Chapter 23
Chapter 23. Fool
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The Village Head was younger than Taeseo's father, Chairman Kwon Seongtae of Namkyung Group, but they had an age difference comparable to that between father and son.
Nevertheless, as the two men shared and drank the frog liquor, which had a strong fishy smell, the terms "hyung" and "dongsaeng" flowed from their lips.
“Dongsaeng, I was planning to visit Namgyeong Development once the pesticides were all cleared and the summer farming lull arrived. I’m saying this because you’re with Namgyeong Development, but it’s about Yunho’s grandmother. That grandmother has been filing so many complaints with the township office that it’s become quite a predicament for us.”
“Do you think anything will change if you visit Namgyeong Development? We’re trying our best too, but that grandmother is no ordinary person. I was told I got cursed with salt the last time I visited her.”
“Oh my, she’s still throwing salt around? I didn’t want to badmouth a neighbor in front of an outsider, but…”
“What is it? What can’t be said between brothers?”
Although he was naturally calling him "hyung," Taeseo was not as drunk as the Village Head.
Once people got sufficiently drunk, even strangers quickly became close. Taeseo, who was well-versed in the art of living life comfortably, often used drinking sessions to his advantage. This current drinking session was one such instance.
“That grandmother has a thief’s mentality. How can someone who owns 2,000 pyeong of land and someone who owns 400 pyeong receive the same amount of money?”
This was precisely the issue Taeseo had with Grandmother Kim Kkot-nim. Despite being offered a sufficient amount for the land purchase, she expected to receive nearly five times the price for her 400 pyeong.
It was no different from the thief’s mentality the Village Head had described.
Taeseo hid his true feelings perfectly and spoke like an innocent young man.
“The grandmother said she can’t sell the land because she can’t move her grandfather’s grave.”
“Do you think your family’s grave is the only one on the golf course land? Who would be at ease digging up and moving their ancestors’ graves? I moved my great-great-grandfather’s grave, and so did other families.”
“Did you?”
“If you’re a Namkyung employee, you should know. The village jointly held ancestral rites and moved all the ancestral graves to the communal cemetery on the same day. While ancestral graves are important, isn’t it beneficial for the village and future generations if the village develops?”
“That’s true.”
“If that grandmother is bringing up her husband’s grave, she would refuse even if you brought piles of money to her. From what I see, she’s just being difficult, hoping to get more money if she sells later.”
The hostess, who kept refilling the table with dishes like kimchi pancakes whenever they ran out, also sidled up to the edge of the table and added her words.
“My husband is right. We’re stuck in the middle and it’s killing us. We’re swamped with summer work, and we get calls from Namgyeong Development asking us to persuade the grandmother, while the township office is hounding us daily with complaints. And Yunho’s grandmother doesn’t listen to anyone. Today, they came from the township office while she was out in the rice paddy.”
“Sigh, to be honest, what good does it do to nag us? That grandmother isn’t someone who listens to others in the first place. Ah, perhaps if we asked Yuna to persuade her, she might at least pretend to listen.”
As soon as the Village Head finished speaking, his wife, upon hearing Yuna’s name, jumped up.
“What are you saying! Do you want to kill Yuna? You know how terribly her family treats Yuna, so you shouldn’t involve her!”
“It’s because Yuna is the only one she’ll talk to.”
“Don’t even think about involving Yuna. I heard from the lady from the persimmon tree house earlier that Yuna was hit so hard yesterday that her head was bleeding again.”
“She hit her again? Yunho? Yunho’s Father?”
As the conversation progressed, it seemed Yuna was being hit not only by her uncle but also by her cousin, An Yunho.
“Yunho’s Father did it.”
Taeseo interjected subtly.
“I was there too. He hit her on the head with a soju bottle.”
“Oh dear, what a wicked man. He doesn’t even feel ashamed, and it’s happening again, that same old mess!”
The Village Head’s voice grew louder. His face, already flushed red, turned even more crimson with anger.
Taeseo’s voice also rose in response.
“Why on earth do people in that family hate Ahn Yuna so much?”
Hyunwoo, uncharacteristically raising his voice about someone else’s affairs, looked at Taeseo strangely before refilling their half-empty glasses. He concluded it must be due to the alcohol.
“After Yunho’s grandfather passed away, she took over the small shop he ran, and Yuna suggested building even a prefabricated structure, so they built a convenience store building.”
“Even after building it and opening the convenience store, it wasn’t doing well, so they just blamed Yuna. But thanks to that convenience store, Yunho’s Father and Yunho have something to live on, as it brings in some money. Yet, they don’t acknowledge that effort and just torment the girl.”
“Is that all? About the money to build the prefabricated structure, you know, that money was borrowed using the savings the old man left behind and mortgaging the convenience store land. And Yuna is the one repaying that loan all by herself while working at the factory.”
Taeseo clicked his tongue. If she had just stayed put, she would have been fine, but why did she have to suggest building a structure and opening a convenience store, causing herself such hardship? Now, he couldn’t understand Ahn Yuna.
