***
In the end, he couldn’t even touch the plastic bag containing the <Moulin Rouge> video.
What remained vivid were the smoke that had penetrated his throat, the wallpaper blackened by fire, the fireflies, and the light from the public phone booth. His other memories were lumped together like an abstract painting.
His homeroom teacher called. Yeon Cheonguk lied without batting an eye.
– By any chance, when the fire broke out on the upper floor of Hwang Jegu’s store, did you witness who rescued them?
“I don’t know about that.”
– Geez… There was someone who rescued them, but no one knows who. Nobody knows?
Perhaps because he’d inhaled smoke that day, his throat felt scratchy. He’d bought and was taking medicine for pharyngitis from the pharmacy, but there was no improvement. He continued lying in his hoarse voice.
“It was probably someone from the market.”
– They said it was a man, tall. And someone testified that he was wearing our school’s gym uniform.
“I really don’t know anything about it.”
Because he didn’t want to meet Hwang Jegu again, he cut it off firmly. He had no desire to get tangled up in troublesome matters. He didn’t want to be forced to receive some Good Samaritan Award either.
…Hwang Jegu must be curious about who it was too, the thought occurred to him, but he forgot about it.
– And! You little shit, the summer supplementary classes are almost half over. You need to come now, okay? I can’t let it slide anymore.
Since he’d found his father, pressure came out for him to attend the second-year summer vacation supplementary classes. He’d heard it until he was sick of it—that the summer vacation of his second year was important.
However, he was mentally overwhelmed adapting to the secret move, the changed home environment, his father who could turn into a tyrant at any moment, his mother who had started working at a side dish store, and the atmosphere like walking on thin ice. The aftershock of the humiliation he’d received from Hwang Jegu also lasted a long time. Even if he went to school, it seemed unlikely that studying would come easily.
“Cough, cough, gack! Gaack!”
When he coughed, his homeroom teacher asked worriedly.
– Did you catch a summer cold?
Just then, his father cleared his throat in the living room. In the smaller house, even small sounds echoed loudly. He was giving him a look to hurry up and end the call.
Yeon Cheonguk said his father needed to use the phone and hung up. His father, who had come back from interviewing for a job at a company run by a friend, had been in a low pressure system for several days. There was no telling when he’d find fault and get angry and overturn the side dish containers. Yeon Cheonguk put down the receiver and came out of the master bedroom.
The only telephone in this house was in the master bedroom. They couldn’t install a cordless phone because they had no money.
His father soon talked on the phone with someone. As Yeon Cheonguk passed through the living room suppressing his coughing, he perked up his ears at the voice coming from the master bedroom.
“No, I mean. Detective-nim. Cheonguk isn’t the kind of kid who would rescue that house’s grandfather.”
“…?”
He killed his footsteps and went to the front of the master bedroom. He listened intently to the phone conversation while holding back his cough until his face turned red.
“Does that make sense. If the ignition also started from the outdoor unit. Who would know that and come right then to steal money and valuables, what kind of nonsensical claim is that. That senile grandfather gave testimony. That someone came in through the window threatening with a hammer, and took all the money and valuables that were there! So you’re going to pin unlawful entry and attempted theft on him?”
What?! Yeon Cheonguk was surprised and focused even more.
It was clearly a conversation with a detective. It was beyond his ability to eavesdrop on the voice from the other side, so he could only deduce from his father’s words.
“Even if some unknown young man did come into the house a few days ago. How many men are there with similar descriptions. Really, turning the hero of a fire incident into a theft suspect in an instant with one word from a senile old man. Are you suspecting my son based on the words of someone whose mind comes and goes?”
“…”
“And. My Cheonguk isn’t the kind of kid who would step forward to do something like that. I’m saying this because you don’t know what a dull Snorlax he is.”
“…”
“So, does that grandfather only need to be hospitalized? Ah… no burns, just toxic gas? It’s fortunate that he had insurance. Anyway, it seems to have been resolved well.”
He thought the call was about to end, but after a moment his father raised his voice again.
“Hwang Jegu. I’m already holding back because of that friend, hah…. Really, I’m sparing my words because of that friend. Do you know what that friend did in the world? He was really bold. I was so dumbfounded… I was really shocked.”
His father, who had been passionately mixing admiration and fear, suddenly lowered his voice.
“…And I found out yesterday, while I was gone, I thought the movable property seizure execution was somehow delayed. Someone asked the enforcement officer to wait a month or two. They said the request came through a close senior lawyer friend… It wasn’t Detective-nim and it wasn’t my wife… I think that friend probably pulled some strings somewhere.”
“…!”
But what was even more surprising was what came out of his father’s mouth next.
“It’ll be big trouble if Cheonguk gets close to him. I think I should transfer him to another school now that we’ve moved anyway.”
“…”
“It’s not like there’s a way to transfer that friend to another school.”
Yeon Cheonguk grabbed an umbrella and fled the house as if running away.
It was obvious that when the call ended, he would call Yeon Cheonguk to sit down and force him to transfer schools.
