PHUW 72

“Is that your money? It’s mine.”

Jang forced himself to swallow down the shout that rose to his throat.

“I’ll give it at the end of this month.”

He repeated the same line he always used.

–Ha. You think I’ll believe that again?

“If you don’t believe it, what else can I do. It’s not like money will appear just because you’re angry.”

–Ha. Jang, you’ve really gone off the deep end now.

“Come on, losing your temper isn’t good for your health. Just wait patiently. I’m not running away with it.”

–Yeah, Jang. You don’t run away. Fuck. Fine. Fine, I get it. I’m the sucker here, fuck.

Lee Ducheol cursed all the way until he abruptly hung up. Only then did Jang exhale and shove the phone back into his pocket with a vicious expression.

Just half a year ago, that bastard Lee Ducheol had been bowing and scraping to Jang, calling him hyung every chance he got. Stupid as he was, he paid for drinks and karaoke whenever Jang told him to. Then one day he took him out to some plastic greenhouse in the countryside, saying he knew a good place. There, a gambling game was underway. At first it was just for fun. But when Ducheol and the others kept losing clumsily and Jang pocketed easy winnings, he got hooked. It didn’t even take three months before the game had him by the throat.

‘How the hell do I pay back money I don’t have. Fuck. Bastard acts like he’ll die without that gambling cash, when he’s living just fine.’

Jang cursed inwardly and kept working.

Bzz, bzz, bzz.

The vibration came again.

“Damn bastard, really.”

This time he resolved to raise his voice, but when he pulled out the phone, the caller ID read [Son].

“Hey, son.”

–Dad. Uhhuhuhu…

He heard his son sobbing as soon as he answered. His guts dropped.

“What! What happened!”

From the other end came a man’s voice: “Kid, why the hell are you crying like that? You’re a big fat pig and you’re crying? What did I do to you? Stop it! Stop it!” It was Lee Ducheol. Jang’s eyes rolled back in fury.

“Hey! Lee Ducheol! You son of a bitch! What the fuck are you doing at my house!”

He screamed into the phone, and Ducheol took it from his son.

–What, hyung, you keep refusing to talk to me. I figured I should at least check in on how your household is doing. Hey, what did I ever do? I bought him snacks, I bought him juice, I gave him allowance. Why the hell’s he crying? If he’s that soft, how’s he gonna live? Listen kid, if your dad doesn’t pay his debt, you’ll be the one to pay. Better get your head straight.

What was he going to do with his son, who was now just starting middle school? The blood drained from Jang’s face.

“Lee Ducheol! If you touch my son, I won’t forgive you!”

–And what did I do, that father and son both are losing it. I just made a home visit. Tell me, how the hell are you living that you can’t scrape up a measly one thousand five hundred? Looking at your place, I can see why. And make that kid of yours go on a diet. Bloated like a pig, never washes, just plays games. Hey, you’re the class loser, aren’t you?

He jabbed at his sore spot.

“You son of a bitch! What’s wrong with my son! It’s all height weight, you bastard, don’t you run your mouth like that!”

–Yeah, yeah, I got it. So keep that filthy mouth clean, huh? End of the month, right? Fine, fine, I get it. But father and son are both pathetic.

Ducheol hung up again. Horrified, Jang called back. This time his son answered, screaming how could gangsters show up at their house, demanding what he’d do if something happened to him. His son cursed him, told him to go die, and Jang was left only with guilt. He’d already been angry at him for not buying the new game console that just came out. After apologizing over and over, Jang finally ended the call.

“Something wrong at home?”

The foreman asked.

Jang opened his mouth but stopped. No point asking for an advance. If he got fired it would be trouble. This job was out of town, paid well, and included room and board. It was hard to find another labor site like this. He had to hang on until the project finished.

When the day ended and he was back at the dorm, he couldn’t stop thinking of where to find money. He’d already borrowed from loan sharks. Demand letters kept coming because he couldn’t pay the interest. He tried buying lottery tickets hoping for a windfall, but it was always a bust. Wasn’t there some rich guy? As he fretted, one person came to mind.

Vice Chairman Jeong Mok of Hyeonsan Group.

He’d known he was born into privilege, but hadn’t known it was that kind of privilege. For someone like him, one thousand five hundred would be nothing. They’d worked side by side for more than three months at the construction site, so if he asked, he might lend it. But how to reach him. He couldn’t just walk into the company and expect to meet him.

“Wait. There’s that kid, isn’t there?”

That young guy with the dog. He seemed close to Director Jeong. Even that annoying foreman acted overly friendly to him, though he wasn’t involved with the site. But how to talk to him? He didn’t look like an easy pushover, dressed up neat like that.

Then a thought flashed through Jang’s mind.

Two months ago? Or maybe longer. He had found a decent phone at the site. His own son had thrown a fit and broken his phone and demanded a new one, so Jang had given him that one. Only later did he realize it had belonged to that young guy.

