TMWCL Ch 1 part 1

It smelled like a mixture of grease and cigarettes.

If someone were to ask her what the negative aspects of working part-time at a barbecue restaurant was, she would be able to list at least five right away: It was heavy, it was hot, it was a hassle because you’d have to grill it yourself, it was dirty, and in the midst of all that, it was all about speed.

“It’s because she’s like a daughter to me. The part-timer is cute.”

And if you were unlucky, you’d even be sexually harassed. An old man who looked old enough to be her father tapped Yeoreum’s bottom with his palm. Yeoreum was flustered and froze in place, so her boss quickly came up next to her and pushed her behind her.

“Aigoo, Ahjussi. You shouldn’t do things like that here. This isn’t that kind of place.”

“Boss, what did I do wrong? I was just encouraging her because she’s so cute.”

The man was tipsy and had a flushed face as he laughed heartily.

This neighborhood, located between Sangwon-dong and the university district, was being newly developed. They were currently in an old food alley on a half-deserted street.

The main customers of this street were blue-collar workers and gangsters.

If you took a wrong turn, you’d find yourself in the red-light district. But if you just followed the well-lit roads, it wasn’t that dangerous.

Yeoreum lived in this neighborhood since she was young. She didn’t want to run into gangsters, so she went to high school far from Hawon-dong, but she regretted coming back when she began to attend a university nearby. The food alley in Hawon-dong was close to the road behind her school, so it was less crowded with students, making it relatively easy to find a part-time job. In an era where there was a shortage of part-time work and jobs, it was rare to find a job that paid more than the minimum wage and fit into her schedule.

Three hours a day, five days a week, from 8 PM to 11 PM. Unexpected for this area, the boss was surprisingly lenient to part-time workers and gave her an hourly wage of 15,000 won and a weekly holiday allowance, giving her a monthly salary of about 1 million won¹. Unlike her peers who would go to bars or clubs out of curiosity as soon as they became adults, Yeoreum searched for a part-time job. Her boss was so impressed by her work ethic that she immediately gave her a job, and on top of that, she gave her a 100,000-won bonus during the holidays.

That was why she was able to endure these unpleasant incidents that happened from time to time. Unlike the internet stories titled ‘Daebak Boss’, her boss didn’t have the guts to kick out the customer who was sexually harassing a part-timer, but she did cover up for her and make sure she didn’t have to suffer twice at the same table.

“Yeoreum, go over to that table. We have a customer.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Yeoreum walked over to the outdoor table that the boss gestured to.

In this restaurant, smoking was permitted at window seats and outdoor tables.

One side of the restaurant had transparent folding windows, so the owner usually kept the door open, put up sunshades, and placed outdoor tables to make more room inside the restaurant. Of course, it was illegal, but there were no crackdowns in this area, so each table had paper cups and some water along with a tissue dispenser and a makeshift ashtray.

She quickly headed to the outdoor table, her eyes fixed on the order notepad in her hand.

“Are you ready to order?”

“…You look familiar.”

An unfamiliar voice of a man spoke up over her head.

Is this sexual harassment again? But for a sexual harasser, his voice sounded normal. Seems like there was one more table to avoid today.

As Yeoreum looked up from her notepad, her eyes were caught by unusually dark eyes. He had sharp brows, dark eyes, a straight nose, and a sharp jaw. At that moment, she remembered what her friend Soojin had once said.

“When you meet a really handsome guy, you can’t tell how old he is. Did you know that the idols who are debuting these days are crazy young? There are a lot of guys who are younger than us. But if you don’t know their age, it’s hard to believe that they’re younger than me. And what about actors? I end up calling them ‘oppa’ even though they’re seventeen years older than me. They say that if you’re handsome, you’re automatically called ‘oppa’. I guess there’s a reason why people say that.”

And it turned out to be true.

The man in front of her had an appearance that made it impossible to guess his age. He was an extremely handsome young man. It was difficult to believe that he was an ordinary person, so she thought he might be an actor who happened to be filming a gangster movie nearby. Yeoreum felt that even his voice sounded young. She also thought that he might be a young laborer or a gangster, but when she actually looked at his face, he seemed sharp, but he didn’t seem like someone who did manual labor himself. He didn’t look like someone who would come to a restaurant on this street.

“This is my… first time meeting you.”

Her lips trembled for a moment as she said ‘first’. However, her eyes remained steadily fixed on the man’s appearance.

He was sitting, so it was difficult to tell how tall he was, but his shoulders were definitely broad. A couple of buttons near his neck were undone, and his shirt sleeves were rolled up, revealing his strong arms. Yeoreum glanced at him and compared his arms to hers. They were both human arms, but his were at least twice as thick as hers.

