Chapter 7: Inevitable Fate (4)
I didn't stop reproaching him.
“If Mom and Dad worked so hard to send you to Yeonje University, you should study hard and get a good job. Do you think protesting will change the world?”
Big Brother just chuckled.
“How admirable. Did you eat dinner?”
“Hyung! Even if you were gone, it wouldn’t matter. We're poor, and you're the eldest in our family. Do you rember how hard it was to study in that tiny room just to get into Yeonje University?”
“Eat before you go. I’ll make so ran.”
Big Brother dusted off his clothes and went into his room.
“You even cleaned up. You've beco more mature since becoming a high schooler.”
“Who do you think I'm talking to right now? Are you even listening to ?”
“I heard everything, so let’s stop. Sit and wait. I’ll bring the ran soon.”
Big Brother changed into shorts and headed to the kitchen.
Preaching to a cow.
No matter how good the words are, a cow can’t understand them.
I didn’t understand this era.
In my past life, I had only occasionally slled tear gas drifting into the classroom and just knew that people protested.
It was sothing that happened in a completely different world from mine, and even when I returned to South Korea after studying abroad, I had no interest in how they contributed to the country’s history.
All I ever thought about was turning Yongho Group into the top chaebol.
A mont later, Big Brother ca back carrying a tray with a pot on it.
“Mom made so kimchi. Looks good. Let’s eat.”
I belatedly noticed a scratch on Big Brother’s cheek.
“What happened to your face? Did soone hit you?”
“I fell.”
“Why are you doing such reckless things?”
“The ran’s getting soggy. Eat up.”
There was no point in talking further.
It was better to have a chat with a passing neighborhood dog.
The kimchi Mom made went well with the ran.
The anger I felt earlier faded as my stomach filled.
“Mom really makes good kimchi. How’s school? Isn’t it hard taking the bus all the ti?”
“I’m used to it, so it’s fine. Where’s the hyung you live with?”
“He works at a factory in Cheonggyecheon.”
“Even though it’s Saturday, he works late?”
“That’s how he earns more money.”
“Life really is tough.”
Big Brother paused with his chopsticks halfway to his mouth and stared at .
“What?”
“You suddenly sound like an old man. What’s with that tone?”
“I don’t know.”
“You really grew up fast.”
“Just eat your ran.”
There was an aura about Big Brother that words couldn’t describe.
His vivid eyes burned so hot, I feared my identity might be revealed.
After finishing the ran, Big Brother cleared the tray.
“There’s nothing more to eat. You should be eating a lot at your age.”
“I’m full from the soup.”
I wanted to say everything I had to say to Big Brother.
“Hyung, now that you're in college, you should study hard, go on group dates, travel, and enjoy yourself. What if you get caught protesting and end up tortured?”
Big Brother’s eyes glead.
“Cheonmyeong, I know it’s reckless. I also know the world won’t change. But doing nothing just feels too foolish, so I throw at least one stone. That way, I might be able to respect my past self when I’m older.”
“Don’t you ever think about Mom and Dad? They’re both struggling so much.”
“You’re here, aren’t you?”
“What?”
I was at a loss for words.
He was trying to shift the burden of being the eldest onto .
What a terrible Hyung.
“Hyung! How could you say that to …”
“One day you’ll understand what I’m doing. I’m sorry.”
I felt a force from Big Brother that I couldn’t dare oppose.
His gleaming eyes overwheld , and even his soft tone carried strong energy.
No matter what I said, it ant nothing. He was already filled with conviction.
Big Brother pulled a ten-thousand-won bill from a book and handed it to .
“You’ve got self-study, right? Buy yourself so bread or sothing.”
“You’re rich if you’re using money as a bookmark.”
“That’s right, I’m rich.”
“Where did you get this money?”
“It’s not stolen, so just use it. Visit sotis.”
“Sure. But the climb up here was so tough, I don’t ever want to co back.”
