– Typhoon ‘Rammasun’ is approaching. The path of the powerful Typhoon Rammasun that originated in the Philippines….
As he glared at the empty sofa seat where Hwang Jegu had sat, the boss tapped his shoulder.
“Yeon. Things are definitely settled with that Hwang friend, right?”
“……What?”
“It would’ve been nice if you’d talked more with the broadcast staff hyung then. I broke a serious sweat trying to smooth things over for you. The conclusion is that he liked you.”
The boss’s grinning face was bright. He seemed pleased himself to be delivering good news to Yeon Cheonguk.
“He said he’d contact some record company presidents he knows, so now the Golden Disk Grand Prize is practically in the bag….”
“No… Boss. No, Kim sunbae-nim.”
Yeon Cheonguk, who cut off the excitedly chattering boss, replied in an annoyed tone.
“Isn’t that… a bit rude? Asking if things are settled.”
“Huh? What’s wrong. We ended that talk back then.”
“Yes, we ended it. With me saying I’d handle it myself.”
He wasn’t even curious about the pot-bellied broadcast station staff member’s <Do You Know> feedback. Yeon Cheonguk’s head was filled only with that graciously kind bastard who’d been selfish from start to finish.
The boss asked while maintaining his smile.
“You’re not thinking of becoming a singer?”
Yeon Cheonguk bit down hard on his molars, knowing the intense waves inside himself that couldn’t answer “Yes, mind your own business.” As he turned his head far away, the boss tapped his shoulder again.
“My words may have sounded harsh. Think it over carefully. Whether it’s this opportunity or another one that comes, there mustn’t be any flaws.”
“……”
A type of chaos he’d never experienced before rushed in. His chest ached from the fierce emotional waves like the typhoon the news was making a fuss about.
What was this emotion?
As Yeon Cheonguk was digesting this chaos he’d never felt in his life, he raised his head at the jingling doorbell sound. He greeted the customer with a fake smile. Even in moments like this, his skilled social life that reflexively produced smiles was also fucking terrible.
Before he knew it, it was closing time and he was about to clean the bathroom. A female coworker called out to stop Yeon Cheonguk.
“Cheonguk-ah, there’s a call for you?”
If a call came to the shop looking for Yeon Cheonguk, there were two possibilities. Family or the graciously kind bastard.
Yeon Cheonguk rushed over and picked up the phone without even taking off his rubber gloves.
“Hello.”
– Hey. Are you fucking around right now?
However, the voice that came through wasn’t the one he’d hoped for. A noticeably husky voice with a rushed speaking style. The caller was Gakseori.
– You little shit, what did you do that there’s over ten thousand won in late fees under His Majesty’s name!
Ah, right. The <Moulin Rouge> video.
He’d left it under the glass counter outside the butcher shop. He’d completely forgotten.
His surprise at recognizing the mistake was brief. Since it wasn’t the person he’d been waiting for, he felt completely deflated. Yeon Cheonguk dropped his inflated shoulders and wedged the receiver between his ear and shoulder. It was clearly the posture of someone rebelling against an unwanted call.
As he took off the rubber gloves one by one in a crooked posture, the sounds of Gakseori and the Kkaebi Video rental shop part-timer arguing could be heard as is over the phone.
– I’ll make the collection call, so give it here.
– What’s a four-eyed loser going to collect? Stay quietly crushed, hyung.
– It’s my job, so let me do it, give me the phone.
– Ah, fuck! You bastard. Your mouth isn’t there to bitch at me, so shut it before I blow up, yeah?
Gakseori finally hurled ten-cent curses too vile to speak at the part-timer. Before Yeon Cheonguk could challenge him about what kind of rude behavior that was, the part-timer came close to the phone and whispered.
– If you don’t give it, we’ll share the receiver together.
– Fuck…! Are you crazy, do you want to die?
– If you don’t want to exchange breath, hurry and give it. And you’re not good at talking, even if you’re good at fighting.
– What? Who’s not good at talking, w-who’s not good at talking?
– Know the ‘Creative Work Rental Shop Customer Management Guidelines’ statute? You don’t, right.
The part-timer who silently K.O.’d Gakseori by mentioning a statute that probably didn’t even exist snatched the receiver.
– Future artist. Return the new musical film video.
Yeon Cheonguk picked at one ear and snapped back.
“Just process it as lost.”
– If it’s lost due to the renter’s negligence, we charge 30% more than the video’s sale price?
“Where is there such a law? I guess that’s also written in the creative work rental shop customer management guidelines….”
– I warned you. If it’s not processed as returned by today, I’ll bill it under Hwang Jegu’s name.
“Well, since I can’t return it because of that bastard, billing that bastard would be right.”
– ……?
