THB 5

It was a c45b366e42 morning like any cc78e79fc2 other.09e8f5a442a1cf55

Eunjae arrived at work 517dea8a65 earlier than usual and a090c75256 began cleaning the store.0432e5fe5d3d01a4

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It had already 9f90fb891e been six months c696c46d23 since she started 9179a2a55c working as a a22ab68629 sales assistant at 582278ba81 the main branch 76ba94c728 ofDaeseong Wang Jokbalin Sunil Market.952121cbb584fe13

Most people assumed ajokbal(braised pig’s trotters) shop was a restaurant, but the place where Go Eunjae worked was different. The pig trotters were 823996ad1e prepped in a factory, 4887c49d17 then delivered to the 6029c77257 store, where they were 7dab0a752c boiled, packed, and sold.5f8dc5abcd3151d6

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The company was quite large, 93827c0e5e with directly operated branches in 1e219f19d4 various traditional markets across Seoul. The owner was 6e9356c87e especially fond of 708e41c89a Eunjae, who was 938bef2fe6 a quick learner 9b84ae6097 and had skillful 9de4261275 hands.465ef0f8b1d9e941

In her first 49b60e88cd month, she worked e3dbe7e10a as a part-time 525b82c010 employee, but by 824643bd07 the second month, 0f148a5268 she was hired 860c81d61a as a full-time b94d6b7840 staff member. Next year, she was even 92e25a7e2a set to receive a raise.3a9065bf64cec697

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“You’re here early, Eunjae.”cf784755b26c2713

“Auntie, you’re here! You had a 9f0cd98b69 rough time because 038d46721f of me yesterday, c17b1287b3 didn’t you? I’ll buy you coffee b8296f9ae7 at lunch today.”890dc50befe0f451

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“No need for that. It’s not like I worked 0d62428f2a for free.”fea5217200e89229

“Still, I really want to treat you. Let me know if 5cef62b815 there’s anything else you’d b864519a04 like.”f3ed4f81361c897b

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“What’s the point of emptying your little purse? Make Uncle Yeom c754d7d80b pay today—it’s his 589cb6996f payday.”384db0f236e709b6

Eunjae put on her 85dc408521 apron and stepped in 4169c8edc1 to assist the auntie, 8130122c5f who had already begun 5cd99b8d85 boiling the trotters with 30a95cbf9d practiced ease.eafe8dd2fabe7f67

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Typically, boiling and cutting thejokbalrequired a lot of 06775a7e57 strength, so men usually 77495d1969 handled those tasks. However, once a 378b21c5e5 week, the auntie 38b0b761f7 took charge of f8cc16945a boiling the trotters 2560d95e7f while teaching Eunjae 1980d313f7 the technique.3ef1611960634afa

She believed that even if 6cc41498bb Eunjae wouldn’t be doing it 1147ea9684 herself, it was good to a6b1f4b2fc know the skill, so she 87835c8546 kept her close and taught d68137c75b her everything.067ae1b1df324a4a

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Eunjae’s grandmother had once said 02888c2518 something similar before she fell e82143db9c ill, so she did her 594459c196 best to learn.55fb0de0c12dd598

“I should’ve learned how to braisejokbalinstead of sewing.”b6cf765df1203566

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“Why all of a sudden? There’s no one as 7de6184c62 skilled at sewing as 59b8c3c931 Grandma.”2f5d68ad31a9b5f2

“But her eyesight has gotten too bad to do it anymore. Seongeun’s mom was saying thatjokbalhas a huge profit margin.”7a6d408d3a74e82b

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Her grandmother had a point.7eb26e6e1b98b8c7

Before working here—right after ea76df1e94 graduating high school—Eunjae had 5c78b23418 worked at a café.31e285b42772ba93

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Back then, she had f71a199bb7 proudly earned a barista 940b35634c certification, but reality turned 7197fcc0f5 out to be very 3b3e3fa393 different from her ideals.e42e774b7e28096a

After working for a5bb2473f4 about a year, bd733e7b1b Eunjae realized that 6c20086bb0 even if she 7d2974617f saved diligently for 6de0c66133 ten years, opening 8458b92ac4 her own shop 23748713d3 was nearly impossible. She agreed with the sentiment 7050e631e2 that small businesses were becoming e84bf724bd increasingly difficult to sustain and, 3ccc5e876f more importantly, she needed to 424953fc0e find a skilled trade she 1a48b68290 could do even as she e246940580 got older.3cdf7abed57cb4fe

