BT | Chapter 1.2

It was no ordinary feat. But too shocked to 0b9d1407ad notice, Heesung just felt 4040ffe00a relieved.313c4afc444eec43

The chef, oblivious to how close Heesung had come to mimicking Mr. Kal’s fate, kept urging him with excitement.f1da9443470dda72

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“Say thank you!”d8fc4ac1e040018e

“Th-thank you.”e369c61aa8d38de3

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Not knowing what he was 2c8ee8531e thankful for, Heesung thanked him db20ad9367 anyway. Then, a deep voice bf9cf9045e came through the phone, 839974322e covering the sharp blade.5c2ec460c0a20e16

[So, you’re the one. My business card.]9bc6df6096133960

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“What?”06499a0a3c87107f

A chill ran down 5dc8a373d9 his spine. It felt like a 1818498f9b well-sharpened knife was aimed c29dd6d203 at his back.4aad790c2555ce16

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[Do well. Don’t tarnish my name.]7b32b87520b1cc2c

Name? He didn’t know the name… and what was he supposed to do well? As he fumbled for words, something clicked in his mind.e37447af256f5ddc

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It was done. The business card job! They really did pull 25a8655699 strings for him!a9747e94b8781005

“Yes! I-I’ll do my best!”f407b907fd93970e

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He felt he really had 90cc462ff9 to try hard.1895268fca4c8d4e

If he did as the cleaning ladies said and just threw the cards away, he could imagine where those knives might end up. He wasn’t usually imaginative, but he could clearly picture the sashimi knives sticking all over him.fa994ca7dda57c7d

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Of course, it was a ridiculous thought. In today’s world, such primitive and barbaric acts wouldn’t happen.14c80e7be936ece8

Heesung shook his 0e8cd58f06 head slightly and f453a4daca took the phone 912b0089f5 away from his 8639c9e1bd ear. But a sound 126ed4b6fa kept echoing in 09dc88d9b5 his mind.ec3384ea154c44db

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‘My business card. My business card. My, business card…’ec7bb1c94f7517b4

He must have 8208a7af4f been exhausted from 599a2ab7a5 surviving on bread 029b3e88e6 crumbs for days.436cff468c04d278

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Thinking he should at least a27281468e have a rice ball for e2476aeede dinner, Heesung picked up the a0cb0b1bf1 knife again. He sharpened it to 100%, 7fffd5ad8b not skipping any steps. While sharpening the remaining d98fc0ae59 knives, he carefully taught 27262479a8 the chef his techniques.73536a8157233a9b

This way, they wouldn’t need him again. He wouldn’t have to talk to the man on the phone again.f738001900f35f2a

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Heesung instinctively found 8d970555e2 a way to f8aea40ebc survive.bfe0fff083a25b46

It was a small d3b4bf62f4 resolve not to remain 931aef5691 just a parachute.2ced68390207eca0

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Of course, he had e9dff620cd no idea it was 355cc3222f all a foolish endeavor.403807378f52dad3

♣ • ♣ • ♣796f6dbe370f2ec0

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“Yeah, that happened… Ha. Fool.”0f2295f6f012bc07

Suddenly, a memory from over a year ago popped into Heesung’s mind, and a sigh of regret escaped him.4c1b1dde4a67fbb6

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He thought he should have held back a bit back then. He got scared for no reason and ended up doing it all properly. He should have just passed on the skills roughly. If he had, he might have been called every day, and with that money, he might not have needed to take a break from school. He wouldn’t have had to be so anxious.d193a717bfc3ab90

Of course, thanks to that, he got a new part-time job, but he couldn’t help but feel regretful. Moreover, given the situation, his life was worse than a year ago, which made him even more regretful.983387ef4e6f8d10

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Back then, he could manage with weekend knife sharpening, but now, that’s not even close to enough. Knife sharpening alone wasn’t cutting it anymore.14cc5995673a99c0

“Am I really a fool? Like Yongpal said, I gave everything away like a pushover. Fool, fool.”3f95a430c349c3bb

