* * *
His aunt exploded, shouting that she’d never met such a selfish, horrible brat.
Eunseong stayed silent, took the insults, and received the money.
She gave him 10 million won (~$7,500).
It was shockingly low, considering both the inheritance and all the salary he’d sent over the years—but if he pushed for more, she might turn her cousin against Eunhye again.
He couldn’t risk that.
“And don’t even think about going to a welfare center or anything. You really want to see your aunt get locked up? You think you and your sister will be okay after that?”
Eunseong turned away from her furious ranting and left with Eunhye.
The money was tight, but it was enough for a deposit on a small room.
Even though it was tiny, Eunhye was overjoyed.
While cleaning the room, Eunseong asked quietly:
“Why didn’t you tell me? That he was bullying you…”
“…I just… wanted to be good. Do what you said. I’m sorry…”
Eunseong’s heart hurt so much, he couldn’t lift his head.
He just kept cleaning.
He wished, from now on, Eunhye could live in peace.
He wanted to carry all the burdens himself.
From then on, he worked every day without rest while taking care of his still-young sister.
Once he turned 18, it became easier to find jobs.
They weren’t well-off, but they weren’t lacking either—or so he thought.
When Eunhye brought home her report card, Eunseong was stunned.
He’d never even sent her to cram school, but she was ranked among the top in the entire school.
She said she listened to free online lectures and did her friend’s academy homework in exchange for materials.
He didn’t want to pressure her—but he couldn’t stop smiling.
His steps to work felt light.
He now had a goal: to send Eunhye to a university in Seoul.
The problem was money.
Maybe he could cover the tuition, but there was no way he could afford four years of rent and living expenses in Seoul.
So he visited his aunt again.
He didn’t care if she beat him again—he had to get the rest of their inheritance.
He was now an adult, which meant he could claim the property she’d been managing.
But when he arrived, a luxury car was parked in front of the gate.
Sounds of an argument came from inside.
Then, his uncle—who was supposedly overseas—stepped out for a smoke.
When Eunseong brought up the inheritance, his aunt started yelling again, as expected.
But this time, his uncle stepped in.
“Of course he should get the money. But the thing is… we’re in a bit of a rough patch right now.”
Apparently, the business his uncle had started overseas was struggling due to loan issues.
They were borrowing money left and right and had nothing left to give.
He just needed to get through this crisis—but it wasn’t going well.
Eunseong felt hopeless.
How else could he get the money to send Eunhye to college?
Then his uncle asked:
“What about you? Are you not going to college?”
“Ah… I dropped out of high school, so…”
“Tut-tut. How are you going to survive without a degree?”
His uncle offered a “grown-up’s advice.”
Sure, it was easy to find work now because he was young—but give it a few years, and no one would hire someone like him.
A high school dropout?
People would assume there’s something wrong with him.
No one would trust him to manage a store’s cash register.
“And what then? Even if you scrape together her tuition, what’s she gonna wear to college? That same ragged uniform? You gonna send her looking like a beggar like you? You don’t know how snobby Seoul kids are, do you? She’ll be a laughingstock.”
Eunseong looked down at his worn, wrinkled T-shirt.
Eunhye’s clothes weren’t much different.
Clean, but still steeped in the scent of poverty.
Seeing him hang his head, his uncle spoke gently:
“Don’t be like that, Eunseong. How about this instead?”
He offered Eunseong a job at his company.
He said if Eunseong helped out with local fundraising efforts, later they could go overseas together and make real money.
Eunseong thought about it—but declined.
He couldn’t leave Eunhye alone.
And it felt wrong to jump into something he didn’t understand.
His uncle sighed.
“Look, kid. I made my fortune from nothing, in a foreign country where I knew no one. Don’t you think this is a better shot than begging around like this? If you pass on this, you’re a damn fool.”
“…”
“You never finished school. You’ve got no experience. You don’t know anything, and that’s why you’re stuck. I’m only offering because I feel sorry for you. I can take your hardship—but you gonna let your sister end up like you? Scrounging for money, cleaning up other people’s messes, working for pennies?”
His words pierced Eunseong like knives.
“You’re gonna ruin your sister’s life too—all because of you.”
…He couldn’t let that happen. He could endure anything—but not Eunhye…
“What… should I do?”
Maybe, just maybe, they could finally eat well, wear nice clothes… live a better life.
His uncle-in-law first asked for his ID to register him as an employee.
Hesitating, Eunseong said he needed more time to think and left for the day.
But no matter where he turned, there was nowhere he could go to borrow money.
No matter how hard he worked, his bank balance stayed the same.
Then Eunhye ranked first in the entire school.
Her homeroom teacher praised her endlessly.
Her grades were good, and her mock exam scores were excellent—once she submitted her application, going to a university in Seoul was practically guaranteed.
Eventually, Eunseong went back and said he would help with the work.
His uncle-in-law became extremely kind.
“Eunseong, take this and grab a taxi.”
“It’s okay, I can walk…”
“I’m just proud of you, that’s all. Taking care of your sister all by yourself at your age isn’t something just anyone can do. You should rely on adults a little now. You’re still young. From now on, let me help you.”
His uncle-in-law patted Eunseong’s head and drove off in the Lamborghini he had parked outside.
Since his parents died, no adult had touched his head like that.
The next day, when Eunseong headed to his aunt’s house, his uncle-in-law showed up with someone who said he was a lawyer.
He handed over a thick stack of papers, saying they were professionally notarized documents.
All Eunseong had to do, he said, was sign here and there.
Eunseong tried to carefully go through the documents, but there were too many technical terms he didn’t understand.
“Um, what does this part mean?”
“Ah, Eunseong. If we go through everything like that, we’d be here for days. You’ve never done anything like this before, so you don’t know, that’s all. I even brought my lawyer to help ease your worries, and now you’re doubting me? Are you really suspicious of someone who’s trying to help you?”
“No, it’s not that… I just don’t know much…”
“Don’t worry. Eunseong, we’re family. Even if you have no one else in the world to trust, you have to trust your family.”
Family.
It was a comforting word.
An adult who was family was offering to help him and Eunhye.
For the first time in ages, Eunseong allowed himself to trust someone.
His heart swelled with new hope.
And just like that, Eunseong was saddled with a debt so large he could never hope to repay it in a lifetime.
His uncle-in-law had used Eunseong’s name to borrow money from every direction, including high-interest private loans, destroying Eunseong’s credit before he’d even started his adult life.
His bank accounts were frozen, and he couldn’t even afford to live.
Apparently, his uncle-in-law had pulled the same scam on others and fled overseas with the money.
His aunt had also run away in the night.
Neither of them could be contacted.
* * *