“Should I say my order?”

Her gaze turned back to the man’s face at the sound of his voice. He was still looking at her.

“Ah, sorry. What would you like to order?”

“What do you want to eat?”

The man spoke in a dry voice and picked up his suit jacket that was lying next to him. Was he asking her? Yeoreum was about to nervously lick her lips when she noticed the person sitting across from the man. The man’s presence was so strong that she momentarily forgot that the other person was there.

“Hyung-nim. Is it okay if I order some frozen pork belly?”

“You said you wanted to eat it.”

“Yes, sir. I heard this place is really delicious.”

The man called ‘hyung-nim’ took a pack of cigarettes and a lighter out of his pocket and opened his lips.

“Is that what you think as well, part-timer?”

“Pardon? Ah, yes. It’s delicious.”

“Then how many servings should I order?”

He put down his jacket and took a cigarette out of its pack before lighting it at an angle.

Ting.

The silver lighter cap opened and the white cigarette stick lit up. He had broad hands and long fingers. Yeoreum couldn’t tell his exact height, but judging from the size of his hand, she could tell that he wasn’t short.

He took a short drag on his cigarette and exhaled the smoke with a sigh. The smoke blew in the opposite direction from her. When he turned his head, his clavicle muscles were clearly visible under his shirt.

“…Usually, for two people, they order about three servings.”

The other man intervened.

“Hyung-nim. Is it okay if I order five servings?”

“Do whatever you want.”

His voice sounded disinterested, as if it were someone else’s business.

“Okay, then I’ll bring five servings of frozen pork belly. What would you like to drink?”

Instead of answering, the man turned his gaze and looked at her face again. She thought he was a ruthless jerk who was trying to harass her because of his first words to her, but there wasn’t a hint of dirty intentions in his gaze. The man seemed to be trying to figure out where he had seen her.

The other man looked at his expression and then opened his mouth.

“Three bottles of soju.”

“Would you like Chutisul? Or would you like the black label?”

“Hyung-nim, I will order the Chutisul.”

“Alright.”

“We’ll have the Chutisul.”

“Yes, sir.”

As Yeoreum was about to leave, she could hear the man’s voice behind her.

“She looks like her.”

Was he talking about her?

The other man opened his mouth.

“Like Jisoo from Miss B? I thought that too. But Hyung-nim, you usually don’t eat things like this. Are you sure it’s okay for you to eat frozen pork belly?”

Yeoreum realized that this wasn’t worth listening to and went to submit the order to the boss.

Meanwhile, the men continued their conversation.

“You said you were dying to eat it.”

“Yes, sir. I used to come here once or twice a month with Kiju-hyung-nim, but after we came here half a year ago, he said he wasn’t feeling it for some reason, so we haven’t come here since. Now that I think about it, that part-timer started working here half a year ago, too. She’s lasting quite a while.”

“You remember her?”

“She’s pretty.”

“She looks like she’s underage.”

“She does look young.”

“Looks like Taehyuk will be wearing an ankle bracelet soon. I don’t use people with ankle bracelets, so I better find a replacement quickly.”

“Ah, Hyung-nim. It’s not like that!”

Taehyuk grew angry, feeling aggrieved.

“Alright.”

The man’s lips stretched into a faint, crooked smile.

“But this reminds me of when I was working at a construction site. After work, I’d come here and…”

Yeoreum’s gaze turned back to the men. The other man looked older than him, but he treated him politely. Through just their actions, Yeoreum realized that they were better-dressed gangsters compared to the others. The quiet man did not fit in with his large, talkative companion or the noisy frozen pork belly restaurant. As if he did not like what he saw, the man sat at the table and did not touch the meat. He only drank soju and smoked his cigarette.

“Yeoreum, this table!”

“Okay!”

The man was handsome enough to naturally catch her eye, but Yeoreum didn’t have much time to admire him. She had to move quickly to take orders, serve the food, and clear the tables. The store was small, but since the only ones who were working here were her and the owner, it was busy even when it wasn’t crowded.

When she was busy, it was difficult to pay attention to her movements. Thanks to the boss’s consideration, she didn’t have to go back to the sexual harassment table, but she couldn’t help but come across situations where she would have to go near it while working.

“Oh, the pretty girl is here again?”

“……”

“Why are you ignoring me? I was trying to talk to you because you’re like my daughter.”

The man’s hand slowly moved toward Yeoreum’s thigh. It happened while the boss had gone to the kitchen for a moment. Yeoreum avoided his hand.

“Please don’t do that, sir.”

