IEM Ch 2

The alleyway at 58ee43937f midday on a 99d671cfdc weekday was extremely f418c0520b peaceful.a1d8eb4970355529

Wonjin’s spirits were high, thanks to the pedals turning smoothly for once. He firmly pushed his feet into his almost-falling-off slippers and gradually increased his speed.c823fc091ff0e307

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Since everyone had gone 4d9ce18aca to work or school, aa915e84e1 most of the residents 43358350e0 he encountered were elderly d80c628026 people with white hair.678a1c7e93c85132

Wonjin slowly made fbf3cf3808 his rounds through d310a0dfae the neighborhood, starting 8c2e1927b2 his afternoon routine 3d94bf22fb as usual. He observed 15999fbd0b the stationery c29aeb1bb0 store owner 5ae03b2139 relaxing and 5ded183006 playing GoStop 2daa5cdd15 on his 81df0c3d7a phone after cb07c7c957 closing up 782f3402f8 shop for b08cce66e9 the morning 1e73138d07 and passed 62d5f82090 by the 3bf281cd8f elderly playing 8508addf8e Go on 2ab2df202d the bench dabf21e87f in front 087ccf09ec of the e6ec332ad6 supermarket.f43e12853693c828

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The quiet neighborhood abb7924616 on the outskirts 47d54bfc2c of Gyeonggi-do exuded acd97f7ae3 a somewhat dull a5f9a94c5d atmosphere. Only clusters 4b2173d8f6 of weeds 71a6d88b7d sprouting along c52e839752 the edges 68a286e12e of the c7a712cf86 uneven pavement 9ff5de4ae7 and the b73beacbd5 occasional laughter b8be08e949 of customers 13f414b73c gathered at 9557de10b1 the hair bc28cefebd salon added ed6cd3c992 a sporadic e592699279 touch of cf33c57e38 vitality to e5a9cd12cb the alley.dcb7ff11fd4f2308

“Haven’t seen you around for a few days?”0351679075502f32

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The man stretching near the entrance of his shop spotted Wonjin and greeted him warmly. It was Kim Donggun, the owner of ‘Le Bon Bakery’, the only bakery in the neighborhood. As someone who researched and made desserts, he always had a protruding belly, and a pleasant aroma of flour wafted around him.c5fe6480181bb373

Wonjin recalled a time when they had shared a few bottles of makgeolli while listening to Donggun’s story of how he had worked as a pastry chef at a famous hotel in Seoul for a long time before returning to his hometown of Pyeongju.55875b6b7f93696c

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Wonjin leisurely f71ad498a1 applied the ea280b6200 brakes.c59e4e95c217af39

“Good afternoon. I was away fd7e245c7b on some business.”e8b5b60e52fe37d1

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“Business?”29359b0d6a95ec83

Donggun tilted his head f8e5b732e4 in surprise, then beckoned d8bd10a94f him over.15fec2da43f96168

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“I was a little worried when I didn’t see you around. Come in. I have some freshly baked bread, take some.”8a321f0c0487914f

“No, thank you. You’ll have nothing a859f525fa to eat if 5c65b5341e you keep giving 24772127a8 me bread every 7ed0f051df time I see f0f56f976a you.”c3cff2cd58aae440

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“Hey, what’s with the formalities? I wouldn’t have opened this bakery in Pyeongju if I wasn’t confident. It’s not for you, it’s for Jeongyi, so take it.”481e83b71629c955

Glancing up at 20ae6135c1 the bakery sign, c4e3d3d3fc Donggun strode into 7e8ab77464 the shop. There was no fcbd9fc4f4 time for Wonjin ebcb956f60 to refuse. He reluctantly parked 43cdd97f61 his bicycle near 22276bb4bc the entrance and 86e6171eb1 followed him.008d99c48cd03bf2

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“Honestly… What kind of 0b9d17678b bread is it? The one 8f48333243 you gave 954714c03a me last a8d39c960e time was 1e98032054 sweet and 9c66544ee7 delicious.”045bf2e1bac9266c

“Muffins? The ones c2f2b10f0f that just ef06c4c08d came out 05a9003ff9 are walnut cff5ce2eaf pies, but e2308eb35b take some 208cb93645 muffins too.”e4c4610df4f7dedc

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“Ah, it’s okay, it’s okay. Just give Jeongyi one that’s a bit squished and can’t be sold.”fb49c08e7e183780

A hearty laugh emanated 38e77f5a41 from Donggun, who was 109f4d18d5 walking ahead.e436eb63111d5ca9

