Chapter 26

26

* * * *

It was just getting dark in the evening.

Four people spiraled up the stairs under the orange sensor lights. The cold coming in through the corridor windows was no longer felt as they reached the fourth floor.

I have to work hard and move to a place with an elevator. While making this resolve, a beep and a click sounded. Kang Chae-young unlocked the door and slipped inside.

“I’m back.”

Kang Chae-young took off her sneakers and disappeared into the narrow entrance, and then her mother and father, in turn, squeezed into the dark house. I climbed the stairs to follow them.

“Ugh. I’m so tired.”

As soon as I entered the house, I saw Kang Chae-young, who had carelessly kicked off her sneakers and sprawled on the floor. The house was so small that it couldn’t even be called a living room, and with Kang Chae-young stretched out, it looked completely full.

Mother and Father, as if used to it, inserted their feet between Kang Chae-young’s outstretched limbs and walked to the kitchen and bedroom.

“How long will it take for the comprehensive health check results to come in?”

Kang Chae-young mumbled as she stretched her legs and walked toward the bathroom. It was clearly a question to herself. Kang Seok answered without turning around.

“A week? I asked them to send it by mail.”

Since there wasn’t a computer in each room, receiving it by mail would definitely be more convenient. While leaning against the bathroom door and putting his socks in the laundry basket, Kang Chae-young curled up like a shrimp.

“I hope it comes quickly.”

Whatever drama she had watched, she wanted her brother, who was fussing over his health, to calm down quickly. Really, quickly. Kang Chae-young blinked slowly, humming a tune. An ant was passing by.

“An ant.”

“Kang Chae-young. When you come home, you should change your clothes.”

“I know.”

At the sound of Baek Myung-hee’s voice from the kitchen, Kang Chae-young nodded and got up.

“I’m not going to lie on the floor where ants crawl anyway.”

“Can you give me a tissue?”

“Don’t bother. If you catch one, another will come.”

Kang Chae-young got up and walked briskly to her room. At the sight of her, Kang Seok, who was about to tear off some toilet paper, dropped his hand.

Ants... Standing alone in front of the bathroom door, Kang Seok watched an ant crawl into a gap in the floor. From the kitchen, Baek Myung-hee’s voice came again.

“Seok. Did you put the money left after today’s payment into the bank account?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Good job.”

Baek Myung-hee, who was hurriedly preparing dinner in the kitchen, looked at Kang Seok. She was holding a bottle of canola oil.

“Use that to buy something you want. Okay?”

“Okay. What can I help with?”

“No need. The kitchen is my domain. Dinner will be ready soon, so wait a bit. About 30 minutes? Everyone heard that, right? I’ll have dinner ready in 30 minutes.”

“Okay.”

“Got it.”

As Baek Myung-hee shouted while hurrying around the kitchen, answers came from various parts of the house where soundproofing was poor. Kang Seok nodded and turned to go to his room.

As he entered his room, the smell of sesame oil, instead of canola oil, spread throughout the house.

It was an ordinary evening.

.

.

.

The next morning.

Kang Seok gathered his things and stepped out of his room. The house was quiet, as Kang Hyun-doo and Baek Myung-hee had already gone to work. On the white dining table, where the light was on, a Post-it note and a square wrapped in foil were visible.

It was a short but heartfelt Post-it note. His lips curled up. As Kang Seok slowly touched the foil, the door behind him suddenly opened.

It was Kang Chae-young, judging by the direction of the sound. Sure enough, when he turned around, Kang Chae-young, wrapped in a blanket, was wiggling her toes.

“If you have something to say, say it.”

“Brother.”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah. Can I bring a friend over tonight? Yoon Yuran! You know, the friend I’m close to. Remember?”

Yoon Yuran?

Kang Seok rolled the name around in his mouth. The image of a child jumping around, so excited, came to mind. Ah, her.

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Yesss. No conditions?”

“Yeah, it’s fine.”

Regardless, Kang Chae-young took a fighting stance and started tapping on her phone. She seemed satisfied with the result. Kang Seok nodded and focused on peeling the foil.

It was a ham and egg toast, which he liked. Even though it was slightly cooled, the warm toast made him feel good as he brought it to his mouth.

Kang Seok added a comment to Kang Chae-young.

“Anyway, I’ll be coming home late tonight.”

“Huh? What?”

“I have plans tonight, so I’ll be coming home late. I told Mother and Father last night, but they both come home late anyway. Enjoy playing with your friend.”

Kang Seok finished speaking and took a bite of the toast. It was delicious. He moved to the entrance and waved his hand casually.

“I’m off. Study hard.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be back.”

Bang.

Kang Chae-young watched the door close, alternating her gaze between her phone and the entrance.

