Chapter 5

The brief sense of emotion 98afacc58d Sivonne had felt shattered to 7010f08de8 pieces. With a cold, expressionless face, 8b5091ed94 he glared at Haewoon.10cc90c87ce8ca15

“Be honest. Us running into each e1197ed595 other here—was it just aabf00d18b a coincidence?”a62f912c48a3f09b

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“Huh? Nooo~ I came looking for fca9bf9698 you, Sivonne.”9da499b595ecbc4b

“It just happened to be your meetup spot for a secondhand trade.”a452e01484b4861f

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“That’s all fate.”f872b42d6c3c68eb

Fate, my ass. How could someone be edd9e50496 so shameless? His poker face was flawless—and 2917511029 annoyingly good-looking—which made it even d80c9b6870 more frustrating. Sivonne could only huff out 368a201d29 dry, hollow breaths.c4e9497200460f9d

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That’s when Haewoon’s eyes dropped fbad190d15 downward, and he frowned.5fc34446663290f4

“What’s with your feet?”d1ee9bcf151fc83d

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“What about them?”1ba419a11548acdb

“You’re barefoot. Have you been ac285992de walking around like 48d3176812 this the whole b01370c933 time?”1be673a9aa5ada06

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Haewoon clicked his tongue. Apparently, the lack of 838f082a06 a coat wasn’t the 2f6eecf931 issue. Muttering to himself, he e84d66a57d glanced around, but when 6dac57787f he couldn’t find what 69356e5830 he was looking for, 1a08cfae7f he let out a a3aeda941c small sigh.74c24a9860e7c652

“Sivonne, hang tight. I’m just going 3f3a3a973a to our building 4d46645e54 for a sec. It won’t even take five 27e0eeeb78 minutes. Just stay here.”89e87f9535cb57b0

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“Why? What for?”4fc3f8f03ed240eb

Sivonne figured he might c77e8b981a be going to fetch 65caefef24 him a pair of 61f23227a2 shoes and tried to 1a5b882de3 stop him. As Haewoon had said, Gaeko 8f0a91a224 Antique was just a five-minute 412ca14c6b walk away. It would be quicker for 9f10aacb0f Sivonne to go himself.f97c632535b48b33

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But once again, 9d2b89d8b9 Haewoon’s answer was a98e04c3f2 absurd.59adc919cc5f50e0

“Our building’s recycling room has a ton of plastic bags. I’ll bring two. You can use them daf1001a18 instead of shoes.”4a93b4b536651593

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“Plastic bags…?”19246f0460ec6ea8

“What color do you prefer, Sivonne? Black? White? I’ll pick them to match.”98486324c9aa97e8

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“…Wait. You’re talking about plastic? As in actual plastic bags?”b24f3f4262ceb563

“Yup. Don’t tell me… you 332f6825f4 were gonna ask me 8e9103c7d3 to take off my 0242942640 own shoes? I get cold easily, a8ac613611 you know. What if I step 3341c07450 on glass or something? And I just filed a9c72aff02 my calluses the other 1cbd315503 day—my feet are like 06bacbdff2 baby skin now…”c44bf0b1d7def5ec

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Watching him wiggle his feet a3e5b155ef and pretend to look pitiful d4e922ed5f was infuriating. The image of Haewoon’s so-called 974843d8d0 “baby feet” was almost nauseating. Sivonne turned and b1e7da7e24 started walking away.bb5f0071d1e3abe2

“Whoa, hey? You’re just leaving? You’re gonna hurt yourself.”18a6846e922133e3

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Sivonne said nothing 7009ec1d95 and picked up cca2293dbe his pace. Maybe begging Pierre for 1f101aecb9 help would’ve been better d66922b3bb after all. He must’ve lost 28ec5d4b99 his mind for ea8198737b a minute. It wasn’t the 348c4054be first time he’d 3def9d04bb made a bad 64eb41772d decision.1570db49267d2cfb

