The Underground - 3RACHA

8

When a strange letter arrived in the post for Jisung that Saturday he was confused. It was from the army, saying they had successfully received his application, but Jisung didn't remember signing up for the army and that's not the type of thing you would forget. It didn't take him long to figure out why he had received the letter though. The person who wanted him out of the house more than anything was the only person he could think to be responsible.

His grip was tight around the letter as he made his way into the living-room where his uncle and aunt were spending their Saturday afternoon with their ten-year-old son, Jinho. He didn't knock before entering like he usually did, but he still made sure he was respectful. His uncle was sat in his usual armchair, reading the newspaper and pushing his glasses further up his nose while his aunt sat on the sofa, watching a soap on the television. Jinho was sitting beside his mother on the sofa and playing with his action figures, soaring them high in the air until they collided and fell with a clatter.

"Uncle, can I speak to you?" Jisung asked, holding up the letter.

"What is it?" His uncle asked, lowering the newspaper. A badly hidden smile made its way onto his face when he saw the letter, already knowing what it was. Regardless, he acted oblivious to the situation at hand.

"Did you sign me up to the army without my consent?"

"Well," his uncle began, sitting up in his chair, "you're living under my roof, are you not? I told you to find a job but if you're not going to then I'll have to find you one myself."

"The army?" Jisung's aunt spoke up, "you signed him up to the army? Daehee, are you crazy? Look at him! He won't last a week."

Jisung knew she said what she had to help Jisung but her words had ended up causing him more hurt than good. He knew that he wasn't army material but he wanted to defend himself for once. He didn't want to have to rely on others, he'd done enough of that. "I told you I've been searching. I just need a few more weeks."

"A few more weeks is too long," His uncle shook his head, ignoring his wife completely, "either you find a job by the end of next week or you're out of this house. Whether that's in the army or on the streets I couldn't care less, but I want you gone."

"Daehee!" Jisung's aunt gasped. Jinho's attention had been caught by the argument now and he was listening intensely, his action figures long forgotten.

"What? He's not a part of my family. He's not my son and he's not my sister's son, he's yours. I don't want him in my house anymore. He's intruding on our family and I won't stand for it anymore."

"I'll find a job," Jisung stated. The fear he felt at the prospect of being kicked out or going into the army was immeasurable. It didn't compare to the fear he felt going outside which had become significantly less than it had previously been. "I'll go and find one right now just...please don't send me onto the streets or into the army yet."

His uncle picked up his newspaper again, straightened up his glasses and relaxed into the chair. The last words he said to Jisung before he left were, "don't come back until you have a job."

-

Inside a local diner, Chan sat across a booth from Yena who was scribbling with the crayons on the paper a waitress had provided her. In her other hand, she held a fork with an uneaten piece of pancake on it. The sticky syrup dripped down the food and landed on the table to which Chan used a napkin to clean it up. "Eat up, Yena. We've already been here an eternity," he chuckled, taking the fork out of her hand. "Say ahh for the aeroplane!" He said and the young girl did so. Chan pretended the pancake was an aeroplane as he circled the fork around a few times before finally placing it in the giggling girl's mouth.