When the other side went quiet for a moment, a noisy voice cut in again.
– Hey, and you. The one who gave the King yogurt. Is it you by any chance?
“Can you speak so I can understand?”
– Yogurt! The culprit who put yogurt in a bowl! Is it you, you bastard!
After choosing his words, Yeon Cheonguk boldly talked back.
“If you want an answer, tell him to contact me directly.”
– What? Fuck… Wow… I’m telling you Yeon Cheonguk is one seriously crazy bastard?
Gakseori, who had been holding back his anger, muttered with a sigh.
– Ah, forget it. I’ll just pay the late fee and clear it myself. He’d hate having more contact points like this even more.
“……What? What does that mean?”
– Trip and step on ten thousand won on the street, you con artist.
“What does that mean!”
The call ended as noisily as Gakseori himself.
‘He’d hate having more contact points like this’…. Surely the omitted subject would be Hwang Jegu and the other party would be Yeon Cheonguk.
After indirectly confirming the suddenly changed attitude, he couldn’t just stay still. Before any feelings of hurt or whatever, rebelliousness rose first.
How one-sided an attitude.
“Fucking doing whatever he wants, seriously.”
And the words from that bastard that came to mind at just the right moment.
— If you just keep being proud without doing anything, what changes?
In the end, Yeon Cheonguk decided to move. From expressing gratitude for what must have happened at Kangwon Land to the reason for the recent change, he felt he needed to meet and ask directly to breathe freely.
At 9 o’clock his part-time job ended and he took the bus to the butcher shop. Boss Kim had suggested they eat watermelon together on this summer night tropical night, but he declined.
He felt like he’d go crazy if he didn’t confront things head-on. He headed to the butcher shop both to find the video and to talk. At this hour, Hwang Jegu would be about to close the butcher shop. After the store business ended, he’d dive into the splendid night to do his second job. Though he was afraid of what kind of reaction Hwang Jegu, who was ignoring all phone calls, would show, he couldn’t just stay still.
He got off the bus and crossed the crosswalk. Just as he was about to pass the market entrance, a car next to him honked.
When he turned around at the short honk, the window was rolling down. What appeared from the driver’s seat was the violent crimes detective ahjussi. The detective waved his hand busily.
“Hey, handsome friend whose name I can’t remember. What brings you here?”
“To see Jegu. What about you, detective-nim?”
“I came to do the same but I’m leaving after a wasted trip.”
Hwang Jegu apparently wasn’t at the butcher shop today. As Yeon Cheonguk stopped walking and stared blankly into the market, the detective honked briefly again.
“Oh right, Yeon! It was Yeon-ssi! I heard your father came back!”
“Yes. Jegu helped a lot with that actually.”
“…Ah, really?”
“Is there something going on with him lately? I haven’t been able to contact him at all since then.”
“Our Emperor His Majesty is doing great as always! Our Yeon-so-and-so student just needs to study hard without any worries.”
This detective, who snapped back cynically and laughed hahaha, lowered his voice.
“Friend. People around saw you often at the butcher shop. The juice shop boss said so too.”
“They would. I helped with work while Jegu was away.”
“Good job. But, anyway, everything’s resolved, so why are you still coming and going here?”
“No, well… Is it not okay if I do?”
“What are you planning to do getting close with that scary kid?”
At the sudden criticism, Yeon Cheonguk was momentarily at a loss for words. The detective, holding a cigarette in one hand drooping outside the window, fiddled with his sparsely bearded chin. The detective’s voice, devoid of playfulness, soon let out a warning.
“Reforming the mind of a fight ring leader is something this ahjussi, adults, will handle, so you just need to live quietly as you used to. You know what I mean?”
“……”
“That kid is way more dangerous than what you’ve heard through rumors.”
The words the juice shop boss had whispered at the recording studio a few days ago came to mind. As he stood unable to do this or that, just staring at the ground, the detective gestured.
“Get in, I’ll drop you off near your house.”
Yeon Cheonguk moved his steps toward the car. Walking slowly toward the back door, he then picked up speed. After passing the car, he walked even faster. It was a spot where it would be hard to make a U-turn. Though he heard the detective ahjussi’s voice behind him trying to stop Yeon Cheonguk, he pretended not to hear.
He ran slowly and escaped into a sloped alley. It was humid and muggy weather. While cooling off his sweat and walking aimlessly through the sloped alley, Yeon Cheonguk discovered a public phone booth installed next to a real estate office.
He picked up the receiver and took out the transparent lighter from his hip bag. He dialed the number written on the lighter and waited for a moment, then a fairly old woman answered the phone.
– Yes, go ahead.
“Is this Sweet Bunny Dance Club?”
– Who is this calling?
“Is Emperor His Majesty there right now?”
