* * *
How can I get rid of Kim Chanyi?
This had been my biggest worry for days.
Kim Chanyi continued to come to our shop every day, unfazed.
The boss found him so endearing that he started giving him extra service.
It’s driving me crazy.
Kim Chanyi, as promised, no longer stared at me.
He just quietly ate his meat.
The shop was always quiet near closing time.
Sometimes he would chat with the boss.
Through overhearing their conversations, I learned a few things about Kim Chanyi.
He was in the physics department, hadn’t gone to the army yet, and planned to go to graduate school.
He said he would study astrophysics.
I don’t really know what that is.
Is it studying stars?
I recalled the narration of a documentary I heard recently.
Is Kim Chanyi studying the ghosts of the past with his head?
If so, that would be a terrible field of study.
I hate such things.
I want to live completely separated from my past.
To do that, I needed to drive Kim Chanyi away.
He had nestled into my space.
Even if we pretended to ignore each other, the fact that he existed in my space didn’t change.
That made me very uncomfortable.
One day, I thought of a way.
It was when Kim Chanyi was about to leave at closing time.
I spoke to him first.
“Hey, Kim Chanyi.”
He looked very surprised.
“Why?”
“Wait outside for a moment. I have something to say.”
“Okay.”
Kim Chanyi’s face turned beet red.
After finishing the closing tasks, I went outside.
Kim Chanyi was standing in the corner of the alley, looking anxious.
I walked briskly toward him.
“Hey.”
“Oh, are you done?”
Kim Chanyi’s cheeks were flushed.
I was determined to get rid of him.
“Can you lend me a hundred thousand won?”
Kim Chanyi blinked.
The most powerful force that can turn friends and family away is money.
I planned to play the bad guy, pestering Kim Chanyi for money.
He wouldn’t be able to endure this.
“Sure. Give me your account number.”
“…?”
“Should I transfer it now? I’ll use phone banking.”
But my plan went awry.
I was surprised but tried not to show it.
Fine, a 100,000 won might be easy.
Many kids at Dongo High School were from well-off families.
But few were extremely wealthy.
“Could you lend me a bit more? How about two hundred, making it three hundred thousand?”
He wouldn’t agree to this.
I put on a shameless expression.
“Three hundred? Okay.”
I started to get anxious.
“No, five hundred!”
“Five hundred is fine too.”
“Actually, I might need twice that. A million.”
No matter how rich, it’s hard to give a million won easily.
Unless he’s a complete fool…
“Sure. But a million won can’t be transferred all at once. I’ll go to the bank tomorrow to increase the transfer limit and give it to you.”
I slapped Kim Chanyi on the shoulder.
He looked at me, puzzled.
“Are you crazy? You can’t do this!”
“Huh? Why? It’s fine. I have money.”
I was dumbfounded.
“This guy is really in trouble. You’re going to get scammed!”
It looked like he would co-sign for everyone around him.
He’s too naïve.
“Is it not urgent?”
“It’s not urgent! I just asked for it.”
“Okay, I’ll give it to you.”
“Are you nuts? Do you know how scary the world is these days?”
“I’m not crazy. I know the world is scary. But I’m lending it to you, Hyunoh.”
There was an unusual firmness in Kim Chanyi’s eyes.
His calm voice made me feel dazed. My throat felt tight.
“I can’t repay a million won.”
“Then don’t pay it back.”
“Crazy… Are you rich?”
“Yeah, a bit. My dad’s business suddenly took off.”
My first attempt was a complete failure.
I couldn’t shake off Kim Chanyi, and it just made me feel miserable.
Ah, right. Kim Chanyi is rich now.
He’s a handsome rich boy.
That must be nice.
While some people are working part-time jobs at BBQ restaurants to get by, he’s living the good life.
Kim Chanyi was really about to give me money, but I didn’t want to take it.
The moment a million won got transferred into my account, I felt I’d never be able to get away from Kim Chanyi.
I leaned my head back and let out a big sigh before saying,
“Hey. Get lost.”
Kim Chanyi looked dejected.
***
After that, all my subsequent attempts also failed in front of Kim Chanyi.
“I actually went to jail for robbery.”
“Really? No wonder you weren’t in touch.”
“So, if you don’t want to get hurt, just leave.”
“No need for that. Just tell me, and I’ll give you the money.”
I was dumbfounded.
“You seem to think money is easy to come by.”
“It’s not that. It’s just that I’m willing to give it to you, Hyunoh.”
Kim Chanyi answered calmly.
His expression was serious.
It felt like the rice and pickles I had for lunch were stuck in my throat.
I sighed and said,
“Forget it. I was lying.”
“I figured. Hyunoh is too nice to hurt anyone else.”
“I’m not nice. If I keep seeing your face, I might actually turn into a robber. So, just get lost, okay?”
Kim Chanyi laughed out loud as if he had heard a funny joke.
It wasn’t a joke. Kim Chanyi’s laughter was as refreshing as soda bubbles popping.
I decided to appeal to the manager.
“Manager, can you please kick him out?”
“Chanyi? Why? He’s cute. He reminds me of my Maltese at home. I want to pet him.”
Isn’t Kim Chanyi more like a rabbit than a Maltese?
No, that’s not the point. The manager said,
“Anyway, why?”
“I don’t get along with Kim Chanyi.”
“Doesn’t look that way.”
“Things aren’t always as they seem. There are hidden circumstances.”
“What?”
I was about to lie.
‘Actually, that guy Kim Chanyi bullied me a lot in high school. Just seeing his face brings back those memories and triggers my trauma.’
But I couldn’t bring myself to say it.
Frustrated, I pulled at my hair.
How could I turn an innocent victim into an offender with just a few words?
Kim Chanyi might still be hurting.
“…Never mind.”
* * *
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