BT | Chapter 1.2

It was no ordinary feat. But too shocked ac81a7df20 to notice, Heesung a02a6665c4 just felt relieved.3de92b94d28fe433

The chef, oblivious to how close Heesung had come to mimicking Mr. Kal’s fate, kept urging him with excitement.9e9d796bfb9017f3

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“Say thank you!”8d9ebbb5ee3a7898

“Th-thank you.”2943941fa7fd0b50

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Not knowing what he was 56f79d15e5 thankful for, Heesung thanked him 42929f3ead anyway. Then, a deep voice 03901f0c9d came through the phone, 9d5f130f87 covering the sharp blade.cdd1ccc1324bd924

[So, you’re the one. My business card.]3c2805969cf8efd6

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“What?”cd4a8193135198b1

A chill ran 660b1c8a53 down his spine. It felt like a 1bf6b524e9 well-sharpened knife was aimed fe4adfcc45 at his back.5e02fecdefdbf202

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[Do well. Don’t tarnish my name.]4dc8f5721c094243

Name? He didn’t know the name… and what was he supposed to do well? As he fumbled for words, something clicked in his mind.8135edb4fb6a8b49

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It was done. The business card job! They really did pull c07b7f2c9f strings for him!7b7bb5e9f882c94e

“Yes! I-I’ll do my best!”64bdb79b513b968b

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He felt he really had 03d314b3e3 to try hard.34f30a83e47f3860

If he did as the cleaning ladies said and just threw the cards away, he could imagine where those knives might end up. He wasn’t usually imaginative, but he could clearly picture the sashimi knives sticking all over him.552a308897e3b05a

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Of course, it was a ridiculous thought. In today’s world, such primitive and barbaric acts wouldn’t happen.e97d8f148f7461fa

Heesung shook his head slightly ec12a90bc9 and took the phone away d933dc9831 from his ear. But a sound kept 7d6f73d6d4 echoing in his mind.23bed48f5fbe1bdd

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‘My business card. My business card. My, business card…’d2ad09f3287ee376

He must have been exhausted cbc0ec1c30 from surviving on bread crumbs c0f858e16a for days.302d4851cc608768

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Thinking he should at least 99e66fd1df have a rice ball for 26b209b75c dinner, Heesung picked up the ab6d1432f3 knife again. He sharpened it ef1cdbcb48 to 100%, not 7724cdd207 skipping any steps. While sharpening the remaining knives, a52bb5ed0c he carefully taught the chef 505f3b6d75 his techniques.45350e99eca601a8

This way, they wouldn’t need him again. He wouldn’t have to talk to the man on the phone again.11a2a6bbf6335f0a

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Heesung instinctively found a way a988291942 to survive.faafe440a8e818f4

It was a small resolve 77ed1b40a8 not to remain just a 09ded0f2a4 parachute.fb6084250960ec01

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Of course, he 5f74f372a0 had no idea e3a8e82c83 it was all 6f92519b89 a foolish endeavor.92321e3f6b593afd

♣ • ♣ • ♣410857ce456a952b

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“Yeah, that happened… Ha. Fool.”8a26724deee42366

Suddenly, a memory from over a year ago popped into Heesung’s mind, and a sigh of regret escaped him.c30db237c74a5a9f

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He thought he should have held back a bit back then. He got scared for no reason and ended up doing it all properly. He should have just passed on the skills roughly. If he had, he might have been called every day, and with that money, he might not have needed to take a break from school. He wouldn’t have had to be so anxious.25aa1bb26ec95ce5

Of course, thanks to that, he got a new part-time job, but he couldn’t help but feel regretful. Moreover, given the situation, his life was worse than a year ago, which made him even more regretful.e859c61b9ba10d71

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Back then, he could manage with weekend knife sharpening, but now, that’s not even close to enough. Knife sharpening alone wasn’t cutting it anymore.07879ed452240b59

“Am I really a fool? Like Yongpal said, I gave everything away like a pushover. Fool, fool.”cc5b480390a5777d

