KTSR | Chapter 13

Kwon Hyeongdo’s eyes sparkled with renewed interest.

“You’re pretty, so I thought you were just another dumb one, but you’re not, huh?”

“…….”

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The man lowered the window with the key and leaned his arm on the sill, holding a cigarette in one hand.

“Want a smoke?”

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He offered the lit cigarette towards Ijin, who turned his head away.

“I don’t smoke.”

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“Now, or never?”

“…….”

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There was no reason to answer such a question to this guy. When Ijin stubbornly kept his mouth shut, the man laughed.

“It’s so fucking hard to get a proper answer out of you. You really don’t want to run as an athlete? Perverts would line up for you. I’ll take off 10 percent. Even in Gangnam, few get this much.”

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Ijin felt nauseous. He glared at him.

“Do you always calculate like that when you see people?”

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“Usually, no. Look at me. I’m gentlemanly as you see. But is this place full of people?”

The man chuckled, scanning Ijin from head to toe.

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“To my eyes, you’re just merchandise with debts.”

“…….”

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“So, 10 percent?”

Ijin was disgusted.

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“I’m managing my life just fine and paying off my debts, so mind your own business.”

“Really? From the amount, it doesn’t look like you’re doing well.”

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No matter what he heard, that was untrue. No one here knows him. The talk about him was all made up, without knowing a thing.

Ijin felt his insides boil at the director’s pretense of knowing about him.

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The man, making his underlings look pitiful with their devotion, easily hopped over the bonnet.

“Jabni, how can you park like this?”

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The man who had messed up the hair of the skinny thug who looked at him like he was the sun sat in the driver’s seat. Then, he shifted into reverse and backed out assertively. It was so fast that Ijin’s body jolted back, and he only stared wide-eyed in shock. The man laughed recklessly while driving like a maniac.

“That guy’s front teeth are all chipped, so his nickname is Jabni. Isn’t it funny?”

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It wasn’t funny at all; it was just scary. Ijin hastily buckled his seatbelt. The man casually glanced at him and asked,

“So, where’s your grandma’s hospital?”

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Ijin wasn’t one to answer just because he was asked.

“Where are you heading?”

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“Why, want to come along?”

“No.”

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Ijin answered immediately, trying to keep down his nausea. The man chuckled.

“Let’s go watch a movie.”

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Even with Ijin’s firm refusal, the man replied nonchalantly. His car, hard as a military vehicle with barely any cushioning, naturally headed into town.

Though he didn’t know the area well, Ijin knew enough about the town since he had to pass through it to visit his grandmother. As he remembered, there was no movie theater there.

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“There’s no place to watch movies here.”

“Thanks for your concern.”

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“I wasn’t concerned.”

Ijin answered promptly.

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The man naturally ignored him.

“There’s no place to watch, but there are ways to watch.”

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“Then just drop me off in town. I feel like I’m going to throw up from motion sickness. If you’re okay with me puking here, keep driving.”

“That won’t do. Our pretty boy vomiting?”

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Pretty boy, my ass. This car is a piece of shit.

The ride was awful, and his driving was just as bad, making it torturous.

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Ijin glared at the road, hoping to reach town quickly as they passed over the bumpy, unpaved sections.

As soon as he saw the entrance to the market, he grabbed the door handle.

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“Be good to your grandma.”

The man advised as Ijin was about to get out even before the car had fully stopped. It was ridiculous to hear a gangster tell him to be filial.

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Ijin nodded slightly in greeting, or not.

The man didn’t even look back at Ijin. Only after the car drove away could Ijin catch his breath, realizing how tense he had been.

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“Would’ve been much faster if I took the bus…”

It was just a tired mumble, not a complaint.

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Passing through the market, Ijin picked up a few snacks. Jelly and candies were not allowed, and since his grandma had bad teeth, he avoided hard crackers, leaving only a few options. He put some soft traditional sweets into a plastic bag and carried them, walking for about 40 minutes until he reached a nursing home the size of a branch school. Since his allowed time out didn’t exceed a day, this was the best facility close by.

“I’ve come to see Mrs. Kim Ggotbun.”

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“Oh, you’re Mrs. Ggotbun’s grandson. She’s been waiting for you for so long. You’re a bit late today, aren’t you?”

