novelraw Chapter 95 : You’re My Younger Brother
Chapter 95 : You’re My Younger Brother
Chapter 95: You’re My Younger Brother
I fell asleep as if I had passed out, crushed by overwhelming fatigue.
How long had I slept? I forced my stiff body up at the sound of a cautious knock on the door.
Outside the window, the sun was already high in the sky.
I had barely moved, yet every muscle in my body screamed, and it felt as though the fishy stench of blood from last night was still lingering at the tip of my nose.
“Come in.”
The one who opened the door and entered was Jin Tae-rim. His face clearly showed the fear and exhaustion he had gone through overnight, yet at the same time, there was a faint trace of relief about him.
After bowing his head slightly in greeting, he lifted the heavy bundle of documents wrapped in old cloth that he had been holding.
“The boss told me to pass this on to you.”
He carefully set the bundle down on the table in front of me.
It was a bloodstained ledger, densely filled with records of the bribes Han Do-gyeong had spread among the Coast Guard and senior military and police officials.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
I intended to hand over that ledger—no different from Pandora’s box—to Oh Chung-seong. Before that, though, I needed to check the list of names written inside.
Yet even though his business was done, Jin Tae-rim did not rise from his seat, merely wetting his lips as if hesitating over something.
“Do you have something to say?”
“……”
After a long pause with no answer, he finally opened his mouth as though he had made up his mind.
“It’s about A-seong.”
“Yes.”
“You really will send that kid to the United States?”
“Yes. I keep my promises. I’ll cover all the expenses myself. I plan to support him in every way so that he can go together with Min-soo, study in a new world, and settle down properly.”
“……Last night, I talked with that kid A-seong all night long. He said he wants to go. He said he wants to leave this wretched pier behind and go out into the wider world, to become a great person like you, hyung.”
The more he spoke, the more his voice sank, thick with emotion. Regret and lamentation seeped through his words in strands.
“I was breaking that kid’s wings. Locking him up in this narrow Chinatown and almost making him live like me. A guy like me doesn’t even deserve to be that kid’s uncle.”
Taking responsibility for a nephew in this harsh world was no easy thing. He had to earn money outside, so he might not have known A-seong’s situation well—or perhaps he knew but chose to avert his eyes and pretend otherwise.
He was suffering from remorse over his own powerlessness and his past. I had no intention of blaming Jin Tae-rim for that.
I lightly patted the shoulder of Jin Tae-rim, who had his head bowed deeply.
“No. If Jin Tae-rim hadn’t taken him in, A-seong would have died miserably on the streets. I know well myself—I’m from the streets too. I know how miserable that kind of life is.”
“I beg you, sir. My nephew A-seong…… please, take good care of him.”
He stood up from his seat and bowed deeply to me. No tears showed, but his voice was damp with emotion.
“Don’t worry. A-seong is a close friend of my younger brother. I’ll treat him exactly the same as Min-soo.”
At my promise, Jin Tae-rim finally seemed to relax, forming a faint smile.
“Thank you. I will never forget this kindness for the rest of my life.”
“Yes. Let’s talk again later. Today is my last day with Min-soo, so I should spend some time with him.”
After seeing Jin Tae-rim off, I hid the ledger under my pillow and went to Min-soo’s room. Min-soo was eating snacks with A-seong, laughing brightly as if everything in the world delighted him.
“Hyung!”
“Hyung-nim.”
Both Min-soo and A-seong welcomed me. As I patted Min-soo on the head, I asked A-seong,
“You talked with your uncle, right?”
A-seong nodded. The smile that had filled his face was instantly replaced by tears welling up, as though they might spill at any moment.
It seemed he had had a fairly honest conversation with Jin Tae-rim yesterday.
“When Min-soo sets foot on American soil, you’ll be leaving from Korea. For now, let’s go up to Seoul together with me.”
“Huh? Hyung. What does that mean? When I set foot in America, who’s leaving from Korea?”
I smiled as I looked at Min-soo tilting his head in confusion.
“A-seong is going to study abroad in the United States too. I’ll make it so you can live together.”
“Really? Is that for real?”
He hadn’t shown it, but he must have been very afraid. Min-soo looked at A-seong with clear delight.