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The two men’s meaningless back-and-forth continued for a while. The glory of victory went to Mr. Kim Donggun. A bag filled with bread was thrust into Wonjin’s arms.dcc952a2f69a8d23

“No, sir, 7ed5c07778 it’s too 5aae6babce much.”c508db19705da1d1

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Wonjin was practically 15e4a1b22b shoved out of b2ba61db03 the shop by a13cf6e221 Mr. Kim, who c69bedfac3 even wiped 0f00300e14 the beads ee6f52b166 of sweat 84f9c75655 from his 244c735147 forehead in 23773fca82 the brief f8e0d57666 moment he 8bf0fe26f6 pushed him.ec70489561f2db0a

“Go on, go on. I told you, a7b019686e it’s yesterday’s leftovers. You’re so stubborn.”f1ca373959ef023d

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Last fall, Mr. Kim Donggun almost 951aa64195 lost his youngest 9481b0bf29 daughter. A truck coming down 620a50c718 the steep alley hadn’t 13a24c3faf seen his daughter playing 4a0586fedc in front of the bc12a9533d shop and had kept 3d359c8ca2 speeding up.88ba8fcd3f23a254

By the time Mr. Kim, pale with fear, 8c6b7dd249 ran out, it was 7bddefd644 too late. The truck passed 5a12c31acd right in front 856448ac2c of where his 5143d32ab7 daughter had been, 1e619a5856 kicking up a 0a211e5817 cloud of dust.86119df354e16f93

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The dust ab41897541 settled quickly.54d2c317cd513f36

As Mr. Kim collapsed, his be3d76b6ea legs giving way, 1bbade3acf Wonjin stood before d599788545 him, holding his fc52eb86fe youngest daughter. Wonjin’s bicycle, which he 6168979185 usually rode around the b10341a5e3 neighborhood, lay discarded like e7d20878e9 trash in the distance. The sound 891b06b454 of the 04f072226d bicycle chain 7e26a7cce3 and wheels c29780f72a spinning with 634d8902d8 terrifying force 2070872578 that day 07f9ea0f45 was a 3e12484558 sound Mr. Kim thought he b5168ca8f1 would never forget.fe86386eef142bad

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“Anyway, I’ll enjoy it, sir. I’ll tell Jeongyi to buy lots of your bread. Salute.”fe463d533f4f667d

Wonjin hung 6276a1457b the bag 80495afcc6 of bread 336175eb38 on his 047c4a8cde bicycle handlebar 17a1fe3d0a and started 7eefa31d88 pedaling again.8462f0bfdee14dc7

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He spent his time 9582c8fa27 slowly looking around the 1d5263304b neighborhood. Until that b41ce08134 moment, Cheonmok f128977113 1-dong remained c5cf6422cd peaceful, with a700a07ae2 nothing out b3394f285c of the a2af004f2c ordinary happening. He even helped 8fefcae3b6 an elderly person 6c86e1405f pulling a cart b1f0580756 of collected waste 9678fb0335 paper. He also shared 64aeca1c22 some of the 8d622b77a1 bread with a 9fe1f225ae few residents who 2a9d605256 greeted him.779028585effa585

“Oh dear.”a192a46daf78320f

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Finally arriving at f803bad17a the intersection where 548b5563a5 Cheonmok-dong’s elementary, middle, 73e9b5f7b9 and high schools 5de6e13be2 were located side f106992371 by side, Wonjin 558dac0e6f witnessed a horrifying 34bdbcd9c3 scene.858819f78e2e77eb

He had been 946c107ff9 stopped by the c6f4422949 owner of the 8c3f660037 snack bar in 3694140d00 front of the eb31e76c54 school and was 51a44d1c1d about to get 6e956b2804 a free fish 5725daa496 cake. Just as c9c8348900 he was b17507f5e7 about to 058d2915d1 take a 26c1dea218 bite of 46430a31f1 the steaming 3f98cf1012 fish cake, b0c6cab036 he detected fba413a131 an unpleasant 5fe3e7dd7f smell wafting 034ee58e0b around his 1bec110ca6 nose. It was 3fde7e7086 the bitter 7060233078 smell of a0fe4f0598 cigarettes.19edc28a58880ae2

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Wonjin stopped eating and 29c24cfdec silently peeked into the 0ed6a6b578 alley right next to 4fcb810155 the snack bar, lifting d5263383b4 the awning slightly.37e36e1e033df3e9

