“Child support?”
“Then were you planning not to pay child support either? You really have no shame.”
“I didn’t know…”
“You sure live an easy life. Is not knowing the end of it? If you stab someone with a knife, or push someone to the edge of a cliff, and then say you didn’t know they might die, do you not get punished?”
“That’s a little different from this.”
“You’re old enough to know better, so how is it that you don’t understand how the world works?”
For the moment, I held out a bottle of water to Manager Lee Seonghun.
“Drink this first. Drink. Get a grip. We have something important to discuss now, so you need to come to your senses.”
Manager Lee Seonghun gulped down the water I handed him.
Then I spoke to him in a friendlier voice than I had used until now.
“So I was thinking of giving you a chance.”
“A chance…?”
“Yeah.”
“What kind of…”
“A chance to live as a father, as a true adult. I’m saying I’ll give you such a precious opportunity.”
“……”
“Listen carefully. What was it…? What was Scott’s name again? The child’s name?”
“It’s Ramil.”
Scott answered.
“Right, Ramil. Remember it well. Your kid’s name is Ramil.”
“Ramil?”
“Yeah. Pretty name, isn’t it? It’s a problem in itself that you’ve only just learned your child’s name after he’s already fourteen, but since you keep lying that you didn’t know, I’ll let that much slide.”
“Thank you.”
“This is what I want. I want you to put Ramil on your family register. What do you think?”
“What?”
“Families should come together and live together. Don’t you agree? If you live together, you can fulfill your role as Ramil’s father. You can fulfill your responsibilities as an adult, too. How nice is that?”
“That…”
“Think about it carefully. How many children do you have now?”
“Two… two.”
“If you add Ramil to your family register, you’ll have three. You’ll qualify for the benefits for families with multiple children. How nice is that? You’ll get benefits from the government, too.”
“I’m already getting those.”
“Don’t they start at three children?”
“It was changed to two.”
“Really? Either way, the benefits will be greater, won’t they? Your kids will get an older brother, too. That’s reassuring. A Filipino big brother. How reassuring is that? Isn’t he the most trustworthy person after a church oppa?”
“What?”
“And Ramil speaks English well. He could teach your kids English, too. You’re getting an English tutor for free—one who might otherwise cost tens of millions, no, hundreds of millions of won. You really get to enjoy every benefit there is. I’m jealous. So jealous.”
“Even so… putting him on the family register…”
“You can’t put him on the family register?”
“I’d have to discuss it with my wife, and there are all kinds of problems…”
“Of course you have to solve those problems. It’s the first step toward becoming an adult: taking responsibility for your actions.”
“Even so… that…”
“So it really won’t do?”
“……”
I handed Manager Lee Seonghun a sheet of paper.
“Then sign here.”
“What is this?”
“A will? Something like that.”
“A… will?”
“If you put Ramil on your family register, he’ll receive a fair share of your estate even if you die. But if you croak like this, Ramil won’t just go his entire life without ever seeing his father’s face—he won’t even get to use a father’s privilege even once.”
“Then?”
“Oh, right. It’s a will saying that, if you die, you’ll leave all your property to Ramil. Even in death, shouldn’t you do your duty as his father?”
Perhaps because the situation wasn’t unfolding as he wanted, Manager Lee Seonghun suddenly began to lose his temper.
“No, fuck! Honestly, how am I supposed to know whether that kid is mine or someone else’s? How can I write a will leaving him my entire estate? And what about my kids if I sign this? Huh? Are you telling my kids to end up out on the street? You have to say something that makes sense if you want me to listen!”
“Oh, damn. You’ve got incredible judgment. Then how about a paternity test? Will you sign it if we do one? Looking at the picture, he’s your spitting image. It hardly seems like a test is even necessary.”
I casually tossed a picture of Ramil in front of Manager Lee Seonghun.
Manager Lee Seonghun stared blankly at the photograph.
In it stood a boy who looked exactly like Manager Lee Seonghun, seeming shy.
He was only a child, but his expression was that of someone carrying all the worries of the world on his shoulders.
But Manager Lee Seonghun knew.
A paternity test probably wasn’t necessary.
Anyone could see that the boy was Manager Lee Seonghun’s child.
Manager Lee Seonghun’s thoughts became tangled.
Putting Ramil on his family register was no ordinary matter.
Bringing home a child born outside the marriage?
It would have been enough to earn condemnation even fifty years ago, when a man’s word was law.
How much more so in this day and age?
It was grounds for divorce, plain and simple.
Becoming human garbage would be an added bonus.
Everyone Manager Lee Seonghun knew would curse him for it.
That was what frightened him so much.
He didn’t want to be condemned by other people.
To be honest, he didn’t want to take responsibility, either.
Wasn’t demanding that he take responsibility now unreasonable in the first place?
No, when two people were dating, they could sleep together, and an accidental pregnancy could happen.
