I Became the Lousy Side Top - Chap 98
Mujin lounged back in his seat, sipping his drink slowly. Even while talking with Hyunjin, his eyes never left Jaewoo. As for Jaewoo, he tried to appear calm on the outside, but he was starting to feel more and more tense as time went on. Eventually, it got bad enough that the old woman approached him.
“Why don’t you go home early today.”
“Really?”
There was still some time left before the restaurant closed.
“It seems like that customer was looking for you. We can’t just ignore that.”
Jaewoo wished that they could.
“So, I think you should leave early. If you were by yourself, I wouldn’t let you, but if that nice boy Hyunjin is with you I think it’ll be okay.”
That was true. Mujin seemed strangely less dangerous when Hyunjin was around. Jaewoo nodded and took off his apron.
“Then I’ll go home early today. Don’t stay open too late, and make sure to lock up when you leave.”
“Of course I will.”
The old woman smiled and gave Jaewoo a push on his back. Hyunjin, who’d been watching Mujin like a hawk as he drank, sat up straighter1 and turned his head as if he knew what they’d been talking about.
“Are you done?”
“Yes, they’re letting me go early today.”
“Then let’s head back home.”
‘Home’, there was a nice ring to that. Jaewoo had to force himself not to smile. Hyunjin turned back to Mujin and said.
“We’re going back now. You should leave too.”
“What, already? I haven’t even finished my drink yet.”
“Aren’t there plenty of places for you to drink?”
“Not with delicious snacks like these.”
Although Mujin grumbled to himself, he still got up and headed towards the checkout counter.
“Hey, pay attention.”
He held out a black credit card.
“Do you sell kimchi to go?”
“Kimchi isn’t sold separately.”
“Then I guess I’ll have to come again.”
Mujin grinned. Jaewoo should have just packaged it up and sold it to him. He regretted it now, but it was already too late. Mujin shook his head and walked towards the door, turning his head to say one last thing to Hyunjin before he left.
“Don’t forget what I said earlier.”
What on earth had he and Hyunjin talked about? Jaewoo hadn’t been close enough to overhear. Even after Mujin left the store, Hyunjin remained, waiting for Jaewoo.
“Let’s go now.”
As Jaewoo quickly got ready and approached the exit, Hyunjin stood up as well. As Jaewoo opened the door and went outside, he saw that sunset had already arrived, and the sky was turning dark. The winter days were truly short. Jaewoo stared up at the sky for a moment longer, then turned and followed behind Hyunjin, who’d walked ahead of him. His steps seemed a bit quicker today.
Before long they’d left the still-crowded marketplace behind them and reached the deserted hill leading to the house. The atmosphere between them seemed strange – even if Jaewoo had anything to say, he didn’t have the courage to open his mouth. Fortunately, Hyunjin ended up speaking first.
“Mr. Jaewoo.”
“Yes?”
“You said your name is Seo Jaewoo?”
“That’s right.”
“I see.”
Hyunjin’s steps started to slow down before stopping completely.
“Then can I see your resident registration card?”
Jaewoo suddenly realized what Mujin must have told him earlier.
His mind went cold. There was no doubt that Mujin was the sort of person to mention something like that. And now that Hyunjin had been informed, he’d naturally doubt Jaewoo’s intentions. For a healthy person in their late twenties to not be registered would be incredibly strange.
Jaewoo took a deep breath and tried to remain as calm as possible.
“I lost it.”
“You didn’t ask them to reissue it?”
“It wasn’t really urgent, so I just forgot about it.”
Hyunjin stared at Jaewoo steadily. Under the streetlights, his eyes were shining brightly. Even Jaewoo could easily read the emotions contained within – betrayal, and anger.
It seemed as though lying was a bad idea. Jaewoo let out a sigh and corrected himself.
“The truth is, you’re right. I don’t have a resident registration card.”
“So are you an illegal immigrant?”
“Kind of.”
It was true that he had traveled here without going through the proper channels, but that was because he shouldn’t even exist in this world to begin with. A bitter smile appeared on his face.
“Then can you tell me where you’re from?”
At those words, Jaewoo’s mouth snapped shut.
‘I’m from another world.’
Would Hyunjin believe him if he said that? Jaewoo still wasn’t sure. A cold wind blew from somewhere, caressing Jaewoo’s cheek. He shivered, but he couldn’t tear himself away from Hyunjin’s gaze.
“Please tell me the truth.”
What country would be believable? Or should he actually tell the truth? Jaewoo was torn between options and struggled to even say anything.
He didn’t want to lie to Hyunjin anymore. Not only that, but he had no way of knowing what Mujin might have already told him. Mujin might not have been able to determine where he’d come from, but he could easily determine where he hadn’t.
An illegal immigrant with absolutely no paper trail: that was Jaewoo’s life now.
“I was born in Korea.”
In the end, he decided to tell the truth.
“You’re saying that you’re Korean? But you don’t have a resident registration card.”
“There’s a reason for that.”
Couldn’t they just move on? Jaewoo looked at Hyunjin pitifully, but Hyunjin remained resolute.
“Tell me everything. Until you do, I can’t let you back in the house.”