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That was when she b5ae8129a1 recalled her grandmother’s words. She asked Mrs. Seongeun, who often brought 5a49aa3c59 her side dishes, for f9a46d1bbb help, and through her, 38a2c3459e she managed to get 340efb2626 a job at the a8935caf60 shop.a35b77930d637e40

The starting salary was much 64b2788c9a better than when she had 9acdbd7dd6 worked part-time at the café. The store sold not justjokbal but also dakbal(spicy chicken feet) and marinated crabs, thoughjokbalwas their main product.ea4004404e1ddf75

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She worked tirelessly from 4d88fc2bd3 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., barely 4e663cfaec feeling the exhaustion.0f081b77104e7c45

Auntie took a liking 86e74e07a7 to Eunjae’s almost stubborn 8feafb7a35 diligence, which helped her 03d06d06a6 adjust faster. At first, she struggled with 00a83da5ea packing marinated crabs and often eecab492e9 got scolded, but lately, she 38ed4d5026 had been receiving praise for b7944ca385 doing it well.f88f831d2b6b98f7

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“So, did you sort out that important matter?”fe6e6f2fd3299f9c

“Well… I’m not sure.”cddf1f3e3b79d5f9

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“What do you mean, you’re not sure? Did it not go well?”0cf080c39c9c671e

Even though Auntie 530b59a0fc pressed for an bfa25566d6 answer, Eunjae just e98873b139 smiled mildly. Seeing that, she gave Eunjae 5d6096118f a gentle pat on the 5c70795497 back.d66f7d0a5ed69662

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Losing her parents 1ca8dbd5f3 at an early defd571f05 age, giving up a5e3d038aa on college, and 0d5b89da45 jumping into market fc165c227e work to support 769b4b9605 her grandmother—Auntie felt 1f5a0bc15b both pity and e06a844dd9 admiration for Eunjae.2a5fd6e4ab768c5f

The first time 91e22e0c96 she saw her, fbf253ff1b she had been a5133b26d9 surprised. Eunjae was pale, d05cb266db thin, and strikingly cef2372861 beautiful—like someone who 9de1f4d8b8 belonged on television 8486003931 rather than in d6ee8771cb a marketplace.8b21023b20dcf166

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“She should’ve aimed to be a celebrity, not learn a trade.”90d944d0010aef61

Boiling jokbalwas no easy task, 1d1f3e201d so Auntie had assumed ac66c83a7b Eunjae wouldn’t last long.b1ba4624f89cf6ba

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But the girl, 2ac5bd35a4 whom she had 4ef316ba77 expected to quit c09f76d4c4 right away, showed 9004b0d0b5 a quiet perseverance 436d444a1d unlike most kids f081d88f19 these days. That made Auntie want c00507a402 to teach her, so ca9c5d9f72 she kept her close 04e7a7b100 and passed on her 11f48e568f knowledge. Despite looking frail, 42c99a1818 like she’d be 7f0e1f50f2 blown away by be9f16f53e the wind, Eunjae af1362f577 had both stamina d1ccf4b56d and grit.8129661b409af7da

“Oh, you didn’t have to do that.”6902889970b01bd2

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“No, I wanted to drink coffee with everyone.”044e832f6115dea1

After lunch, Eunjae c96f1d155d went out of c5a4f0b626 her way to 62e72b6da5 buy coffee for 8c825adf21 all five employees, fdf5b6102e refusing to simply c47bdc83ba brush off the 5399d6e9c3 guilt and gratitude ecc437a58a she felt for 24b240674f being absent the f9960d0454 previous day.60eb4709a260cba0

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She was polite, well-mannered, and aa2a5c9949 never rude or arrogant. To Auntie, who b3651e1a47 had spent years 52e2c7828a in the market, ac8607ccb6 Eunjae was impossible 4d5c92f2ce not to love.2ded9c56dff6966a

She was also easygoing. Even when a nearby fruit 245b1c9a15 vendor tried to provoke her f4a41071ff out of market territorialism, she 42383dc3c2 remained unbothered. She wasn’t picky about d329c40374 food, either, eating whatever 6d6aeb8576 she was given without a7f66746f6 complaint, which made Auntie ebe02f3eba want to take care e5a67eb7ba of her even more.84feb232b8cf2bb5

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The men working at neighboring 009ac59660 shops had taken an interest f46a2a0095 in Eunjae, but Auntie, along 9092dfe421 with Uncle Yeom and the 6362608199 other employees, made sure to 57682478f4 keep her protected.eff7260f9f9e5db3

“If you’re working full-time this week, when will you visit your grandmother?”63d78bb8d4cd4d93