“Don’t tell Mom. I don’t want to make her worry.”
“I’m at least that thoughtful.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
I left Big Brother’s house.
There was no need for guys to do this, but Big Brother walked all the way to the bus stop.
“Why are you following this far? When are you going back up?”
“It’s fine.”
I could feel his affection, and one side of my chest ward up.
3:40 a.m.
I couldn’t be late on the first day, so I stayed up all night with barely any sleep.
I roughly got dressed and left the house.
The darkness looked like it had been sared with ink.
I ran to the convent and arrived at the milk depot.
“Hello?”
“You’re early.”
The depot manager greeted warmly.
“Did you morize the houses?”
“Yes.”
I had noted the delivery addresses yesterday, drawn a map, and committed it to mory, so there was no issue.
Fortunately, most of the delivery houses were apartnts and mansions.
“So houses only get deliveries on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, so check before you drop it off.”
“Yes.”
I loaded the milk crate onto the bike’s cargo rack.
“I’ll be back.”
“Watch out for cars.”
“Yes.”
Most delivery houses had a pouch with the milk depot’s mark, so they were easy to find.
The only hard part was climbing up to the fifth floor without an elevator, which made my throat rasp like tal.
After returning to the depot for a second round of deliveries, the job was done.
6:00 a.m.
I had to hurry to get to school.
“Manager, I’ll be off now.”
“Good job. Take these and eat.”
The manager handed two bottles of milk.
“Thank you.”
Thinking about giving them to Kang Daemyung and Yeonhwa made whistle without realizing.
When I got ho, Mom was packing my lunch.
“Was it hard?”
“Getting so exercise in the fresh air isn’t bad.”
“Watch out for cars.”
“Okay.”
Today’s lunch side dishes were seasoned radish and tofu.
Since I said I’d be doing self-study, Mom had made tofu.
Last week, the side dishes rotated between kimchi, laver, and stir-fried potatoes.
“The tofu looks good.”
“It might be a bit salty. Eat plenty of rice.”
“Got it.”
Making salty food helps save on side dish costs.
I sat in the corner and mixed the seasoned radish with rice, munching away.
“Mom, are there a lot of guests? Don’t we have to pay 100,000 won a month? And the deposit was 500,000 won too.”
“There are plenty of guests. Don’t worry and just focus on studying.”
Mom was lying.
If it were true, there would’ve been at in the side dishes.
Of course, having tofu wasn’t a terrible sign either.
Mom pulled 1,000 won from the waistband of her pants.
“Buy so bread in the evening.”
“Big Brother gave 10,000 won. I’ll use that.”
“Taemyung did?”
I almost said he was skipping class and protesting but held back.
I couldn’t ignore Big Brother’s request.
“He’s probably tutoring or sothing. Hyung is smart.”
“Right. That’s a relief.”
I filled a washbasin with water, washed up, and put the lunchbox into my bag.
The wall clock said 6:20.
Another morning battle to get to school.
I bit down on my lower lip and said goodbye to Mom.
“I’m off.”
“Be careful with the cars.”
Because I rode packed buses, Mom always worried about traffic.
The convent was one stop before.
What I learned from milk delivery was that there was no need to wait in front of Jushin Theater for the bus.
I realized that boarding one stop earlier could reduce the chances of being late.
My guess was spot on.
Although I left ho a bit earlier than usual, there were definitely fewer people.
“Cheonmyeong!”
When I turned around at the voice calling , Ji Jeongseok was smiling brightly.
“You don’t usually take the bus here.”
“There are too many people over there. Do you live around here?”
“Yeah. I live in the military apartnts.”
Ji Jeongseok was my desk mate.
This guy read so many books that I suspected he had a print addiction.
Even during breaks and lunchti, he never let go of a book.
“You must be bored without Seok-gu. You two always ca to school together.”
“It’s nice and quiet.”
“It’s the era of forced silence. Looks like you’ve been influenced too.”
