NOTICE: Please, PLEASE. If you happen to come across an error (whether it's spelling, grammar, etc...) or if there is something you don't understand (whether it's the plot or character POVs) please let me know. I will gladly be making corrections and clarifying any mishaps. Ofc, I am only human, so I can't truly see every little mistake I make, so I would appreciate it if you did point it out, thanks!
-
"Hey, it's been a while, sir." The man said arrogantly.
"The interest was deposited the day before yesterday."
The man was an employee of a loan company. He was an employee, but judging from his urging behavior and way of speaking, he was no different from a gangster. And Hyeonjin's belief wasn't wrong.
They were initially gangsters, and the current loan company was established to escape from a bad situation. That is why most of the employees are ex-gangsters.
"Yeah you know, I know, how long are you going to pay the interest only? What about the actual money?"
"If you can wait a little longer-"
"Great. 'Please wait,' how many times have you said that? No, can you repay the original money already? You work at convenience stores, restaurants, and bars, sometimes loading and unloading shipments. All this and you only repay interest?"
He knows. Hyeonjin knows that. He knew that his future was even more hopeless and that he had no choice but to be gloomy, weighed down by the money he didn't even know he would pay back
"Is this good profit for us? Do you think we can just close our eyes and the money will come rolling in?"
When had they started to act like this? They used to be quiet as long as he paid interest. This was probably after Hyeonjin became an adult and they said they would introduce him to work. At first, he was tempted, but after realizing their true nature, he began avoiding them.
Even if he was already at the bottom, he didn't wasn't to go down any further. Hyeonjin wanted to live like a normal person.
"You should think of your family. Your brothers."
"Don't toucher my siblings," Hyeonjin said through gritted teeth.
"Ah, but we are also a conscientious company. Don't touch the kids, kids. Well, that's when you come in and pay the interest well."
Just as he finished talking, Hyeonjin heard the singing voices of a lively girl group coming from somewhere.
"Oh, wait a minute. There's a call."
The man stood in front of him and answered the phone calmly, "Yep, uh huh? That person is great too."
The man answering the phone raised the corners of his mouth and let out a rotten smile along with an ominous laugh. After the call, the man shoved his phone back into his back pocket. Then when he caught Hyeonjin's gaze, his expression looked disgusting.
"Hey, is there any news?"
I didn't want to know.
"Customer, did your father have another accident?"
"What?"
My heart sank. What else did his father, who disappeared after paying his debts do?
"He borrowed money from another company and bounced around." The man giggled and laughed.
"Would we decide to take over? Our debt is the biggest, but tell me, this means that the interest rate would be higher. Then let's see the amount..." The man took out his phone again, pressed the screen hard, and showed Hyeonjin. "It will be around this much."
It was an enormous amount of interest that could not be paid right now. It was twice the interest he was paying through monthly deposits. Hyeonjin's hands were trembling.
"You think that's a reasonable amount?!"
"Doesn't make any sense. Unlike us, they aren't an official company, so the interest rate is a bit high. So this amount came out."
Hyeonjin hit the wall next to him with his fist. The back of his hand stung with pain, but he didn't care. Father, a father who is crazy about gambling. He left an enormous debt to his children and had yet another accident. Does that person have no conscience at all?
Seeing Hyeonjin like that, the man whispered meaningfully, "Originally, we don't take things like this well. But the customer is so coveted, it would be better to just be introduced to the job"* (T/n: I think they mean sex work, but I'm not completely sure). It's going to be a bit difficult in the future, so this is my last favor to see you often. what do you have in your hand anyway? Is it meat? Do you eat this kind of food without being able to afford it? Well, maybe this could be the last piece of meat you'll eat. Enjoy your meal!" (T/n: Meat in Korea can actually be quite expensive. That's why it's a luxury for those people in classes lower than upper class or upper middle, especially in Hyeonjin's case.)
Then he giggled and walked leisurely to the other side. As Jaewoo remembered how the book's events unraveled, he fought the urge to strangle the author in his mind. He wanted to stop breathing and run wild, but couldn't because there were two younger brothers under Hyeonjin. Hyeonjin's precious siblings.
Hyeonjin stood there blankly for a while. He didn't turn his head. Then, belatedly, he began moving, but his steps were heavy. It felt as if he had shackles on his ankles.
It felt like his body was about to collapse. Still, Hyeonjin took a step forward. it seemed like it took quite a while to get home. When he finally opened the gate and entered, there was a blanket hanging from a line in the middle of the yard. The ramen stain was still there, but it was much better than yesterday.