Then, as she moved out of reach and began cleaning the table next to them, she saw a pair of long legs striding towards her.

“Sir, I apologize, but we haven’t cleared this table yet. Please sit somewhere else.”

“Is your name Yeoreum?”

The man looked down at Yeoreum as he held a lit cigarette in one hand.

Even though he was hunched over, he was so tall that Yeoreum had to tilt her head back quite a bit to look at him. He was tall when he was merely sitting, but she didn’t think he’d be this tall. Even though he was just standing there, he was big enough to completely block her view.

It wasn’t like he had a lot of fat or muscle mass to the point that he was bulging, but it seemed like he just had large bone structure to begin with.

“…Yes.”

“No wonder. I thought you looked familiar.”

The man extinguished his cigarette on a plate of chips on the table next to him. The thug who had been harassing her suddenly burst up from his seat.

“What the hell are you doing?! Do you want to start a fight?!”

When he stood up, the difference in physique was clear as day. The man was nearly three hand lengths taller than the thug, and his body was more built. When he was just standing on his own, his arms and legs were long, and his proportions were good. But when someone else stood next to him, she could see that this man was obviously in good shape. Despite his odd behavior, he had a calm expression on his face.

“A fight?”

“Yeah, a fight. Who do you think you are, looking like a male prostitute? Are you looking down on someone who works in construction?”

“A male prostitute, you say. I didn’t know I gave off that impression.”

The man rubbed his chin.

Yeoreum sympathized with him. Like he said, he looked more like a warrior from a long-established noble family than a tranny. Men often used that expression when they wanted to insult handsome men, but this was the first time she was seeing it happen in person.

Then that thug… would probably be a court jester, right?

Yeoreum thought without changing her expression.

“Hyung-nim, what’s going on?”

Suddenly, the man’s companion ran out from the bathroom and came over to the table.

“Taehyuk.”

The man turned his gaze to his companion.

“I extinguished my cigarette while passing by, but it turns out I started a fight.”

His actions were clearly ones that warranted a fight, but when he spoke so calmly without changing his expression, Yeoreum couldn’t help but feel like he was speaking the truth.

The corners of the man’s mouth slightly curled. He even looked a little pleased with himself. On the other hand, his companion grew extremely agitated and looked like he was about to start a fight.

“I’ll sort this out, sir.”

“Don’t make such a fuss in front of the kid. Adults should set a good example.”

His gaze slowly turned back to Yeoreum. Only then did Yeoreum realize that she had been dazedly staring at him this whole time.

“Yeoreum, head inside and call the boss.”

This was not the time to just sit back and stare.

“Ah, yes, sir.”

As if waking up from a trance, she quickly headed back to the kitchen.

“Aigoo, they’re at it again. I really wanna leave this place sometimes. Yeoreum, you stay in the kitchen for a bit.”

It was common for fights to break out in the restaurant. Usually, a big commotion would occur right when the owner went back out, so Yeoreum deliberately waited in the kitchen. However, contrary to her expectations, it was quiet outside. After a while, Yeoreum peeked her head out and looked outside. The two tables were empty. The owner returned to the kitchen with a bewildered look on her face.

“Did those people leave?”

“Yeah, they left. But this is the first time I’ve seen anything like this while working here.”

“What do you mean?”

“When that handsome man’s companion said a few words, the other guy immediately got scared and apologized, put down some cash, and left. The other man’s group also left. Do you know that handsome man?”

“No. This is the first time I’ve seen him.”

“Really? He asked how long you’ve been working here. I said it was about half a year. After he heard my answer, he just left.”

“That’s strange.”

“He’s not a stalker or anything like that, is he?”

“I’ve never gotten involved with someone like him.”

“Then why did he ask me about you?”

The owner pondered with a puzzled look on her face. Suddenly, she opened her mouth as if she realized something important.

“Yeoreum, be careful. He might try to make you do something bad. He might say something like, ‘All you have to do is sit still, and the money will come rolling in,’ or, ‘All you have to do is pour some drinks and smile.’ You must never believe those kinds of words. I didn’t raise you to be like that. Always stay on the straight path.”

“Yes, ma’am. Don’t worry. I won’t talk to those gangsters. I’ll go and clean up the table.”

“Alright.”

Yeoreum walked over to the table where that man had been sitting. As she cleared the table, she found that the plate and spoon at the man’s seat was clean, showing no signs of use. Only four or five cigarette butts were thrown in the paper cup ashtray.

What was odd was that there was a glass of soju placed at an empty seat, not the man’s seat or the place where his companion had been sitting. The transparent glass with the green soju logo on it was filled to the brim with soju.

Was someone else going to join them?