Hyunjin stared down at him from further up the slope, his gaze harsh. Jaewoo looked up at him and swallowed back tears. In the end, he couldn’t overcome Hyunjin’s resolve.
“That person has no past.”
That was what Mujin had told Hyunjin.
“Because he was never registered as a resident, I thought he must be an illegal immigrant. But when I looked into him, do you know what I found? There’s no record of a Seo Jaewoo at all.”
“…Couldn’t that be possible?”
“No, it’s not. Unless he’d lived in the middle of the mountains all by himself, it makes no sense. Everyone leaves traces behind them, even illegal immigrants. If you have the means, there’s nothing you can’t find out.”
“Maybe if–”
“Do you really think it’s possible?”
Mujin laughed as he took a deep drink of alcohol.
“Yes, there could be ways. But people who have lived through those types of situations don’t act like that. Nobody that’s experienced rock bottom can still smile like he does.”
This time, Mujin picked up a piece of boiled pork and chewed on it.
“This tastes pretty good.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“I’m telling you that ‘Seo Jaewoo’ over there is someone suspicious.”
Mujin didn’t say anything more. From just that alone, Hyunjin understood what he meant.
“No.”
The Seo Jaewoo they had both known had died a year ago. Hyunjin had seen his body be cremated. Moreover, if they were actually the same person, the Jaewoo he’d loved would never have pretended to not know him up until now. Hyunjin had faith in that.
“There’s no chance.”
“Isn’t that just what you want to believe?”
So Mujin had left the restaurant, and Hyunjin waited for Jaewoo. As he watched him get ready to leave, he’d realized that every single movement he made was familiar. Why had he only realized that now? Hyunjin had waited until they’d left the restaurant and reached the deserted hillside before questioning him.
Even though Jaewoo had an answer for everything, Hyunjin still didn’t feel better.
“I don’t like lies.”
Hyunjin truly hated lying. Even if it was just a little white lie, it made no difference. Jaewoo had lied to him about leaving, and in the end, he’d died. He didn’t want someone to lie to spare his feelings. He’d rather they treat him like an equal and tell him the truth.
“I really hate them.”
Jaewoo began to fidget nervously, as if he was having to face something that he’d been ignoring for so long.
“So don’t lie.”
“I won’t.”
“Then tell me the truth.”
Jaewoo rubbed his forehead with his hand and shifted on his feet a few times before finally raising his head.
“If I tell you the truth, will you believe me?”
“As much as I can.”
“Really?”
“I’m not a liar.”
“Alright. Then, I’ll tell you.”
Jaewoo closed his eyes tightly, as if he had come to some big decision.
“Do you believe in other worlds?”
It was like he was asking him if he believed in magic2. The sincerity of the question paired with the absurdity of the subject made it feel like that. Hyunjin didn’t know how to answer that question.
“Other worlds?”
He parroted back.
“Yes, other worlds.”
“What exactly do you mean?”
“So, have you ever read that sort of novel? The type where a person suddenly flies off to another world or something like that?”
Now that Hyunjin thought about it, wasn’t there an old story similar to that? A story where a girl was swept up by a tornado and thrown into another world? It’d become so popular that even Hyunjin had heard of it.
“Are you saying you’re like Dorothy of Oz?”
“Kind of.”
Jaewoo was watching Hyunin carefully. It seemed as if he was trying to decide whether Hyunjin believed him or not. As for himself, Hyunjin was choosing to believe.
‘He’s from a different world.’
Suddenly, the memory of his Jaewoo back when they’d first met came to his mind. He’d been a total scumbag, but at some point he’d changed, and his new personality had been almost the same as the Jaewoo that was standing in front of him now.
A kind, caring person who loved to cook; someone who couldn’t just stand by when others were suffering. That was why Hyunjin had fallen in love with him to begin with.
As he remembered their times together, Hyunjin’s heart began to beat violently, and he felt out of breath, even though he wasn’t moving. Why hadn’t he realized? Hyunjin’s mouth quivered as he spoke.
“My Jaewoo?”
Had the Jaewoo he’d known been blown to another world, like the Dorothy from the story? Hyunjin still wasn’t sure, but he wanted to believe it. What reason could a complete stranger have to pretend to be Jaewoo and lie to him about that?
For a second, the property that Jaewoo had left to him came to mind, but there were so many strange aspects to his story that Hyunjin found it hard to believe that was his aim. He called out one more time.
“Hyung.”
Finally, Jaewoo’s nervous expression changed, and that familiar smile lit up his face once more.
Footnotes
장승처럼 – jangseungcheoleom – “[Hyunjin straightened up] like a jangseum.” Jangseum are carved totem poles which served as village guardians. So not only was he as straight as a pole, it also has implications of watching over things protectively
마치 도를 믿냐고 묻는 모습 같았다. – It was as if he was asking me if I believed in Tao. The Tao, or Dao, is a religious concept popular in Korea and other Asian countries. It basically refers to an underlying order to the universe which cannot be understood, only lived. Some other ways of translating this in this context might be “Do you believe in fate?” or “Do you believe in a higher power?”
