UBC Ch14

Young Eui-joo was once rushed to the hospital after stepping on a shard of broken glass. After spending the entire month’s living expenses on hospital bills, the kitchen cabinets were filled with unbreakable plastic dishes and paper cups. Eui-tae, who barely attended school, was beaten by his father every three days like a dog on Dog Days. The neighbors were also gamblers, thugs, a mother working at a bar, and a grandfather disabled in the war. Unhappy families with different stories gathered, lowering the standard of average.47d3c1e2c7dcdf3a

Having been alienated from society’s view, Eui-tae knew the prices of cigarettes and alcohol inside out, even if he didn’t know addition or subtraction. After he grew a bit older, his school friends taught him what shame and embarrassment were.1917846e288d4753

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Clumsy chopstick skills and difficulty with spelling made ridicule and mockery a daily occurrence for Eui-tae. After he grew taller in the upper grades of elementary school, he raised his fists. Then, no one in the school defended or even spoke to Eui-tae. As a middle schooler, Eui-tae looked at his scabbed hands and thought: It’s better to be feared than ridiculed.c1563d37d070e843

Eui-tae’s isolated school life eventually went beyond just problems between the children and reached the point of summoning parents. However, Eui-tae’s father, who was unresponsive even when the teacher called or made home visits due to a major problem, remained a legend in the school. Then, one day, annoyed by the teacher and the school’s nagging, his father signed a withdrawal form and left. Eui-tae, who had been indifferent even when someone sneered, calling him a “half-breed,” or when the kitchen flooded during the rainy season, learned the meaning of the word “shame” for the first time.2cf6c1edb2fe75bc

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Hyung.”1c1d2d8185d47dd8

He wanted to go to school. He didn’t dream of college, but he wanted to get a high school diploma. He wanted to show young Eui-joo, the only one he still considered family, that he could go to school even in this shithole of a house.7cb437642866288b

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Where are you going?”85ac4e583d62b6a4

Two years after dropping out, he realized that the reason his father made him quit school wasn’t because of a violent incident. He had used his son, who was good at fighting, as collateral to pay off his gambling debts. The debt was transferred to an old man famous for usury in the area, and things escalated. At the age of nineteen, he went under the old man who would cross the sea to catch you and collect the debt.70330bcbdd94b0f9

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Can’t you not go? Hyung?”d5c90db2b4ac917f

He had a debt of the heart to his younger brother, who coughed every season. Eui-joo was his stepmother’s son. His stepmother couldn’t stand his father, who was quick to raise his hand. So, she ran away with the house deed in the early morning, and Eui-tae even witnessed the scene. Eui-tae, who had gotten up to put rice in the pot and became the last witness, didn’t stop his stepmother from running away. Eui-joo was only ten years old, an age when he would naturally miss his mother.5c7bf4ed2e2eca57

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“They said they’ll feed me if I go there.”3135b64ca2afd189

Leaving behind 81ec6fccaa Eui-joo, who 74c0775835 was crying d634da49fa and telling a95b8fd23d him not 4b8a24c279 to go, 9e7770be1d he headed cd3cd9358d to the 50ea4c4ed6 lodging designated 2ae3ea9cce by the f2c1f8a8c4 old man. If he went to 3a71616648 work and earned money, 13770cbc7b Eui-joo would be better 366041e006 off. Whether he was fighting 4d2301d3fd at school or acting 0f73692226 as a bodyguard for 8cc0e97c9d the old man who 1d095ef96c went around collecting money, 16bf056620 it would be the 4e63b2a0e7 same thing. Eui-tae, who chose to 615d031eae leave home with a 3b48ddbc90 single travel bag, was 12304d8d22 too naive about the b6f5135aa4 world.37a011709470f429

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

As he became tainted by the violent and threatening underworld, his mind was also breaking down. Feeling a sense of crisis that he might end up living and dying just as a lackey for his organization, he coldly cut off contact with his family. He sent money regularly, but he didn’t meet Eui-joo, fearing that his heart would weaken.0c13d215c551ae3c

Once he became an adult who didn’t have to be mindful of anyone, he felt like he was finding his usefulness within the group. It was the old man’s twisted hobby to gather bottom-of-the-barrel people and use them like his own hands and feet, but it was undeniable that everyone’s livelihood had improved thanks to that. He moved out of the shantytown and got a house in a rural area with clean water and fresh air. A place where even his father, who had a nationwide arrest warrant, didn’t know about.7996429ca38a5521

