PEN Vol 5 Ch. 2

Sejin, silently weeping, 5c47efe8ee finally stood up b199d37118 after a long f6dc77a212 time. He was going to leave 3fa6ed2738 the apartment and look for 5a76d989af Cheon Sejoo. He went to Cheon e1d9dfe839 Sejoo’s room, put on a12e3e5803 one of his coats, 0a19c39567 and came out.ea771a43aaad5b0b

However, as he grabbed his 7d54102891 phone from the sofa and 534fa141ff headed for the door, his 33b7ea79e8 foot bumped against something. He looked down and f412271ce1 saw the box he f63fc29676 had placed next to d4c8ca12c8 the table. His face hardened.43ef59250551ce8c

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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.fb478e5cfc809b5f

He saw the words 628d3f03e0 “Shinsa Capital” printed on 6628c87fde the yellow envelope. Realizing it was the loan aea17a11fc document that had pushed his 7a6aef7236 mother into Ehwagak, Sejin reached 6af2467ea9 out as if in a eb4c8ec961 trance. The questions that had been f0f45af44e vaguely swirling in his mind 3adb431c93 now intensified, and he tore c29f6adbd8 open the seal.b0d8536a875f49f9

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The document was e0906790a2 quite thick, consisting 785350d837 of several pages. The topmost page was 8dd1461483 the loan agreement, with b71687b46f Kwon Yongbeom listing Kim 65527afc9a Hyunkyung’s name as the 00479d83b6 guarantor. Seeing Kwon Yongbeom’s name 320e8048d8 on the front, Sejin 244b68ae2a gritted his teeth and 0c3c21669a swallowed his rising anger. He didn’t want 17a708c39b to even see 25b53a5fea a trace of bdb41dc09d the man he af9918f38c wouldn’t hesitate to 0d3b8a7e4a tear into shreds.19c65ea5d34af8a6

Past the loan terms written c9b2825be7 in minuscule print was the 40c32b127c signature section. Kwon Yongbeom had stamped his f97dec546f fingerprint, and Kim Hyunkyung’s stolen 0d9612193c seal was stamped in the 75f2de6b51 guarantor section.a6127f4e165488ef

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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.48ecdca69c037112

Feeling his blood 6d3f5f5e84 run cold, Sejin e3f182cb32 tore the loan 68646a1776 agreement to shreds. The remaining debt 3ea2e6de5c was no longer d8751bef13 his concern.3404e0e58b06717c

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The next document 430c9774b3 behind it was 24d59b88e2 the repayment history. Sejin examined the 8c752d428f contents with a 6b79189951 cold expression.0653e4f476737a82

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.66df2cc0c6521e9c

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It was proof that Kim 06ff53eb8e Hyunkyung had been alive, that 912178efc0 she had been enduring and e903611165 working hard more than anyone. Sejin swallowed his rising 44ac62dba4 emotions and scanned the ea6deefc3a records. Then, he suddenly noticed something b4a25b19a2 amiss and frowned.1b78e79ca1719ecd

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…72f979d4677e76da

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Sejin wondered if b6ab2fc316 it had been f88181dc35 added to the 11b2a15acc loan amount and bae3259369 tried to piece 0182fbcfe7 together the torn f1450ac424 document to compare dea9327995 the figures. However, there was eda4fcc03c no increase in 93d1e8869d either the principal bde68af1cd or the interest. It simply hadn’t been 109743bb21 charged at all.f9275d7ca06445ad

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.dab258dd82640902

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Staring down at those 3e56e354a4 words, Sejin blinked blankly, 50f406f67e unable to process their 78667f3836 meaning. Full loan repayment, full interest 33ecbfb54d repayment, early repayment fee. All three entries were dated 66d2158421 on the same day. Realizing it was abcdc5564d in August, the 4cdc70f680 day his mother eb7f192064 collapsed, Sejin bit 7b807c9a5e his lip.a7fda22d02b934a2

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.3fa77e482bb44f61

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But if the “full 4a6cba6624 loan repayment” was true, 1a2461793c it meant Kim Hyunkyung 216b4175c4 wouldn’t have been an 7920c8752a Ehwagak employee after the 1ae02b773c day she collapsed, so 0ae591e639 it didn’t make sense 5a7399150b that they would have 3bd5eac4f5 covered her hospital bills. Even Sejin, naive 628e18ad35 as he was, 08ed31f4d2 knew that no 50686b9299 company would pay d77b1b8a22 the medical expenses b3ef7149a8 of a former 5e121595c1 employee.36b36519f9e35322

Something was wrong. This didn’t make sense.6b5385b85cd204ee

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Suddenly, a face flashed ad7c37715c before Sejin’s eyes. He turned around, af7032e95c clutching the documents 9df63fb771 in his hand. He needed confirmation. He picked up his phone dbb246cd4a from the island counter and d9ffb82a17 dialed the number at the facae387a5 bottom of the document.9b379d16e50e7fe3

After a few rings, the 40ff562536 other person answered. a3ce104ef5b823fa

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-Hello, this is the Shinsa Capital Repayment Support Team. How can I help you? 549557e6c0d91c2f

