Cases like Jung Mansu’s were classified as Tier 1 debtors under company standards. While he didn’t have any property to offer as collateral, his steady inco as a skilled laborer ensured the company could reliably collect paynts each month.
In this line of work, profits largely ca from interest, so debtors who repaid their loans too quickly weren’t ideal either. Still, to maintain liquidity, it was necessary to balance the proportion of Tier 1 and Tier 3 debtors.
But then, Jung Mansu had an accident.
For soone whose livelihood depended on physical labor, losing the ability to work was equivalent to losing the ability to repay his debt. Money that was expected to be fully recovered within two years was now in limbo, with no clear tiline for repaynt. A new plan was needed.
The only silver lining was that his injury had been classified as a workplace accident, which ant compensation talks were underway. The compensation amount was rumored to be enough to not only clear his debt but also leave a surplus.
Of course, the compensation would only be paid if it could be proven that the accident was caused by a lack of safety asures. Fortunately, the situation appeared to support that claim, so there shouldn’t have been any issues.
However, when Beomjin visited the hospital after hearing that Jung Mansu had regained consciousness, he overheard sothing unexpected.
“Soone pushed . I’m sure of it… soone…”
“Don’t say things like that. You’re mistaken. If there had been a safety net, you wouldn’t have been hurt like this!”
It was only natural for his wife to respond this way. With her husband possibly unable to work for years and their debts looming over them, she desperately needed the compensation. Whether soone had tried to kill her husband or accidentally pushed him, she had decided it had to be ruled a safety incident.
But the company didn’t share that view. If soone had pushed Jung Mansu, the compensation claim would be nullified. Investigating that possibility was why Beomjin had co here.
His role was to blend in among the workers, observe the situation, investigate any grudges or conflicts, and gauge if there were disputes involving money or power. At the sa ti, he needed to gain the workers’ trust and subtly influence them to put pressure on the site managent.
...And then Yoon Junyoung had appeared.
“Mr. Kim.”
Lost in thought as he stared at the roof of the office building, Beomjin turned his head. Yeongbok, his forehead slick with sweat, approached with a frown.
“Why didn’t you answer your phone yesterday? Did you go to bed early?”
Ah.
Pressing his lips together, Beomjin ran a hand over his face. He hadn’t thought about it. He must have dropped his phone sowhere. The last thing he rembered was making a call and then seeing Junyoung collapsed at the crosswalk. He’d imdiately run to her, forgetting everything else. He hadn’t thought about his phone since.
eting Junyoung again had sohow made him lose his composure.
With a bitter smile, he replied, “I think I lost it. Was sothing up?”
“Not really. Just thought we could grab so soju.”
Yeongbok was one of the few people close to Jung Mansu. With years of experience in the field, he had a reputation for being well-connected, even with the site supervisors, which made others wary of him. His strong personality and loud voice also contributed to his presence.
But up close, Yeongbok was a surprisingly sentintal person. He was the kind of man who would slow down to coo over a stray puppy on the street.
“When I was young, I lost a child. Seeing little ones always makes
feel sothing.”
That’s what he’d said when Beomjin once teased him lightly for his soft side. Though he lived alone now, Yeongbok had once had a wife and daughter, which might explain his close relationship with Jung Mansu.
“So, how’d you lose your phone? It didn’t look like much, anyway.”
“I don’t have money, so it wasn’t anything fancy. I should probably try to find it.”
Rubbing his chin, Beomjin feigned a yawn. Yeongbok leaned on the railing beside him.
“You said you’ve got a sick younger sister, right?”
“Yeah. And so debt, too.”
It was a convenient excuse—tragic enough to lower suspicion but relatable enough to gain sympathy. Nodding, Yeongbok grinned and gave him a light punch on the arm.
“What’s the deal with that pretty girl you know?”
“Who?”
“Don’t play dumb. I’m talking about that new site inspector—looks like she stepped right out of a drama. And she’s got a sharp tongue to match.”
Even back then, there were people who called Junyoung “pretty.”
Shaking his head, Beomjin replied quietly, “She seems familiar, but I don’t really rember.”
Yeongbok shot him a sidelong glance. His face gave nothing away, leaving it unclear whether he was being serious or not. After scrutinizing him for a mont, Yeongbok smirked and patted his back.
“Confidence is key for a man. Don’t hesitate. They say fortune favors the bold, after all. My wife was the prettiest woman at our local bank branch, you know.”
Occasionally, Yeongbok would bring up his family out of the blue. Whenever he did, a bittersweet expression would cross his face—sowhere between a smile and a grimace. Resting his chin in his hand, Beomjin asked quietly, “So, did you win her over with your confidence?”
“What else could I do? I fell for her at first sight. Spent all my money on flowers and showed up every day. Took about a month before she started smiling at .”
Scratching his prematurely graying hair, Yeongbok chuckled. In response, Beomjin gave a faint laugh.
“And you think I should try that? I thought the people here didn’t like the site inspectors.”