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Perhaps it was how 7ece5baef4 desperately Eui-tae was struggling 3cdccd4740 to survive that caught 63c2b26c51 his eye, but he 11e266a171 was able to enter a2a363551f the inner quarters of 369685dffa the influential old man ca4789e3a7 as the youngest member. However, the real hardship b321863753 began then. Not only did he c37b5315e4 work people without rest, 29f6d0600e but he also kicked 353b149a3c the shins of sleeping 67ee6f6e11 people and held drills 2fba3e279f every weekend morning.cf5a7faef97f7447

Among the youngest 7d425946c4 members, there was b804f2645a a joke that c304c8aa88 it was better 9d159686ba to go to 8cfec52ec9 the military three adf3cdab69 times. Even if you d7e05268ab succeeded in getting aa445d5468 into the inner 0aa9b41515 quarters by pleasing ba2e084824 the old man, 39ef118e24 surviving there was 81a87e1f39 another matter. Eui-tae, who was counting bd72fe28bd the days until he 0a06a808f6 could repay his debt, 08d68159d9 received an order from bb218c830d the old man one 48c9a994e3 day.62fb1b113c608b60

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Kang Eui-tae.”e9fafec5814de6d7

“Yes.”f9d38effc05c846a

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“What kind of son doesn’t even graduate from high school? What’s a middle school graduate? Go learn more and come back. Don’t even come back until you get that.”790fb9aafb7ef701

The old man’s threat to at least graduate from high school was sudden, but Eui-tae, who wasn’t in a position to refuse an order, was preparing to return to his hometown.08068d216977e057

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Yes.”6d465838580885a3

— Are you related 0c39b27419 to Kang Eui-joo?e1117ed0ad7c8c6e

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

And his brother died on the street. Just last month, he had called and told him that his only family was his hyung. People around him had clicked their tongues, wondering why he was so devoted to his half-brother. But if not for Eui-joo, there was no one he could call family. Would he call the mother who gave birth to him but whose face he didn’t know, or the father who gave him his seed but was better off not existing, family? His stepmother, who told him to take care of himself even as she ran away with disheveled hair, and Eui-joo were his family.47f116ebd4e4f137

After holding Eui-joo’s funeral, summer came. Eui-tae, who came down to Chowa-ri to sort out his belongings, found a bankbook under the pillow. Eui-joo had saved the money he had sparingly sent him to go to the hospital without using it. He had also written a neat note in the bankbook.d4d25d9345b94422

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

To use when I a57f672fa2 live with hyung.64f592e27017bf74

Even if 9e4dc582b4 it had 33968a70e1 been a 1afefacf4d long time 7a7667a71b since he 970321827b had read, 6eef2b00f9 he could 3ef8d61e00 understand that 32faea51f6 much. That was why d0807bd7fe Eui-tae, who had 000e48bd30 thought of selling 2892fc8d55 off the jinxed 7cbc482ff0 house immediately, had 61fe6db12b crawled into Chowa-ri.23afb40b2ad4ef1a

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

He sent the money Eui-joo had saved to the old man and paid off all of his father’s remaining debt. The old man must have praised Eui-tae quite highly in front of his subordinates, saying that he was the first guy to pay off his debt so quickly. Perhaps it was because they were displeased by that, but they invaded Eui-tae’s neighborhood and beat him indiscriminately. If he resisted or fought back there, he could have been crippled altogether. He had to accept it as a kind of ritual that happened regularly to stay in the inner quarters.2a4f37b4cec8a37a

The old man was someone who watched the gang’s fights, not someone who intervened to mediate. Only the strong survived and stayed by his side. How warm could the heart of someone who wiped his ass with dirty money be?18dd6f601b1ea04c

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Even though he had no meaning in life, no family, and no money, Eui-tae opened a book. Whenever he felt regret or his mood sank due to things from his past, Eui-tae thought about what was next. What was next was the side dishes he would eat tomorrow, the studying he would do tomorrow, the people he would meet tomorrow. If he organized his thoughts starting with the very near future, a person’s mind became simple.1bd747b255373279