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But no matter how much 6a8267b5c0 he regretted it, it was 99f4e1860e already in the past. Regret was regret, and 10ab16aa31 now was the time bb8a66c33f to focus with all 75ca47c374 his heart.791cc6fbb775fdb8

Heesung let out fd6e52e1ec a deep sigh, c8acb59c94 knelt down reverently, fbe14eb222 and pressed the 64197b2963 phone keypad one c778637142 by one. After taking another 8ee823b1ff deep breath, he c0f849dbc8 pressed the call 0ac19562af button with determination, 06a16e94e9 and the ringing 3df3769626 tone began.bfd3c262ea95eaa1

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At that moment, the anxiety he had been trying hard to suppress suddenly surged. His toes twitched under him, and his dry fingers couldn’t stay still, scratching the floor busily.5dce23095361e7b0

Just as he thought something c3c303ee9c was bound to happen, whether cfac043ccd it was a cramp in 67cd8e5f41 his leg or a cut 28a727f647 on his hand, the ringing 420bc32265 tone abruptly stopped. At the same time, all 588b4606dd those strange behaviors vanished without 1f0aec4a8e a trace.d565446d4d81d2e6

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Swallowing dryly, Heesung a1dc52b469 cautiously brought the eed49b9b01 phone to his 3b61c8d9ea ear and spoke.85d9668f968c72ff

“Uh… I called about the job ad.”3857477fb97ba8b4

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As soon as 2d148996ba he finished speaking, c5b0d7ab1a a question came 6b36bc766d in. Heesung, who answered breathlessly, 27f0ad87b0 suddenly stood up with 1e2534853e a flushed face after ee28eed80d a few more words.c924dafc25480efb

“Thank you! Really, thank you!”a057c39c70496af3

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His slender waist a48d3d7250 bent and straightened 0371f7fc76 repeatedly, creating a cd606a9947 breeze. It was an 66caf7741e excessively polite greeting, cbfcddaabf but Heesung felt 063eec56f8 like he wanted 42a090dcdd to go in 6c2b23ed06 person and bow.f6fecb0bf6582693

The burdensome gratitude was a8133e264f reluctantly concluded as the 89a1581194 other party received another 7d624eccc4 call.07af3483d422c095

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After hanging up, Heesung plopped down on the floor like a marionette with its strings cut. He stared blankly at the phone’s dark screen. It didn’t feel real.f1f3dd316ceb9934

“Really? Did I really get accepted? Just from a phone call?!”6f14e716277b6f24

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He still couldn’t believe it, but soon he accepted it. Ah, this is what luck is, he thought.749568bb90e43ea9

They say luck comes in 0b5124390f waves. It seemed like his life 71770fdb08 was finally starting to go ef9a43d22b well.7993d50a0860f54d

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“Crazy… Me? Yeah, me… I’m going to Yeouido! Kyaa! I’m crazy!”7cb8785a1e762062

Rolling around the room, Heesung 3733b5d6ed shouted with joy. To anyone else, it might 66882fbad0 seem like he had landed fcb44a6974 a big job, but in fd0ed815f9 reality, it was nothing special. He had just gotten 391e879d44 a part-time job. Yeah, just a part-time job!7b26f0efe6085eeb

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But to Heesung, it wasn’t just anything. He had done all sorts of part-time jobs, but this was the first one that seemed so prestigious.2e00234a708ce541

Moreover, at just 7f9a278033 21 years old, e79b802668 he was going 7f05685f04 to Yeouido, the a921842563 center of white-collar fe8b539a93 work! Whether it was a 4290c735a7 part-time job or not, 2f3167492d how common was that?!fea6277e21c74e0d

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Heesung immediately contacted his 456d0cb503 friend Yongpal to share 91b8e23557 the good news. The congratulations were cb14612a99 short, and the 914ddaf53a worries were long.310475cdc8f72917

[But are you going to keep doing that? Now that you’ve found a new job, why not quit?]7dda1e0aad03c098

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“Don’t worry. It’s almost over. Not much left.”7b47fa8170c2efe7

