Chapter 10

It was as though she were rolling around in a muddy swamp. Soyoon’s voice shrank to almost nothing.

“I’ll repay the credit card bill somehow……”

“Somehow?”

He cut her off.

Soyoon nodded and said again that she would repay it somehow.

“The shopping bags that haven’t been opened yet will be canceled tomorrow. I’m sorry.”

If voices could be seen, Soyoon thought that her voice right now would be red. It hurt like blood was gushing out.

“How are you going to pay it back? Do you have money?”

“……”

At the direct question, Soyoon could not say anything and only pressed her lips tightly together. Her eyes sank endlessly.

“You’ll take on even more work?”

She wanted to shout at him, asking why he was speaking so coldly. But she could not do that either. Smiling bitterly, she nodded.

“I’ll do whatever it takes and pay it back.”

“So what exactly are you going to do?”

Leaning his upper body forward, he whispered quietly, as if it were some kind of secret.

“You’re struggling because of debt even now, so do you really think you can pay it back?”

Soyoon bit the inside of her cheek hard. How did he know she had debt? The hands she had clasped together trembled.

It felt as though her body had shriveled up and turned into a black dot. It was humiliating.

“S-slowly……”

“Why should I? Why should I wait slowly to get my money back?”

As if determined, he kept pressing her. Then what was she supposed to do? Emotion surging up, Soyoon glared at him.

“Don’t pay it back. I’m the one who gave the card, and I don’t care how much was spent, or if it gets used.”

“Why? Why are you giving the card?”

“It’s been a long time since I saw your mother. We’ve known each other since we were young, so I can do at least this much.”

She wanted to ask, then am I also someone you’re treating well because we’ve known each other since we were young? But instead of asking, Soyoon pressed her lips shut.

“I’ll help you.”

Soyoon, who had been looking down, lifted her eyes. What did he mean by that? Say it again.

“I said I’ll help you. If you ask to borrow money, I’ll lend it to you, and if you ask for it, I’ll give it to you. It doesn’t matter to me whether I have that little money or not. As you know, I have a lot of money.”

Unable to understand what he was really after, Soyoon narrowed her eyes. For him to say he would pay back money amounting to well over a hundred million won for someone he barely knew. It made no sense.

“Instead, you can just do what I want.”

“…What do you want?”

She bit her lip so hard it might bleed.

“It won’t be a bad offer. If I lend you the money, there won’t be any interest, and you won’t have to work until dawn like you do now.”

When she said nothing, he stood up from his seat.

“Think it over carefully, and if you need it, contact me anytime.”

She wondered if he might be joking, but he was far too serious.

She walked up close to him, standing at the register. Even though the bill had already been paid, there was more than one person looking at the man who had waited for her until she came out. The people in the restaurant were all stealing glances at him.

Men and women alike, with eyes full of love and eyes wrapped in jealousy, followed him.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

And then those gazes poured onto her.

When she was younger, the jealous looks had made her feel smug, and there had even been times when she clung to him more because of them. Like lying and saying she had to go buy Seohyeon’s birthday present, which she had actually bought in advance. Or asking him for help, saying she had no umbrella.

As the past came back to her, Soyoon let out a faint laugh. She had truly been far too immature.

“Why?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Get in, I’ll take you there.”

She got into the car without refusing when he said he would take her to the convenience store.

“What’s the occasion?”

“What is?”

“You got right into the car.”

“Even if I said no, you’d make me get in anyway.”

When she grumbled half-jokingly, he laughed. Has he always been a man who smiled this easily?

Soyoon’s heart gave a sharp little throb.

“If a man other than me tells you to get in his car, refuse.”

“Why? I can trust you, Oppa, but I can’t trust other men?”

Without realizing it, she had called him ‘Oppa’. Not wanting him to notice how red her face had become, she quickly turned her head away.

“No. I’m a man too, so you shouldn’t trust me either.”

But she could not ask why, then, it was okay to ride in his car. Her heart was pounding so hard that she drew in ragged breaths.