"I'm here?"
Jaewoo, who was about to insert the tongs into the blanket, greeted Hyeonjin with a smile. But he couldn't say anything. His body couldn't move. Even the simple act of handing over the lunch box was impossible now.
"I ate well?" (T/n: why is he answering with question marks? lmaoo)
Before he knew it, Jaewoo came over and took the lunch box.
"You bought some meat. Do you want to make a meat dish for the kids?"
It wasn't until after hearing that, that the meat in his hand came to mind. Suddenly, he remembered what the man had said. He felt like vomiting. He couldn't though. Because the children were watching.
Hyeonjin always had to be a strong older brother. He answered, raising the corners of his mouth, "Yes."
"Wow, that's meat. Meat!"
"I like meat so much!"
The ignorant younger siblings laughed and ran and clung to Hyeonjin. His body felt like stumbling, but he desperately persevered. Then, he remembered hitting the wall earlier with his fist and had a slash due to that. It was such a miserable appearance. He felt he couldn't let his siblings see him like this.
Jaewoo suddenly covered the back of his hand with his own.
"Come on, are you both still doing your homework? Go in and wait. Soon, your brother will prepare a delicious dish for you."
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
The children followed Jaewoo's words well and soon entered the room as if they hadn't been jumping up and down before. Then, Jaewooo gently wrapped his hand around Hyeonjin's and led him to his room.
"Wait a minute."
He rummaged through the closet and pulled out a first-aid kit.
"My grandmother was a well-prepared person. She was kind of old, but was still able to use it."
Fortunately, the first-aid kit had everything needed. The expiration date was close, but not over. After wiping the wound with an alcohol swab, Jaewoo took in a small breath. The wound looked worse than he expected. Since he applied disinfectant to such a wound, it must've been painful, but Hyeonjin did not respond.
'Could it be that the main top had already approached him?'
Jaewoo continued the treatment while carefully observing Hyeonjin. Seeing his drooping figure, his pitiful heart soared. Even if he knew the main top would be good to him later on, he was just a bastard now. Besides, it wasn't just him that bothered Hyeonjin.
'His fucking father.'
The father of the main character was surprisingly a human being. He was a man who abandoned his children because he was addicted to gambling. If that was the case, he should have never had kids. Yet their mother gave birth to three children. And Hyeonjin's younger siblings, who looked like that, became a weakness for him.
"Part-time jobs."
While covering the wound with gauze, Hyeonjin spoke up.
"I need to increase my part-time jobs."
"What? Aren't you already doing a lot?"
Jaewoo made a surprised expression. He worked at a convenience store, at a restaurant, and at a bar. He also knew that whenever he had time left, he would jump on and off between other jobs. Most of the money he earned that way went towards interest, and very little was left for living expenses.
"Well, I need to increase it. How, how."
Hyeonjin stammered out incoherent words. Unknowingly, Jaewoo reached out and hugged Hyeonjin.
"Breathe slowly."
When he patted him on the back, his body trembled. Maybe this time Jaewoo would be hit with a blow because he kept sticking to him, but he didn't want to leave Hyeonjin like this.
Hyeonjin could feel his body trembling slightly. Yet, Hyeonjin did not reject Jaewoo. Jaewoo just held him in his arms and breathed quietly. Then, he buried his head in Jaewoo's shoulder.
Jaewo felt his shoulder start to get wet. Hyeonjin was crying. Without making a sound, only his shoulder would move and tears would pour out. He cried so bitterly that Jaewoo's heart ached.
"Are you okay?"
Even though those words were groundless, he was still comforted by them. Hyeonjin unconsciously reached out his two hands and hugged Jaewoo back. And he cried and cried.
'Why do you have to be so hard on yourself? Why is the world so cruel to you?' is what Jaewoo wanted to ask.
Hyeonjin cried for a long time. He cried so much that he felt as if all the moisture in his body had evaporated. Then, tired and stretched out, he stayed still. The sound of breathing in his ears was thin.
Jaewoo knows that this young man is only a character in a story and that he was promised a happy future. There will be many hardships in between, but aren't all books like this? There is no hero who doesn't go through hardships. Still, Jaewoo thought, 'Is there anything I can do for you?'
What more does he need to do so that this young man can rest in peace? He couldn't stand still whenever he saw Hyeonjin's pain in reality, which he had only encountered in writing. He wanted to help him.
