Ｓｔｒａｎｇｅｒ

Learning : 1.2

I moved away from the ordinary street that caught my eyes. The stairs appeared not long after walking. Fortunately, it was a downhill road, but the place that was barely lit by the streetlamps gave off a gloomy atmosphere. An alley in Ihwa-dong, which crowded with people on weekends or holidays. Originally, there was a painting on this staircase, but the residents, who couldn't hold on against the disturbances made by the tourists whose own memories were more important than the peace of the village, erased the painting. But that didn't mean the number of people visiting decreased.

The weekday night was quiet. The house in the alley, where people had to squeeze in during the weekend, opened quickly. After taking off the shoes in the entrance full of small shoes, I stuffed 3000 won inside my pocket.

As I walked in the short hallway, I felt it was quieter than usual. The fact that the kids that usually came out showed their presence being quiet meant that Lee Sugeol is here.

I can't eat then, tonight. I was an idiot for going home despite knowing that.

"You, fuck, where did you go?"

Lee Sugeol was sitting in the kitchen. After giving a meaningless gaze at the kitchen tile with oil grease, cupboard with scarlet sheet torn off, and worn-out sink, I met Lee Sugeol's gaze, who was lowering his upper body and glaring at me.

"I was caught while doing the work."

"What?"

Lee Sugeol suddenly jumped to his feet with a menacing face.

"I was, caught, while doing the work?"

Every time he paused, a rough hand fled without hesitation. Even though I clenched my teeth, there were sounds of flesh being torn. I felt dizzy. As my body gradually pushed back, the merciless hand finally stopped when I hit the refrigerator.

"You fucking bastard. Even the kids stop working because of you, and do you know what I heard from that fucking fox?"

Fucking fox. The neighborhood policeman whom Lee Sugeol fed money on. It seemed like the reason for the uproar this time was the order to bring in more money.

Lee Sugeol said pride should be like a rabbit's liver, which could be taken out and put in. He said the liver actually isn't an internal organ that can be taken out and put in, but just like the turtle that believed so, we should bow down pretending to have no organ that is perfectly fine.

The important organ in life was not something like pride. It is money. Lee Sugeol wasn't angry because of what that fucking fox said, but because of losing money.

"The money you bring every month is barely near 2 million. But, fuck, the expense more than 2 million. Huh?"

Lee Sugeol pushed my forehead with his finger. Unlike Lee Sugeol, my pride was not a liver. I didn't care if Lee Sugeol was fine to have no pride just to have more things in his hand when he already had a lot of things, but for people who had nothing like me, what should we live for if we didn't have pride? My pride was my heart.

As I slap away the unpleasant hand, there was a brief silence.

"Huh? You hit me?"

"..."

"You don't like it? You look like you don't like it, huh, this fucker?"

I knew it would end quickly if I just stayed silent and got hit, but whenever I followed Lee Sugeol's words, I always got hit. The palm that was full of calluses endlessly hit my head. Slap, slap. The unrealistic sounds filled the kitchen.

My view turned dizzy, and my empty stomach roared. I raised my hand, trying to cover my head, but I was helpless. My mouth was torn and there was a smelly taste.