Outside, a typhoon was raging. He’d lost his slippers so the only thing he had to wear was sneakers, but as soon as he came down the alley holding an umbrella, he got completely soaked. He felt suffocated and his chest felt tight. He didn’t know the exact reason, but his airways were completely blocked.
He had to stay still like this. If he didn’t want to be wrongly accused.
He had to stay still. If he wanted to debut without any problems.
As his father said, transferring schools and pressing Shift+Delete to completely erase the few months he’d had with Hwang Jegu might be the best path.
Irritation surged up. Yeon Cheonguk kicked the rain-flooded street and let out a sigh.
No. He couldn’t lump it together and call it irritation. Hidden in his stuffy chest was a truth he didn’t want to acknowledge.
…It’s hard. That’s right, Yeon Cheonguk was having a hard time right now.
Right now, when he couldn’t say that it was him who had saved Hwang Jegu’s grandfather from the fire.
No one knew that the heat in his chest that had awakened Yeon Cheonguk, who had lived like a sloth, had originated from whom. Before he knew it, words he couldn’t confide had piled up abundantly in Yeon Cheonguk’s heart. He didn’t even know to whom or where to start vomiting out this mass of passionate emotions.
Hwang Jegu, that son of a bitch.
“Fuck, why can’t I watch Moulin Rouge because of that bastard.”
He had nowhere to go anyway. His father was at home, at school there were friends living ordinary lives, and at places where he could sing, there was no one.
“Why do I.”
Yeon Cheonguk’s wet sneakers, wandering aimlessly, headed toward the butcher shop.
The moment he turned direction toward the market, the umbrella shaft he was holding completely flipped inside out from the wind. At the same time, fierce rain and wind blocked Yeon Cheonguk.
“Why are you doing this too, umbrella, really!”
Everything in the world obstructed his path, but Yeon Cheonguk pushed through the storm.
Out into the rain, into the world.
To move forward, he had no choice but to run against the storm.
A typhoon warning had been issued, so all the market store shutters were down. The second floor of the butcher shop where the fire had occurred remained in its desolate state, and the butcher shop counter was also completely empty.
Yeon Cheonguk took out the black plastic bag from the shelf.
Inside the plastic bag, the video was still there as he’d left it…
On the way rushing out of the market with the video, his eyes somehow felt hot.
Because it seemed like not a single link remained,
Because his insides felt refreshed, or because his insides hurt.
Yeon Cheonguk chewed over the story that had come out of his father’s mouth earlier.
Why did that son of a bitch?
No answer came.
He left the market and ran down the rain-pouring street. The roadside trees were swaying as if they would break in the strong wind.
The pouring rainwater beat against his body. Running like a shot opened up his insides.
All the circumstances and the world were telling him to end it with Hwang Jegu here.
To go back home now that it was done.
Where should Yeon Cheonguk go now? He wanted to go somewhere he could watch this video.
There was a place called a digital theater, but he’d have to go all the way to the downtown area, and he couldn’t take the subway in this state.
He had no choice. Yeon Cheonguk headed to the place where there was the only video player he could use. The old house where they lived before moving.
On the way to the old house, he passed by a phone booth. It was the place where he’d had a long phone call like phone dating with Hwang Jegu after breaking up with his girlfriend. He deliberately turned his head and quickened his steps.
With feet that seemed about to burst from being soaked in rainwater, he entered the apartment where the family of four had lived.
He hadn’t thrown away the key to this house yet. Yeon Cheonguk took out the bundle of keys from his pocket and opened the door. He entered the dark house and turned on the circuit breaker power.
Yeon Cheonguk shouldn’t be here. He had to go home soon.
The market merchants he’d stopped by earlier might tip off that they saw Hwang Jegu’s friend again. He’d already done what his family, the detective, and Kim sunbae had told him not to do. If the enforcement officer or creditors burst in while he was here, it would become even more troublesome.
But the movie he hadn’t watched and the songs he hadn’t sung were here.
The house was dark without a single light, and outside the window the heavy rain raged. Yeon Cheonguk stood in front of the TV, dripping rainwater.
When he pushed the video into the VHS player, the movie started.
The movie caught his attention from the beginning with flashy visuals and songs. The camera showed showgirls and gentlemen shaking their bodies glamorously. The light spreading from the TV flashed on the walls and his face.
Why is watching just this one thing so hard. Jealousy without a clear target and unseemly hatred dirtied his insides.
Tears flowed down Yeon Cheonguk’s smiling face.
This place was the only darkness where Yeon Cheonguk could have a hard time. The aftermath of his sprint hadn’t subsided yet, so his breathing was rough. Yeon Cheonguk screamed toward the raging storm outside.
Ahhh—!
Just as he was vomiting out his hot emotions, bang bang, a loud sound rang out from behind. It wasn’t the sound of forcibly opening the front door, but knocking. Again, violent knocking rang out.
It was probably someone who had been waiting near the house and saw Yeon Cheonguk go inside.
A debt collector? Or police? Or who? As he felt chilled, the door opened with a click.
What appeared from the darkness was a familiar man’s shadow. From under a rain-soaked bucket hat, an indifferent low voice flowed out.
“What did you hide where that you racked up 30,000 won in late fees.”