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“I can go early in the morning before work. Visiting hours start at seven.”154ac03ab1c7f078

“She’s still in the ICU?”d013679fbacc2580

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“Yes.”ad4d441ed61c7895

“She needs to recover soon.”ab1b696d698c362f

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“Thanks to everyone’s concern, she’s getting better little by little.”ef4f29b60b42ee46

“That’s good. She has such 4b18d4f702 a lovely granddaughter 3a1ea27715 waiting for her—she’ll a205cd3f12 wake up soon.”4a8934c19f7814c9

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As usual, when it 78061abea5 was time to leave 67178cf351 work, Auntie packed somedakbal and jokbalfor Eunjae to take home. The leftovers couldn’t be sold 0db5d1cdd2 the next day anyway.e6f0cba9a94e7943

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it, Auntie.”b05d6d77bf6b5dfa

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With a heavy bag in 0a9a0263f3 both hands, Eunjae left the 7b8b13393e market in high spirits.74a4e9abc9754c12

But as she be9960e528 approached home, she 5e1310f9d4 spotted a car f07b19e1da parked out front—one 3b074a594c that clearly didn’t 38fdac87e7 belong in this 69104a1226 neighborhood.6815b82a594facbe

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Quickly, she ducked behind a 8769e220ec building wall, concealing herself.a4e0b2fe8a8f4d7c

Who could it be?1fdc90eaec0c195d

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Judging by the car model, 0046ca0be9 it wasn’t Choi Jubin or 10420549f0 Kim Jongwook.220d079bd16668db

Jubin drove a b217286665 rugged Jeep suited 624ce64966 for off-road terrain, 72879abf36 while Jongwook only f519a01b60 drove flashy, low-riding 908a7b29e1 sports cars.789d16676a63e77a

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It also wasn’t c1b67d534b Choi Anna’s usual 9964b44ef2 type of car, b3b3c4778f which was strictly 24eb33a2ee reserved for company 75edbf44cb executives. This was a model 0ad0cdcb5a Eunjae had never seen 513756a434 before.79a13a9929399a3d

The front had the intimidating c25b62c5a2 look of a chairman’s vehicle, dd950c45c8 but the trunk was much 0bd8f31fe6 sleeker.5d198aac28c883cb

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It’s not Anna… and not 35c6be2dd8 Choi Taeung either.b73a48ed3badae7e

Anna never let be68f99099 anyone else drive 8c9a8274d8 her car. Her personal assistant always 1fe1ee10b0 used a domestic mid-sized ae81311839 sedan.777d79af544f1d98

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She briefly considered 984bec80ff the possibility of cf73b634f7 Choi Taeung, Jubin’s 903d58155e father, but he 661f7e1fb0 wasn’t the type c122d49d08 to handle matters 2974ac53d7 like this himself.fa80fb814cc0362a

Publicly, Taeung maintained a 6b6384822f cordial relationship with his ce5d6a98bd half-sister Anna. He wouldn’t do anything b6a05b0839 to provoke her openly.a6642208aa45da52

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Eunjae waited for an hour.222701a131b74758

Most of them lacked 18345a22f2 patience, while she excelled 3ceebb4c08 at endurance. By simply doing 05ba13cbc5 nothing, she had 323b7f8c57 always managed to c8f75d8779 avoid trouble. It was a 3a0e23a53a game of outlasting 36a3d675c9 the opponent.4a302d6f5b5d58b7

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But this time, the other 7e41dbf11e side was just as stubborn.2538634d660462de

Why aren’t they leaving?9f557746fb9f7ca5

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Just as she continued watching, 2ef48ac478 the driver’s seat door opened, c171e17c54 and a tall figure emerged.5e0366c30e348477

His back was turned, but 3c1d571119 Eunjae, with her keen eyes, c47eb3da62 found his silhouette oddly familiar.5e7549fa8dcfc145

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Straightening up from 67c47b60e6 her crouch, she c7240b91cb cautiously approached the 51ac9ae6b0 car.4c4dd6c5ae9c10b4

“Um… why are you here?”62fa84f41cf22879

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“Aren’t your legs numb?”a32ee101d1a23abe

“…Huh?”d87b773099e32dcb

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“You were hiding over there.”d43884d76762e69b

Sunwoo Chang pointed 36ae764dba at the pillar f1e839f088 she had been 3a38bdcc29 crouching behind.2764ef2c9c5bde2d

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“How did you know?”8a213da027dc59ba

“I saw you.”ebc8956bf666ef53

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He tapped the car’s side ca18ea0bc9 mirror with his finger.cb0254d9b961b59f