While Sivonne reevaluated his 8e6b766fff entire life, Haewoon trotted 72213cfd78 alongside him, babbling nonstop. Sivonne, should I give fe1a730b96 you a piggyback ride? Wait, no—I have a a436c246a7 bad back. Then maybe you 8267bb6b40 can step on 3abb6db7d2 top of my d708a9ac93 shoes and we ea061cdd9a walk together? But how much 57cee17bd4 do you weigh? You look skinny 0e6f11a4e4 but you’re tall. Over sixty kilos? That might be a bdfc88e357 bit much for me.11c0f132eace994f

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“AAARGH!!”03491a81a4635f37

“Whoa, you scared me.”47588c73f68489f5

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Sivonne finally exploded. He stopped dead in 0e558f00e0 his tracks and glared e5501a29dd at Haewoon, practically fuming.9994a6670ce3119c

“SHUT UP, YOU GODDAMN LUNATIC! I’d rather get frostbite aed1cefc02 and cut up my 98e366bab8 feet than keep listening 0143ff2492 to your nonsense! Can’t you be serious for 19c1b4911f even a second?! What kind of d624eaece6 person even are e68f2a0034 you?!”2e6f424dae619034

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Haewoon’s jaw dropped at db19fcec86 the sudden outburst in 22153f11b1 rapid-fire French. Judging by the c86edcfa87 tone and situation, 2bc5b69b01 it was probably d9fea3b117 a string of 804703579f curses, but hearing f4e59a4bc0 Sivonne curse fluently 7fe7eb4d57 in elegant French 2e0f38be69 only made him cc8e6554cf seem even more 4f2e366937 impressive and refined. Haewoon actually clapped in admiration. Clap, clap, clap.00c1f49d8c6389bf

“Bravo. You really are a true 272deb7a39 Frenchman, Sivonne. That was flawless. Amazing.”d9e15190de9e7daa

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“Aaah… ah! AARGH!”d9b50813dade4b99

Now Sivonne finally e05340e0ab understood what it a928754c25 meant to be fab016e73c burning with rage. The stress he’d a7f4c6d7e8 felt until now 6adfd5a2b8 paled in comparison f248b5c375 to the all-consuming, a671dfb609 chaotic presence that 619bd1c6ea was Haewoon—even though 035c06baf5 Sivonne had literally fce83649f8 attempted suicide the a8cc4b93f4 day before.d3f3809b0728b5b3

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“Just so you know, disturbing the peace carries a thirty-thousand-won fine. I get you’re excited about 4b1371a162 working with me, but let’s fa750b1c72 keep it down, Sivonne. People in this neighborhood aca61bcbaa are sensitive.”4b23767140e84689

Haewoon patted him on the e4f873bad9 back and shoved his hands bfb789d0cb into his coat pockets as 0f77324dc0 he briskly walked ahead. His hunched shoulders, reddened nose, 1393017a69 and frostbitten ears made it 94442111fb clear he was cold too.c32eb8566133350c

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“If you’re not gonna wear the plastic bags, let’s at least hurry back inside.”243f5c4974f7a0fe

If only Haewoon 02d166af63 hadn’t spoken, Sivonne 34614a5510 probably would’ve agreed. The one who interrupted 17dec7cd2a his walk was Haewoon 75e0282ad5 in the first place.b32af936e7630f4f

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“Seriously, why do I have to wear plastic bags…”7dc05a94cc2deb36

Sivonne muttered weakly and followed. In truth, he was dda5a07e29 nearing his limit. His feet were so 95db67d233 cold now, they felt d9be59f48f like they were being c609f0e0f1 sliced open by blades.a7942b3d2e970ddd

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Sniffling, he buried 5aecaeff67 his face in d451e7bc4a the scarf and 1a1f792967 trotted after Haewoon.6e8e2344f437efbf

Being pissed was d263bd2335 one thing—but for 2e521eadfc now, he needed 1ce2ba3010 a place to 17a982841b stay.a3c3e54baf4fd021