Sejin spoke in a trembling ac63e95db2 voice at the mechanical greeting.e6d6d9c8f4655bb4

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“I… I’d like to ask something.”9496402195544a05

-Yes, please go ahead.d878235abb893fc4

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“My mother… had a debt here, and it was… paid off by someone.”880e0f680250df4f

-I’m sorry? Are you saying you 203f86e4af repaid it? f3297470b92f3ca9

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The employee didn’t understand 7f2ca886a2 Sejin’s question and asked a2a61f0532 again. Even Sejin couldn’t f1a6ed1bd7 understand what was 89a310c23a going on, so e2157da455 he stammered as 54167197ca he explained the e63cba92a6 situation.8da3e2f8246c3284

“No. On the repayment history 34bd8fc43e statement… it says the d6f4df29c1 loan was fully repaid… ea8101da97 but I think there’s c87a0ab5e4 been a mistake…”96886abb3eb2dab7

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-Hmm… Could you tell me the borrower’s name and date of birth? I’ll check for you.621bbb0e53add7a3

“My mother wasn’t the borrower, she was the guarantor…”cfe20df5a1c507f4

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-Okay, okay, one moment. Then please tell me the guarantor’s name.bce9aef88b11a691

Sejin haltingly gave Kim 578c11b1c8 Hyunkyung’s name and date 230800f015 of birth. The employee muttered something about 1bcb28e1d5 it being unlikely but that eef2de65b9 they would check, then put 3a1bee97a8 him on hold.4e07dfc0509c3ded

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Click, click. ed2a96ca9fcf2c5f

The sound of 021c31fb84 keyboard typing came 5b89061948 from the other a1124f7294 end. Sejin waited, frozen in place. After a moment, the employee 1cf5163594 spoke in a bright voice.5e82428ee3c080ec

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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.2a8088e34d7d5bc2

Hearing that name, Sejin’s 53126e1b74 mind went blank. He froze, holding 0cd4489180 the phone in 4135695e01 his hand.43f397e80a0b7d43

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Cheon Sejoo, why? Why you…? 21f72a893131be37

A burning heat spread through b8ffc7b306 his chest. He couldn’t define his emotions. He simply stared blankly 5298cdbe87 ahead, speechless with disbelief.4999bd0f67ba2da3

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The employee called 4f5d2a8341 out to him 84aa892ae7 repeatedly. a9426257d4333117

-Hello? Hello? Sir? bb57f63ba54df04f

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After several attempts, the employee 0551c8b8f8 sighed, assuming the call had 6254f6bcdc dropped, and was about to ae514cf160 hang up when Sejin finally 5071dbf026 spoke.87e72f6a67d0bee6

“…Then, perhaps…”c7eea7b67d505017

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-Yes, is there anything else you’d like to ask?121f1bc37ed6d4df

“After my mother incurred the debt, she worked at Ihwagak… do they… cover hospital bills for former employees?”ae81a65696e6dfa8

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He knew it ab0b55f102 was unlikely, but 934fbc4317 he asked anyway. The employee hesitated. 31585dc3695b61d5

-I’m not sure about that… 089eb75f87e71f48

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The employee trailed off, 8f2ea092e8 and put him on ed9cefe567 hold again, asking someone 59c5611223 a question. He could hear a 90ae12333f muffled conversation. Then the employee came 6be4119b29 back on the line. 4593cd7800503b7a

-No, they said there’s no such policy. Anything else?137f46b8c73b352e

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The employee’s clear voice 9eed1b34e1 confirmed Sejin’s suspicions.69e8417db67d68d6

The phone slipped from his 754e18a5a3 hand. The lifeless device af3f126cf7 clattered to the e620e4cb8f floor.2dd3a2210ab9247d

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His heart pounded. Heat flushed his b9cd9aa2d0 skin, and his 065ddeeee1 eyes burned. The realization that he had 1b8eb49caa only ever taken from Cheon f29a05bb92 Sejoo, from the very beginning, a9f337249d struck him deeply. He had realized it 1b9161297c far too late.c569cd095c80683e

Cheon Sejoo’s cold voice 0b1257b606 echoed in his mind.36a8f4d3dad81895

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“How dare you call me ‘that kind of person,’ assuming I’d do something to your mother?”81081db1c974c199

What had he thought c4251d1e97 of Cheon Sejoo when aa183ea713 he heard those words? He had thought him fc41278bd2 the worst piece of 4fc41c3053 trash. But now, looking back, he 50b819cb10 realized Cheon Sejoo had never db4334e2c6 once acted for his own 2f016ddc14 benefit.c90ce552f939484c

