"Hoseok had never told me what he went through in his work, not until the day he was escorted by the police to interrogation. He was always secretive, so I never asked him about it. He had this thing for computers, that he wanted to work on a part-time job I thought if he liked it then why not? He had been doing the job to support me and I never knew his pains!" I passed the tissue as Mrs. Jung sobbed. She thanked me and wiped the single tear about to escape from her eyes. She provided with a smile, "Would you like some tea?"
I sat next to the open door on the rattan chair as she went up to boil some water on the stove, and waited for her to continue, "After that, he had left for Seoul, what did he do then?"
"He told me he took up some part-time works there, but that didn't pay him enough so I sent him regular allowance per month. He refused to take and told to stop sending him money but that was the least thing I could do for my son."
"You do remember where he used to live, right?"
"I don't remember at the moment, but I used to send him letters," She rummaged through some drawers, a while later emerging some old envelopes, "This. Here's the address.'"
"I needed this for my research, thank you so much."
"Are you going to include the police incident in your dissertation too?" Her face saddened, "That may ruin my boy's image."
"No, I won't. You can remain assured about that. The research is just for a book about dancers and their lifestyle, no past incidents will be included in there that may bring a bad look on his reputation."
"That's a relief. I will help with all sorts I can." She brought forward a notepad too, "Here are some places he told me about where he worked at the city. It might come to your help."
'Omo, it's a surprise that you still have them. Thank you. Yes, I do need them too indeed." I stood up intending to leave.
"Huh, are you leaving this soon? No, stay for a while. You can't leave without having my tea. I won't let you go. It will take a few minutes." I smiled brightly at her benign face and sat back down again. "Let's talk about your boy until then."
"Hi, you must be, the landlady, Mrs-' I took the quickest glimpse at the small paper in my hand, "Choi?"
The woman looked at me from foot to head through her big round maroon glasses. She was standing akimbo before the half-opened door, her one hand held a spatula for perhaps a continued cooking session. The yellowish apron capturing the roundish petite figure of the owner, she, with a doughy face now gazing at my unwelcomed self didn't exactly enthusiastic about anything, I doubted if my upcoming inquiry would go well with her. The gloomy apartment behind her gigantic body was loud, passes of clamorous screeches of children had filled the corridor as soon as the door was unlocked. She uttered a loud 'Calm down!' turning around, that startled me too let alone the unknown number of kids in there. Everyone shushed next second. Then she looked back at me.
"Yes, how may I help you?" She sounded annoyed already. I stood in a politer posture, "I actually needed to get some whereabouts of one of your former tenants, maybe you can help me?"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?"She almost shouted at my ears, I sizzled inside to keep my tempt down and smiled to gently repeat, "Could you- help me about a tenant who once-"
"What kind of help?" She scrunched her face.
"How many suites do you have as reserved for renting?"
"I have three basement suites and one room. Two of the suites and the room are on rent but now they are all occupied. If you are here for renting, I am sorry there is no place."
"No, I am not here for a place, I told you-" My legs already hurt standing outside for too long, but she didn't seem interested to invite me in and lend me a seat. I vitrioled inside, outside spoke, "There was once a boy, Jung Hoseok rented one of your basement suites-"
"I don't know any Jung Hoseok!" She croaked.
"Yes it's been a long time so I doubted if you would remember, but you must keep records of all of your former and current tenants when taking the pay, right? If you check them from the previous years, you will find the name. He lived here once."
"Who keeps age-old records dumped in their house till afterlife?!" She yelled, "Are you here to just waste my time? If you don't have any work, then go get a life! Stop wasting people's time, unlike you we got jobs to do!"
"I am not here to waste my time either." I raised my voice this time in reply, I couldn't take it anymore, "I am here for a simple job and if you don't wanna help, fine you muggle head, just stop shouting!"
"What did you call me?!" She was probably going to throw her hands, but a young guy quickly slid in through the small corner of the door and blocked her raising a shield.
"Ma, stop. You can't behave like that to our guests. I will talk to her, okay?" He pushed her inside. After grouching finally when she left, he turned back at me with a sheepish smile, "I am sorry for my mom. She is a bit irascible, don't be upset because of her. You can ask me instead."
"I was here to know if Jung Hoseok, a guy lived here before."
"Lived? Like how long ago?"
"A few years." He wrinkled his forehead at that, "That may take some time for the search, not sure if the records will still be available. I take care of the rents and the records for my mom, come with me, please take a seat."
He led to inside and told to sit on the futon. After some time what it seemed like fifteen to twenty minutes, he came back dusting some files with his hands.
"It must be in here. Let's take a look. Jung Hoseok?" His index followed through the lists of statistics and stopped at a certain place.
"He shared a suite with Woon Ho ssi? He is our oldest tenant here, have been living for almost ten years." He said.
"Was he a goody tenant?"
"It says he hadn't paid rents for a few months at one time after he settled here, but paid it all at once then became a regular payer. Other than that, he lived here with no noise, no trouble. He left after two years or so."
"If I look for Woon Ho ssi now, will I be able to find him?" I asked.
"He usually remains at his place around this time. You may give a knock."
I came out to reach the basement suites. The staircase to the house was divided into three divisions, two basement suites at right and one at left were flanked by the middle case. I moved to the right and knocked at the door of one of the suites. It didn't take much of a while for a guy to appear on the doorway in front of me.
"Yes?"
"Woon Ho ssi?"
"That is me. What can I do for you?"
"I remember him. He was one of the youngests, and the cleanest guy I have met until now as a roommate." He eyed the mess and scabs with knick-knacks sitting around the small apartment with mild dust and ignorance, probably hoping that I wouldn't mind too much by their presence.
"He was a good friend then. He did some small jobs at some cafes and the amusement park, other than that his mom sent him money err month but that would get spent as a whole for the rent fee itself. Some issues due to which he had a downfall once, lost his jobs, couldn't pay the rent for a few months. I asked him about it but he never said much. Then he started to get back on track again so I thought his problems were all resolved. He had told me then that he got his job back again.'
"Really?"
"Yeah. He must have been paid a good amount after that. He started to buy new clothes, new shoes, he left this basement rent too to get to a better place. I heard he had rented a nice apartment on the other side of the city."
"Hoseok? I have a bad memory, mianhae. But...maybe I can remember this one guy. He stirred a whole headlong around with his crazy maniac computer hacks. I fired him once, I never recruited him back. No one did." The manager replied to my words.
"You didn't employ him back?"
"No. He was so clumsy at his works, he always used to screw around with whatever computer and types of machinery he could find in the workplaces, he did something once for which I almost had a police query. Everyone complained about it. He got fired from a lot of places around this neighborhood. No one even wanted to hire him anymore. I don't know where else he had worked then.'
"Oh, I see."
I left the place. Questions were clogging my mind.
If Hoseok had been fired from every place leaving him with no jobs, whilst his mom's sent money was too less too, then where had he been getting the money from? Moreover, for what the money was being paid?