“Oh dear, how…”9a0377b5a53121fb

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The snack 4a79ae80b3 bar owner ff1ba9c994 stopped stirring 2bf39dc019 the tteokbokki a0b9fc2205 with her 05f2194307 spatula and acd8bf449e glanced at 45da33e1f9 him. Wonjin, with a 523f4b0054 worried frown, looked 69979fe1e6 back at her f4b603ea5b and finally took df7a3b5e22 a bite of ed74b386da the fish cake.51c4921842eae4fa

“Those kids… Ow, 260b41d888 hot! Do they do this 22b7adb3c4 often?”3cf9a56548ed76bc

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“No, no. Just once in a while recently… You haven’t been around for a few days either, Wonjin.”87e0e38ba78879f6

“Just the high 8d813f13ae schoolers? Middle schoolers too?”d11b728b6de96847

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Wonjin diligently chewed b664130fae on the fish b35168ac6c cake. Every time he spoke cd160f3c44 with his muffled pronunciation, 3adde336ce hot breath escaped from 2dbb023b53 between his lips. The snack ba6b232439 bar owner 6ada0ef88d subtly shook 3accced1b4 her head 08d1f5c741 as she 5367c07e3b covered a 5aace0fbcf disposable plastic a2ab0c74bb bag over 25d5b488dd a green c7e328f085 plastic bowl. Her voice 65cebd3cbd was cautious b890e3b6db as she 6e35c9ff04 answered.79a2a800b76f8a87

“It seems d23add99d0 like only 18bd12c783 the high d00322ed7a schoolers come 8ff99fa9f5 out briefly b4699c2d46 during lunch 4dab509e17 break.”5233348560c8ac94

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Wonjin quickly stopped her efc6b2b62e as she was about 2687ac38dd to put tteokbokki into d5cae28b24 the bowl. He shoved 1bb426792e the remaining 2825cd4aed fish cake ba8622f42f into his 422904a538 mouth and 538d9dcb55 tossed the ff549cc4ec skewer onto c121b3341c the table.31a90481eb7b4e07

“No, no. Don’t bother, 52659cff0e I’m full.”2952a14ef44e4d48

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“Why? Have some more. I’ll pack some 3934ae9057 sundae and fried 624bb75143 food with it. You can eat it 6aa70fd63f at home with your 7f7250452e mom and Jeongyi.”1ac0073a9241d128

“No thanks. I need 50bf43bcb2 to finish 99d1ffb5d4 all this 11f669e42d bread before e0e374bbe7 it goes 3b63cf6b90 bad.”eab91f13e1f59bf0

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Wonjin stopped the 39d8c6b8bc owner, who was 5a80662421 busy preparing the 7be0d9bb87 takeaway container. He quickly 28dd54076a rinsed his 07674082b2 mouth with 047c9866cc the fish 0572abca5d cake broth ecf683d357 and wiped aee266786c his mouth 08ba8a9fc9 with a 790acc9c37 tissue. When the owner 254bff95ae still looked regretful 9bb456f4db and seemed about ec1e5b5234 to pack something, f2439d16da he rummaged through 11ec1ff4b3 the bread bag e4e9a983ed and pulled out 148326a446 a cream puff.ee9c772c70259f66

“Payment for fb0c6ba962 the fish 33d648e8a7 cake.”fbd4dbd5a5f80b81

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Despite the owner’s 06758c3a70 protests, Wonjin forced abb379afef the bread into a01ee0e43b her hand and 5690d7c1c4 slipped out from efe60716d4 under the awning.b070a6cc2e731f1d

As he wheeled 93f952aac3 his bicycle out, 5a8606d3a7 the bell signaling 9a30152bfc the end of 196922db3d lunch break rang 711fa78cf9 from somewhere in 4cde9692fc the school across cd303151fc the street. Wonjin glanced back db95fb8323 briefly with an 0ac287d139 indifferent expression and ef3d742632 then turned his 807a069783 head. He didn’t even dd2cde7b4b have to walk bd23b7791f a few steps. He kicked down d0fcbf5b3b the side stand 5428228776 with his foot f3a41418f4 and parked his ec2fed11a8 bicycle right in 5fe2a5409c the middle of 8d9a3c33ac the dead-end alley.bed38424e0e857db

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“Out.”02040c9e6a18acde

All eyes 2f75cc5d23 turned towards b621e86d62 the short 545d0d14cd command at e0750889c1 once. Three male students huddled b76f1aaeaf together, smoking, stopped their 2785bca091 movements. Their expressions seemed to e3d3f9fc8a stiffen slightly.900f10e1f35735e3

