CHAPTER~07
Kim Hwi-dong
Hwi-do stared endlessly at the five-thousand-won bill Yeong-won had handed him.
Five thousand won a day… That meant one hundred and fifty thousand won in a month.
Of course, he wouldn’t be working every single day, so roughly estimating, it would come out to about a hundred thousand won, which meant he would earn two hundred thousand won in two months.
Two hundred thousand won.
Hwi-do thought about what he could do with that money.
A course meal at his favorite Chinese restaurant in Cheongdam-dong, Maehwa, cost about that much. And that was only feasible during lunchtime.
If he worked in Ma-yeong-ri, he could only afford it once every two months.
No, wait. Traveling to Seoul would require transportation costs. Including round-trip travel, he’d have to stretch it to once every three months. And he’d have to indulge in a Geisha drip coffee for dessert…
“Kim Hwi-do. You’re really ridiculous,” he muttered to himself in exasperation.
As furious as he felt, the thought of immediately packing up and leaving after hearing the daily wage made his pride flare up.
He couldn’t allow himself to flee; Yeong-won would definitely laugh at him.
Right now, it wasn’t the shock of the five-thousand-won wage that bothered him—it was the thought of Yeong-won’s smirk.
Besides, even if he wanted to go to Seoul, he didn’t have the fare. A round-trip would cost over ten thousand won.
“Ah, that’s right!”
A sudden realization hit Hwi-do, and he rummaged through the suit pocket he had stuffed the money into.
He clenched a thin piece of paper in his hand.
The luxurious texture.
The satisfying fit in his palm.
“Of course.”
Inside his pants pocket, neatly folded, was a fifty-thousand-won bill featuring Shin Saimdang, the mother of Yi I. This was money given to him by Secretary Park, covering ten days of his wages.
That brought his total cash to fifty-five thousand won.
A smile bloomed across Hwi-do’s face.
“Ha… am I laughing now? Is this the time to laugh?”
Yet the smile quickly faded.
Hwi-do, once in charge of the Uheon Hotel business division, couldn’t believe he felt relieved over fifty-five thousand won.
He stared at his hands. Maybe he shouldn’t have punched Kim Hae-sung with these very fists.
Regret washed over him, but there was nothing to be done now. He had to find a realistic way to earn a higher daily wage from Yeong-won.
After all, she was effectively his boss here.
“Right. I decided yesterday to endure it. It’s just this trivial amount,” he muttered to himself.
Accepting his fate for the time being, Hwi-do grabbed his phone and quietly stepped outside.
It was just nine in the evening, yet the surroundings were quiet.
He lightly stretched, tying his loosely fitting sneakers—these weren’t even his own shoes.
“I’ll just save up and buy proper shoes,” he thought.
He stepped through the gate and started jogging slowly. Using muscles he rarely engaged, his body ached and he felt tired—but that only made him want to run more.
Yeong-won had been right; the farm work had been tough for him.
Especially infuriating was the fact that she had urged him to go to Seoul because she thought he was so hopeless.
Hwi-do no longer wanted to be a burden to Yeong-won. Building stamina was essential.
He decided to run for just thirty minutes, keeping his eyes fixed ahead.
Passing Yeong-won’s house, crossing the field where he had weeded earlier, he finally reached a dead-end alley and stopped.
His heart pounded, his lungs burned, and sweat dripped down. Catching his breath, he prepared to turn back. A refreshing rinse with cold water once he got home would feel perfect.
But… where was he?
Minutes passed, yet he saw no familiar blue gate or roof. Only fields surrounded him.
Everything looked alien.
He quickly searched for a signpost, but in a small village like this, there was none.
Rural days and nights were different from Seoul, and Ma-yeong village was exceptionally dark at night.
He had overlooked all of this.
Sighing, he decided to keep walking. But no matter which way he went, it was either fields, greenhouses, or dark, single-story houses.
Only the unpaved road he walked on had occasional streetlights, while everything else was swallowed by darkness.
Please, no…
I’m not lost, am I?
The absurdity of the situation hit him. Frustrated, he turned on his phone. It could only make calls; no apps could be installed, and Yeong-won’s number wasn’t saved.
