I Became the Lousy Side Top - Chap 24
Hyunjin didn’t know how to define this feeling.
“The plan is to salt the cabbages today, then if it goes well we’ll start fermenting them tomorrow.”
Jaewoo then counted his fingers one by one.
“We’ve got a lot of stuff to do tomorrow. We need to make the glutinous rice paste, mix the seasoning, boil the pork, and season the cabbages.”
“I can help you tomorrow.”
“It’s okay.”
Jaewoo was confident in his ability to handle nine heads of cabbage by himself. They could also boil the pork at the same time. This was nothing compared to the past, when he used to make a dozen heads of kimchi at a time to share with his friends all year long.
“This’ll be for the four of us to share.”
Hearing Hyunjin say those words made Jaewoo’s heart feel full for some reason.
“Yes, all four of us.”
“So we have to make it together.”
At Hyunjin’s words, Hyeonu and Woohee also waved their hands while their eyes lit up.
“We will help too!”
“I’ll help!”
Jaewoo wasn’t sure what such little chicks could do to help, but their willingness to volunteer was commendable.
“Okay!”
“Wow!”
When Jaewoo answered, the children laughed and danced around. Was making kimchi so exciting? Jaewoo laughed together with them for a moment, before he felt like someone was staring at him, wanting something. He turned around and saw Hyunjin watching him.
“What is it?”
“Jaewoo-ssi.”
“Call me hyung1 instead.”
Jaewoo casually blurted out the familiar words without ever thinking that Hyunjin would listen to him, but the result turned out to be different than he expected.
“Hyung, do you think little kids are cute?”
Hyung? Did Hyunjin just call him hyung? Jaewoo’s eyes went wide and he stared at Hyunjin, who looked a bit confused at his reaction.
“Say that again?”
“Do you think little kids are cute?”
“No no, not that, the first bit.”
“Hyung?”
“Oh my god!”
Jaewoo almost dropped the cabbage on the floor. Hyunjin called him hyung! When he remembered the first time they met, he couldn’t believe how far they’d come.
“What. That’s what you are, aren’t you?”
“Yes, you’re right, you’re right!”
Jaewoo wanted to give Hyunjin the tightest hug he could manage. The only reason he was able to resist was out of concern that Hyunjin would freak out. It felt like he was finally starting to open up.
“Do you want something to eat?”
“Something to eat?”
Jaewoo couldn’t let such a momentous day pass by without celebrating. Jaewoo asked Hyunjin to tell him what he wanted to eat the most.
“I can make anything!”
Hyunjin’s eyes widened and he smiled softly. Then he said.
“I’ll like anything you make.”
How can you speak so smoothly! Unknowingly, Jaewoo grabbed at his chest. He’d already dropped the cabbage on the floor long ago. Helpfully, Hyunjin picked up the fallen cabbage, inspected it meticulously, and then handed it back to Jaewoo.
Jaewoo accepted the cabbage on auto-pilot, his mind spinning wildly. What could he make for these wonderful children? He’d make anything they wanted, he just wanted to feed them something delicious.
“Meat, shall we grill meat? Pork or beef?”
“I like meat, too.”
“Or chicken? What about fried chicken? Spicy braised chicken2? Ginseng chicken soup3?
“Hmm.”
Hyunjin couldn’t help but notice how excited Jaewoo was. Did he really like being called hyung? He should have called him that earlier. He looked at Jaewoo’s hand holding the cabbage tightly and said softly.
“I think spicy braised chicken would be good.”
“Good!”
They quickly decided on the dinner menu. Jaewoo was quivering with excitement as he washed and salted the cabbage in an instant. After that, he tried to jump to his feet, but Hyunjin caught him before he could.
“You still haven’t answered me yet.”
“Answer? What? What was the question?”
“Hyung, do you think that little kids are cute?”
“Yes, of course they’re cute!”
Hyeonu and Woohee were both adorable. Hyunjing as well. In Jaewoo’s eyes, Hyunjin was also young and small.
“Okay.”
It’s a fact that little kids were cute. Hyunjin, on the other hand, was both tall and muscular. There was no way anyone could consider him ‘small.’ It was good that Jaewoo seemed to have a soft spot for his younger siblings, but for some reason, Hyunjin was disappointed in his answer. In a grumpy tone, he asked.
“Then does that make you cute too? You’re also small.”
“I’m not small?”
Jaewoo objected again.
“You’re smaller than me.”
At Hyunjin’s words, Jaewoo felt his excitement subside. Why was he suddenly acting like this? Jaewoo didn’t know. He poked Hyunjin’s cheek with his finger.
“Alright, enough.”
“You don’t like talking about your height?”
“No.”
Jaewoo replied firmly and headed to the kitchen. Fortunately, he had all the ingredients to make spicy braised chicken. As he was taking out the ingredients one by one, Hyunjin walked over and stood next to him.
“What?”
“I want to help.”
Seeing Hyunjin put his hands together and answer calmly, Jaewoo felt a bit relieved. He gathered the vegetables and the cutting board and gave them to Hyunjin, who quickly got to work cutting them.
Bang bang bang.
In the meantime, Jaewoo lightly blanched the chicken in water mixed with rice wine, in order to remove any unwanted odor. After washing the chicken under running water, he added it to a large pot with water and vegetables and let it simmer.
