I Became the Lousy Side Top - Chap 78
Once the table was set, Jaewoo hesitated for a moment before sitting down across from Hyunjin. The table was so small, though, that it didn’t really matter – if Hyunjin stretched out his hand, he could still reach him. Still, he wouldn’t do that while they were eating. Hyunjin calmly picked up his chopsticks.
“Thank you for the food!”
The meal began with Woohee’s cry. The side dishes were nothing special – egg rolls, stir-fried kimchi, and a few dry side dishes. But when eaten with white rice, they were delicious. Hyunjin ate so quickly he barely stopped to chew.
After finishing three bowls, he finally felt full. Now it was time to talk.
“Are you planning on going grocery shopping? What do you need to buy?”
“I need to buy some more side dishes, and some daily necessities.”
Jaewoo counted off the things they needed on his fingers. There was quite a large amount in the end.
“Can we handle all that in one trip?”
“We can bring the rolling cart with us.”
“A rolling cart? Like the one I always see old ladies using?”
“Yes, it’s really easy to use, so I bought one.”
Jaewoo answered confidently.
After eating and cleaning up the table, Jaewoo presented his rolling cart. The cover had a bright floral pattern, and it really didn’t look like something a man in his mid-twenties would use. Despite that, Jaewoo looked proud of it. Looking at the joy on his face, Hyunjin couldn’t hold back.
“I love you.”
“Hey!”
Jaewoo shouted, looking confused, but now that Hyunjin had said it once, he didn’t want to stop.
“I really love you.”
“… …How many times are you going to say that?”
“As many times as I want.”
Hyunjin answered confidently, ignoring the disapproving look on Jaewoo’s face.
“How many times is that?”
“Hm. For now, just one more time, okay?”
“Stop.”
Jaewoo waggled his finger at him, then passed the handle of the rolling cart over to Hyunjin.
“Can we go too?”
Jaewoo turned towards the boys and answered their question.
“Of course. Both of you are coming with us.”
Woohee raised both hands in the air and shouted in glee. The four of them headed off down the slope, dragging the cart behind them on their way to the market. Walking down that familiar path again, Hyunjin felt a new emotion welling up inside of him and couldn’t help but smile. There was still a tough road ahead of them, but he was so grateful for this peaceful moment.
The first place they stopped was a butcher shop.
“I’d like some pork belly and neck meat, please. Also some beef for grilling, and some beef leg bones to make broth with.”
“Isn’t beef expensive?”
Hyunjin whispered in his ear, and Jaewoo brushed him away with his hand, as if he was ticklish.
“I’m still going to buy it. You’re too skinny these days. Prepare yourself: I’m going to keep feeding you until you get back to normal.”
Hyunjin couldn’t help but laugh at those words, but he still didn’t want Jaewoo to buy all that food. The cost would be enormous.
“I like pork the best.”
“Well, I like beef.”
Jaewoo said sternly, putting up a fierce defense.
“Don’t worry about it. We have to get you healthy first before you can go back to work.”
“Are you trying to spoil me with food?”
“Yes!”
The butcher shop owner chuckled at the two’s bickering.
“You seem to get along well.”
“Yes?”
Hyunjin smiled brightly.
“Hmm. When handsome young men like you smile, it really lights up the room.”
At those words, Jaewoo also glanced over at Hyunjin. As he looked at his smiling face, his heart started beating wildly. Even pressing his hand against his chest didn’t help.
‘Why do you look so handsome?’
Jaewoo accepted the meat, mentally blaming Hyunjin as he did. He placed it in a bag and attached it to the cart, walking around the market as familiarly as if he was walking around his own house. He bought a bunch of eggs, a variety of vegetables, and then finally stopped by the supermarket and bought the kids’ favorite snacks, as well as some ham.
After that, the rolling cart was full. Hyunjin and Jaewoo pulled it up the slope towards home, Woohee and Hyeonu walking next to them.
‘I’m happy.’
Jaewoo was so happy he wanted this moment to last forever, but he knew that was impossible. He glanced down at his feet as he continued walking and let out a sigh.
