IEM Ch 3

The students, who hadn’t expected to be slapped, widened their eyes in disbelief. Even in this day and age! Unfazed, Wonjin firmly gripped each of their frozen faces, forcing them to look at him.

“During my patrols, there’s a particular group I keep an eye on. Guess who?”

“Uh…Ugh.”

“That’s right, delinquent teenage boys.”

Wonjin’s fingers dug mercilessly into their cheeks. Unable to bear the pain as the soft flesh inside their mouths was pressed against their teeth, the boys groaned. They shifted their weight and stood on their tiptoes, trying to escape.

His grip was inescapable. The three teenage boys clearly understood the power dynamic.

One by one, the still-lit cigarettes fell to the ground. Wonjin took a deep breath and finally stepped back, shoving his hands into his coat pockets.

“Attention!”

The students stood with their trembling hands covering their reddened cheeks. Wonjin stared at them coldly.

“Consider this a warning. Don’t cause a disturbance in this neighborhood from now on.”

His slippers were a bit small for Wonjin’s feet. He subtly adjusted them before lightly kicking each of the students’ shins.

“How dare you disrespectfully wear your uniforms while an elder is trying to run a business right next to you… I’m letting you off with a verbal warning since it’s your first time, but there won’t be a next time.”

“….”

“Respond!”

Wonjin made a threatening gesture, and the boys quickly took a couple of steps back.

“Y-Yes, sir. Sorry, but mister, we…”

Jeong Wonjin glared.

“I mean, hyung, we have to go to class now…”

“Right. You should. But before that, all of you will hand over your remaining cigarettes.”

The students hesitated. Wonjin raised an eyebrow, and they reluctantly started pulling out their cigarette packs.

His assumption that they were sharing a single pack was quickly proven wrong. Three packs, each with only one or two cigarettes missing, landed in Wonjin’s palm. Meaning they had bought them recently, at least today.

“And where did you get these? Igyedong?”

Wonjin asked without a hint of doubt as he put a cigarette in his mouth. Under his guidance, Cheonmokdong had strictly prohibited the sale of tobacco and alcohol to minors, not just in convenience stores, but in all small shops.

He hadn’t intended to smoke it right away, but the student he had slapped earlier hurriedly lit it for him. Wonjin had no choice but to tilt his head back and inhale. He casually slipped the remaining packs into his quilted jacket pocket.

He was considering paying a visit to Igyedong that evening when a student cautiously mumbled,

“We bought them at the convenience store over there…”

Wonjin tilted his head and narrowed his eyes.

“Which convenience store?”

“The one on the corner of the intersection.”

“Cheonmok Central. They sold cigarettes to you?”

Wonjin checked his watch and abruptly looked up. At this time, the owner should be at the counter of the convenience store at the intersection in front of the school. He’d heard that the weekday afternoon part-timer had quit a few days ago and they were still looking for a replacement.

“Oh, uh, well, we asked someone passing by…”

The student scratched the back of his head and looked at Wonjin sheepishly. Wonjin let out a disbelieving chuckle. The smoke that had irritated his lungs escaped like a sigh.

What kind of person would buy cigarettes for a student in uniform, instead of guiding them down the right path? Did such a person truly exist in this neighborhood?

Impossible.

He couldn’t accept it. While he finished his cigarette, Wonjin pressed the students for more information. A young woman, long black hair, expensive-looking bag, matching jacket and skirt, pretty…

“What’s that?”

There was no way to find someone who had already left, but he needed to address this issue at this week’s residents’ meeting. He had already finished speaking with Mr. Hwang Gilho, the president of the Cheonmok 1-dong Residents’ Association and a committee member of the Redevelopment Committee. Wonjin meticulously patrolled the area around the school before heading home.

His afternoon routine would have ended like any other day.

“…Black hair. Shoulder bag. Two-piece suit.”

That is, until he saw someone standing at the entrance of Mokhwa Villa, his residence, staring blankly at the building.

Wonjin slowed down, taking his feet off the bicycle pedals. A plastic bag rustled in the air.

“Young.”

He got closer to the woman. The prime suspect in the cigarette purchasing case was right in front of him.

The woman clutched the chain strap of her shoulder bag and continued to stare at the building. She seemed lost in thought, unaware of his approach. Even when Wonjin got off his bike and stood right behind her, she didn’t react.

Following the woman’s gaze, Wonjin took a fresh look at his own building.

Mokhwa Villa, with its patches of peeling ivory paint, consisted of four five-story buildings clustered together. Rust stains streaked the outer walls, and the haphazard mix of renovated windows and old ones created an uncomfortable dissonance. It was an old building.

He made eye contact with an elderly man on the third floor of building 3, who was smoking an electronic cigarette with laundry hanging on his windowsill. Instead of a vocal greeting, Wonjin simply saluted. The man just nodded, exhaling a long plume of smoke.

“Ahem, excuse me.”

Wonjin cleared his throat and addressed the woman. However, she remained motionless, her gaze fixed on the building.

He couldn’t tell if she hadn’t heard him or was choosing to ignore him. Despite her lack of movement, Wonjin could somehow sense her emotions. He could only see her back, yet he could picture Surin’s Pyo Jeongyi expression.

Wonjin left the woman alone for a few seconds, seemingly lost in distress, confusion, or bewilderment. He called out to her again, but she remained silent. He had no choice but to gently blow air into her ear.

“Eek!”

As if she had truly been lost in thought, the woman flinched and covered her ear with her hand. Wonjin simply shrugged at her startled reaction, straightening up from his half-bow.

“Sorry. Was I too close?”

“…Wh-who are you?”

The woman stumbled back as if to escape, and their eyes finally met. Wonjin, now face-to-face with her tired-looking eyes, belatedly recalled the clues the delinquent teens had given him.

Pretty.

Then it was certain. Wonjin immediately upgraded the woman from suspect to accused. However, instead of directly confronting her, he decided to observe her a little longer. He wanted to, for the time being.

“I’m a resident here. Do you have any business with this villa?”

The woman looked up at Wonjin with suspicion in her eyes.

“A resident…? Then why did you blow in my ear…?”

“The delivery truck will be here soon. It’s going to be a problem if you keep blocking the way like that.”

“What?”

“Delivery.”

“…Oh, delivery. I’m sorry. I’ll move.”

Startled, the woman hurriedly looked around for a place to step aside. Up close, she was certainly dressed more stylishly than most people in this neighborhood. He didn’t think he had ever seen her around before.

It was time to uphold the neighborhood’s reputation. Wonjin neatly buttoned his quilted jacket and smoothed back his hair. His well-groomed hair fell softly back, revealing his forehead.

“Are you here to look at an apartment?”

The redevelopment boom in the neighboring area had recently invigorated real estate transactions in the surrounding areas as well. That seemed like the most plausible explanation for the woman’s presence.

The woman glanced at Wonjin and then back at the villa. Her tightly closed lips parted slightly, as if she were about to speak. But that was all.

After a long silence, the woman finally responded. It wasn’t an answer to his question, nor was it the question he’d expected.

“Does the hot water work well here?”

“Hot water?”

The woman looked back at Wonjin and gave a small nod. Her previously dejected expression was now surprisingly calm. Her extremely composed face, with its straight nose and serene eyes, appeared almost indifferent. She wore minimal makeup, but she didn’t look shabby or needy.

Her thick-lashed eyes blinked rhythmically, as if urging Wonjin to speak. Wonjin calmly looked down at her. An impulse urged him to break the silence, and he answered honestly.

“Don’t worry. Sometimes it’s nothing but hot water.”