Episode 158. Building Security Management
Kim Iwol returned holding two bottles of soju.
“What are you doing?”
Choi Jeho could not easily read Kim Iwol’s thoughts.
“Are you planning to drink together and charge in just like me?”
“I’m not someone who acts that rudely.”
Yet Kim Iwol was composed. Even the gesture of gently shaking the bottle by its neck felt leisurely.
But that lofty atmosphere didn’t last long.
Kim Iwol suddenly chugged from the bottle. Choi Jeho was startled and quickly grabbed Kim Iwol’s shoulder.
“Hey!”
“Ptooey.”
Then he spewed it all onto the ground. More precisely, into the corner of a secluded alley next to the convenience store.
“Are you okay? You crazy bastard, that’s why I told you not to drink….”
“I’m doing this on purpose, so be quiet. Because of you, I’m becoming even more of a mess right now.”
Whether he had spat wrong or not, alcohol dribbled down his chin. Kim Iwol wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve.
Then he poured soju into his palm and rubbed it on his sleeves and collar.
“Are you crazy? What are you doing?”
“I’m transforming into someone who’d cause huge trouble if you get involved with them.”
The remaining soju was poured onto the hem of Kim Iwol’s pants.
Perhaps feeling it was insufficient, Kim Iwol picked up a new bottle.
“Are you going to pour more?”
“The stench still isn’t there yet.”
Kim Iwol pulled down his mask, turned his head back, and exhaled.
“Yeah, still not enough.”
“Tell me what you’re going to do. That way….”
I could get buried together with you.
Choi Jeho was startled by the thought that suddenly flashed through his mind. It was because he had firmly vowed never to touch alcohol his whole life.
“You just stay here.”
“What?”
“You said he probably came to collect money. To someone like that, a celebrity son is just a sucker. It’s better not to run into him.”
He couldn’t refute it. Leaving behind a deflated Choi Jeho, Kim Iwol once again shoved the bottle toward his throat. He didn’t drink it as Choi Jeho had feared. He merely held it in his mouth for a moment before spitting it out.
“So you wait somewhere out of sight. I’ll go see Noona.”
*What makes you so special?* he thought. After all, Kim Iwol was at best the same age as him.
But before he could retort, Kim Iwol disappeared into the alley.
*Did I even give him the detailed address?*
Choi Jeho hurriedly chased after Kim Iwol.
* * *
*Ugh, the smell of alcohol.*
Every time he ran, the reek of alcohol wafted from his entire body.
The stench of cigarettes mixed in too. It was thanks to gargling soju over the cigarette butts strewn on the ground.
Spiritual Pillar Jeong Seongbin
[Hyung, as you instructed, I told the younger sibling to ask Noona to take Father to the park!]
His field of vision was narrow because of the mask and hat, but checking the message was no problem.
After running a bit more, a crude patch of greenery that could barely be called a park came into view.
Inside the park, where not a single passerby could be seen, someone was scuffling.
“Why the hell doesn’t someone who supposedly works have any money!”
“Do you think eating and sleeping are free? At least I spend money on basic necessities. Where do you spend yours that you have none, Dad?”
Although it was a short distance from the residential area, unlike the woman who was trying her best to suppress her voice, the man was busy shouting at the top of his lungs.
Obvious. He was trying to extort what he wanted by exploiting Noona’s desire not to cause a commotion at her home.
I quietly steadied my breath at the park entrance.
Then I untied one shoelace and pulled my hat down low.
*I can do this.*
How many crazy bastards had I seen during this time?
And how many drunkards had I cleaned up after?
Besides, Kim Iwol, you’re an elite who’s even taken classes. You have real combat experience too.
I checked the target’s position once more.
Then I slowly walked toward the man. Staggering, as if I might collapse to the ground at any moment.
Choi Jeho’s father didn’t even glance my way and continued to browbeat Noona. He was exactly the type of person accustomed to not caring about other people’s eyes.
I carefully approached the man from behind.
And I charged into the man’s shoulder.
To be exact, I pretended to charge and only lightly bumped him.
“What the—?!”
“Ugh!”
Matching the man’s neurotic turn, I squatted down as if collapsing, and both of their gazes fixed on me.
