Chapter 87

“Achoo!”

Rattle, rattle!

Jinho hyung calmly wiped his face with a wet tissue after getting covered in ramen and grains of rice.

“If you don’t like it, say so. Use words.”

“It’s not like that. It just came out of nowhere.”

“Don’t make excuses. You look even more pathetic.”

But I was telling the truth. Instead of answering, I rubbed my nose.

Is someone badmouthing me?

Now that I think about it, there is someone who might have reason to.

If it was Im Changsoo, he had more than enough motive. His motive was overflowing. Still, he was the Santa Claus who had given me four billion won, so I was happy to take a few insults.

I wondered if he would, but the bastard actually kept his promise.

I remembered the text message I had received that morning. The banking app installed on my smartphone notified me of every deposit and withdrawal without exception.

Jin Taekyung’s 110-- account has been credited with 4,000,000,000 won.

The only minor incident was that Jinho hyung had been the first to discover it. Leaving my smartphone in my room when I went to take a shower had been a mistake.

“You’ve got plenty of money, so why are you eating ramen?”

“You sure are talkative. I put beef in it. You don’t like beef ramen?”

“That’s not what I mean, you punk.”

Bang!

Jinho hyung roughly set down his utensils.

Of course, he hadn’t done it to make a point. He was just full.

“I mean, you’ve got four billion won in your bank account, so why are you eating ramen in a goshiwon?¹”

“What’s it to you? I’ll do what I want.”

“…That’s true.”

“And the money only came in an hour ago, all right? I don’t know what to do with it either, so be quiet and let me think.”

I was pretending to be fine, but I had been dazed for a while. I had worked myself to the bone like a worker ant, but the money had always been earmarked for something.

Then a fortune had dropped out of the sky.

Four billion won was enough money to do a lot of things. Naturally, a lot of thoughts followed.

“What are you thinking so hard about? There must have been something you wanted to do first as soon as you got money.”

The thing I wanted to do first…

There is one thing.

Slurp.

After sucking in the last strand of noodles, I stood up.

Before leaving the room, I didn’t forget to leave Jinho hyung one parting remark.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“Don’t forget to wash the pot. I’m off.”

“Hey, hey!”

“Huh?”

Hayeon’s eyes went round when she saw me standing in front of the front door.

“So it really is you. I saw you on the intercom screen and thought, no way.”

“…If it wasn’t really me, what would I be?”

“Hmm. A graphic?”

“Is that any way to talk to your older brother after not seeing him for so long?”

“What are you talking about? You came the day before yesterday.”

Ah, right. Not much time had passed in the real world.

The time difference was so large that I sometimes got confused myself. As I took off my shoes, I asked,

“What were you doing?”

“Studying.”

“Come to think of it, what about school? It’s a weekday.”

Hayeon answered in a nasal voice.

“They said my fever was thirty-nine degrees. I stuck it out until second period, then left early. Summer vacation starts tomorrow anyway, and we’ve been doing nothing but self-study lately.”

“You’re already on vacation? No, wait. You left school early because you were sick, and you’re studying?”

Somehow, she seemed more impressive than a Peak master. Whenever I got really sick at school, my illness mysteriously disappeared as soon as I left early and came home.

She had a raging fever, and she was still studying. Was her DNA different from mine?

“There is no end to learning.”

Leaving Hayeon, who sounded like a school disciplinarian, behind, I entered the living room. Apart from the two of us, there wasn’t a sign of anyone else in the house.

“Where’s Mom?”

“The bank.”

“You answered that awfully quickly.”

“It’s true.”

“Did Mom tell you to say that?”

“Huh? Tell me to say what?”

I wondered who she took after. Her acting was so natural that if I hadn’t known the truth, I would have been completely fooled.

I should have told her long ago.

A bitter smile escaped me before I could stop it. As I turned back toward the entrance, Hayeon grabbed me.

“Where are you going?”

“To find Mom.”

“There’s more than one bank around here. I’ll make you something to eat, so wait here. She’ll be back soon.”

“It’s fine. I’m not going to the bank.”

“What?”

“The restaurant at the intersection in front of the supermarket. Right?”

The strength slowly drained from Hayeon’s hand.

“…You knew?”

“Yeah. For a long time.”

“Mom asked me to keep it a secret.”

“I know that too.”

“Oppa, can’t you stay?”

It was one of Hayeon’s longtime habits. Whenever she had an important favor to ask, she always put oppa first.

“I’ll be back.”

I ruffled Hayeon’s hair and left the house.

As the elevator carried me down, I quietly thought about her warmth still lingering in my hand—and why she was studying even while her forehead was burning up.

A person had only one name written on their resident registration card, but they could be called by many names over the course of their life. Kim Jeonghee, who had turned exactly fifty that year, was no different.

“Ajumma, two more servings of pork belly over here.”

“Yes, just a moment.”

The name she was called most often these days was ajumma.² Before that, it had been “Hayeon’s mom.” Before that, “Taekyung’s mom.” Once the children had grown up and work had become busy, those names had disappeared from her life.

The one person who had called her by her real name had already passed away long ago.

Jeonghee.

She had met him when she was twenty-two. He had been kind and affectionate. During the chaotic period of the Great Cataclysm, the two of them met in a shelter and fell in love at once.

It had been a happy marriage. Even as the years passed, he continued to call her by name.

Jeonghee.

Sometimes, embarrassed to hear him call her by name in front of other people, she had asked him about it.

Why do you only call me Jeonghee? Other husbands call their wives “so-and-so’s mom,” “honey,” or “the missus.” That’s what everyone else does.

Does it bother you?

No, it’s not that. I was just curious. We’re getting older too.