Usually, he would have arrived on time, but he didn’t want to reveal this place to that man, so he took a roundabout route. He had to return by 4 PM, considering travel time, which made things tight. Anxious, he just nodded to the nurse and hurried to the visiting room.

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Inside, decorated like a first-grade classroom, his grandma was piecing together a large puzzle.

“Grandma, I’m here.”

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Ijin smiled, handing back a puzzle piece she was holding upside down.

Her clear eyes, like a child’s, looked at him and then smiled brightly. Her gums were visible, perhaps because she had taken out her dentures.

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“You seem to be doing well. Grandma looks better. She could pass for my younger sister.”

At the word ‘sister’, his grandma immediately asked, “Brother?”

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Ijin gave a bitter smile, pulled out a chair, and sat across from her. He peeled open the black plastic bag and handed her the sweets. A piece of bright red candy was placed in her hand.

“You’re… skinny. Yes, skinny… why are you so skinny?”

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Ijin smiled at her hand touching his cheek.

“No, I’m just fit from exercise. Eat quickly.”

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He fetched her dentures, watched her eat the sweets for a while.

Whether she recognized him or pitied his thinness, he didn’t know. Her worry was fleeting anyway. She kept chewing new pieces after just one bite of the sweets. Ijin, like when he handed back puzzle pieces, would give her the one she was eating, ensuring the round part was up.

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“…It’s quiet.”

Lying down, looking at his grandma, Ijin finally felt his body and mind relax. This week, he had to win, no matter what, so the stress was enormous. The warm air from the heater and the soft crunching of the sweets made his eyes start to close.

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“Grandson, your grandma needs to go back now. Oh my, both of you fell asleep.”

Ijin was shaken awake. The brown cardigan his grandma had been wearing had slipped off his shoulder. He instinctively wiped his mouth, although nothing had spilled. Realizing the situation, he jumped up after seeing the large clock on the wall.

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“Uh, uh…? Is that clock right?”

“Of course, it is. How sensitive the elderly here are to time.”

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Ijin was popular here; everyone treated him like their own grandson or son. But even their kind voices asking if he had slept well didn’t reach his ears.

Ijin hurriedly put the cardigan back on his grandma, then sat next to her wheelchair, locking eyes with her.

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“Grandma, I’ll come back in two weeks. Eat well, sleep well, and have fun until then. Got it?”

His grandma, still half-asleep, seemed to hear him or not. She just kept touching his cheek. Her rough hand scratched his cheek.

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“You’re skinny… huh? Don’t get too skinny…”

“I’m not skinny. I’m not. I’m fine. So, you take care too, okay?”

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He had so much more to say and wanted to stay longer, but there was no time. The clock hand was already past 4, nearing 5. Cold sweat ran down his spine.

Even as he left the visiting room, Ijin kept looking back. His grandma was doing the same. Her hand gestures, unclear whether she was telling him to come or go, made his steps heavy. He had to step forward as if trudging through mud.

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The bus, which stops running at 8 PM, was almost empty. He wanted to scold himself for stopping at an empty bus stop, his legs shaking with anxiety, biting his nails.

“Oh my, why bring a tractor out here when it’s already dark?”

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As the bus slowed down, the driver was also complaining. There was indeed a tractor on the one-lane road. Ijin couldn’t help but clutch his head, bowing it low.

It took longer than usual, and by the time he got off at the bus stop, he had to run another 15 minutes. He arrived in about 7 minutes to see Kim Jigwan smoking. Kim Jigwan noticed Ijin and acknowledged him.

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“Oh? You coming in now?”

Ijin nodded slightly to Kim Jigwan, who spoke with a gentle Seoul accent. He needed to sign in on the attendance sheet quickly. He was already late, and he worried about the punishment.

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“Is the team leader here?”

“The team leader went out today. Said he was going to a teahouse. He’ll be late.”

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“What about the boss?”

Ijin asked, catching his breath. If those two weren’t around, things would be somewhat better.

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“The boss went to Trebi.”

“Thank god.”

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Ijin murmured to himself as he headed towards the office. Kim Jigwan, who had a Sunday adult magazine under his arm, was about to mention that the director was inside but decided against it. There’s no way the director would care about checking the attendance of young thugs, he thought.

However, the first thing Ijin saw when he entered the container was a man flipping through a pornographic magazine with his feet up on the desk.

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