“Hyung! You’re really coming to America?”
“Yeah. Hyung-nim told my uncle. He asked if he had any intention of sending me abroad to the U.S. He said he’d cover all the costs himself……”
“That’s great! I almost got scared because I wouldn’t know anyone there, but if you’re there too, it’ll be fine!”
Before A-seong could even finish speaking, Min-soo rushed in and hugged him tightly. I watched the two of them embrace in joy for a while without saying a word. Their pure friendship warmed my heart, if only briefly.
“Are you all ready to go?”
Min-soo lightly tapped the bag by the side of the bed and nodded.
“Alright. Let’s eat dinner later. You two talk.”
Leaving them behind, I returned to my room. I was glad that even on the last day, they didn’t seem dejected. Deciding to send that kid A-seong to the United States was the right call after all.
I took out the bribery ledger again and began to look through it. A few familiar names stood out.
“Gwon Do-hyeong, this bastard really sticks his nose into everything.”
Well, it would be stranger if smugglers didn’t grease the palms of officers from the munitions base command. The ledger listed quite a number of soldiers, including Gwon Do-hyeong.
Among them, Gwon Do-hyeong was receiving the largest and most regular payments. In addition to 100,000 hwan a month, he was being given luxury liquor, cigarettes, watches, and household appliances as goods.
“They really kept meticulous records.”
Just looking at the way the ledger was compiled, I could tell Han Do-gyeong had considerable business acumen. The dates and times the money was handed over, the locations, even the go-betweens.
It was, without exaggeration, perfect evidence.
“Hmm……. So he didn’t give bribes to Lieutenant General Lee Jin-tae?”
No matter how much I flipped through the ledger, Lieutenant General Lee Jin-tae’s name was nowhere to be found.
It was strange. He had gone to such lengths for Major Kwon Do-hyeong, the second-in-command of the Munitions Base Command, yet the name of Lieutenant General Lee Jin-tae, the man with ultimate responsibility, was not on the list.
“Is he someone who doesn’t take bribes?”
There was no way. In this era, a soldier like that simply could not exist. I carefully tore out several pages listing Kwon Do-hyeong and officers of major rank and above, and kept them separately.
“If Oh Chung-seong sees Kwon Do-hyeong’s name, his eyes will turn red and he’ll try to entangle him…….”
I closed the ledger. From here on out, Oh Chung-seong and Park Sang-gu would sort things out between themselves and choose a scapegoat.
I stretched, turning my head from side to side. Maybe because I had overexerted myself at dawn, my body still felt stiff and sore.
“By the way, why hasn’t Lee Cheong-ho contacted me?”
Had something happened to So-ryong, whom he had taken with him? Because the wounds he had gotten last night had looked so deep, a creeping unease slowly rose within me.
Just as I was thinking that I should contact him first, someone knocked on the door.
“Hyung. It’s me, Kang Hyeok. I got something to tell you.”
“Come in.”
Kang Hyeok opened the door and came in. In just a few days, the traces of an immature boy had begun to fade, and the outline of a reliable young man was emerging.
“Hyung-nim. Lee Cheong-ho ajusshi told me to pass on that he got through the dangerous part.”
“Really? You met him at the hospital?”
“Yes. I went to see Grandma and ran into him. But Lee Cheong-ho ajusshi didn’t look good at all either. His face was pale as paper. Did something happen?”
I hesitated for a moment, then shook my head. I didn’t want to describe last night’s hellish scene to this kid as well.
“It happened while trying to save someone.”
Kang Hyeok didn’t ask any further and nodded quietly.
“How’s your grandmother?”
“She’s gotten a lot better. She’s eating porridge pretty well now. But she said to bring you to see her, hyung-nim…….”
“I’ll stop by once before going up to Seoul. And when the hospital says she can move around, get things organized and come up to Seoul. Let’s get her proper treatment there. I think I’ll have to go up a few days later because of work.”
“You’re going up?”
“Yeah. There’s too much I need to do there.”
At my words, a mix of regret and silent resolve crossed Kang Hyeok’s face.
“……I’ll come up quickly.”
“Even if you’re a bit late, it won’t be a big problem. Take care of your grandmother’s health first.”
“Yes…….”
