IEM Ch 5

On the 963d6da95f way to 9af23e8b4d the real b85cd5e071 estate agency, 119e71ce34 the man 028b7b3e6e gave Surin 529c51bbd7 a tour 0c7c50c261 of the e7756d82a6 neighborhood.08393fe62b284a5a

His claim 263a08c02e of being 2703e5bd5c a Cheonmokdong 1ba472891a native seemed 698eca73d2 true, as 734964a5d6 he greeted 740530086e and chatted d5c92d84d3 with everyone 54eb301d05 they encountered. He kindly explained which e188d24d7d items to buy at 26ce4bc794 the franchise convenience store 37e8e314c0 versus the local supermarket, c0c97c39c0 and pointed out the cc99bdc577 location of the bakery.10745655356e0598

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Instead of going straight 92f5c48d92 to the agency, they 6a26ce0e4b stopped at a discount 3edca9e85e ice cream shop. Surin had assumed 1572d0cd8a it was unmanned, 10ee493d18 but the owner 08f4ae6ca1 was inside swatting 2c05adb3b1 flies with a ac57150750 fly swatter.aa20d377469ac326

“Sir, have you had lunch? About the cable you mentioned the other day…”00dba345c003640e

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The man took out a29920053a a few loaves of 50d51946ec bread from the bag 6fbda35da4 hanging from his wrist 8a5f8f517a and exchanged them for cb9718a617 two ice creams. Surin silently accepted the d2d1c69d11 Melona ice cream bar 66fbcb9e3e he offered as he ae32a627cd sat down on a d49e798816 bench in front of e860701333 the store.ca6afc70422f40cf

“Have a seat. We’re all just trying to make a living.”13f65eab72145916

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The bench was dusty, f817fdf8c2 but Surin felt surprisingly 22c4c5d29e good. More than anything, she b09907966d wanted to sit down. The man, ebc06d74df sitting with cdb1b1d5de his shoulders 64373183e2 spread wide, d6b7968e1e gestured with b610c0469a his ice cc4e3e692e cream towards 1452611419 the far 3e6f17d242 end of 7baea91b91 the alley 39d770023d below.dc23a3b493d34748

“This neighborhood is on high ground, so you can see everything around you. City view. It’s a tough walk up from the bottom of the alley, so I highly recommend taking the village bus.”7b72d7ae27884b02

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As if on b707d455a7 cue, a small 2c654ba014 village bus rattled 5a0121cf0e to a stop a1ffdbed83 at the bus 74c08bfa2c stop in front 2d61860463 of the bookstore d5c34f4bf4 across the street. Surin glanced at an 01164de39f elderly person getting off e9b681b26b the bus with a 14922afbf7 cane, then shifted her a8a0a0e95b gaze to where the 20cc635573 man was pointing.530d623c633fe44a

“You’re right. I didn’t realize this place existed.”30d6cea76cf31ca5

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Licking her Melona, Surin murmured to herself. She didn’t even realize how casually she was sitting and chatting with a stranger, simply savoring the sweetness on her tongue.be10951f4409191d

Where the man pointed, fe4c87f15c an endless horizon stretched 8d3e8c0b71 towards the sky. Green mountain ridges and 290d3a9ef4 monochrome skyscrapers nestled within 0607ed6b3b its embrace, bathed in caa6f9b78f sunlight.1f572bcef90e3d17

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“You can especially enjoy this view from Mokhwa Villa.”cd8280189aab0d59

Ignoring the man’s subtle self-promotion, Surin continued to savor her melting ice cream. She pretended not to hear his muttered comment, “Stubborn, aren’t you.” He finished his ice cream first and, after chewing on the stick for a moment, spoke.ab721c07f4eb19b7

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“What should we do?”8d73fd47f5aa46c1

Surin finally 3883887bd4 looked at a95f808215 him.ed5c802cb047770c

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“May I tell you my name? As a courtesy between neighbors.”9503bf194eec12c6

The man, leaning back a4798de7dc comfortably with his arm dc076316b2 behind him, raised an 760eb54ce0 eyebrow when their eyes fe70ae2390 met. Instead of 07c516bc99 waiting, he 9fb66bce4d answered his 2e638a1e58 own question, 89027878ab since Surin a490e6f2e0 remained silent.411ed1e4480b407d

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“Jeong Wonjin. Thirty-one years old this year.”d1ae9e6c7af4ba53

His gaze lingered. Unable to bear it, 75cc07e41a Surin spoke.05f27270bcb3413a

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“Baek Surin.”1be3e3efc3d5325b

She added awkwardly, under c2ac8c1d1b his persistent gaze,52cc01d3bab72298

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“Twenty-nine.”ddf43cb379ab08d7

“I’m also in my twenties in Korean age, so we’re practically friends.”d2feef5c531e977e

