novelraw Chapter 59 : I Came Back After a Very Long Journey
Chapter 59 : I Came Back After a Very Long Journey
Chapter 59: I Came Back After a Very Long Journey
I silently looked at Aseong. Despite his skinny frame, his eyes were unusually bright and alive.
“Please, believe me! I’ll serve you for the whole day and only take 100 hwan! I swear!”
When I kept staring at him without saying anything, Aseong must have thought I didn’t trust him. He became flustered and continued to chatter.
“There’s no one in this neighborhood who knows the roads better than I do! I mean it!”
“Did you eat?”
At my sudden question, the boy who had been chattering nonstop pressed his lips shut.
“President Wang. Please bring one more serving here.”
I ordered another meal from President Wang and gestured for the boy to sit in front of me.
A moment later, steaming white porridge and youtiao were placed before him. Since the boy hesitated and only glanced around nervously, I motioned lightly with my chin.
“Eat first. We’ll be walking quite a bit today, so fill your stomach.”
Only then did Aseong carefully lift his spoon and begin to eat.
At first, he ate timidly, sneaking glances at me, but soon hunger overcame hesitation, and he began shoveling food into his mouth.
Seeing him like that made me think of Min-soo, whom I had left behind in Seoul. Was it really a coincidence that President Wang had attached a young boy to me?
We finished our meal in silence. President Wang cleared the empty bowls and soon brought out warm tea.
“How old did you say you were?”
“Fifteen.”
“…Really?”
Only a year older than Min-soo. Judging by his scrawny build, he could’ve passed for barely ten. Well, Min-soo only began to grow after he started eating well at Yang Sobo’s house.
“What about your parents?”
“I don’t have any.”
“…Where did they go?”
“I don’t know. They weren’t there from as far back as I can remember.”
The boy spoke of his lack with quiet calm. That, itself, was the sorrowful reality of this era.
When I didn’t reply, he grew anxious and quickly added, his eyes full of desperate sincerity as he looked at me.
“I can really do well! Please, take me with you! I’ll do anything you tell me to!”
“All right, all right. But first, drink your tea.”
I gently patted his small shoulder. The boy finally relaxed and began blowing on the hot tea before sipping it.
Once we finished, we rose from our seats.
“All right, let’s get going. Today, we’re heading to Yeongdo. But before that, we’ll stop by the Busan Port docks.”
“Yeongdo? Got it!”
Aseong eagerly took the lead.
The little boy led me away from Chinatown’s bustling streets and into a narrow, dim alleyway. The road was damp and gloomy, carrying a musty odor with little sunlight reaching in.
Unlike the boy, who walked confidently as if used to it, I couldn’t help but feel a bit suspicious.
“Are you sure this is the right way?”
It wasn’t the route President Wang had taken to bring me here. When I asked doubtfully, Aseong turned back and answered with confidence.
“Of course! It takes a long time if we go by the main road, but this way gets us to the docks fast. It’s a shortcut only I know!”
Even in the darkness, the boy’s eyes sparkled.
“All right. I’ll trust you.”
Watching his small back as he walked ahead, I smiled faintly. Maybe this journey in Busan with this boy wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Following Aseong’s lead through the narrow, dark alleyways, we finally stepped into the open. The sight of the vast Busan Port docks spread before us.
Rows of ships, the mixed scent of rust and oil, the blaring of horns, and the rough shouts of laborers — it was a place full of both life and exhaustion.
“Do you know where they unload things like grain sacks or cement bags?”
“Oh, that’s in the farthest corner. Follow me.”
Just as President Wang had said, the boy knew the area like the back of his hand. He led me confidently through the maze of the docks without a single moment of hesitation.
After a short while, he stopped.
“Here. Who are you looking for?”
I couldn’t answer him. My gaze was already fixed on one spot.
Among the countless workers, one broad-shouldered figure stood out. He was a head taller than the others and carried two cement sacks on his shoulders — something even most grown men struggled with — as he strode forward.
“Kang-hyuk…”
Without realizing it, I whispered his name.
After decades of time, I was looking at my friend again. His face looked even younger than when I had first met him before my regression.
“Mister, are you looking for that guy?”
