“Hey! That watch is 20 million won. But you gave that to him? You?”
“Are you already drunk?”
“I didn’t drink.”
……20 million won? Are there really 20 million won watches in this world? I thought the hyungs were teasing me again this time, but it seemed to be true. The hyungs were pointing at the watch rather than the lucky key I was holding, arguing back and forth.
‘Is this really that amazing?’
I looked at the watch and the lucky key I was holding for a moment.
If I converted these two into money, it was easily 23 million won. I’d never possessed this much wealth in my life, so I couldn’t decide what to do with it.
Seongheon hyung’s hand touched my bewildered shoulder.
“Daeyoung. Let’s go over there.”
While saying that, hyung avoided people and took me inside a quiet glamping tent and sat me down. The hyungs were saying so much that I couldn’t ask, but coming to a quiet place, that became my first curiosity.
“Seongheon hyung, is this watch really 20 million?”
“Huh? Um……”
“It’s not 200,000 won, right?”
As if it were real, Seongheon hyung scratched his cheek with an awkward smile. Really 20 million won. I didn’t have the guts to casually wear such an expensive watch.
I tried to take off the watch with trembling hands, but Seongheon hyung wrapped my wrist with his hand.
“This is hyung giving it to you, so accept it.”
“N-no. This is too expensive. But hyung, are you drunk?”
“I’m not going to drink today. And someone like you can wear a watch like this.”
No matter how much it was a gift, this was too excessive, so even though hyung said it was okay, I just took off the watch right away.
“Daeyoung, I’m telling you to keep it.”
“Don’t do that. You know, hyung.”
“Yeah?”
It might be a bit underhanded, but I decided to take practical benefits.
‘Sorry, hyung. I’m unemployed so I can’t help it. I have my own problems.’
I firmly placed the expensive watch in hyung’s hands and solemnly started negotiating.
“Hyung, take this watch back and instead…… not more, not less, just give me exactly 200,000 won, okay?”
This isn’t extorting money from Seongheon hyung. I’m really proposing a negotiation. The reason I, who had only used casual speech since I was 8 years old, suddenly used formal speech was because I felt that sorry. At my sudden formal speech, Seongheon hyung seemed a bit flustered.
“……”
“I’ll resell it for 200,000 won. I don’t think I’ll wear it anyway even if I have it.”
At my words, Seongheon hyung just laughed as if it were absurd.
Am I that pathetic? So what, reputation doesn’t feed me…… Since my allowance was in danger of disappearing, saving even one penny was more important now.
Seongheon hyung, who at first inevitably tried to give me the watch, carefully accepted it back, perhaps thinking the gift was excessive. Clearly hyung also knew I wasn’t a kid who could casually accept a 20 million won watch, which is why he lied saying it was 200,000 won.
“If you really want to do that…… fine.”
“Really!?”
“Yeah. If that makes you more comfortable, do that. But you must keep the pure gold key Dad gave you.”
“I’m going to sell this at a gold shop soon and put it in my bank account.”
Feeling sorry, I even revealed my specific financial plan. Hearing my bold plan, Seongheon hyung nodded.
Hyung said that. Since Daesu might steal it, it would definitely be good to do that. I tried to add that not only Daesu hyung but also my mom was like that, but stopped.
I returned the watch and looked down at my now empty wrist. It felt empty, but my heart was light. On the other hand, Seongheon hyung really carelessly put the returned watch on his wrist, with an expression showing no burden at all. Seeing that, I recalled the watches hyung had worn.
‘Were they all watches like this……’
I was once again surprised by Seongheon hyung’s wealth. Well, growing up under an ajussi who simply put out a 3 million won pure gold key as a treasure hunt prize, how could it be otherwise.
Then I suddenly remembered the 2nd place prize that hadn’t come out yet. So I stood up abruptly from sitting.
“Why? Daeyoung?”
“Hyung! There’s one more left, right?”
“That’s right, is there one 2nd place left?”
“Good. With this energy, I need to find one more.”
After leaving the tent, I first put my pure gold key in Seongheon hyung’s car (right now the only person I could trust was Seongheon hyung, not even family) and started looking around again like a meerkat.
In that brief time, everyone had become serious about the treasure hunt, stopping their food preparation to look around.
My mom had also been wearing vinyl gloves earlier to make seasoned green onions, but now she was wearing work gloves searching around the firewood. Meanwhile, my dad was looking at the liquor Sojin noona received earlier, telling people around let’s have a drink when we eat meat later.
I started deducing using the method I’d used to find the note earlier. It definitely wouldn’t be in an ordinary place. Definitely……
“……?”
At that moment, something caught my eye, and that was a dog wandering around this area.
