The Unbelievers

Chapter 62

“So you left home after taking the college entrance exam? The CEO was saying you might have run away. He said you asked for cash instead of a bank transfer.”

The motel had another part-time worker who worked in shifts. He was a tall, thin college student with a friendly face, four years older than Eunseong.

Introducing himself as Kim Dongjun, he said he had been working here for over a year because he needed a job that provided room and board, just like Eunseong. Before this, he worked as a manager at a goshiwon, but the pay was too low, and eating only ramen and kimchi every day had badly affected his health, so he quit. Now he tries to avoid processed foods as much as possible and takes supplements.

He told Eunseong that night shifts are the worst for health and advised him not to plan on working in places like this for long, and not to get too comfortable even if he gets used to it. He gave valuable advice, telling Eunseong not to give up on school no matter how hard it gets, to graduate and get a good job.

When Eunseong first left home, changing clothes at the subway station and walking among the crowds like a fugitive, he didn’t feel the reality of his situation. But Dongjun’s words, coming from someone with a few more years of life experience, suddenly made him acutely aware of his circumstances.

Having hastily left Yoo Siwoon’s shadow, Eunseong now had to navigate life on his own. According to Dongjun, he had to attend school, graduate, date, travel abroad, build his resume, get certifications, buy a car, secure a house, prepare for retirement – there was a mountain of things to do.

Seeing Eunseong looking overwhelmed, Dongjun, feeling he might have scared him too much, brightened his expression and changed the subject.

“It’s okay. If you save money diligently and live frugally – but don’t skimp on experiences. Same goes for academy fees. Don’t be stingy with those things.”

“So you work here during the day and attend night university?”

“Yeah, I’ve already gotten two certifications this year. It’s not easy preparing for both living expenses and tuition, but I’m trying to do as much as I can while I have the energy. By the way, do you have a driver’s license?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Then get your driver’s license first. With a license, you can do delivery jobs or work as a designated driver. There are many things you can do in your spare time if you have a license. It’s probably the most cost-effective thing. Running errands as a part-time job can be quite lucrative.”

Listening to Dongjun’s practical advice, Eunseong resolved to work hard. He decided to leave behind unrealistic notions of chaebol, heir, and legitimate succession, and focus on living in the present, in reality. This was the true life that people his age were living.

“Want me to teach you how to drive?”

“I thought you said not to skimp on academy fees.”

“Getting a driver’s license from an academy is the dumbest thing. It used to be hard when cars were manual, but now they’re all automatic, so it’s super easy. I have a book I used to study, I’ll give it to you. Prepare for the written test first, and later we can practice driving together.”

Dongjun, who had said it was tough with people constantly changing, seemed to want his junior not to leave, so he tried to be helpful. He kept suggesting things to do together with Eunseong and repeatedly checked if he needed any help. He seemed like someone with a lot to teach.

He also had many questions. Which high school did you go to? Did you have many friends? Did you have a girlfriend? When are you thinking of going to college? And so on.

“I didn’t have a girlfriend, but there was someone I liked.”

“Oh? Ongoing unrequited love?”

“Well, I guess. It’s all over now, though.”

Eunseong replied bitterly, remembering Yoo Siwoon who had said doing such things would make him human trash.

“If someone who looks like you fails at unrequited love, what hope is there for someone like me? Am I doomed to remain single forever?”

Except for being talkative, Dongjun was similar to Director Nam, and Eunseong wondered how exhausting it would have been if Director Nam had been this chatty. Dongjun’s excessive kindness and interest felt a bit overwhelming.

“I’ll explain everything later, but refer to this for now.”

Dongjun proudly presented something.

He had a laminated manual he had made himself to ensure the counter could be managed alone without problems. He said that with this manual, he could even leave his post if an emergency came up and he needed to call in a substitute.

The manual detailed everything from how to open and close, how to clean motel rooms, inventory list and storage locations, when to call the police, how to deal with difficult customers, how to calculate bills, to how to confirm reservations.

“I’ve organized it alphabetically, so you can approach it logically. If there’s an issue with the stairs, you’d go to ‘S’, right? For example, if it’s about trash cans, you’d go to ‘T’.”

