“…Huh?”
“Just the down payment is 6 million.”
If successful, it would be 200 million. Eunchan took out the business card Inju had left and looked at it again. From such an impressive company, a lawyer came to a private detective agency to find one person. Why? And why does he say he’ll move together with me?
“Jackpot.”
Just as Hyungsik said, it was a total jackpot. Whether they succeeded or not, it was fine either way. Eunchan decided to stop thinking. Either way, he and Hyungsik wouldn’t be responsible for anything.
“That development area you mentioned this morning that got released, where did you say it was?”
Still, since it was a job he’d taken on, he should do his best. Eunchan woke up the computer that had entered standby mode and started searching for and reading articles again.
* * *
[Did you tell Hyungsik about receiving the down payment?]
[Hello, this is Han Inju. Can we meet today?]
Saturday morning, 8 AM. Eunchan frowned at the two texts he received instead of an alarm. What does it matter if I told Hyungsik about receiving the down payment? We’re going to split it anyway.
The boss was all good except he was too greedy for money. That’s why he got fired from being a detective too. He said with his own mouth that he left because the work didn’t suit him, but even to Eunchan’s thinking, Hyungsik’s words that he got dismissed because taking bribes became a problem seemed more plausible.
[I told him it was 6 million for the down payment, so split it well]
[It’s Saturday today]
Eunchan sent replies to the boss and Inju respectively and lay back down on the bed. Lawyers must work with no concept of weekends. However, since he himself didn’t get weekend pay no matter how hard he worked, Eunchan rubbed his itchy eyes with his palm.
Then a few minutes later, Eunchan had to get up from bed again at the buzzing vibration.
[I’m in front of your house. I would like to see you.]
Is this person actually not a lawyer but another detective agency employee? At his persistent, disobedient appearance that looked just like his own boss, Eunchan clicked his tongue. At Inju’s text, he immediately drew back the curtains and opened the window to see a foreign car parked in the narrow alley right away.
[You’re craz]
Eunchan wrote up to there then deleted it again. Yeah, it must be urgent. How urgent must it be for him to come all the way to my house? Eunchan forced himself to understand as he put on the sweatshirt draped over the chair.
Even while going down the villa stairs, he wondered if it was really necessary to go this far. However, when he faced Inju in neat attire getting out of the car, seemingly having seen Eunchan coming out, such doubts completely disappeared. He was human too, so he was weak to handsome people.
“I’m sorry about Saturday.”
“It’s fine. We have to find them quickly anyway.”
“…”
“…”
And then silence came. Inju blankly looked at the villa Eunchan had come out of, and Eunchan looked at Inju’s face.
“…Would you like to come inside?”
It was a small one-room house. Even that was in a messy state since it had been a while since he’d cleaned. Rather than the house, going to a nearby cafe would be more comfortable for both of them… Eunchan hesitantly suggested to Inju.
“That’s a dilemma.”
“Pardon?”
Inju answered with furrowed eyebrows. What, it’s not like I’m suggesting we do anything, just come in for a moment to talk. Eunchan opened his mouth in confusion.
“Let’s get in the car. I’ll take you to a nearby cafe.”
Having apparently made a decision, Inju guided Eunchan to the passenger seat.
“Okay…”
Is going into my house something to be conflicted about? I don’t live that messily. Eunchan pondered over the meaning of what Inju said even while fastening his seatbelt.
* * *
It was a small franchise cafe. Inju ordered an Americano and Eunchan ordered a caramel macchiato.
“You must work on weekends too.”
Eunchan opened his mouth while looking at Inju in neat formal wear.
“I’m a bit busy these days.”
“Ah, I see.”
At Inju’s words, Eunchan somehow felt like he was the one playing around, so he immediately cut his words short.
“You just woke up, I see.”
Inju asked while gesturing at Eunchan’s disheveled hair.
“Yes.”
“…”
“…I did wash up before coming out.”
Fortunately, the sweatshirt he came out wearing was also in clean condition since he’d washed it yesterday or the day before. At Eunchan’s added answer, Inju nodded roughly saying “I see” then picked up his mug.
He looks cool doing anything. Having only seen the boss and Hyungsik downing mixed coffee in one shot, seeing Inju felt shockingly refreshing. Eunchan carefully watched Inju’s actions, then as if copying him, he also slowly picked up his mug and sipped his coffee.
“May I take a photo?”
“Pfft.”
At the sudden words, Eunchan spat out the coffee he’d been drinking well. He hurriedly covered his foam-covered mouth with tissues, but couldn’t hide his bewildered eyes.
“A photo?”
“Yes.”
“Of you and me, lawyer-nim?”
“No. Just Eunchan-ssi.”
Is he crazy? Eunchan crumpled the tissue to one side and made eye contact with Inju.
“Why?”
“The company is curious about who the person in charge is.”
“…”
“I didn’t have your business card so I couldn’t report it.”