This dog was a Border Collie breed that herds sheep at Gangjin hyung’s ranch, very smart so they raised several running free, and it seemed they were raising some of them at this glamping site.
But from earlier, one in particular had been wandering around us. Even suspiciously wearing something like a box on its neck. Even at a glance, it looked suitable for putting something small inside.
I took out a sausage from inside the ice box and slowly approached the dog.
“Come here, I’ll give you a treat.”
I tried to lower its guard with the sausage, but if even our Ddanji didn’t listen to me, there was no way someone else’s dog would.
Still, I didn’t give up and kept following it around trying to close the distance. Just then, Gangjin hyung, who suddenly noticed something strange, quickly ran over here.
“Why do you keep chasing Zeke?”
“Huh? J-just because he’s cute.”
“You don’t like our dogs.”
“No. I love all the dogs in the world.”
Gangjin hyung was watching me, perhaps thinking it wasn’t a coincidence that I’d found two notes in a row. But when I thought hyung would just ignore it and leave, he suddenly saw the box hanging on the dog’s neck and exclaimed “Ah!”
“Zeke! Come here!”
At Gangjin hyung’s one word, the dog that had been frolicking far away came running quickly. Really smart. Unlike our Ddanji, understanding the owner’s words at once.
No, that’s that and this is this!
I hung on Gangjin hyung’s arm appealing my injustice.
“Hyuu, hyuung! I found it first!”
“Where’s that a thing? Claiming the note comes first.”
“But I saw it first.”
“Anyway, thanks. The 2nd place prize is mine.”
“Ah! Hyung!!!”
I tried to grab Gangjin hyung’s arm again, but hyung’s actions were faster. He suddenly ran and went to the dog, quickly opening the box hanging on its neck. And as expected, a yellow note came out pinched in Gangjin hyung’s fingers.
“Thanks, Daeyoung.”
“……”
Gangjin hyung holding the yellow note happily ran to where the fathers had gathered. I let out an honest sigh and ran after him.
If the 3rd place gift was a pure gold key, what on earth was 2nd place? Could it be a pure gold statue? For a moment I had the reasonable suspicion—had a gold mine been discovered on Jongsik ajussi’s mountain?
Ah, I really found it first…… Somehow I got stolen from twice by Sojin noona and Gangjin hyung, those siblings.
Gangjin hyung had already run far ahead and was handing the note to Jongsik ajussi. People around had also stopped looking for notes and seemed curious what the prize was, hearing that 2nd place had come out.
Getting closer, Jongsik ajussi’s words became clearer.
“Oh, congratulations! You, Gangjin, won the gift I painstakingly prepared.”
At the word “painstakingly,” everyone focused on the 2nd place prize. Just how big of a pure gold would come out, everyone looked at what Jongsik ajussi was bringing.
“Here, the 2nd place prize! Gangjin, take it.”
“Thank you.”
Gangjin hyung, who eagerly received the prize with hands full of pride, tore open the wrapping paper right there without hesitation. Everyone expected a gold ingot like a toad to come out from inside like me……
What popped out after tearing the wrapping paper was a book.
Wondering what book it was, I got a bit closer, and even before seeing the book title, I thought I knew what book it was. Because on the book cover was a photo of Jongsik ajussi giving a “thumbs up” at a mountain peak.
“Gangjin, this is an autobiography recording my life’s journey. It’s not even sold in bookstores, so it’s very precious.”
Gangjin hyung had an expression of not wanting to know Jongsik ajussi’s TMI. Since an adult was giving it, he reluctantly said “Thank you,” but just looking at his holding posture, it seemed like he’d use it as a ramen pot coaster.
Everyone was looking pitifully, but the person most delighted was none other than Sojin noona. Earlier when Sojin noona received the strange infused liquor, Gangjin hyung teased noona calling her “shit hands.” But looking now, the shit hands were Gangjin hyung by one level.
“Daeyoung, you take it.”
“Huh?”
Gangjin hyung, as if he hated the book, put the autobiography in my hands and walked far away. Seongheon hyung and I looked down at the book blankly while chatting.
“Hyung, which mountain is this?”
“Well. He’s been going hiking often these days.”
Still, there’s sincerity from the person who gave it.
Plus, since Seongheon hyung was next to me, I felt bad ignoring the book so I opened the first page. Some wise saying was written filling one full page, and the next page was the table of contents.
“There’s a story about the hyungs here too.”
I pointed out Chapter 3 [The World’s Treasures Jongheon and Seongheon] in the table of contents and showed it. Seongheon hyung, perhaps a bit embarrassed, told me to turn to the next page and stubbornly flipped the page.
But there, a childhood photo of Seongheon hyung was printed.