“Ah, I see. This is great, I can just look this up and won’t have to keep asking you. How did you think to make something like this?”

Eunseong, who had some part-time job experience himself, had never seen someone as meticulous as Dongjun.

“Actually, I made it because night shift workers changed too often, and it was annoying to keep answering the same questions. You know what’s really funny? Even though it’s all written here, they still ask. The same things, every time. I don’t teach them then. I just tell them to go to ‘S’ or ‘N’. But there are still some who don’t bother to look. There are people who don’t even try to find things out for themselves. You’re not like that, right?”

Dongjun shook his head as if disgusted. He glanced at Eunseong with a look of suspicion, as if to say, “You’re not one of those troublemakers, are you?”

“I’ll only ask when I really don’t know. And only in emergencies.”

“It’s okay to ask at first. But if you ask the same thing twice, I’ll get annoyed from then on. I’m someone who believes time is money.”

“You’re really similar to someone I know.”

When Dongjun asked who, Eunseong evaded the question. Director Nam was like a secretary who took care of every aspect of his life. He couldn’t say he had a secretary until just a few days ago. If he said he was actually the heir to a chaebol family, Dongjun would probably think he was mentally ill.

Director Nam must be in a difficult position due to Eunseong’s running away. But this time, even Yoo Siwoon couldn’t blame Director Nam for not doing his job properly. The cause of all this was Yoo Siwoon. It was practically his doing.

He had said he couldn’t do trashy things. Eunseong didn’t think it was trashy. He knew it shouldn’t be done, but he had just come to like him. He didn’t covet his wealth and power, nor did he abuse the weakness Yoo Siwoon showed specifically towards him.

He had just come to like someone. As his feelings grew, he wanted to be with him, to see him.

Eunseong felt foolish. If he had known it would come to this, he should have taken more money, or anything else.

He should have sold Yoo Siwoon’s expensive watch, high-end jewelry, or items bought with the card he had given him on second-hand sites. At the very least, he should have stuffed his bag with the fruits from the refrigerator that cost tens of thousands of won each.

“Sigh.”

“Why the sudden sigh? The job’s not that hard. Look at this. If you look at this…”

As Dongjun tried to teach him one more thing, Eunseong nodded half-heartedly, letting the words go in one ear and out the other. His mind was filled only with thoughts of Yoo Siwoon.

Eunseong hated him, missed him, and complained to the air about wanting to see him, all while supposedly studying for the college entrance exam with no time to think about running away. No, he had no intention of running away.

Eunseong wanted to stop people passing by and ask them if it was his fault for confessing, or if it was that man’s fault for responding that he couldn’t do trashy things. He wanted to ask how many people in this world would stay put after hearing such words, how anyone could remain at home after hearing that.

Vaguely, Eunseong thought that perhaps Yoo Siwoon had anticipated this outcome. That’s why he couldn’t blame Director Nam. He couldn’t accuse Director Nam of being at fault.

The one who caused this situation was, as Yoo Siwoon himself would probably think the same as Eunseong, entirely his fault. Eunseong tried to alleviate his feelings of guilt towards Director Nam by thinking this way. For Eunseong, who had planned for independence at a young age, life was finally proceeding according to his life plan.

While Dongjun kept talking beside him, Eunseong let the words flow in one ear and out the other, his mind filled with thoughts of Yoo Siwoon.

“Hey, I have a favor to ask. I’m not trying to ask for free, I’ll pay you for your trouble.”

“I’ve been taken advantage of so much that I’m a bit paranoid, but I’m not that calculating of a person.”

When Eunseong mentioned payment for the favor, thinking he couldn’t ask for free from someone who emphasized that time is money, Dongjun immediately got angry.

“That’s not what I meant. I wanted to ask for something similar to the errand part-time job you do.”

“I’ll just do it for you. Why are you talking about errand jobs when we’ve barely met?”

Saying that he was precise with calculations, not stingy, Dongjun said he couldn’t accept money for running errands for Eunseong, who had only recently come to Seoul.

“What do you need?”

“I left my bag in a subway station bathroom. If you could bring it to me, that would be great.”