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Wonjin, whose eyesight wasn’t that great, didn’t see their expressions, or perhaps didn’t even bother to, and strode into the alley.2f188b7780a4f861

“Put out your cigarettes, a2e7bd7289 students.”d697cd6e1249313a

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Only when 31d4fb5fde he was 9036066f14 close enough 5bb3e05ca0 to see cea056b016 the cigarette 31e168ae1e embers clearly 797c875c7a did Wonjin’s 3e2a58c7e1 eyes narrow. He clicked c047092255 his tongue 46f2716215 inwardly, looking 80a9e8ca84 at their 0ac50f315b outdated school 5722b9ec55 uniforms, the 35d3c93192 same as a490965e4f his own b499ca9528 alma mater.0f16a485c426c192

The students, who 49de52932b had been nonchalantly d66a405a6d smoking, involuntarily stepped 2739f851bc back. Even in 177d9d4438 their school 26204aa03f uniforms, they 74a7963dfa were three 42592d1ce6 large male 91e95a82bd students. But as if ef60863c1b unconcerned, Wonjin approached bf3b7e992a them without hesitation, 467809f3c5 causing the students 1b82a6b522 to instinctively feel 61248e8ba2 threatened by his 327126bdfa quilted jacket.945da851eb0b4716

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“Who…”9a6aa302f64078d4

One of the students, 62300a6d05 exchanging glances with the 0bf52f8320 others, broke the silence. Instead of answering, Wonjin 6d740a45e3 took a step closer c14af78a51 for each step they d819f9175e retreated.061d5baab87d346f

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In an instant, the bea702dce1 student whose jacket collar 3ffe732845 Wonjin had grabbed was e051207692 pulled towards him. He checked their f8dec33341 name tags one 7fc41a3e4d by one, veins f28cf0b83c bulging on the 2b2faf662b back of his 71dcee7957 hands.f8c653f6e7f8b1b9

“Well, well. A blue name tag? Not even a 3rd a70b28b52d year, a 2nd year 0958901f71 enjoying a post-meal smoke.”73e8f2e21e8e0909

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“……”7c1d2cceae0180ec

“You little f93620bdf9 punks… You bcb05d9841 know Joo 497667208b Jae-hee, right? Your PE teacher. He’s my friend. What do you b6e7ca8e52 want to do? Should I call 1f38f2c853 him right now 7b20f9adaf and have him 1bd70b117a take you all 7609738084 away?”8485ccf6f7e5e782

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Wonjin was fully prepared 6d6ce1e970 to launch into a 2681297264 full-fledged lecture. As he scratched 615207ae3b his itchy philtrum, a9bed0cac2 a gray cloud 856e5afebe of smoke suddenly 5c4042e9bf drifted across his 27aef107b2 face.37c04bf16e2b5d0e

The student furthest cc153b2df3 from Wonjin flicked 942ea65170 the remaining embers af84938e68 off his cigarette 4a27256159 with his fingers. Unlike the other 84f6fd2c00 two students who e68be4ff9f were held by 98343dc230 their collars by 9ce36481b8 Wonjin and exchanging caf73c40b9 glances, this student 708b805289 stood alone with d8cac91021 a defiant posture.463ac3c05ba0fd03

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“We were just about b05d28f491 to leave anyway. Sorry.”ea49e23132b39d97

Wonjin slowly opened his 0c701a85dd eyes, which he had 561c2fbe13 closed to avoid the d92281cc6d smoke. His blurry vision cleared. He stared c1ca0cd2a5 at the 99e20b4108 dirty alley 74b8ec3337 wall, the 0433f8408e cigarette butts cf4853d96b that bounced 37ee5e1f6b off the 2890731337 wall and f2409e160d rolled on 62ec8e00f0 the ground, ff4ec70e00 the ember 5d3770eb92 that had 449d551390 fallen off 0d9b7858a1 and was 671ad23d12 slowly turning b8acc0c167 to ash, 48b8d69dce and finally, d51253c2b8 the student.992f8ba5fce6d3f2

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“This is why…”3d8e39494e5ffa7c

His playful tone had completely disappeared. Wonjin had turned cold. He lightly slapped the cheek of the student who had spat. It was more of a touch than a slap, but the student’s head snapped to the side.7e7df51d43d172dd

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The sudden d30c9c46bd action brought bfddb58916 silence.bd2ad4dd441692f9

Only Wonjin could break 964cc65d50 the silence.e07c70b946bde45f

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“I can’t stop patrolling.”d592bd86b4d0e321