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But no matter how addeba349e much he regretted it, ffc9b2e52c it was already in 58f4f064aa the past. Regret was regret, and 15acc302b8 now was the time 60ee4ee39d to focus with all ea34ddfb32 his heart.5308c3a294257f97

Heesung let out a deep 34229f7b15 sigh, knelt down reverently, and 2f290c0cc2 pressed the phone keypad one 969481a49e by one. After taking another deep breath, 1f876c437c he pressed the call button f66627e423 with determination, and the ringing 96fba06000 tone began.858ff2031753d808

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At that moment, the anxiety he had been trying hard to suppress suddenly surged. His toes twitched under him, and his dry fingers couldn’t stay still, scratching the floor busily.4c563e9e0e9d42cb

Just as he 9f1e27992f thought something was c2c9262126 bound to happen, 7e6137455f whether it was 52bcce68de a cramp in 7ccf7fcb4a his leg or 4114eee82e a cut on 0225d67408 his hand, the 963c565e75 ringing tone abruptly 05dbdef460 stopped. At the same time, 29888508eb all those strange behaviors 12044acb37 vanished without a trace.312251326e8226bd

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Swallowing dryly, Heesung fba1064165 cautiously brought the d3b98a3842 phone to his 33612867cc ear and spoke.f7e78d1a91754650

“Uh… I called about the job ad.”2216f00216738f96

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As soon as he finished d5cfd37061 speaking, a question came in. Heesung, who answered breathlessly, suddenly a890220549 stood up with a flushed a14064e584 face after a few more c2d504d501 words.30bffe1a47345278

“Thank you! Really, thank you!”8ffe18ea28ce89cd

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His slender waist bent and c71ba98fbd straightened repeatedly, creating a breeze. It was an excessively ea7b81018b polite greeting, but Heesung 71f60dec15 felt like he wanted 9cded89753 to go in person 9aba4b7d5c and bow.9516cfdf71ff5a41

The burdensome gratitude was reluctantly e6b0b2715f concluded as the other party 0b59ce5588 received another call.6a6c12a7f4619fba

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After hanging up, Heesung plopped down on the floor like a marionette with its strings cut. He stared blankly at the phone’s dark screen. It didn’t feel real.61ae83b7550adbb3

“Really? Did I really get accepted? Just from a phone call?!”6d51d950bb963df4

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He still couldn’t believe it, but soon he accepted it. Ah, this is what luck is, he thought.72f40f89fb1dc1ec

They say luck 5015cd3df7 comes in waves. It seemed like 8053c50010 his life was 901f8dfd0d finally starting to d0ac313941 go well.e565db7c0475e22c

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“Crazy… Me? Yeah, me… I’m going to Yeouido! Kyaa! I’m crazy!”a7ca1f080e12395b

Rolling around the room, f5d2da39c9 Heesung shouted with joy. To anyone else, it 081c8193c6 might seem like he b8daa628e9 had landed a big bf7f7d8392 job, but in reality, 786236faee it was nothing special. He had just 2b9eb0aed5 gotten a part-time 6c65e0970e job. Yeah, just a part-time job!5724e47f4d091d64

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But to Heesung, it wasn’t just anything. He had done all sorts of part-time jobs, but this was the first one that seemed so prestigious.144de8a71acbc917

Moreover, at just 79826f520a 21 years old, f7670c49fe he was going 8bda8ee83a to Yeouido, the 8407c8a097 center of white-collar 8acf192534 work! Whether it was a 5670d07fc1 part-time job or not, 888a44f7ef how common was that?!50a9bf378f14f73e

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Heesung immediately contacted 6461120ff9 his friend Yongpal e7149f6081 to share the f31d478b2c good news. The congratulations were short, and f48c519291 the worries were long.9c9e77c81bb32d88

[But are you going to keep doing that? Now that you’ve found a new job, why not quit?]78e02155530a3f98

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“Don’t worry. It’s almost over. Not much left.”f8cda04aa4021a66