If he thought too long about the things he had lost and regretted the irreversible choices for too long, the only place Eui-tae himself could go was heaven. So, he kept his thoughts simple and lived his life simply. After all, if he couldn’t get into the old man’s inner quarters, he would only be a errand boy for some mediocre office. Let’s die then. If he killed Eui-joo for the sake of making money and couldn’t even be a nobody, let’s die then.fefdcb422a898042

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Open your eyes.”e5a22fae36882d0d

His chest rose as 3904f6907b if he were taking f35fa77e81 his first breath. A white 01fc9ee7d2 fan came 07b827774f into his 4b612fdd34 blurry vision. Not a cf7ebc349e dusty, yellowed adaf9617a3 fan. It was clean 8586ae510b and new, as 6491ab9111 if someone had dbe375c78c washed it. Was the breeze blowing f8e2c2a6d7 from there as cool 78aef796a9 as peppermint candy?d651f7924c681ff9

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Wow, wow, that’s a relief.”c97ff2445eb75475

He shifted his 6e5112bc5b gaze, following the 45a5000821 sound of busy cdb0643ad2 footsteps. His vision, 3166d67331 which had 69ee2dbd6c been blurry e5e760a122 and then 3196110d0f became clear 7e976cb683 again, became ff00138417 unclear as 513c8b895f it met 2115c3d985 the bright 2b10d0f103 light.76d267cd99bf01d5

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“I really thought someone was dying and I prayed for the first time.”60a69e431928c866

That chattering voice seemed 8d94e0e265 to echo from all d3cee320f4 directions, perhaps because of 6eb3e0a544 his aching head. The constant rhythm 586e3f3a61 of the footsteps 73a9ad8556 was distracting. All his senses 6e3d52d2d8 were so dull ab7267d861 that it felt bedfd2dc50 unreal. His lips, 33afe400a4 which were dbeea42556 exhaling hot 4fc2fc779c breath, felt f636322321 like they 5d91204efb were peeling.dc8dd8369025bc53

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

He had 44dc3bac5b been beaten 5189075293 beyond measure, b05644a092 but Eui-tae e05d4f799f had no 3bc1fa31c2 thoughts right dd0f19171a now. The fact that he 7640dfb97d was thinking about cigarettes eff8f626c3 even in this state 904e355c7d meant that this life 2b3ae89aac was a lost cause.81111f019524e1f0

He must 706c0cc096 be creating ed4218c1b6 hallucinations of 1ec945d630 someone taking 405a70727c care of 218b1d95b7 him. He must be 2673c17cde fantasizing that there db59d7e77d was someone nursing bf8788f6c1 him while he 2220d66906 was lying alone 120b9bcbc6 at home. Just as he was 4ad4f136da about to laugh at bb41abf682 his pathetic situation, a 1499112362 damp towel covered his ac3f82ac36 eyes.39707e5fdaf73000

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“But the swelling has gone down a lot.”9398471b694c96be

Was he confusing the sound of a person’s voice with the sound of the fan? Eui-tae raised his hand, his joints aching, and slowly grabbed the towel. It was about time for the delusion to fade. He pushed the towel aside and frowned. His vision, which had been dizzy as if he had drunk a bottle of whiskey, was finally clearing up.0b60a0de867a80e9

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Why did you take that off?”3ed8f4f735c563b0

Hair as thin as silk tickled Eui-tae’s forehead. Eui-tae, who had regained his senses, struggled to open his eyes wide. In the flickering shadow, there were eyes, a nose, and a mouth. The light from the lamp, which had made it look like a white background, became the woman’s wings. A smile appeared on her face, which had looked like a watercolor painting, and she finally transformed into a person.9e924e29bb74acf1

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Eat when you have the strength.”16e803e4cd311d6a

She was close enough to touch. The woman placed her hand on the spot where he had removed the towel. The woman’s warmth was transmitted to his chest, stealing Eui-tae’s mind in another sense.e97d8cf2b4460a70

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

He remembered. Whether he was in pain that he could endure, pain that was killing him, or pain that was on the verge of killing him, no one had ever taken care of him. That’s why it was unfamiliar, and that’s why…59a08c7b1a010abc

“Can’t you get up?”d1051e17c5339a98

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

He wanted to die 28666cc2ef today.9824936655345fe1