IEM Ch 5

On the way 17418da284 to the real b6d95dcb32 estate agency, the 32f13a8c3e man gave Surin 3e1010ec09 a tour of dc782912d1 the neighborhood.49c4b2a5da52a85e

His claim of 04837de6c4 being a Cheonmokdong 3abea1a4dd native seemed true, 07eed6a00b as he greeted 35f15e7af5 and chatted with 991e7aee16 everyone they encountered. He kindly explained which 34aee949d6 items to buy at 180db13b0a the franchise convenience store 9fdcd9cfea versus the local supermarket, a6b31960e7 and pointed out the 4158a2e520 location of the bakery.8a9a761d6bda127d

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Instead of going 85f18243b3 straight to the da9cabbdb5 agency, they stopped 1f05df26c3 at a discount 5328f44b50 ice cream shop. Surin had 15c7ed60ce assumed it e0d5d24f43 was unmanned, ab432d619f but the 986a96e3ea owner was 7cf5947a96 inside swatting b7d4ab2a87 flies with ebc67cb020 a fly c54728ec63 swatter.82eda37ac9c18ac6

“Sir, have you had lunch? About the cable you mentioned the other day…”9c3a8a21b06b8333

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The man 9792c10bfe took out 08759c6657 a few eb79fae031 loaves of b4303d22fe bread from 87a57e0e43 the bag 74b904c7e7 hanging from b62df51e90 his wrist 724fc22a3e and exchanged 617210d743 them for 565d26b733 two ice e3fbc155ac creams. Surin silently 1a455222a6 accepted the b93ba902ec Melona ice 4f44e7bd27 cream bar e612811d48 he offered 81bf5af2d8 as he 9339033554 sat down 14636d5b05 on a a338937c4c bench in 6bc31359ce front of f49bbaeae2 the store.d58c99eddde04f97

“Have a seat. We’re all just trying to make a living.”30b68a15b45b11a2

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The bench d00760478a was dusty, 0e4d78c484 but Surin 2a547457e3 felt surprisingly f6d364a371 good. More than anything, she edf6f1c634 wanted to sit down. The man, 6f2832ba1f sitting with 31c5c1743c his shoulders de6eb5fbcf spread wide, 2b44ef6ff6 gestured with c470551364 his ice d207980a40 cream towards b6b6f42828 the far 446ed0b470 end of 5b1a51a2f6 the alley ba8c3ed80e below.86b8d93d64a7004b

“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.”41800d99c0e94587

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As if on 4e8634c8e5 cue, a small 11498640b5 village bus rattled 72daa0b0a0 to a stop 175f71d7fd at the bus e09ff58b15 stop in front 7517a74eb3 of the bookstore 54e9cdedea across the street. Surin glanced at 7876b527e4 an elderly person 16f0eac0d1 getting off the 9385055ed6 bus with a ce1a8272b4 cane, then shifted 5b7f589336 her gaze to ffd27e7319 where the man 7e3603862e was pointing.c1c7055b5c98ee48

“You’re right. I didn’t realize this place existed.”6efa3b323d9e7998

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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.a7d7d80f6b163e68

Where the man pointed, dbb862a884 an endless horizon stretched 2547a46925 towards the sky. Green mountain ridges and b4116b7875 monochrome skyscrapers nestled within 2585d6830e its embrace, bathed in f96386f0d1 sunlight.cf098a90a95c1257

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“You can especially enjoy this view from Mokhwa Villa.”6cf34716bb094ecf

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.1aed84ffc7cf3f8a

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“What should we do?”90142f5343b7e2dd

Surin finally looked at 4e269f9008 him.35063f436b2fbffb

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“May I tell you my name? As a courtesy between neighbors.”787decddc60fbc21

The man, leaning 32d115f19b back comfortably with 11f723cfdc his arm behind cf0347541f him, raised an b2f9c6b4c1 eyebrow when their 9ddaf17fd9 eyes met. Instead of 10d1e8e69d waiting, he 46f5b00410 answered his 8e490c2b7b own question, 50a60f6278 since Surin 1925a6b665 remained silent.3cfdbadfd54b6005

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“Jeong Wonjin. Thirty-one years old this year.”f243faa9188a16d7

His gaze lingered. Unable to 680cd3e785 bear it, 8bd862ae9c Surin spoke.e4a0824b21e621d7

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“Baek Surin.”df00f9b44c958e4d

