MTLNOVEL Ch. 7
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 remember how hard it was to study in that tiny room just to get into Yeonje University?”
“Eat before you go. I’ll make some ramen.”
Big Brother dusted off his clothes and went into his room.
“You even cleaned up. You've become more mature since becoming a high schooler.”
“Who do you think I'm talking to right now? Are you even listening to me?”
“I heard everything, so let’s stop. Sit and wait. I’ll bring the ramen 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 smelled tear gas drifting into the classroom and just knew that people protested.
It was something 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 moment later, Big Brother came back carrying a tray with a pot on it.
“Mom made some kimchi. Looks good. Let’s eat.”
I belatedly noticed a scratch on Big Brother’s cheek.
“What happened to your face? Did someone hit you?”
“I fell.”
“Why are you doing such reckless things?”
“The ramen’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 ramen.
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 time?”
“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 me.
“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 ramen.”
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 ramen, 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 gleamed.
“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 me.
What a terrible Hyung.
“Hyung! How could you say that to me…”
“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 overwhelmed me, and even his soft tone carried strong energy.
No matter what I said, it meant nothing. He was already filled with conviction.
Big Brother pulled a ten-thousand-won bill from a book and handed it to me.
“You’ve got self-study, right? Buy yourself some bread or something.”
“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 sometimes.”
“Sure. But the climb up here was so tough, I don’t ever want to come 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 me all the way to the bus stop.
“Why are you following me this far? When are you going back up?”
“It’s fine.”
I could feel his affection, and one side of my chest warmed 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 smeared with ink.
I ran to the convent and arrived at the milk depot.
“Hello?”
“You’re early.”
The depot manager greeted me warmly.
“Did you memorize the houses?”
“Yes.”
I had noted the delivery addresses yesterday, drawn a map, and committed it to memory, so there was no issue.
Fortunately, most of the delivery houses were apartments and mansions.
“Some 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 metal.
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 me two bottles of milk.
“Thank you.”
Thinking about giving them to Kang Daemyung and Yeonhwa made me whistle without realizing.
When I got home, Mom was packing my lunch.
“Was it hard?”
“Getting some 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 meat 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 some bread in the evening.”
“Big Brother gave me 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 something. 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 home a bit earlier than usual, there were definitely fewer people.
“Cheonmyeong!”
When I turned around at the voice calling me, 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 apartments.”
Ji Jeongseok was my desk mate.
This guy read so many books that I suspected he had a print addiction.
Even during breaks and lunchtime, he never let go of a book.
“You must be bored without Seok-gu. You two always came 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 meant.
“Don’t you remember from elementary school? They always wrote the names 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 become 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 come 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 comes the bus.”
Strange.
There weren’t any people on the bus.
“Cheonmyeong, come 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 time in a while, I looked out at the scenery.
It was the first time my commute to school felt relaxed.
The fascinating landscape of the 1980s.
No tall buildings, no high-rise apartments, 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 apartments were built, it was expected to become 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 come back from the future, they might throw me in a mental hospital.
Besides, it’s not like we had any money at home.
I decided to think about it more later.
Mokdong was still in the early stages of development.
“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 meant. 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-rimmed glasses.
“What about Dohun?”
“He moved here from Gangnam. He lives in a Mokdong apartment. 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 apartments. 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 came 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 remembered that name.