Aseong whispered beside me, glancing between Kang-hyuk and me.
“That hyung’s famous here. They call him the Boy General. He’s so strong he can do the work of two or three grown men by himself.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off Kang-hyuk as the boy chattered beside me. No words came out.
What I felt now was different from the joy I had felt when I met Min-soo again. It was something heavier — guilt, and a deep sense of debt twisting inside my chest.
He had died protecting me. Even at the last moment, he had smiled at me. That face burned vividly in my memory.
It was a debt I could never repay, not even in a lifetime.
‘Hyuk-ah… Kang-hyuk…!’
I wanted to run to him right then and call his name. But I couldn’t move.
To him, I was nothing more than a stranger now. He didn’t know who I was, or what we once were.
Only I carried the memories of our past life.
If I approached him rashly now, it would only make him wary.
So I stood at a distance and watched him work for a long time. Kang-hyuk silently carried load after load without rest.
Even when other workers sat to drink makgeolli during break time, he simply sat alone in a corner and filled his stomach with a rice ball he had brought from home.
Then it happened. A few rough-looking men swaggered over to him.
“Hey! Boy General. When are you gonna pay back that debt? The interest’s piling up every day, you know?”
Kang-hyuk ignored them completely and walked past without a word.
“This bastard’s ignoring us!”
Annoyed, one of the men shoved Kang-hyuk’s shoulder roughly.
Kang-hyuk didn’t budge. But his eyes turned cold for a moment, his hand tightening into a fist.
“Oh? You gonna hit me? Go ahead! Try it, you bastard!”
The men sneered, shoving their faces close to his.
Kang-hyuk bit his lip hard, then slowly loosened his grip and turned back to lift the load on the ground.
But the men didn’t stop. They sat on top of the cement bags he needed to carry and kicked at his legs as he worked. The other laborers just watched, pretending not to see.
“Those sons of bitches…”
I wanted to rush out and knock them down that instant. Aseong tugged tightly at my sleeve and whispered.
“Mister… those guys look like Yeongdo Gang.”
“I know.”
“You came here to meet that hyung, right? Should I go get him for you?”
My blood boiled, but this wasn’t the time. I memorized Kang-hyuk’s face once more and shook my head.
“Not today. I just came to see his face. Let’s go.”
I turned around without another word. Aseong followed close behind me.
After we left the docks, I handed him a small piece of paper with an address written on it.
“Do you know where this is?”
Aseong studied the note for a moment, then nodded. As expected, he was a bright child.
“Take me there.”
My first plan was to meet Kang-hyuk’s grandmother.
We hailed a Sibal Taxi. Aseong firmly told the driver our destination.
The car drove out of the busy downtown area and headed toward the only bridge connecting the mainland to Yeongdo — the Yeongdo Bridge. Fortunately, it wasn’t drawbridge time, so the bridge remained closed.
The bridge was crowded with people — merchants pulling carts, women carrying loads on their heads, and even fortune-tellers leaning against the railing, offering readings.
The bridge itself was like a giant marketplace, a living, breathing stage of everyday life.
“This is your first time seeing this bridge, right? This is…”
Aseong rambled on beside me, enthusiastically explaining about Yeongdo Bridge, but his words barely reached my ears.
My mind was already tangled with thoughts of Kang-hyuk.
‘How do I approach him? How can I make him trust me?’
Given the Yeongdo Gang, Kang-hyuk’s distrust of people must have reached its limit.
If there was a natural way to get close to him…
‘I should start by getting close to his grandmother first.’
We crossed the bridge and entered Yeongdo. The taxi eventually stopped — it couldn’t go any further.
The alleyways were narrower and steeper than those in the city, snaking up the hillside like serpents. The houses leaned precariously against one another, as if one collapse would bring them all down.
“This way.”
Aseong walked ahead with confidence, weaving through the maze of alleys without hesitation. The small guide never once paused.
After what felt like a long climb, we finally reached a small shanty perched at the very top of the hill, overlooking the entire Busan Port.
“This is it. The address you gave me.”
The shack looked as if it could collapse at any moment. A few worn pieces of laundry hung limply at the doorway, and through the cracks of the closed door, I could hear faint, persistent coughing.
