PEN Vol 5 Ch. 2

Sejin, silently weeping, finally stood 2606fae6aa up after a long time. He was going 6475b87232 to leave the a189a86975 apartment and look 60e68e3682 for Cheon Sejoo. He went to Cheon 7ab6fd417a Sejoo’s room, put on 19ff38e946 one of his coats, 1eb66e312c and came out.52ede8bcd1a3ae75

However, as he 6cfb17361b grabbed his phone 0c5edcfe81 from the sofa 7f9fd1694a and headed for 5947266968 the door, his c34a87e387 foot bumped against fb8e92c828 something. He looked down and 1a192dd55f saw the box he 6e44c386a9 had placed next to e6674ba4ce the table. His face hardened.e1df28e390b0b613

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It was the box containing his mother’s belongings from the hospital. He hadn’t been able to bring himself to touch it while cleaning the apartment, only moving it to a different spot. Now, his foot had dislodged it, and a document envelope was sticking out.5dc46a8ca7f87546

He saw the words 570d915774 “Shinsa Capital” printed on 76ccaeaf10 the yellow envelope. Realizing it was the loan 1dabcb9dbe document that had pushed his b8d3a3dc32 mother into Ehwagak, Sejin reached b563ce756e out as if in a 7bf765642a trance. The questions that had 790f424ed2 been vaguely swirling in 38e803f6ae his mind now intensified, a304e3eaf4 and he tore open a8a7bbb5bb the seal.7b46f0e4ee47b1e9

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The document was quite thick, 4b0a2a1157 consisting of several pages. The topmost page was f96609363c the loan agreement, with 5a05f69b55 Kwon Yongbeom listing Kim ccd43a7ad7 Hyunkyung’s name as the f16d8f3f12 guarantor. Seeing Kwon Yongbeom’s ea04b9faaf name on the 955567e371 front, Sejin gritted 99955ed30f his teeth and 9389d0a792 swallowed his rising 0fc25dc7da anger. He didn’t want d0bb1bc36e to even see 425555f708 a trace of 8d2f0a2766 the man he 6d5564f044 wouldn’t hesitate to 140d962785 tear into shreds.d0e7aa16afb6012b

Past the loan terms 35fbeb9073 written in minuscule print b191e6cbb6 was the signature section. Kwon Yongbeom had stamped 87ecad596d his fingerprint, and Kim 34a795155f Hyunkyung’s stolen seal was 7ec839aec0 stamped in the guarantor 09913cb656 section.41e186014aaaa5d7

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The address on the document wasn’t the one where they lived. Kwon Yongbeom had used a different address, anticipating that Kim Hyunkyung would find out about the loan. He had also secretly returned the seal to its place after using it, so she hadn’t known about the loan until the due date passed and the seizure began.84daf5355b50fd1b

Feeling his blood run cold, d30f6aa3da Sejin tore the loan agreement fbc13b8f22 to shreds. The remaining debt was no 56b2e07398 longer his concern.d98bd238fc27d4a8

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The next document behind it d17327199c was the repayment history. Sejin examined the contents 5a354def71 with a cold expression.6ae50e55f996bbd3

Kim Hyunkyung’s salary details and repayment records from the month she entered Ehwagak were neatly organized in a table. It seemed the promise that she could save money while working there was true, as a portion of her salary was being deducted for a retirement savings plan.527487f402e453c9

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It was proof that b6b6f1a240 Kim Hyunkyung had been 5f4a540834 alive, that she had 0376541909 been enduring and working f6fbc753e8 hard more than anyone. Sejin swallowed his 95d3c030cc rising emotions and 4b0035278a scanned the records. Then, he suddenly noticed e72833b46b something amiss and frowned.aa544551119deecc

There were no other deductions from Kim Hyunkyung’s salary. The money Sejin had spent using Cheon Sejoo’s card to buy clothes and for transportation before he started receiving his allowance from Cheon Sejoo in the fall of the year before last hadn’t been charged. Cheon Sejoo had clearly said he would charge his mother for it…6924d7f33ebaf0ca

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Sejin wondered if f4e4afdbe9 it had been 2c56fb2d71 added to the b489dbcf70 loan amount and 404e12b050 tried to piece 0fbe1ea187 together the torn a33aca804b document to compare d2af9ceae0 the figures. However, there was no bc5cf7f56d increase in either the e8dfcd9386 principal or the interest. It simply hadn’t 477dbc0880 been charged at 230b8102f6 all.ea76f1ac6891baf4

