and stood in front of Hyunjin.
“… Father.”
A hoarse voice barely leaked out of Hyunjin’s throat.
“Yes, it’s me, it’s me! Your father!”
The middle-aged man, Junghyun, spread his arms open with a wide smile. It made Hyunjin want to laugh. How could he possibly think that he’d be happy to see him? It was absolutely impossible. Hyunjin’s expression turned hard.
“How did you find me here?”
“Eh, there are ways to find anyone. Anyway, it’s been a while, shall we eat together? Huh? I’ll buy. There’s a hangover soup restaurant1 just around the corner.”
“There’s no need.”
“I really want to treat my son to a meal.”
“Son? Your son?”
The mouth that used to spit out swear words and lies is now calling him his son?
“Oh course, my son. Who else would I be talking about?”
“If you really thought of me as your son, you wouldn’t have shown up here.”
“Watch yourself! Is that how you talk to your father?”
Junghyun burst into anger. Then he appeared to try and calm himself, running a hand through his ungroomed beard. Hyunjin couldn’t understand why he was trying to put on a show. The only times his father appeared in front of him were to ask for money. What sort of attitude did he expect?
“You’re still as disrespectful as ever. Where did we go wrong…”
Hyunjin turned away, ignoring Junghyun’s muttering. Let him pretend to be a loving father if he wanted. Then he realized that he hadn’t gotten an answer to his first question yet.
“How did you find out where I work?”
“What sort of father doesn’t know where his children are?”
Hyunjin gritted his teeth and strode towards him. Junghyun flinched at the menacing look and took a step back. Then, as if to build up his pride, he straightened his spine and stood firmly in front of him.
“I’m wondering the same thing. How did someone who’s a father only in name find this place?”
Junghyun was unnerved by Hyunjin’s low, growling voice. It was like the sound of an animal ready to strike. Because Hyunjin had never gotten physical, Junghyun had always had the upper hand in the past, but his behavior today was unusual.
“So what, you think you’re a big man now just because you’ve grown up?”
“Whether I am or not, we can settle that right here and now if you want.”
Hyunjin clenched his fists tightly. Seeing that, Junghyun shrank back slightly. He acted like a bigshot when he had money at a gambling house, but other than that, he was a timid person. Junghyun stuttered and said.
“No, forget about it. I met a businessman2 not too long ago.”
“Did you borrow money again?”
“No, no. This time, they just gave it to me.”
“Nobody just gives away money!”
“It’s true!”
Hyunjin let out a deep sigh.
“And then?”
“I gambled with it a bit. Had a run of bad luck and ended up losing it. Then I remembered, when he gave me the money, he told me where you worked.”
“Was he a gangster?”
“He’s a legitimate businessman.”
Hyunjin couldn’t believe that his father was stupid enough to buy that. He’s even been directly threatened by them in the past!
After hearing his father’s answer, Hyunjin turned around. He could hear Junghyun shouting behind him, but he didn’t want to talk to him anymore. Hyunjin’s head was spinning. Why did that gangster tell Junghyun his location? As he was thinking it over, he suddenly thought of Mujin.
Director Choi of Isak Finance.
Great. Hyunjin gnashed his teeth.
After that, Hyunjin returned to work, but everything about the day was a blur. All he could feel was exhaustion. After it was done, he headed home, but he could barely bring himself to put one foot in front of the other. Although it was just a small, unheated room, it was the only place he had to return to.
He usually climbed the hills to the house quickly, but today it felt particularly difficult. Before he made it home, he was stopped again by a different person. A man who reminded Hyunjin of a crow, because every time he showed up he brought bad news with him.
“Hey there, best customer.”
The man smiled as he spoke. His laugh was rancid.
“I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?”
He didn’t want to hear either of them. But it’s not like he had a choice. Hyunjin stayed silent and stared at him with dark eyes.
The man exclaimed happily.
“First the good news! I’m finally leaving this goddamn hilltop town! No more climbing up and down and up and down this damn slope every single day. Thank you, thank you!”
The man clapped hard for himself, then continued speaking with an over exaggerated gloomy expression on his face.
“Now for the bad news.”
How could things possibly get worse for him? Hyunjin’s expression sank even further.
“From now on, the person who’ll come to collect the debt will be different. You’re being transferred to a higher-up starting today. Since your debt has increased even further, the interest has also increased just as much, you know?”
“…The debt has increased?”
Hyunjin’s eyes became distant. What the hell had he done to increase the debt?
“Yes, your father borrowed some money again.”
“Why are you still lending to him!”
“Eh, you don’t get it. If we know he’s good for it, why wouldn’t we lend to him?”
“Do you think you can get blood from a stone3?”
“Sure we can! We always get our money one way or another.”
“Damn it.”
Hyunjin swallowed the hot emotions welling up through his throat.
“That man is no longer part of our family.”
“Oh? Was he removed from your family register by the court4? And even if he was, you still share the same blood. Do you think we’d just let it go?”
The man laughed at him. It felt like he was passing a sentence on him, that no matter how hard Hyunjin tried, he would never be able to escape this hell. He stepped closer to Hyunjin.