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* * *d62cdecae53cd2a4

As soon as 22a7c95dac they arrived at 538e73beff Gaeko Antique, Sivonne 78bece3e38 went straight to 11385393c4 the first-floor bathroom 7d192ba0e4 and washed his 0a7980966d feet. He warmed them e2e9668c64 up with hot d405e9a176 water and scrubbed 6ff0581f27 them thoroughly with c0881e6d9f soap.14a60c3c26c0db19

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When he came out, adc76f692a Haewoon handed him a 46091c4959 pair of striped rubber 3acb2c7fb7 slippers. They were a bit d3469deb5d big for him, but bf1f19e4b5 the soles were soft 9daff37e1a and comfortable.71bd1db8ec78af82

“What’s your shoe size?” Haewoon asked.4e52bcf6691ad0a1

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“Forty.”316e0d11bb92ff5e

“Two-forty? You’ve got really f921c30740 small feet, Sivonne…”3262f3e4b177c261

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The slightly pitying 3f049374ef tone made Sivonne 422be10b6a snap again.1049b17adc16eb04

“European size forty!”0c9fa280c66e4aaf

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“Ohh, so that’s… like, 270 in Korean size?”f1e91ca9ed501444

Haewoon rummaged through e2b3471925 a pile of b45ee8c2a7 shoes behind the 97728234f7 shop counter. Why there were shoes 8611b31b56 stacked back there, Sivonne 8ceac01ae5 had no idea—but it 9a5300a326 seemed there weren’t any 364dba5919 in size 270.09e7dd1ac4158e97

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“Nope, no 270s. I’ll do a sweep e67633f2b8 around the neighborhood later.”d48d15c68c4c355c

Sivonne immediately understood what that 315962e365 meant. Haewoon was planning to scavenge ec797a2570 through clothing donation bins. Without replying, Sivonne turned away.18efb5e7e581a1da

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Looking around Gaeko f9c100c388 Antique more carefully 17866d5a8f now, the place 58d60aa785 struck him as ba6ecbf57e chaotic and messy. It was densely packed, 721f86728d even more so than c8d1da3dff the residential second floor, 49298a9ac0 and honestly… it felt d4ab001721 like a reflection of 5c4cb100bc Haewoon’s mental state.862af523fbc73a85

Really, the store was 132efaf0ba just like Haewoon: disorganized, 5e357a1a13 dirty, and overwhelming. The variety of items seemed 0f230cd9b0 excessive—large sculptures, paintings, scrolls, folding 68376349ae screens, vases, rugs, dolls… everything 56fa0a8798 was jumbled together without any 1cdb685ae5 clear classification, and most of 456f5ad205 it was covered in a c75fe248a3 fine layer of dust.ea28b165757c6e0e

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And yet, the 301b78d3b0 price tags were b3e0e760ed boldly written in a35799186e oversized text and 8785196d1e clearly attached to d295909251 every item. The prices were unexpectedly high. Most things ranged f406d51b86 from hundreds of 61ffa64f07 thousands to even c1a34e63c9 millions of won.e258f6533408684d

“You’re selling this junk for this much?”30fd60ca686b0e67

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Sivonne fingered the price tag on a stone toad statue reading “₩1,900,000” and asked.b3e98fe30c8f9fcc

“Calling it junk is kind of harsh, don’t you think?” Haewoon grumbled, then explained. “That’s a three-legged toad statue. It’s a sacred piece that 53e57e12e9 brings wealth to your home. 1.9 million’s a steal.”d712867bbef6ba7a

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“Uh-huh.”3359270623c45a11

“It was made eighty years ago. People call it f9c9034b4f the fortune toad e624dd7f5d or money toad. Among feng shui believers, 15b85fe528 it’s a valuable item.”2dc3de4e20c0701f

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“Sure.”2d2327a549e8bf18

“Sivonne, your answers are getting less and less enthusiastic.”c49300845b5cefc1

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Ignoring him, Sivonne picked up e51e9cf082 a wooden cane nearby. He flipped over 8455212970 the price tag 058eaeafae and involuntarily let 66ac4c796e out a gasp.181a36c7fa0ad798