“Take it then.”
It’s not like my face will wear out. Eunchan roughly fixed his hair and face. As soon as Eunchan’s permission dropped, Inju thrust his phone in front of Eunchan’s face.
“…Isn’t this too close?”
It’s almost like taking an ID photo. Eunchan pushed Inju’s arm saying to move back a bit. At Eunchan’s request, Inju pulled his hand back by an ant’s eye booger amount and counted.
“I’ll take it.”
“Okay.”
Click. The characteristic sound of a phone camera rang between Inju and Eunchan.
“It came out well.”
“You don’t have to show me.”
Leaving Inju checking the photo, Eunchan sipped his coffee again.
“You didn’t come today just to take my photo.”
“You’ll need to go on a business trip with me briefly.”
“A business trip?”
“Yes.”
Inju answered briefly. Thin white smoke rose from the coffee cup placed between the two.
* * *
After finishing the short meeting with Inju and returning home, Eunchan recalled the conversation they’d had.
‘The donor and donee are from the same hometown.’
‘Where is that?’
‘South Jeolla Province.’
To be exact, it was a small village in South Jeolla Province. Eunchan roughly brushed his teeth and washed his face, then sat in front of his desk.
(South Jeolla Province, Muan County, Bichang-eup, Hwasu-ri)
Was it a coincidence? Eunchan tapped the paper with his finger. The person the unfamiliar client was looking for. The donor and donee from the same hometown as that person, and the person in charge, Eunchan himself. It was a hometown even the boss didn’t know about. Eunchan had to look at the letters of his hometown name received from Inju several times because he couldn’t believe it.
He wondered if that donor might be the hyung he was thinking of. Because that house was the only richest one in the village. So he almost threw a tantrum asking Inju about the donor, but Inju kept refusing to reveal it, saying it was confidential.
Who is Kim Noeul? As far as I remember, there was no one with that name. Is it a young person? My age? With little information, it was hard to even guess. Eunchan swept down his face with dry hands.
It was a village he’d fled from after his grandmother died. It was also a place he’d completely forgotten after settling in Seoul. He had to forget it.
Hyung… there was no way to know if he was alive or dead. Fuck, what does it matter to me how that bastard ended up? It was hyung who abandoned me first, not me.
Eunchan pushed aside all his work and headed to the bed.
“I should’ve just had the boss or Hyungsik do it.”
At this rate, I’ll end up going to my hometown. Eunchan gripped his hair tightly with both hands as if to pull it out.
* * *
‘Let’s live together later. I don’t have parents anyway and you don’t have hyung, so we’ll become family with just us.’
‘Y-yeah, sounds good. It’s really just the two of us doing th-that?’
‘Yeah!’
It was a small promise made standing under clear sunlight. Did we even hook pinkies? Leaving behind his father who was divorced but still alive with both eyes wide open, leaving his grandmother behind too, Eunchan had promised with hyung. We’ll become family to each other. He’d made such a promise without knowing what it meant. The pale, shy hyung had blushed and been happy even at such absurd words.
A small village in the countryside. After his mother and father separated, Eunchan was entrusted to and raised by his maternal grandmother who lived alone. His father was originally a good-for-nothing anyway and they had a relationship worse than strangers, so it was fine living apart, but when he became distant from his mother too, he’d cried bitterly every night with the blanket pulled over his head.
‘I’m getting married next year.’
How shocked Eunchan and his grandmother were at mother’s remarriage news. To the question ‘Do you want to follow your mom?’, Eunchan shook his head. He and his mother had a relationship that only became solid within the fence of family. In the already dissolved community, Eunchan could only grip his grandmother’s hand. He had to become his grandmother’s grandson, not his mother’s son.
Having his mother stolen by another house, Eunchan grew up step by step in the countryside. He attended a small elementary school with less than 30 students total and instead of hamburgers, stole and ate persimmons or apples from other people’s orchards.
They were days that were lacking but not lacking. Boring but monotonous, lonely but not dull. Instead of big dreams of becoming a president or celebrity, Eunchan’s dream was to advance to a school in the city.
* * *
‘You know that house beyond that mountain.’
‘That haunted house?’
‘Someone’s moving in.’
Third grade of elementary school, winter when he’d soon turn 11. The new person moving to the small village was sufficient material for an interesting story. It was quite intriguing news. Whether young children or adults, everyone was curious about the outsider who would newly come to the haunted house.
‘Don’t go beyond the mountain.’
The day the village head said that was the moving day of that house when several large trucks came and went. The children promised each other to cross the mountain together out of curiosity, but they always failed due to strict surveillance and scary stories about the mountain.
Eunchan was no exception. When time allowed, he attempted to go see that house beyond the mountain. But how much faster the sun set in winter. There wasn’t enough courage to cross the dark mountain with graves in between. It wasn’t just Eunchan—all the children were cowards, so they always just said ‘Let’s go’ but no one actually went.