But to use that as a reason to put the child on his family register? It was absurd.
An unwanted pregnancy?
Shouldn’t she have found some way to deal with it?
Who told her to raise the child?
He was angry at Lorna, Ramil’s mother, for making such a foolish, frustrating decision.
If she had made the decision alone, she should have taken responsibility alone. He couldn’t understand why the consequences had to splash onto him as well.
“How long are you going to keep us waiting? I’d appreciate it if you’d choose one of the two.”
“What if I don’t?”
“You will. The process will just be rather painful. Since we’ve been talking things through, we may look like good people, but we’re bastards who don’t fall behind anyone else. Want us to show you just how much of a bastard we can be?”
“…Give me some time. This is sudden for me, too. I woke up after drinking last night and suddenly found out I had a kid—that I had to pay child support, put him on my family register, and write a will. Of course I’m not in my right mind. Give me some time to think.”
“Heh heh heh heh. Do you know why you’re troubled and finding this decision so difficult?”
“…Why?”
“If you did something deserving of a beating, then you should take the beating. If you did something deserving of people pointing fingers at you, then you should endure their pointing fingers. But you’re stubbornly resisting because you don’t want to do what’s only natural, and that’s why this problem arose.”
“Okay, I understand. I’ll admit it. Let’s say that bastard is my kid. But there’s no need to take things to such an extreme. The right thing is to change things gradually, one at a time. Even interpersonal relationships require building trust while maintaining an appropriate distance.”
“Heh heh. You’re really asking to get hit. Gradually, one thing at a time… In the end, you’re planning to pretend to try before running away. Lee Seonghun hasn’t changed one bit, then or now. A coward who always runs when danger approaches. A man with not a shred of responsibility. A bastard who looks only for a way to save his own skin in every situation.”
“……”
“Do you really think that’s possible?”
“…Isn’t there any other way? If it’s money, I’ll somehow come up with it.”
“Money? Hahahaha. You know better than anyone. You aren’t wealthy enough for us to covet your assets. We aren’t that hard up, either. What we’re doing is basically free volunteer work to reunite a separated family. You found a son you didn’t even know about until yesterday. You should be thanking us.”
“Ah, fuck! Then what the hell do you want me to do!!!!!”
“Ah, fuck, you scared me. Why are you shouting? I don’t know why taking responsibility for the kid you spawned is such a difficult decision for you, but we do have a solution to ease your troubles. Scott. Are you ready?”
“Of course. I’m always ready.”
“Don’t break anything. And don’t knock his teeth out.”
“The boss always makes me do the difficult things.”
Scott twisted his neck from side to side as he approached Lee Seonghun.
A series of loud cracks came from his neck.
The sound was utterly terrifying to Lee Seonghun.
“I’ll do it… I’ll do it… I’ll sign!!”
Before Scott could take even three steps, Manager Lee Seonghun cried out desperately.
“I’ll sign. Where’s the paper? I said I’ll do it! That’s all I have to do, right?”
Lee Seonghun quickly worked through his options.
He considered which was preferable: putting Ramil on his family register or writing a will.
Putting him on the family register was a problem that would hit him immediately.
If he did that, his wife, his in-laws, his own family, his children, his friends, and even his coworkers would all inevitably find out.
He would even have to bring Ramil over from the Philippines.
That was impossible.
A will, on the other hand, would remain unknown to everyone until he died.
A will only took effect after Lee Seonghun died anyway.
What difference did it make if it was carried out after his death?
Besides, he could change the will later.
He could simply keep quiet, return to Korea, and alter the will. Then it would all become a thing of the past.
So between the two, he chose the will.
Even so, he read it carefully.
It was a clean will with no poison clauses.
It stated that all his property would be inherited by Ramil upon Lee Seonghun’s death.
But under Korean law, there was such a thing as a reserved portion of inheritance.
Even if someone disposed of their property through a will, the law prohibited them from infringing upon the minimum inheritance shares guaranteed by law.
Even if the will stated that all his property would go to Ramil,
his wife and children still had the right to inherit their portions.
Having thought that far, Manager Lee Seonghun decided that the will was the better option and calmly wrote down his full name.
“That’s enough, right? Then I can leave now?”
“Hm? Where are you going?”
“I signed as you told me to. Isn’t it over now?”
“What are you talking about? This is a will that takes effect when you die. It isn’t child support. It’s literally just an inheritance.”
“What?”
“From now on, you’re going to work very hard here in the Philippines. I’ll arrange for you to work under Daeyeon Development instead of as a contract laborer like you are now.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m telling you to live and work here. Once your salary comes in, fifty percent will go to Ramil, and you can spend the remaining fifty percent wherever you like. You can send it to your family in Korea, or you can keep going to bars like you do now. If you go there and find another underage kid, you’ll meet me again, though.”
“That’s not what you said before.”