“Huh?”
I stared at him blankly, not understanding what he ant.
“Don’t you rember from elentary school? They always wrote the nas of kids who talked on the corner of the blackboard. It’s how they took away our right to speak from a young age. ‘Let’s all beco quiet, hup!’ Don’t you think that’s a really ignorant way to teach? They say silence is golden.”
“I like things quiet.”
“They educate us from childhood to silence the people. What do you think will happen to the country if imagination and creativity are suppressed?”
Did that really co from a high school freshman?
I was amazed.
Of course, I thought Ji Jeongseok would be smart since he read a lot, but his words sounded like an adult’s.
“Here cos the bus.”
Strange.
There weren’t any people on the bus.
“Cheonmyeong, co here. Just stand right on this spot.”
As soon as Ji Jeongseok stood there, the bus stopped exactly in front of him and opened its door.
Because of that, we got on first and sat in the empty back row.
“There are hardly any people today.”
“Gyeongbo Girls’ Vocational High has its founding anniversary, and the textile company in Yeongdeungpo is holding a labor protest.”
“How do you know that?”
“You naturally know if you’re interested.”
“You’re like a trivia encyclopedia.”
“I do know more than most people.”
It’s strange.
Just like Big Brother, Ji Jeongseok also had powerful eyes.
At Jushin Theater, a lot of students boarded the bus.
Since the students from Gyeongbo Girls’ Vocational High and textile workers weren’t coming, it didn’t get packed.
For the first ti in a while, I looked out at the scenery.
It was the first ti my commute to school felt relaxed.
The fascinating landscape of the 1980s.
No tall buildings, no high-rise apartnts, and on the way to school in Mokdong, there were even rice fields.
Our history teacher once explained the origin of Mokdong.
In the Joseon Dynasty, it was used as a pasture for grazing horses, so it was called 牧洞 (Mokdong), and now it’s changed to 木洞 (Mokdong).
Since Anyangcheon often flooded, it was a hard place to live, but once apartnts were built, it was expected to beco a nice neighborhood.
A thought crossed my mind.
“Aha!”
Mokdong would later develop into a top school district, rivaling Gangnam.
If I bought land now, I could make a fortune in the future.
But who would believe a high school freshman?
If I said I’d co back from the future, they might throw in a ntal hospital.
Besides, it’s not like we had any money at ho.
I decided to think about it more later.
Mokdong was still in the early stages of developnt.
“Cheonmyeong.”
“What?”
“I heard from Seok-gu that you were always top of the class in middle school?”
“I just studied based on the textbook.”
“That’s not what I ant. There’s this annoying guy. I want you to beat him.”
“Who?”
“Wang Dohun.”
Wang Dohun.
He sat at the front of the first row and didn’t socialize with others.
I recalled his innocent eyes behind his horn-rimd glasses.
“What about Dohun?”
“He moved here from Gangnam. He lives in a Mokdong apartnt. I think he’s here to speculate on land.”
“How do you know that?”
I was shocked.
How did this guy already know that Mokdong’s land prices would skyrocket?
“They’re building a ton of apartnts. Once wealthy people start living here, the riverbank work at Anyangcheon will speed up. What happens when rich people start making demands? In our country, whatever rich people say goes.”
“Impressive.”
In my past life, I too believed the world ran on money.
And I had seen power that moved because of money.
But how did this guy gain such insight into the world?
It was fascinating.
“Anyway, that guy’s annoying, so you have to be number one. He was ranked around 5th or 6th in his class in Gangnam. He probably ca thinking it’d be easy to get good grades here. Show him what’s up. Do you know what he said?”
Ji Jeongseok let out a laugh of disbelief.
“I couldn’t believe it.”
“What did he say?”
Ji Jeongseok lowered his eyes and imitated Wang Dohun.
“You don’t have to feel distant just because I’m from Gangnam.”
Wang Dohun.
I finally rembered that na.
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