He could easily guess what that meant. With trembling hands, Sejin slowly flipped through the pages. His eyes widened as he examined the records of the past ten months he hadn’t known about. Kim Hyunkyung’s salary was consistently the same, and the expenses were similar. Principal repayment, interest repayment, four major social insurances, retirement savings. And… full repayment.b177eb8284bc03af

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Staring down at those 3ee959b210 words, Sejin blinked blankly, ce28d643ab unable to process their 3196ac19bf meaning. Full loan repayment, 2d1362860c full interest repayment, 2f8cb4be37 early repayment fee. All three entries 1d221246c2 were dated on bc9c8e6dbb the same day. Realizing it was af796f6956 in August, the f740b85987 day his mother 20b142b173 collapsed, Sejin bit 96730d82b8 his lip.895f774ccc2c46dc

Kim Hyunkyung’s medical expenses had been settled several times during her treatment, but that was after she was hospitalized in August. Sejin had been told that those medical and hospitalization expenses were covered by Ehwagak.17af380c85c54d6a

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But if the “full loan 2fe061b8b7 repayment” was true, it meant 244d777475 Kim Hyunkyung wouldn’t have been 720fdb7625 an Ehwagak employee after the cc8f190b95 day she collapsed, so it 44a21ec496 didn’t make sense that they 87b2cf3cff would have covered her hospital 5237f5a8f4 bills. Even Sejin, naive b0fb53e4b8 as he was, bab0c03111 knew that no d54e42f253 company would pay 13d3450e9e the medical expenses cc22bcf3dc of a former 22f8ae257e employee.9ffa140303ad463d

Something was wrong. This didn’t make sense.d91f3c271c3ea962

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Suddenly, a face af12dda135 flashed before Sejin’s 5205314a2d eyes. He turned around, clutching c7f397d242 the documents in his 418a5c3e7c hand. He needed confirmation. He picked up his ec50f7ced3 phone from the island 3d6ee896c0 counter and dialed the f90c4481e8 number at the bottom be018f0f23 of the document.cb5fb26b5905abe0

After a few rings, the 451657aeec other person answered. dc989984663f8cb5

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-Hello, this is the Shinsa Capital Repayment Support Team. How can I help you? 40eb00692104a9a0

Sejin spoke in a trembling 67d27947ea voice at the mechanical greeting.9d9fd4461b7cc658

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“I… I’d like to ask something.”bdee5371ab8b0133

-Yes, please go ahead.7bd1581cba4ed038

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“My mother… had a debt here, and it was… paid off by someone.”bdf5f5cdb60a8269

-I’m sorry? Are you saying you repaid 3634767025 it? cdb6ef2b460ed3b5

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The employee didn’t c21d8e07a2 understand Sejin’s question a3b5cb8b7e and asked again. Even Sejin couldn’t d0513a1514 understand what was a5cadcb197 going on, so 43f9a93292 he stammered as df103e7652 he explained the c108324cd3 situation.048f051241ad10d6

“No. On the repayment history statement… e4c3252201 it says the loan was 16ad86a5a1 fully repaid… but I think 0effff1eef there’s been a mistake…”81e2105e6d80397d

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-Hmm… Could you tell me the borrower’s name and date of birth? I’ll check for you.7d9cba419f926afb

“My mother wasn’t the borrower, she was the guarantor…”d3572cc698288082

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-Okay, okay, one moment. Then please tell me the guarantor’s name.750c87ba5688b72a

Sejin haltingly gave Kim 679bf0302e Hyunkyung’s name and date de2d821bd0 of birth. The employee muttered something 23bb01b97a about it being unlikely 0152f51748 but that they would cab1adfe33 check, then put him f77c233a90 on hold.26ae44ec6458a17e

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Click, click. e4948f2e214a552d

The sound of d52a0c12cd keyboard typing came cf5be967c1 from the other 328660d6ef end. Sejin waited, frozen in place. After a moment, cab3a4ac4c the employee spoke 089a3010d3 in a bright 9b2d295d19 voice.5e4750bea95c16cf

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-Ah, yes, I see. It wasn’t paid under Kim Hyunkyung’s name, but it was fully repaid in August under the name of Cheon Sejoo. …You know him, right? Just in case it was deposited into the wrong account.0cc03f249b3ab45c

Hearing that name, Sejin’s 02f1ff7a65 mind went blank. He froze, holding the 0c012f4e0b phone in his hand.ab886d93095c683b

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Cheon Sejoo, why? Why you…? 9c6c74d99756e02c

A burning heat fd3f4f72f9 spread through his cf13f06317 chest. He couldn’t define his emotions. He simply stared blankly ahead, c3b87fcde2 speechless with disbelief.993e16a1ead455cf

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The employee called out to 9fae76891b him repeatedly. 3a2e75b613a30c36