'But how?'
Let's think about it. As it is, Jaewoo will support and watch as Hyeonjin goes through pain and approaches happiness, that's the first solution to minimizing damage to the plot of the story.
Then the second way would be collecting the wealth left by his grandmother and parents to pay off Hyeonjin's debt. It would be a huge amount if you added the terrifyingly increased interest, but wouldn't it be great if it was paid off? However, there was a problem with the second option.
Let's say Jaewoo gives Hyeonjin some money to pay off his debt. Then what kind of reaction will he get?
'....Do you mean, selling my body?'
It was obvious. It was obvious that he would interpret it differently because of the actions past Jaewoo had done, and since he was Hyeonjin, who had rarely received favors from others... No, in fact, he would be suspicious if anyone he previously had a bad relationship with would suddenly pay all of his debt. Anyone would be.
The third and final option, borrow the power of public authority. It was a very realistic solution. There are programs that help people with a lot of debt, and there are organizations that implement them, but...
'It won't work.'
Their opponent is a gangster. Even if it seemed like it could be solved right away, the main top was the type of person who could push himself into a pit if he wanted to.* Retaliation would return to them. Most importantly, the main bottom and main top meet because of Hyeonjin's debt, so how can they meet if there is no debt? (T/n: I believe Jaewoo is saying that the main top isn't scared of getting his hands dirty.)
He doesn't know what to do.
"Meat." Then, Heyonjin opened his mouth.
"Meat?"
"...Kids, we need to serve them the dishes."
Hyeonjin, who had cried for a long time, spat out words of concern for his siblings. Even in this situation, he still worried about his younger siblings. Jaewoo held back a sigh.
"I will do it. You need some rest."
"I can't"
Hyeonjin tried to stand up but then collapsed back down again.
"Rest."
Jaewoo gently comforted Hyeonjin and laid him down on the blanket.
"What time is it now?"
"Around 7:30."
"Oh, I have to go to my next part-time shift."
Hyeonjin sighed and stood up. Jaewoo's voice, which had been swallowing and swallowing down his words, burst out. He couldn't stand it anymore. He is having such a hard time right now, so he'll do something*. (T/n: tmi, but Jaewoo said 'he' in a (kind of?) endearing way, like how a parent would call their child 'he' idk I just thought it was cute.)
"Lie down!"
He pressed the upper body that had just risen up back down again, then wrapped Hyeonjin tightly in a blanket. Then he asked in a rough voice, "What's the name and address of the place you work at?"
Hyeonjin looked over at Jaewoo with surprised eyes.
"What's the store name and address!?"
When Jaewoo demanded again loudly, Hyeonjin mumbled it.
"Good! You're resting!"
Hyeonjin tried standing up again, but Jaewoo mercilessly hit his forehead. Then he put a hand over his eyes.
"Sleep quickly. Lullaby, lullaby." (T/n: this is the direct translation TT I'm not sure if it's a mistranslation or if Jaewoo is actually just saying 'lullaby' lmfao.)
'He surprised me.'
Hyeonjn thought Jaewoo's hands would be warm, but cold hands weren't bad either. He himself had warm hands, so the cold might have been better. It's surprising that Hyeonjin actually fell asleep.
Jaewoo left the sleeping Hyeonjin and went outside. And he said to the kids huddling at the door, "There's rice in the rice cooker and some food in the refrigerator. The mean dishes will be cooked tomorrow. I'm sorry."
The children quickly shook their heads.
"No, it's fine."
"It's okay! My brother is sick."
It seemed that they were aware. Well, Hyunwoo and Woohee grew up to be more mature than other children because they went through a hard time at such a young age. Others couldn't possibly know.
"Then I'm going out."
"Where are you going?"
"To work." Jaewoo Answered and headed across the yard to the gate. And for the first time since arriving in this world, he went to look for a place other than the mart.
***
End of Chapter 1 (Part 5)
"Hey, it's been a while." The translator said bashfully.
-
Note: I'm sorry for making everyone wait for so long. I apologize. BUT, on a good note, we're finally almost done with chapter 1 (Yes, this is all one chapter T_T) and a lot is unraveling already. I believe I need one more part before finishing. Translating, revising, and editing is a little time-consuming, especially for such long chapters. Plus, I'm doing all of this alone, so bear with me! Btw, we can all agree that Hyeonjin's father is a piece of shit? Yes, I think we can.