‘Since I found it for him, he should repay me somehow, right? I’ll have him put me in touch with Director Jeong.’

Jang marveled at how smoothly his plan was falling into place, as if heaven was helping him, and jumped to his feet. He had to go home and get that phone back from his son.

***

A few days later, Haeri gave in to Gom-i’s whining and took him walking near the construction site again. Gom-i lingered around the area the whole time. This time, the foreman wasn’t there. Instead, another worker appeared.

“Hey, you there.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you.”

It was that man, Jang, he thought. He’d seen him once or twice before. As he approached, Gom-i bristled, watching him closely. Seeing the dog, Jang faltered and stopped walking.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. He’s someone I know. Why, what is it?”

“This.”

Jang pulled something from his pocket and held it out. A phone.

“What’s this?”

“Isn’t this what you were looking for?”

“Me? Mine’s right here.”

He pulled out his own phone. It was a different model entirely. Jang’s face showed obvious panic.

“You said you were looking for one before. This is it. This one. That day I picked it up right over there!”

Gom-i barked, “Woof, woof!” The sudden outburst made him terrifying. Even just standing still his size and color were threatening, but when he barked on purpose he was vicious enough to make a man’s knees buckle. Startled, Jang dropped the phone and stumbled back.

“It’s fine. Stay still.”

Feeling sorry, Haeri bent to pick up the dropped phone, then realized something. Back when he had come to the site with Jeong Mok, he had once looked for the phone he’d been using at the time of the accident.

“Are you talking about the one I was looking for before?”

“Y-yeah. That one.”

“But you said you hadn’t seen it then.”

“I thought I didn’t, but turns out I did.”

His words were contradictory and rambling.

The phone didn’t respond to Haeri’s fingerprint. The wallpaper was a filthy, pornographic illustration that made him want to gag. Even with lost memories, he knew without doubt that such an image was nothing like his taste.

“I don’t like trashy pictures like this. Doesn’t seem like mine.”

“I picked it up and, while I forgot about it, my kid used it for a while.”

Haeri scoffed inwardly. That meant he had taken it home, given it to his son, and judging from the wallpaper it had been factory reset. Even if it had been his, all the photos and messages would be gone.

“What about the SIM card?”

“What?”

“Wasn’t there a SIM card in here?”

With the SIM, at least he could recover phone numbers. But Jang looked clueless and didn’t answer. That was enough.

“It’s not mine.”

The only reason he needed the phone was to find lost contacts, but if nothing inside remained, it was as good as not his. It was unpleasant to think someone else had wiped out all his past information, but it was his own fault for losing it. More than that, he didn’t like Jang’s impression, and with Gom-i growling constantly he had no wish to get more entangled.

Haeri handed the phone back and turned away.

“Hey, but I found this for you. You can’t just walk away like that.”

Jang grabbed his shoulder.

“I said it’s not mine.”

Haeri shook off his hand and turned his shoulder.

“I’m telling you it is. I found it right here. You looked for it before. You even asked Mr. Park.”

“Could’ve belonged to someone else.”

Already irritated by the man’s bad impression, Haeri raised his voice too.

Woof! Woof, woof!

Gom-i barked louder. Jang flinched and stepped back.

The noise drew attention. The foreman leaned out from a second-floor window.

“Hey! Jang! What are you doing down there instead of working?”

Startled, Jang turned toward him. Haeri seized the opportunity, he pulled the angry Gom-i away and left the site. He wanted to end the walk and go home, but that would mean passing in front of the site again. Worried Gom-i might start trouble once more, he deliberately went around by way of the campsite.

To his surprise, Gom-i looked thrilled with the new walking path. Thanks to that, they finished the walk without incident, went home, and Haeri cooked a late lunch-dinner before heading to the convenience store. With many customers, he was busy enough that the unpleasant scuffle with the man faded from memory.

As always, around one in the morning, Gom-i wandered off toward the cafe district on his own. It seemed he had claimed the place as his territory.

Haeri was almost finished closing up and was about to call him back. He turned on his phone to check Gom-i’s location. As expected, the dog was hanging around near the cafes.

Ding.

The bell over the door rang as someone came in. He wasn’t surprised, thinking it was one of the usual customers rushing in to buy cigarettes before closing.

“Welcome.”

He looked up, expecting a regular. But instead of a customer, Jang stood at the entrance. Haeri’s internal alarm went off.

How had he known this place? It was far from the site.

And Jang was drunk. His bloodshot eyes glared at Haeri. One hand was buried in his filthy jacket pocket, something heavy bulging inside.

Haeri instantly knew he hadn’t come to buy anything. Staring him down, he pointed to the door.

“Leave before I call the police.”

“Poliiice? Fuuuck. Call them, you fucking brat.”

His words slurred, twisted with curses. Jang whipped his hand out of his pocket. A heavy monkey wrench sliced the air.