Looking at the continuous KakaoTalk messages, she suddenly felt very tired. To correct the facts, Kang Chae-young pressed the call button and, wrapped in a blanket, jumped around like a caterpillar. It was to go to her room.

Kang Chae-young sighed deeply. She could already hear the roar of a dinosaur.

* * * *

━ ···Do you have a preferred date?

“Is tomorrow possible?”

━ Tomorrow is only available in the evening, from 6:00 PM onwards, in 30-minute intervals. When would you like it?

“Then 6:30 PM tomorrow.”

━ Yes, I’ve booked it for you. I’ll send you a text, so please check it.

“Okay, thank you.”

━ Thank you. Have a good day.

As he stared at the disconnected call, a text message arrived. After confirming the date and time in the text and the business card that arrived with it, Kang Seok put his phone in his pocket.

His lips curled up slightly.

Goh Doo-han, who had been watching Kang Seok’s actions, asked in a subtle voice.

“What is it?”

“Nothing much. I just have something to apply for.”

“Hmm. Related to your work?”

“No, not that.”

Only then did Goh Doo-han’s gaze drop, as if he had lost interest. The sky was already dark, almost black.

A winter evening sky where only airplanes could be seen passing through the empty sky. Goh Doo-han and Kang Seok started walking slowly again. Kang Seok, in silence, recalled the text he had just received.

Sescock, a pest control company.

That was the identity of the place that had sent the text after the call. He had been thinking about where to spend the money left from the comprehensive health check, and the sight of ants crawling in the house yesterday reminded him.

The 50-year-old apartment, no matter how much it was fixed and used cleanly, still had rust and cockroaches. Our house was one where you could easily see ants crawling around when you lay down.

And usually, the one who suffered from this was Kang Chae-young.

Kang Chae-young also went to school and after-school classes, but she spent more time at home than I did, who went to after-school classes even on weekends. Compared to our parents, who practically lived at the furniture store 365 days a year, she spent a lot more time at home.

So, she was the one who saw the most cockroaches and had to fight the most with silverfish. The reason he decided to pay for Sescock was for Kang Chae-young.

Usually, Kang Chae-young pretends to be calm and catches bugs when someone is around, but when she’s alone at home, she freezes like ice at the sight of a cockroach and cries, hiding under the blanket.

‘It’s a special service.’

Thinking about how surprised the childish Kang Chae-young would be, Kang Seok was already looking forward to tomorrow. As he recalled the text, his lips curled up. At the same time, Goh Doo-han, who had been walking in front, stopped.

“We’re here.”

At these words, Kang Seok’s head tilted forward slightly. The traditional Korean house looked incredibly expensive from the outside.

“Let’s go in.”

Goh Doo-han stepped into the house, where the character [情] (jeong, meaning 'emotion') was prominently displayed on the roof tiles. Kang Seok followed. In any case, today’s host was not Goh Doo-han or himself.

Park Ji-yeop.

A professor of sculpture at the Han Yang University of Art. He was the host, and the dinner with him was today’s appointment.

It was a setup for a dinner before joining the human anatomy project. However, Goh Doo-han’s expression was not good.

“When he said he would be grateful just to have a seat, why is he now insisting on having dinner at such a grand place?”

Goh Doo-han grumbled as he entered the traditional Korean house.

“This guy is weird. When he asked for a recommendation, he was all over it, but when I called him yesterday, his attitude was completely different.”

The guy who said he would accept anyone I recommended was now acting as if he was going to interview Kang Seok.

Since he didn’t have any hands, he offered to give his precious golden hands, but now he was questioning if they were really golden. Whatever happened in just one day, Goh Doo-han felt embarrassed to show Kang Seok.

“Seok. I’m saying this so you don’t misunderstand, but I’m not the type to test the waters like this.”

Kang Seok nodded casually at Goh Doo-han’s continuous excuses. He knew better than anyone that Goh Doo-han disliked testing the waters.

“It’s fine.”

Three hundred a month.

If a high school student can earn three hundred a month, what’s the big deal about answering a few questions while eating for free? Kang Seok had no particular thoughts about this interview disguised as a dinner.

In a world where even ten cents dug from the ground are not his own, this was too convenient.

Kang Seok followed Goh Doo-han with a relaxed mind.

.

.

.

“Welcome.”

“Welcome!”

As the door opened, a large greeting came from a dignified middle-aged woman in hanbok.

“How many people are you?”

“We made a reservation. It should be under Park Ji-yeop’s name...”

“Oh, yes. Please follow me to your seat. Just a moment.”

As he followed the woman deeper into the house, Kang Seok thought about what he could do with three hundred a month. There was no trace of anxiety about not being selected for the project.

* * * *

The moment