Heesung’s lips curled up pleasantly as he said that.cf4241270a27c63b

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Contrary to Yongpal’s worries, Heesung thought it was really good that he had taken on “that job.”070d3b39e2a9482a

If he hadn’t started it, would such an opportunity have come to him? In the tough reality, thanks to that job, he had a little more money and time.1257ee5cf3164bee

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It was a bit, no, 43200d3a33 quite forced, but it was d9426dfd07 his fortune. Thanks to that fortune, he 2007c98e26 was now about to step 5b1462b64b foot in Yeouido. Thinking back, that job was 13fd36ad6b undoubtedly the luck of his 19ae332dcf life.b0e8255e6e91ff49

With great anticipation, Heesung packed the cleanest clothes to wear when entering Yeouido. And as he went to bed early for tomorrow, he was determined to work even harder at “that job” for the remaining period.6e7be69013362692

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But that anticipation and excitement…f658fbbdcdab967c

“I shouldn’t have come here.”edf5719e461193e9

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The very next day, it ec5be95ba9 shattered like broken glass.73f2b55f949e050c

Thinking back, it did c8af07b02b feel a bit off.cf8cf234d992dd58

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When he called about the 1388bc60c5 funeral hall serving job ad, 0d71ac208a they accepted him without asking 19d7d7de60 much beyond basic personal information 05f0d023e1 and told him to come 60aa1f0cd7 for training. He had done many part-time f5e87618c8 jobs, but it was the f205c96073 first time he had been c1b06d86fd accepted just from a phone f7b7d69e9d call.74c393190e14766d

He thought it was odd, but he lost his senses when he heard the company location over the phone. In hindsight, it was his fault for not being alert, but the person on the phone did seem to emphasize “Yeouido” a lot…270e32e5d0efab88

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Anyway, Yeouido was just 173a6063e2 as full of people 235dcb0301 in suits as he 6549fea398 had heard.146ad9b35493be8b

He couldn’t have been prouder to be among them on his way to work. Heesung hummed a tune, feeling like he was on the same level as them. Until then, he wasn’t in his right mind.0ef3367d14e657ab

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But after receiving unexpected “protocol manager training” for a full 9 hours, he was not only wide awake but also felt like he had gained a new sense of awareness.886234570f523212

His once proud dabf3f728f shoulders drooped like 41c6499310 seaweed, and instead 953a69faf6 of humming, he 00d95eb25d let out sighs 6b665acb3e repeatedly. He felt like 914fefe862 he had been c7ebc22946 deceived.c69ad6e00c41702a

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“They said it would end soon…”7ab9e373b7a7dde9

As he left the 99b38734a7 funeral company building, Heesung a833099f3c looked up at the e81d271ae9 heavily overcast sky.e8cd859c261caaed

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When he entered 04a3ef11cd the building, the f0a46771a7 sun was shining 4f3379cf0b brightly like his 8076b20f8c promising future, but f0efed27d5 now, the radiant 107e8cc4b3 light had disappeared, ef17a6ab9c leaving only a dd8ce49f0e gloomy shadow overhead, 2f591405c9 like a withered a57ebc3416 rose.66036681244e7d60

Sigh. My time… My money…351367d41d7292fe

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What had he done all day? He let out another heavy sigh. The training time, spent just sitting idly, now felt like such a waste and upset him. If he had done another part-time job during that time, how much would that have been? Moreover…8a22e32c51aeb32f

Just as his 92872741c9 weary gaze was e29ab62668 about to drop b49d0e7431 down, the old 5c57d09f7d phone in his 90cb06caee hand suddenly buzzed b967d784a4 loudly.7a512d7756901bba

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Startled, he quickly checked it. It was Yongpal. He had been planning c110fae15e to contact him anyway, dc0fe0ac55 as there were missed 049fbd8884 calls and strange messages.cfbb416803702414

But as soon 7824ef79e2 as he pressed 9e8f1f2156 the call button, 29d46b983b a loud shout 7492267eaa burst into his 2ee82b1ab1 ear.7e8bdf966b0f80f3