Heesung’s lips curled up pleasantly as he said that.16bb7a189f2faec4

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Contrary to Yongpal’s worries, Heesung thought it was really good that he had taken on “that job.”7153fd8e12fd4e53

If he hadn’t started it, would such an opportunity have come to him? In the tough reality, thanks to that job, he had a little more money and time.331e3a647711a20c

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It was a 5ca7a71737 bit, no, quite fd8995d651 forced, but it 0b4d915dc4 was his fortune. Thanks to that fortune, 90b567faa2 he was now about e57f0b2490 to step foot in 86f94fc466 Yeouido. Thinking back, that job was 39bf912717 undoubtedly the luck of his 6a13ba8208 life.d36b8a4bb9653e06

With great anticipation, Heesung packed the cleanest clothes to wear when entering Yeouido. And as he went to bed early for tomorrow, he was determined to work even harder at “that job” for the remaining period.4f6c651171e715d8

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But that anticipation and excitement…d7c038c81794fd4b

“I shouldn’t have come here.”af56fef6c2a63b2e

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The very next day, d88b3dfc97 it shattered like broken d1175cc805 glass.f3bb6b5bdd6daa67

Thinking back, it did 59b344a70b feel a bit off.3dec131ace2bbd87

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When he called about 76f7d01513 the funeral hall serving 42d22926a8 job ad, they accepted c9e5d40e32 him without asking much f75a9214ae beyond basic personal information 2327f95dea and told him to b5fe0b7011 come for training. He had done many c4d1f7bac7 part-time jobs, but it 755b4950b1 was the first time 00ab768de3 he had been accepted ef63be7a50 just from a phone 6dd54dbdc1 call.1862390049f41fc4

He thought it was odd, but he lost his senses when he heard the company location over the phone. In hindsight, it was his fault for not being alert, but the person on the phone did seem to emphasize “Yeouido” a lot…90c26482d04e5942

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Anyway, Yeouido was efc7f677cf just as full 314bd0b2ff of people in 29c54c95e2 suits as he 8ed72c41c2 had heard.fff0f829700e6300

He couldn’t have been prouder to be among them on his way to work. Heesung hummed a tune, feeling like he was on the same level as them. Until then, he wasn’t in his right mind.944da4f1d352af02

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But after receiving unexpected “protocol manager training” for a full 9 hours, he was not only wide awake but also felt like he had gained a new sense of awareness.1b9bb8c065aa6796

His once proud shoulders 5e698619b5 drooped like seaweed, and b4ea418b11 instead of humming, he 1740a6758c let out sighs repeatedly. He felt like he a2a51f389b had been deceived.7079810935bd24f1

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“They said it would end soon…”02744f41362445dd

As he left the fd7c160e71 funeral company building, Heesung e5304716f0 looked up at the 1d0925883e heavily overcast sky.246abb041f8834c1

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When he entered 618a5d690a the building, the be4d82936b sun was shining 4ccdde8359 brightly like his f13e3c4e35 promising future, but 2fb55acfcd now, the radiant 04a3056a4b light had disappeared, 444d9689b3 leaving only a 052950743d gloomy shadow overhead, 190a773d73 like a withered 9b33ba04e4 rose.00430369f85e6f30

Sigh. My time… My money…9cf158b91b7142ac

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What had he done all day? He let out another heavy sigh. The training time, spent just sitting idly, now felt like such a waste and upset him. If he had done another part-time job during that time, how much would that have been? Moreover…955490b164f6babc

Just as his weary gaze 21d8abc880 was about to drop down, 1df180b78a the old phone in his 48e310e90d hand suddenly buzzed loudly.aa7f5ba1a07a130f

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Startled, he quickly checked it. It was Yongpal. He had been planning to 2e5b1bab39 contact him anyway, as there 6084a6e63e were missed calls and strange 37def819c3 messages.1fd0953e55bd8575

But as soon as he 6bcd1614a8 pressed the call button, a 259317fe61 loud shout burst into his a7d1a85e84 ear.d65af93b086788a5