She added awkwardly, 34f356dd0d under his persistent 51008f7a53 gaze,505abf7ac0c7e7b0

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“Twenty-nine.”ff03c4bfba96cdcd

“I’m also in my twenties in Korean age, so we’re practically friends.”a1eea70da02c05fc

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Jeong Wonjin grinned 04ce4e1208 and extended his e90746ae44 hand. Surin looked back 1a57af3656 and forth between d8a335696f his face and 1b933cc804 his outstretched hand bbb634594d before taking it. His large hand was 93b3db7df0 rougher and more calloused 3bb34c6db2 than any she had db4bd77828 ever held. It was also 6b481d86fd warm and firm.2b36d7105720011c

As soon as their d215cae954 brief handshake ended, he b129f7b39b said something unexpected.8c5b4756b03adda2

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“Twenty-nine, Ms. Baek Surin.”3f880178b05c6b70

“Yes?”9a194495be1d3a3c

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“What are your thoughts on the issue of underage smoking?”0ee6b0db5dcea446

“Well… I’m against it?”7726664536b27ffa

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Wonjin, who had 0f808ac80f been pouting and 19e07d008f nodding, suddenly brightened. Surin, with a sense 5d6c47f0ed of foreboding, instinctively leaned 2d2290b649 back. Wonjin took the wooden ff6ab4b8dd stick out of his 13a6a6f51c mouth.d58ae2fc7690cc74

“Then why did you buy cigarettes for those students earlier? Instead of guiding them down the right path?”12e91de55f2cdfc2

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Wonjin squinted against the 12f85f8aa4 sunlight. Surin wondered how he 20275ab45e knew, but at the d5efc3deab same time, she accepted 3ac25d982f it naturally. It seemed like e335cc3381 Wonjin would know cf0fbf9089 everything that happened 5ffd7dc191 in this neighborhood.def8140bc4f59da3

Instead of asking him 112e6f438c anything or making excuses, f89f76ed83 Surin answered honestly and d1c986dd44 concisely.299b090672615ec7

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“I was scared.”03b490c86f82487f

“What do you mean, scared?”aa61da7d6a346b9c

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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…”0159f73fcbbaefc9

“Those bastards…”7fca4865ff8eea9f

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Wonjin gritted his teeth dca18fa552 as he listened. Surin felt a chill 1562c7b0c3 as she saw the 2a83471473 muscles in his jaw f10bb9f8ad twitch. He clenched his 60a59448dd fist on his 370f2bc93a thigh and apologized 96ddb63961 to Surin.0579b59eca77f041

“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?”86fc220dcaf4b5dc

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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.40f3bed2c4dd6692

By the time she 1602a3cfe1 realized what had happened, ac5f66e014 it was too late.09e1b30502ad4a40

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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.0b645cd468763c81

“Call me anytime. I’m on call 24/7.”538e09eeaa87356d

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“…”f2f51e125d082039

“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.”6443b1afd137fb99

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Wonjin stood up, brushing 3ba4d12462 himself off, and looked 748352dff1 down at Surin. His large 2f1a63cd3b frame blocked 59b7efa915 the sun 4274fe4c84 above her e4fd73de46 head.e7c2d6de25ea2f67

“Why? Do you want to sit a little longer?”672bc32e2f5ae191

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Surin, sitting forlornly in e0a4ac036a his shadow, finally stood 8ee0c833c4 up. Wonjin silently took 5178f2e779 the wooden stick fae35f5db1 from her and ed0929a5fa threw it in c05f28ba79 the trash along df535939c6 with his own. The sticks ffdfa3dac6 hit the 46d2cb9073 edge of 68437f63a0 the trash 698dc461aa can perfectly a7956e0b72 before falling 08ea0ab6c1 inside.92560523d540d39e

₊˚ʚ 🧊 ₊˚✧a7c529f2163f6bdb

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Surprisingly, the real estate b988f0601e agency was right across 9099eb2c53 the main street from 0162f6a8d0 Mokhwa Villa. A short 68b92b8337 walk up ffd74adb90 from the b1f23b7274 villa led 806b7abc6d to a 10a6b3dcd3 short traffic 05f61bcc52 light, and 7fa4583a97 right across 41e28bf881 it was 827b3905eb the real 67e3dfda5c estate agency acb521b030 sign.facae63fbcf4e5fd

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.4418f6e65b244daf

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“Mr. Gong, are you busy?”582b478277b833ca