Now.
“Mister, are you walking without looking ahead?!”
“What?”
Drive out a barbarian with a barbarian.
Drive out a drunk with a drunk.
Of course, I’d have to act like an even trashier drunk.
“You bumped into me and now you’re raising your voice….”
“Can’t you see someone fell because of you? I think my leg is broken right now. How are you going to compensate for this?”
It was my first time playing the aggressor in my life, so my conscience hurt. But I did my best to writhe on the ground, wailing and clutching my leg.
I pointed at Noona and shouted.
“Hey, what are you just standing there for? Call the police! Police!”
“What is this young bastard trying to pull right now?”
“I fell and broke my leg because of you. What does it matter if I’m young and you’re old? I’m going to handle this by the book!”
“You think I haven’t seen scammers like you before?”
“My leg is broken. Is it a scam or not? How would you know, mister?”
Our country has a regrettable tendency to become more lenient the crazier you act. Even Choi Jeho’s father, who had been relentlessly pressing Noona, didn’t rashly lay another hand on me, who was acting even more insane.
I stood up and dusted off my pants, making it obvious that I wasn’t someone with a broken leg. Yet while doing so, I leaned on one leg with great dedication, putting on a clumsy performance of an injured person.
“Mister, if you don’t want to eat bean rice, let’s settle this for 500. Then I’ll wrap this up cleanly.”
“This guy is a total scammer!”
“Scammer? I’m trying to wrap this up nicely for you, and you’re kicking away your own luck? Where in the world is there a scammer who breaks his own leg? If it bothers you, do you want to just go to the slammer?”
Choi Jeho said so. This guy tries to avoid anything that would land him in jail.
When I approached right up to the man’s nose, the opponent flinched. Seeing that, I lowered my gaze and spoke.
“I’ve been rotting in this neighborhood for 20 years. I know everyone who lives here, I do. Huh? If you treat me like this and run off now, do you think you can just pass by me the next time we run into each other around here?”
The smell of alcohol was terrible, and I overwhelmed him in height too. All the conditions were perfect.
“Y-you son of a—.”
“You keep cursing. If you don’t like it, let’s do this legally, by the book! Hey! Call the police! Hurry!”
The man’s pupils shook. I could almost hear the sound of his head working.
At this rate, now soon….
“Shit!”
As if proving my guess right, the man pushed me and fled in the opposite direction.
He was beyond being treated like a human too. How could he leave his own daughter with a guy faking injury and fraud, and run away alone?
I wished my prediction had been wrong just this once. My mouth tasted bitter.
* * *
“Hello, Noona.”
I greeted her belatedly. Noona said that even after hearing my voice, she wasn’t sure if I was really Kim Iwol.
“You really look like a neighborhood thug……. Oh my! What am I saying at our first meeting!”
“It’s fine, please speak comfortably!”
I say worse things to your younger brother. Feel free to berate me.
I hadn’t even mentioned my name when Choi Jeho burst out from the alley right ahead. I told him not to follow and to wait. He never listens, seriously.
Choi Jeho came running frantically and checked me and Noona over.
“You’re not hurt? I was watching the whole time, but that bastard didn’t lay a hand on you, right?”
“He didn’t. You said he doesn’t hit or anything.”
Even at my words, Choi Jeho’s expression didn’t ease.
“Why did you drag Iwol here in the middle of the night? That guy causing a fuss isn’t a one or two-day thing.”
“He just followed me on his own. And you know if we let that guy have his way once, he’ll keep making scenes. It’s the first time he’s come all the way to Noona’s house….”
Choi Jeho sighed instead of finishing his sentence.
He must be conflicted himself. I know that feeling well.
Watching us in silence, Noona lightly smacked my forearm.
“Still, I don’t think he’ll come for a while. Thanks to Iwol chasing him away for good.”
“By faking injury and extorting him?”
“Could you tack on the word ‘acting’ at the end?”
Choi Jeho took off his hat in frustration and ruffled his hair.
Then he put the hat back on and spoke.
“So that’s why you were pouring alcohol all over yourself.”
The moment the bastard finished speaking, Noona’s palm flew to his forearm. It was a strikingly different strength from when she hit me.