He was so tired that he just wanted to sit down and rest. No matter how hard he tried, he had no talent for acting. Trying to keep pretending that everything was okay was difficult, and it was only becoming harder as time went on.
He steeled his resolve and raised his head once more. Glancing to the side, he tried to smooth his face into a calm expression. Hyunjin was walking up the street next to him, looking at peace. Even though the rolling cart probably weighed more than he did, his steps were light.
Jaewoo felt sick with guilt, as if he was going to throw up everything he’d had for breakfast, but he managed to hold it back. His deadline was coming up quick, and he wanted to spend his remaining time with them making joyful memories. He wanted the kids and Hyunjin to be happy, even if it didn’t last.
Maybe it was selfish of him, but that was what he wished for.
On the day he’d made his deal with Mujin, Jaewoo had presented him with a condition.
“Give me a week.”
“And what are you going to do during that time?”
“I’m going to say my goodbyes, so I can leave without regrets.”
When he heard those words, Mujin let out an astonished scoff.
“And after only a week, you’ll forget them? Do you expect me to believe that?”
“What does it matter? We’ll be together from then on, so can’t you at least give me a week?”
Mujin laughed out loud. It wasn’t a pleasant sound.
“Fuck, and if the two of you decide to run away, am I supposed to chase after you like a dog chasing his own tail1?”
“We can’t run away, not with Hyeonu and Woohee. Even if we left, where would we go? If you don’t believe me, you can have someone follow us.”
Mujin stared at Jaewoo, as if trying to figure out what his intentions were. But Jaewoo refused to back down, and stared back at him calmly.
After a long time, Mujin finally responded.
“Fine. One week, no more.”
Only then could Jaewoo breathe. He was so tense with anxiety that his whole body was aching.
“It’s a deal.”
“If you go back on your word, there’s no place you can go that I won’t find you.”
“I know.”
Like that, he’d been given one last week.
‘There’s a lot to do.’
First, he needed to get out of there, avoid whoever Mujin had watching him, and contact Eunjoon again. He also needed to figure out a way for Hyunjin and his brothers to live a happy life together, after they were reunited.
‘I should transfer the house’s title, just to be safe.’
Hyunjin probably wouldn’t want to take it, but he’d work it out somehow.
‘I should have asked for a month.’
No, no. If he’d tried, he didn’t think Mujin would have allowed it. A week was best.
Jaewoo had made his way to the front door, put on his shoes, and gone home. And not long afterwards, he’d been reunited with Hyunjin, but a much thinner and more exhausted version of him.
Hyunjin was a good kid who’d just wanted to live a decent life, without having to work himself to the bone or turn to darker pursuits. Having to live as a gangster in Mujin’s organization, being forced to hurt people – it must have been hard for him to endure.
While holding Hyunjin’s hand that night as he fell asleep from exhaustion, Jaewoo had made a decision: he would make sure that Hyunjin could live a normal life, no matter what. And as soon as they’d woken up the next morning, Jaewoo had started working towards that goal.
He went grocery shopping, filling up the refrigerator. He made a lot of dry side dishes, as well as pickling a variety of vegetables. The extra meat was placed in the freezer for later. Just by eating the food Jaewoo had prepared, the three of them could live for a solid month.
He was also planning to boil a pot of beef bone soup2 as well. A magical dish that could be enjoyed at any time just by adding water. This was something that Jaewoo’s mother had made many times, when she was alive.
Then they had a slightly late lunch.
“Hehe, lunch today is a beef party!”
Even though it was cold, they decided to have lunch out on the patio. Jaewoo brought out a small burner and grilled the expensive beef on it.
“Woah, so this is Hanwoo beef3.”
The lightly grilled beef melted in their mouths.
“It’s delicious!”
“I don’t even have to chew!”
The children were so excited that they practically shoveled the beef into their mouths. Jaewoo placed a slice of grilled beef on Hyunjin’s plate and went to return to the grill, but Hyunjin grabbed Jaewoo’s hand to stop him.