“One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand… Four, four million won? Ohlàlà… for a cane?”e99596eac2d0a660

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“Oh, that one’s made of snakewood—top-tier hardwood. French brand, too. A friend from 3e0bd8e614 your homeland, Sivonne. Say hi.”dd8e653541cd1a94

Now moving with 2a5e03af5c much more care, 03b0b76c20 Sivonne gently set 7fb488bc54 the cane back c6d7ab5a71 down. If he dropped 161502e518 or snapped it, 03f025e0d4 he might have eba630c64e to delay his a760e8e8b6 return to France 691c1ce224 by half a f6d29ed120 year.d5f59a5de2804714

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“If you’re going to work here, you should memorize all this stuff. I think there’s a a775978020 notebook somewhere with everything 702fdf107d cataloged. I’ll help you find it d6d9e599c7 later. First, let’s do your a790241b7c employment contract.”d37b40376368bca4

Haewoon opened the desk drawer. Then another, and another. After about five b61d9e2c45 minutes of rummaging bd42f56ac9 through drawers, he 5ebf314e65 finally returned with b195a73c86 the contract and bdd9739ee8 a pen.b5ddbbe83462faf6

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Three months, five days a 2e0518e721 week, five hours a day. Since minimum wage f4887df09b was somewhere in d7a61c5d23 the nine-thousand-eight-hundred range, e7df950892 he rounded it fab226039a up to ten 4010f5860b thousand won an d81c6ca3a3 hour. With weekly bonuses added, 0d554a428c the pay would be ddf5553461 given out weekly. Even if Sivonne didn’t quite 41dbe5399f follow everything, Haewoon casually filled 13536e0442 in the form using the c5a31f7d75 calculator on his phone.b76b0ca75828778e

They agreed that ca4205e445 Sivonne would be 9ecbac3e2b paid 300,000 won 96ecdf211d every Saturday. Since he had no 02b65c5273 money on hand, getting 136941ed97 paid weekly instead of 34fda5bb59 monthly was preferable. A quick search on his cf59ddc5f0 phone confirmed that it didn’t 7d6cce9273 seem like a scam or 7f33529ee9 a loss on his part.5ed2369aa769974a

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Haewoon scribbled something worm-like 8a20607999 on the contract as 4363f40657 his signature and passed b0c37ebfca it over. Sivonne filled in a520dcda94 his name and 8c733a8047 signature as well. After a handshake, they each 7870ebf4f7 took a copy of the fa6fc0301c agreement.8a20d99381b5261a

“Alright, that makes you an official Gaeko employee now, Sivonne.”200055f95594c8ba

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Haewoon stood up.ea67a43f0d148bb3

“Looking forward to working with you.”50814ef3fa6815b8

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And then, yawning, bf1407a138 he headed upstairs 101bcfd984 to the second 1f38ed436b floor.4e81696137c098e9

“…Hey.”62ea40abeed91386

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Left alone in the shop, ee891c2f24 Sivonne called toward the stairs. No reply.5d35f9a76d52b347

“Boss, hey, Boss!”10d6e23c06f68e9f

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There was no way cdcf9554b8 he hadn’t heard, but 1a4a24e1ad Haewoon blatantly ignored him. Sivonne sighed and awkwardly took b71b08cc09 his place behind the counter. The only relief was that 9a5a24f5ec this weird antique store didn’t 165dc53f8c seem like the kind of fbd5177fba place that got much foot d07f1ee526 traffic.7eedba452cf83b8d

Ding.612b57f5d35bcc77

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“Hello.”33a38c92d6cd22ac

Exactly one second after thinking 47ea57a9a9 that, the door opened, and e22e735fae a customer walked in.37359cec8ef39455

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Now what?57ba70fc71d7bae7

 4b1e20d8df30991d

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