Hyunwoo, with a look of incomprehension similar to Taeseo’s, chimed in.
“It hasn’t even been a year since her grandfather passed away, so Yuna was 19 then. What would a child know to suggest building a structure? This is the Ahn clan village, and they’re all relatives, so the village elders should have stopped her.”
“They couldn’t stop her. If she hadn’t built that, Yunho’s Father would have lost that land with the convenience store long ago.”
“That’s right. She didn’t build it because she wanted to, but because her so-called uncle was constantly talking about selling the land, and they had nothing to live on, so it was unavoidable.”
“The girl is so pitiful. As a child, her uncle beat her almost every other day, so she used to run away barefoot. Now, she supports and feeds that family with her small body. She’s only twenty, is she really an adult? Even looking back at my own youth, twenty is still a child…”
Perhaps it was the thought of Ahn Yuna, with her slender frame. The people gathered around the low table fell silent.
What came to Taeseo’s mind was Ahn Yuna’s retreating figure as she ran to the convenience store right after accepting dinner.
That young girl, barely an adult, was struggling alone in the inescapable treadmill of debt and family support.
“By the way, will there be any jobs in the village once the Namkyung golf course is built and the resort opens?”
The Village Head reopened the conversation.
“Jobs?”
“My eldest son said that when golf resorts are built, there are many job opportunities. My eldest son seems to be having a hard time working in Daejeon. He keeps saying he wants to come back to the village.”
“All I know is the development plan, but if I hear anything about the operations, I’ll let you know.”
“Yes, yes. Still, if a golf resort is built, this village will become more vibrant. Young people will return, too.”
Whether the Village Head’s hope would be realized was uncertain. The facade of a public golf course operated jointly by the public and private sectors was merely for the convenience of development; it was not a decision made with the future in mind.
Nevertheless, perhaps because he had grown fond of the villagers during his stay here, Taeseo thought it would be good if the golf course operated as the villagers hoped.
Alcohol often made people overly emotional.
It seemed the alcohol was the reason he was leaning towards the villagers, which was unlike him.
\ \ *
Taeseo set off on his walk to the convenience store alone. The moon was shining brightly in the night sky.
The Village Head had pressed the liquor glass into Hyunwoo’s hand, who had refused to drink, and Hyunwoo ended up collapsing at the Village Head’s house.
The Village Head had also urged Taeseo to stay the night, but he couldn’t impose that much.
Taeseo had his limits. While he could share a meal with others, he did not share living spaces or sleeping arrangements.
As Taeseo stepped out the front door, the Village Head told him to drive, as it was a short distance. He even said it was fine because they didn’t conduct drunk driving checks in this rural area, but Taeseo refused even that.
The distance from the village to the convenience store was less than a five-minute drive, but a twenty-minute walk.
Not driving after drinking had become common sense. Even if the people in this village lived in a world outside of common sense, Taeseo had no intention of breaking the common sense he knew.
He walked at a brisk pace through the night. The stars in the sky seemed sleepy, only twinkling, unable to illuminate the darkness.
The low mountains at the horizon’s edge revealed winding shadows like crawling snakes.
As if it were a moonless night, everything was swallowed by darkness. Between the widely spaced streetlights, a deep blue darkness coiled like an abyss.
What filled his senses in place of limited vision were the sounds of frogs and birds chirping from the rice paddy dikes along the road.
He walked slowly along the summer night road, forcing down the rising effects of the alcohol.
Then, his eyes caught sight of a small back ahead of him.
At first, he thought he was seeing things on the country road, but when he closed and opened his eyes again, the woman’s back looked familiar.
Slender shoulders, long hair tied simply in a ponytail. Even from behind, he thought he knew who it was. Taeseo called out her name.
“Ahn Yuna.”
Hearing Taeseo’s call, the woman turned around.
Yuna, walking under the streetlight, had a face as white as the moon that had hidden its face tonight.
Taeseo quickened his pace. He reached Ahn Yuna in a single stride and asked,
“What are you doing out here at this hour?”
“And why are you walking from the village side?”
“I asked first.”
“I was on my way back after buying medicine for my grandmother and delivering it. She said her legs were hurting, so she asked me to buy painkillers and patches.”
Perhaps it was because he had heard about Ahn Yuna at the Village Head’s house, or perhaps it was the alcohol that was clouding his reason. He felt a little angry.
“Your grandmother goes to the township office all the time. Since you’re out, tell her to buy the medicine herself.”
It seemed difficult enough for her to work at the factory and run the convenience store, yet she was also running errands between the house in the village and the convenience store.
“Mengchuya. Why are you living like this?”
A derogatory remark flowed from Taeseo’s lips.
At the word "mengchuya," Yuna raised her eyebrows and stared intently at Taeseo.
Despite looking so fragile that she seemed like she would crumble if held in one hand, her glare was quite fierce.