“Let me grill for a bit.”
“Why? Aren’t I doing a good job?”
“You need to eat too.”
Hyunjin took the tongs from him and started grilling the meat instead. He’d worked part-time at more than one restaurant and was very skilled at grilling.
“Eat up, everyone.”
“Thanks.”
“Thank you.”
Hyunjin smiled brightly. Both the kids and the adults ate Hanwoo beef to their hearts’ content. For dessert, they had some tangerines. Even though they stained their fingertips yellow, the sweet and sour taste was perfect.
Afterward, everyone lay down on the floor, their stomachs full. The unheated patio floor was cold, but with their clothes wrapped around them tightly, it didn’t bother them.
“I’m full.”
Immediately, the children piped up, responding to Jaewoo’s statement.
“Me too!”
“I feel like my stomach is going to explode.”
Jaewoo burst out laughing, not able to articulate why. Laying down on the patio, they could see the sky laid out above them.
“A whale! Look, that cloud looks like a whale!”
Woohee shouted. Sure enough, when Jaewoo looked over, that cloud definitely resembled a whale. He looked up at it blankly, and muttered something to himself without realizing it.
“I want to go to the ocean.”
The ocean during the summer was nice, but the winter sea had its own charms. Staring at the blue sky, he couldn’t help but be reminded of the sea.
“Shall we go?”
Just then, he heard Hyunjin speak up from next to him.
“To the sea, I mean. Let’s go, why not?”
The first to react were the children.
“Are we really going to the ocean?”
“Really? Really?”
Their eyes were sparkling.
“You really want to go to the sea?”
“Yes, I’ve never seen it before. I think now would be a good time to go.”
“Just like that?”
“If we want to open our own business soon, we should take a break now, while we can. Do you not want to?”
Hyunjin asked, looking at Jaewoo guilelessly. How could he not want to! Jaewoo answered quickly.
“Okay, let’s go to the sea!”
In an instant, their travel plan was made.
“The East Sea4, let’s go to the East Sea.”
“Where should we sleep? What about an RV5? I’ve always wanted to sleep in an RV.”
“What’s that?”
Hyeonu interrupted them to ask.
“It’s a vehicle that looks like this that you can sleep in overnight. It even has running water inside.”
“Amazing! I bet we’ll sleep great there! Let’s get an RV!”
The children were so excited that they ran wild.
Footnotes
닭 쫓던 개 – dalg jjochdeon gae – dog chasing a chicken. It’s possible that Mujin just meant this literally, but it’s also part of a larger idiom. “The dog chases after the chicken, only to be left staring at the roof.” It means that no matter how hard you try to pursue something, some things are just out of reach.
사골곰탕 – sa gol gom tang – Beef bone broth. A type of soup made from beef leg bones. It has a milky color and a rich and hearty taste. The recipe page I found said that in Korea, people will often make large batches of this when they’re going to be away for a while, so their spouses have something to eat while they’re gone (similar to lasagnas or casseroles in the US). Wikipedia Recipe
한우 거 – Han u geo – Hanwoo beef. A breed of cattle native to Korea, it’s considered a cultural icon, and its beef is very highly prized by Koreans. Wikipedia
동해 – dong hae – East Sea. Also known as the Sea of Japan, it’s located to the east of the Korean peninsula and west of the Japanese archipelago. Although Sea of Japan is more commonly used in English maps, there’s been an ongoing naming dispute between South Korea and Japan over which name should be used. Since this is a Korean novel, I’ve chosen to use the Korean-preferred name. Wikipedia 1, Wikipedia 2
카라반 – kalaban – caravan. An RV, or recreational vehicle, is any motor vehicle or trailer that has a designated sleeping area. A caravan is any sort of RV that is towed by a car or other vehicle. Their size and amenities can vary. I debated between sticking with caravan or going with the more generic RV and eventually settled on RV, since the kids make a big deal about how the caravan is ‘a car you can sleep in,’ which tends to imply motorhome or campervan rather than a caravan. Wikipedia 1, Wikipedia 2