“That was Park Hyungjun. It was obvious he didn’t care about our work at all. But this new girl—if she handles things properly and helps us out, calling her ‘pretty’ isn’t so bad, is it?”
“Maybe.”
Slowly, Beomjin turned to face Yeongbok. His sharp, intense gaze alone was enough to create an air of quiet authority. Perhaps Yeongbok felt it more keenly because he had once seen Beomjin take down two n with ease.
In a low voice, Beomjin added, “Don’t call her that.”
Yeongbok froze as if rooted to the spot. With a faintly softened expression, Beomjin gave him a small smile before stretching and descending the stairs.
“...But I’m still gonna call her that. Damn,” Yeongbok muttered, letting out a disgruntled sigh as he stared after the younger man’s retreating figure. Running his hand along the railing once more, his weathered eyes reflected a quiet lancholy.
***
“I understand the overall system. So, all the repair-related issues listed here have already been reported, correct? But no actual improvents have been made yet?”
Min-sook, who had looked as if her soul was halfway out of her body after nearly seven straight hours of etings—during which even lunch had been a rushed affair with boxed als—suddenly brightened at the prospect of the eting finally nearing its end. The office manager, whose face had been flushed red from lingering alcohol when he arrived, now looked ashen, as though the day had drained the last of his energy.
“Legally speaking, there’s nothing major that could cause issues anymore. The construction work is urgent, so managing both simultaneously hasn’t been easy.”
“Did the person you entertained yesterday give you a clear answer?”
“Well…”
The office manager, who had been about to respond confidently, trailed off, perhaps recalling the intimidating glare Junyoung had given him. She marked off one last item on her checklist and asked, “What’s his na?”
“Kim Yongjae, an administrator from the Building Departnt.”
“I’d like to et him myself. Can you arrange it?”
“What? I went through all the trouble of eting him yesterday and left on a good note. Why bother?”
“And did you get a definitive answer?”
At her calm, pointed question, the office manager clicked his tongue and lowered his gaze. The faint sll of alcohol still lingered on his breath. Junyoung couldn’t tell if the lightheadedness she felt was from the heat rising to her head or the fus he was exuding.
“It’s getting dark, so let’s postpone the site inspection until tomorrow. That’s it for today.”
It might have been her imagination, but at the ntion of "today," both Min-sook and the office manager seed to let out simultaneous sighs of relief. Pretending not to notice, Junyoung closed her files and stood up. For a mont, a wave of dizziness hit her, and she steadied herself by gripping the sofa. Thankfully, neither of them noticed, preoccupied as they were with organizing their materials.
After taking a deep breath, she turned to Min-sook.
“Oh, Ms. Min-sook.”
“Yes?”
“There’s soone without a résumé. Didn’t all the files co from the employnt office? Or is there another folder where they’re kept?”
“Excuse ? No, we received all the paperwork. There’s nothing missing.”
Eyes wide with surprise, Min-sook looked at her, while the office manager muttered as he turned back around.
“With hundreds of workers on-site, how did you even find soone without a résumé?”
Junyoung’s sharp gaze made him quickly wave his hands defensively. “Just talking to myself. That’s all.”
“Do you happen to know who it is…?”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll look into it myself.”
Waving off their concerns, Junyoung gathered her bag. The worker in question had reportedly co through the employnt office, but the lack of a résumé seed suspicious. And while others might not notice, Junyoung was already aware of sothing about Beomjin.
“Always sleeping, huh? Go call him over.”
That’s what Baekbal had said. What kind of worker would even dare sleep on-site? Such behavior would not only risk getting fired but also provoke the ire of colleagues.
That Beomjin was able to do so ant his coworkers either trusted him imnsely—or feared him.
Or perhaps he had shown them sothing that made him untouchable.
And this was Kwon Beomjin, after all. Junyoung distinctly rembered him saying he had pretended to sleep because he couldn’t be bothered. But if he was that unwilling to work, why would he have taken a job in a place like this?
…Is he hiding? From sothing—or soone? Like, perhaps, the police?
Her already feverish and muddled thoughts grew more tangled. Shaking her head, Junyoung tried to clear her mind. If she hadn’t known what kind of man Beomjin’s father was, these thoughts wouldn’t even occur to her. Knowing too much, she thought bitterly, was more of a curse than a blessing.
“You seem to have trouble with your leg. Do you want a ride? Where are you staying?”
The office manager, catching on to Min-sook’s silent signals, asked in a fatigued tone. Junyoung smiled and shook her head.
“No, thank you. I’ll stop by the site for a quick look.”
“Didn’t we agree to postpone the inspection until tomorrow?”
“It’s not an inspection. I just want to take a quick look around.”
“It’s dangerous to wander in the dark, even with safety lights here and there. You could get hurt. Why not just wait until tomorrow…?”
“I’ll be going now.”
Cutting him off mid-grumble, Junyoung left the office. It wasn’t completely dark yet, but it would be soon.
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