The car stopped at a red light, and suddenly he reached out his hand.

So startled that she froze and could not move, she looked at him as he tucked the strand of hair that had fallen loose behind her ear, and then she hiccupped. She covered her mouth with her hand.

“I thought you were all grown up, but you’re still a baby.”

Letting out a long sigh, he focused on driving again. Soyoon kept her hand over her mouth, trying to hold back the hiccups, all the way until they reached the convenience store.

“Think it over carefully and call me.”

“D-drive safely.”

With even the back of her neck flushed red, she hurriedly got out and ran into the convenience store. When she started breathing roughly, Hyoju Unni asked if she was okay, but Soyoon was too aware of the man still standing outside to answer, and only nodded.

***

Today was her day off from the convenience store. After hesitating, Soyoon headed home.

She could not stay at the hotel any longer. With how much one night’s room charge cost, she felt too burdened and could not even sleep properly.

As she climbed the stone steps, she could see even from far away that red paint had been splashed across the blue gate. When Soyoon drew closer, her face turned white.

Seeing the X mark sprayed in red lacquer paint, she called the landlord. There was still a lot of their stuff inside the house.

His umbrella and slippers were in there too.

The landlord did not answer the phone. She was briefly debating whether she should call the landlord’s son when the landlord called her back.

“Hello?”

-How dare you sink your teeth into my son! This is why women are no good!

Because of the landlord’s grandfather, who began shouting and cursing at her without any warning, Soyoon realized there was no use trying to explain right now.

“We haven’t taken our things out yet.”

-I took everything out and burned it. Ungrateful little pests, I took in beggar-like things like you, and then you go and bite people like a dog?

“That’s because…… he was trying to…… no, more than that, Grandfather, the moving fee……”

-Hah. Ptui! Because of you, my son’s leg and hand were broken! Be grateful we didn’t report you! And that moving fee is paying my son’s hospital bill, so don’t ever contact me again!

His leg and hand were broken? That was news to her.

Besides, the moving fee was the problem. It was not much, but to Soyoon it was a large amount of money. Now that she was in a situation where she could not even receive the moving fee, the proposal he had made kept coming back to mind. But soon she forced herself to shake her head.

It felt as though she should not get any more entangled with him.

As she was returning to the hotel with heavy steps, she got a call from Hayoon’s homeroom teacher.

Her whole body was drenched in sweat. The cicadas, which had been quiet for a while, were now screeching loudly. The sound made her head feel as though it might split apart. Soyoon sat down on the stone steps and roughly wiped away the sweat gathered on her forehead with her hand.

Strangely, the moment Hayoon’s homeroom teacher’s name appeared on the phone screen, a chill suddenly ran down her spine.

“Hello?”

-Hello. I’m Hayoon’s homeroom teacher.

“Yes, hello. Did something happen to Hayoon?”

-It’s just that…… Hayoon got into a fight with a classmate.

Her heart dropped. Hayoon was in puberty, yes, but she was not the kind of child who would become fierce enough to fight with a friend. What had happened?

-It wasn’t a big fight…… ah, that’s not actually why I called. The truth is, a rumor has been going around at school.

“What kind of rumor?”

-It’s……”

“It’s okay, please tell me.”

-Someone must have seen Hayoon coming out of a hotel. A rumor started going around that maybe she was engaging in compensated dating, and today it seems Hayoon went to confront the friend who spread the rumor and ended up fighting.

“Ah……”

She felt dizzy. It felt as though she might collapse at any moment. Thinking that such a young child had endured that rumor spreading about her and still had not said a word. It felt as though her heart were being torn apart. It was all her fault. She should not have taken her to a hotel. It was her own fault for being in such a rush that she had not thought of Hayoon.

“Teacher……”

She explained the full story to the teacher. Saying that she would pay closer attention, she ended the call.

Her head felt heavy, and for a long while she sat with her head lowered, clutching her phone. Then Soyoon lifted her head and looked at the sky. Ridiculously enough, the sky was so beautiful. So, so beautiful that it was enough to bring tears to her eyes.