She wondered as she nonchalantly cleared the table. Raindrops began to fall on her head. She thought that it was just some of the rain that had pooled on the sunshade from earlier in the day and ignored it. Just as she was about to finish clearing the table, the raindrops began to fall onto the plastic folding table.

Drip, drip-drip, drip-drip-drip-drip.

The raindrops soon turned into a downpour and began to beat against the sunshade. Summer was going by faster. The wind blew the raindrops inside, causing them to splash randomly on the outdoor table. She quickly cleaned up the table and folded the table and chairs with her boss.

“It’s raining again. I hope it stops soon.”

Her boss spoke with concern in her voice.

Yeoreum also agreed with her and stared outside the store.

Suddenly, she wondered if the handsome gangster had gotten home safely without getting wet from the rain.

* * *

It rained a lot this summer.

As soon as the scorching heat went away, the Han River overflowed and flooded many unsuspecting neighborhoods due to the continuous heavy rain. Many peoples’ lives changed, especially during the middle of the year. National policies, various corporate promotions, students’ first semester final exams… and even floods.

Twenty years old, Yeoreum².

It was a time when adding the sentence ‘It was summer’ to the end of anything made it sound like a romantic memory. Yeoreum, who had been named after the summer, was confident that from now on, whenever she encountered that sentence, she would scowl and spit out a few harsh words.

It was a season where it was difficult to endure the humidity, the way her clothes clung to her skin, and the musty smell of mold. But now, she became one of the victims of the flood. With a stern face, she searched through the damp, muggy semi-basement unit, picking out any usable items from the soaked debris. Fortunately, she only found out about the flood after she had returned home late at night. If she had stayed home and slept through it, she might be dead by now.

Thanks to that, she barely managed to escape alive. Most of her clothes that were soaked in the sewage water that had poured in from outside were probably never going to be worn again.

“This damn summer.”

It was either hot or humid or both.

The season that shared the same name as hers was cruel and merciless. Because of this, this summer, Yeoreum got a lot of hate from random people, including herself. Why did her name have to be ‘Yeoreum’ instead of spring, when the flowers bloomed, or autumn, when the harvest season was in full swing? Even her birthday was in the spring. Considering the fact that the person who named her was her biological father, the careless way she was named wasn’t surprising.

She gathered her things and left the semi-basement room, determined to apply for a name change as soon as she had time. The weather forecast said that it would rain even more. If only she had been accepted into the dormitory, this wouldn’t have happened. She thought about it and shook the thoughts away. Feeling regretful over things you don’t have only leads to pain.

She chose a university that she thought was perfect in all aspects, considering the school name, scholarship programs, and the employment rates of its alumni.

After she received confirmation of her admission, she realized that she had overlooked one important thing. The priority for dormitories for first semester freshmen was dependent on their distance from campus. Since she spent her summer at a place that was very close to the school, as reported in her resident registration form, and since Seoul National University had students coming from all over the country, her chances of being accepted into the local dormitories were virtually zero. No matter how good her grades were and how destitute she was, there was nothing she could do about the rules. So she had to give up on finding one in her first semester, but for her second semester… This time, she failed to find one because of her poor grades.

Her discomfort reached its peak due to the ongoing rainy season, and the people who lost their homes headed to the homes of acquaintances or temporary housing facilities. People are often stingy, but there are some who shine.

“We’re on break now, and my parents live nearby. So just stay at my studio apartment for the time being.”

Yeoreum was able to find a place to stay for the time being thanks to a friend from another department who had graduated from the same high school as her. It was a cozy studio apartment on the third floor that was twice the size of the semi-basement studio apartment that Summer had been living in. Since it was on the third floor, she didn’t have to worry about it getting flooded this rainy season.

“You know how I’m going on my military leave next semester. So my lease ends on July 15th. The room has to be emptied out by then. Is that okay? Oh, and you can turn on the air conditioner. My parents won’t know since I don’t turn it off anyway. It’s so humid these days, you know? If I don’t turn on the dehumidifier, I wouldn’t be able to breathe. I lied and told them that I threw out my blankets, so if you’re okay with it, feel free to use my blankets too.”

“Thank you. I’ll do my best to save on air conditioning costs. I’ll definitely find another place to live when the time comes. I’ll also make sure to use the blankets well.”

She would have been grateful if he had only let her stay for a day, but he offered to let her stay for two weeks for free. And on top of that, she got a good quality bedding set that was barely used.

“Okay, if you’re truly grateful, answer the phone and write me a letter from time to time.”

“Of course.”

Even though his family lived rather close, her friend found a studio apartment late into the semester because he found it difficult to commute. She never thought he’d help her out in this way.