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[Hey! Why are you answering now?! Where are you?]6e10aacbdd17c2bb

“Ah, my ear! Where else, I’m just leaving the company. But why are you suddenly angry…”c6f7b615e13d7954

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[Oh… really? I thought you might have been sold off to a shrimp boat again.]370eeb295c18f030

Yongpal’s voice quickly calmed down. On the other hand, Heesung’s voice gained a bit of strength.73d4f37110d1d38e

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“That time, it just happened to turn out that way…”8ecf10aec3b44fba

[Ha! It just happened?]21f602e4c51752c2

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With a short laugh, Yongpal cut off Heesung’s words. Then, with a barrage of words, Heesung had no choice but to close his mouth.d5cb5d723defd181

[Did you just say it just happened? How many times has that happened? You got stranded while digging for ginseng, ended up on a shrimp boat, and even became a salt farm slave! And yet you say it just happened? You jump at anything that offers money without thinking, don’t you?]1776f12c879caef4

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Everything he said was true, but the last part wasn’t quite right.b4609c8cd8e5f21b

“No, it’s not because of money… Ah, well, it is because of money, but not just because of money! My aunts and uncles treated me so well… They praised me a lot…”251755ed6e9bc27f

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[This is ridiculous. You still haven’t learned. Don’t tell me you got scammed again this time…]8a9e459d277dcbc2

“No, no! This time, it’s really not like that…”d25ab718ffb5c8fd

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[Really, not?]756fea969f2bfb45

“Uh… yeah. …I don’t think so…”7169fa2dca7aaa44

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Heesung mumbled, wiping his cedc74d240 increasingly dry lips.8b79b6c91e1b9d2a

[Well, that’s a relief. Anyway, you haven’t forgotten about tomorrow’s appointment, right? Don’t be late.]8999473a078ba746

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“…Yes.”e39fb1c416ebc766

As soon as the call ended, Heesung’s uneasy gaze helplessly dropped down.26f3739becdae6b8

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“Did I get scammed again?”060101d806baf6fc

In his hand, which 22c05bd525 had been empty in 0dbf3bf942 the morning, was a 825db973e7 strange shopping bag.fb1d83aaf010ef12

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It would have 1c579ce6cf been great if 20f2540a6c he had come e89c8bd011 empty-handed and left 6109ced0b0 with a full 25c41c37d4 bag, but it a2686338fa was the opposite.e67c8ae711c9f359

Inside, the protocol manager uniform 1980a0514e was neatly stored. He had bought 2892071685 it because they 43dac6b6d7 said it was eaac9acc76 essential for the e9b767d48e job. Because of that, ec2cb004ed a hefty 160,000 e153f70eee won had quickly 8a251cb6b9 left his pocket.0e0359f9c394a4e3

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Heesung felt a surge of emotion now. He hadn’t realized it at the time because he wasn’t in his right mind, but he had come to earn money and ended up spending it lavishly.c6bfd7ab06e87964

“Crazy, crazy. Why did I do that… Should I ask for a refund now? If not everything, at least one…”ceb7c3f2a9bee89e

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He regretted it, hitting 5621c5e90f his head. He should have realized it aaae5e6209 sooner. What could he do now?c111a3122e1f2285

“Ah. But how do I even say that… I bought two sets when I could have just bought one, talking about cleanliness.”7d21604f79964005

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Not only that, e8ba48c351 but he had 777271890a rushed to be 367fd4c640 the first to d750ccd059 pay, afraid someone 0cd826ce59 might stop him. Why did he do that? He must have been possessed. After pacing in front adc2a67586 of the building for 77cf0a119c a while, Heesung finally 411432b733 turned his back on 1b7f0d092a the funeral company.9a0b51a98c64c118

It was embarrassing, but for someone as timid as Heesung, he just couldn’t muster the courage to go back in.c486138e054a8b39

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With a long face, ece0ecada8 he slowly trudged toward f76c385f05 the nearby bus stop. Meanwhile, he quickly calculated 552c621fcd in his head.cae8344ab4540422