Aseong stepped forward and knocked on the rickety wooden door.
“Excuse me! Is anyone home?”
The coughing inside suddenly stopped. A suffocating silence filled the air. Not a single sound of movement followed.
“You’re home, right? Please come out for a moment!”
Still, there was no response. Aseong tilted his head and reached for the door handle.
I caught his hand midair.
“Don’t.”
Startled by my cold tone, Aseong flinched and stepped back.
I spoke gently toward the door.
“Grandmother. I’m a friend of Kang-hyuk’s. I’m not a bad person. Please, could you open the door for a moment?”
I said nothing more and simply waited.
After some time, the door creaked open slightly. Through the narrow gap, an elderly woman with graying hair peeked out.
Her pale face was lined with deep wrinkles, and she coughed dryly without pause. One look was enough to tell her health was in terrible shape.
Her wary eyes scanned me up and down.
“You said… you’re Kang-hyuk’s friend?”
“Yes, ma’am. A very old friend.”
Cough, cough! “There ain’t any friend of that boy who looks as slick as you. Who are you, really?”
“I’m just an old friend come to visit. It’s been a very long journey, Grandmother.”
Even at my words, her gaze didn’t soften. But her frail, sickly body was trembling as if even standing upright took all her strength.
“Are you… here to lure my Kang-hyuk away again? I’d rather die right here than hand that boy over to those bastards!”
As she spoke, she suddenly coughed violently, spewing dark, blood-stained sputum.
I hurried forward to support her, but she shoved my hand away, screaming.
“Leave… leave my Kang-hyuk alone! Why won’t you people stop tormenting us!”
Without even wiping the blood from her lips, the old woman used the last of her strength to cry out. She had mistaken me for one of the Yeongdo Gang.
“Please calm down! I have nothing to do with those men!”
I quickly pulled out my thick wallet and tossed it to Aseong. His eyes widened in surprise.
“Go find the best doctor in this neighborhood! No matter how much it costs! Bring him here immediately! If the money isn’t enough, give him everything in that wallet — just make sure he comes, no matter what!”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
Snapping out of his daze, Aseong bolted down the hill as fast as he could.
The grandmother couldn’t hold on any longer and lost consciousness. I gently lifted her frail body and carried her inside, pushing the creaky door open.
And at that moment, I froze.
“……”
The room was a complete wreck. The walls were patched with layers of newspaper just to keep the wind out.
Dark water stains covered the ceiling where the rain had leaked through, and the air reeked of mold, cheap medicine, and poverty.
In one corner stood a dented aluminum pot and a few chipped bowls — all that made up the kitchen. On the other side were a worn bedding set and scattered medicine packets that clearly belonged to her.
A single narrow ray of sunlight crept in through a small window — the only light in the damp, gloomy room.
‘So this is how they’ve been living…’
Even a healthy person would fall ill living in such a place.
I carefully laid the grandmother down on the only bedding. There was no other option.
But I couldn’t bring myself to cover her with that damp, musty blanket. I took off my coat and draped it over her thin body instead.
As time passed, her condition worsened. Her breathing grew rough, and cold sweat drenched her pale forehead.
Just when my anxiety reached its peak, hurried footsteps echoed from outside.
“Huff, huff… I brought the doctor!”
Panting heavily, Aseong burst into the room, followed by a visiting doctor in a white coat.
As soon as the doctor entered, he frowned, covering his nose and mouth with a handkerchief against the stifling stench. After a quick glance at the patient, he stepped into the room without even removing his shoes.
He carelessly pulled away the coat I had used to cover her and placed a cold stethoscope on her chest.
After a brief examination, the doctor looked up at me with a curt tone.
“Her wheezing is severe. Breathing’s rough, too… Since when has she been like this?”
“I just met her today, so I don’t know.”
“Click. So you’re not her guardian either.”
He clicked his tongue, flipped up her eyelids, and checked her pulse. His face grew increasingly grim.
“Her fever’s burning hot. Severe dehydration, too. Do you know when she last ate?”
“I don’t know that either. Can she be treated?”
“Well, then—”
Before he could finish, a sudden commotion broke out outside.