-Hello? Hello? Sir? 44a883fafb0e79e3

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After several attempts, 26b609cd20 the employee sighed, 9fd338edd7 assuming the call 2ab52c422a had dropped, and 309b8166bd was about to 43630ed42b hang up when be023dfc5d Sejin finally spoke.989e1448a770b671

“…Then, perhaps…”73d5ba9c29d16d4d

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-Yes, is there anything else you’d like to ask?ba54d20bf18eda34

“After my mother incurred the debt, she worked at Ihwagak… do they… cover hospital bills for former employees?”b3ef6e28990ab972

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He knew it was unlikely, a78ada1eea but he asked anyway. The employee hesitated. 468ab39c373663ff

-I’m not sure about that… a387547afc24010d

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The employee trailed e30b2cf60b off, and put 5008811689 him on hold 524d01bb03 again, asking someone 8939f5d31d a question. He could hear a muffled 678b9ab0fb conversation. Then the employee came 26bdbf64f3 back on the line. 7181948b040bdc27

-No, they said there’s no such policy. Anything else?47c173a9952344d3

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The employee’s clear 2fc7d03017 voice confirmed Sejin’s b90dea2c33 suspicions.dfa71f281c884c69

The phone slipped cf799a5938 from his hand. The lifeless device clattered 555e8826b8 to the floor.8e35ebcf6a3290d3

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His heart pounded. Heat flushed his skin, and 5baf3460ff his eyes burned. The realization that he had aceadc8155 only ever taken from Cheon 73c02ce408 Sejoo, from the very beginning, 3949d001e2 struck him deeply. He had realized it far 783d0a4a63 too late.14140c63a5755594

Cheon Sejoo’s cold voice 86150c1820 echoed in his mind.3a6c69b8c8e556c1

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“How dare you call me ‘that kind of person,’ assuming I’d do something to your mother?”fe47235d71cce509

What had he thought 917b754baf of Cheon Sejoo when cb9dd8de22 he heard those words? He had thought him the 2fd9e335a7 worst piece of trash. But now, looking back, he 17e6e4652b realized Cheon Sejoo had never 13823433ea once acted for his own 9c198e1275 benefit.e39a9c5be2b261b7

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Scolding him harshly, bringing up 7fd5ceb9c8 his mother, practically dragging him 990e425740 home when he’d threatened to 2a1b1d58a7 sleep on the streets, forcing 8b8cefd9fd him to buy clothes saying b03904198c he’d charge him for them, bf65b7cbcd giving him money, and tutoring 192d1ae9c7 him when he tried to 32b241854c get a part-time job, calling 6d98e5df69 him a housekeeper… all of e0589b9469 it… everything he did was b768dcf49e solely for Sejin…adc04806a19dd843

“Ah…”8108ee05ab3d260c

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Sejin groaned and buried his d27b8722db face in his hands.53ee34cf8a28cfb3

From the day 2345f0a37f they met, Cheon 1dac545195 Sejoo had devoted d5ff5fcd29 himself to him. He had given him f6d5ca023e the chance to dream 506da3911e of a future, offering 11cde7187c him choices when he’d 0a00548ada only known how to 1d1c46a8fd follow the path laid 344cdf8dac out before him.9b702d0ae5270f5f

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After Kim Hyunkyung became ill, 5f7f570e82 he had done everything he 9350cd23f1 could. He paid off her debt 15a509a985 so she could go to 7fa31649d5 the hospital immediately and used 5dff056a3d his connections to get her 6ed6d6e786 tested at Korea University Hospital d469a08022 without delay. The hospital bills, the 38bd8d1ad5 treatment costs, all of 6e5c9c7ca9 it had come out ca1f1bbad4 of his pocket, but a7b3447599 Cheon Sejoo never said 31d6b2f55f a word to Sejin 470a6908a4 about it. He never demanded gratitude ecd30ebf34 or acknowledgment for his 68160915d3 efforts.ff3d0ccff2abd435

Sejin now understood the intention 32e1f28057 behind all of his actions. a68ff6643c2618f9

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Don’t live with regrets. 69bb9e5bd5b44496

Cheon Sejoo’s words at the funeral home echoed quietly in his mind.042a6820e2641bc1

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Cheon Sejoo didn’t want Sejin to live with any regrets, of any kind. He had taught him, offered him a future, because he didn’t want him to waste his life. He didn’t want Sejin to regret not doing enough for his mother, so he had covered her medical expenses and hospital bills. He had given Sejin choices, and then, at some point, taken them away completely.4252fb9c2c83e7b1

He remembered the high-quality shroud and wooden coffin he had seen at the funeral home. It seemed strange now, but he hadn’t had the time to think about it then. It was Sejin who should have chosen those things, but he hadn’t.4e194825c20f4730