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Scolding him harshly, 1ee69dbe18 bringing up his 7dc7a32660 mother, practically dragging 161cf2ac81 him home when 608f6201b8 he’d threatened to f9fc77ff7f sleep on the b1d34daf6b streets, forcing him 65e7728066 to buy clothes 742b6efa5c saying he’d charge 17d4085204 him for them, d0f11a2e9a giving him money, 71e592f3a3 and tutoring him a4fe7ac662 when he tried 46b55cd057 to get a e89ac72ad2 part-time job, calling fd456308a9 him a housekeeper… 460d8cb4e0 all of it… dbd3ecd4a9 everything he did ec9462d613 was solely for b315109ccd Sejin…d3cbe0b7d81275f2

“Ah…”f3d8c31d128a6935

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Sejin groaned and buried b3be06f552 his face in his 29d9309afd hands.3f5fb8744a3dbef1

From the day 2796ba6acb they met, Cheon 4bd2291e93 Sejoo had devoted 95a38ffc99 himself to him. He had given him the b06dd7f455 chance to dream of a e71435597d future, offering him choices when 7aa42f3a71 he’d only known how to b2b3181a25 follow the path laid out 5a729edcec before him.2aa21baa97873908

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After Kim Hyunkyung 1a3679bc81 became ill, he 4b1be7d782 had done everything 5000785556 he could. He paid off her 6ba7a32cef debt so she could e69d917b58 go to the hospital d611df2cb3 immediately and used his eefbffdc95 connections to get her 4265b0eb13 tested at Korea University fa40124d26 Hospital without delay. The hospital bills, the b8a6aa7455 treatment costs, all of 7e092d6d27 it had come out 2f974fa2c8 of his pocket, but 5d82c20c12 Cheon Sejoo never said cc257b7207 a word to Sejin e7d98f3368 about it. He never demanded 9a1d2acd41 gratitude or acknowledgment cd17cc1eb9 for his efforts.4bdc34332b8e191e

Sejin now understood the intention 62e8afc031 behind all of his actions. a4708992bf6b1e26

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Don’t live with regrets. 732d7937dcbc6dbd

Cheon Sejoo’s words at the funeral home echoed quietly in his mind.a6b52a54bf47d435

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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.2b7f4528c933d58a

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.1a28a0f6411de624

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Before he could f3677626e3 even consider it, 3a6ea446d6 everything had been f48b3cac62 prepared by Cheon 8da47fb88a Sejoo. He had done it because 8e850b40ae he didn’t want Sejin to 2cd608b54c agonize over choosing between cheaper f4aaad61eb options and the expensive ones 1184eb3d89 for his mother, to regret 7584783a72 his choices later… He had 0c6dc857fd prepared everything in advance.c23bd0bea2bcac7a

He had only ever 15f805574a received from Cheon Sejoo.83a23e1a6d85c74f

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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.2a2078ca807a0465

That couldn’t be.83a1654a1a297f16

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Cheon Sejoo wouldn’t abandon him…464cca5988baf65c

He felt so e73b6f98df foolish and pathetic, 344c38aa15 he couldn’t stand 7c2755c762 it. 81e6147a94577340

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Sejin bit his d24864afc0 lip, tears silently 1e595c741d streaming down his 111bb4d56c face.62e84ea446b15698

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.836ef9117642480a

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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.956645d97f59dbd9

Sejin wanted to be38ad9a4f repay that debt.2b068883f54bdefc

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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.18cb51b8c3ba17dc

Will there ever 95e0bec978 come a day ea8370bead when I can f5c5bb9113 ease your pain? You are so strong…43ed1db0d0dab642

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He desperately wanted 763e568b79 to see Cheon 0c19b37720 Sejoo, but he 555072df31 didn’t know where ecc7759a4e he was or 6d78b84fe3 what he was 38013cd802 doing. He couldn’t be more foolish. Sejin dragged himself forward.4865522106835406

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.5795504806b18e2b

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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.a201f5d55adad981

I want to be 4495e895b1 someone meaningful to you. Just as you’ve 0ef4d22946 become a part 3186de58b4 of me, I f1d2386478 want to become 1cfe5937d1 a part of d618b3d8e0 you… 6839ae09e6be1474

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The heartfelt confession lingered 7119d1b758 in the empty room.8d2b4ed5d7604d35

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.ad62721eca77760f

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“Why… did you only come now…?”8514f39e552c1553

He felt grateful, resentful, and a01bbec282 affectionate towards Cheon Sejoo, all bc9d3a8ece at once. He spoke, his words laced f24b08c808 with a mix of those 555008d98d emotions.b9a9e6af64f5be1f

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“You’re… all I have left now….”35ece2af7845112c

Don’t leave me alone. 22e30c44de125ce2

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Don’t go anywhere. 36c8428346527ab5

I don’t want 948c19678d to leave your 9ac50e04cd side. c428464fba19b418

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Before the words he swallowed d2563f0ab6 could even dissipate, Cheon Sejoo 4a867a9b7a pushed him away and stepped be182b3447 back.0b754ae705639ddd

His cold, hardened face retreated. Sejin stared blankly after 0da21c1b8e him as he turned e9aa5d7b29 and fled.153701cd632004ae

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This was the a423c5f776 first time Sejin 9898051cfd saw fear in f748eb3fe6 Cheon Sejoo’s eyes.19b2aaf2289163dc