“I like you, so I’m going to give you some advice. If it were me, I’d just close my eyes and work for whoever will have you. Sell your body if you need to. You gotta think of your younger siblings. How long are you going to just keep paying the minimum?”
Hyunjin felt like his knees were about to buckle. Was this shabby body worth that much? Even if he was dismantled and sold for parts, it wouldn’t come close to touching that amount. But. If he did what the man had suggested before and abandoned his morals, he could pay off the debt. Hyunjin wished he could dismiss it as a lie, but the man seemed to be telling the truth about that.
Hyunjin felt like he was dying. Why couldn’t he just live an ordinary life?
“Then, do your best.”
The man tapped Hyunjin on the shoulder and headed down the slope. His footsteps sounded light and merry. It was a harsh contrast to Hyunjin.
Each time he thought he was making headway, another crisis struck. Every time he fought for the surface and sucked in a breath of fresh air, another wave would come to knock him back down into the depths. He didn’t know what to do anymore. Hyunjin stood dumbfounded and looked down at his feet. He felt like he had run out of tears.
“Oh, you’re here?”
Then, a familiar voice was heard. It was Jaewoo
“…”
Hyunjin didn’t answer. He didn’t even have the strength to do that much. Jaewoo jogged over and then paused, looking him up and down carefully.
“Um, what happened to your lunchbox? Did you forget it?”
It was only after hearing those words that Hyunjin realized: there was nothing in his hand. He’d left his lunchbox back at the construction site. He could make sure to grab it tomorrow, but… Hyunjin’s eyes gradually grew hotter. He tried to hide his condition and raised the corners of his lips in a shaky smile as he spoke.
“Sorry.” He blinked rapidly. “I-I must have forgotten it.”
As he spoke, Jaewoo started looking puzzled. Why was he making that face? It was strange.
“Why… why are you crying? Did something happen?”
Jaewoo reached out his hand. Seeing this, Hyunjin stepped back. He felt like if he grabbed hold of that hand right now, he’d collapse. He had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to stop at just crying, like last time. In terror, he tried to escape, but Jaewoo’s movements were quicker. He grabbed Hyunjin’s hand and lowered his head in order to see his face.
A soft thumb brushed the corners of Hyunjin’s eye, wiping away a tear.
“Please don’t cry. I’ve got more lunchboxes. You can bring it home tomorrow.”
The voice trying to comfort him was sweet. It was so sweet Hyunjin could feel himself starting to break. He hugged Jaewoo tightly and buried his face in his shoulder. Hyunjin’s body began to shake with the force of his sobs. Without hesitation, Jaewoo reached out and rubbed his back.
“Are you having a hard time?”
In response to Jaewoo’s question, Hyunjin confessed his feelings for the first time.
“It’s too hard. I can’t bear it anymore.”
Hyunjin cried and continued talking incoherently.
“The debt has gone up again. I-I just want to live like a regular person. I want to so badly. They keep telling me to give up. I feel like I can’t breathe. There’s no place to turn, and I… I feel like I’m going to lose my mind.”
Jaewoo’s hands paused where they had been stroking Hyunjin’s back, and he reflexively clutched at his shirt.
“Will selling my body make it all stop?”
“Hyunjin!”
When Jaewoo yelped in fright, Hyunjin let out a hopeless chuckle into his shoulder.
“Is this body of mine even useful?”
Hyunjin spit out the question that had been tormenting him all along.
Jaewoo bit his lip, and his body trembled as he listened to Hyunjin vent his fears. What had happened that caused Hyunjin to break down like this?
The Jaewoo who thought that he was just a bit player in a story, and whose only goal was to stay quiet and survive, wasn’t here anymore. He’d become attached to Hyunjin, and his sorrow was hurting Jaewoo’s heart.
“If…”
Looking at Hyunjin, he felt like he was about to burst into tears.
“If you’re going to sell yourself, sell yourself to me.”
Hyunjin’s shaking body stiffened and froze.
Footnotes
해장국 – “hangover soup”. A soup that is supposed to help alleviate the effects of a hangover. There are restaurants that specialize in it. Wikipedia
금융업자 – financier. In English, we’d probably use the term ‘loan officer’ or ‘moneylender’, but those tend to have negative stereotypes associated with them and Junghyun is trying really hard to sell his son on this guy being legit and not a scam, so I decided to use a less loaded term that still has implications of being shady. Dictionary
“받아 내실 수 있을 것 같습니까?” – “Do you think you can take it?” Hyunjin seems to be pointing out that either there’s nothing for the gangsters to take, or that there is but they can’t just come in and steal it from them. I went with the English phrase ‘you can’t get blood from a stone,’ which means that you can’t take something if it doesn’t exist. It’s usually used specifically in reference to money.
호적 – family register. It’s a way of officially tracking family membership in Korea. If you want to be removed from a family register, it seems to take a court order. Family members can be responsible for the debts incurred by other members of their family, which is why Hyunjin is stuck trying to pay for his father. English Wikipedia, Korean Wikipedia