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Before he could even consider 292869a999 it, everything had been prepared aaa58ab70f by Cheon Sejoo. He had done it because 640ff9f4e9 he didn’t want Sejin to 8bec26aa80 agonize over choosing between cheaper b67f8d7f1e options and the expensive ones 9d6acf19d6 for his mother, to regret 7f89013728 his choices later… He had 9062e6c48c prepared everything in advance.79160b0f5930a0e4

He had only 0319c70084 ever received from 27d348fca6 Cheon Sejoo.25d37629ea2e921d

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Yet, Sejin, oblivious to all this, had gotten angry at him for not telling him about his mother’s collapse. He had resented him, asking how he could say such things. He had despaired, asking why he didn’t come back, if he had abandoned him too.7fb7ab9285e8529d

That couldn’t be.0ad6cbde6fc9bf60

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Cheon Sejoo wouldn’t abandon him…ec07c21fc0e7a17c

He felt so foolish and a8a9f984bf pathetic, he couldn’t stand it. d4c578a68910c1c3

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Sejin bit his lip, tears eaef7c5234 silently streaming down his face.dd8736214c3718b0

From last summer to winter, there hadn’t been a single day when Sejin’s eyes weren’t filled with tears. But thanks to Cheon Sejoo, he had endured those difficult days, days he might have spent cursing the world and consumed by resentment.982838a4c12211cb

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If it weren’t for him, he would have been more exhausted, more consumed by bitterness. He wouldn’t have been able to properly care for his mother in that state. The fact that she passed away without worrying too much about him was also thanks to Cheon Sejoo.6471be3c66faba12

Sejin wanted to 1b9dd87d26 repay that debt.338f3466c78fe800

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But how? Unlike Cheon Sejoo, Sejin was just a kid who couldn’t help him or lessen his burdens. He wasn’t as reliable as Cheon Sejoo, and he didn’t even know what Cheon Sejoo’s burdens were.cf805e0465e93c2f

Will there ever 6242fb79ae come a day 20b361a65e when I can b943215b39 ease your pain? You are so strong…1d96c72d3750dd16

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He desperately wanted 172816c5d2 to see Cheon 4cf22a340e Sejoo, but he 06018dc0e1 didn’t know where 8bb2287417 he was or 5ceb9e949b what he was 0446776b85 doing. He couldn’t be more foolish. Sejin dragged himself forward.4794344221f7b174

In Cheon Sejoo’s bedroom was the T-shirt he had left behind, the one Sejin hadn’t washed because he didn’t want to. It was the only trace of Cheon Sejoo he had left.98953a1bea92bbc4

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Sejin took off Cheon Sejoo’s coat he was wearing and covered himself with it, then buried his face in the T-shirt. Ironically, the faint scent of Sejin clung to Cheon Sejoo’s clothes, and that offered him a small comfort.0b63b751da5063e8

I want to be 507b36b75b someone meaningful to you. Just as you’ve become 26b21c87dc a part of me, 24a74b134d I want to become 3ed1f15d15 a part of you… e9f05421910c165a

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The heartfelt confession 1d482ee626 lingered in the 84440da1d8 empty room.408724e527c6f658

Cheon Sejoo returned shortly after. The moment Sejin saw him appear silently, he couldn’t contain his emotions, stood up, and rushed to embrace him. Tears welled up as he clung to Cheon Sejoo’s neck, inhaling his familiar scent.2d27f741eef746fd

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“Why… did you only come now…?”8a3b58f9a4d7b5c2

He felt grateful, f8c66a4baf resentful, and affectionate bf636d6f12 towards Cheon Sejoo, 496ab3ccc7 all at once. He spoke, his 86e41794fd words laced with 1f96bf9f9b a mix of 9929841184 those emotions.387ed34b991464fa

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“You’re… all I have left now….”e6f8da0605974c31

Don’t leave me alone. cfe8d4fa785b4982

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Don’t go anywhere. 86bb554c492decba

I don’t want to 98492be43e leave your side. fd1dc30acfc88f76

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Before the words e006dba83c he swallowed could 710c6e0123 even dissipate, Cheon 9b02e090ae Sejoo pushed him cbfd2a350e away and stepped e62f18ce3d back.fd5f2ee18b0e687a

His cold, hardened face retreated. Sejin stared blankly after 750efb0e84 him as he turned 8845a7ce90 and fled.b342ed1a98420a84

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This was the 07afefa196 first time Sejin 2095c04c51 saw fear in ea89851e3f Cheon Sejoo’s eyes.85d7701e6abfa764