“If you’re done talking, go spend some time talking with Min-soo. It’ll be quite a while before you see him again.”
“Yes, hyung.”
After bowing his head in greeting, Kang Hyeok left the room.
“Looks like he got through the worst of it, at least.”
Left alone, I let out a long, deep sigh.
Yang Sobo, Wang So-gun, and Wang So-ryong……. All of it tangled together chaotically in my mind.
Time passed, and evening came.
I took the kids and left Deokhwa Pavilion. Instead of greasy Chinese food, I wanted a warm bowl of rice and soup, so we headed to an ordinary restaurant.
A small place near Busan Station—shabby but neat. When we pushed open the creaking wooden door, the savory smell of soybean paste stew and grilled mackerel greeted us.
We took a seat in the innermost, warm ondol room.
A meal of freshly cooked white rice still steaming, bubbling soybean paste stew, golden-brown grilled mackerel, and a few simple vegetable side dishes. Yet my heart felt fuller than with any lavish feast.
“Eat a lot.”
I picked out the plumpest piece of mackerel and placed it on Min-soo’s bowl of rice. In my previous life, I hadn’t even been able to give him one proper warm meal like this.
Min-soo had been feeling gloomy because it was his last meal in Korea, but soon enough he started eating while joking around with A-seong.
“Hyung A-seong, do they have soybean paste stew in America too?”
“If they don’t, I can make it for you.”
“Hey, how would you even make it?”
“There’s nothing this hyung can’t do.”
A-seong thumped his chest as he boasted. Kang Hyeok stayed quiet, occasionally placing side dishes onto Min-soo’s bowl, silently taking care of his younger brother.
Holding my spoon, I watched them for a long while.
An ordinary evening meal scene of children laughing and chatting. A sight I had longed to protect, to reclaim—the dreamlike image I had yearned for.
For this brief peace, I would have to return to hell once more.
But if my younger brother could smile like that, then something like that was nothing. To protect a child’s smile, I was willing to become a devil.
After the warm dinner ended, a heavy silence settled over us as we walked back toward Chinatown.
Everyone sensed that the time of parting was drawing near.
“It’s time to go.”
At my words, regret settled on the children’s faces. Kang Hyeok walked over silently and gave Min-soo’s shoulder a light tap.
“Take care of yourself. Let’s 꼭 meet again later.”
“Yes, hyung-nim.”
A-seong forced himself to act brave and tightly held Min-soo’s hand.
“Go on ahead and get settled first, Min-soo. Hyung will follow soon!”
“Yeah, Hyung A-seong.”
With that brief farewell as the last, I turned my back on the two kids, took Min-soo’s hand, and headed toward Deokhwa Pavilion.
When we entered my room and closed the door, all outside noise was completely cut off. Inside the room, there were only the two of us.
I took out the old leather bag I had hidden under the bed. It was small, but the weight inside it was anything but light.
“Min-soo.”
“Yeah, hyung.”
“You must never lose this bag.”
I said it while looking straight into his eyes.
“When you arrive in Taiwan, someone called President Lin will come to meet you. Just follow him. You must not trust anyone else but him. Got it?”
After my repeated warnings, Min-soo nodded with a stiff expression.
“Stay at President Lin’s place and do exactly as he tells you. He’ll send you to school, and he’ll support you with whatever you need. And in a few months, you’ll go to the United States.”
“Hyung…….”
“You just…… don’t get sick, eat well, and focus on studying hard.”
I opened the bag and showed him what was inside. Thick bundles of crisp 100-dollar U.S. bills filled it to the brim.
“There’s fifty thousand dollars in here. This is the price of your life. Never use it under normal circumstances. But if—just if—your life is truly in danger, or you end up in a situation where you can’t get help from anyone……. Then, use this money.”
I placed the bag into his small hands. Min-soo sucked in a sharp breath.
It was a burden of responsibility and fate far too heavy for a fourteen-year-old boy to bear.
“……Hyung. Do you think I can do well?”
“You can. You’re my younger brother, after all.”
I pulled him into a tight embrace one last time. Patting his small shoulders, I spoke gently.
“When you arrive in the United States, I’ll come over as quickly as I can. Wait until then, alright?”
“Yeah, hyung.”