What does age have to do with it? I call you Jeonghee because I love you as Jeonghee more than I love you as Taekyung’s mom.

Why are you acting like this in front of the kids?

Uh-oh, Mom’s cheeks are red. Mom and Dad, do you wrestle in the mornings too? You do it every night.

…Taekyung, starting today, go to bed early.

Their parting came earlier than expected. Without warning, a Gate opened in the middle of downtown. The two children lost their father, and she lost her husband—the one person who had been the only one to call her by name.

“Ajumma!”

Kim Jeonghee jolted back to reality. A middle-aged woman with permed hair and flashy earrings was glaring at her.

“Oh, yes, ma’am.”

“What were you doing that you couldn’t even hear me calling you?”

“I’m sorry.”

“What about the grill plates? Are you done washing them?”

“Well, the thing is…”

Her hands had stopped while she was lost in thought. The owner checked the sink and raised her eyes sharply.

“Ajumma, are you going to work like this?”

“…”

“Honestly. If this is how you’re going to do things, I should do it myself. Why would I pay good money to hire you? Am I wrong?”

Kim Jeonghee lowered her head, while the other kitchen workers continued what they were doing, pretending not to hear the owner’s voice.

Good money, my ass. She works us at minimum wage during the busiest hours.

She’s old enough to know better. She knows perfectly well that no amount of caked-on makeup and dressing up will make her a match for Jeonghee ajumma, so she’s taking it out on her.

She should watch the counter properly herself in the first place. How many orders did Jeonghee receive while she was off having fun?

There were many things they wanted to say, but they could only keep them to themselves. The kitchen ajumma who had finally lost her patience and stood up for Kim Jeonghee had been fired last week.

“Can I really leave this place with you in charge?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“I heard your son is a Hunter. He should be making decent money, so why don’t you just stay home and cook? Why come all the way here and be a nuisance to someone else’s business? Ah, is his income not very good because he’s an F-rank Hunter?”

The moment a sneer appeared at the corners of the owner’s mouth, Kim Jeonghee slowly raised her bowed head.

“Boss. That was too much.”

“What?”

“I said you went too far.”

“Are you saying I was wrong?”

“Yes.”

The unfamiliar sensation left the owner speechless. Kim Jeonghee had always been quiet and gentle, but now her eyes had sunk into a deep, cold stare.

“Please apologize for what you just said.”

“A-apologize?”

“Right here. Right now.”

“O-oh my. Fine. Which part of what I said was wrong? Your son really is an F-rank Hunter!”

“Is his rank really that important?”

“Of course it is. What good is an F-rank Hunter? A son like mine has to make good money and have women lining up for him. This shop, too…”

“Your son, the D-rank Hunter, set it up for you. I know. I’ve heard it dozens, if not hundreds, of times.”

The employees, who had pricked up their ears, unconsciously nodded.

The owner’s boasting about her son was a familiar routine they heard several times a day.

How much he made, how big his house was, what kind of car he drove, and how filial he was—so filial that he had even opened a shop for his mother to have something to do. She had repeated it so often that even the regular customers were sick of hearing it.

“Then you know all about it. I run this place as a hobby, but you’re different, aren’t you? You’re working in the kitchen because your son doesn’t make enough money, aren’t you?”

“No, that’s not it.”

Kim Jeonghee continued calmly.

“Our Taekyung grew up right. He never once caused his parents any trouble, even when he was little. He’s still working hard for his family. Money? He earns more than enough.”

“That’s all an excuse.”

“An excuse? This is money my child earned by risking his life. How could I, as his parent, accept it and spend it?”

“Ajumma, are you saying that for my benefit?”

“That depends on how you choose to take it. And since we’re on the subject, when does that amazing son of yours ever show his face?”

“What?”

“I’ve worked here for over a year, but that devoted son of yours hasn’t visited even once. He does at least call you, doesn’t he?”

The kitchen fell silent as death. The owner’s face turned bright red, and her eyes widened.

“Where does a bitch with such a pathetic son get off—”

The employees knew what was coming next. Along with the owner’s machine-gun burst of abuse, the word “fired” was bound to come flying out.

But none of them could have predicted Kim Jeonghee’s reaction.

“Watch your mouth, you goddamn bitch.”

“…”

“…”

It was as if a bomb had gone off.

A deathly silence descended, and everyone’s eyes shook with disbelief. Every person in the kitchen wondered if they had heard correctly.

What did I just hear?

Did Jeonghee ajumma just swear? My God.

Kim Jeonghee had always been gentle and quick to smile. Even though the owner picked fights with her day after day, she had always bowed her head without a single word of complaint. Now she was glaring at the owner with eyes as cold as ice.

“W-what did you say? What did you just call me?”

“I called you a goddamn bitch, you fucking bitch.”

“Y-you fucking bitch?!”

Before the shock had even faded, a second bomb went off. The owner’s shriek rang all the way out into the dining area.

“Did someone just swear?”

“You heard that too? I think someone just called somebody a fucking bitch.”

“What the hell? Are the employees fighting?”

The murmuring grew louder. Customers and employees alike turned their attention toward the kitchen.

That was when it happened.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

A large young man with his cap pulled low. No one had noticed when he entered, or how long he had been standing there. Not until he started walking toward the kitchen.

“S-sir. I’ll take your order…”

The young man smiled faintly at the male employee who hurried to stop him.

“It’s okay. I didn’t come to order.”

“No, but still, right now…”

“Excuse me.”

Tap.

He had only given the employee a gentle push, but the burly man staggered and fell. The young man pushed open the half-open kitchen door without hesitation.

And then…

“Mom.”

He came face-to-face with the person he loved most in the world.