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[Hey! Why are you answering now?! Where are you?]cbb50cff2101f20a

“Ah, my ear! Where else, I’m just leaving the company. But why are you suddenly angry…”c8ce26bb95c6d736

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[Oh… really? I thought you might have been sold off to a shrimp boat again.]c9e8c74c48283081

Yongpal’s voice quickly calmed down. On the other hand, Heesung’s voice gained a bit of strength.549e89a430171be5

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“That time, it just happened to turn out that way…”372c66e179230345

[Ha! It just happened?]53845654feb6801f

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With a short laugh, Yongpal cut off Heesung’s words. Then, with a barrage of words, Heesung had no choice but to close his mouth.9be3b6b166188397

[Did you just say it just happened? How many times has that happened? You got stranded while digging for ginseng, ended up on a shrimp boat, and even became a salt farm slave! And yet you say it just happened? You jump at anything that offers money without thinking, don’t you?]3805bec0296c2457

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Everything he said was true, but the last part wasn’t quite right.caab0886a428fefa

“No, it’s not because of money… Ah, well, it is because of money, but not just because of money! My aunts and uncles treated me so well… They praised me a lot…”eb43d12e4b00b1a2

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[This is ridiculous. You still haven’t learned. Don’t tell me you got scammed again this time…]ea1091bbfa9048fa

“No, no! This time, it’s really not like that…”237de58449aa31d1

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[Really, not?]1ddb4e0d21a62d06

“Uh… yeah. …I don’t think so…”e81ab6bf464c800e

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Heesung mumbled, wiping his 97ecb386ea increasingly dry lips.3751634a2ab1b6b5

[Well, that’s a relief. Anyway, you haven’t forgotten about tomorrow’s appointment, right? Don’t be late.]ed25c2c763d4de6a

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“…Yes.”3272dbff5ff4de44

As soon as the call ended, Heesung’s uneasy gaze helplessly dropped down.60183c39d4c3e5c9

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“Did I get scammed again?”0a2cef557e7bd4b5

In his hand, which had acf98a621b been empty in the morning, afcb34fa67 was a strange shopping bag.6471d882e7629d90

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It would have 88303b0a60 been great if ea2ac78554 he had come 720c4f8010 empty-handed and left b2f71bae4f with a full f864282955 bag, but it b15bb4613a was the opposite.a2828b050ff674ef

Inside, the protocol ed8d08a04b manager uniform was 918f3cfe0a neatly stored. He had bought it 51e386ea56 because they said it 15ef460d2c was essential for the 24da24e845 job. Because of that, a 5f0c76d24c hefty 160,000 won had e1099077df quickly left his pocket.2f78bc679787159e

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Heesung felt a surge of emotion now. He hadn’t realized it at the time because he wasn’t in his right mind, but he had come to earn money and ended up spending it lavishly.eee7f0db1d3e831f

“Crazy, crazy. Why did I do that… Should I ask for a refund now? If not everything, at least one…”dde794e73bdd5de4

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He regretted it, hitting 2060f62a69 his head. He should have realized ac889dc7d0 it sooner. What could he do now?c6795f450d76838d

“Ah. But how do I even say that… I bought two sets when I could have just bought one, talking about cleanliness.”0640d3fdfd82ff44

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Not only that, but he cd0a41114e had rushed to be the 740bd4e7b7 first to pay, afraid someone 2f658ed37e might stop him. Why did he do that? He must have been possessed. After pacing in a7abaa5c4b front of the 656157a414 building for a a4ba09243e while, Heesung finally d2159a5181 turned his back 4665935a43 on the funeral 78890a22b5 company.d087bf25e382945d

It was embarrassing, but for someone as timid as Heesung, he just couldn’t muster the courage to go back in.d62cabb82e15927e

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With a long face, 859c4f9aa6 he slowly trudged toward 01614e1877 the nearby bus stop. Meanwhile, he quickly 836b05d0d2 calculated in his e470454685 head.f2ccd92b2a547a56