Jaewoo watched the pot and once the potatoes and other vegetables had softened, he added the seasoning. For a clean, spicy taste, he added in red pepper powder, soy sauce, sugar, and garlic, instead of just adding red pepper paste. After they’d been added, the chicken and vegetables soaked up the red seasoning and looked delicious as they bubbled. The scent of the spices wafted upwards with the steam. It was to the point where it could make anyone feel hungry.
“It’ll be delicious if you have it with rice.”
Hyunjin nodded at Jaewoo’s words. He gulped, and a gurgling sound was heard. The steam rising from the chicken warmed the kitchen. As if they had made a promise, both Hyunjin and Jaewoo sat side by side on kitchen chairs, watching the spicy braised chicken cook.
“Hyung, have you heard?”
“What?”
“Hyung, you’re cute.”
“I know, I know. You’re saying I’m short, right?”
Hyunjin was so persistent. Jaewoo knew he was small, he didn’t need Hyunjin reminding him. Jaewoo pursed his lips in a pout, before he heard a small laugh coming from next to him.
“That’s not what I meant.”
After saying that, Hyunjin fell silent. If that wasn’t what he meant, then what was it? After thinking for a moment, Jaewoo opened his mouth to ask only to shut it again when he glanced over to the side. Hyunjin’s eyes were closed. Seeing him resting peacefully, Jaewoo decided to just enjoy this quiet moment with the two of them while it lasted.
Mujin slowly opened his eyes. He put a cigarette in his mouth and clicked his lighter. Normally, he would have had a smoke long before, but strangely he hadn’t wanted to today. When had he lost the taste for cigarettes? Tracing back through his memories, it seems like it was shortly after someone in the slums had loudly shouted at him not to smoke there.
Mujin barked out a laugh.
The noisy space instantly became quiet at the sound of his sharp laugh. No one inside had the courage to move or open their mouth.
“Dongsoo.”
Mujin chewed on the tip of his cigarette and called out a name. A man with a stern expression, who was standing next to him, answered.
“Yes!”
“Did you get them all?”
“Yes!”
“Let’s see.”
As soon as he spoke, the men who had been stuck in the corner were dragged out to the center of the room. Their hands and feet were tied, and even their mouths were taped. There was nothing they could do to struggle.
“How nice to see your smiling faces again.”
Mujin smiled and held out his hand to the side, and the waiting manager placed an iron pipe into his palm. Mujin knew nothing of sophisticated violence. Violence had to be base, overpowering, and terrifying above all else. Slicing gracefully with a knife wasn’t for him; he preferred to crush and smash. He’d pick up a knife if it was necessary, but why bother when this was so much faster and easier?
Mujin approached the men. The scrape of the iron pipe dragging on the floor terrified their ears.
“Eup!”
The bound man tried to make a sound past his gag, but it was impossible. He’d been beaten here and there, and a cold sweat was beading on his bruised face. He should have kept his ambitions to himself. Why did he try to make an opening for himself? He regretted it bitterly, but it was too late now.
The madman Director Choi seemed to have made up his mind, and the higher ups had also abandoned him. None of the captives will be able to make it out of here alive.
“Still, you should be grateful. I’m in a good mood today. It’ll hurt a bit, but I’ll make it quick.”
If the men had been caught back when he’d first been stabbed, he wouldn’t have ended it so easily. He would have tortured them first before finally killing them. But Mujin was feeling better than expected today, which was a blessing for them.
The iron pipe was raised up into the sky, and then smashed down.
THWAM.
Some of them lowered their eyes at the horrible sight and sound. Any normal person would become more and more disturbed the longer the sound of the beating went on for. Eventually, Mujin stepped back and threw the blood-soaked pipe to one of his underlings. He’d said he was in a good mood, and it seemed to be true.
“You all take care of the rest.”
A few people then approached the remaining ones, and a muffled scream rang out.
“Dongsoo.”
“Yes!”
“Did you find out what I asked?”
“Yes. Here’s what I found out. Currently, the debtor is working at a construction site, in a bar, and at a loading dock. He seems to be trying to hold on, but he’ll find it difficult to afford the interest starting next month. His debt has risen.”
“And the other one?”
“Ah, that one?”
Dongsoo had been told to investigate, and he’d followed his orders faithfully, but he still didn’t understand why Mujin had asked him to do so.
“He seems to stay home the whole time, except when going to the market or grocery store. It doesn’t look like he has a job. He seemed clean when I investigated, but who can say for sure. When he was younger, he was an aspiring idol.”
“An idol…”
Mujin covered his face and laughed. Holy fuck. With that personality, he wanted to be an idol. Still, he had the looks for it. When Mujin pictured Jaewoo running around singing and dancing, he had to admit, he’d be pretty cute.
“Is he no longer interested in becoming an idol?”
“He seems to have given up.”
Too bad, it would have been fun if he’d still been holding on to that. The bigger the dream, the more you had to lose, and the easier it is to grab hold of a person’s weak point. Thinking like that, Mujin was a bit disappointed.
“Oh, and the latest information.”
“What?”
“It’s said that he bought several heads of cabbage. I think they’re going to make kimchi.”
“Kimchi?”
That was so ordinary, it was almost enough to put Mujin to sleep, and yet his curiosity was piqued.
Footnotes
As mentioned previously, hyung is more familiar and is used for people you’re close with
닭볶음탕 – a traditional Korean dish made by boiling chunks of chicken with vegetables and spices. Wikipedia, Recipe
삼계탕 – soup made from a whole young chicken filled with garlic, rice, jujube, and ginseng. Wikipedia, Recipe