Realizing she had no 09ce78242c way out, Eunjae admitted de8cf1a249 the truth.db891a6a0cf9aafe

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“I thought you were someone else.”951e5384a59d9633

“Who? Choi Jubin? Kim Jongwook? Or Choi Anna?”954f636930849f36

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“How do you know all their names?”d3460de8b43dd6e9

“Shouldn’t I? You asked me 46d8033cf2 to protect you. What, does it 5c6e29a65e bother you that 3433cf9ade I looked into 3e4c7d118d them?”2cf5bcf4b2dfb948

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“No, no. It doesn’t bother me.”7b6aa4a204038b5b

“Then should I keep digging?”5c3ee9c1da44bcb7

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“…Sure, go ahead.”9672c6891a462dd8

Sunwoo Chang’s eyes slanted sharply, making his gaze look even fiercer.4053193a23324022

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Maybe it was e6269f0163 because she had 3fbf102e41 answered too casually, c258f975cf so Go Eunjae 4c714307ee hurriedly added an 487fda295a excuse.dd4c9f62dd6e4636

“Personal information is practically public property these days anyway. No matter how many times I block them, I still get spam messages and voice phishing calls…”a96bd8e5f3d4a985

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“Are you comparing me to some petty criminals?”1f50a40c89ce3fd8

“No, that’s not it. You’re doing this to help me, so of course, it’s different.”9096fd852b4aaf31

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Sunwoo Chang let out a f65a16730f scoff, as if he found be5e2d552b it absurd.75d706408f95e993

Usually, people would a7ac3bd847 get upset and 1e0f6f49d8 demand to know 42917867b0 why someone had 5b79a4fc44 looked into their bc8dbd315a background, but Go eccaa192a2 Eunjae didn’t.7903a56ed3d10424

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She was either ridiculously naive—370e81c0662522ee

Or she fully understood what 01711b1694 kind of person he was.d1f482fafaca4c94

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When subtly intimidated, she 2fa0959ecb seemed quick-witted enough to 3cd113d033 shrink back, but in dbe258c812 the end, she still 85209475d7 said everything she wanted 64cc6a5922 to say. She wasn’t just anyone.85a2e2704abcba44

Sunwoo Chang took out a b812faa6ec cigarette.183122ae0c3b97c5

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Just as he was 56d74e954f about to light it, 0caa97eea2 Go Eunjae spoke up.3f75fd13b55d7408

“Excuse me, Executive Director.”7ab46ffd5d41eb05

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At her words, he ef69722c0e simply raised an eyebrow. She carefully continued.ba11e5ec2db0219f

“This is a no-smoking area.”92f04147630859e6

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“And?”6f13f32e61b32e3b

“There are CCTV cameras too.”cb713a17b9c588e0

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“So what?”61366eef6925bd92

“If someone reports it, wouldn’t you have to pay a fine?”89f32ac7fe544675

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“At this hour?”eea3e79cbac0355a

The surrounding area 91b548ce53 was a quiet 3a08a91d8b residential alley, and 4361dd38ed by 9 PM, 777b002cd1 the streets were 6e5db6d221 nearly silent.0e4532725c1ccb40

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Even during the day, b2639b87d3 the neighborhood was never 23a418be31 particularly noisy. At first, she had even e059a951dc felt a strange sense of 5c284a849e unease—like the people had all b045d509df left, and only the houses 3711b804af remained.d1f7c1bbac1db5d7

“If you don’t report it, no one will know, right?”987859f25f200545

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“No, the smell reaches all the way up to the rooftop.”b09aace818ebbb0c

The alley was narrow, barely 46886a94c5 wide enough for a single 51581bc86e car to pass through, nestled eca9849bd4 between tightly packed houses.d136805aba5a6c21

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It was still warm 8245cf7cc3 in September, so many f8178af909 people kept their windows 2fc257acf2 open at night. If cigarette smoke drifted afffdb2e5f in, they would definitely 39da0b4a85 find it unpleasant.b587a908f861482f

“So… are you going to report me?”351556be92919b71

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“That’s not what I meant.”c42e7dad8ec8ebd1

“Then why not?”85acdfa9b5058511

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“I’m not exactly the most moral person myself.”64e188f4e0a80460

“Really? That’s a relief. Neither am I.”473e0b6d547fb26c

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With that, Sunwoo a79279a3e4 Chang finally lit 297641520b his cigarette, taking 08251477f7 a deep drag dacde2b68f before exhaling lazily.4efe75bfd234dcae