The only contacts were his grandmother and Mrs. Jang Mi-hwa.
Call Mrs. Jang? And say what? “I got lost while jogging at night”?
“Damn it,” Hwi-do muttered, brushing sweat-damp hair from his face.
No way he could call her. Too old-fashioned for a police call at twenty-nine.
He recalled Mrs. Jang warning him to beware the “nine-year curse.” Was this it?
At nineteen, at twenty-nine… what kind of suffering is this?
He shoved his useless phone back in his pocket and trudged on.
Then, a silhouette appeared on the ground in front of a house gate.
Hwi-do quickened his pace.
The green, rusted gate belonged to a single-story house, much like Yeong-won’s. The gate was low, allowing a clear view inside. One of the three windows was lit, suggesting someone was still awake.
Hwi-do reached out to knock, but the gate opened faster than his hand could reach.
“Who’s there?”
The woman who appeared looked in her late sixties. Her tightly curled perm glimmered even in the night.
“Who are you?” Hwi-do asked cautiously, bending slightly.
“Oh… do you know Yeong-won?”
She didn’t answer, simply staring at him.
Maybe my voice is too soft…?
Hwi-do cleared his throat.
“Do you know… Yeong-won?”
Still, she didn’t respond. Hwi-do inhaled deeply to speak louder.
“…H-hello!”
“You’re loud enough. I heard you the first time,” she said, amused.
Embarrassed, Hwi-do scratched his head.
“Oh, right.”
“I asked first. Who are you?”
Hwi-do hesitated. How should he introduce himself at this hour? Bragging he was Yeong-won’s first love like he had earlier with Bong-hee and Yeong-hee was impossible.
“I’m… the grandson of someone who knows Yeong-won’s father…”
Following Yeong-won’s morning introduction almost verbatim, Hwi-do explained himself. The woman looked him over skeptically.
“How can I believe that?”
“I… I really do know Yeong-won. Her father… he runs ‘Won Noodles’ in the city—kalguksu.”
“That’s well known.”
“Yeong-won is the youngest of four siblings. She has three older brothers.”
“Everyone knows she’s precious. Maybe they saw her working at the noodle shop.”
“Yeong-won graduated from Ma-yeong High School, and we were classmates.”
“She’s talented, yes, but would our Yeong-won even know that person?”
“Well… Aunt Bong-hee and Aunt Yeong-hee know me. I even helped weed the fields with Aunt Bong-hee earlier.”
Upon hearing the names, the woman’s suspicion softened.
“But why are you wandering in front of someone’s house at this hour?”
“Oh… I’m staying at Yeong-won’s house. I wanted to take a walk around the village. I didn’t want to disturb her while she’s asleep, so I went alone. But when I tried to return, I got confused about where her house is.”
He rambled on.
“I’m visiting after ten years. It’s practically my first time here. That’s probably why I’m so confused.”
The woman blinked.
“You’re talking too much about getting lost.”
“…Yes, you’re right.”
Hwi-do felt utterly pathetic.
“Could you tell me which way to go to get to Yeong-won’s house? I can manage from there.”
The woman shook her head.
“Her father’s not home. How could I trust a stranger to guide you?”
“What? I just told you I’m staying at Yeong-won’s house…”
“Forget it. I’ll make one call.”
The woman pulled a sleek smartphone from her pocket and dialed a number.
“Hello… Yeong-won asleep? About this—”
She paused mid-call to look at Hwi-do.
“What’s your name?”
“Kim Hwi-do.”
“Kim Ho-dong?”
“No, Kim Hwi-do. Hwi-do.”
“Not Ho-dong, but Hwi-dong?”
Hwi-do’s mind flashed back to the day-long ordeal of being called ‘Hwi-dong’ by Bong-hee. Now it seemed he’d be called Ho-dong, Hwi-dong, or something else.
Why is ‘do’ being turned into ‘dong’?
This time, he vowed to explain carefully, letter by letter, so there would be no more mistakes.
“My name is Hwi, like the whistle, and Do, like a circle.”
“Ah… Kim Hwi-do.”
Wait, what did I just say?