“Oh, Vice President Jeong. Not at all, not at all. What brings you here?”114997fed7dbe75f

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This time, he 2bcf4aedca was the vice 4ce74880a5 president. Following general 91a8949d2f affairs manager, 1e8f4ecefa representative, auditor, d579499567 now vice 49bfbedd14 president. Surin had a6e0402adc witnessed his 03618449e1 fourth title 727ae1dd6b in less 8010df0bf8 than an 9597b2b6ab hour.4650263b5fa57869

The real 63542c0174 estate agent, d7756d3aac with reading 5f5b3d6171 glasses perched 87ec8d5fb3 on his bf698170a7 forehead, looked b8352c2abe up from 6c8bfca7cb his desktop 9de048421e monitor and 4750cf8c01 straightened up. While the two d3f4e63ca2 men shook hands 9f3408039d enthusiastically, Surin stood c6dae688d8 awkwardly behind Wonjin.6d3e7a0a13d05096

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“Have a seat, have a seat. Our Vice President Jeong likes instant coffee… Hmm? There’s someone else here?”31623b085970c6a2

The agent finally noticed ed28a97891 Surin, who had been 57b550bc23 hidden behind Wonjin, and 3342389953 blinked. He was a man cd025036da with sparsely dyed black 507af6778f hair, seemingly just entering e327f946ad his senior years. He was alone 6fcaff0de7 in the small, 73ce8367e7 10-square-meter office.578aadb2aa40fea4

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“Who is this? A client of yours, Vice President?”967033bee0a3c723

“Ah, yes, sir. She’s my downstairs neighbor, and she’s looking for a place, so I brought her here.”5af03e2eb2fd267a

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“Mokhwa Villa? Hmm? How come I’ve never seen her before?”50ec0a3da8d25799

Mr. Gong Soo-chan, pouring 65ba58299e stick coffee into f98bb37ee6 a paper cup, e3e008b996 pushed his glasses b185fccdac up further and 62bd106d0f narrowed his eyes. Wonjin turned around and ce55bd0e11 gestured for Surin to 3c861e5086 come closer.3bb81c5ba2f85c27

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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.”77621e96cae7cda2

Surin, standing next b55a497a64 to Wonjin, bowed 6b542059d3 her head to 23d42ca6ec Mr. Gong. Wonjin puffed 751f2930a3 out his 3ca0a8d10b chest and bcfb3dd311 looked at 6e084250cf Mr. Gong proudly.0f3ca73b75207fe1

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“Sir, since I brought her here, please keep the commission under 200,000 won.”e2ddc68e92535dfa

“Of course, of course. Between us, what’s a little commission? But if she moved in today, why is she looking for a place?”b8da456289b99aa4

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His eyes held 3397481b38 both interest and ac44e3f78c confusion. Mr. Gong prepared three 10b55fde60 cups of coffee. The three 090f841b4f of them daf93e1579 sat on b3a12bca43 a purple 34b7d8e121 leather sofa 230b17ea20 in a 14991f7986 corner of 1d3f30e0c7 the office.235f8a48ed90a8ea

Wonjin chatted with fde50b1748 Mr. Gong without giving 7c529261ad Surin a chance 6b6a5a6da1 to speak. Surin simply db44ba30f0 sipped her 623cc57bd2 coffee, trying e73a8728f3 to follow b425a7f4c8 along.6c54a57e22aee2ec

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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.”b22ae7783befe935

Surin silently nodded. Mr. Gong, frowning deeply, d39a3f6831 stopped drinking his 640f9b647f coffee and waved 57d25759f0 his hand.1b7eb02b1a75c491

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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?”a76def4ec2ed579e

“Wasn’t the house sold to someone else? Last year?”c6c976dad8ad461c

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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.”fbeded4776b33cf2

“Cough!”be1f15b7173c7588

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Surin, who d0f21a90d1 had been fa2248e89f listening quietly, fc20a32ee0 suddenly choked f4ec1e3f1d and coughed. Wonjin glanced back 6ff606fd73 and handed her 42f415a722 a tissue from ac04eac472 the table. Surin wiped her 48e7c56bcd mouth, her pupils 0738d5083f shaking.35a05cc34fb2e72d

Mr. Gong adjusted his yellow 4ba8c4472d checkered tie and continued,6b6ccc5390c3f898

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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.”a82d57a04f1fe576