“I! Told! You! To speak! Nicely! Didn’t I!”
“Ah, why are you hitting me!”
Wherever Noona’s hand touched, thwacking sounds rang out. It seemed she was trying to land a hit with every syllable. Even while being beaten like that, Choi Jeho couldn’t get a word in against Noona.
“Iwol has had a hard time. Even though they’re the same age, he’s immature, isn’t he?”
“Not at all. Jeho has been so diligent these days.”
“Jeho?”
Unable to endure even a moment of pleasantry, Choi Jeho tackled my affectionate nickname.
*So what.* Did you expect me to call you “Troublemaker Choi Jeho” in front of your Noona?
Watching us wage a battle of wills with our eyes, Noona smiled for no discernible reason.
“Why are you smiling?”
Choi Jeho shot a glance at Noona.
“It’s fascinating. The day has come when you make a friend, too.”
“Why is he my friend?”
“Are you going to talk like that to a member who came all the way here because of you? You want to die?”
The guy got scolded harshly as penalty for grumbling. Just watching it made my chest feel completely refreshed.
* * *
After bidding farewell to Noona, dawn had nearly broken.
While I was dusting the sand off my clothes, Noona pressed taxi fare into Choi Jeho’s hand.
“Take a taxi, and tomorrow let’s all eat something delicious together. This is all the cash I have right now.”
“You don’t have to. You think I don’t have taxi fare?”
“This is for Iwol’s hard work. Don’t get the wrong idea—it’s not for you.”
At Noona’s scolding, Choi Jeho shut his mouth.
It was just like my Noona and me in the old days.
*What is this?*
*A hoodie. It was on sale, so I bought one.*
*I have plenty of clothes.*
*Bullshit. All you ever wear is black crewnecks.*
It had been a habit to ask why she bought such things.
It hadn’t been just then. Every time my Noona bought me something, I said “It’s fine” more than “Thank you.” Because I felt sorry for making her spend money needlessly.
*I didn’t know back then that it was her way of caring.*
I realized too late that it came from a worrying heart, that she cherished her younger brother so much that she’d think of him even when she saw something nice on the street. It was something I only realized after the person who took care of me was gone.
I looked at Choi Jeho and his Noona and thought.
Next time I meet my Noona, I should ask Min Jugyeong and buy a gift that working women her age would like.
I should eat her favorite food, and if there’s something she wants, buy that too, and when we part, I should send her off in a deluxe taxi.
In the end, Choi Jeho couldn’t win against his Noona. And so we returned to the street with pocket money far too extravagant to use merely as taxi fare.
When I turned on the taxi reservation app, the late-night surcharge was running rampant.
*Still, we should take separate ones, right?*
It had been fine on the way here, but now the smell of alcohol was wafting off me. The very smell of alcohol that Choi Jeho detested.
If we took the same taxi to the lodging in this state, Choi Jeho might fly into a rage and who knows what he’d do. He’d probably shove me into the floor mat, open all four windows, and go while plugging his own nose. And the moment we got out, he’d kick me.
Fortunately, catching a taxi itself wasn’t difficult. I called out to the guy who was loitering around for no reason.
“I just caught one. You take this one.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll catch one now.”
At my words, Choi Jeho asked back.
“Why?”
“What do you mean why? Are we going together?”
When I grabbed near the collar and shook my shirt slightly, the smell of alcohol burst out like a fabric softener capsule popping. Choi Jeho scrunched up his face and spoke.
“……Let’s just go together. Why waste money?”
“If this were a matter of preference, I would have asked for your opinion.”
But family issues and trauma are different. I want to avoid making him conscious of them as much as possible.
As I was trying to enter a new destination, the phone slipped from my hand. It was Choi Jeho’s doing.
“Forget it. We’re going in one.”
“Huh?”
“I won’t die from smelling a bit of alcohol, so let’s just go.”
The phone returned to me with the app closed. In the distance, the taxi we had called was visible.
Choi Jeho, who had been walking toward the headlights, stopped dead in his tracks.
“I wondered why you suddenly started acting.”
“You mean me?”
“I think it might suit you.”
The guy waved his hand toward the taxi. It was time to return to the lodging.