Chapter 10

10

Mr. Park, the famous fortune teller in Gangnam (3)

Gugunho returned to his daily routine. The famous philosophy hall in Gangnam seemed like a place he had visited in a dream.

"That fortune teller Park is probably just a high-class scammer. How can a human know another's fate?"

He received a call from his junior, Park Jongseok.

"Hey, bro! Where did you go on Saturday?"

"Yeah, I went to a famous philosophy hall in Gangnam."

"Philosophy hall? That's all superstition."

"Well, I see it that way too, but..."

"What did the fortune teller say?"

"He said I'll become a very rich man. In old terms, a man with ten thousand stones of rice."

"Hahaha. When will a guy like us become rich? I can't even earn 2 million won a month. If I grit my teeth and save 1 million won, it will take 10 years to save 120 million won. How can I save money when I get married and have a child?"

"Ugh..."

"If I don't get married, it will take 30 years to save 360 million won by the time you turn 60. Do you know how much an apartment in Gangnam costs? A 30-pyeong apartment is about 1 billion won. You're talking about becoming rich."

"Sigh... That's true."

"Anyway, don't go there. They're all scammers. I read in a book that knowing a person's fate is in the realm of the divine, not the human."

"Mom said that the famous place where Wonchul's mom goes often..."

"Oh, right. I was going to call you about Wonchul's wedding, but the conversation went off track."

"Wonchul answered the call."

"Really? Let's meet in front of the city hall at 12:30 and go in together."

"Sure."

"You should get married too."

"I've given up. We're the 'three-give-up' and 'five-give-up' generation, aren't we?"

"You're still self-deprecating. I have to go for an interview today, so I'll hang up."

"Where are you going for the interview?"

"I don't know. Some place called Tech, probably a factory."

"Good luck."

After hanging up with Jongseok, Gugunho looked at the calendar on the wall. Wonchul's wedding day happened to be before payday.

"Damn, I have to pay the bank interest, and there's a wedding... How much should I give as a gift? Usually 50,000 won is enough, but that won't do. Since he's from a wealthy family and works at a large company, I should give 100,000 won. This is a big problem. Because of money..."

He had only been working at the factory for a short time, and payday was still far away. Gugunho frowned and pondered.

"Being troubled over just 100,000 won! What a messed-up world!"

Gugunho punched the floor.

"Still, what should I wear to Wonchul's wedding?"

Gugunho unconsciously went to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of soju. He opened a bag of kimchi on the table and started drinking.

"Others get married, but I have no hope. Sigh."

It seemed like Gugunho was pouring the soju directly into his mouth rather than drinking it.

He was called by the executive at the company.

"Mr. Gugunho, how are you? Are you doing well with the work?"

"I'm still not sure. I'll do my best."

"You don't have to clean the drums anymore. The lady who used to work here is coming back, so you'll move to the crushing section. She'll come in a bit after 10, so if you have anything to hand over, do it then."

"Understood."

The crushing section handles crushing machines, but whether it's the cleaning section or the crushing section, it's all the same. The noise is severe due to the machine, but it's less physically demanding. Gugunho felt a bit better because he wouldn't have to see the annoying face of Team Leader Kim anymore.

The new lady for the cleaning section arrived. According to rumors, she had some free time because her child started school. A lady with a face as big as a tray and eyes like jujubes came to the factory with a smile.

"Wow, you look younger."

"Team Leader Kim, you look younger too. Who is this young man? An intern?"

"No, he's a new employee. He'll hand over his duties to you today and move to the crushing section."

"Is that so? Heehee. He's quite handsome."

Gugunho looked at the lady. She wasn't particularly attractive, but she looked very sturdy, and her arms were even thicker than Gugunho's.

"Stack the A Chemical drums next to the forklift and the B Chemical products behind the container. The caps are marked, and the B Chemical products need to be cleaned thoroughly. If there are impurities, we'll get a claim."

"Heehee, I already know. There are a few drums left, so I'll move them over there. The forklift is coming and going, so it's in the way."

The lady rolled up her sleeves and dragged two drums to the stacking area. Gugunho could only move one at a time, but the lady carried two and stacked them up to five layers high with ease.

"How can an auntie have so much energy!"

Gugunho was amazed at the lady's skills.

"I can't even be a proper factory worker."

Gugunho roughly handed over his duties and moved to the crushing section. The team leader there was a tall, thin man in his 50s.

"I'm Gugunho, the new employee in the crushing section."

He thought the team leader would at least extend his hand for a handshake, but he didn't.

"Hey, don't stand there. If you touch the power cord, what will happen?"

Looking closely, Gugunho had apparently touched a power cord connected to several electrical plugs.

"Ah! Sorry."

"And come over here. The forklift can't come in!"

A forklift arrived with a large number of used plastic drums.

There was also a foreigner in the crushing section who smiled at Gugunho. Some foreigners are cute, but this one was dark and scary-looking. The foreigner wore earplugs and a mask while working.

"Do you have earplugs?"

The team leader asked Gugunho.

"I didn't know I needed to bring earplugs."

"You didn't bring them?"

The team leader looked around and threw Gugunho some earplugs from a broken metal desk.

"Use these."

The earplugs looked so dirty that Gugunho hesitated to use them. The team leader looked at him with pity.

"Today, just help the foreigner with the used drums."

"Understood."

When the team leader turned on the switch in the electrical box, a loud noise filled the air. The foreigner was attaching a white chemical liquid to small drums, and a terrible smell spread. The smell was so bad that it made Gugunho feel nauseous.

After work, when he returned to his studio apartment, the chemical smell seemed to linger on his clothes. His back and left wrist hurt badly from carrying so many plastic drums. He searched his bookshelf and found some old pain relief patches.

"I don't know if these old patches will work."

Gugunho applied the patches to his left wrist and back. He was too lazy to cook, so he boiled a packet of ramen and ate it, then went to bed in the smelly bed. While lying down and playing with his smartphone, he called his junior, Park Jongseok, out of curiosity about his interview.