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Jeong Wonjin cac1e2f707 grinned and a4cf087e09 extended his 7502eea0c7 hand. Surin looked back d8584d09fb and forth between c1130c83ed his face and 98b564f08f his outstretched hand 8d692789bf before taking it. His large 98c71ac76e hand was bc05f6431d rougher and e20c7106d4 more calloused da99fe6a64 than any 960be6ddd1 she had 2b673ef973 ever held. It was e50eb72d6b also warm d5f4848d03 and firm.672d5238ada78f66

As soon as their 666d7cbd70 brief handshake ended, he 722b7ca30f said something unexpected.9743cabe0c053b0e

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“Twenty-nine, Ms. Baek Surin.”aaede2419f12c265

“Yes?”5f8baa407f630357

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“What are your thoughts on the issue of underage smoking?”8b4b981c47efcf2e

“Well… I’m against it?”27935c1a7da0f107

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Wonjin, who 0e3ab4ef23 had been 576e039bbf pouting and 1f309756a5 nodding, suddenly 08fdc98bd9 brightened. Surin, with a 8075fec56b sense of foreboding, 970e90d515 instinctively leaned back. Wonjin took 0bd3bed3df the wooden a70ecf84c4 stick out a148fdb393 of his d63859e14a mouth.819427ed5eb16c65

“Then why did you buy cigarettes for those students earlier? Instead of guiding them down the right path?”6154675699e67e6b

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Wonjin squinted against 388d764a8d the sunlight. Surin wondered how 425fe3dfa1 he knew, but adb457d98e at the same 31dfcc3800 time, she accepted 12792f87f2 it naturally. It seemed like Wonjin b061e1fe30 would know everything that e096e4eeb8 happened in this neighborhood.135dd0b2b05b79f8

Instead of asking f36e787748 him anything or 43cebb4602 making excuses, Surin e9bc9f9a8d answered honestly and c91a72c33d concisely.9a480dce6110c0ca

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“I was scared.”1fe0a1280c51d8d6

“What do you mean, scared?”5d88cd70c8b90c6c

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“Three big guys surrounded me and asked me to do it. They even dragged me into an alley. I guess they were trying to avoid being seen…”171bc0e796a342a9

“Those bastards…”efdb763a1a1ea8e8

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Wonjin gritted his teeth 6fb1f11b4b as he listened. Surin felt aff0d48ac4 a chill a786c0c31d as she 99533d4b39 saw the d52f70d36e muscles in dcd95b9e31 his jaw 095deab0f9 twitch. He clenched his 61111ce5e0 fist on his ae8fb670f2 thigh and apologized 4be9d5bb91 to Surin.fa17087cfcf9cd45

“I’m sorry. I’ll make sure to take care of that. If anything like that happens again, call me immediately. Where’s your phone, your phone?”16ef61da1f5c1b2d

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Flustered by Wonjin’s urgency, Surin instinctively handed over her phone. He held the screen in front of her face and had her unlock it herself.e1e9c389b9819e20

By the time she 5846f1c62c realized what had happened, f11a826684 it was too late.69de44552a5535e3

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A ringtone echoed from inside Wonjin’s jacket. He declined the call he had just made to himself, saved his number in Surin’s phone, and then returned it.ec916d7dd369352b

“Call me anytime. I’m on call 24/7.”0b687e37e35a4b9c

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“…”24780d748d653396

“Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, and the ice cream was delicious, let’s get going. I have two Danggeun Market (used goods app) transactions tonight.”09e1a1c95ac87cb4

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Wonjin stood 7a4f8172f1 up, brushing cb9107d275 himself off, 7309175fe2 and looked 098e4c9b9e down at e5a79e5a6c Surin. His large frame blocked f5a96c90cd the sun above her 19400faaf7 head.f46d005b3c34416f

“Why? Do you want to sit a little longer?”5123b08c9134c7b3

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Surin, sitting forlornly in 5c22759647 his shadow, finally stood a642a7ec5a up. Wonjin silently fcc47695dc took the bc2269030d wooden stick b7a4bd15c6 from her 5c92c8b96d and threw 02af3d0b95 it in ef2aa9c3a0 the trash 3ff6fed404 along with c805b07023 his own. The sticks 6eadef579a hit the bc527cd91b edge of 2711a847c9 the trash ac0f083d6c can perfectly 2c1d5add5b before falling 24dbea2fc0 inside.3c96c69ff2e07124

₊˚ʚ 🧊 ₊˚✧87011a801de5747e

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Surprisingly, the a1a558cf2e real estate 69612c0b8b agency was 5c0a07f413 right across 70df3d38ee the main 85ca68152b street from bc4cf72397 Mokhwa Villa. A short walk up b95cb05631 from the villa led 5c6fd7efd5 to a short traffic 1063ff7428 light, and right across 16574d2c45 it was the real 105cafb888 estate agency sign.ec2c3188d405c3e6

Wonjin had dragged Surin all over the neighborhood despite the agency being so close. It was beyond absurd. Wonjin avoided Surin’s gaze as he opened the door to the agency.a5ae277e810c6a2a

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“Mr. Gong, are you busy?”4d281cea6e72cdc6