“I haven’t changed my words even once. I’ve only proceeded gradually, just as you suggested.”
Come to think of it, he hadn’t changed his words—he simply hadn’t told him everything.
Manager Lee Seonghun realized he had been played.
“Don’t worry. I have the power to get you a position. The company will be happy, too. How pleased will they be to have an employee willing to work in the Philippines until retirement? You’re even saying you’ll stay and work instead of returning to Korea during your vacation.”
“What? Work until I’m sixty? What are you talking about?”
“You have to work to pay child support. To do that, you’ll have to work hard, won’t you? You can’t get fired, so let’s keep you there until retirement without resigning.”
“What?”
“You have a good job with no employment insecurity. You work for a company that pays your salary like clockwork, with no need to worry about getting fired. Wow… I’m really jealous.”
“No… This makes no sense. I have to go back, if only because of my passport. Legally—”
“Don’t worry. I’ll get you a visa. If necessary, I can even get you permanent residency or citizenship. So you don’t need to worry about trivial things like your status here. All you need to think about is working hard and paying child support. We’ll deduct the child support from your salary and send it to Ramil ourselves.”
“……”
“Why do you feel wronged? Why are you so aggrieved? You shouldn’t feel wronged right now—you should be grateful. You’ve been given the chance to act as a father, even at this late stage. You should be thankful that you can perform even a little of your duty as a father. You shouldn’t think of yourself as the victim.”
“Even so…”
I approached Manager Lee Seonghun.
Then, in a quiet voice that sounded almost like a whisper, I spoke into his ear.
“You know, I’m only telling you this because it’s you. Do you know why I’m going this far to accommodate you? I could just take out your organs, gouge out your eyes, and dispose of your property using your death certificate and a forged will. Do you know why I’m making things this complicated instead?… I think death would be a blessing for a bastard like you. For a piece of shit like you, I want to give you a long, thin, unending pain. I want to turn your life into hell. A hell you can endure. A life in which you’re still alive, but every day continues to be unbearably difficult. I want you to feel the hardships Ramil went through, and the devastation Lorna must have faced. For a very, very long time. That’s why I’m keeping you alive. Understand?”
Upon hearing my words, Manager Lee Seonghun’s face turned deathly pale. His body began to tremble violently, and he ended up wetting himself.
********
The Edward Institute in Daraphanan.
A massive factory revealed itself.
This time, they had introduced a fully automated system. Once the raw materials were supplied, it automatically mixed them and produced the goods, creating a completely automated production line.
Production had increased by more than tenfold.
In terms of scale alone, it was about ten times larger, but since the process was fully automated and faster, they were now able to produce far greater quantities.
As I watched the magnificent sight of the machinery being installed, I received a call from Han Lin in China.
“Big brother, be careful. The MSS and the Public Security Bureau have been searching for you like mad lately.”
“Those bastards are always busy looking for someone. Don’t worry.”
“The atmosphere is seriously unusual. I think they’ve identified you as their target. They’re carrying your photograph around.”
“Really? I guess they’ve found me. Even though I’ve been hiding so thoroughly…”
“You need to be careful.”
“It’s fine. I’m not in China, after all. What about you? Are you all right?”
“You’re concerned about me as well? I’m deeply moved, big brother. I’m doing well thanks to you.”
“It’s not that I’m particularly concerned. I’m just asking how you’re doing.”
“Still… I know it’s presumptuous of me to ask, but are you not going to sell Asend again? So many people are looking for it everywhere.”
“I’ll see. The MSS is searching for me like crazy, so it’d be ridiculous to distribute it now.”
“Understood. I’ll contact you again.”
“Sure.”
.
.
.
Bohol, the Philippines.
The Emerald Resort.
People who appeared to be tourists sat in the lobby drinking coffee or browsed Bohol-related merchandise in the gift shop.
At a glance, they were no different from any other tourists, but their eyes were focused on an entirely different place.
Without anyone noticing, they scanned their surroundings and checked the people around them.
Tiny miniature earpieces were lodged in their ears.
Then they transmitted reports in voices so soft they were barely audible.
“Base, this is Echo One. The target is not in sight.”
“Delta Two. The target is not in sight here either.”
“Shadow Six Six. The target is not visible here either.”
“Understood. Tower Team, return to the nest.”
“Roger. Understood.”
“Copy that. Returning to base.”
At the command, several people naturally left the Emerald Resort.
Before long, however, others took their places.
They had installed wireless cameras throughout the resort and were monitoring the footage from the base.
Even so, the target never appeared.
One day, two days—
A week passed, then two weeks, yet the target still failed to show himself.
The longer the operation continued, the more anxious the agents became, and the greater the likelihood that they would be exposed.
Even so, they could not return without completing the operation.
“Where the hell did he hide?”
The irritation of Li Chengwu, the team leader of the operation, grew worse with each passing day.