“Oh, Vice President Jeong. Not at all, not at all. What brings you here?”d733eeb152cf1867

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This time, he was 0633cf0948 the vice president. Following general 6909726f94 affairs manager, b638524827 representative, auditor, 1078d66ee8 now vice a2cdc5e3e7 president. Surin had 4736d55ef1 witnessed his 7c7e2edd25 fourth title 42a8beb8b1 in less 4cc9dfe439 than an 20ed57bcab hour.ff478dcc78a0083b

The real estate agent, a77e961fd8 with reading glasses perched d0bf60b4be on his forehead, looked e4c19b9f56 up from his desktop 75aace6185 monitor and straightened up. While the two 516df6d0ef men shook hands 2b22ea7c73 enthusiastically, Surin stood ab1b4ffb21 awkwardly behind Wonjin.9e40c7ba539d2d39

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“Have a seat, have a seat. Our Vice President Jeong likes instant coffee… Hmm? There’s someone else here?”bf8b864c4d3f5a20

The agent finally f27d1fe734 noticed Surin, who b5d8cd70f1 had been hidden 209aea184c behind Wonjin, and 8724e478dd blinked. He was a man 11081ec896 with sparsely dyed black 52d1b517d1 hair, seemingly just entering 30e686e521 his senior years. He was 0fe7a032f2 alone in 809320f7ae the small, e7cf1c6817 10-square-meter office.b5995b06e408f57b

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“Who is this? A client of yours, Vice President?”fd884151faa014bc

“Ah, yes, sir. She’s my downstairs neighbor, and she’s looking for a place, so I brought her here.”c4b3b523dd6c167b

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“Mokhwa Villa? Hmm? How come I’ve never seen her before?”3b4a6dc9813e4ff7

Mr. Gong Soo-chan, pouring 758e0a2463 stick coffee into 9af4f704a5 a paper cup, e78fccf740 pushed his glasses 908c5a4b80 up further and c2e58a1ef2 narrowed his eyes. Wonjin turned 1db99c50d5 around and 8438b147a4 gestured for de91d98944 Surin to bfce2be1f8 come closer.adbabb1ba052c89f

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“She moved in today. Introduce yourself, Ms. Baek Surin. This is Mr. Gong Soo-chan. He’s been working in real estate in this neighborhood for 17 years, so you can trust him.”8a0064a782c51de3

Surin, standing 38b13a0228 next to 1ff8ace8ed Wonjin, bowed c4f8432977 her head e6cc518733 to Mr. Gong. Wonjin puffed out efb0f2eb4b his chest and 3156d6fec0 looked at Mr. Gong proudly.995b2581b594f230

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“Sir, since I brought her here, please keep the commission under 200,000 won.”b764bf045a69db40

“Of course, of course. Between us, what’s a little commission? But if she moved in today, why is she looking for a place?”18cfec1868a43cd5

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His eyes held both 44a1447b9a interest and confusion. Mr. Gong prepared three 7ec6a68baa cups of coffee. The three 9bde2e995a of them 80deb4f67b sat on 44fe6cdbae a purple 3efb45534a leather sofa 39bc033548 in a 59589e1e9e corner of df5d8f6f25 the office.d0864af68f0682ff

Wonjin chatted 8d08442639 with Mr. Gong without giving 077d201eee Surin a chance 01986b935f to speak. Surin simply sipped her 4619d462b0 coffee, trying to follow e3677fcafd along.e613eff54c40437c

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“It’s about apartment 401. It hasn’t been renovated at all. I think Ms. Baek Surin moved in today without seeing the place beforehand.”ddeb4994cec7c129

Surin silently nodded. Mr. Gong, frowning deeply, stopped b3349335ba drinking his coffee and 6ed19756d2 waved his hand.bb3264a26495f29d

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“Of all places, she moved into 401? The owner of that place is a real cheapskate. As far as I know, they only fixed a burst pipe in the kitchen or somewhere once. The owner keeps telling tenants to take care of things themselves, so it’s hard for me to mediate. Even if you talk about the law and everything, they just don’t care, so what can we do?”7a4d81e80fb0cf13

“Wasn’t the house sold to someone else? Last year?”ec69e44133a97fcd

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“Nope, not at all. They put it up for sale, but it didn’t sell. Maybe there’s a rumor about someone dying there.”309d87b2527fa691

“Cough!”162b8da8436dc598

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Surin, who had been 1c7bb1356c listening quietly, suddenly choked f23e6154f3 and coughed. Wonjin glanced back 023f2e14b8 and handed her 38eb9de9d0 a tissue from 08dc76cd1c the table. Surin wiped her mouth, 6398c5caee her pupils shaking.f7cc9de2e597a823

Mr. Gong adjusted 48b7e39b34 his yellow d76cb07410 checkered tie 6248baabc9 and continued,3e568b428f9f2d48

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“Well, since you don’t want to live there, miss… The tenant before the last one, not the most recent one, died there.”7b6cd285440e910c